started off quietly round the hill, not
beginning to hurry until the hill lay between us and the burning town.

There was not much need for caution. The roar of flames, the shouting,
the excitement would have protected us, whatever noise we made, however
openly we ran. Over and above the tumult we could hear Schubert's
bull-throated bellowing, and then the echo to him as the sergeants took
up the shout all together, ordering "Off with the grass roofs! Off
with the roofs!"

The white officials were more than interested, and had no time for
anything but thought for the blaze. As we crossed the shoulder of the
far side of the hill we could see them standing on the drill-ground all
together, clearly defined against the crimson flare. Schillingschen
was with them.

There was no sign of what had happened at the boma. The gang would
have to emerge from a little-used gate at the northern end, provided
they could break the lock or secure the key to it; otherwise their
only chance was to climb the wall by the cook-house roof and jump
twenty feet on the far side. I was for running to the little gate and
bursting it in from the outside, but Fred damned me for a mutineer
between his panting for breath, and Will, who was longer-winded, agreed
with him.

"Have to leave their end of the plan to them! Let's do our part right!"

As it turned out, we were last at the rendezvous. We heard the chain
clanking in the dark just ahead of us, and try how we might, could not
catch up. Then, near the boat bow, Kazimoto suddenly recognized Fred
and nearly throttled him in a fierce embrace, releasing all his pent-up
rage, agony, resentment, misery, fear in one paroxysm of affection for
the man who cared enough to run risks for the sake of rescuing him.
Fred had to pry him off by main force.

"Into the boat with you!" Will ordered them. "Chain-gang first! Get
down below, and lie down! The first head that shows shall be hit with
a club! Quickly now!"

Clanking their infernal chain like all the ghosts from all the haunted
granges of the Old World, they climbed overside and disappeared. There
were more figures left on shore then than we expected. Brown we could
make out dimly in the dark: he was chattering nervously, and admitted
that but for Kazimoto he would not be there. The faithful fellow had
broken down the corrugated iron partition and had dragged him out by
main force. He was rather resentful than grateful.

"Hauled