another time his remark would have seemed very Irish and droll, for he
was last but one in the little party, and hard pressed to keep up in the
intense heat of the inclosed and stifling place.

"Ahoy!" came from ahead just then.

"Ahoy!" answered the mate, who was leading, with Mark next; and the next
minute they were face to face with the four men who had been left with
the boat. "What is it, my lads?" he panted.

"Pirates, sir, praus!"

"Nonsense!" cried the mate fiercely.

"'Strue as true, sir. We was all half dozing in the boat when we heared
a shot, and saw a prau alongside of the old Chicken, and another running
up fast, and then there were more firing went on."

"And we ashore!" muttered the mate. "Keep on, my men. What next?"

"Don't know, sir," panted the spokesman; "we come on after you, sir."

"And left the boat?"

"She's got the grapnel out, sir, on the sands."

"But the men in the prau--they could see her."

"Oh, yes, sir; they could see her, sir."

"Man, man! what have you done? They will fetch her off and we shall be
unable to follow."

"Don't blame the man, Gregory, but keep on. We may be in time to save
her. Let me go first, I can run."

Mr Morgan sprang to the front, and with his gun at the trail ran on
ahead at a pace that seemed marvellous; but Mark followed as rapidly as
he could, Mr Gregory next, then the major, and the men in single file.

Mark ran on with a horrible feeling of despair growing upon him as he
thought of those on board; his heart beat; there was the hot suffocating
sensation growing more painful at his throat, and to his misery, in
spite of his efforts, the ground was so rough and stone-strewn that he
was being left behind, while Mr Morgan had disappeared from his view
round one of the sharp turns of the river-bed.

All at once he remembered what he had before forgotten, namely, that he
was wearing a belt and pouch, and that in the soft leather holster
attached there was the revolver his father had lent him.

He had never fired such a weapon in his life, but he had seen this one
handled and loaded, and taking it out, he hardly knew why in his
excitement, he cocked it, and ran on with the piece in his hand.

Directly after he found himself close to the low growth through which
the little river trickled to lose itself in the sand, and through the
opening now broken larger by the passage of so many of his companions he
forced his way out and stood upon the