"No difficulty there," said Allen. "Everybody is asleep."

"Let's go, then," said Frank.

Armed with two revolvers apiece, the six left the room quietly. They were not accosted as they made their way through the darkened building. They pa.s.sed noiselessly into the stockade, but there they found that the heavy gates were barred.

"Nothing to do but go over the top," whispered Frank.

Jack boosted Frank up. Sitting astride the wall, Frank lent the others a helping hand and soon they were over the wall.

"Guess it's up to us to lose ourselves in the jungles," said Frank dryly. "Come on."

The others followed. Five minutes later they were out of sight from the stockade. They plunged into the darkness among the great trees.

CHAPTER XXIII

CAPTURING THE WIRELESS STATION

Morning. As the first faint streak of light came streaming over the treetops and dimly lighted the forest itself, Frank stirred his five sleeping comrades with the toe of his boot.

"Time to get up," he said in a low voice to each.

Since midnight the lad had stood guard. There was little likelihood, the friends knew, that their escape would be discovered before morning, but it had been decided that watch should be kept nevertheless, Jack had stood watch until midnight, after which Frank took up the vigil.

With all upon their feet now, Frank called a council of war.

"We've got to decide what to do," he said.

"We've come away without as much as a bite to eat. It's likely that we can rustle up something in the forest, also water to quench our thirsts, but I'm in favor of more substantial food."

"What do you suggest, then?" asked Williams.

"Well," said Frank, "it's certain that our absence will be discovered soon after daylight. Naturally they'll make a search for us, because Captain Jack will not feel easy while we are at large. I figure that he will scout the forest with the bulk of his men, leaving the so-called fort lightly guarded. My plan would be to work back toward the enemy, and when we hear them coming take shelter in the tops of these big trees. When they have gone by, we'll come down and go to the fort. There we'll get all the chow we want."

"That's not a bad plan," decided Jack, "but you haven't carried it far enough, Frank."

"What do you mean?" asked Frank.

"Well," said Jack, "we can also take charge of the wireless room. You know I have had some experience in wireless telegraphy. Maybe we can pick up an American ship of war."

"By George! A good idea!" exclaimed Captain Glenn. "But we can't tell them where we are."

"That's true, too," said Jack, "but we can fix our location so closely that they should be able to find us."

"It's worth trying, anyhow," declared Williams.

"All right, then," said Jack. "We may as well be on the move."

Jack took the lead and they retraced the route they had traversed in their flight through the night.

It seemed to all members of the party that they had walked for hours, when Jack suddenly called a halt.

"Thought I heard voices," he said. "Guess we'd better play safe. Our place now is up in the trees."

He scanned the big trees near by. A short distance away were two even larger than the rest. Their branches were so thick that Jack felt sure they would form a perfect screen.

"Let's climb," he said.

Jack clambered up the nearest tree. Captain Glenn and Williams followed him. Frank, Timothy and Allen swung themselves into the other. There, high up among the branches, they sat quietly, waiting.

Their patience was rewarded at last. An hour later, peeping from his hiding place, Frank saw the familiar figure of Captain Jack. To right and left his men were beating the brush in an effort to find the fugitives. Each man carried a rifle ready for instant use.

Frank smiled to himself.

"You want to look up and not down," he said softly.

Captain Jack was exhorting his men to greater pains.

"Don't miss an inch of the ground," he shouted. "We're bound to find them sooner or later. Five hundred dollars in gold to the man who discovers them first. Keep working, men, and be careful."

The searchers pa.s.sed directly beneath the trees in which the fugitives were hiding. It would have been an easy matter for Frank or any of the others to have killed Captain Jack and several of his men with a single volley, but none could bring himself to shoot down a man in cold blood. Besides, a single shot would have precipitated a battle, and all the fugitives knew that their best chance of safety lay in avoiding discovery.

Directly beneath the tree in which Frank was hiding, Captain Jack paused and lighted his pipe. Then, with a word to his men, he pa.s.sed on.

The fugitives in the trees almost held their breath for fear they would betray their hiding place. For an hour after the pirates had pa.s.sed they remained perfectly motionless, fearing that one or more men had perhaps lagged behind.

Then Jack slid down the tree and the others followed him.

"Now for the fort," cried Jack.

The six made off through the woods as fast as possible. Just beyond the trees at the edge of the clearing in which the fort stood, Jack, who had appointed himself commander of the expedition, halted.

"I don't know whether the gate is locked or not," he said. "Chances are, though, that it's not. Neither can we tell how many men are within or whether they are on guard. I believe, however, that we will be safe enough if we cross the clearing at a run. They won't hardly be looking for us to come back."

"You're right, Templeton," said Captain Glenn.

"Let's be moving, then," said Frank impatiently. "Ready?" asked Jack, looking the others over.

Every man held an automatic ready for action in each hand.

"All ready," said Williams.

"Then follow me!"

Jack dashed from the forest straight toward the fort. Spreading out a trifle, so as to make as poor marks as possible should they be discovered, the others dashed after him.