r river, they're more likely to grab
a pony, and if we lose them, why we must."

"It will be a frightful loss," said Jack.

"It lies between that and being scuppered ourselves," said Dent.

"Yes, yes, Jim, of course," cried Jack. "Your plan is the best."

It was carried out at once. The four men went into the ford in a
bunch, with a pony up stream and a pony down stream. Jack was leading
the up-stream pony, Buck the down-stream animal, while Jim and the
Burman were between them. The crossing was a broad one, near upon a
hundred yards, for the river had spread out on a sandy flat, and they
were thirty or forty yards into the stream before they were more than
thigh-deep. Then the water suddenly deepened a full twelve inches, and
they were up to their waists. The stream, even on the flat here, was
fairly swift, and they could only wade forward slowly.

"Slow job this," remarked Buck. "Water's tougher stuff than you think
to get through. I feel as if I was wading through treacle."

"Yes, doesn't it clog your movements," agreed Jack, "but I should
think we're a good half-way over."

"Deep part got to come yet, sahib," said Me Dain. "We have come
through easy part of ford."

Just at this moment Jim's voice broke in; his tones were low and
fiercely earnest.

"Push ahead, boys," he said. "Do your best. Strike it faster,
everybody."

"What is it, Jim?" The question broke from Jack's lips, but a glance
up stream answered it before Jim could speak in reply. A hundred yards
above the ford a small sand-bank rose above the water. On this bank
lay, to all appearance, three logs washed thither by the current. But
now, oh horror, Jack saw these logs move and raise themselves. They
were huge alligators sunning themselves and waiting for prey. It was
clear that the vast saurians had noted the movement on the surface of
the river. One by one they slid down the sand and vanished into the
stream.

"They are coming, sahibs, they are coming!" cried Me Dain, and his
brown face was hideously ashen with terror.

"Strike it faster, everybody," growled Jim, and the party pushed
forward at their utmost speed through the stream.

"Gosh!" panted Buck. "It's getting deeper and deeper. That's dead
against us."

"Let us go back, sahibs," cried Me Dain, beside himself in terror of
the awful reptiles now coming down stream upon them with frightful
rapidity. "Let us go back. Better to face dacoits than alligators."

"Easy does it, Me Dai