"
"You could not then see the Gujputi alone, and stab him with your
dagger?"
[Here was a pretty conspiracy!] "No, I saw him, but not alone; his
people were always with him."
"Hurrumzadeh! it is a pity; we waited but the sound of your jogree
(whistle), and straightway would have galloped up and seized upon every
man, woman, and child in the fort: however, there are but a dozen men in
the garrison, and they have not provision for two days--they must yield;
and then hurrah for the moon-faces! Mashallah! I am told the soldiers
who first get in are to have their pick. How my old woman, Rotee Muckun,
will be surprised when I bring home a couple of Feringhee wives,--ha!
ha!"
"Fool!" said I, "be still!--twelve men in the garrison! there are twelve
hundred! Gahagan himself is as good as a thousand men; and as for food,
I saw with my own eyes five hundred bullocks grazing in the court-yard
as I entered." This WAS a bouncer, I confess; but my object was to
deceive Puneeree Muckun, and give him as high a notion as possible of
the capabilities of defence which the besieged had.
"Pooch, pooch," murmured the men; "it is a wonder of a fortress: we
shall never be able to take it until our guns come up."
There was hope then! they had no battering-train. Ere this arrived,
I trusted that Lord Lake would hear of our plight, and march down to
rescue us.
Pages:
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288