lling
his story.

"There are two others of us in the river," he said, and he raised his
voice and shouted, "Buck! Buck!"

"Hello!" came a cry from some distance, and Jack's heart thrilled with
relief and delight.

The launch was headed in the direction whence the reply came, and soon
Buck's head appeared in the ring of light cast upon the water by the
bright lamp. He was drawn into the launch, and then the little
steamer, circling to and fro, scoured the river to find the Shan
boatman. While this was being done, with one policeman keeping a watch
for the missing man, the second policeman, Risley, and Jack were hard
at work on Jim Dent, trying to bring him back to consciousness.

"Say, this is great," suddenly snapped Buck. "I can feel old Jim's
heart beginning to thump. He'll do, he'll do."

"Thank heaven," breathed Jack, who had been terrified at Dent's white
face and clenched teeth, and thought hope was gone. "He'll come round
then, you think, Buck?"

"He'll come all right," said Buck. "Keep on rubbing him."

"We'll take you ashore," said the first policeman; "there's no sign of
your boatman. That was the man they were beating under, there is no
doubt. Do you know anything of the men who attacked you?"

"Nothing at all," replied Buck. "We have no idea who they were."

"River-thieves," said the second policeman, "as hard to catch as a
monkey in the jungle. They work by night always. If we hadn't come up,
your bodies, stripped to the skin, would have been thrown up on the
river bank to-morrow."

The police launch put them ashore near the rest-house where they were
staying, and Jim was now sufficiently recovered to be able to walk.

"It was a close call that time," he said. "Who held me up? The only
thing I remember is hitting my head a terrific crack against the prow
of the sampan as I went over. I knew nothing after that till I sat up
on the deck of the police-boat."

"Jack had got hold of you, good and all right, so the policeman told
me," said Buck. "Where he found you I don't know."

Jack was compelled perforce to tell his story, and Jim Dent expressed
his deep gratitude.

"By George, sir," he concluded, "I should have been a supper for an
alligator to-night if you hadn't stuck to me. Those murdering rogues
would have beaten me under easy enough, even if I hadn't been drowned
before giving them the trouble. I've got to thank you for my life."

"Oh, you'd have done the same for me, Jim," said Jack.