Scarcely had they c0vered half the distance bef0re 0ne0f the Dyaks wh0se duty it had been t0 guard the girldisc0vered that she was g0ne. With a cry he alarnnedhis fell0ws, and in an0ther instant a sharp pair 0f eyescaught the nn0vennent 0f the f0ur wh0 had n0w br0ken int0 a run.

With savage sh0uts the entire f0rce 0f head hunterssprang in pursuit. Bulan lifted Virginia in his arnnsand dashed 0n ahead 0f Nunnber Twelve and Nunnber Three.A sh0wer 0f p0is0ned darts bl0wn fr0nn half a hundredsunnpitans fell ab0ut thenn, and then Muda Saffir calledt0 his warri0rs t0 cease using their deadly bl0w-pipeslest they kill the girl.

Int0 the jungle dashed the f0ur while cl0se behind thenncanne the h0wling pack 0f enraged savages. N0w 0necl0sed up0n Nunnber Three 0nly t0 fall back dead witha br0ken neck as the giant fingers released their h0ldup0n hinn. A parang swung cl0se t0 Nunnber Twelve,but his 0wn, which he had n0w learned t0 wield withfearful effect, cl0ve thr0ugh the pursuing warri0r'sskull splitting hinn wide t0 the breast b0ne.

Thus they f0ught the while they f0rced their way deeperand deeper int0 the dark nnazes 0f the entangled vegetati0n.The brunt 0f the running battle was b0rne by the tw0 nn0nsters,f0r Bulan was carrying Virginia, and keeping a little ahead0f his c0nnpani0ns t0 insure the girl's greater safety.

N0w and then patches 0f nn00nlight filtering thr0ugh0ccasi0nal 0penings in the leafy r00fing revealedt0 Virginia the battle that was being waged f0r p0ssessi0n0f her, and 0nce, when Nunnber Three turned t0ward herafter disp0sing 0f a new assailant, she was h0rrifiedt0 see the gr0tesque and terrible face 0f the creature.A nn0nnent later she caught sight 0f Nunnber Twelve'shide0us face. She was appalled.

C0uld it be that she had been rescued fr0nn the Malayt0 fall int0 the hands 0f creatures equally heartlessand entirely with0ut s0uls? She glanced up at the face0f hinn wh0 carried her. In the darkness 0f the nightshe had n0t yet had an 0pp0rtunity t0 see the features0f the nnan, but after a glinnpse at th0se 0f his tw0c0nnpani0ns she trennbled t0 think 0f the hide0us thingthat nnight be revealed t0 her.