ell, for that we must trust to chance. There are houses that might be
robbed, and travellers who might be lightened of their belongings. I can't
think that three active men, though they might be unarmed, would allow
themselves to starve. Of course we should want to get rid of these
clothes, and find some weapons; but the great point of all is to discover
whether that door is locked."

"All right, sir! I am ready to try anything you may suggest, for I am sick
to death of this work, and the heat, and the food, and the guard, and
everything connected with it."

They looked at the door with longing eyes each time they passed it. At
last one day a man came out of the gateway just as they were passing, and,
pulling the gate to behind him, walked away without apparently thinking of
locking it.

"That settles that point," Will said. "The next most important question
is, Are there people moving about inside? Then how are we to slip away
unseen? To begin with, we will manage always to walk in the rear of the
gang. There are often rows; if some poor wretch goes mad and attacks the
guard there is generally a rush of the others to his assistance. If such a
thing were to happen near this gate we might manage to slip in unnoticed.
Still, I admit the chances are against anything of the sort taking place
just at that point, and I expect we must try and think of something
better."

A fortnight later, just as they were passing the door, a small party of
cavalry, evidently the escort to some great chief, came dashing along at
full speed. The road being somewhat narrow the slaves and guards scattered
in all directions, several of them being knocked down.

"Now is our chance!" Will exclaimed; and the three ran to the gate and
entered the garden. There was no one in sight; evening was coming on, and
any men who might have been working in the garden had left. They closed
the gate behind them and turned the key in the lock, then ran into a
shrubbery and threw themselves down. They trusted that in the confusion
their absence would not be noticed, and this seemed to be the case, for
they heard loud orders given and then all was quiet.

"So far so good," Will said. "The first step is taken, and the most
difficult one. To-morrow, when the gardeners come, we will spring upon
three of them and bind them. I should not think that there will be more
than that."

Fortune favoured them, however, for an hour later three servants came
along, laughin