The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-04-03
SAVED BY A STRATAGEM.

Currie, English commissioner at the up coun-
try station Of Hutta-Bagh in northern In.
dia, had gone out upon the veranda with his
| wife and his two guests-Col. Ayres and
Maj. Armstrong, Of the til infantry. While
the party were quietly conversing a sudden
clamor of angry voices from the road below
drew them all to the front of the veranda.
The cause Of the disturbance was visible al
| once. Two half druEken English soldiers
staggering along the road, had come ink
violent contact with a native boy who was
running past; and one Of them, enraged al
the collision, had felled the poor lad to the
! ground and was unclasping his own belt with
! the evident intention of beating him unmer-
cifully.
Served the young whelp right" shouted
! the colonel, rubbing his hands; "that's just
| what they all want"
The other, Maj. Armstrong popularity
called Maj. Strongarm-wasa huge, brawny,
silent man, whose forte lay in acting rather
than in talking. To leap to the ground
twelve feet below, to dart across the garden.
| to vault over the high stockade beyond, was
! the work of moment for the athletic major
and in an another instant he had raised the
| fallen boy tenderly from the ground, while
saving to the foremost soldier, in the low,
compressed tone of a man who means what
he says:
"Be of with you!"
"And who the deuce are you, shown yer
| nose in where yer amt wantedf' roared the
Infatuated ruffian, to whose eyes the majors
plain evening dress bore no token of his being
an officer. "Jist you"-
The sentence was never finished. At the
sound of that last insolent defiance Arm
strong's sorely tried patience gave way alto
gether, and the strong right hand which had
hewed its way through a whole squadron Of
Sikh cavalry fell like sledge hammer upon
his opponents face, dashlng him to the
ground as if he had been blown from the
mouth of gun.
"Well done, major!" shouted Mr.. Currie,
from above. "You deserve your name and
no mistake"
At the name Of "major" the other soldier
took to his heels, and Armstrong, without
even looking at his PROSTATE antagonist, pro-
ceeded to examine the injuries of the boy.
The latter was sorely bruised in many places,
and the blood was trucking freely over his
swarthy face; but the little hero still did his
best to stand erect and to keep down every
sign of the pain which he was enduring.
You're brave lad, and you'll make a sci-
der some day." said the major to him, in
Hindoostanee. "Come with me, and I'll see
that no one molests you again"
Six months have come and gone, and Mr.
Currie's hospitable house presents a very diff
ferent spectacle. The pretty garden is
trampled into dust and Iuire, and the bodies
of men and horses are lying thick among the
fragments of the half destroyed stockade
The windows of the house are blocked up
and through the loopholed walls peer the
muzzles of ready rifles, showing how steady
the besieged garrison stands at bay against
the countless enemies whose dark, fierce faces
and glittering weapons are visible through
the half ruined building and matted thickets
ell around. The Sepoy nlutiny of 1857 is
blazing sky high over northern India, and
Col Ayres is blockaded in Hutta-Bagh, with
a certainty Of hideous death for himself and
every man of the few who are still true to
him, unless help come speedily.
Day was just breaking when two men held
whispered counsels in one Of the upper rooms.
mo fear of the water running Short" said
Maj. Arnlstr '"but even upon half rations
the food will be out in four days more"
"And then we'll just so right at them, and
cut our way through or die for it," growled
3
face, for, with all his harshness and injustice,
Col. Ayres was grit to the backbone I'VE
mustn't say anything TO them about it,
though" added he, with 4 side glance at Mr..
Currie, who standing on the further corner,
was anxiously watching the thin, worn face
OF his sleeping wife.
At that moment a loud cheer from below
startled them both, and the next moment
called HIM burst into the room, with glow
Of unwonted excitement on his dark face.
''Sahib!" cried he, ''there is hope for US yeti
A detachment of English are coming up the
other bank Of the river; if we can send word
to them as they pass, we are savedI'
How do you know asked the major,
eagerly.
II heard the Sepoys say so, while was
lying hid among the bushes yonder," an
swered the lad.
Among the bsshes yonderi" reared the
colonel, facing around. Have you really
been in the midst of those cutthroat villains
listening to what they said! Whatever did
you do that fori'
81 did it for Sahib Armstrong; sake, = re-
piled the boy, proudly, because he was good
to me-"
DuG IL Tue ltOOpS are pey OuQ Tue TiEeT,
how can We communicate with them.n asked
Mrs Currie who, awakened by the shouting,
had risen and joined the group They may
not pass near enough - hear tie firing, and
we have no means Of sending them word"
Fear nothing tor that, men-sahib" ina
dam, said the Hindoo boy, quietly; Il will
carry them word myself"
But how can you possibly DO it," cried
Mr.. Currie, Thunderstorm by the confident
tone in which this mere child spoke Of task
from which the hardest veteran might well
have shrunk.
Listen sshib.n answered ISnail. AZ VIII
slip out Of the house and make a dash into
the eneny's lines, as if l were deserting from
you TO them; and you can tell your people
to fire Z shot or two after me with a blank
cartridge as I so. Then the Sepoys viii re-
ceive me kindly, and III tell them that you
are all dying Of thirst. and that they need
only wait a day more 10 be sure Of YOU, 50
that they won't come 70 make another at
tack. Then, when they have no suspicion,
and think I'm quite one 81 themselves, II
steal away and slip across the river.
But are you quite sure the Sepoys viii
believe your asked Maj Armstrong, doubt
fully.
Aney II ceiteFe lniS, any now, repLed TIE
boy, deliberately masking deep cash II his
bare shoulder. and staining his y bite frock
with the blood, as he gldsd from the room
followed by the major.
The plan WIS soon explained 20 ehe men -
iow. ali q moment later Isgnaits dark figure
was seen 6aTting like an arrow aCToSs the
open space n front OF the building. followed
by g quick discharge Of blink cartridges
from the mar ksIna1 q tie ioopnolss- TIE
sound OF firing drew TIE attention O. lie