The Adventures of Kathlyn

Bruce witnessed Kathlyn's brave attempt and dashed into the water after

her. It took him but a moment to bring her to land, where her father

clasped her in his arms and broke down again.

"Dad, dad!" she whispered. "Don't you see our God is powerfulest? I

believed I was going to be trampled to death, and here I am, with you

once more."

They hurried back as fast as Kathlyn's weakness would permit to where

they had left their own elephants, doubting that they should find them,

considering that it was quite probable that they had joined their wild

brethren. But no; they were standing shoulder to shoulder, flapping

their ears and curling their trunks. So many years had they been

trained to hunt elephants that they did not seem to know what to do

without some one to guide them.

Bruce ordered one of them to kneel, doubtfully; but the big fellow

obeyed the command docilely, and the colonel and Bruce helped the

exhausted girl into the howdah. The colonel followed, while Bruce took

upon his own shoulders the duties of mahout. Pundita got into the

other howdah and Ramabai imitated Bruce. The elephants shuffled off,

away from the river. For the time being neither Bruce nor Ramabai gave

mind to the compass. To make pursuit impossible was the main business

just then.

Later Umballa, dulled and stupefied from his immersion, stood on the

shore, with but nine of the twenty soldiers he had brought with him.

Evidently, his star had faltered. Very well; he would send for the

other sister. She was the Colonel Sahib's daughter, and young; she

would be as wax in his hands. A passion remained in Umballa's heart,

but it was now the passion of revenge.

When he had recovered sufficiently he gave orders to one of the

soldiers to return to the city, to bring back at once servants,

elephants and all that would be required for a long pursuit. The

messenger was also to make known these preparations to the council, who

would undertake to forward the cable submitted to them. All these

things off his mind, Umballa sat down and shivered outwardly, while he

boiled within. He was implacable; he would blot out his enemy, kith

and kin. Colonel Hare should never dip his fingers into the filigree

basket--never while he, Durga Ram, lived.

Quite unknown, quite unsuspected by him, for all the activity of his

spies, a volcano was beginning to grumble under his feet. All tyrants,

the petty and the great, have heard it: the muttering of the oppressed.

Perhaps the fugitives had gone thirty miles when suddenly the jungle

ended abruptly and a desert opened up before them. Beyond stood a

purple line of rugged hills. Ramabai raised his hand, and the

elephants came to a halt.