dusty road passing
the village.

Near the first houses of the village, a woman sprang out of the crowd
which was waiting to see the procession pass. She rushed forward, an
infant in her arms, and flung herself on the ground before the ponies
ridden by the Ruby King and the half-caste. Holding the infant out at
the fullest reach of her arms, she lay in their path, and poured out a
string of loud, supplicating cries. Jack knew not a word she said, but
he understood very well that the wife and child of the doomed man were
before him.

He looked to see the riders pause upon witnessing this spectacle of
wretched despair. Then, with a start of horror, he saw that they were
intending, in cold-blooded fashion, to trample mother and child
beneath the hoofs of the animals which bore them. The woman had
stretched herself out so that her body was in front of the
half-caste's pony, her infant in front of that of the Ruby King. Saya
Chone's pony was more merciful than the flinty-hearted wretch who
bestrode it. It started back, reared, shied, refused absolutely to
step forward upon the unhappy woman. The Ruby King uttered a brutal
laugh, and urged his own animal on.

The latter beast went forward willingly, and was within a stride of
placing its fore feet on the little brown, naked body, when Jack gave
a sharp cry of horror and darted forward. Several of the bodyguard
sprang after him, but they might as well have leapt after a deer. Jack
raced forward, flew between the ponies, and caught the child from the
ground. At the same instant three or four of the villagers ran to the
spot, lifted the woman, and dragged her away. One of them took the
child from Jack and put it in her arms.

Now the guards came up, seized Jack, and hustled him back to his place
in the procession.

"Well done, Jack," said his father quietly. "You were just in the nick
of time. Another second and U Saw's pony would have trampled the life
out of the poor little mite."

"Really, he would have done it," breathed Jack incredulously. "Even
after cutting in and picking it up, I can hardly believe it."

"Oh, he'd have done it, without doubt," said Mr. Haydon drily. "You
will find out, Jack, that these people hold human life very cheaply,
and human suffering cheaper still."

The Ruby King and the half-caste had taken no notice of Jack's action
save to laugh derisively, and now the procession moved forward once
more. They went about a couple of miles, and halted