INDIAN WARFARE.
Ronie realized that it was a critical moment for them. While it was too dark in the room to see anything plainly, the dark visages above the walls were silhouetted against the background of the night with vivid clearness. They proved beyond a doubt that the building was surrounded by the armed men. All this flashed through his mind very quickly, for they lost no time in attempting to make their escape.
"Follow me," whispered Jack, leading the way to the rear wall. Then, notwithstanding the presence of the enemies without, he caught upon the top of the wall, and, springing into the air, cleared the obstruction with an agility some young athletes might have envied. Nor was Ronie a bit behind him. Seizing firmly on the wall, the young engineer bounded upward, and, turning a complete somersault, landed on his feet a couple of yards beyond the other side of the wall.
Jack struck within half a dozen feet of him, outside of the cordon of watchers surrounding the building. At the same moment an outburst of cries from inside the building told that the mob within had entered the room our twain had just left so unceremoniously. Without stopping to hear more, they darted into the thicket of bushes bordering the clearing about the dwelling.
They were barely in time to escape a volley of bullets sent after them by the insurgents, who had rallied with celerity and prepared to start in pursuit, giving expression to loud yells of mingled surprise and consternation at the bold act just performed. These cries served to tell the fugitives of their situation without doing any material harm. At any rate, Ronie and Jack found themselves several rods from the building before their enemies mustered for pursuit. But at the very outset it promised to be a stern chase.
Unacquainted with the grounds as they were, Ronie and Jack had to be constantly on the watch against running into some of the impassable thickets that grew in every direction. The woods seemed to be full of the insurgents, for go whither they would they soon found their further flight cut off in that course by a body of the armed outlaws lying in wait for them, or crossing their path like so many hounds running down a brace of foxes. They could still hear the outcries and excitement prevailing at the building they had left.
"Hist!" exclaimed Jack, suddenly grasping Ronie by the arm. "I hear them coming from the right and left. Down upon your hands and knees, lad. We must crawl for it."
It was evident the enemies were too numerous for them to risk a hand-to-hand struggle, so the fugitives dropped close to the earth and began a tedious advance through the matted bushes which formed a sort of hedge between the parties of insurgents. Jack was slightly ahead, but Ronie kept as near to him as possible. In this way they advanced for three or four yards. It was quite dark in the growth, but they could discern the forms of the natives plain enough to see that a dozen or more were within a few paces of them. Then Jack paused, signaling to Ronie to do the same by a gentle grip upon his wrist.
It had become very still in the jungle-like forest, and Ronie was wondering what this movement of his companion meant, when a sharp scream pierced the night air. It was a woman's voice, freighted with great fear and suffering.
"We are not the only ones in trouble," whispered Jack.