he vault. Some looked over their shoulders, as if fearing
pursuit.

"Very possibly," said his father. "They are running for the moment,
but I fear they have done their work. See how joyous they look!"

This was quite true. The dark faces of the little mountaineers were
bright with smiles, and their teeth flashed white as they grinned at
each other, and shouted as if in triumph.

"Their muskets at close range are not to be despised," murmured Mr.
Haydon uneasily. "They fling a heavy ball, and drive it with great
smashing power. And again, the bullets may be poisoned. They often
are."

The Kachins did not run far. They faced about, and three or four who
were armed with spears threw their weapons forward, ready to receive
the charge of the wounded creature. But no charge was made. Had the
tigress been alone, she would have rushed out, but the presence of her
cubs made a great difference. She stayed beside them, growling and
roaring with rage and pain until the very building shook.

Half an hour passed, and the tigress was now making no more than a
low moan. Little by little her growling had died away. The Haydons
heard the sound diminish with uneasy hearts. They knew that the
strength of the great fierce beast was going with it, and that very
soon the Kachins would be at the foot of the stairs.

They talked the situation over, and looked at it from every point of
view, but could see only one thing to do. That was to wait for the
enemy on the narrow winding steps, where but one could pass at a time,
and hold them at bay.

Jack looked round. "Where's the woman?" he said, "she has not come
up."

"No more she hasn't," said his father. They had been so deeply engaged
in watching every movement of their enemies that they had utterly
forgotten their companion. When Jack rushed up from the secret
chamber, he had thrust the flaring torch into her hand, in order that
she might follow at her leisure, but there was no sign of her in the
room behind them.

Jack ran across to the spot where the square black hole yawned in the
floor.

"It's all dark down here," he cried in surprise. "Has the torch gone
out? But why has she not come up?"

Near at hand lay a large lock of dried grass, part of a bundle which
the woman herself had gathered and brought up on their first entrance.

Jack caught it up, struck a match, and thrust the burning vesta into
it. In an instant the tuft of grass was ablaze, and he flung it into
the secre