Oliver swept the bamboos on both sides for others of the enemy, but all was so still and the space was so small that he came to the conclusion at last that there was only one foe concealed there, and with pulses beginning to throb now from the exciting thought which came upon him, he backed slowly and silently away and made haste to rejoin Drew.
“Well?” said the latter, excitedly.
“Hist! Sound travels,” whispered Oliver, and he hurriedly told all that he had seen.
“The brute!” said Drew. “He is, then, between us and safety.”
“Yes.”
“Well,” said Drew, sternly, “I would hurt no man if I could help it, but that black would not hesitate to kill us and our friends, and in addition to saving our own lives, we may perhaps help to save those of the others. Lane, old fellow, do you think we could creep up behind and stun the wretch?”
“That was the idea that came to me,” said Oliver, hurriedly. “I don’t want to, but we must.”
“Yes,” said Drew, firmly, “we must.”
“And at once.”
“Come on, then,” said Drew. “No firing; the butts of our pieces.”