The Rajah's Fortress — page 148: what you’re looking at

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

THE RAJAH S FORTRESS. 139 CHAPTER XVI. THE CHINAMAN’S BUSE. In spite of the impediments in the way, the party made surprisingly rapid progress, and in three hours from the start reached the base of the foot-hills that guarded the approach to the giant mountain ridge that lay beyond them. A wide swamp skirted them and some difficulty was experienced in crossing, the men sinking at times nearly to their waists, while thorns and branches scratched their faces. Once among the hills they found easier travel- ing, the ground was more open, and spongy moss covered the stones and soil. Four or five hilly ranges were crossed, and then they wound in and out through a deep, narrow valley. It was one o'clock by Guy’s watch when Topee led them out of the gorge, and wheeling abruptly round the base of a precipitous mountain spur, they saw before them a gently rolling plain, carpeted with waving grass, while beyond it and scarcely a mils distant, rose skyward a great frowning mount- COLUM 1OOO SS co