“Yes; we must make a dash in if they seem to be turning queer.”
“Can’t turn much queerer than they have lately, sir. I’ve been expecting a fresh attempt to blow us up every night; and you see if they don’t begin again, now that they find we have got in our fresh ammunition. There’ll be no peace in Soojeepur till some there have had their bodies shortened.”
“Think not?”
“That’s what I think, sir. It’s that party of priests at the big temple and the queen’s people. They hate us, and the Rajah don’t like to go against them because of his mother. But I suppose if we live long enough we shall see.”
Mountains seemed to rise in front of Richard Darrell as he rode on, but they grew smaller when he confronted the difficulties. The heavily-laden wagons were slowly brought up to the bridge, and by that time Dick had come to the conclusion that his course would be to ride straight in, no matter what opposition was offered, and, if the gates were closed against them, to try the effect of a bag of powder, whose explosion would drive in the gates and bring Wyatt to their help, for he felt that there must be no hesitation. Such a party as his, encumbered with a wagon-train, would be almost helpless outside if attacked.
He rode at the head of his detachment with his lips tightened and fingers itching to draw his sword, seeing that the fortifications over and about the sides of the gateway were crowded with the Rajah’s men; but the advance-guard passed in unchallenged, and a few minutes later he drew a deep breath, for the train passed in, and all rode through the crowd-lined streets, and in and out till the gate of the old palace was reached and the task was successfully accomplished.
Chapter XXX.
A Dastardly Act.
Wyatt set it down to the Rajah’s hearing of their large accession of stores which accompanied the little reinforcement, for the very next day there came an invitation from the palace for the officers to spend an evening there.
“What’s to be done?” asked Dick.