"Yock muzzee! my nose is off;" said the old man, mildly. "Will you have
my life, O Holkar? it is thine likewise!" and no other word of complaint
escaped his lips.
Of all these missiles, though a pistol and carbine had gone off as the
ferocious Indian flung them at my head, and the naked scimitar fiercely
but unadroitly thrown, had lopped off the limbs of one or two of the
musnuds as they sat trembling on their omrahs, yet, strange to say, not
a single weapon had hurt me. When the hubbub ceased, and the unlucky
wretches who had been the victims of this fit of rage had been removed,
Holkar's good humor somewhat returned, and he allowed me to continue my
account of the fort; which I did, not taking the slightest notice of
his burst of impatience: as indeed it would have been the height of
impoliteness to have done for such accidents happened many times in the
day.
"It is well that the Bobbachy has returned," snuffled out the poor Grand
Vizier, after I had explained to the Council the extraordinary means of
defence possessed by the garrison. "Your star is bright, O Bahawder! for
this very night we had resolved upon an escalade of the fort, and we
had sworn to put every one of the infidel garrison to the edge of the
sword."
"But you have no battering train," said I.
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