“Right you are,” came from the scout. “Have your weapons ready, cap’n. We may catch it hot, in spite of the alarm over the snake. Those rebs will be as mad as hornets when they find the lad is missing.”
Away they went, Ben trying to find an easy path,—which was no small thing to do in that 300 utter darkness,—and Luke coming up behind, breathing like a porpoise, but vowing he could carry Larry a mile were it necessary. Boxer kept as far to the rear as he dared without missing their trail, and the life of any Filipino who might have appeared would not have been worth a moment’s purchase at the scout’s hands.
They had covered but a few hundred yards when the shouting and firing at the encampment ceased. “I guess the snake is dead,” said Ben. “Now they’ll be after us.”
The young captain was right; and soon they heard the enemy breaking through the jungle in detachments of three or four men each, all hot-footed to recapture the prisoner. They had observed the cut ropes and wondered if it was possible that Larry had severed them without assistance.
It was not long before Boxer got a good shot at the nearest of the pursuers. His aim was true, and the Tagal went down without so much as a groan. His companions stopped short, and then called some other soldiers to the scene. “The boy is armed and shoots like a sharpshooter,” they told each other; and after that the search was continued 301 with extra care. Of course Boxer kept out of sight; and as soon as he could, he joined Ben and the others.
“I think there must be a stream close at hand,—the one we crossed a few days ago,” said he. “If we can get to that, we’ll have some chance to hide.”
“Let’s get to it, then,” gasped Luke, who felt that he could keep up but a short while longer.
“I’ll take Larry, Luke,” put in Ben, and the transfer was made, in spite of the old sailor’s protests. Then Luke plunged ahead and soon announced that he could see the river through the bushes to the right. Soon they came out on some rocks. The stream was a mountain torrent, a rod wide and from two to three feet deep. They plunged in without delay.
As they could not walk against such a current, they followed the stream on its downward course almost to the edge of the cliff, where the torrent formed a pretty series of waterfalls. Then they crossed to the other side, and climbed into a tree growing directly at the water’s edge,—a species of willow, with long, drooping branches.
“We ought to be safe here—at least for a while,” said Boxer.