ean, old man?"

"Do you know what is going to happen to-night?" demanded Phil.

"I know that we are going to have a pretty severe thunderstorm, if that
is what you mean," answered Dick; "but what has that got to do with our
escaping?"

"What has it to do?" repeated Phil. "Why, everything, my gentle cuckoo.
Dost thou not yet know that Indians generally, and the Mayubuna in
particular, have a very wholesome dread and horror of thunderstorms,
believing, as they do, that the evil spirits come abroad and hold high
revel upon such occasions? If an Indian happens to be struck by
lightning, his fellow Indians are firmly convinced that he has been
killed by an evil spirit; hence they are extremely reluctant to venture
abroad during a thunderstorm. We have observed that reluctance even in
the case of the comparatively few unimportant storms that have visited
the village since we have been here; but hitherto the Mayubuna have been
too suspicious and too watchful to afford us an opportunity to get clear
away. Now, however, I think we have at last succeeded in completely
lulling their suspicions; they have not been nearly so watchful of us of
late; and I am very doubtful whether there is a single Indian in this
village, from the cacique downward, including old Mammy Insipa herself,
who will be willing to turn out in such a storm as is now brewing,
merely for the purpose of watching that we two do not run away."

"Yes," agreed Dick, "I have no doubt you are right. Well, I am quite
ready to make the attempt whenever you say the word."

"But what about thy fatigue?" demanded Phil.

"Oh," answered Dick, with a laugh, "I am not so tired but that I dare
say I can manage to do whatever may be necessary to secure our escape
from this wretched place."

"Very well, then," said Phil; "in that case let us get our supper, make
our preparations--Heaven knows they will be few and simple enough--and
then lie down and get what rest we can; it will be two or three hours,
yet, before it will be safe for us to make the attempt."

The friends were awakened out of a sound sleep by a blaze of lightning
that flashed across their closed eyelids with the vividity of noontide
sunshine, followed an instant later by a crash of thunder that caused
them to start upright from their fern beds in something akin to panic,
so appalling was the sharpness and intensity of the sound, followed as
it was by a series of deep, heavy, reverberating booms which mi