Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1899-10-12

heard issuing from a room leading into
the kitchen. They were uttered by
Scindia and the other servants of the
bungalow. who looked upon them
selves as lost. George treasured them
as best he could.
"We are about to fire on our assail-
ants" he said. profit by the moment
of confusion this will cause to follow
us, and scatter yourselves among the
trees and the protection of the dark
ness"
by which door shall we so out?'
asked Edward.
by this one" answered George, in
dicating that nearest them.
But. as he was about to throw 1t
open. Stop, breaking through his usual
reserve. uttered a cry, slapped his
brow, seized Edward by the arm and
detained him.
"Do not hasten, / beg your honor"
he exclaimed. "An idea has just come
to me. / believe that within ten min
utes we shall be beyond danger, and
those wicked Hindoos will see only
their W fire.
These words revived hope in every
breast.
Explain yourself, my good Stop"
| said George. what is your idea?"
cit is this, your honor. If we go out
by the door we shall very likely receive
a charge Of lead not wholly welcome.
We haust. therefore. render ourselves
momentarily invisible and inyulner-
able. To do this, we must follow the
| fashion of field mice and moles, and
burrow in the earth, to emerge, safe
| and sound a little further IN"
Eyes; that would be perfect" cried
George; ''but In this case, 1t is not
common sense. We have not time to
create this su~bterraneous passage"
aBut the passage already exists. l
made the discovery the other day,
while foraging in the cellars. No u
knows 1t. 1t is an accident that /
shonld be so curious"
"Where does it come out?'
"At the small. round, matched cot
tage at the end of the garden, they call
| the ice-house. I do not know why,
since this Internal country produces no
| ice"
"My brave Stopl' he cried, "do you
know that you save usg'
George Malcolm pressed the hand of
his faithful servant.
"Ah, yes, your honor, ] know it!
Follow me. IL you please. / will lead
the way. Your honor will pardon me
If / pass first"
In a few moments Stops prophecy
was proven correct. The passage in
question had been built leading to the
ice-house by the former proprietor OF
the bungalow. who, more epicurean in
his tastes than Sir John Malcolm, had
kept IL stored with ice brought from
the mountains at great cost, and APP
preached in this way to prevent its
being melted by the intense heat.
A few minutes sufficed for the little
group TO emerge in the now empty
building. The door was fastened and
without a key. but that afforded no
obstacle. Setting his shoulder against
it, George burst it open. The fugitives
were free under the starry sky. From
the depths of the shadow which pro-
tected them, they saw the fire glow,
ard all around the bungalow, whose
walls were nearly ready to fall in, they
could distinguish human forms. They
were the Hindoos. musket in hand,
motionless. watchful, waiting to fire
upon the Europeans who should en-
| deavor to escape from the flames.
God will protect us!' murmured
George. His powerful hand will al
so sustain Agnes and Hera. and de-
fend them from all peril" Then. adj
| dressing himself to Edward and Dieu-
| donne, he added: "We must separate
here. Go to the governor and inform
him of all that has passed. and there
wait news from me. | will endeavor
to make your waiting short"
Rapid adieux We're exchanged as the
friends parted and disappeared in the
darkness, George still carrying Kazil
and Stop following close behind.
We must here turn for a moment to
J the temple of the most monstrous and
most terrible of Hindoo divinities, the
goddess Bowhanie. The temple was
dark. At its central point uprose a
monument of red marble. a sort Of pa
godaffi einbro, surmounted by a dome
OF polished steel and resting OH a ped
estal formed OF several stepg. This
monument had but one door of bronze,
barred with iron, and always closed.
A circular grating, equally ~inaccessi-
bic, surrounded it. 1t appeared i'm
possible to approach this grating, for a
large, yawniag abyss, in whose dizzy
depths might be heard surging, subter-
ranean waters, encompassed it on all
sides, and isolated 1t almost absolutely.
In the open space which served as
margin to the abyss. on the side oppo-
site the mysterious monument. pass
ages diverged as numberless as the
cells In a honeycomb. Some of these
were shut off by massive gratings.
Others were protected only by hang
ings of purple stuff, embroidered in
fantastic forms and diaboiical
signs. Above the cupola OF steel float
ed a silken banner, bearing the figure
of a many-headed dragon In gold; nu-
merous lamps hung from the arches,
and, yelled with long folds Of crepe.
burned night and day In the temple,
and at night-as did the scarlet glass
of the windows during the day-spread
throughout the atmosphere a blood-red
light.
In this moment, when we profane the
sacred threshold. several priestesses,
enveloped from head to foot In long.
red, and half-transparent wells. were
Frustrated about the abyss. which d.
vided the rest OF the temple from the
monument. Jubilee. the CHIEF nriaSteSs