But they knew they could not afford to relax their caution by a hair, and they continued a slow creeping progress until they reached the woods.

Then they rested on their elbows in a thicket, and took long breaths of relief.

They had been a quarter of an hour in crossing the open and it was an immense relief to sit up again.

They kept very close together, while their muscles recovered elasticity, and still used their eyes and ears to the utmost.

It was impossible to say that a warrior was not near crouching in the thicket as they were, and they did not intend to run any useless risk.