On the Track of Miscreants
To those who have had no experience of the jungle, who happen never to
have passed a night in such tropical forests as those which clothe the
ground about the Isthmus of Panama, the deadly silence that pervades
everything is perhaps the most noticeable feature of all. It is almost
terrifying in its intensity, and with dense darkness to help it is apt
to awe even the boldest. And when, as happens so often, that silence is
suddenly and most unexpectedly broken by the call of some prowling wild
beast, when a sharp hissing sound and a rustling amongst the fallen
leaves near at hand tells of a creeping snake, then indeed the nerves
tingle, the novice feels a strange sensation about the roots of his
hair, while perspiration gathers thickly on his forehead. Yes, the
bravest are awed. Even the old hand, the experienced hunter, holds his
breath and halts to listen, his senses all alert, ready to defend his
life against danger.
So it was with Jim and his friends. One only was accustomed to the
jungle; and for a while, after diving into its darkness, they were
overawed by its deathly silence at one moment, and at another moment by
the weird calls which came to their ears. The lamplight shining on
Tom's face demonstrated the fact that he was trying to smile; but it was
an uneasy and an unnatural movement.
"By de poker," he gasped, "but not like dis at all! De leaves whisper
murder. De branches ob de trees call out and say: 'Take care'. Tom all
ob a shiber."
"He, he, he! Yo not like him, dis forest," grinned Ching, though, to
tell the truth, the Chinaman's slanting eyes were moving restlessly from
side to side, in a manner which denoted fear. "Yo hold de hand ob dis
Chinaboy; den feel braver. No harm come when Ching near. Yo come along
wid me, Tom."
His bantering tones caused the huge negro to change his smile for a
scowl. He stretched out a hand and slowly doubled up the fingers, as
much as to say that he could with pleasure take the Chinaman in one hand
and crush the life out of him. He began to exclaim, but Jim cut him
short. Our hero brushed the sweat from his forehead, and swung round
upon the two.
"Silence, you babies!" he exclaimed. "A sound travels far in the jungle,
and who can say how near we are to those villains we are searching for?
Silence! Follow in single file, and take care that you do not tread on
fallen branches and twigs. I have often heard it stated that the snap of
a broken twig can be heard as plainly as the report of a pistol. Guess
it's true, too."
"But dere no fear jest now, Massa Jim," interrupted Sam, his little eyes
twinkling in the light of the lamp which dangled from his finger.
"Still, all de same, dat lubber ob a Tom better take care and keep him
mouth shut. Him never can speak soft; him shout and bawl. Him a great,
big, hulkin' bull, I reckon."
That brought the big negro to the point of explosion. After all, it was
an event of every day for these three faithful fellows, who had clung so
well to Jim, to banter one another, and for that bantering to turn
mostly against Tom. It was the fate of the ponderous fellow often to be
the butt of his comrades, to provide them with a ready cause for wit at
his expense, and always with the certainty that Tom would swallow the
bait and lash himself into a pretended fit of anger, in which he
threatened terrible things, gesticulated, and roared, and often enough
shook his huge fists and bared his fine white teeth in a manner which
would have disturbed the courage of a bold man, but which, with Ching
and Sam, who knew him so well, or with our hero, merely resulted in
roars of laughter and in further banter. However, this was not the time
for such fun and frolic, and Jim put a stop to the noise promptly.
"Come," he said; "guess we've got Sadie to think about. That's better
than badgering one another."
At once there came a serious look across the faces of his followers.
Their eyes shone more brightly, while Tom gave vent to an exclamation,
striking himself across his broad chest at the same moment. "I's ought
ter be kicked," he said indignantly. "Yo see, Tom not say anoder word
till missie found. But den, ha! yo take care, Tom smash dem rascals.
Knock 'em all into cocked hat; make jelly and jam ob dem."
All his pretended ferocity was turned upon the rascals who had abducted
Sadie; and to look at him as he spoke there was no doubt, remembering
the huge negro's prowess in former scuffles, that he would be as good as
his word. But Sam was already moving ahead, and Jim fell in immediately
behind him. With the Chinaman as third man, and Tom bringing up the
rear, the party pressed on as rapidly as possible through the forest.
Nor did Sam seem to find any difficulty in holding to the track. His
sharp eyes were bent for ever on the ground, while his lamp swung this
way and that, lighting the hoofmarks made by the horses of Jaime de
Oteros's party. And as they went, Tom, armed with a heavy knife, blazed
the trees to the left, to afford a guide to those who were to follow. It
was half an hour before the silence amongst them was broken; then Sam
came to a sudden stop, and drew Jim towards him.
"Dey get off de hosses here," he whispered. "Jungle growing so low, dey
couldn't sit in the saddle any longer. Now, yo watch extry close, and I
show yo what happen. Here one, two, three, yes four ob de scum. Four ob
de villain, sah, and here am anoder mark. Dat missie; yo see how small
it am? Den I's sure dat missie. She walk between de rascal; two go in
front, each leading a hoss. No; one ob dem hab two hosses. Den missie;
she not hab a hoss. Den two oder blackguard, one wid two hosses."
It seemed clear enough to Sam, though for Jim the reading of these
elusive signs was a somewhat different matter; but by dint of following
Sam's indicating finger, and with the help of a little imagination, he
was able to make out the various signs. Indeed, once the whole had been
shown him he began to wonder how it was that he himself had failed to
light upon them at once. However, a couple of hundred yards farther on,
when they came to a halt once more, he was again at as much of a loss as
before, and was glad to have Sam's help to read what the ground beneath
the jungle had written upon it.
"Six hosses," he said. "One for each of the four men, one for Sadie, and
a spare."
"For de swag," suggested Sam. "Dey's robbed de people ober at Ancon."
Jim remembered the fact, though till that moment he had lost sight of
it; for all his interest was, very naturally, centred in Sadie. In his
eyes that was the maximum offence Jaime and his rascals had committed.
"We'd best go very quietly now," he whispered to his companions. "If
they have dismounted, as the marks show, and if the jungle continues to
get thicker, as we can tell for ourselves is the case, why, guess
they'll soon come to a halt and camp. That'll be our chance."
"Halt any time," answered Sam, stopping for a moment and facing round
with brightly shining eyes. "Dey camp when dey find de right spot. Not
care to lie out here in de jungle. Dat not do; p'raps some beast come
along and gib trouble. Dey wait till dey find an open place, den spread
de blanket, boil de kettle, eat, and sleep. Sam know; him libed in a
jungle country before now."
He was filled with assurance, fortunately for Jim and his comrades, for
otherwise there was no doubt that without a guide they would have lost
the track and themselves many times before this. Seeing the difficulty
of making a straight path through this trackless forest, it became
evident to Jim before long that Jaime and his comrades, like Sam, must
have had experience of the jungle. Indeed, had he but been aware of it,
the ruffian who commanded the rascally band was an excellent leader in
more ways than one. Putting aside his vindictive and cruel nature, which
seemed natural to him, the man was exceedingly clever and cunning, as he
had proved to the police of many a port along the Gulf of Mexico. But he
was as accustomed to the wilds as to a city, and had indeed during the
past two years found that safety, complete security from arrest in fact,
lay in the jungle. He had made himself at home in it, had discovered the
ways of trackers, and, thanks to his own hardiness, had so far defied
fever. He was, then, just the man to lead a band across the isthmus, and
the straight line which his trail had held all along showed that no
novice was at the head of affairs. But in one particular he failed.
Jaime had been too successful; he had for so long successfully
hoodwinked the police, and had robbed with such little interference,
owing to his wonderful astuteness, that he had become too sure of
himself, and, as a natural consequence, had become careless. At this
very moment he imagined that no one was in pursuit. He had waited on
that open patch of ground where Jim's comrades were at this moment
encamped, and had kept a watch on the top of the ridge. The fact that he
had seen no one crossing it had convinced him that all was well, that
the scheme of the boatman who was to put to sea from Colon had again put
the police on a false track. And at once he had neglected further
precautions.
"We'll jest run ahead through the jungle," he told his followers, "till
we've put a good belt of it between us and the ridge. Then guess we'll
take a fine sleep, and so be fresh by the time we come to the end of the
journey. Gee! What a commotion there'll have been 'way down by Ancon!
That explosion fairly shook the whole isthmus; but why Juan never came
along is more than I can say, onless he was captured."
"Or blown sky-high with his bomb," ventured one of his fellows.
"Blown up by his own bomb! Don't you think it," came from Jaime. "Juan
is too clever by half to do a thing like that. Most like he found
himself cornered, and unable to come to our meeting place; so he's lying
hid up somewhere, and when he gets the chance will make across to join
us. See here, boys, we'll take a fine rest when we get to those natives.
We'll lie up for a month, till things get blown over a little, and until
people have begun to forget that dollar notes were taken; then we'll get
aboard the launch, steam out from the lagoon, and take one of the
passing traders. There won't be no difficulty about that. Guess we're
armed, and the folks aboard the traders don't carry a weapon. Once we've
got a boat, we'll sail to the nearest port, tranship to New Orleans, and
from there to France. Paris will take every dollar we have, even though
the numbers of the bills have been published. In six months' time we
shall have enough to make a tidy sum for each of us when the stuff's
divided."
He led his little following through the forest till they arrived at an
open, rocky space, where the blackened ground showed that a fire had
been made on a former occasion. Indeed it was a spot which Jaime knew
well, for he had travelled this route many times now. Here saddles were
taken from the horses, while the beasts were given a drink at a tiny
stream which trickled from the rocks; then they were tethered to long
ropes, which would allow them to graze. Sadie was not treated unkindly.
Indeed, hardened villain though he was, Jaime had some pity for the
child. He had her placed near the fire, and saw to it himself that food
and drink were given her.
"You'd best get settled down in one of the blankets and take a sleep,"
he advised. "I ain't goin' to put any ropes on you, and I'll tell you
why. If you were to try to make off into the jungle, you'd just get
lost, and there's wild things in the forest that would scare the life
out of you; so be sensible, and take a sleep."
Sadie was, in fact, far too frightened by her surroundings to venture to
move. To speak the truth, the trying scenes through which she had passed
had practically unnerved her, though the child had plenty of courage;
but she was a sensible child too, and saw the futility of attempting
escape at this moment.
As to Jim and his little band, they had no idea where the party they
were in pursuit of had camped, if, indeed, they had camped at all. They
pressed on slowly through the jungle, Sam leading with the lantern, and
Tom bringing up the rear, slashing a tree every few paces as he passed.
It was perhaps an hour later before the little negro came to a sudden
halt, and lifted his head in the air.
"Smell hosses!" he whispered, snuffing at the breeze for all the world
as if he were a dog. "Sartin sure I smell hosses!"
Promptly his hand went to the lamp and extinguished it. Jim heard the
catch click to, and found himself in utter darkness. But though he held
his head erect, and sniffed with all his power, he could detect nothing
but the strong, aromatic scent of some tropical creeper clinging to the
trees near at hand, and supporting from the finest tendrils some
magnificent blossoms.
"Horses? You're sure?" he asked.
"Sartin sure," came the confidant whisper. "Listen to dat!"
Through the silence of the forest there came of a sudden a dull cough,
and then a loud neigh. It was followed by a second, and then, faintly to
Jim's ears, but with startling loudness to Sam's, there came the sound
of stamping.
"I'se tell yo' all about it," whispered the little negro. "One ob de
hosses restless; de flies trouble him. He cough fust ob all, den he
neigh. Now he stampin'. Dat all simple, simple as A B C. But him very
close; too close. S'pose dem scum hab seen de lantern."
They crouched in the jungle in death-like silence for the space of ten
minutes, fearful lest what Sam had suggested were the case; but though
they listened there came no other sound than the stamp of the restless
horse which had first attracted their attention--that and an occasional
cough from the same animal. As to Sam's statement that he could smell
horses, a statement which must have been true, and which had undoubtedly
saved Jim and his party from blundering into the enemy's camp, our hero
could not even now detect the characteristic smell. Nor could Ching nor
Tom.
"But dem dere all de same," whispered Sam, chuckling at the recollection
of his own sharpness, "and precious near too. What yo do, sah? Wait here
and listen."
"No; I shall creep forward at once. We'll all go, for if we were to
divide we might never find one another. Wasn't there a moon when we
started?"
Sam took his young master by the sleeve and pulled his arm towards the
right, to a spot where the trees gave back from one another, and a long
ghostly stream of pure white light broke in from above and bathed the
tree trunks.
"What dat say?" he asked. "Yo can see fo' yoself dat dere's a moon; but
down here dark as a ditch, black as de hat. Out in de open splendid
light; see to read if yo like to."
"Then we may be able to see them. Lead along, Sam; clear the ground
before you as much as you can."
They set forward again, this time on hands and knees, and slowly, inch
by inch, approached the clearing where Jaime had made his camp. Not that
they could see it yet; but Sam proclaimed the fact that they were nearer
with his usual assurance.
"Tell dat by the sniff ob de hosses," he said shortly; "anyone can say
dat fo' sure. In ten minute yo see dese scum, and den know what to do."
True enough, that number of minutes brought the whole party to the edge
of the jungle, though as to their knowing how to act, that was a very
different matter. Jim stared out into the open, and saw there five
figures, huddled within a few feet of one another, wrapped from head to
foot in blankets. Farther away were the horses, half-hidden in the
shadow cast by the far edge of the jungle, while to one side was a pile
of bags and kit, amongst which were the saddles. And little by little,
as the scene unfolded itself to our hero, and from gazing at the whole
he was able to concentrate his attention on each individual item, he was
able to decide which of the five figures was that of his sister.
"She lies to this side of what has been a fire," he told himself, "while
those rascals are on the far side. That is in our favour at any rate;
but to reach her will be a bother. How's it to be done?"
Once more his eyes passed round the clearing. They went from the figure
of Sadie to those of the band of ruffians, and from the latter to their
saddles and other possessions. Then they passed to the horses, and so
round the edge of the clearing till he found himself leaning far out
from the undergrowth and staring into the faces of his own followers.
There was Sam's, his eyes twinkling as ever in the moonlight, every
feature denoting eagerness, while the broad line across the forehead,
and beneath the tattered peak of his dirty cap, seemed to show that he,
too, was puzzling his brains as to how to act. And there was Ching's
Oriental countenance next to Sam's, the slant-like eyes gazing upon the
scene as if it were one of the most ordinary, as if he could see nothing
before him to arouse unusual interest, nothing to disturb his accustomed
equanimity. The man was actually toying with the end of his pigtail, as
if he could find nothing better to do. But who could really read those
features? Not Jim, nor Sam, nor Tom; not even a European accustomed to
China and its natives. The face was inscrutable; those blank, immobile
features hid a mind which, for all its seeming somnolence, was working
fiercely, relentlessly, and shrewdly to provide a solution for this
difficulty. For Ching was possessed of a doglike faithfulness; he would
gladly have given his life for that of "the missie" or for that of his
master. And Tom--what did his expression show? The thick lips were
moving as Jim looked, while the alæ of his wide nostrils were dilated
widely, pulsating as if with excitement. The usually merry, childish
face was set with an expression so severe that our hero was astonished.
It brought a gulp to his throat as he suddenly realized to the full what
he had known now for so long, that these three men were such true
comrades. Then back went his eyes to the figure of his sister.
"I'll risk it," he whispered to himself. "I'll creep out there and bring
her back with me. But supposing they awake, supposing Jaime or one of
the others suddenly sits up and lets drive with a shooter?"
His hand dropped to the butt of his own weapon, and for a while he
crouched in silence. Across his mind there flashed a scheme which might
help. There were the horses; he could send Sam or Ching across to them
and cut them adrift. He could make it appear that an attack was to take
place from that quarter. Then he banished the idea just as swiftly.
"Wouldn't do," he told himself; "they'd sit there in the centre and
shoot. They would still be close to Sadie, and could hit anyone who
attempted to reach her. It's got to be done in some other manner."
He did not forget that Jaime and his comrades had already a reputation
as marksmen. Now that he and his fellows had actually reached the gang,
and were so near to success, Jim swore that he would not ruin everything
by acting hastily. Better, far better, sit there for a while than act on
the spur of the moment and lose his own life and that of his helpers in
place of effecting a rescue. It was Ching who came forward with a
cunning suggestion.
"Not move now, Massa Jim," he whispered. "Dey not dead fast asleepee. Yo
waitee little while, den creep in, and Ching come along wid yo. We go
round to de top side ob de clearing, and creep along de hollow. All open
here; but dere, shut in; keep away de bullet."
Jim stared in the direction indicated, and made out by the shadows that
a hollow ran across the rocky ground from the northern side, till it
actually reached the edge of the tiny camp which harboured the sleepers.
In fact, though he was ignorant of it at the moment, this was the
watercourse which, beginning still farther to the north, at the foot of
some rough rocks, carried a stream right across to the southern side of
the clearing. Instantly he decided to follow the advice given.
"See here," he said, calling his three comrades round about him till
their heads were as close as possible. "Ching has given good advice. I
shall go across to the far side in the course of an hour. That should be
giving them long enough to get dead sleepy."
"Dey sleep like pig den," agreed Ching. "Not wakee so easy."
"Then I shall creep along that channel, and Ching with me. You two, Tom
and Sam, will lie just here, where you can see everything, and will be
ready to shoot if there's trouble. But I hope there won't be that; we
ought to be able to retire up that gully without disturbing the gang. If
they do rouse, we shall still have a good chance, for the sides of the
channel will protect and hide us. So bear this in mind, even if they
suddenly get up, don't shoot unless you see that they have discovered us
in the gully. Then pepper them for all you are worth."
"Golly," exclaimed Tom, his eyes wide open with amazement, "dat a real
fine business! But what yo do supposin' dey discober yo?"
"I shall creep back along the watercourse or gully, whatever it happens
to be, while Ching will fire at the ruffians. Then we will all come
along here. Don't forget that, once we are hidden in the jungle, silence
is most required. A noise would bring bullets."
The three heads nodded vigorously, while muttered exclamations came from
the negroes. Then Sam asked a question.
"Yo and Ching creep along way ober dere. Dat right," he said. "Yo wake
de missie, and go back extry quick. Dat right also. What Ching do?"
Jim was ready with his answer, and flashed it at them. "Ching goes for a
special reason," he said. "I happen to have had a report from the police
major before I left Gatun. You will remember that a huge number of
American notes were stolen. They were tied in bundles, and wrapped in
waterproof paper, then the bundles were locked in boxes. Jaime and his
villains broke the boxes and carried away the bundles. If those two
objects out there are not the very ones we are talking of, why, call me
a donkey."
Out went his finger and he pointed to the piled-up saddles and other
articles which the gang had brought with them in their flight. The moon
fell clearly on them all, giving every item a sharp outline; but it fell
darkly on two of them, for the simple reason that they were covered in
black material. Without doubt the bundles were those containing the
notes filched from the Commission offices, notes which Jaime and his
rascals hoped to convert into silver dollars one of these days, and so
procure a fortune. Tom gasped, Sam's eyes looked as though they would
fall from his head, while the Chinaman gave vent to a sniggering giggle.
"Yo am velly cleber, Mass Jim," said Tom simply. "Dem bundles de swag
fo' sure, and, by lummy! me see what yo up to. Yo goin'----"
"Ching is going right now to bring 'em along with us," declared Jim in
an excited whisper. "If we can take Sadie from 'em, why we'll rob the
rascals of their booty also, I guess. And, gee! won't they be mad when
they discover what's happened. But, boys, see here. Our job is to get
away and leave them none the wiser. We want to clear off through the
forest back to our people, for you may be sure that Jaime and his men
will be mad when they learn how they've been fooled. So silence is
important, and you'll see to it."
As if by common consent they ceased whispering to one another, and for
the better part of an hour lay still in the jungle, only their heads
protruding. And during all that time not one of the blanketed figures
lying in the open moved so much as an inch, though there was an
occasional snort or a gentle stamping from the horses.
"Guess it's time," said Jim suddenly. "Those fellows haven't moved an
eyelash since we watched, and there's not a doubt but that they're
properly wearied and worn out by all that they've been doin'. Tom and
Sam, you know what's wanted. Give us a whistle as we come back, and then
be ready to make off through the forest."
They wasted no more words. Jim went off at once on hands and knees, and,
discarding the shelter of the undergrowth, made his way just within the
margin of the clearing. After him came Ching, his pigtail gathered into
a round coil beneath the billycock hat that he always insisted on
wearing, and which, indeed, has for long been a favourite with the
Chinaman. Otherwise the man was dressed in his native costume; for here,
again, the wily Chinee shows his astuteness. Indeed, John Chinaman has
proved to himself that his own clothing is infinitely more comfortable
than European when he is located in a hot climate, and he adheres to it
rigidly. Not a sound did the man make as he crept along, while Jim could
not have been accused of want of caution. He carefully set aside all
sticks and stones, and all fallen leaves, and never moved unless he were
sure that the path was clear before him. All the time, too, he kept
swinging his eyes round to the centre of the clearing. It seemed ages
before he and his companion reached the northern side; but at last they
were at the point where their attempt at rescue was to begin in earnest.
At their feet lay a pool of water, and from it a gully some four feet
deep ran right out into the open.
"Couldn't be better," whispered Jim. "We can get along on hands and
knees, or wade through the water; but I hope there's little of the
latter, as the splashing might be heard. Don't forget, Ching; once I
have my sister, you snatch the bundles."
He waited to see the Chinaman nod, and then at once pressed on into the
gully. Within a few seconds he had an agreeable surprise. Only a tiny
stream was trickling down the very centre, insufficient, in fact, to
cause any splashing, though the size of the gully itself, its smoothly
worn walls showing so clearly in the moonlight, demonstrated the fact
that when the rains fell, and the wet season was in progress, a torrent
went gushing along the channel. But now it was almost empty, while the
moon rays, falling obliquely upon one bank, cast a shadow more than
halfway across the gully.
"Step along here," whispered Jim, pulling the Chinaman on to the side
which lay in the shadow. "And one more warning. Supposing those men
suddenly wake, and look around for us. Just lie as still as a mouse
until you are sure they have spotted us in this channel. Then it'll be
time for shooters."
Once more the Chinaman nodded, and the moonlight falling on his face at
that moment showed our hero, if he had had any doubts, that here he had
a most excellent ally. For the same expressionless features gazed at
him. There was not so much as the smallest trace of fear or excitement
about Ching, the Chinaman.
"Forward!" Jim whispered the word, and promptly proceeded along the edge
of the channel. Bending low, so that he was altogether hidden, he halted
every ten paces, to glance across at the motionless figures of the
robbers; but there was not a movement from them till he was within some
fifteen feet of his sister. Then, suddenly, one of the figures rolled
over. A moment later the man was sitting up, still swathed in his
blanket. He leaned his weight on one hand, and cast his eyes in a wide
circle round the clearing. A horse stamped heavily, and coughed, and at
the sound the man slowly shook the blanket from him. Jim watched as he
dropped the covering and climbed sleepily to his feet. The fellow gazed
at the moon, and then, as if the soft, silvery light had affected him
peculiarly, stretched out his arms widely, rose on his toes, and yawned
loudly. At that a second figure moved. The man rolled over; then, to
Jim's relief, he snuggled down into his blanket, as anyone does who has
been disturbed, and who desires to rest further. In a moment he was as
motionless as formerly.
"Gee! Jaime of all people," said Jim suddenly, beneath his breath.
"That's bad for our business. I thought I recognized the rascal."
His hand went to his revolver, for he was tempted to use it; then he
sank still lower into the gully. For Jaime it was who had risen; the
rascally leader of the band stretched himself and yawned again in the
moonlight. He drew something from a pocket, and, to his disgust, Jim saw
that he was rolling a cigarette. Indeed the Spaniard was never awake but
he was smoking. The habit had grown upon him so that now once his
fingers were idle they always slipped into his pocket. It was a marvel
to watch how nimbly they plucked the shreds of leaf, how they rolled the
whole to a correct length and thickness, and how rapidly a cigarette was
completed. In less than a minute now there was one between his lips.
Jaime stepped slowly across to the blackened ashes of the fire, stirred
them with his foot, and selected a brand from the very centre. It did
not even glow red, but he managed to obtain a light from it. Then a
horse coughed suddenly, and once more Jaime swung round.
"Flies at them," Jim heard him declare. "Nothing more; there's no one
but ourselves hereabouts."
He strolled to and fro for some ten minutes, while Jim's impatience grew
almost unbearable; then he stood regarding the bundled blanket beneath
which Sadie was sleeping. A moment later he stepped across to the two
parcels which contained the stolen notes, and a gleam of triumph swept
across his bearded features.
"Riches!" he growled. "The finest haul we have ever made. If things go
on like this America'll find it'll cost her a heap more to build that
canal than she looked for. Helloo! That horse again. It's flies for
sure."
The same beast stamped again, and whinnied. Jim could see its legs
moving. It swayed to one side, and bumped into the next animal, causing
the latter to kick and squeal angrily, while the one who had caused the
commotion responded with a savage bite which caused the other poor beast
to squeal again still louder. The noise and commotion set Jaime off in
their direction. Jim watched him as he sauntered down towards the
horses, and waited till he had reached them.
"Ready?" he asked, swinging swiftly round upon the Chinaman. "Then
forward. Seize the bundles; I will take Sadie."
In an instant he had crept from the gully, and with Ching close behind
him slid at once towards his sister.