Part 18 (2/2)

All day Sueneral, had been pounding away at the Iron Gate with deadly aim A few , and then----

Then would coh the breach, and kumran knew he could not face it His force was too sht the door of Akbar's prison room was opened and kumran with a few armed men stood within

Roy, startled from a doze, was on his feet in a second

”What want ye?” he challenged fiercely

”Let the Hindoo fool alone,” said kumran to those ould have seized on the Rajput lad ”All ant is the child Take him, slaves, and be quick about it”

Ere the words were out of hisHeir-to-Empire Roy's sword flashed the sa men, he was helpless

”What want ye with him? I say, ant ye with hiled madly

kumran paused at the door to turn an icy cold look of cruelty upon him

”What! Thou wouldst know? Then thou shalt have it, young idolater It may cool thy hot blood I will dress hi him over the battlement at dawn as a mark for my brother's artillery Then we shall see the breach in e--but it will not be of ! His father shall kill hih he followed hisaway the Heir-to-Empire, still but half awake

Roy stood for one second like a stone, too horror stricken for full belief; but the echoing laugh convinced him; with a wild cry he rushed to the narro and shook fruitlessly at its iron bars like a wild anied But they were i--soht of daas too dreadful The beautiful, calh to see the outline of the Bala Hissar, just light enough to begin upon the breach once more; but too dark to see as in the line of fire

Yes! So must be done, and done swiftly Not four hours left before the eastern hills would begin to show dark against the co of day

CHAPTER XX

ESCAPED

Once reat task which seemed to be laid upon hiuardians knew the dire danger he was in Yet how could he, a poor, prisoned Rajput lad, save the young prince?

Still he had to be saved; he must be saved; and there was no ti would recommence from the Arkaban hill; at dawn the helpless child would be in the half-breached bastion exposed to that fire!

Yes! He, Roy, et out somehow If he could only loosen one bar of theso that he could squeeze through, then he ht be able to let hi waist-cloth and turban! Thus he ain the caht be able to warn the guns not to fire on the bastion;there!

What a nuht be ables”; but would he be able, even for the first task?

He took up his sword and began forthwith on the iron bar; but the mortar was hard, he could scarcely make a mark upon it Still, it must be done

In order to free his arms better for the work he took off all his clothes save his fliirt about him, and buckled down steadily But when more than an hour had passed the bar seemed as firm as ever As he crouched down on thesill he could see through it to the flat roof of the neighboring palaces; for it was a bright h to her setting So the thought crossed his ht be able to reach one of those roofs; since, if he reht, a wide cornice ran just below He paused for a second in his labour to see if this was so, craning his head through the crossbars Yes, the cornice was there!

Scarcely wide enough for a cat to walk, but if he got through in tiet through in tiain feverishly until suddenly a familiar sound reached his ear fro!

Could it be Down? She had not found them out in their new prison, but if she had happened to be on the roof when he looked out of theshe ht have seen him or smelled him--yes! There was a white cat on the cornice, and the nextaway contentedly