him and was about to move, when with a light and unfaltering step Noreen
came to him.



CHAPTER X


A STRANGE HOME-COMING

Dermot dragged the girl down to the ground beside him as a shot rang out.

"I suppose they will kill us, Major Dermot," she said calmly. "But couldn't
you manage to get away in the darkness? You know the jungle so well. Please
don't hesitate to leave me, for I should only hamper you. Won't you go?"

Emotion choked the soldier for a moment. He gripped her arm and was about
to speak when suddenly the forest on every side of them resounded to a
pandemonium of noise: a chorus of wild shrieks, shots, the crashing of
trampled undergrowth, the death-yells of men amid the savage screams and
fierce trumpetings of a herd of elephants.

"Oh, what's that? What terrible thing is happening?" cried the girl.

Dermot seized her and dragged her close against the trunk of the tree. In
the gloom they saw men flying madly past them pursued by elephants. One
wretch not ten yards from them was overtaken by a great tusker, which
struck him to the ground, trampled on him, kicked and knelt upon his
lifeless body until it was crushed to a pulp, then placing one forefoot on
the man's chest, wound his trunk round the legs and seized them in his