suit our game at all." The tiger had again raised
his voice, but not in a roar so much as a fierce, grumbling snarl, and
the sound was much nearer.

"Quick, quick!" cried Me Dain, from the head of the procession, and
the whole party hurried forward. Suddenly the trees above their heads
parted, and they saw the stars. The little band had reached an open
space in the jungle, and they gathered in the midst of this space and
closely surrounded the ponies.

"Put your hand on this little beast's shoulder," said Dent to Jack.

Jack laid his hand on the shoulder of the pony next to him, and found
that it was trembling violently and running with sweat.

"I rather fancy it knows all about that noise, and what's making it,"
went on Dent. "They understand when trouble's in the wind as well as
anybody."

"It must be in a terrible fright," said Jack. "Do you think the tiger
will attack us, Jim?"

"It isn't at all unlikely," replied Dent. "What do you say, Buck?"

"If he doesn't want one of us, he wants a pony," replied Buck, "so it
comes to just the same. We'll have to pipe him full o' lead, I
shouldn't wonder."

"This is a bad place for tigers," broke in Me Dain. "Very bad place.
Three Chinamen killed here four months ago."

"How was that, Me Dain?" asked Jack.

"Nobody know," returned the Burman. "Three diggers going up to the
hills to look for rubies. Make camp on little creek not a mile from
here. Somebody pass the camp next day and see one man dead. Then they
look, and see pieces of the other men in the jungle. Me forgot that,
running from Kachins."

"Never mind, Me Dain," said Jim Dent. "Don't worry about that. A 'bad'
tiger is a very awkward brute to run up against, but a bunch of
Kachins is a more desperate case still. Hallo, he's pretty close. Hold
the ponies tight, Me Dain. They're ready to bolt."

The little creatures were now frantic with fear, and the Burman had
all his work cut out to keep them in hand.

"Look there! Look there!" cried Jack. "What's that straight in front
of us?" He had been staring hard into the blackness of the jungle, and
now, all of a sudden, two bright green flames seemed to start up in
the gloom.

"That's a tiger just stepped from behind a tree," murmured Jim. "Stand
steady, boys, and don't let anybody loose off in any too much hurry."

"There's another, and another," said Jack.

In swift succession two fresh pairs of gleaming eyes were seen. Me
Dain gave a groan of terror.