The whole plan had, in fact, been very carefully discussed, for all knew that Antonio Sarvisti and his men would make the utmost effort to stop any and every attempt at escape, and if Dudley was to succeed it would not be by his own cunning and boldness alone, though the attempt was hazardous enough, but by the help and co-operation of his comrades.
"Ah, that is fortunate! I have found him."
A low exclamation of relief escaped his lips, for as he stretched out one hand, groping amidst the bushes and brambles, the fingers came in contact with the frilled edging of a man's overalls. The touch almost sent a shiver through our hero; for the sensation of crawling through this deep shadow was an uncanny one. True, he was almost sure that no living enemy was within some yards of him; but yet, as his fingers touched the man for the first time, the horrible suspicion that it might be a gaucho lying in wait for him flashed across his mind. He felt startled, and, withdrawing his hand, seized his hunting knife. Then he stretched out again, ran his fingers up the leg, and finally came to the face.
"Cold already," he said to himself, feeling immensely relieved. "And here is what I want, his hat and his neckcloth. Good! Now, unless the light is strong, none will be able to detect me."
As quickly as possible he relieved the body of hat and neckcloth and donned them himself. Then, determined to make the most of every second, and feeling sure that it was not yet time for Harold to open fire in his direction, he crawled on again as stealthily as any snake, clearing the ground before him, progressing a few inches only at a time, and taking the utmost pains to remove all sticks from his path. Now and again a bramble or a strong shoot from one of the bushes opposed his onward progress, and for a time he felt as if they were iron bars, so impossible to avoid them was it.
"If I push them aside they will swing back certainly," he thought. "Then, if I attempt to creep and wriggle under them they are sure to hit against others, and the sound they will make will be heard. Ah, my knife! That will make short work of them."
From that moment he held the weapon in his hand, for brambles were forever obstructing him; and besides, at that slow and careful pace it did not hinder his progress, and was there in case of some sudden attack.
Crack! Twenty yards behind him there was a sharp report which brought Dudley flat on his face, where he lay listening to the rip, rip of the bullet as it ploughed its way through the tree tops. Then he heard the gentle patter of falling twigs and leaves, cut in twain by the missile.
"Good, Harold!" he said beneath his breath. "You are a careful fellow. That is a warning shot, just to let me know you are about to open fire. I shall stay here. There is a big tree just behind me now, and I am fairly secure. Fire away!"
It seemed as if those he had left behind in the shallow trenches scooped in the earth had heard his words, for almost instantly there came a spluttering discharge, the flashes coming from a point on a level with the ground, while the bullets swept the forest, striking the trunks with resounding thuds, and often enough flying off at a tangent, accompanied by that high- or low-pitched hum which tells of a ricochet, a sound pleasant enough to listen to if one has perfect cover, but sufficiently trying under other circumstances. Patter, patter, patter. Dudley heard the gentle fall of twigs and leaves again, and smiled grimly as he wondered what the enemy thought of it all.