kily I've got my rifle all right. That was on the sling."

"We've got another Mauser in the outfit," said Jim. "I slipped a couple
of spare ones in. We'll turn it out at the next stopping-place."

No more was said, and they pushed on swiftly along the river bank. The
day was fearfully hot and the road rough. Jim Dent began to puff and
blow under his burden.

"Say," grunted Buck, "this is a tough job running away under loads
from dacoits who'll scour after us like coyotes as soon as they hit
our bank of the river."

"It is," panted Jim. "Me Dain, how far is it to the next village which
is strong enough to make us safe against the Kachins?"

The Burman shook his head.

"Soon the road leaves the river," he said. "Then it goes through
jungle. But it passes only little villages, very little."

"A jungle road, and no chance of a haven," said Jack. "This sounds
precious awkward. It strikes me our only chance will be to pick a
strong position, or as strong a one as we can find, and wait for them.
They'll certainly run us down pretty soon at the pace we're travelling
now."

"And we can't go any faster," said Buck, "without we leave our traps,
and then we should be up a tree for want of them, even if we escaped
from the dacoits in the end."

"I'm getting beat, and that's a fact," murmured Jim Dent. "I had a
sharp touch of fever about three months ago, and it's not gone so
clean out of my bones as I thought."

"I'll carry your pack, Jim," cried Jack.

"In addition to your own?" said Dent. "Not likely. I'll peg along a
bit farther before I agree to that."

At that moment the path ran into a grove of tall bamboos clustered
along the bank. The grove was of no great width, and they emerged from
it to see a little camp pitched on a sand-bank beside the stream. A
fire was burning, and a pot of rice simmering over the flame. Watching
the rice, sat, or rather squatted, a couple of Shan boatmen, and their
boat was moored to a tree at the water's edge.

"Hallo!" cried Jack, "these chaps have got a big boat here. Can't we
get them to run us and our stuff up the river?"

"By George!" said Jim Dent, "there's something in that."

"Ask them, Me Dain," called Jack. "Tell them we'll pay them well if
they'll carry us up the river."

The Burman ran forward at once and began to talk quickly to the
big-hatted boatmen. In two moments everything was settled. The men
were poling their boat back up the stream after selling a load of
t