The Rajah's Fortress — page 112: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE RAJAH’S FORTRESS. 103 It was actually growing light in the east now, a pale, dim glow that quivered feebly below the black- ness of the night. The dacoits listened with evident alarm to the continuous firing that now commenced up in the town, and at last forcing Melton into the canoe, they shoved off from the bar and paddled swiftly across the river. They hid the canoe under some thick bushes, and then, putting Forbes between them, they en- tered the forest in single file, traveling on a narrow path that was but dimly discernible and at times appeared to vanish entirely. With a sinking heart Melton realized that they were journeying due west, straight into the depths of the savage, unknown districts of Burma. They moved at no leisurely pace, but took great strides, forcing Melton to keep up with them at the point of their spears. Once their trail crossed what appeared to be a newly trampled road through the forest, running at right angles to their path. A large body of men had but recently passed over it, for the weeds and grass were trampled down, bamboo canes had been cut off close to the ground, and in the soft mud were seen great tracks as if some monstrous animals had gone by. Strangely enough Melton never connected this with the march of the Bombay Infantry, though COLUM 1OOO SS co