Evening star., 1903-07-25

send troops It's one chance to thousand
that the natives break loose. We can't
bank on that one chance and alarm the
country. We'd be laughed out of India"
Just so,' agreed Clifford. There are six
white men of US. Here is this house and
another like 1t at the other end of the
bridge. We have all got our hunting rifles
and plenty of ammunition. and tonight we II
| quietly lOop-hole the walls. Can't you send
| up TO Colonel Ross at Jeypoor for a quick
hring gun and a thousand rounds of ball
| and shell? Tell him We want to clear the
| jungles of tigers"
Don't talk nonsense" exclaimed Saun-
| ders, as he rose up and walked about.
| Not word, my dear superior officer.
i The six of us will be fighting 5000 natives
| before we are a week older, and the odds
! Will be heavy enough with the best we can
! do. You English think you know these
people. You believe their spirit has
been crushed. and that they no longer cling
| to fanatical Ideas. Experience seems to
| teach you nothing. Don't send out any
| alarming messages, but we want that gun
| inside of three days I happen to know
| how to operate one and I'll take charge"
DO you believe they will try to destroy
! the bridge?' asked the engineer, after a
| look from the door at the thousands of men
| hard at work.
Certainly. Look at the situation The
| dynamite is on boats under their charge
The blasting powder is over on the hill in
their keeping. There is cover at either end
| OF the bridge for a thousand men. Under
lHe IuIeS no lTtdlfnS are allowed them,
| but III venture to say that they have a
thousand muskets stored in the Jungle
| They can float the dynamite down and blew
| up the piers. They can use the powder to
| blast away the approaches with sledge and
| crowbar they can batter down the iron
work and heave 1t into the river Two
| hours after they have made their first
! dash and cut our throats, there will be no
| bridge over the Jumna. We are not going
! 10 run away, take it. We are going TO
stop and save the bridge but we must have
| some sort of a show. If you don't agree
with me now you will when you see five
hundred yelling devils SWarming up the ap-
| proaCh to storm this house and hold our
| heads alOft trophies"
Why weren't you born an Englishman?'
! asked Saunders. he sat down to the tele-
graph instrument in the room
Because l had better thing" laughed
| Clifford
That night as the natives slept or fitted
I through the Jungles, the six white men
composing the engineer and constructor 8
staff worked for hours to loophoIe the stone
| houses The one on the south bank was
| prepared for something larger and more
| destructive than a repeating rife. Next
| morning some of the natives wondered at
| the loopholes in the walls but Others an
| swered them:
| 1T Is plain enough The sahibs want
| more light and air"
| Thirty feet below the abutment a partv
OF natives was set to work to build a solid
| wall on each side of the railroad track
1 n
| They pondered over 1t, but at length one of
| them clapped his hands and exclaimed:
| Il have it. The sah!bs will have an iron
gate here to prevent our oxen from wander
| ing on the bridge and falling through"
| Two days later the quick firing gun ar
! rived. After working hours 1t was run nm
| the approach on fiat car and unloaded at
| the house. and no native was the wiser
| That night and the night after Clifford was
! abroad in disguise. but he got no news on
] the succeeding night. however, as he saun-
! tered and smoked beneath the stars the
| Hindoo girl appeared at his side and said:
J Il have further news. Ten O'Clock next
! Monday forenoon is the hour. Ram Lal
| Will lead the uprising"
| But he may fail" answered Clifford
| There can be no failure where Ram Ial
plans and leads. In two hours after the up
| rising the white men will be dead and the
! Jumna clear. Then they will plunder the
| storehouses and scatter and who can find
| them in the hills and jungles? Ten O o'clock
ten o'clock. Remember the hour
| 1t may be so-it may be So" said the
| doubtful Saunders next morning when he
| had heard Clifford's story. You may have
| heard Alright. but don't believe the natives
| have got the spunk to do 1t. The govern
| ment would hang em by the hundreds af-
| terwards, and they know 1t. Your Ram Lal
| is some needy adventurer masQuerading as
| the real hero He may incite a few of them
| to plunder one of the storehouses, but 1t
| will stop at that"
| AT 10 o'clock on Monday forenoon" said
| the American, as he patted the quick -frer
and looked from the loophole prepared for
Its muzzis,