"What do you here?" demanded a heavy-set native, in his own tongue, as he strode forward, gun in hand, followed by several others. Larry was startled and leaped up. In a twinkling he found himself surrounded, and several Mausers were levelled at his head. To resist would have been the height of foolishness, and Larry did not try. The Tagals asked him a number of questions in their own tongue, but he shook his head to show them that he did not understand. On their part, not one could speak English, so neither party could communicate with the other. The natives, however, soon understood that he was alone, and when he pointed to his ankle and limped, also understood that he had sprained that member. One went into the bushes, and presently returned with some leaves, which he crushed and packed inside of the boy's stocking. The juice of the leaves proved very cooling, and presently much of the pain from the sprain went away. The Tagals were bound for the cliff, but by a route different from that which Larry had travelled. As the boy was unarmed and could scarcely hobble along, they did not take the trouble to bind him in any way. He was made to march with half of the crowd before him and the others behind; and thus they proceeded until the cliff was reached, at a point where the jungle hid a series of rough steps leading to the top. Beyond the top of these steps was a mountain trail, which by nightfall brought them to a plateau where were encamped at least three hundred Filipinos of all classes, the Tagals predominating. A shout went up as Larry appeared, and he was at once recognized as one of the prisoners who had escaped from the caves, which were fully four miles away. "So they have caught you again?" remarked an under-officer, as he strode up with a sinister smile on his swarthy countenance. "You did not get very far." "No, I had a bad fall and lamed my foot," replied Larry, as cheerfully as he could. He was never one to "cry over spilt milk." "A fall? Where?" "I fell over the high cliff just below here." "And you live to tell it? Impossible!" "No, it is true. I fell into a large tree, and that broke my fall. But I was badly scratched up, and my ankle was sprained." "A rare fall truly, boy. It would have been better, though, if you had been killed." "Thank you; I like that!" "I say it because you are a prisoner who has tried to escape from us. Do you know the fate of all such?" At these words Larry could not help but shiver. He knew what the officer up at the cave prison had said,--that any prisoner trying to escape would be shot at the first opportunity which presented itself. "Surely, you would not kill me for trying to get away?" he cried quickly. The under-officer shrugged his shoulders. "It is not for me to change our regulations of war, boy. Your words prove that you knew beforehand the risk you were running." "Yes, yes--but-- You would try to get away too, if our soldiers caught you."