he direction of Ayuthia," I interposed, pointing
to where the faint outlines of the spires of its pagodas rose like
shadows under the starlit sky.

"It comes from beyond Ayuthia," responded Hassan, whose keen sense of
hearing was so remarkable; "and is as far away as the strange city built
on the banks round a sunken ship, which we saw as we floated down the
Meinam. Hist! I hear the signal again!"

Once more we listened, but that time the cry came to us from a different
direction.

"It is only an owl hooting," repeated Denviers, "which has now flown to
some other part of the plain and is hidden from us by one of the ruined
palaces, which seem to rise up like ghosts in the moonlight. If Hassan
means to wake us up every time he hears a bird screech we shall get
little enough rest. I'm going to lie down again." He entered the tent,
followed by us, and stretching himself wearily was asleep a few minutes
after this, while Hassan and I sat conversing together, for the strange,
bird-like cry prevented me from following Denviers' example.

"_Coot! Coot!_" came the signal again, and in spite of my companion's
opinion I felt forced to agree with the Arab that there was something
more than a bird hooting, for at times I plainly heard an answering cry.

After our adventure in the northern part of Burmah we had travelled
south into the heart of Siam, where we parted with our elephant, and
passed down the Meinam in one of the barges scooped out of a tree trunk,
such as are commonly used to navigate this river. Disembarking at
Ayuthia we had visited the ruins of the ancient city, and afterwards
continued on our way towards the mouth of the river. While examining the
colossal images which lie amid the other relics of the city's past
greatness, Hassan had told us a weird story, to which, however, at that
time we paid but scant attention.

On the night when our Arab guide had roused us so suddenly, our tent was
pitched at some distance from the bank of the river, where a fantastic
natural bridge of jagged white limestone spanned the seething waters of
the tumbling rapids below, and united the two parts of the great plain.
Sitting close to the entrance of the tent with Hassan, I could see far
away to the west the tops of the great range of the Three Hundred Peaks
beyond the plain. Recollecting that Hassan had mentioned them in his
story, I was just on the point of asking him to repeat it when I heard
the strange cry once more. A mom