Show 1 f o IOST < b OPAL QF MYSORE i iOR I HE SECRET OF ThE GHANTS ZI I L 3JY pLLL MURRAYvGRAYDON Copyright 1S9I By William Murray Grayflon t t CHAPTJ2R H jriic < fortress was simply QJ walleJd < J fiadriingle with massive gates of tcakwood v and gunmounted bastions at each angle It was under the direct control theTajah and was garrisoned garrison-ed aresiment of irregular native troops most rporulted from Mysore 1IaltMJ1C quadrangle was taken up by the rajaHis palace an ancient edifice edi-fice of hard woods stone and enameled plaster with two wings that formed a threesiVJed court The other half was a beautiful garden containing fountains foun-tains shrubbery and a deep tank of water L On reaching tha avenue Myles and his companions saw that the fire was really at the palace They hurried on with the crowd and managed to slip through the main gate of the fortress behind an English fire engine They were just in time for the fiercelook ing guards at once blocked the way to all new comers As it was the quadrangle1 contained a score of natives civilians and British officers who had entered during the I first panic and excitement One wing of the palace was blazing fiercely from the ground floor upward The general alarm had not been given until the chemical grenades and small hand engines were found powerless to arrest the flames No one paidi any attention to the boys except to jostle them to and fro or tramp oni their feet The tumult was deafening and the lurid flames cnade the scene as light as day i Not much chance of saving the palace pal-ace < < said Myles Look theyre carrying car-rying ictrniturci and l eiuf into the court Canti we help asked Jack Td dike to see the inside They would throws us oub right tuway Myles replied We are lucky Uo T > Q this near nuno yruncs com ShgThei ancnl that shoot water sahibs sa-hibs cried Paltu jumping to one side With Jioarse shouts la group of firemen fire-men dashed by dragging a long hose A second steamer had meanwhile arrived ar-rived and throbbing and puffing of the engines as they sucked water out of the tank rose loudly above the din Two streams soon began to play on the burning building tout their only noticeable notice-able effect was to send up volumes of enioko and hissing steam The boys wandered about seeking the best and safest place from which to view the fire Suddenly a section of I those burst somewhere in front of them flinging jets of water in all directions Tlio crowd scattered and fled and Myles and Jack ran blindly with the ccsL They checked themselves with difficulty on the edge of the lank We pretty near took a bath cried flack Hullo Wheres Paltu Weve lost him exclaimed Myles He cant be far away Just then a shrill scream was heard and the boys saw Paltu struggling in the water a dozen feet farther up the tank He had probably been shoved in hy the rush of the crowd Plenty of men were standing by but they seemed incspaible of aiction They called for ropes and souted absurd directions The little Hindoo was in great danger dan-ger He could not swim and he was four or five feet from the sloping side of the tank His frantic splashing brought him no nearer and even had he succeeded there was no hold for him on the slimy granite slabs Myles and Jask were thunderstruck when they saw that nO one was trying to rescue the lad They first eneavor ed to reach the spot but the crowd was wedged too tightly Cowards cried Myles indignantly He turned aside and cleared the slop ing stones by a flying leap that landed land-ed him in deep water He went undershot under-shot to the surface and swam forward with long strokes He clutched Pal tus dripping hair just as the lad was going down and struggled with him toward to-ward the bank The spectators were active enough now A dozen men linked hands and formed a chain that reached to the waters edge In brief time Paltu and his rescuer were hauled safely up A fiercelooking bearded Hindoo in the picturesque dress of the rajahs body guard had just reached the scene He immediately pounced upon Myles and in broken English poured out a Hood of gratitude Then with a few stern words to Paltu he hastened away awayWho Who was that excitable old fellow asked Jack Motee Mal Paltus father Myles replied He neednt ihave made so tnuch fuss over a little thing like that amid great excitement The town bell kept up a harsh jangling There comes the rajahs golden throne cried Iyles as that priceless article was deposited on the court by a dozen servants My dont it shine gasped Jack I wish I had its value in money At that instant two Hindoo soldiers ran toward the crowd waving their swords warningly and shouted in loud tones What they said was unintelligible unintelli-gible owing to the tumult They are going to attack us cried Jack In alarm No its something about powder and danger replied Myles Look everybodys running Come on quick But before the boys could seek safety safe-ty dn flight they were surrounded by a madstruggling mob Then came a fearful explosion that seemed to < rend the very earth apart Myles and Pal tu were dashed violently against Jack and all three went down together For a few seconds they lay there while a rain of stones cement and charred timbers descended on all sides Then they staggered to their feet stunned and dizzy They were sorely bruised too for not a few of the mob had ruthlessly trampled over them At first all they saw was a curtain of pungent smoke This slowly lifted revealing where the burning wing of the palace had been a blackened excavation exca-vation filled with debris Groans and cries rose on the < air adding ad-ding to the terror of the lads They hurried a few yards to one side and then curiosity compelled them to stop Whew that was a close call said Jack The explosion must have been under the wing It was replied Myles There are dungeons beneaJtQi tihe whole palace The fire seems to be out anyway Many people hurt sahibs exclaimed ex-claimed Paltu pointing to several groups of men who were bearing ghastly ghast-ly buitdens away from the scene Among tlie victims was one of the Hindoo soldiers who had given the alarm I They were hit by falling stones said Myles We had a lucky escape I I tell you A few feet behind the lads were two English officers half concealed by the curling smoke They say the rajafli blew up tihc wing on purpose to save the rest of the building remarked one It was clever of him if 3io did I have my doubts answered his companion It looks as Uftough the I Brad powder or other explosives stored in the dungeons The matter ought to be investigat Here the officers moved off cad aGter briefly commenting on what they had just heard the boys ventured nearer the scene of the explosion They had taken but a few steps when the mass of debris blazed up in a dozen places The lurid flames showed how complete was the destruction The end of the palace gaped open and through the shattered and tottery walls the interior in-terior of many apantments on tine second sec-ond and third floors could be seen Par back in the excavation and below be-low the level of tie ground a section of one of the dungeon walls was visible visi-ble The burning timbers were stacked around it but not high enough to conceal con-ceal a part of a massive brazen door In tlhis was set a square wicket and behind it Myles suddenly espied a ghastly mite face and a pair of Diamds clutching the bars Look he cried shrilly whos that S Id I L J 1 44 I II fi J k t I J t1ip 9 I YOXDEI6 WES TILE GAUDEItS WhISPERS 3IOTED 3IAL What did he tell you Paltu To go home Ill bet Paltu nodded Me stay watch fire the said You save my life Sahib Chesney Me nearly go under It was a close shave admitted I Myles Those cowards would have I let you drown Well were none the worse for it except a wetting and that Z cant hurt us if we move about Well stay and see the fun through Scr the three lads squirmed once more r to the front of tha crowd The situation situa-tion now bordered on a panic The wing of the palace was wrapped inflames in-flames from top to bottom and the I whole building seemed doomed A string of servants poured incessantly out bearing costly furniture More I fire engines arrived C and got to work 1 q Good gracious Its Pink Triseott yelled Jack and the startling words had barely passed his lips when the brazen door was buried deeeply under an avalanche of beams and masonry that thundered down from overhead For a moment the lads were dazed and horrified Had they seen aright or was it only an illusion Before they could fully realize the discovery they were swept aside by the noisy rush of the firemen and the crowd and an instant in-stant later streams of water were playing on the hissing flames and sending up clouds of steam Jack found himself under the shadow of the fortress wall with his companions compan-ions at his side Let me go he cried savagely as Myles held him Pink is dead or dy fog down in that awful place I must give the alarm There are English officers offi-cers here and they will help me save himlet go I say But Myles only clung tighter Dont be a fool Jack he pleaded If you give an alarm Pink is lost Weve got to outwit the rajah and I think I can do it I was in the palace once with my father and I know a secret way to the dungeons Quick then cried Jack Ill trust you O the rajah shall pay dear for this outrage I rather think he will muttered Myles Whew it seems like a fairy tale I can hardly believe it Dont stop to talk Jack protested How about Paltu Its safer to take him with us said Myles lies all right anyhow Eh Paltu Me help save poor sahib stoutly I replied the little Hindoo Good for you whispered Myles I Come on now while no one is look ingHe He quickly his1 companion into the gloomy space between the side of the palace and the fortress They were too excited to give a thought to the perils of the mad and foolhardy enterprise on which they were embarking Undercover Under-cover of the shrubbery they rounded the angle of the building and found one of the rear entrances open and unguarded 1 I un-guarded Myles had counted on this feeling j I i I satisfied that every one would be in front SVith fastbeating hearts they J F 4 entered the palace and passed hurriedly J hur-riedly through a hall and two vast roams all dense with smoke and stripped strip-ped of most of their furniture Do you know where youre going I asked Jack anxiously Yes Im on the right track whispered whis-pered Myles Ah here we are He opened a door revealing a narrow corridor hung with costly paintings and curtains A silver lamp burned dimly on a bronze table He jerked one of the curtains aside and ran his fingers over the beautifully enameled wall Suddenly an invisible panel slid back and a yawning black hole was seen A draft of cool air blew into the corridor Jove How did you do it exclaimed ex-claimed Jack The rajah touched the spring accidentally acci-dentally when he was showing father and me the decorated walls Myles answered Lucky wasnt it Come on were all right now He snatched the lamp and led the way into the secret passage Jack came last and drew the panel shut A winding staircase confronted the lads and they quickly descended between be-tween massive walls of granite The tumult outside could no longer be heard The silence was intense and oppressive At the bottom of the stairs was along a-long gallery with diverging corridors on both sides The boys halted in perplexity per-plexity They had lost their bearings iJ 1 k I kI L iTr fly 0 TIle Ilajali Discovered nit Old Boon meat XJncIcf the Palace completely and knew not which way to turn The air was full of pungent powder smoke that made breathing difficult and painful j I Suddenly they heard a dull pounding noise noiseThats Pink cried Jack Thank i God hes alive This way said Myles well find him himThey dashed off at full speed in the direction of the sound It led l them to the end of the main corridor and then I sharply to the left between blank walls of masonry At the button of this passage I pas-sage they were checked by a pyramid nf Inn ort ofniin nnrl mortar The explo I sion had caved in the roof and sides No use exclaimed Myles in despair de-spair We might have remembered that the dungeon could only have one door and you know we saw that choked up by the fall of stone Im afraid Hark Sahibos the noise again interrupted in-terrupted Paltu Just then a head and pair of shoulders shoul-ders appeared at a narrow slit in the mass of debris which the boys had failed to notice before Is that you Pink cried Tack i Aye niy lad was the husky reply re-ply Lend a and quick till I get out II of this beastly ole Myles put down the lamp and the three lads tore away with might and i main at the rubbish In less than five minutes the hole was sufficiently enlarged en-larged for the prisoner to crawl through With a burst of tears Jack threw his arms around him I thought I would never see you again Pink he cried Are you hurt Not a scratch my boy replied Triscott That fire was a lucky thing for these eathen dogs were going c behead me in the morning Who are your friends and ow did you ever get in ere Jack hastily explained and gave a brief account of the events of the evening even-ing Wonderful muttered Pink fis he warmly rhook hands with Myles and Paltu So Im branded as a dell am I Yell Ill ave to tiy branded for a time yet Ive got a secret nis sion to perform But this am i the place to talk We must get away frnm ere at once When were n tafe quarters quar-ters Ill tell you a tale that 11 make I your hair stand on end Vy head swims to think of it Do you know ow I to get out Come on replied Myles picking up I the lamp and leading the way forward They hurried toward the main corridor turned the angle and came face to face with one of the palace guards a stalwart I stal-wart wickedlooking Hindoo The fellow was armed but before he could use his weapons or make an outcry out-cry Pink had him by the throat Thero J was a brief scuffle and down they went The Hindoos head struck the floor with terrific force That settles fim muttered Jack cs clpless Tear is kummerbund off Jack Tihoutfli badly Crigihteiisd < the boys wore able to lend assistance and in a minute or two the captive was secure ly bound and gagged with his own sash He was then dragged into one of the sidp passages Myles again took the lead and the little party ihurrie on Stop youip going past the stairs whispered Jack I know it Myles answereJ The panel may not be open from this side There must be a safer exit an > lho > w There is declared Pink Thats ow I was broughtin ere the first time It opens on the main all close to tihe court Then weve got to find it said I I Myles as he pushed on more rapidly It wont be hard This assertion sounded very cheering I I but unfortunately it was not rtfaliseU After wandering through a maze of corridors for nearly ten minutes the fugitives began to despair The un derground floor of the palace was evi dcmtly a labyrinth which none but an experienced guide could find the clewWe We must keep on exclaimed Myles Its the only chance And a deuced slim one lad added I Pink If wcre found down ere our cads will go off on the spot The boys exchanged frightened glances For ten minutes longer the y followed Pink who now undertook to lead Then to their fear and amazement I amaze-ment they found themselves back at the scene of the struggle with the guard The latters tulwar and spear lay on the floor marking the spot Weve been traveling in a circle exclaimed Pink Now we must begin over again These may come andy He picked up the weapons keepIng the spear for himself and giving the tulwar wiiioh was a covered sword to Jack Lets try the stairway suggested Myles Its the last chlance They burned in itihlat direction but before the distance was half covered they heard an uproar straight ahead voices and shuffling steps and the clatter clat-ter of arms Its the guards coming to look for me Pink muttered hoarsely Then were lost gasped Jack What EiliLill we do At this cwtical moment Myles ob I J 0 I c t > served an iron door in the side of the corridor K throw himself against it and to his relief it grated inward The guards dbnt see us yet he whispered Lets bide here until they get past Then we will tackle itttie stairs I An nutant later the fugitives were ill the friendly shelter of a cell little drcaminsr that they had exchanged one peril for another Just as Pink extinguished extin-guished the lamp and Myles closed the door a low bloodcurdling snarl rang lout of the darkness CHAPTER HI UNWELCOME VISITORS The fugitives realized at once that they had entered a part of the rajahs menagerie The cell was really the den of some wild beast Again the angry snarl was heard blended with queer clanking noise We must get out of this exclaimed Myles in trembling tones Youre in the way Jack Move aside cuck Stop lad Pink sternly whispered Dont open the door the creature is chained Our lives depend on silence Myles obeyed and a few seconds of fearful suspended slipped by The dungeon was twelve feet long and far up in the rear wall was a grating that probably opened on the back garden of the palace Through the bars filtered a dusky beam of light showing the uncouth un-couth form of the beast squatted in the middle of the floor Its eyes were two halls of fire Nearer and nearer came the noisy tread of the rajahs soldiers The animal ani-mal snarled incessantly as though bent 01 betraying the intruders If this keeps up were lost muttered mut-tered Jack Ill fix im replied Pink Theres time enough I He stepped forward and the boast I sprang to the end of its chain to meet him Then by the dim light Pink i drove the spear deep into the tawny breast and the animal rolled over in I the throes of death Before it could utter more than a wail or two Jacks tulwar nearly severed its heal from its body j Yell struck lad whispered IInk Ah ere they come Not a sounl lir jour lives The danger had beeen averted justin just-in time Already the gleam OL torer3 was flashing under the cell door With boisterous speech and tread the guards went by The sound came from farther far-ther and farther away until t was only a dim echo Now is your chance whspei Myles no time to lose Wait a bit said Pink stepping tc ward the rear of the cell No we cant get out by the grating lie added ad-ded Its too narrow Say this uns the biggest leopard I ever > aw Its a good thing it was chained replied Jack Comeon quick An instant later the fugitives were in the corridor and moving through the darkness toward the staircase For fear of missing the way they presently ventured to relight4he lamp Theres only a minute or so to spare warned Pink It wont take those eathen rascals long to crx71 over the rubbish into my cell and find it empty Then wont they kick up a rumpus Hark theyre pulling the stones down whispered Jack Heres the stairway just ahead cheerfully replied Myles If we cant find the spring well kick the panel to splinters and dash through tl1e His voice ended in a gasp of fright for just then the burly figure of Motee Mal stalked out ofa crosscorridor The Hindoo instantly recognized the party and the horror depicted on his face was something awful Pink lifted his spear for a deadly thrust but Paltu caught the weapon just in time I Spare my father sahib he implored im-plored Your father gasped Pink seeing a gleam of hope in the discovery IOn I-On my head Be misfortune wailed Motee Mal tossing up his arms in despair des-pair Sahib you are lost Alas that my first born should perish by the j tulwar Dead with im lad Pink whispered I I whisper-ed to Myles Theres some chance if e dont know of this private affair of the rajahs otherwise ell be torn I apart before ell let me escape Quick i or IlUave to use the spear The tall sahib the prisoner of his I highness resumed the Hindoo Him I I > must seize but the others I will aid if there be power I J h J > 1 h z 5 I Never exclaimed Jack fiercely Save all or none We wont escape I without Pink Help us ilotee Mal for Paltus sake implored Myles Have you no fear of the Resident Be quick or the guards will come Paltu threw himself beseechingly at his parents feet and just then a burst of angry voices was heard in the distance dis-tance IMotee Mal tore his hair in a frenzy of remorse Brahma forgive me he I cried I am accursed among men Yet surely I must be faithful to my vow of I gratitude even at the risk of my head I He glanced at Myles and Paltu indicating indi-cating that the latters rescue from the tank was in his mind I Swear by the holy Ganges sahibs he added quickly that ye let no II word of what I am about to do come to the rajahs eais Without hesitation the fugitives took the requiied oath Motee Mal scanned each face and was apparently satisfied of their sincerity I This way he muttered snatching I the lamp from Pink and dashing into the side corridor from which he had come He ran at such a pace and turned so many angles that it was difficult dif-ficult to stick at his heels Far to the rear the clamor of the soldiery rose and fell and died away in silence I But Motee Mal did not lessen his sffeed He pushed on through a maze I of narrow corridors where the walls were damp and slimy and the air was tainted with evil smells I His knowledge of the labyrinth was unerring and finally he paused before a rusted iron door lie pressed a knob and the door opened slowly on craking hinges From the black darkness beyond be-yond a hoarse tumult was borne in on a wave of fresh air Yonder lies the garden whispered Motee Mal I can aid you no further fur-ther If ye are quick ye may slip through the fortress pates before the alarm is given Remember your oath sahibs and may Brahma guide you I The door grated shut and the fugitives fugi-tives weic on the outer side amid a dense coppice of shrubbery Crawling I I through this they stood erect and found themselves near the lower end i of the tank I I The fire was under control but two streams were still playing on the tmouldeiingr ruins of the explosion A I noisy crowd looked curiously on I There goes air engine said Pink We may slip out behind it Come on I must stand the chances of being recognized I i rec-ognized In another minute it may be too late They hurried across the garden and overtook the engine just as it was rolling roll-ing through the main gate The sentries I sen-tries paid no attention and a moment later the fugitives were out in the I street Where now asked Pink Before were five minutes older the rajah will ave is spies unting the town for me This will let us into the rear garden of the residency replied Myles holding hold-ing up the key x Just the place exclaimed Pink Move faster lads and dont run against anyone if you can elp it The latter precaution was difficult since many people were astir However How-ever the fugitives gained the English church without attracting attention and a little later they entered the residency resi-dency grounds and locked the wiclwt gate behind them Pink made his companions sit down in a nook alongside the wall screened by thick shrubbery He began by questioning Myles about the affair at the residency and quickly learned that < Pershad Jung was in charge during the absence of Colonel Teversham and his secretary That makes this ere mission of mine a little easier he declared The nights young yet so Ill ave time to spin the yarn if I make it short What II I would you say if I told you a revolu lion was ready to burst on Mysore f i I Myles and Jack fairly gasped for I breath and Paltu opened eyes and mouth wide Impossible cried Myles I cant i believe it You must be I Crazy eh interrupted Pink But Im not lad This ere statement is I gospel truth and Ill prove it In the i first place youll believe me when I 1 i I say that a couple of the rajahs ugly soldiers kidnapped me from the cantonment canton-ment the other njslit Youve ad evidence evi-dence of that O The boys nodded Already they were becoming credulous 0 > I it I Well resumed Pink the rascals drugged < me and the next thing I knew I was in a magnificent room in the 1 palace and there was the rajah and i a lot of Hindoo traitors mostly officers i of the Mysore regiment The rajah talked to me in good English First e begged my pardon for carrying me i off Thene said I was a brave fellow 1 and ed taken a shine to me because 1 I saved is life E asked me would I like to command is army and ave lots of money and jewels Well I 3 sort of let on I was willing because I 1 wanted to discover what e was driving driv-ing i at So pretty soon I ookerl im and the whole piot come out I ad ard work to keep cool And what was the plot interrupted interrupt-ed < Myles As near as I can remember it was like this replied Pink It starts a couple of hundred years back In those days the Hindoo rulers of My sorethe ancestors of this ere rajah ad a big family jewel They called it the magic opal and as long as the rajih wore it on is turban no enemy could overthrow im In 1760 a Moham etan named Hyder Ali got hold of the opal somehow or other and became the ruler of Mysore Is son Tippoo Sahib Sa-hib came after im and as the opal was no good for Mohametans Tippoo was knocked out by the English in 1799 1799That was the battle of Seringapa tam said Jack Exactly assenlted Pink and before be-fore the battle Tippoo Sahib id the opal and a lot of treasure in some secret Place Tippoo was killed Und the old Hindoo family went back to the throne under a British protectorate Ever since the people of Mysore ave been looking for that opal and oping it would came back to put an end to I the British rule Mind you the English Eng-lish know nothing about it and never did But the tradition as been anded down among the natives to this dan d-an every man jack of them is ready I for revolt as soon as they know this opal th-is in the rajaihs turban The rajah Would never ave told me the i secret if I adnt fooled im into it L snki that HTvsorc would ave mutrmsti in 1S57 like the other native states if the opal ad been found then And you dont mean to say its been found now cried Myles excitedly As good as found declared Pink A day or two ago the rajah discovered an old document under the palace It was written by Tippoo Sahib and tells the iding place pf the treasure anj the opal stone Its miles off though te and they avent gone after it ye But the rajahs spies are spreading the news among the people and telling tem to be ready The boys were by this time thoroughly thorough-ly convinced that Pinks stony was true and their horror and amazement can be better imagined than described Even Paltu seemed impressed by the wonderful news Do you know where the stone is hidden asked Jack after a pause Wait a bit till I finish my story replied Pink You see there was a clause to this latter of Tippoo Salhibs Saying that the opal must be dug up by an Englishman or its power would be gone To cut matte short thats I what the rajah wanted with me II what rjah wante ii I ought to ave parleyed wA2i Im but instead of that I was fool enough to Lt say no outright Just then Persfhad Jung came into the room at least thats what they called im and e flew into a terrible rage E pitched I into the rajah for blowing the plot i and the rajah got mad and pitched into im Pershad Jung said I couldnt be trusted and Id ave to lose my cad They talked in Hindustanee and I took good care not to let them know I ad picked up the lingo when I was stationed at Calcutta By and by they coaled down and let out where the opal was id and ow to get i I always al-ways ad a good memory and you bet I made use of i Then the gars ran me down to the dungeon and told me my dell was to be cut off at tire second sec-ond sunrise meaning tomorrow morning morn-ing And its owing to you chaps that Im out of that scrape Pink drew ° long breath and wiped the perspiratijx from his face Something must b done at once exclaimed Myles excitedly We can telegraph to the resident and alt the cantonments Not a bit of i lad interrupted Pink I our soldiers try to arrest the rajah and his ministers now therell likely be a bloody massacre The Residents Resi-dents absence is a downright streak of luck YoU see it eh Well ores the situation in a nutshell Pershad Jung as thrupper and being in charge l roD > f D E of British interests ande and tho rajah will trust to that to engineer their plot through in spite of my escape es-cape No doubt theyll keep shady until I un-til their spies report that Im not to Eg found and that no alarm as been given gven I at the cantonments Then the > ll gobble gob-ble up some Englishman in my place and send im with a party to get the magic opal and by the time the stone could be brought back theyd ave the mine all ready to fire But they shant ave the opal or the treasure because Im going to get them myself You exclaimed Jack and Myles incredulously in-credulously Exactly asserted Pink Thats the I only sure way to knock the plot on thfi cad Its about midnight now and Ill start in an hour or two The rajahs party will ardly leave before morning As like as not the guards are still unt ing for us in the dungeons since no on saw us come out except Motee Mal and ell be mum as an oyster The boys drew a long breath Pinks logic seemed flawless to them and they realized that his perilous mission would probably avert the threatened bloodshed blood-shed and revolt Older and wiser heads might have reached the same conclusion conclu-sion for the situation was indeed full of critical complications How far away is the opal asked Myles Eighty or ninety miles to the northwest north-west answered Pink in the cart of the Ghants I can get to the spot easy enough but Ill not deny that its a stiff task at the end You see old Tippoo Sahib chose the toughest place e could find and Then you need help broke in Myles Ill go with you So will I added Jack and Paltu hibs chimed in with a shrill Me too sa hibsIve Ive been sort of counting on thatr admitted Pink tugging reflectively at his mustache What we went through tonight shows that you chaps are made of stern stuff and can stand peril an ardships Youre better away from ere anyhow Itll worry your friends though for you wont dare leave any messages My father and Captain Dundas aro both in Neilgherry hills and wont leave for a week replied Myles Thats good said Pink Well be back long before they will and as for Pershad Jungwhy the old rascal can think what e pleases We need fast horses arms and ammunition blankets provisions a long rope and a couple ofi spades I can furnish them eagerly volunteered volun-teered Miles that is if we take proper prop-er precautions I know where the key is to Col Tevershams arsenal room as he calls it 0 Good for you approved Pink that makes plain sailing And now my lad I would suggest that you get what stuff you want from the house right away Pershad Jung is likely at the Palace but ell soon be back All right Myles assented Ill take Paltu along to help carry He can creep about like a cat Just as the two lads rose to their r feejt an angry growl was heard nob i far away Lassa Lassa called Myles In is loud whisper and instantly a huge Thibetan mastiff bounded to the spot The intelligent animal seemed to understand un-derstand his young masters command to be silent After a sniff or two at Pink who was the only strange mem ber of the party he crouched contentedly content-edly down in the shubbery I forgot about the dog being loose said Myles He wont give us any gve anY trouble though Hold him by the col lar Jack or hell follow me You Paltu Stop interrupted Pink in e sharp whisper I ear voices beyond the wall Im afraid weve been tracked And I forgot to lock the gate exclaimed ex-claimed Myles The key is outside Too late lad whispered Pink Keep down for your lives Ah era they come Myles dropped flat and took a double grip on the mastiff by his color and long nose Be quiet old fellow he breathed softly Were in danger Lassa bristled like an angry porcupine porcu-pine but made no sound Creak Creak The wicket gate slowly opened and two dusky figures crept through Into the garden They advanced six feet and halted In abroad a-broad streak of silvery moonlight that clearly revealed their faces to the an I t jxious watchers i To be continued uedl t a i |