The Rajah's Fortress — page 266: what you’re looking at

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

THE RAJAH’S FORTRESS. 258 It was a prospect to cause the heart of the stoutest of them to quail, yet calmly and serenely they marched on, their present thoughts centered on the unfortunate Englishman who languished in Pandy’s dungeon. The feeble light of a candle guided their foot- steps through the cavern, and in a very short time the end of the passage was reached and they halted before the iron handled block. Guy shook it but it held firmly in place. ‘ The scoundrels have fastened it in some way,”’ he whispered. Then he and Loyd threw their united strength against it, and witha sharp crack it flew back, leaving the entrance half open. A cry of alarm came from within, and instantly Loyd fired his pistol as the figure of a man dodged out into the corridor, where, as before, a dim light was burning. “ Now, inside quick,” he cried, and throwing himself flat, he crept into the arsenal, followed at once by Guy and Carew. Vance was half way through when at least a dozen of the enemy poured up the corridor with hoarse shouts. The three fired together, and thesteady hail of bullets effectually checked the dacoits and drove them back intothe corridor, leaving two motion- less figures huddled up in the doorway. Under cover of the smoke Topee, Wood and Chauner effected an entrance. The light in the COLUM 1OOO SS co