a piece of wood, to serve as a
gag, into his mouth, they secured his hands and feet with their
handkerchiefs, and pulled him through the tunnel into the hut.

"Now," said Desmond, "we have got a musket, some pieces of wood, and our
fists; and, as we shall probably find some thick sticks as we go along,
it ought to take a good many Brazilians to recapture us."

On going to the courthouse, they had observed the water of the harbour
shining in the distance, and they therefore knew the direction to take.

Keeping outside the village, they were making their way to the brow of
the bill on which it stood, when they came suddenly on a large
farmhouse, out of which several dogs rushed, barking furiously; the
animals, however, contented themselves with making a noise, without
venturing to attack the strangers, but the noise was what they had to
dread. Lights were soon seen in the windows, and directly afterwards a
party of men appeared at the door, armed with blunderbusses and pistols.
Higson, knowing that if they ran, both dogs and men would follow,
halted, and, presenting his musket, told Norris to order the men to
stand back or that he would fire. They appeared to understand what they
said, for they all hurried back into the house; but as they did so, two
of them let fly with their blunderbusses. Fortunately no one was hit,
but the slugs came whizzing over their heads.

"Now we must run for it," cried Higson. "Whatever we do, though, keep
together."

The noise of the blunderbusses aroused the inhabitants of several
neighbouring houses, some of whom came out, while others discharged
their firearms from their windows. This of course aroused the whole
village, and it soon became known that the English pirates had escaped.
Higson and his party were in the meantime making the best of their way
down the hill, though, as they were unacquainted with the road, they
were uncertain whether they were directing their course for the
landing-place. They could tell by the sounds that a large body of men
were collecting in their rear. Higson regretted that they had not
waited till a later hour in the night, when all the inhabitants would
have retired to rest. The road was extremely rough and uneven, such as
it would have been difficult to traverse rapidly even in the daytime.
Tom had a severe tumble, and then down came Gerald, while poor Archy
Gordon found it very difficult to get along. Their pursuers, who knew
the road, were g