world," cried Buck.
"What d'ye mean by letting the dacoits nearly get us?"

"Me sorry, me very sorry, sahibs," cried the Burman. "The sleep just
catch me. Me very sorry."

"You'd better be sorry," returned Buck. "I've a good mind to boot you
till your nose turns grey. If it hadn't been for Jack, the king-pin o'
this outfit, we should all have hit the long trail this morning."

"We'd better give those chaps down there a volley," said Jack. "See
how the tufts of grass shake as they creep on us."

"You're right," said Jim. "They're trying to get within range. At
present they can't reach us with their muzzle-loaders, but we can
pepper them easy enough."

Firing steadily but swiftly, the three comrades raked every patch of
cover with a stream of Mannlicher bullets. This checked the advance;
no more signs of movement were seen.

The voice of the Burman was now heard behind them.

"Sahibs," he said, "let us go on. Two miles more we reach a deep
river, and break the bridge. No Kachins follow then."

"Sounds like a chance for us," remarked Jim. "Get the ponies, Me Dain,
and cut along ahead. We'll follow in a minute."

The Burman at once slipped the hobbles from the ponies, whose packs
had not been removed, and led them quickly away. From the head of the
slope the path crossed a kind of tableland, and they could easily keep
their guide in sight for a long distance.

"Now to search the places where these fellows below are in hiding,"
cried Jack. "That will hold them back from following us till we get a
good start."

"That's it," returned Jim. "Just what I was thinking of."

Each man spent a couple of magazine loads in firing into every spot
where a Kachin had been seen to move or to go to cover. Then they drew
back out of sight, leapt to their feet, and ran at full speed after Me
Dain, who was hurrying the ponies along in the distance.

"After that bit o' shootin' they'll wait a while before they push on
to the top of the slope and find we're gone," said Jim as they ran.
"And that will give us a good start to cross the river."

Within a mile they caught up the Burman. Jack looked back as they ran
up to the ponies, but the top of the slope was now out of sight, and
he could not discover whether the Kachins had swarmed up to it or not.

The fugitives were now following a well-worn path, clearly that used
by the people of the country-side to gain the bridge over the stream
in front.

Jack was now leading the way,