added Oliver. "Come on, there is not a second to lose!"
On and on we went, until the first line of rocks was gained. But here Dan pitched headlong and Oliver, too, went down, both having caught their toes in a concealed crevice.
"Get up!" I urged. "Hurry!"
"My—my wind is—is knocked out of—of me!" panted Oliver, and Dan could not talk at all for the moment. By the time they arose I was dismayed to notice that the four Kanakas were less than a hundred yards off.
"We are caught!" were Dan's first words.
"No, we are not," I answered. "Come, brace up. If the worst comes to the worst we can fight them. But we have an advantage. We can see them because they are between us and that fire. I don't believe they can see us."
"Don't make too sure," came from Oliver. "But come, Dan, we can't stand here." And off we pushed once more, but with added caution, and Dan limping painfully from a stretched ankle.
It was soon evident that the Kanakas were slowly but surely gaining upon us, and that being so, I looked about for some other means of getting away than by running.
"Let us fool them," I whispered. "We can run to the edge of the cliff, pretend to leap over, and then hide in the brush."
