THE BATTLE ON THE STAIRS.
Jack was about to spring down the ladder and see what had become of
their companion, when a low cry of warning burst from his father's
lips. The elder man had been watching the enemy, and now he called
out, "They are coming! they are coming!"
Jack caught up his _dah_ and ran at once for the stairs. The mystery
of the woman's disappearance must wait; the first thing to be done was
to keep the Kachins from their throats.
He and his father had already settled upon the point which they would
occupy for defence. Halfway down the narrow winding flight there was a
small landing, about six feet long, with a sharp turn above and below.
Jack felt his way down to this in the darkness, then stood and
listened eagerly for any sounds of movement in the vault below. He
heard his father softly tiptoeing after him, and then all was silence,
save for the mournful cries of the tiger cubs trying to rouse their
dead dam.
"They have not come in yet," whispered Jack to his father.
"No," replied Mr. Haydon, "but I saw seven of them start across the
open space, clearly bent on a fresh attack."
At this moment a muffled sound of voices rang through the vault and
came up the narrow stairs. The Kachins were at the entrance. Then
there was silence for a short time. The next sound was a joyous yell,
which rang and re-echoed from wall to wall. The Kachins had discovered
the dead tigress. Then the vault resounded with voices as they ran to
and fro, searching every corner.
The fugitives knew that the flight of steps running upwards must be
discovered at once, and Mr. Haydon gave a low murmur as they heard a
party of searchers gather at the foot of the stairs. Up to this moment
Jack and his father had stood in complete darkness, but now a faint
glimmer of light began to shine up from below, and they knew that the
flare of their pursuers' torches was being reflected along the winding
walls.
The preparations of the savage little men in blue were quickly made,
and up they came. As Jack heard their feet shuffle swiftly up the
steps, and saw the shine of the torches become brighter and brighter,
he poised his heavy blade and prepared to launch a swinging blow.
Nearer, nearer came the light and the chattering voices, for they
talked as they came. Then a gleaming spear-head flashed round the bend
below. It was held by the leading Kachin, and the second man carried a
torch to light his comrade's way.
Jack drew aside to the wall, and waited for the man's head to appear.
In an instant it came, and the dark face and glittering eyes of the
mountaineer were filled with excitement as he saw the white men within
arm's length. He shortened his grasp of the spear to strike at Jack,
but the broad, gleaming _dah_ fell at that very instant with
tremendous force.
The Kachin whirled up the spear to guard his head, but the trenchant
blade, wielded by those powerful young arms, was not to be denied. It
shore clean through the stout shaft of the spear, it fell upon the
shoulder of the Kachin, and clove him to the spine. He pitched
backwards among those following, and the torch was dashed from its
bearer's hand. But it was caught as it fell, and another of the
dauntless little men sprang up to cross swords with the defender who
could strike so dreadful a blow.
Again Jack launched a sweeping cut at his assailant, but this time his
blade was caught upon a blade of equal strength and temper, and the
iron muscles of the wiry Kachin turned the slashing stroke. He fetched
a swift return blow at Jack, and the latter avoided this by springing
a pace backwards as he recovered his own weapon.
The little man followed with the leap of a cat, and gave a grunt of
satisfaction. This was his aim, to make ground, and Jack saw it in an
instant. It allowed another man to come round the turn and support the
assault with a long spear. The second Kachin was crouching low, and at
the next moment the shining head of a spear darted past the first
assailant and was directed at Jack's thigh. Jack avoided it by a
miracle. He did not see it, did not know the man had struck at him,
for he was too busy cutting and parrying with the leader. But as the
spear-head was darted at him, he sprang aside to avoid the _dah_, and
so dodged both sword and spear.
The Kachin with the spear had made his stroke so heartily, and with
such certainty of reaching his mark, that on missing his blow he
sprawled forward. Mr. Haydon bent down, gripped the strong shaft
behind the spear-head, and tore the weapon from the baffled Kachin's
grasp. Then, with a growl of satisfaction that he could take a share
in the fray, he reversed the long weapon, and swung its keen point
forward.
The spear came to his hand at a most opportune moment. A third man was
creeping on hands and knees beside the wall, aiming to pass his
leader. He gripped a huge knife in his hand. In another instant he
would have seized Jack by the ankles and dragged him down, had not Mr.
Haydon driven the spear into him with such force that the head was
completely buried in his body. He dropped to the floor with a
frightful yell, and at that moment the leading Kachin gave way and
leapt back among his friends. Jack had half cut through the swordman's
right arm, and the latter could no longer wield the heavy _dah_.
"Come back a few steps, Jack!" cried his father. "They are meeting us
on the flat, and that is to their advantage."
Father and son darted up half a dozen steps from the landing, gained
the sharp turn above, then faced about again. But no Kachin was
following them. The little men chattered and yelled, argued and
disputed with each other, but did not advance. Finally, they retired
to the vault below, taking their fallen with them.
"First round to us," breathed Jack. "How strange they brought no
muskets with them! My dread from first to last was of a bullet being
loosed into us."
"I observed as they crossed towards the door that they carried only
spears and swords," said his father. "That is U Saw. He wishes to take
us alive, wounded, perhaps, but still alive. So he forbade shooting."
"What next?" murmured Jack.
"I wish we knew," replied his father, "then we might be prepared for
it." But no preparation within their power could have availed against
the cunning of the next assault. They had been watching and waiting
half an hour or more in the darkness, when again the red shine of fire
began to glow on the walls below them.
"What is this?" muttered Mr. Haydon. "This light is far too strong for
torches." And now with the gleam of fire came gusts of heat sweeping
up to them, and clouds of thick pungent smoke. Half choked, and with
smarting eyes, they watched for the fire to appear. Presently they saw
it below them, and saw that a furnace of leaping flame was advancing
towards them, flame which filled the whole of the space, licking
walls, roof, and floor. They watched it with horrified eyes. It was
impossible to meet this subtle and dreadful enemy with spear or _dah_.
"What is it?" cried Jack.
"A cunning trick, a cruelly cunning trick," replied his father. "They
are thrusting great burning bundles of dried reeds and grass before
them. The draught comes up the stairs and keeps the air cool and sweet
for them, while it drives suffocating smoke and heat upon us."
Jack ground his teeth as he saw how perfectly the plan was calculated
to drive them out of the staircase into the open room above, where the
numbers of the Kachins could be used to deadly purpose.
"The fire is flagging," gasped Jack.
"For the moment, yes," said his father.
The glowing mass of flames wavered and began to sink. Then they saw
how it was fed. A huge bundle of dried canes and reeds on the end of a
spear was thrust into the flickering glow, and at once took fire and
burned with the utmost fury. Fresh bundles were pushed forward beside
it, and these, too, flared up with a shrill crackle of snapping canes
and the roar of a fire fanned by a strong draught. Inch by inch the
flames moved forward, themselves a terrible enemy, and behind them
crept up and up a savage and merciless foe.