“But the old path—is it very dangerous?” said Mr Burne.
“I went out upon it last night in the darkness, and followed it for a couple of miles, excellency. It is dangerous, but with care we can get safely along.”
“You have quite cleared the passage, then?” said the professor.
“Right to the mouth, effendi. There, so as not to excite notice, I have only left a hole big enough to crawl from. Not that anyone could see, except from the mountain on the other side, and nobody is ever there.”
“When do we go, then?” said Lawrence eagerly.
“If their excellencies are willing, to-morrow night,” said Yussuf. “Every hour I am expecting to see the messenger return, and you, gentlemen, forced to agree to some terms by which in honour you will be bound to pay heavy amounts, and then it will not be worth while to escape.”
“I say, look here, Yussuf,” said Mr Burne, “are you real or only sham?”
Yussuf frowned slightly.
“Your excellency never trusted me,” he replied proudly.
“I did not at first, certainly,” said the old lawyer. “I’ll go so far as to say that in the full swing of my suspicions I was almost ready to think that you had been playing into the brigands’ hands and had sold us.”