The sounds came nearer, and it was now so light that as we watched we could see the bushes moving, and it seemed to me that more of this horrible bloodshed must ensue. We were crouching close, but the wounded man was moaning, and his companions might at any moment hear him and then discovery must follow; while if, on the other hand, we did not resist, all hope of rescuing my poor father would be gone.
“We must fight,” I said to myself, setting my teeth hard and bringing my gun to bear on the spot where I could see something moving. At the same time I tried to find where Jack Penny was hiding, but he was out of sight.
At the risk of being seen I rose up a little so as to try and get a glimpse of the coming enemy; but though the movement among the bushes was plain enough I only caught one glimpse of a black body, and had I been disposed to shoot it was too quick for me and was gone in an instant.
They were coming nearer, and in an agony of excitement I was thinking of attempting to back away and try to reach the cave, when I felt that I could not get Jack Penny and the black to act with me unless I showed myself, and this meant revealing our position, and there all the time were the enemy steadily making their way right towards us.
“What shall I do?” I said to myself as I realised in a small way what must be the feelings of a general who finds that the battle is going against him. “I must call to Jack Penny.”
“Cooey!” rang out just then from a little way to my right, and Jimmy looked up from his hiding-place.
“Is Carstairs there?” cried the familiar voice of the doctor, and as with beating heart I sprang up, he came staggering wearily towards me through the clinging bushes.
“My dear boy,” he cried, with his voice trembling, “what I have suffered on your account! I thought you were a prisoner.”
“No!” I exclaimed, delighted at this turn in our affairs. “Jimmy helped me to escape. I say, you don’t think I ran away and deserted you?”
“My dear boy,” he cried, “I was afraid that you would think this of me. But there, thank Heaven you are safe! and though we have not rescued your father we know enough to make success certain.”