"An' is that the way you thrust a gintleman?" said Dinny, contemptuously, as Bart, with all a sailor's and rock-climber's activity, drew himself up, and dropped from the top of the wall at the side. "Now, you over," whispered Abel. "We shall take you with us till we're safe; but so sure as you give warning of our escape, you lose your life!" "Ah! ye may thrust me," said the sentry, quickly. "Is it over wid me?" "Yes; quick!" The man scaled the gate as easily as Bart had done before him, and then Abel followed; but as he reached the top and shuffled sidewise to the wall, which he bestrode, there was the sound of a shot, followed by another, and another, and the fierce baying of dogs. "Bedad, they've seen ye," said the sentry, as Abel dropped down. "They've been in the barrack," whispered Bart. "To be sure they have, sor; the sergeant was going round." "Quick, take his hand!" said Bart. "No!" whispered Abel, levelling the bayonet. "No, no; for my mother's sake, sor!" cried the sentry, piteously. "She has only six of us, and I'm one." "Put away that bagnet!" said Bart, hoarsely. "Take his hand, and run!" "That's it, sor, at the double," said the sentry, rising from his knees, where he had flung himself. "I'm wid ye to the end of the world. It's a place I know, and--" "Silence!" hissed Abel, as there was the loud clanging of a bell with the fierce yelping of dogs, and they dashed off, hand joined in hand, for the coffee-plantation, away down by the cane-brake and the swamp. CHAPTER THIRTEEN. THE PURSUIT. The hue and cry rose louder and louder as the fugitives ran laboriously toward the jungle brake. Lights could be seen; a signal-gun was fired, and the little colony was up in arms, ready to hunt down the escaped criminals, lest they should take to the forest, from whence, after a time, they would issue forth as wild beasts. But in the darkness of that tropic night there would have been little danger of recapture but for those sounds which told the evading men that their greatest enemies were now afoot--those who could hunt them down without light or sight, but would track them by scent with the greatest ease. "Hark at that, now!" said the Irishman, as he ran on, step by step with the escaping prisoners. "D'ye hear the dogs giving tongue? They haven't got the scent right yet, me boys; but they'll have it soon. G'long; ye don't half run." He ceased speaking for a few moments, and then continued apologetically-- "Faix, and it's meself forgot. Ye've got the bilboes an, and they make it bad running. There, d'ye hear the dogs? It's like having the hounds back at home, before I 'listed for a soger, and got sent out here. Run, ye divils, run! But, I say: if we're tuk, and it comes to a thrial-- court martial, ye know--be fair to a boy, now, won't ye?" "What do you mean?" said Bart, gruffly. "Remimber that it was you made me desart. I couldn't help meself, could I?"