"They"ll follow our footsteps!" exclaimed one of the sailors.
That was so, and it was an unpleasant prospect; it was plain that if the Americans wished to find any safety they must get some distance away from that battery.
"We"ll make one more effort to get back into the country," muttered Clif.
And amid silence and anxious suspense they once more started up the sloping seash.o.r.e.
They crept along as it seemed by inches. But fortunately they did not run across any more "guns." When they came across an embankment it was of solid earth and marked the end of the beach.
And there were some trees and bushes there, so the Americans began to feel more comfortable. For all they knew they might in the darkness have been strolling into a town.
But they were apparently out in the open country, there seemed to be no people and no houses near. So they started boldly forward.
It was then late at night, a dark and damp and windy night; so they were not likely to find many people wandering about.
"What we want to do," Clif said, "is to get back in the country a while where we can hide until morning. Then if we can find some Cubans we"ll be all right."
Clif was about tired to death. He had done far more work that day than any of those sailors. But there was no time for resting then.
He gritted his teeth and started; they took their bearings from the sea, and then went straight on, watching and listening carefully, but meeting with no trouble.
At first their walk led through what had evidently once been a cultivated country, for it was level and had but few trees upon it. At present, however, it was overgrown with weeds.
Once they almost ran into a house, which it may readily be believed gave them a start. It was creepy business, anyhow, this stumbling along through the enemy"s country without being able to see ten yards in front.
But the house seemed to be empty. In fact, it could hardly be called a house any more, for it was half burned down.
The Americans thought that it was empty, for Clif had stumbled and fallen with a crash over a pile of dry sticks and rubbish. But when he rose to his feet to listen anxiously there was no movement or sign that anybody had heard him.
"It probably belonged to some of the reconcentrados," he muttered.
He was about to turn and give the word to proceed.
Then suddenly a new idea occurred to him, and he gave a pleased exclamation.
"This is lucky!" he whispered. "Men, what is the matter with hiding there?"
That was a rather startling proposition; for they could not be at all sure but some one lived there after all.
But Clif had come several miles by that time, and he was disposed to be a trifle desperate.
A person can get so tired that he will be anxious to enter even a Spanish dungeon in order to get a chance to rest.
"We will search the house," he said. "If we find anybody we"ll hold them up and make them prisoners; and if we don"t, we"ll spend the night there."
And then without another word he started silently forward. The sailors were right behind him.
What was evidently the front of the house was the part that had been burned. Clif picked his way over the ruins and into the rear, where there was a roof still remaining.
There was a door there, half shut; one may readily believe that in pushing it open Clif was rather nervous.
But nothing occurred to startle him, and so they went forward once more.
The place about him seemed deserted.
Then suddenly Clif did a startling thing.
He took a deep breath and called aloud.
"Anybody here?"
And then for at least a minute or two the little party stood waiting in silence; but no answer was heard.
"I guess it"s deserted," Clif said. "Scatter and search it thoroughly."
And that was quickly done. To their relief the Americans found that the place was not inhabited and that there was no one near. That once made sure it may be believed that they wasted no more time in delay.
"I don"t think it will be necessary for us to keep watch," he said. "Our safety lies in our hiding."
They made their way into one of the smaller rooms of the little building, one which had a key to the door. And having secured themselves as best they could from danger of discovery, the wearied men sank down upon the floor.
CHAPTER X.
A STARTLING DISCOVERY.
It may seem strange that they were able to sleep in the perilous situation they were in; but they were men who were used to holding their lives in their hands. They say that Napoleon could take a nap, during a lull in battle, while he was waiting for his reserves to be brought up.
The men were cold and damp, of course, but it was impossible for them to light a fire, even had they dared to take such a risk. But the darkness was their princ.i.p.al shield.
But all the cold in the world could not have kept Clif awake; he and the rest of the men were soon fast asleep, hidden away in the enemy"s country, and surrounded by perils innumerable, yet resting as quietly as if they were at home.
And none of them awakened either, as the dark night wore on. The day began to break over the mountains to the eastward, and the gay sunbeams streamed into the room to find the sailors still undisturbed and unconscious.
The sun had risen and was half an hour up in the sky before any of the Americans showed signs of awakening. One of the sailors turned over and then sat up and stared about him.
It was not strange that the man wondered where he was, for a moment; he had been through so much during the previous day.
He found himself seated in a little bare apare apartment half charred by fire, and having damp straw for flooring. His companions, including the officer, were stretched out upon it.
They seemed in blissful ignorance of the fact that it was damp.
The sailor rose to his feet; he was rather stiff and sore, and somewhat hungry, but he felt that he ought to be glad to be alive.
And then he stole quickly over to the tiny window to look out; naturally enough he was a little curious to see what sort of a place it was they had hit on in the darkness.