"That is our signal," remarked Phil quietly, as he rose to his feet. "We may safely move now, for the `bad spirits' are abroad with a vengeance to-night, and every Indian in the place--man, woman, and child--will be cowering with head tightly wrapped in blanket and unable to move for fear of what may be seen. There! listen to that!" as another vivid flash illumined the hut, and low, terrified wails burst forth from all round about them, mingling with the roar and volleying of the thunder--"that gives one some idea of the state of mind that the poor wretches are in. I believe that if the village were to take fire they would remain in their huts and burn rather than turn out and face the lightning. Come along; we must get clear away, if we can, before the rain comes, because when it begins we shall be able to see nothing. Now; have we all our belongings--my medicine case, our pistols and ammunition, swords, bows and arrows? Yes; I think there is nothing missing. Are you ready? Then--march!" "But where are we going?" demanded Dick, as they groped their way out of the hut in the opaque darkness that followed upon a dazzling flash of lightning. "First, round to the back of the hut, and then past the rear of the other huts--since, although I believe we might walk straight through the village without being seen, I do not believe in running unnecessary risks. Then, down to the beach," replied Phil. For the first few minutes of their journey the going was exceedingly difficult, the eyes of the pair being alternately dazzled by the vivid electric flashes and blinded by the Cimmerian darkness that followed them; but by the time that they had groped their way through the village and were approaching the beach, the flash and glimmer of the lightning, both fork and sheet, had become almost continuous, and they were able to see their way for the rest of the distance without difficulty. "Now," said Phil, when at length they reached the beach and stood among the canoes, "our first business must be to choose a handy canoe for ourselves--I hope we shall not require her for more than an hour--and then send the rest adrift down the river, which will put it out of the power of the villagers to pursue us. It is, of course, a bit hard upon them, but it cannot be helped; and after all, they have kept us enslaved here for three months, so it is not so very unfair an exchange. Now, this is a handy little craft, and ought to serve our purpose very well, even if we cannot find our own canoe again, so help me to haul her up, Dick; and then we must push the others off as quickly as we can. The suck of the current will soon draw them down the creek into the main stream; and when once they are there the Mayubuna may say goodbye to them."