lephant which carried Ramabai and
Pundita and the boat or barge which held the eager Umballa and his
soldiers. The mahout, terrorized, had slid off and taken to his heels
ingloriously. Thus, Ramabai could do nothing to aid Kathlyn. Nor
could the elephant ridden by the colonel and Bruce be managed.

Umballa was quick to see his advantage, and, laughing, he urged his men
toward the helpless girl. The colonel raised his rifle and aimed at
Umballa, but there was no report, only a click which to the frantic
man's ears sounded like the gates of hell closing in behind him.

"Forward!" shouted Umballa.

She was his again; he would have the pleasure of taking her from under
the very eyes of her father and lover. His star never faltered.

Bruce stood up in the howdah, ready to dive; but the colonel restrained
him.

"Don't waste your life! My God, we can't help her! Not a bullet in
either gun. God's curse on all these worthless stones men call
guns! . . . There, he's got her! Not a shell left! Kit! Kit!" The
colonel broke down and cried like a child. As for Bruce, hot irons
could not have wrung a tear from his eyes; but Kit, in the hands of
that black devil again!

"Colonel," said Bruce, "I'd going to get some cartridges."

He realized then that Kathlyn's future depended upon him alone. The
colonel was a broken man. So he struck the elephant, who lumbered
ashore. The moment Kathlyn was safe in the barge Umballa would
probably give orders to resume firing. He could do so now with
impunity.

The soldiers drew Kathlyn into the barge. Umballa saw that she was
wounded in the fleshy part of the arm. Quickly he snatched off the
turban of one of the soldiers, unwound it and began to bandage
Kathlyn's arm.

The man, for all his oriental craftiness, was still guileless enough to
expect some sign of gratitude from her; but; as he touched her she
shrank in loathing. His anger flamed and he flung her roughly into a
seat.

"Suffer, then, little fool!"

Meantime the colonel and Bruce dismounted and tried to stem the tide of
fleeing coolies; but it was no more effective than blowing against the
wind. They found, however, an abandoned pack containing cartridge
cases, and they filled their pockets, calling to Ramabai and Pundita to
follow them along the river in pursuit of Umballa's barge, which was
now being rapidly poled up-stream. They might be able to pick off
enough soldiers, sharpshooting, to make it impo