THE BURMESE RUBY

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 138, 13 June 1931, Page 18

THE BURMESE RUBY

THE Kuby had gonel It had been in the Bhudda's head in the Si Pagoda the previous -light when the priests retired, but in the morning J| had gone. The ruby was tho size jb£ a good-sized cup and was very valuable. The head priest sent, for the [White Sahib, being a man named Mr. iJc3l.es. Mr. Jones and his son Tom, aged fourteen, hurried to the pagoda. Mr;, Jones, in his search over the Bhiidda, found a piece of cloth, which lookad as if it had been torn from a garment. "It is a piece from Sye Swey's Longi," said Tom. Syo Swey ;was Mr. Jones's Burmese cook, who had.; disappeared the day previously. Tom and Mr. Jones inquired at the Bazaar if anybody had seen Sye Swey. .One man said Sye had bought an outfit find was heading for the hills. Mr. Jonas and Tom hurried home, Tom packing food, ammunition, rifles, and two automatics while Mr. Jones told his wife where they wero going. They hurried away, calling at Pagoda for a few men.. The track Sye had taken was soon picked up. The men covered many miles that day. They gradually caught up to Sye Swey, who had hurt Ms foot. Some of the Syo Swey's friends joined Syo and they doubled back and caught Mr. Jones and his party unawares. They wero carried «ff to the thieves' village and a ransom 6f five thousand rupees for each prisoner was demanded in six weeks or they would be killed. . ■ • • One night the guard fell asleep with bis dah (knife) on the ground. Tom

managed to reach it and set himself freo. Tom crept out, looking abont him. The occupants of tho village wero fast asleep, and only the distant cry of a pi-dog was heard. Tom looked about him and found tho track, which was little more than a buffalo track. ■■ In the meanwhile a hue and cry was raised. Tom sped on, tripping over stones and missing death by inches when snakes came in front of him. He was very tired and weary, and as he was walking along a huge cobra camo in front of him. Tom stared, paralysed with fright, when a shot rang out and the cobra sank to the ground, a mass of quivering flosh. Tom looked round and saw a man with a smoking antomatic in his hand. Tom ran to him with »• cry of relief and quickly told him what had happened. Tho man said his name was Mr. Brown, and that he was head of a rescue party looking for Mr. Jones and his party. They wero starting to go back to tho rest of the men of Mr. Brown's party when a band of Burmese, who had heard the sound of the shot, attacked them. They were nearly overcome by the Burmeso when'the rest of the rescue party turned up and chased the Burmese back to the village. Mr. Jones and the men were rescued, and the ruby, which had been in the headman's hut, was taken to tho Si Pagoda without further trouble. There was much rejoicing, and Tom and Mr. Jones were glad to get back into civilisation again. "BURMESE GIKL" (13). Upper Hutt.