The morning times., 1896-01-12

| red powders, while the fjrehead was bound
with the skin OF a spotted snake. Closer
kept within the shadow as near me the
procession passed, making a circuit OF the
temple within before offering the body 10
| the Hanuman. l listened intently. Know
ing the language, tiaught that in their
zeal some mention mietF be made OF the
| other victims or prisoners.
| Low and weird the. chant began, min
gled with cries FROM tfle worshipers at
times. ! caught the meapthg of part uf the
| chant:
| "SunIeeva Raya! Greet Monkey God. Be-
hold We givei
seizel seize and slayh Indra rides upon
theei
smite! smite him! Awful in power, APP
proach!
Ten Thousand times the spell is uttered!
Help! help that the English redcoat fail!
rake! take! Six shall We slaughter! Six!
Two are thine, one this and one before!
TWO more have we sprInkled! Seize and
Fast have we them within thy Temple!
Smitel
With black goat milk have we wbitened
thcml
They are thine to devour at da wn! Await!
Hanuman! We thee, thee adjure! Help!
o helpr'
Then the worsbipers rose; and the three
puJdTetS, urdWliS unCOutn figures upon
the stone flags OF the temple, trod them in
may ways, followed by all those who were
before the idol OF the Monkey God. Again
they passed in procession aroundthe temple;
then went through the portal, closing the
great gate with clang.
Whether should succeed In finding the
men sought, / knew not. From the ex-
hortation to Hanuman ]. gathered that they
were somewhere fast prisoners in the
temple. had little hope. even should they
be alive, of our ultimate escape, for there
was no egrcss from the temple. save by the
great fast-closed' gate.- That. not the
strength of twenty men couldmove, knew.
as, for a minute after The worshipers had
departed, 1 stood regarding it,
i made careful tour OF the temple. but
could see no place whpTe prisoners or vic
Tins could be concealed. With the stock OF
Dennis rifle rs6untleti theswaiis; they were
solid; it was only too apparent.
tried the stone slabs OF the floor. One
of them gave out a hollow sound. flung
myself down beside 1t, and tried to move the
mass from Its position. The task was be-
yondmy strength. Idug att with bleeding
fingers, till a faintness came over me, but
with no result There was hollow space
beneath it-of that was convinced. Then
it occurred to me to knock upon the slab
OF stone to see IL any answer were returned.
Thrice I tapped, sand-waited. ~ -
Whether had given some secret sign
or not in so doifg,~to this day have
never discovered; but slowly and cautiously
saw the stone raised, and the evfl face
OF pujaree peered forth. NJ .sit
By the merest chance I saw the brown |
paw of the fellow in the interstice before |
his face appeared, and accordingly l |
darted away. Apparently the pujaree was |
not satisfied with his casual survey; and, |
probably thinking that some worshiper |
was accidentally left a prisoner in the |
temple, be slowly drew himself up, let |
the great slab fall into its place, and then |
advanced until he stood under the great |
swinging lamp before the Monkey God.
Still he failed to see me: and after a few
minutes stay, during which he called TO
whoever was In the temple to come to his
side. he went back to where the stone slab
was.
As the puiaree stopped down to give
the signal which I had accidentally given,
l seized him by the neck, aud, dragging
him from the slab, turned the fellow over
and planted my right knee upon his chest.
/ held his throat fast, so that he could not
cry out, for On that my life depeCded;
and, putting my face close to the pujaree's
distorted visage, asked:
Where are the two living Sahibs? Speak
true, or you shalt diel "a.
He held up his hand in token that he
would answer; but still chung TO his
throat Uli thought Ht WtstOo cAhiuS'euto " |
make an outcry-then l let go my grip,
but still pinned him 10 the temple floor.
He muttered in broken English to my
surprise:
"Pujaree show-let him get up. Hanuman
want six slain. then Sepoy rising succeed.
The two alivei Come see-'
/ let him get 10 his feet and took from
his belt couple or dangerous looking
knives. He went straight toward the image
OF Hanunlan, and, touching spring OF
some kind, the front OF what appeared to be
a solid block of stone beneath the god gave
way. Dragging the pujaree with me
rushed in and found CORVALLIS and Dennis
living there bound and helpless. The
frightened putaree unfastened their bonds
II my bidding; then, when they were out
II their strange place OF confinement, we
pound thes pajaree and flung him down
lpon the stone floor, closing the base OF
lie Image upon mm.a
/ heard from CORVALLIS and Dennis
xactly the saine story. 4 moose had fallen
rom above them as they stood sentry; 1t
vas drawn taut, and each had been
.iolently jerked off his feet for some
distance, and then conveyed by three