"
It was indeed well that Surajah had not attempted to look out at one
of the loopholes; for, at the time he asked the question, a dark
figure was standing at each, looking along the barrel of his gun, in
readiness to fire the moment the light was obscured.
A few minutes later Dick exclaimed:
"How stupid! We can easily test whether there is any one there,
Surajah;" and, taking up a piece of thatch he pushed it suddenly
across one of the loopholes.
No shot followed the action, and he went round the hut, and repeated
the experiment at each of them.
"They have all gone," he said confidently. "Had they been outside,
they would certainly have fired directly the light was obscured."
Standing a short distance back from the end window, he looked out
between the crossbeams.
"Hurrah!" he shouted. "There they go up the road. They are a quarter
of a mile away. They are not more than half as strong as they were
when they came down. They are carrying eight or ten figures on their
shoulders, on litters, or doors."
"I don't see the cavalry," Surajah said, as he joined him.
"No. It is likely enough that they may be in hiding among the huts
opposite, and are waiting, in hopes that we may be foolish enough to
take it for granted that they are all gone, and pull down the bars of
the door.
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