“But how are you going to light it?” said Mr Anderson.
“July Caesar got lilly bottle o’ fire; massa Allen lilly bottle, sah.”
“But we can’t see in the darkness,” said Murray.
“Take hol’ hand. Caesar show way. See with one hand run along top wall.”
Setting aside the seeing, the black soon proved to those who followed him that he could feel his way along the rest of the distance, during which it was quite dark; and he hurried his followers along till the black gloom gradually became twilight, and that increased in power till it became possible to follow the dimly seen figure which went on in front. Then the twilight became a pale green, which grew brighter and brighter till all at once the black stopped short and whispered—
“No make noise. Caesar go first and see Massa Huggin gone take Massa Allen ’way.”
The party stopped and saw the black hurry on for a few dozen yards, and then disappear through what seemed to be a clump of bushes, which pretty well blocked up the end of the passage.
“I should like to know what’s going to be the end of this,” said the lieutenant; “but I suppose we must go on with it now and trust the black, for he seems to be proving himself honest. What do you say, Mr Murray?”
“I feel sure he is,” replied the midshipman.
“But his motive? We are almost complete strangers.”