The Rajah's Fortress — page 61: what you’re looking at

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

52 THE RAJAH'S FORTRESS. There, that’s it; ” and, blowing out a cloud of smoke, he went on: “Cubit has made a brave fight of it to-day. He charged straight into the town, blew up the outer gate with shells from that little mortar, and then rode in right over the enemy, and, as luck would have it, found a big fortified temple all ready for them. It has regular loopholes in it, and a teak log palisade. Jove! but the dacoits have been swarming around that place all afternoon! I hon- estly believe there are thousands of them. They have Cubit trapped, that’s certain, and, unless aid comes soon, it’s all up with him. The ammunition is running low, too, and that’s why I’m here. Cu- bit didn’t dare ask any one to attempt to get through the enemy, but I volunteered to go, and my hands ache yet from the squeezing the colonel gave them when I left. You see I put on the turban and jacket of a dead dacoit and slipped out by the rear of the temple during a lull in the fight. I crawled among the dead bodies till I got away from the palisade, and then I jumped up and made a break for it. At the edge of the town a lot of them saw me and gave chase, but I slipped away from them in the darkness. When I reached the river I jump- ed right off the bank and swam, and lucky I was to strike the rock. I was most desperately afraid I would get into that whirlpool. And so there is no sign of that other steamer! That’s bad, for, unless it comes soon, Cubit and the Hussars will CONMUC WOO SS co