“I’m such a coward!” Dick almost sobbed to himself, for he was frightened, though, it must be said, less on his account than at the thought of Harry.  Yet he did not stop.  He went on resolutely, alone, as he got used to the idea that he must depend on himself, without Harry to help him in any emergency that arose, his courage returned.  He stopped, just as he knew Harry would have done, several feet short of the wall.  His watch told him that he had time enough to make a dash, had several minutes to spare, in fact.  But he made sure.

And it was well that he did.  For some alarm had been given.  He heard footsteps of running men, and in a moment two men, neither of them the one they knew as the sentry, came running along the wall.  They carried pocket flashlights, and were examining the ground carefully.  Dick sensed at once what they meant to do, and shrank into the shelter of a great rhododendron bush.  He was small for his age, and exceptionally lissome and he felt that the leaves would conceal him for a few moments at least.  He was taking a risk of finding a trap in the bush, but it was the lesser of the two evils just then.  And luck favored him.  He encountered no trap.

Then one of the men with flashlights gave a cry that sounded to Dick just like the note of a dog that has picked up a lost scent.  The lights were playing on the ground just where they had crossed the wall.

“Footsteps, Hans!” said the man.  “Turned from the wall, too!  They have gone in, but have not come out.”

“How many?” asked the other man, coming up quickly.

“Two, I think —­ no more,” said the discoverer.  “Now we shall follow them.”

Dick held his breath.  If they could follow the footsteps —­ and there was no reason in the world j to hope that they could not! —­ they would be bound to pass within a foot or two of his hiding-place.  And, as he realized, they would, when they were past him, find the marks of his feet returning.  They would know then that he was between them and the wall.  He realized what that would mean.  Bravely he nerved himself to take the one desperate chance that remained to him.  They were far too strong for him to have a chance to meet them on even terms, all he could hope for was an opportunity to make use of his light weight and his superior speed.  He knew that he could move two feet, at least, to their one.  And so he waited, crouching, until they went by.  The light flashed by the bush, for some reason, it did not strike it directly.  That gave him a respite.  Fortunately they were looking for footprints, not for their makers.

The moment they were by, Dick took the chance of making a noise, and pushed through the bush, to reach the other side.  And, just as the cry of the man who first had seen the footprints sounded again, he got through.  At once, throwing off all attempt at silence, he started running, crouched low.  He was only a dozen feet from the wall he leaped for a projection a few feet up.  By a combination of good luck and skill he reached it with his hands.