Wade. "Will you superintend my get up,
Doctor?"
"Certainly," the Doctor said, with alacrity. "I will guarantee
that, with the aid of my boy, I will turn you out so that no one
would know you even in broad daylight, to say nothing of the dark."
A quarter of an hour sufficed to metamorphose Bathurst into an
Oude peasant. He did not return to the room, but, accompanied by
the Doctor, made his way to the tree he had spoken of.
"By the way, you have taken no arms," the Doctor said suddenly.
"They would be useless, Doctor; if I am recognized I shall be
killed; if I am not discovered, and the chances are very slight of
my being so, I shall get back safely. By the way, we will tie some
knots on that rope before I let myself down. I used to be able to
climb a rope without them, but I doubt whether I could do so now."
"Well, God bless you, lad, and bring you back safely! You may
make as light of it as you will, but it is a dangerous expedition.
However, I am glad you have undertaken it, come what may, for it has
given you the opportunity of showing you are not afraid of danger
when it takes any other form than that of firearms. There are plenty
of men who would stand up bravely enough in a fight, who would not
like to undertake this task of going out alone in the dark into
the middle of these bloodthirsty scoundrels. How long do you think
you will be?"
"A couple of hours at the outside."
"Well, at the end of an hour I shall be back here again.
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