The Savannah morning news., 1903-07-26

! of. They are working 100 Steduliy
for fellows with murder and destruc-
| ton in their hearts"
"A sovereign to shilling that the
performance opens on time. Watcn
that elephant Juno. She can't talk
! but she understands that something Is
coming off pretty soon and she Is eX-
cited over it. In five minutes natives
will be climbing the telegraph pores
north and south to cut the wires. III
! just tick a message across the pTluse
for the boys to be ready
The Englishman looked around with
something like a sneer on his lips, but
made no reply. He was pulling at ms
cheroot and watching the inherent
gangs and noting how zealously they
! labOred, when Clifford called to MN
! from the door:
Five minutes to 10. Better come
in and make the door fast. They may
! be a minute or two ahead OF othclal
time. YOU know"
Hang it, man, don't you see them
hard at work there and there-and
there" growled Saunders, as he point
! ed. i've lived among these people
for fifteen years, and 1 know 'em from
head to heel. You've got up a row
over nothing at all, and I'm half a
| mind"
At that instant every elephant on
/
! trumpeted. Clifford reached out and
! caught the engineer by the arm and
! drew him inside. The bar was hardly
! in place across the door when there
| was a rush of feet and three or four
bodies thumped against it. Then, from
! 1000 threats arose one long, loud shrek
| for vengeance, and the revolt had start
ed. Ram Lals conspiracy had come
| to a head at last The natives VINO
| b1 off n houses
| fell back with curses over their i'll
! success and for the next ten minutes
! the mutineers were busy arming them
selves.
You see it came off on time" smiled
! Clifford. Here is a message from
the other house saying that they are
safely barred in. The four can take
care of themselves. while you and l
will hold things level at this end. Wed
better get ready to begin killing. l
hear mob rushing up the approach. "
Next minute the quickfiring gun,
! which was trained on the opening in
the wall, was raining one-pOund shells
into the mob. The natives were
mown down like grass before the
scythe. They charged again and
again, but finally gave it up. Saunders
had been steadily using his carbine as
well, and the dead and wounded could
be counted by the score.
Beaten back at the other end, too, -
| said Clifford as the instrument clicked
off the news. Now they'll try some
thing else"
Yes, the devils will dynamite the
piers" replied Saunders, land l don t
see how we can prevent. There's
nearly 1000 pounds of the stuff on
| Barge No. 3, and an explosion will
| send the whole bridge sky-high!"
Help me over with the gun. That's
it. Now I'll train her on that point,
and when the barge rounds it I'll let
| loose There'll be an explosion but
the bridge will stand"
Ram Lal had planned for a COM
plete surprise and swift destruction.
| The first part had been a failure,
and he was for a time almost be-
numebd to find the sahibs provided
with such deadly weapons. When he
rallied he ordered men to man the
dynamite barge and row it down the
river and make fast to the middle pier.
| Then they would light a fuse and es-
| cape in a small boat.
Half an hour after the first shot had
been fired the barge was pushed off
from shore amidst yells and cheers,
but as she slowly rounded a sandy
point Clifford opened on her with his
gun from the abutment. He had the
range, and only three or four shells
were wasted. Then lone plunged
among the deadly stuff, and barge and
men were swallowed up in the yawn-
ing hole opened in the bosom of the
river and carried down to the mud and
ooze forty feet below.
Now they will rush on us once more
and then give it up as a bad job" said
Clifford, as the smoke cleared away.
Around with the gun. She works
beautifully, Ell? You pick off the lead
ers and I'll take the thick of them"
A thousand screaming, shrieking ma
tives dashed up the approach ten min
utes later. All had weapons in their
hands and desperation in their hearts
and only death checked them The gun
belched fire and shell. and men died
every second. After ten minutes OF
fighting the natives drew off to plumber
the storehouses, set fire to them and
decamp. Clifford turned to speak tc
the engineer when the attack was over
and found him lying on the floor dead
A bullet had entered a loop-hole anC
killed him.
How is it with your" he asked OF
the defenders at the other end of the
bridge.
1--WE have beaten them back. anc
two of us are left" came the answer.
When the official train reached the
bridge at o'clock the camps anC
storehouses were smouldering ruins. A
white man stood at the opening in the
stone wall and saluted the president OF
the road as that official cried:
What is wrong here? What's the
meaning of all these dead and wounded
menl"
I'VE were attacked at 10 o'clock but
beat them off, SIR" replied Clifford.
A wounded native ten feet away
almost the only one who had sIlr.
mounted the wall-rolled over anc
staggered to his feet. Leaning limpll
against the wall for support while the
blood dripped from half a dozel
wounds, he fiercely gasped out:
1T is l, Ram Lal. The Jumna Is
the sacred river of my people. She
has been cherished by my ancestor.
for ten generations. They have DRUM
of her waters: they have bathed from
her shore; living and dead they have
hoated on her peaceful bosom"
More people got down from the coach.
es and gazed at the dead and wound.
ed and whispered to each other with
pale lips:
When the whiteman came to dis.
turb and defile her" continued Ran
Lal, note of desperation in his
tones, Il swore by the beard of my
father that it should not be. l have
PLANNED; l have talked; 1 have wor
over three thousand men"
Lay him down and let him die
hoarsely exclaimed the president, a:
he shrank away.
But 1 have failed" concluded the
fanatic, with wall in his voice. eve