This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1915 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER IX Raga's Men Raga and his crew were coming; let them look out, or they might find more than they bargained for. There, baldly stated, is the sum total of my emotion as we two, Miss Falconer and I, stood in the dusk before her father's camp. Courage, they say, is catching; presence of mind ...
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This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1915 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER IX Raga's Men Raga and his crew were coming; let them look out, or they might find more than they bargained for. There, baldly stated, is the sum total of my emotion as we two, Miss Falconer and I, stood in the dusk before her father's camp. Courage, they say, is catching; presence of mind must be so, too, because the mere company of this girl, her kind way of speaking, her confidence that a strange young man would do his best for her, steadied my five wits wonderfully. "Tell your man to go put out the cook's fire." She did so. The big Trun' Jaya seized his water-pot and ran off. A moment later, behind the huts, we saw the ruddiness of the campfire drop suddenly off the green leaves, and heard the sharp hiss of coals a-quenching. "Good," said I. "Now, what weapons have you besides your fowling piece?" "My other gun--a heavy gun." "Rifle?" I asked. "No," she replied quietly. "Shot-gun, tenbore, double. Buckshot and slug cartridges." "Much better. Will you please get it?" She vanished in the dark, but almost immediately was at my side again, holding out something toward me. "Here," she whispered. "Here it is, and the belt of shells." I couldn't help patting her on the shoulder, as if she had been the right kind of boy. No need to encourage her, though: she stood there as ready as Go. "What lights in the camp? Candles?" "No," was her answer. "Torches. Our candles gave out last week." "Get me a torch, then, please." Trun* Jaya had returned, with his wife at his heels. Miss Falconer murmured to him. Off he bounced, into a hut, out again, and handed me an object which (by the feeling, for it was too dark to see more than shapes) I made out to be one of those bamboo sliver torches, bound on a staff, like a tight little round broom....
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