"Now, do you stop here, while I crawl
forward to the water. The first thing to discover is whether they have
a sentinel stationed anywhere near the bottom of this path."
The time seemed terribly long to Middleton before James returned,
though it was really but a few minutes.
"All right!" he said, as he approached him. "There is no one here,
though I can hear some sentries farther up the river. Now you can come
forward, and have a drink. Fortunately, the river is high."
After having satisfied their thirst, Middleton asked:
"Where are you going now? I don't care how far we have got to march,
for, after that drink, I feel ready for anything."
"It won't do to hide anywhere near," James said; "for, if the boat
which comes to take us off were to be seen, it would put them on their
guard, and there would be plenty of sentries about here in future. No,
we will keep along at the foot of the precipice till we are about
halfway, as far as we can tell, between Samos and Sillery, and then we
will climb up, as high as we can get, and show our signal in the
morning. But you must be careful as we walk, for, as I told you, there
are some sentries posted by the water's edge, higher up."
"I will be careful, don't you fear," the midshipman said.
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