At that distance--it was about the spot where
the Futtyghur hill began gradually to rise--the invading force stopped;
the elephants drew up in a line, at right angles with our wall (the
fools! they thought they should expose themselves too much by taking a
position parallel to it); the cavalry halted too, and--after the deuce's
own flourish of trumpets and banging of gongs, to be sure,--somebody, in
a flame-colored satin-dress, with an immense jewel blazing in his pugree
(that looked through my telescope like a small but very bright planet),
got up from the back of one of the very biggest elephants, and began a
speech.
The elephants were, as I said, in a line formed with admirable
precision, about three hundred of them. The following little diagram
will explain matters:--
__G
|
.................... |
E |
|
|
| F
E is the line of elephants. F is the wall of the fort. G a gun in the
fort. NOW the reader will see what I did.
The elephants were standing, their trunks waggling to and fro gracefully
before them; and I, with superhuman skill and activity, brought the gun
G (a devilish long brass gun) to bear upon them.
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