They were but some twenty yards away.
"Up you go, Surajah. We have not a moment to lose!"
Dick sprang up the steps, Surajah following. As they reached the top
of the wall, a shot was discharged at them by the sentry at the gate,
who, ignorant of the cause of the sudden uproar, had been standing in
readiness to fire. He was, however, too excited to take aim, and the
bullet flew harmlessly over their heads. In another instant, they
sprang over the parapet.
"Lower yourself by your arms, and then drop."
The wall, like many others of its sort, was thicker at the base than
on the top, and the foot projected two feet beyond the upper line, so
that it was a sharp slide, rather than an absolute fall. It was well
that it was so, for although only some twelve feet high inside, it was
eight feet higher on its outer face, as a dry ditch encircled it. Both
came down in a heap on the sand that had crumbled from the face of the
wall.
As soon as they picked themselves up, Dick exclaimed, "Keep along the
foot of the wall, Surajah," and they dashed along until they reached
the angle. As they turned the corner, they heard a burst of voices
from the wall where they had slid down, and several shots were fired.
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