I could not see, for I had left the glass in the car; but I exchanged a parting salute with my companion, walked slowly to the stair and began to ascend it. Before beginning the ascent I had seen Jack standing half way up the stair, looking towards me. After a hearty grip of the hand we turned back and walked slowly towards the pathway that we had taken on the second morning of our stay here. We spoke almost in whispers. I gave Jack a brief account of what I had seen. He said that it indicated something of which we could hardly guess the whole import, but he agreed with me that such import was probably as bad as it could be. “We must try to escape,” he said, “as soon as possible. I know now exactly how to work and steer the cars, and I know, too, how to lay my hands on a second battery.” “What do we want with a second battery?” said I. “Well,” said he, “I don’t know what these batteries are made of; they are of solid stuff, not fluid, and yet they all waste very quickly. I doubt if any one of them will carry us as far as we may want to go; indeed, I am not sure that any two of them will be enough.” “But how are we to get away,” said I; “we are so closely watched?” “I’ll tell you what I propose,” he said. “We shall not retire to-night until an hour after dark, nor the next night, then we may hope that they will take it as a matter of course that we shall not retire on the third night until the same hour. But on the third night, immediately after dark, we shall make a bolt of it, and so we may hope for an hour’s start.” “In the car?” “Well, so I propose. I am aware that there is much to be said in favour of an attempt to escape on foot. These lozenges of theirs are meat and drink. We have had nothing else for several days, and we want nothing else, and we know now how many of them we should require, and it is certain that we could easily carry enough to last us three weeks or more. And if we make a bee-line for the wire we ought to reach it within three weeks or less. Besides, if we escape on foot they will not know where to look for us. We shall have cover among the trees, whereas in the air we shall have no cover.” “Not even if we escape in an invisible car?” “There is none of the cars invisible to them.” “Ah! so I was beginning to think.” “I am quite sure of it.” “Well, go on.” “Still, three weeks may not be enough. We may not be able to make a bee-line. Probably we shall meet with some impassable scrub, or other obstacle, and so our food may run out, and we may die miserably after all. But if we escape in one of the cars the whole risk will be over, and our fate will be decided one way or another within twenty-four hours.” “Very well,” said I, “we shall try it the night after next.” Then I told him of my appointment next day with Signor Davelli. He looked very grave. “That’s the biggest risk of all,” he said. “If you give in to him we’re both done for.” “I won’t give in to him.”