The word was now passed round by the gunner that strict silence was to be kept, and that we were to make the least possible noise in marching.
The latter order was extremely difficult to carry out, especially as in one or two places the men had to use their cutlasses to hew a way for themselves through a tangle of pendulous creepers and forest sub-growth. It was impossible to keep any sort of formation, and we had to straggle on as best we could. Had a watchful and cunning enemy been lying in ambush anywhere upon our line of march, he would undoubtedly have stood a very good chance of wiping us off the face of the earth.
The atmosphere grew close and oppressive as we descended into the valley, and the tree-tops were scarcely stirred by the almost stagnant air. Even the birds and insects seemed affected by the sultriness, and their varied cries and droning hums were hushed into quietude. Ominous-looking purple clouds were gathering over the summits of some of the distant mountains and seemed to presage a thunderstorm.
Suddenly I caught sight of a thin spiral column of blue smoke ascending from the valley beneath and dissipating itself in the blue ether overhead. I silently pointed it out to the gunner.
As we were on a fairly open piece of ground at the time, the latter halted us by a warning gesture with his hand.
“That looks as if it came from an encampment, Mr. Darcy,” he whispered; “or do you think it might be caused by charcoal-burners?”
“I’m inclined to think it comes from a camp of the mutineers,” I answered in the same low tone; “for it does not look more than half a mile distant, and I should say we have already come a mile and a half.”
“But why should they be so anxious to betray their whereabouts? that’s what bothers me,” remarked the gunner.
“You must bear one thing in mind,” I said, “and that is, that this particular body of mutineers or insurgents probably deem themselves quite safe from pursuit, hidden away in this valley. They’re keeping watch over the booty, whilst the main body is engaged in drawing our brigade off as far as possible into the mountainous interior. It’s a clever plan, I must say, but it’s fallen to our lot to foil it.”
The gunner did not answer for some minutes, but seemed buried in thought. He was a very cautious man, and though brave as a lion in fight, he was anything but headstrong in conceiving plans of action.