The Rajah's Fortress — page 81: what you’re looking at

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

74 THE RAJAH'S FORTRESS. immediate space about it was clear, for the enemy were mainly gathered in front. Through the drifting clouds of smoke the men marched forward, some few only with horses, for most of these had long since been abandoned, ard had fallen into the enemy’s hands. They had gone but a few yards when a terrific yell, that was caught up and echoed from all sides apparently, burst from the dacoits,as they discov- ered the escape of their prey. A rush was made around both sides of the burning temple, and the foe were received with a hot raking fire from the Gardiner guns, which Cubit had stationed in the rear tocover the retreat. He had hurried on meanwhile, and, as the hover- ing clouds of smoke were left behind, he saw by the red glare from the burning temple that they were in the open square of the town, a level space surrounded by irregular and straggling dacoit houses. It was rather long than square, and down at the farther end towered alarge building of mas- sive proportions, which might offer protection until the morning, which could not be far off now. A hollow square was at once formed, in which were placed the few remaining horses, the guns which had hastened up from behind, and a dozen or more wounded soldiers, borne on rude stretchers. Then began the march down the square, a march which none of the survivors can ever forget. The bugle rang out clear and merrily in the brief COLUM 1OOO SS co