Twilight came creeping into the forest. It was always dim there, and difficult to see the sunshine. Twilight came there before the outer world had lost its daylight. Ranni looked at his watch. Half-past seven. The boys still slept. Let them sleep for another hour or two, and then they would creep through the darkness of the forest, back to the clearing where they had left the raft.
Jack awoke first. He stretched himself and opened his eyes, looking into complete darkness. He wondered where he was. Then he heard Ranni speaking in a low voice to Pilescu; and everything came back to him. He was in the Secret Forest, of course — hidden under that rock! He sat up at once.
“Ranni! Pilescu! What time is it? Is everything all right?”
“Yes,” said Ranni. “Soon we will go to get the raft. We will wake the others now, and eat. Paul! Mike! It is time to wake!”
Soon all five of them were eating the hard bread. Ranni had some water in his flask, and everyone drank a little. Then they were ready to go.
By the light of his torch Ranni made his way back to the clearing where the pit was. He flashed his light around. There was no one there at all. The logs had been dragged away from the pit, when the robbers had come to see if what their women had said was true.
“We will take the path back,” said Ranni. “It is over there. Take hands and go in single file. We must not lose hold of one another. I go first. You next, Paul. Then Mike and Jack, and Pilescu last. Now — are you ready?”
They found the path and went along it quietly in single file. The boys felt excited, but perfectly safe now that they had Ranni and Pilescu.
Ranni halted after a while. He flashed his torch here and there. He had gone from the path!
“We are not very far from it,” he said. “I saw the axe-marks in a tree only a little way back. We must look for them.”