“Go on, I’m not winded,” Rex said.
“I know it,” Bob replied, “but it’s no go.”
“What do you mean, no go?”
“Listen.”
Even Rex had now no difficulty in distinguishing the sounds of the approaching men.
“It’ll be a big advantage to us to have our wind in good shape when they come,” Bob explained. “And they’d catch us in another hundred yards or so anyhow.”
“What are you going to do?” Rex asked.
“Depends on circumstances,” Bob replied. “You two let me do the talking. Remember the odds are five to three and we mustn’t do anything rash.”
Even as he spoke he caught the sight of the leader crashing through the thick woods only a few yards away. The man was closely followed by the other four. The boys could tell by their heavy panting that they were far from fresh but they well knew that the physical endurance of many of these men of the woods was little short of miraculous.
The leader saw them a moment later and stopped in his tracks only a few feet away. His companions quickly gathered about him and they all began to talk in French.