FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135  
136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   >>   >|  
th, so that the rope would not wave out in the wind and either betray them or become displaced. It was insecure enough, anyway, but they felt it ought to be left in readiness for a flight that might have no second to waste. Now, with eyes sharply challenging the shadows, they stole along the edge of the palace. Staring up at the building, Billy stopped. "Here's a place a story and a half high--you could almost climb up by those carvings without any ladder. And there's the next higher roof back of it--and then you must go there to the left." "I can make it," said Falconer, surely. "Now how much time shall I allow you for your sawing--fifteen minutes?" "Guess you'd better," Billy reflected, and they compared watches. It was tremendously difficult to arrive at any sort of concerted action on this bewildering expedition, but they were hoping to achieve it. Their plan had the simplicity of all desperate measures. One from below and one from above they were to make their way to that rose room and fight the way out with the girl. They considered it wiser to come from two directions, for if one were discovered and the alarm raised, the other had still a chance of getting off with Arlee, and if one were trying to escape, the other could cover his flight. They had drawn straws for their positions, and Billy had been slightly relieved that the entrance from below, which he considered a trifle more difficult, had fallen to him. He felt responsible, as well as he might, for Falconer's neck. Now he steadied one narrow ladder of poles while Falconer crept up it and then drew it up after him; and after a few moments of waiting, crouched in the shadow, Billy saw the Englishman's figure reappear against the sky on top of a higher roof. The route over the old buildings had been found, so Billy turned and crept forward along the wall, carrying the last long ladder of poles in his hand. It was an unwieldy thing to carry and it distracted his attention harassingly. "My job," said he to himself, "is evidently to make a racket and draw their fire from below while that red-headed chap carries Arlee off from above. Well, I hope to the Lord he does. When I think of her here----" But it was unnerving to think of her here, so he didn't. He kept his mind steadily on the plan. He had reached the stone steps that led from the garden to the harem now, and laying down his pole-like ladder he slipped up them and turned the handle. B
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135  
136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
ladder
 

Falconer

 

higher

 

difficult

 

turned

 
considered
 
flight
 

Englishman

 
reappear
 

figure


forward

 

carrying

 
betray
 

shadow

 
buildings
 

moments

 
responsible
 
insecure
 

fallen

 

trifle


waiting

 

steadied

 

narrow

 

displaced

 

crouched

 

unwieldy

 

steadily

 

reached

 

unnerving

 

slipped


handle

 
garden
 

laying

 

harassingly

 

attention

 
entrance
 

distracted

 
evidently
 

racket

 
carries

headed
 

positions

 
sawing
 
fifteen
 

minutes

 

surely

 
challenging
 

arrive

 
concerted
 

tremendously