Two soldiers came up to them, and bade them follow them into one of the huts, and there pointed to the farther corner as their place.

They wrapped themselves in their blankets, and at once lay down.
"If they take it into their heads," Dick whispered to Surajah, "to put a sentry on guard at the door, it will upset all our plans.

It would not be very difficult to cut our way through the mud wall behind us, but in the first place they have taken away our knives; and, even if we had them, it would be risky work trying it.
"The chances are that they will sit and talk all night.

Of course, we might surprise the sentry, but it would be a great risk with those fellows close at hand, and we should have to run straight for the steps, and might get a dozen balls after us, before we were over the wall." "I don't think there would be much chance of their hitting us," Surajah said.

"Jumping up from their sleep in confusion, they would be a minute or so before they could find out what had happened, and we should be at the foot of the steps before they saw us, and then they would fire almost at random.
"But, in that case, we should lose our weapons," he added regretfully.
"We cannot help that.