"I will go first, sahib, and will let you know how far you will have to drop; for the wall looks, to me, higher than it was at the point where I intended to descend."
It was tied round the neck of a gun, and Abdool at once slipped down. There was a pause, then a slight dull sound, and the rope hung loose.
"The knot at the end is ten feet from the ground," Abdool said, in a low tone.
"That is near enough," Harry replied, and then he swung himself over.
When he came to the last knot, he lowered himself to the full length of his arms and let go. The fall was not much more than a yard; and Abdool stood close by, ready to catch him, should he miss his foothold on alighting.
They at once started, at a rapid pace, down the hill. They had nearly reached the plain when the deep note of a horn was heard.
"That is the alarm!" Harry exclaimed. "They have found out that I have gone."
"They will soon be after us, but there is no fear of their catching us," Abdool said, as they broke into a trot. "No one will know, at first, what has happened. Everyone will run to his post; then they will have to search the fort, and all the ground between it and the lower wall. All that will take time. It may be an hour before horsemen start.