caught him by the feet and
dragged him swiftly back.

Jack drew a deep breath, regained his heavy weapon, and poised it
anew. But for the moment he was left in peace. The group in the outer
cave had gathered about the fallen man. They uttered loud cries of
surprise when they saw the deep and dreadful wound he had received
with such terrible force from the dah. "_Dah! dah!_" Jack heard the
name of the native sword pass from lip to lip, and knew that they had
recognised by what weapon that frightful slicing blow was delivered.

But in another moment he recognised how grim and fell were these
people who were his foes. As coolly as though it were but a dog that
Jack had slain with that tremendous blow, the Strangler lifted the
dead Kachin and tossed him carelessly aside. Saya Chone said a sharp
word, and a fresh man stepped forward, drawing his _dah_ with a grin
as he was ordered to join his companions in a fresh assault. Jack knew
these little men in blue kilts to be brave to desperation, utterly
careless of life, either their own or another's, and he braced
himself once more for the struggle.

But this time the Kachins came on in different order, and in a
different fashion. A sudden flare of yellow light filled the tunnel,
and Jack saw that two men marched ahead, each with his _dah_ ready to
strike, and that behind them the third man held a flaming torch. He
saw at once how cunning was the trick. The glare would flash over the
assailant's shoulders straight into his eyes, confusing him, while
they would be lighted perfectly to the attack.

In a second Jack had devised a plan of meeting this danger. He dropped
his _dah_ over his left arm, bent and seized a huge pebble from the
floor. He poised the stone for an instant, then flung it with great
power. At this short range he struck the mark to a hair, and his mark
was the grinning face of the Kachin who carried the torch, and
rejoiced that his friends would now make short work of the fierce
young Feringhee who had hidden in the cave.

The dark face of the native was wrinkled with a savage smile, and all
his gums were on view when the heavy stone struck into his open mouth
with a crash of splintering teeth. The first pebble was followed by a
second, which took him between the eyes. Stunned and blinded, he
reeled back and dropped the torch. His comrades, bereft of their
guiding light, upon which they had counted so much, hesitated for a
moment and hung upon the next step