The Rajah's Fortress — page 122: what you’re looking at

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

THE RAJAH’S FORTRESS. "113 just as a long plank with a hand rail on one side swung out upon the rock and settled firmly in place. ‘‘Come on, now, and catch hold of the rail,” said Bolton, leading the way, and with a very curious sensation Melton crossed the shaking bridge, and was instantly ushered through a narrow gate in what seemed to be a high palisade. He crossed a spacious courtyard and followed Bolton through a dark doorway. Some one else was coming on close behind. “We'll have a light in a second,” said Bolton; and striking a match he lit a large lamp that blazed up brightly, and revealed to Melton’s doubting eyes an astonishing spectacle. _ He was standing in the center of a large room. The floor was carpeted with soft Burmese matting, the walls were plastered and hung with half a dozen neatly framed engravings beneath which were tacked some illustrations from Harper’s Weekly. Half a dozen chairs were scattered about the room, and on the table in the center, on which stood the lamp, there actually rested a little pile of neatly bound books and some loose magazines. The apartment was thoroughly cozy and comfortable, and Melton could with difficulty realize that this spot was in the very wildest and most inaccessible part of Burma, and hundreds of miles from the coast on one side and from Mandalay on the 8 COLUM 1OOO SS co