Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-02-20

pretty well, but l could get little out of them They preferred to stand together and jahber all night in their queer Sikh lingo For myself, used to stand outside the gateway, looking down on the broad, winding river and on the twinkling lights of the great city, TheSbeatlng of drums the rattle of tomtoms and the yells and howls of the rebels, drunk with opium and with bang were enough to remind us all night of our dangerous neighbors across tho stream Every two hours the officers of the night used to como round to all tho posts to make sure that all was well
 The third night of my watch was dark and dirty, with small driving rain. It was drcary work standing in tho gateway hour after hour in such weather tried again and again to make my Sikhs talk, but without much success At z in the morning the rounds passed and brokc for moment the weariness of the night, Finding that my companions would not be led into conversation, took out my pipe and laid down my musket to strike a match In an instant the two Sikhs wero upon me, Ono of them snatchcd my fire lock up and lcVCled it at my head, while the other held a great knife to my throat and swore between his teeth that he would plunge it into me if moved step. My first thought was that these fellows wcrc in lraEuo with the rebels, and that 1 this Was the beginning of an assault. If | cur door wcro in the hands of the sepoys, the place must fall and the women and children be treated as they wGre in Cawn- ] pur Maybe you gentlemen think that l | am just muS sing out n caso for myself, but | 1 give you my word that when l thought | of that, though 1 felt the poi:,1 of tho 1 knife at my throat, opened my mouth 1 with the intention of giving n scream, If | it was my last one, which might alarm 1 the main guard Tie man who held me seemed to know my thoughts, for even as | bracCd myself 10 1t he whispered: Don't make noise The fort is safe enough. | There are no rebel dogs on this side of the river Thcrc was the ring of truth in | what he said, and l knew that if raised | my voice was a dead man. could read | it in the fellows brown eyes. l waited, therefore in silence to see what 1t was that they wanted from me
 "' 'l.iStep to me, sahib. said the taller | and 1icrCcr of the pair, the one whom they | called Abduliah Khan You must either | be with Us now, or you must be silenced forVvor The thing is too great a one for us to hesitate |. -,.u. with us on your ,...t. vt the Christians, or your hA., ~ ,.. ,..I shall bo thrown into the ditch. and we shall pass over to our brothers in the rebel army There Is no middle way. Which is it tu hc, death or lifc9 We can only give you three minutes t2 decide for tho time Is passing aud all mu~C lc lOnr hcforc tho | rounds rui" "rIin
 "'lluw ,au decide >uId You have not tol ''l,' what you want of me But l tell I'd tow thar II 1T k anything against thv >it,ty of la tvrt will have l n, h ri your knife ;2nd welcome
 It Is nothing against the fort, said
 he. We only ask you tu d" that which
 your countrymcn come tH 'hi~ land for
 We ask you Ia hc rich Ii !uU will be one
 of us this night, We will swear to you
 upon the naked knife and ny the ihrcclold oath, which no sikh was ever known to
 break. that you shall have !uus lair share
 of the loot \ quarter ot the treasure
 shall ho yours We can say ro fairrr
 |" But what iS the trrasurV then?
 asked I am as Cady tO bo rich as you
 can hr, if you will but show mo how it
 can be done
 'You swear then. said Ec, by the
 bones of your father, by the honor of your
 mother, hy the cross of your faith, 10 raise
 no hand and speak n0 word against us.
 either now ur aftcrward'
 1 "'l will swrar II. l answered. provid
 cal that the fort is not endangered
 | Then my CouTadc and l shall swear
 that you shall have quarter of the treas
 ure. which shall be equally divided among
 thC four ot Us
 There arc tut thrcc, said
 ." No; DoSt Akhar must bayC hiS share
 We can toll the tale 10 you while we await
 them DOyou stand at the gate, MohanIneC
 Singh aud givo notice of their coming Thl
 thing stands thus, sahih, and I tell 1t tc
 you because know that an oath Is bind
 ing upon FcrinGhcc, and that we may
 trust you Had you been lying Hindoo
 though you had sworn by all tho gods in
 their falsc temples, your blood would have
 been upon the knife, and your body in tht
 water. but tho Sikh knows tho English
 man, and tho Englishman knows tn,
 sikh HcarkCn. then. tO what I havo tC
 say:
 |" There is rnjah in the northern prov inccs who has much wealth, though hi
 lands arc small Much has como to hin from his father. and moro still hc has Sc , by himself, for hc Is of n low nature ana
 boards his z Id rather than spend it
 When the troubles broke out, he would b friends both with tho lion and tho tiger , | with the scpoy and with the company , raj Soon, however, 1t seemed to him tha
 tho white men s day was come, for throuGl , | all the land Inc could hear of nothing hu , of their death and their overthrow Ic | being a careful man he made such plan | that come what might, half at least uf hi r treasure should hc left to him Tha , | which was in gold and silver he kept by , him in the vaults of his palace, but th
 most precious stones and tho choices s pearls that ho had ho put in an iron ho and sent it by trusty servant who, undC , the guisc of n merchant, should take it | l the fort at Agra thcre to lie until tn land is at peace Thus if the rebels won X ho would have his money, but if the com Q pany conquered his jewels would be save $ to him Having thus divided his hoard h f threw himself into tho cause of the sepoy: ! since they were strong upon his border: r By his doing this, mark you, sahib, hi property becomes the duo of those wh V have been true to their salt
 2 "'This pretonded merchant, who travel
 under the name of Achmet, is now in tn i into tho fort He has with him as travc f ing companion my foster brother Dost Al
 bar, who knows his secret Dost Akha n has promised this night to lead him to n sIde postcrn of the fort and has chose V this one for his purpose Here he wi n come presently, and hcro he will find NJ, V hammed Singh and myself awaiting hin s The place is lonely, and none shall kno .s of his coming The world shall know { I the merchant Achmct no more, but Il "a great treasure of the rajah will be divide - among us What say you to it, sahibf l. Tn Worcestershire tho life of n ma h seems a great and n sacred thing, but 1t ,t very different when thero Is fire and bloc p all round you and you have been used n meeting death at every turn. Wheth rt Achmot tho merchant lived or died was I. thing as light us air to me, but at the tal p about the treasure my heart turned to 'r and l thought of what might do in u it old country with It. and how my fol f would staro when they saw their ne'cr { h weol coming back with his pockets flu
 of gold moidorcs I had. therefore, alrea(