As it was, he received several nasty scratches, and could hear
muttered exclamations from the men behind him. Creeping under some
of the rattans, making detours to avoid others, and cutting some of
the smaller ones in two with his cutlass, he made his way forward,
and was delighted indeed when, after proceeding some twenty yards,
he came upon the edge of what looked like a ditch, but which was,
he knew, the native path.
"Here we are, lads," he exclaimed in a low tone; "thank goodness
we have not had to go farther."
"So say I, sir," one of the men grumbled; "if it had not been for
your lantern I should have been torn to pieces. As it is, I aint
sure whether my eyes aint gone, and my nose and cheeks are scratched
as if I had been fighting with a mad cat."
"Here, Winthorpe, take the lantern and make your way back; darken
it as soon as you get through to the edge of the creek. You cannot
go wrong with the cord to guide you."
Two or three minutes later Dick saw the light approaching again,
and the lieutenant, the coxswain, and two bluejackets joined him,
Winthorpe and another having been left as boat keepers.
"Now, Harris, do you and one of the others go on ahead; we will
follow fifty yards behind you. If you hear anyone coming, give
a low whistle; we will then turn off the light.
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