The record-union., 1896-08-09

i
suggested, ''and fetch the DOCTOR This
must be inquired into"
Valley nodded
Better send,' he said. "One of rs
may be needed here,
l saw his point Who could tell who
would be the next victim?
We left a guard over the tent. and.
having hastily dressed, we met again in
the mess tent. Then we drew up
report of what had happened since dis
patching our details of the Residents
death, and announced our intention of
Keeping the body above ground until
the actual cause of death had been GER
tiled by professional man; and soon
after Tommy, accompanied by two
Sikhs, and mounted on the only three
horses We had, started on the road.
Then we busted ourselves with talk
ing steps to preserve the body. We
summoned all hands to our aid, and, at
tached as they were to Martingale, the
S1khs worked with a Will Going to
that part of the hill where the slope is
steepest, and where the inclination is
towards the north, and well shaded
from the sun, we dug a burrow like a
tunnel running in the hillside. 1t was
heavy work, but by dusk we had got
some distance down. The burrow was
four feet square, and nearly twelve in
length, running horizontally. We then
after covering the body, carried the bed
on which 1t lay and placed it in the bur
row, and then We left it with two men
on guard, to keep the pariah dogs away.
linen we held council of war We
were agreed that the occurrences of the
past TWO nights had been due to foul
play Even II one of the deaths had
peen caused by apoplexy or heart fail
ufe, was 1T probable that two such cases
would occur in the same place TO two of
the four Englishmen gathered together?
The idea was absurd, and we realized
that both the dead men had been mur-
dered by some new ingenuity of the Da-
colts or Fakirs who had been sent to
dlsmay us. But what were we to do?
VINO would be the next victim? IF
either Valley or l were to go. what
"ouiu become or the men, all of them
superStitiouS to a degree? II was
patent that we must not run anv risk.
ANA the only means to insure this was
not TO separate. Till succor came from
Bhamo we must stand by each other. tt
was wednesday. We could hope. in anv
case, for the doctor to arrive on Satur
day at latest; and If he tried his hest
ne might get to us on Friday. We de-
clded that we would not go out of each
others sight till then.
IL was dreary vigil. That night we
slept IN the same tent At least Dick
slept, and tried to- Once 1 did get off
but only to endure most hideous
dream, which eliminated in NV seeing
mans head peer under the bottom
cage OF rhe tent cloth at the foot of nv
bed- 1t Was but dream but the horror
OF 1t-for the mans face was very hid
eouS-Woke me, and / sprang out of bed
10 nnd-nothing. 1 even went outside.
70 discover only the sentry at his post
and all we'll
L got up and dressed and tried +o ere+
interested in a copy of the "Tines',
three months old, but to no purpose
and so l smoked and tried to think of
pleasant things, until daylight came
and Dick awoke to laugh at my confess
sion.
The day passed grinly enough. We
went as 1ar as the burrow once and
peered in; but death was doing its work.
and 1t was gruesome sight. We COW
cred up the entrance, so as to exclude
the air as much as possible, and then
went back to camp and found the ther-
mometer registering 105 degrees. That
nght L took grain of morphia. with
out result, and passed a sleepless night
to lind myself with a touch of fever in
the morning.
shortly before noon, at the hottest
time in the day, Chuckerbutty came to
me with the startling announcement
that IOmmy was returning in COM
pany. 1t was true. Tommy was we'll
IN sight on the crest of the hill. and
there was well-mounted stranger
alongside him.
In quarter of an hour they arrived.
Tommy with his Sikhs had ridden day
ana night. They changed horses twice
on the outward journey by dint of some
thing more than persuasion. and on
nearing how urgent things were with
us, the Resident at Bhamo had at once
asked the station doctor to ride over.
promising that he would confer with
the Sub-Commissioner as to reinforce
ments without delay.
DR.. Mitchell, who had started within
nan an hour of receiving his summons.
ana had ridden, with only two rests of
under an hour each, over a very rough
country for twenty-nine hours, proved
hlmsef a rare acquisition Clever.
good-natured, and experienced. he
proved at once a charming companion
and skillful surgeon. He was in
short, tower of strength, and as soon
as he had dismounted and entered the
shade Of the tent, he turned to me:
You had better go to bed" he said.
you've got fever on. you
| knew that perfectly we'll but could
not rest till I heard something.
I'm worried and anxious. doctor"
said, "and shall be better when I have
heard your report
"All right" he rejoined Have YOU
kept him above ground?"
We explained.
"Um. sort of half-and-ha ar
rangement. eh? Well, We'll wait until
the sun goes down, and then we shall
krow all about it,"
The time passed slowly enough. but
at last the day had sped. and it became
possible to breathe. Then they started.
leaving me behind; for felt weak and
ILL and dared not venture in the sun.
They were gone a long while 1t
seemed hours to me. And when they
returned. I saw that Valley appeared
deeply affected, while the doctor was
even more cheerful than before.
"You can ease your mind right away"
he said, in reply to my look of inquiry.
1.-The cause of our friends death was
cerebral hemorrhage or apoplexy-call
it which you like"
"You are quite satisfied that the death