The robbers saw them too, and uttered loud cries of amazement. In half a minute they were swept away down the river, out of sight, lost in the long black tunnel through which the water rushed downwards.
“They saw us!” yelled Jack. “Does it matter, do you think? Will they come after us?”
Ranni and Pilescu stopped to consider the matter. They thought it was possible that the robbers would turn back and pursue them. It would be easy to swing their raft against the side and leap out. They could drag their raft up behind them, as they apparently did each time they climbed up to the temple-cave.
“Ranni!” yelled Jack, again. “Do you think they’ll come after us?”
“We think it is likely,” replied Ranni. “We must push on quickly. Come, there is no time to be lost.”
The five of them set off again. It was a hard and tiring journey. They were splashed continually by the river, which also overflowed time and again on to the ledge so that their legs were always wet. Sometimes the tunnel was very low, and once the company had to go down on hands and knees and crawl like that round a bend of the ledge, their heads touching the roof of the tunnel!
Ranni’s torch gave out and Mike was glad he had one with him to lend to Ranni, for it was necessary to have two, one at the back of the line and one at the front.
“How much further have we to go?” groaned Paul. “How much further, Ranni?”
A Journey up the Mountain River
It was a long, long climb. Ranni shone his torch on to his watch, and saw that it was nearly midnight! No wonder poor Paul was groaning, and wondering how much further they had to go. Even the two men were tired.