The Savannah morning news., 1901-03-31

town of olden times, news of the ex-
istence of which had lately reached Eu-
rope, and was beginning to attract the
attention of travellers, explorers, and SER
wants.
by Jove, fancy the rhinoceros bring
ing me here!' reflected Quin. ut would
be pity to leave without having look
about, since / am so near"
1t did not occur to him that any dan
ger might attend the venture, yet he
| wisely unstrapped his rife as he pushed
/ down the opposite side of the hill
Through a breach in the wall he entered
the dead town, and penetrated farther by
sort of a street, the fiag-stones Of
which were overgrown with rank vegeta-
ton.
When he had advanced for a hundred
yards or So Quin came suddenly upon a
narrow and we'll trodden path that lay
across the street.
Impelled mainly by curiosity, he fol-
lowed it to the left, thinking 1t had been
worn by tiger-cats or other animals.
With his rifle in his hands he crept on
cautiously, passed beneath a dark arch
way of matted foliage, and stepped over
the threshold of temple that remained
in fairly good state of preservation.
The next instant as he glanced round
the big, bare interior, Quin devoutly wish
ed himself anywhere else. To one side, on
a pallet of dried grass. lay an elderly, sim
ister-faced native, with his right leg in
bandages. Two others, squatted nearby
with a little heap of coins between them,
were playing a game with Burmese dice.
1t was too late to retreat The dacoits-
for such their molly attire proclaimed
them to beat once discovered the in
truder. With hoarse cries OF alarm the
two gamblers leaped to their feet and
sprang toward the doorway. Quin
promptly dubbed his rifle and met the
attack. The foremost ruffian, who brand
ished a short sword. received blow on
the head that stretched him full length
on the stone floor, where he lay, to all
appearance, dead.
At this the second assailant stepped
back few PAGES, and seized a heavy
muslbet that stood against the wall. He
was lifting 1t 10 his shoulder when Quin
reversed his own weapon, and aimed and
fired in the very nick of time. With a
screech of agony the man dropped, tear
ing in his death struggles at a bullet hole
in his chest, from which blood was trick
ling fast.
What happened next took Quin by sur
prise. Out of the haze of powder smoke
suddenly doomed the remaining dacoit,
who had darted from his bed with re-
his wounded limb. With one hand he
grabbed the barrel of the Englishman' s
rife. and with the other he aimed a
stroke with a wicked looking knife. The
point hit the buckle of strap that cross
ed GUMS breast, glancing off harmlessly.
ard before the blow could be repeated he
had seized the lean, brown wrist In his
muscular fingers giving 1t such twist
that the knife fell to the floor.
A desperate fight now ensued for the
possession of the rife. The dacoit was
wlry and muscular. and seemed TO be
at no disadvantage from his crippled
leg. Quin had met his match, at the least,
and he did not care TO think OF the pos
slble result OF the contest.
The rufian, who showed no signs OF
weakening. finally wrested one hand loose
and dealt Quin a blow between the eyes
that for sn instant dazed and blinded
him. His grip OF the rife relaxed, and
he felt u torn from his grasp. He reach
I'd yainiy for II, and then uttered a
h0arse, eager cry. For the dacoit, having
put more force than was necessary into
The effort 20 break his enemy'F hold. lost
his balance and fell backward, his head
striking q stone column that rose from
thc floor
That's lucky for nle~ exclaimed Quio
The fellow ley m0tionieeH, stunned ~
the blow, and M the space ~ three min
uiea bis arms aDd ifgs "srs sfPpfdy