Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1872-11-15

now A FORT DITCH WAS PLUMBRD.
An EPISODE IN AN EAST INDIAN CAM.


CONTINUED FROM YEsTERDAY.iI !,
That settled, Norval had much to do,
and not much over an hour to do 1t In.
hts habits OF ready resource now stood
him in good stead he had at once grasped
the idea. and soon formed his plans. He
was an enthusiastic angler; and knowing
that while the force had been living 3,
many weeks before the fort, they had had
many days good fishing In the old elias.
sic river that ssrted the camp, he had
slowed away some tackle among her bag.
gage, in the hope Of getting his share Of
the sport. This he now turned to good
account. At the artillery canteen he got
4 large hung cork this he cut into a float
by tapering it upward to point. leaving
The bottom flat; through the middle he
slipped a quill. inside which he fixed q
piece Of handspring. and ran through II :.
strong line he had.-strong enough to
land large fish Of ten or dozen pounds
weight Thus he contfived u first.rate
iloat, through which the line would run
Freely one way. but would not slip one
inch the other way. On one end Of the
line he fastened q large-sized plummet,
and wound It AL up on y short piece of
bamboo. This was all his apparatus,-
simplicity itself. yet deserving patent.
1t was now nine o'clock. One hour
more be could call his own. That hour
how II was spent was only known by the
subsequent disclosures Of his. bearer"
who said thai when he Ind gone into the
tent 10 tax" his master y cup Of tea, he
found him very busy writing: that when
he aiierWard lifted up the purdah tcurtainJ
to take away the cup, his master was OF
his knees; and that, rs he left the tent to
60 of. his master placed in his hand 8
thick packet, with orders that, if he did
not return by morning it was to be given
10 the paymaster.
As the Stiffness Of the night air was bro
ken by the several regimental gongs strik-
ing ten. Norval appeared at the rendez.
vous. Parker and his men were already
there and good Major Jones was there
too. to protest once more, almost with
tears. and to let them pass the sentries.
1t was now dark. The sentries OF tbs
enemy formed Gordon about three hund-
red yards outside the city walls, and about
twice as far in front OF the advance line OF
the English pckets; and their presence
was only to be detected by the sound OF
their voices, as they met at the end o.
each beat, and passed on the word '.Suh
achchla - can we'll ~ from end to end
OF the line. The little party were now
fairly on their way treading softly and
slowly they stole along till within about
fifty yards Of the enemy's sentries. Here
they stopped. Two sentries were in the
act of meeting, straight in front of them;
they passed the word to each other. and
parted on their return way. Norval count
ed how long il took them to reach the
other end of their beats and back again.
They went, and came, and parted. Nor
val waited still, with his little band, tleir
hearts beating quick and loud, so as al
most to be heard in the dead Stiffness ot
the night, waited till he knew that the
sentries must be close at the end OF their
beats, with their backs still turned, and !.
clear two hundred yards between them.
Then, at tho word from him, all the party
sprang forward as noiselessly as possible,
were soon be, ond the sentries, and up to
the bank of the utch itself.
There, Il few yards in front oi them.
rose up, looming out agains; the dark sky,
the towers "i the fort, and at their feet the
ditch Of unknown depth. A glance he
lrayed the real state of affairs. The flank.
ing bastions had been sadly pounded by
the heavy guns, and in some parts iht
curtains between had been entirely " demol-
ished. and crumbled down till the debris
gave m easy ascent from the waters
edge.
As the bank of the moat had been some,
what raised, it furnished cover and shei.
ter on its outer side Here Parker and
his men lay down concealed. Norval ar
ranged his apparatus for the cast. Tn
winding his line from the stick. and fast
cnng the end round his body, he hung il
iu loose coils on his right arm, and took
The plummit in his right hand. Then
noiselessly crossing the pathway on the
bank, he stole down to the waters edge.
and threw the pummet sufficiently higl
to insure good are and straight fall. Ii
carried with it, coil after coil, the line fell
off his arm, and fell in the very middle OF
the ditch. 1t dropped with sharp splash,
Il single sound; it made but slight noise,
not more than iair-sized fish would
make as he snapped at Il ny; Yet that
dull ear OF night. Instantly all was lite.
The sentres started ont of their balf-sleep-
ing stroll. and fired off their matchlocks;
The guards sprang to the battlements, and
bla2cd away in the direction from which
glacis followed suit, without aim or oh.
i'bt. ~NOl ' NAs tiAt iiotsttit AT nau hltuC lis
cast. had sprung back across the bank, and
was lying concealed by the side of Parker
Slowly raising his head over the bank he
could see the guards hurrying to and fro
along the ramparts, running down the
sloping debris to the brink of the water,
and there standing aghast. But there was
nothing to be seen,--no,hing to account
ior the noise. The sound was not repeat
ed. There was evidently nothing astir
So the firing gradually ceased the men
returned to their posts. or their slumbers;
and Nolval heard on the ramparts an oc-
casional laugh, as the joke was passed
along, kali muchbli tha !" 1T was only
a fish -
That danger passed, it now remained
10 draw out the line with Its register float
and to make good the retreat. But Nor.
val waited till all was perfectly quiet be-
fore he stirred from his lair. He waited
1t seemed hours---when the gongs in
camp began to sound eleven. Now Tor
it," he thought, "or sha'nt be- back BY