This lent fresh wings to their feet, and they hurried on, finding to their dismay that the enemy had turned into this path, and were now following them fast. It was a race for liberty, perhaps for life; and whither the path led they could not tell. Whenever they paused for a moment to listen, they could hear the voices of their pursuers; and at last, panting, streaming with perspiration, their faces bleeding from contact with thorns, they glanced at each other, when, by mutual consent, they made another effort. The path took a turn, and Hilton uttered a cry of joy, for at the end of a long green tunnel there was the brilliant sunshine upon the river. This put new life into them; and racing onward, they reached the water's edge just as a couple of Malay fishermen were securing their sampan to a post. The sight of the weapons, and the threatening words used by the desperate fugitives, silenced any opposition the fishermen might have made; and as the two officers sprang aboard, the men loosened the rope, took their paddles, and the boat was round the bend of the river and out of sight before the Inche Maida's followers reached the water's edge. Before night the Residency island was in sight. Hilton had been very silent for some time, but at last he spoke: "Chum, old fellow," he said, "I've been thinking about what we are to say." "Hilton, old fellow, I've been thinking the very same thing." "It would be too ridiculous to say that we had been carried off by a woman." "We should be roasted to death!" said Chumbley. "But she ought to be punished." "Can't go and carry sword and fire into the woman's home because she took a fancy to you." "What are we to say, then? I dare not own to this affair!" "I swear I won't!" said Chumbley. "Then what is to be done?" "The only thing seems to me to be that we had better say we were carried off by the Malays." "Which is a fact," said Hilton. "And we were taken to a place that we had never seen before." "Another fact," said Hilton. "And kept prisoners." "Which is another fact." "I think that's best," said Chumbley. "It would be horrible to go and take revenge upon this woman." "But she deserves to be well punished." "Well, we are punishing her," said Chumbley, "by coming away, and leaving her in a horrible stew, for she is safe to imagine that we shall go back with a company, and destroy her place. Besides, she will never dare to show her face at the settlement again." "Well, let the matter rest for the present," said Hilton. "Only let us thank our stars that we have escaped." "To be sure!" said Chumbley, with a sigh of relief. "Poor woman, I should not like her to be hurt, she behaved so well; and--Hurrah! there's Harley! Row, you ruffians--row! There--to that landing-stage!"