CHAPTER XIV.
INDIAN WARFARE.
Ronie realized that it was a critical moment for them. While it wastoo dark in the room to see anything plainly, the dark visages abovethe walls were silhouetted against the background of the night withvivid clearness. They proved beyond a doubt that the building wassurrounded by the armed men. All this flashed through his mind veryquickly, 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 thetop of the wall, and, springing into the air, cleared the obstructionwith an agility some young athletes might have envied. Nor was Ronie abit behind him. Seizing firmly on the wall, the young engineer boundedupward, and, turning a complete somersault, landed on his feet a coupleof yards beyond the other side of the wall.
Jack struck within half a dozen feet of him, outside of the cordon ofwatchers surrounding the building. At the same moment an outburst ofcries from inside the building told that the mob within had entered theroom our twain had just left so unceremoniously. Without stopping tohear more, they darted into the thicket of bushes bordering theclearing about the dwelling.
They were barely in time to escape a volley of bullets sent after themby the insurgents, who had rallied with celerity and prepared to startin pursuit, giving expression to loud yells of mingled surprise andconsternation at the bold act just performed. These cries served totell the fugitives of their situation without doing any material harm.At any rate, Ronie and Jack found themselves several rods from thebuilding before their enemies mustered for pursuit. But at the veryoutset it promised to be a stern chase.
Unacquainted with the grounds as they were, Ronie and Jack had to beconstantly on the watch against running into some of the impassablethickets that grew in every direction. The woods seemed to be full ofthe insurgents, for go whither they would they soon found their furtherflight cut off in that course by a body of the armed outlaws lying inwait for them, or crossing their path like so many hounds running downa brace of foxes. They could still hear the outcries and excitementprevailing at the building they had left.
"Hist!" exclaimed Jack, suddenly grasping Ronie by the arm. "I hearthem 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 ahand-to-hand struggle, so the fugitives dropped close to the earth andbegan a tedious advance through the matted bushes which formed a sortof hedge between the parties of insurgents. Jack was slightly ahead,but Ronie kept as near to him as possible. In this way they advancedfor three or four yards. It was quite dark in the growth, but theycould discern the forms of the natives plain enough to see that a dozenor more were within a few paces of them. Then Jack paused, signalingto Ronie to do the same by a gentle grip upon his wrist.
It had become very still in the jungle-like forest, and Ronie waswondering what this movement of his companion meant, when a sharpscream pierced the night air. It was a woman's voice, freighted withgreat fear and suffering.
"We are not the only ones in trouble," whispered Jack.
"What does it mean? Hark, Jack! she is pleading for her liberty.There is a man's voice, and he, too, is begging for some one to sparehis life. Is there nothing we can do for them?"
"It looks as if we had about all we could look after to save our ownlives, lad. But, as long as it is in our way let's creep a littlenearer the place."
The insurgents, having apparently moved farther to their right, theycautiously advanced, being careful not to disturb a bush or make anynoise. They advanced in this way for a few rods, when they foundthemselves on the margin of a sunken swamp, dense with a growth ofvines and bushes enveloped in moss and lichens. Finding thisimpenetrable, they crawled along its border, though forced to steermore to their right than they thought prudent. It was evidently thisimpassable jungle which had changed the course of the insurgents.
They must have advanced a hundred rods without finding any end to theswamp, when the sound of voices now became distinctly heard, thoughthey were not raised above an ordinary tone. It was the same womanspeaking they had heard before, while her accents were scarcely lessintense. She was saying, in Spanish:
"Have mercy, senors! I have never wronged you nor the poor country youprofess to be fighting for. My poor husband died in her defense, and Iam willing to give my life in her cause, but do not torture me."
"Tell us where he is and we will spare you," replied a masculine voice,pitched in a high key.
"Alas! I do not know. I would that I did, senors. But if I did youcannot think me cowardly enough to betray him, not at the price of mypoor life. God forbid that I should for a moment have such a thoughtor that you should so far misjudge me in my weakness. He is all thereis left me--if he yet lives, which I am not certain--my noble son, thenoblest of the De Caprians."
At the mention of that name Ronie and Jack instantly remembered thebrave young exile then with Harrie in prison at San Carlos, and, as maybe imagined, listened with excitement hard to suppress for the nextwords, which were hissed rather than spoken by the man who held her aprisoner:
"You lie!" and the concealed listeners fancied they could see him lifthis armed hand over her head, as if he would kill her then and there.Her reply was spoken with the calmness born of despair:
"Think as you will, senor; I have spoken the truth. Had I a dozenlives depending on my answer, it would be the same. Kill me if youwish. I can die without a regret, knowing that Francisco is not hereto witness my death or suffer at your hands, El Capitan."
"She is Francisco's mother," whispered Ronie, anxiously.
"Ay, lad; and he is Rhoades, the insurgent leader."
"Must we let him butcher her in cold blood and remain inactive?" askedRonie, whose hot nature was aroused by this unwarranted treatment of ahelpless captive.
"Hist!" warned Jack. "We are watched by an enemy in yon coppice."
Ronie saw nothing in the direction indicated by his companion, butunder the circumstances he felt certain he was right, and he graspedhis firearm more firmly, feeling that it would not be long before hewould be obliged to use it. The voices of the speakers ahead hadbecome silent, so that not a sound broke the stillness of the scene.
"What can we do, Jack?"
"I have been thinking lad, that it may be well for us to do a littlescouting, in order to get a better idea of the situation. That fellowin the thicket has got to be disposed of before we can do much else.If you will lie here and not let any of them spring a surprise on you,I will see what I can do in the way of Indian warfare. I do notbelieve I have lost the little cunning I picked up in fighting theIgorrotos of Luzon."
Without waiting for Ronie's reply, Jack began to creep to their rear,moving so silently that our hero was not aware of his retreat until hehad fairly left his side. The voice of the insurgent chief again fellon his ear, followed by the reply of the woman, which was spoken toolow for him to distinguish. Jack had now disappeared, and he knew hewas alone in the midst of enemies.
Five minutes dragged themselves slowly away without bringing anymaterial change in the situation. Ronie had not discovered any sign ofJack, but twice he had seen a man's head thrust cautiously above thematted undergrowth where he knew one of their enemies lurked.Evidently the scout, for such he judged him to be, was getting uneasyand anxious to end the suspense. During the time he had heard a smallbody of horsemen ride up to where the insurgent leader and his prisonerwere stopping.
"Jack told me at the end of five minutes to lift my cap on the muzzleabove the rim of bushes," he mused. "The time must be up now. I thinkI will try it."
Then Ronie removed the covering on his head, and, placing it on the endof his rifle barrel, gently raised the weapon as he had been told, indoubt as to what the result would be. He had barely accomplished thesimple feat before the sharp report of a firearm rang out, and a bulletsped just
over him with a hearty zip! The cap dropped by his side, andwhen he came to pick it up he found that it had a hole through itscrown where the bullet had gone. Most assuredly the insurgent was agood marksman, and he shuddered to think what his own fate would havebeen had he carelessly exposed himself.
The shot of the sharpshooter brought an exclamation from the lips ofthe chief, but beyond that Ronie heard nothing to explain to him whatwas succeeding. He fancied at first he heard the man starting towardhim, but he was not quite sure of it. He was becoming alarmed inregard to Jack. Where could he be all this time? Had he fallen intosome trap and become a prisoner? In the midst of these reflections hesuddenly became aware of the presence of some one near him, and he wasabout to act in his defense when the familiar voice of Jack caused himto stop.
"Easy, lad! It's all right with him yonder. Your ruse worked toperfection and just in the nick of time. I managed to handle himwithout making a disturbance. His shot has not seemed to arouse them,and it is time for us to act. The road is not far away, and theinsurgents seemed to have halted near the outlet of this swamp. Ijudge they are waiting for some of their force to join them. Besidesthe woman, they have one or two other captives, which I judge they aretaking to headquarters. If you feel like looking at them, follow me.We might as well go that way as any other, for the woods are full ofthe cusses behind us. Somehow, they run an idea we have taken to themountains, which is natural, I suppose."
Ronie was nothing loath to move, as he had begun to tire of thisinactivity, so he kept close behind Jack, who began to worm his wayalong the margin of the lowlands, until, after several minutes of thistedious advance, Jack paused.
"If I am not mistaken, we are within gunshot of these brown-skinnedrebels," he whispered. "But there is no doubt but they are on thelookout for us, and we must move with great caution. Let's makeanother hitch."
Once more they went forward, keeping close to the earth, and under thecover of the overhanging tropical vegetation, being careful how theydisturbed each bush, and with their eyes constantly trying to piercethe gloom around them. So, like woodsmen following some Indian trailin the days of the pioneers, they wormed their way along, Jack ever andanon lifting his head slightly so as to get a wider view of hissurroundings, but always careful not to expose any part of his figure.
Finally he paused again, Ronie quickly imitating his example, while helistened for the explanation he knew his companion was ready to make.Though slightly behind him, he had discovered the shadowy outlines ofseveral horsemen drawn up in a semi-circle.
"We have reached the road," said Jack, softly. "Can you see thehorsemen just to our right, where the way curves slightly?"
"Yes," replied Ronie, in the same cautious tone.
"And the woman? She is a little beyond the main body, on the grayhorse."
"I see her, now that you have called my attention to her. I shouldknow her by her skirts."
"Right, lad. The brook is just below. The crafty dogs are stillharkening and waiting. But they will not wait much longer. Hark! abody of horsemen are coming up the road at this moment! It is probablythese they are waiting for."
"What do you propose to do, Jack?"
"Get a little nearer, lad."
"Do you think we can save her?"
"We will try, but it can be done only at great risk and under cover ofthe excitement of the meeting of these squads. Come on, lad, everymoment is precious to us."