Part 19 (2/2)

”Well,” continued the sentry with a half-drunken laugh, ”dog or no dog, you've no business here, so co”

He reached out a heavy hand, and Roy shrunk from it As he did so there came a sound which sent the blood to Roy's heart with a spasrowl as he realised that some one wanted to touch his old master and that his old master did not want to be touched

”At hi!” The words ca leaped forward, his fur a-bristle, his white teeth glea, and the next instant, taken by the suddenness of the attack, the sentry lay on his back half stunned by the fall, while Tumbu, on the top of him, checked even a cry by a clutch at his throat A soft clutch so far; but one that would tear through flesh if needful

Roy was on his knees beside the fallenshall kill you He can Give ate! The keys, do you hear?”

The sentry tried to struggle, but warned by the weight of the dog on his breast and those sharp teeth ready to close upon his throat, murmured hoarsely, ”It is only barred, but the bolts are difficult If you will let ----”

But Roy took no heed of his words ”Keep hiate

Bolted and barred it was, and in the darkness of the archway it was hard to see, for the lantern had gone out in the scuffle But there was no time to lose, for already beyond the archway it showed faintly light

One bar down! The sentry rowl froers were at it--his whole strength went to it--it creaked--groaned--slid, and with a sob of exultation Roy felt the fresh air of dawn in his face as he stood outside the Bala Hissar

But he had still ained, and already a faint priht

CHAPTER XXI

DAWN

Upon the Arkaban hill the artillery uns were not what they are now, quick loading, quick firing

It needed a good hour to ram the coarse powder down, adjust the round ball and prepare the pri ere dawn, the glihts were seen about the battery, which, perched on a hill, gave on the half-breached bastion Between the two stretched an open space of undulating ground Sumbal, ”the master fireworker,” as he is called in the old history books, was up betirave, silent h he had no interest in the quarrels of Huet within the walls of Kabul and find what he sought--a Rajput lad of ord had been brought to a little half-desert Rajput state lying far away in the Jesulrave, silent e of warfare, as keen to see everything neeapons and the handling of theer sent by a ed -lost son, of whom a certain old trooper had spoken on his return from Kabul

”See you!” said Suive me time to aim and I'll warrant old on the breech of the gun) ”will hit theThere is a sort of pigeon place on the face of the bastion where I will aim, and thou shalt see the splinters of it spin!” He shaded his eyes with his hand and looked piercingly into the shadows ”'Tis too dark to see it yet, but so soon as it shoill let fly, and then----”

And then?

Roy, who had never stopped for a breath yet in his headlong race, was at that veryup, sahat he had feared to see--a little figure bound hand and foot to a fra close to what Su to for Perhaps he was past that

Perhaps he had never cried, but had taken this last and urgent danger as he had taken others, with grave dignity

All we know is that he hung there on the wall, and that before his very eyes the light was growing in the east, and over in the hill battery a dozenthe ”Thunder of God” into position Roy gave a gasp Should he call to the little Heir-to-Eht coer It was better to let be

So gathering all his forces for a last effort, he dashed into the open for the final fivehere

Every loophole of the bastion was, he knew, crammed with the matchlocks of many marksmen And there was noorse luck, little darkness to cover him!