Several spears whizzed in front. But the darkness caused them all to go wild, although they were near enough to be uncomfortable. Patsy insisted afterward that one scraped the skin off the end of his nose and mussed his hair.
“Here you are!” shouted Nick. “There’s a hole in their line.”
“Where?” questioned Patsy.
“If you don’t see it, make one!” snapped Chick. “Rush through somehow!”
Shoulder to shoulder, Nick Carter and his two men charged at the yelling natives and went through their formation like the center rush in a varsity football game.
It was at this moment that they heard Jefferson Arnold roaring excitedly:
“Swing to the right, Carter! Swing out to the right!”
The three obeyed this injunction, just as there came some more flying spears.
At the same instant two rifles spoke from the river bank. The shots took the Hindus by surprise, and for a few seconds they were completely demoralized.
Nick and his two assistants dashed through the undergrowth and gained the edge of the wood. They caught a glimpse of the river and their boat, with the four oarsmen seated, ready to row away at the word of command.