Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1890-05-28

lays their attack two days longer there may
be time for help to arrive yet
Slowly and YEARLY the long hours Of that
fearful day were on. The heat was so ter.
rife that even the native soldiers Of the gar
rison could barely hold their own against it.
and the handful Of Englishmen were almost
helpless. Had the Sepoys attacked them
then, all would have been over at one blow,
but hour passed after hour, and there was
no sign Of an assault At length, as after
noon gave place 10 evening, movement be
gan to show itself in the enenys lines Their
curls Of smoke. rising above the trees, showed
that the evening meal was In preparation,
and several figures with pitchers in their
hands were seen going toward the river,
among whom the colonel's keen eye soon de-
tected Ismail
"By Georger' cried the old soldier, slap
ping his knee exultingly, that lads worth
his weight in gold There's his way down to
the river right open to him, without the least
chance of suspicionI Why, he's born gem
eral-nothing lessp
Every eye within the wall was now turned
anxiously upon the distant group, fearing to
see at any moment some movement which
would show that the trick Yves detected. How
did lsmail mean to accomplish his purposel
Would he plunge boldly into the river with
out any disguise, or had he some further
stratagem in preparationi No one could say.
Suddenly, as Ismail stopped to plunge his
light wooden dipper into the water it slipped
from his hands and went floating away down
the stream. A cry Of dismay. a loud laugh
from the Sepoys, and then the boy was seen
running frantically along the bank and try
ing in vain to clutch the vessel as it fioated
past
what on earth's he up to9" grunted the
colonel, completely mystifed.
81 see!" cried Maj. Armstrong, triumph
antly; ''there's boat ycnder among the
reeds and he's making right for it. Well
done, my brave boy"
But at that moment yell of rage from the
Sepoys told that the trick was discovered.
Luckily those on the bank had left their
pieces behind, or poor Ismail would soon
have been disposed of but the alarm in
stantly brought mp crowd of their armed
comrades, whose bullets fell like hail around
the boat and its gallant little pilot.
LET us fire q volley and make show Of
sallying out" said the colonel; 'it'll take
take their attention from him.
But in this he was mistaken. The first rat
tie of musketry did indeed recall most of
Isnail's assailants, but at least a dozen were
left who kept up an unceasing fire, striking
the boat again and again. All at once the
colonel dashed his glass TO the floor, with
frightful oath. Between two guests of smoke
he had seen the boat turn suddenly over, and
90 whirtng away down the dark river, keel
upward.
''Theres an end Of the poor lad" muttered
the veteran, brokenly. "God bless him for
brave little fellow. And now, old friends,
we must die hard for there's no hope left"
The first few hours of the night passed
quietly, and the exhausted defenders, utterly
worn out, slept as il dragged with opium.
But little after midnight the quick ears of
the two veteran officers tho only watchers
in the whole garrison, except the sentries
themselves faint stirring In the
surrounding thickets, which seemed to argue
some movement on the part of the enemy.
Listening intently for few moments, they
felt certain that they were right, and lost no
time In awakening their men. The scanty
stores Of food were opened once more, and,
crouching together in the darkness, the
doomed men took what they fully believed to
be their last meal on earth.
They're coming" said Maj. Armstrong,
straining his eyes into the gloom through
loophole. II hear them creeping forward,
though can't yet see them"
"What the deuce was thatl" exclaimed the
colonel, suddenly. ut looked like fiery ar
row flying past"
"It's worse than that, "ssaid the major, in a
low voice. "The rascals are shooting lighted
chips of bamboo ON to the roof to set 1t on fire.
Send the women up with buckets to food the
not moment to losel"
I'm go and sec to it myself" cried Mrs
Currie, Fastening out of the room.
But the power of this new weapon had al
ready been fatally manifest. The house was
an old one, dry as finder from the prolonged
heat, and as fast as the flames were quenched
In one place they broke out in another
When day dawned the fire had already got
firm hold of one corner of the building, and
q crushing discharge was poured upon all
who attempted to extinguish it, while the
yells Of the human tigers below
told that they felt sure of their prey.
Its oil over with us, old fellow said the
colonel, grasping his old companions hand;
'but at least we shall have done our duty.n
"Gve me one Of your pistols" whispered
Mrs Currie to her husband, in a voice that
was not her own. II must not fall into their
hands alive"
AT that moment Maj. Armstrong was seen
to start and bend forward as If listening in
tently, for he thought-although he could
scarcely believe his ears-that he had sudden
" caught a faint sound of distant firing. In
another instant he heard it again, and this
time there could be no more doubt for
several of the others had caught it likewise,
and a CLEAN of hope once more lighted up
their haggard faces and bloodshot eyes.
Louder and nearer came the welcome |
sound, while the sudden terror and confusion |
visible among the enemy showed that they, |
too, were at no loss to gain its meaning. |
Then high above the din rose the well known |
- Hurrahl" and through the smoke clouds |
broke charging line Of glittering bayonets |
and ruddy English faces, sweeping away the |
,owardly murderers as the sun chsses the |
morning mist
THAT boy is worth his weight in gold"
aid Col. Ayres, as, q few hours later, he lis |
.ened to Ismails account Of how he had dived |
lnder the boat and kept it between him and
he Sepoys, that they might think him
drowned. True Flag.
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