[Illustration: IN RANGOON.]

JACK HAYDON'S QUEST

BY

JOHN FINNEMORE

_CONTAINING EIGHT FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS_ _IN COLOUR FROM DRAWINGS BY J. JELLICOE_

PHILADELPHIA

J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY

LONDON: ADAM AND CHARLES BLACK

1907

* * * * *

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER

I. THE ATTACK ON THE HEATH,

II. A MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE,

III. THE BIG RUBY,

IV. BUCK SEES LIGHT,

V. THE SPY,

VI. IN RANGOON,

VII. UP THE RIVER,

VIII. THE ATTACK ON THE SAMPAN,

IX. A CLOSE CALL,

X. THE DACOITS,

XI. BELEAGUERED,

XII. A FIGHT FOR LIFE,

XIII. A CUNNING TRICK,

XIV. JACK'S PLAN,

XV. IN THE JUNGLE,

XVI. THE BRIDGE AND THE FORD,

XVII. A FRIGHTFUL PERIL,

XVIII. THE COMBAT IN THE RIVER,

XIX. THE VILLAGE FESTIVAL,

XX. THE DANCING GIRL,

XXI. JACK FINDS HIMSELF IN BAD HANDS,

XXII. THE TWO ELEPHANTS,

XXIII. THE PANTHAY WOOD-CUTTERS,

XXIV. AN UNWELCOME MEETING,

XXV. THE CAVE IN THE RAVINE,

XXVI. THE RESOLVE OF BUCK AND JIM,

XXVII. THE FIGHT IN THE TUNNEL,

XXVIII. THE RUSE OF SAYA CHONE,

XXIX. THE TORTURE BY FIRE,

XXX. THE STRONGHOLD OF THE RUBY KING,

XXXI. FATHER AND SON,

XXXII. THE HORROR IN THE SWAMP,

XXXIII. THE POTHOODAW,

XXXIV. THE HIDING-PLACE AND THE THIEF,

XXXV. THE FLIGHT FROM THE VALLEY,

XXXVI. PENNED IN THE PASS,

XXXVII. HOW THEY MADE A ROPE,

XXXVIII. IN THE DESERTED CITY,

XXXIX. THE SECRET CHAMBER,

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Table of contents (by pages)

• 1: Jack Haydon's Quest by John Finnemore
• 2: He had leave to go to the little town of Longhampton
• 3: But not darker than many a Spaniard's
• 4: Near at hand stood Colonel Keppel
• 5: But this does not mean common garrotters
• 6: I shall drive back at once to Longhampton
• 7: A short distance from Longhampton
• 8: Brindisi here was some scrap of news from Brindisi
• 9: Buxton struck a match and puffed out several clouds of smoke
• 10: And then on to the Mogok country
• 11: He was that careful that you might almost call him fidgetty
• 12: Then he and Risley set out to return to the hotel
• 13: What brings Saya Chone in Brindisi
• 14: But he had a very close gombanion
• 15: The first living expert on rubies
• 16: Baumann is speaking very wildly
• 17: That when he picked me up at Mogok on the way home
• 18: Buxton had filled his pipe and was smoking thoughtfully
• 19: Buxton was at work among his papers
• 20: His father had a flat at Connaught Mansions
• 21: For if our cabman makes a move he'll become suspicious
• 22: And Buck threw his hand northwards
• 23: His rickshaw running easily behind him
• 24: The gunsmith fell silent and mused for a few moments
• 25: He started up river with his hnau weeks back
• 26: A pull of a mile or more brought them to the hnau
• 27: They climbed at once to the deck of the hnau
• 28: When they were once more in the sampan
• 29: Jim Dent spoke again quickly to the Shan
• 30: As the sampan darted away on her new course
• 31: Deep stroke when the sampan struck something
• 32: There's no sign of your boatman
• 33: His only trouble now was the loss of his sampan
• 34: The sailing orders are Kyan Nyat
• 35: Me Dain marched ahead with the ponies
• 36: The strangers had mastered Me Dain
• 37: Jack had heard many times of the Kachin dacoits
• 38: Supposing the dacoits attack us
• 39: And a chum o' mine got a jingal ball and went down
• 40: It was Jim's Mannlicher which spoke
• 41: Fanatically brave as were the desperate Kachins
• 42: Shot after shot was launched from the heavy jingal
• 43: The jingal was fired no more
• 44: And he fired his Mannlicher into the palisade
• 45: Through the body of the dacoit behind
• 46: He drew Me Dain back into the shadows
• 47: The dacoits were swarming nimbly up to the quiet room
• 48: Fair and square across the skull of the dacoit
• 49: Replied Dent in the same soft tones
• 50: Me Dain gave a groan of terror
• 51: And almost tore the head of the tigress to pieces
• 52: And they crossed to the great tiger
• 53: The last watch fell to Me Dain
• 54: And ran at full speed after Me Dain
• 55: Of the bridge and the busy dacoit
• 56: The second dacoit plunged into the bushes
• 57: When Jim Dent called to him to stop
• 58: Better to face dacoits than alligators
• 59: For a moment Jim saw its underside near the surface
• 60: Which the alligator had mauled
• 61: Even if we escaped from the dacoits in the end
• 62: The Shans and Me Dain grasped the boating poles
• 63: According to what Me Dain says
• 64: They sent Me Dain ahead to make inquiries
• 65: When Me Dain came back to them
• 66: While his companions rambled on with Me Dain and the headman
• 67: Murmured the dancing girl with a soft
• 68: A Buddhist monk in yellow robe
• 69: Jack raised his voice and shouted
• 70: Saya Chone said a few words to the newcomer
• 71: And Saya Chone motioned to him to go outside
• 72: Saya Chone sat on the edge of the howdah
• 73: The rogue was an immense tusker
• 74: Now Saya Chone plucked out his heavy revolver
• 75: Saya Chone had far outrun his companion
• 76: The pad elephant now stood still
• 77: The pad elephant would be sure to follow them
• 78: He thanked the Panthay again and again
• 79: His eyes now turned on the Panthays
• 80: The second Panthay ran up at that moment
• 81: And knew that the Panthays were not alone
• 82: The younger Panthay swung the basket on his back
• 83: The Panthays at once followed him
• 84: He beckoned to the Panthays to follow him
• 85: He spoke for a few moments to Saya Chone
• 86: And he thrust his hand out to the Burman
• 87: On crept the Kachins in the boldest fashion
• 88: Saya Chone and the Strangler had gone away
• 89: And that a Panthay was peering down upon them
• 90: A second torch flashed through the rift
• 91: Clearly the rift had been opened
• 92: Saya Chone and the Malay also got to their saddles
• 93: And Jack knew them for Kachins
• 94: When the door was suddenly opened and the Strangler appeared
• 95: A door opened and Saya Chone came in
• 96: Haydon looked from one to the other
• 97: Thomas Haydon stood for a moment with the wild
• 98: All the questioning being done by Saya Chone
• 99: Haydon related his story in turn
• 100: At the next moment the Ruby King and Saya Chone rode forward
• 101: Laughed Saya Chone in his soft
• 102: And the turban was whipped aside
• 103: And from whose body they may suck its blood
• 104: In front once more rode Saya Chone and the Ruby King
• 105: To defend himself from the bites of the venomous mosquitoes
• 106: Breathed Me Dain in Jack's ear
• 107: And they hastened to follow Me Dain
• 108: We must now return to that very bad man Saya Chone
• 109: The luck of the Haydons came to an end
• 110: The risk to the Haydons remained the same
• 111: The Burman dodged round the corner of the hut
• 112: Then the Burman breathed a deep sigh of relief
• 113: Yelping and barking without pause
• 114: Haydon whistled sharply and nodded
• 115: And Me Dain had gone through one hole up to his arm pits
• 116: The shelf road had risen as it ran along the precipice
• 117: The Kachins gave a yell of anger
• 118: The Kachin is utterly too careless of human life
• 119: The Kachin was clearly no boxer
• 120: And the Kachin was working his way outwards and downwards
• 121: The remaining Kachins made no further attempt at an assault
• 122: And turban from the fallen Kachins
• 123: And crept forward along the narrow ledge
• 124: And the Malay drew it in to a walk
• 125: The little party turned in search of a hiding place
• 126: Haydon chatted coolly about its possibilities
• 127: Haydon put his shoulder to it at once
• 128: Haydon looked carefully at them
• 129: That is the topmost stage of the pagoda
• 130: Half a dozen Kachins began to yell together
• 131: And stood before a knot of skeletons
• 132: Haydon did not even pocket the rubies
• 133: Haydon in a tone of deep anxiety
• 134: The Kachins were at the entrance
• 135: But no Kachin was following them
• 136: The pungent smoke became overpowering
• 137: At the foot of the ladder a torch
• 138: Haydon raised the spear which he had brought with him
• 139: He will have men on the watch all round the pagoda
• 140: While the horsemen encircled the other fugitives
• 141: A Kachin beside her as if on guard
• 142: U Saw and Saya Chone now spoke together in a low tone
• 143: It was a small cobra of the most venomous kind
• 144: U Saw once more held the cobra forward
• 145: Haydon seized his faithful follower's hand
• 146: The Kachin was under when we drop down
• 147: In a trice Me Dain had a fire blazing
• 148: From Mogok the travellers pushed on straight to Mandalay
• 149: We'll realise this parcel of stones in London
• 150: Baumann is no longer your partner