Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1901-06-01
The Mysterious Sound
An Adventure in Northern India.
by David Ker.
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Two childrenA-a boy about ten
4 years old and a girl somewhat
younger-were playing hide-and-seek
among broken pillars and heaps of
FALLEN stones down in the dark cell
lars OF ruined house in the Hindu
Tort of Fati-Ghur, in northern India.
1t was 4 gloomy place-black. lone
some, dreary-and just the spot
where you might expect a wildcat or
n poisonous snake to pop out upon
You at any moment: but Harry and
Nellie did not seem to mind il a bit,
and went scampering- and laughing
through the dim archways and dark,
ghostly vaults as merrily as if they
had been in kindergarten.
1t was certainly very strange
place to choose for playground, and
1t was stranger still that they should
be playing and laughing at all. with
The shadow of death deepening daybv
day over themselves, their fathers
and the whole garrison of the fort.
War was raging throughout the en-
QTe district, and all around Fati-
Ghur lay sncamped great host of
herce Hindu warriors, vowing never
no leave the place until they had
faken the place and killed every liv-
rs thing within its walls,
Three times had the besiegers made
u furious attack on the fort, but each
&tme they had been beaten off with
heavy loss, and did not seem inclined
20 try it again.
But all day long-and sometimes
a alcrh
away at the walls with their cannon
and muskets, till no one could look
over the battlements for fear of be-
ing shot dead, and the sick and
wounded men of the garrison were
quite worn out with the ceaseless
din.
Worse, still, food was beginning TO
run short, and they would soon be
forced to surrender or be all starved
TO death, unless some one came to
the rescue; and there seemed to be
little hope for that, for il would have
taken large army, as we'll as a
Brave one, to cut through the forest
OF white turbans and colored robes
and dark, fierce faces and glittering
weapons that hemmed in the doomed
fortress on every side.
'And we've helped to defend the
fort, too" said Harry to Nellie, as
they paused to rest, after running
themselves quite out of breath. 81
heard Capt. Markham say so myself,
while l was helping mamma to scrape
lint for those soldiers that were
wounded last night"
"And I've torn up a whole lot of
rags for bandages," replied Nellie,
proudly; land I'm going to tear up
a lot more this afternoon. / do wish.
though, they'd give over fighting. I'm
SO tired of those guns banging. away
all night long, and it's so horrid see
ing the poor soldiers brought in all
cut and bleeding. There's poor Sergt
Bennett, who made all those pretty
toys for me, has got such terrible
hurt all along one side of his head
where a bullet hit him the other
day; and it's so sore that he can't
sleep bit"
Never mind" answered Harry, as
Stunning quite a fatherly air, in virtue
OF his being six months the older of
the two; ''just you wait two or three
days more, and then you'll see Gen.
Rose and his men come up from the
other side of the river and send all
these black fellows flying"
'But I heard papa say yesterday"
cried Nellie, with rather grave look
on her round, rosy little face, chat
Gen. Rose has only a few hundred
men with him just now; and SURELY
they can't fight whole army at
Dnce."
+'Can't they?" cried Harry, disdain-
fully. Didn't Lord Give thrash Co.
boo of them at Plassey, with onlv
$1,000 men of his own? And didn't
the duke of Wellington send the ra-
.3ah's whole army scampering with
only two regiments? Just you wait
aHnd see, that's all. I say, let's have
another game. You go and hide, and
Ill hunt for you"
Away went Nellie Instantly. right
into the gloomiest and loneliest part
sof the ruins, bent upon discovering
some place where even Harry himself
Tyould not be able to find her.
Fearlessly she picked her way in
almost total darkness through one
biack and dismal vault after another
for the toughest soldier in The gar
BISON was not drawer than our little