"No, sir, and so we are not going to tell you we are going," Ned laughed.
"What we want to ask you is to tell your men not to fire if they hear a
noise close by in the next few minutes, and after that to listen for a
whistle like this. If they hear that they are not to fire at any one
approaching from the outside. Good-by, sir."

And without waiting for Mr. Johnson to make up his mind whether or not his
duty compelled him to arrest them, to prevent them from carrying out the
mad scheme of which Ned had spoken, the Warreners glided off into the
darkness.

They had obtained a couple of native daggers, and took no other arms. They
did not take off their boots, but wound round them numerous strips of
blanket, so that they would tread noiselessly, and yet if obliged to run
for it would avoid the risk of cutting their feet and disabling themselves
in their flight. Then, making sure that by this time Mr. Johnson would
have given orders to his men not to fire if they heard a noise close at
hand, they went noiselessly to the breastwork which ran from the battery
to the house, climbed over it, and dropped into the trench beyond.

Standing on the battery close beside them, they saw against the sky the
figure of Mr. Johnson.

"Good-by, sir," Ned said softly; "we will be back in half an hour if we
have luck."

Then they picked their way carefully over the rough ground till they
reached the lane, and then walked boldly but noiselessly forward, for they
knew that for a little way there was no risk of meeting an enemy, and that
in the darkness they were perfectly invisible to any native posted near