e body of a snake was twisted, and he held the head firmly in his
hand. A terrible groan of agony burst from Thomas Haydon's lips as he
saw the venomous reptile coiling and uncoiling its short, thick body
round the arm of the Ruby King. It was a small cobra of the most
venomous kind, a creature whose bite took effect at once, and was
followed swiftly by death.

U Saw walked up to Jack and held the head of the horrible creature
within a foot of Jack's face. The latter tried to look steadily at the
frightful death which menaced him, and, for a few seconds, was
fascinated by the dreadful sight. The tiny, glittering, bead-like eyes
of the reptile sparkled with rage, and its hood swelled and swelled in
its fury as it sought something to strike, something upon which it
might expend its store of deadly venom. But the grip of the Ruby King
held head and neck immovable except as he wished, and the cobra had no
power save over its coils. These were in constant and furious motion.
They were now wrapped tightly round U Saw's arm, now flung loose, and
then tightened anew as the angry snake twisted and writhed and sought
to free itself from the clutch which imprisoned its head.

Inch by inch U Saw advanced the frightful flat head until the forked
tongue played immediately before Jack's eyes, and the grip on the head
was now slightly loosened, and the cobra opened wide its horrid jaws
and disclosed its poison fangs, and made convulsive efforts to reach
and strike the face just before it.

Jack closed his eyes and drew a long, quivering breath. This torture
was exquisite beyond any bodily pain. But there was no thought of
yielding in his heart. Among these dark-skinned Asiatics he and his
father stood alone, and it lay with them to maintain the English name
and credit in this moment when men of a weaker race would have given
way and cringed and begged for mercy.

Summoning up his utmost resolution, Jack opened his eyes again,
resolute to deny to his enemies the smallest token of their triumph.
But he found that the horrid, gaping jaws were no longer close to his
face. U Saw had stepped a pace backwards, and was adjusting his grip
of the reptile with the greatest care.

He grasped it anew and more tightly, and stepped forward once more.
Now he advanced the flat head little by little towards Jack's naked
breast. At last it was so close that the cobra's tongue, darting in
and out, was touching the lad's body. Ah! that was horrible. T