in the bamboos
there, if searchers should come in this direction?"

"Certainly I do. I will do all in my power to conceal myself, and
will only fight if there be no other way."

Cuitcatl at once glided noiselessly off, keeping as before in the
shadow of the bushes. For an hour and a half Roger remained alone.
He was sitting under the shadow of the bamboos, and could in a
moment withdraw himself among them.

At last he thought he heard a slight noise, and drew back towards
the thick canes. A moment later, however, he stepped forward, as a
figure he at once recognized advanced across a patch of moonlight
from the next clump of shrubs.

"All is well so far," Cuitcatl said. "Directly I entered the
palace, an attendant told me that I was being inquired for, and I
proceeded straight to the royal apartments. Montezuma's messengers
were there. They at once asked me if I had seen you. I said yes,
that we had been walking together, but that you had not returned
with me, as you said that the night was so lovely you should remain
out for some time longer. They asked me if I could lead them to
where you were; but I said that you had not told me which way you
should go, and you might, for aught I knew, have taken a canoe and
gone for a moonlight row on the lake, as was often your custom.

"Orders have been issued to the city guard to arrest you,
immediately, wherever you might be found; and the envoys themselves
started at once, with the guard they had brought with them, to the
waterside. Up to that time Cacama, who had not left them, was in
ignorance what had become of you; and I could see he was anxious,
and much troubled."

"'Do you know where he is?' he asked me, as soon as we were alone.

"'Would it not be better, your Majesty,' I said, 'that you should
remain in ignorance? Should he escape, Montezuma will be furious;
and it might be well that you should be able to affirm, on your
oath, that you knew nothing of him, and were in no way privy to his
escape.'

"'But is there a chance of his escaping?' he asked.

"'We will do what we can,' I said; 'and we can do no more. With a
disguise, a guide, and arms, Roger Hawkshaw may be able to make his
way through the country, in spite of Montezuma and his army. I
should think that the best thing will be to get him into a small
canoe, take him to the end of the lake, and land him near
Tepechpan. Then he can strike up north, take to the hills there,
and then journey east. All t