A few minutes later the trees shadowed them, and they crept amongst the trunks, the noble leading the way till the whole band had disappeared into the forest. Then he halted, the same curious sound came from his lips, and the party came to a stop, all throwing themselves on the ground. "We are safe for a time," he said, coming to Roger's side, where the latter had thrown himself on the grass. "This wood extends some miles in the direction of Mexico, as I have already said, and if we push on we shall reach the farthest fringe before the dawn comes. Shall we do that, or have you better counsel to give?" Roger thought for a little while before he ventured to answer. "The wood extends some miles," he said at length. "Then the horsemen could not surround the whole?" "But the footmen could. They have allies sufficient to cover every foot of the ground, my lord." "At Tlascala they have," answered Roger, coolly, while he still gasped for breath. "They have the allies there in abundance, we all know. But the horsemen will arrive alone, and it will be long before the footmen follow. Will they not rather chase the other parties, leaving us to the Spanish horse?" The question was an important one, and Teotlili was quick to decide it. "I cannot say for certain," he said; "but it is more than likely that the horsemen alone are in chase. Give me a little while, and I can speak with full knowledge." He rose to his feet and strode across to the men, all of whom were seated listening, and none showing much sign of distress, for these Aztecs were always in wonderful condition. Then he gave an order, and a dozen of the natives rose and disappeared from view. "They will be back before long," said Teotlili, "and they will be able to say for certain if the horsemen are alone. If they are, what do you propose?" That too was a difficult question to answer, and for a little longer Roger lay on the grass, his head buried in his hands. Suddenly he turned to Teotlili. "Have the men the courage to attack the horsemen?" he asked. "You are sure of that?" he went on, as Teotlili gave him an emphatic reply. "Then I have a little plan. These horsemen will be here within a little while, and much will depend on their captain's discretion. But if he hears us in the wood it is likely that he will dismount his men and send them in, leaving a small escort to guard the horses. Then this is the way in which we will act. When we hear the horses we will creep towards them, and then will induce the men to enter by breaking branches, and making so much noise as to lead them to think that we are forcing our way through the forest. If we hear the order given to dismount, we will creep to the very edge of the wood, while a dozen of our men will go on as before, luring the Spaniards in. Once they have gone some hundred paces we will attack the escort, kill them and scatter the horses. Then, don't you see, these horsemen will be no better than ourselves."