The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-05-27

| 1!eat was their envy when they saw
Matadeen Lal and his troopers, flushed
with food and drink and with gold In
their pockets, trot out of tho fortress
gates and spur down the hilly street.
From Delhi, only eighteen miles nway,
there arrived In the afternoon dusty,
ured messenger. and the news no brought
gladdencd chandra singh's heart and re-
lleved-nt least, temporarily--hls gloomy
| forebodngs.
The tidings were all OF victory. The
rebels from Meerut-frst the Third Cav-
airy, and then tho Eleventh and Twenti-
eth OF the llnc-had reached the opposite
bank OF the River Jumna at daybreak,
They crossed tho bridge OF boats. entered
the town by tho Calcutta gate. and were
admitted to tho palace by treacherous
sepoys OF tho hlrty-eighth native infan-
! try.
All Europeans found there were at once
slaughtered and for the time being tho
decrepit old king had no authority what
ever. Then followed massacre on mRssa-
Gre. Every Christian or Eurasian housd
| In the town was attacked. and the cutters
ran With blood. The Delhi bank and tho
English church were rlhed and destroyed,
at the cantonments the native troops
shot their officers. and q little handful
OF defenders blew up the powder maya
zine, and themselves with 1t. that ID
might not be captured by the enemy. At
the time no loft, the messenger declared,
the triumph was complete.
Toward evening Aim Ullah md tho
Maulavi, attended by an escort, roda
away from Jhalapur. They were to stop
! at Delhi and then travel on to Cawnpore,
| and they carried with them for delivery
to Bahadur Shah and the Mana Sahib
written pledges OF Chandra SIngh's loy-
atty to the rebel cause.
Before daylight on that Same morn,
while the blood-stained wretches at Mee-
nut were skulking away like rats to their
holes. and the eleven troopers OF the Third
Cavalry were galloping towards Chandra
| Singh's town. Lieutenant Fano and sor-
seant Ruggles lay asleep In the forest,
a score or more OF miles to tho north OF
Jhalapur, with their faded horses tied
close by.
The tale OF their adventures. since we
last saw them. Is brief one. Arrived
at Rampoorn, they found solitude and
heaps OF ashes-which told clearly
| enough what had happened. y
But there was no trace OF Ralph EST
| court or his sister. and Jack WAS Just
| beginning to feel horribly certain that
they had persisted In tho flames, when
| that agony was spared him by NOR
| tally wounded servant-one OF the syces-
| who was discovered beneath cump
+, Of shrubbery.
Tho man was far gone but littlo
brandy revived him, and with almost his
| dying breath he managed to say that
| tho sahib and the memsahib had re-
| ce!ved warning OF the approach OF a
party OF mutineers. and that they had
at once gathered together few valua-
bles and fled on horseback to the north
| east, by seldom-used jungle road.
There was nothing to keep Jack and
| Ruggles Mt Rampoora, since tho tee4
| graph wires were down, SO they were
soon riding after the fugitivcs. along
the narrow bride path.
But they unfortunately lost It within
Irsf nd nj FRY IOn
to find 1t again. they at length yielded
to intense drowsness and sought repose
In the heart OF the forest. It then
wanted about mn hour to dawn.
The sharp "Chree-chree!" OF an Indian
| falcon. or bird Of Vishnu. that wna
swinging on the bough OF an oeandcr
tree overhead. dragged Ruggles from
dreamland to reality. He turned over
In his bed of fenthery Jungle grass, then
| sat up with his knuclsles screwed into hts
eyes.
1t was broad daylight. and the tiny
patch Of visible sky was flushed golden
red with the promise of the rising SUM-
that was his first impression
He was admirlng tho falcon. when y
suddenly flew with shrll note of
alarm, and at the Same instant, from a
copse twenty feet to the rear, two blue.
Jays and brown dove made splash OF
color as they dived into deeper foliage.
a brief interval of strange silence, MS
II IL spell OIL enCHdIlHIeHl IeSleo VIZ u1A
the creatures of the forest so noisy but
n moment before. Then, where tbs
birds had left their perch, n CLEAN OF
red cloth and part OF a dusky face peered
out from the leaves to vanish rs quickly,
Tho incident had not escaped Ruggles;
He breathed a little harder. let ono hand
stray to the stock Of his carbine. and
with the other gave a vigorous nudge to
Jack. who was sleeping soundly
The young officer woke with ing
| p{VNa1 col n
lifted himself to sitting position; mems
ory prlcked him to an Immediate cons
seriousness of recent events.
"By Jove, the sun is nearly up!" hd
exclaimed. ugh, how. wet and chilly
w val ns" for us, oh, sergeant? Wo need
It badly enough. But the first thing Is to
get back to that lost road and find Miss
ICstcourt and her brother. What could
have taken them in this direction
can't"
'srhe sooner wo start the better, sir''
Ruggles interrupted. In n low voice.
"Wly, what's wrong?" demanded Jack,
noting the sergeants alert and troubled
face.
"We're In danger, SIR"
'tFTom whom?"
II can't tell you that. But a spy Just
poked his ugly head out of those BAN!
boos yonder-"
Bang, bang! Two matchlocks, fortu-
nately fired with very poor aim, crashed
thunderously on the still air. A leaden
slug whstled by Jacks ear, and am
other hit the near horse-the bay mare
fairly In the throat The sorrel cob,
plungins with fright, broke Its halter
and vanished In the Jungle. In the space
of second or two the 1nnglishmen were
deprived of their steeds.
run, sr" cried Ruggles. leaping to
his feet.
Jack discharged his pistol at the in-
Visible enemy and dashed after the ser-
geant.
WHO the devil can they beg' he ex-
claimed, angrily
II can't imagine, sir; but they mean
business" u 4