, no, my hands are getting better. Rub your wrists while I cut your
ankles free."

For answer Ned made a dash at the knife, but Jack avoided him, and
forgetting everything in his desire to set his companion at liberty, he
began sawing away at his ankles, while Ned thrust his hand into his own
pocket and drew out his knife, to begin operating directly after upon
Jack's bonds, with so much success that he was able to free him first.

His own were at liberty though directly after, and then they lay panting
and perfectly still.

Jack was the first to speak.

"Now then," he said, "shall we crawl up and try and get our guns?"

"And make one of them wake and tap us both again on the head. No, sir,
that won't do. Soon as you feel that you can move, crawl right away in
among the bushes, and I'll follow. Have you got any hands and feet?
because I feel as if I hadn't."

"Mine are terribly numb, Ned, but we'll start at once. It will do me
more good to work them than to rest them. Which way?"

"Downwards, because it's more easy. Then go into that hollow ditch-like
bit."

"But it goes upward."

"Never mind, take it, and we shall be out of sight. It will be best.
They're sure to think we've made for the sea. Why, how dark it's
growing. Didn't know it was so late."

Jack said nothing, but began to crawl away as fast as his tingling,
helpless limbs would allow, feeling that so long as they got away from
their captors it did not so much matter which direction they took. He
turned his head from time to time to see if Ned was all right, and found
that he was lamely struggling on after him, but always gave him a cheery
look.

Jack followed the rugged little ditch-like place, which had evidently
been carved out by one of the rivulets which ran down from the mountain,
but after following it some time and turning to look back at Ned, he
suddenly dropped flat on his face and began to crawl out of it, and
toward the shelter of the forest, which came close up.

"What's the matter?" said Ned.

"Don't lift your head; creep as flat as you can, and let's get among the
bushes."

"That's right enough; but why? It won't be such good going."

"We've been crawling higher and higher," said Jack, "and when I turned
to see how you were getting on, I looked down over your shoulder, on to
the smoke of the fire, and the blacks were lying about it, and just at
that moment one of them jumped up, and then all the rest followed, and