The Tremendous Adventures of Major Gahagan

the enemy. Well they knew when they saw that flamingo-plume floating in the breeze-that awful figure standing in the breach-that waving war-sword sparkling in the

ern music, raised in the air a strange barbaric melody; the officers (yatabals), mounted on white

ld kill a hundred men by a single discharge of a cannon; so the attacking party marched and marched, very strongly, about a mile and a half off, the elephants marching without receiving the slightest damage from us, until they had come to within four hundred yards of our walls (the rogues knew all the secrets of our weakness, through the betrayal of the dastardly Ghorumsaug, or they never would have ventured so near). At that distance-it was about the spot where the Futtyghur hill began gradually to rise-the invading

h admirable precision, about three hundred of them.

. G |

wall of the fort. G a gun in the fort

I, with superhuman skill and activity, brought the gun G (a devilish long brass gun) to be

...

then is x? x is the line taken by the ball fired from G, which took off ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FOUR ELEPHAN

been the consequence? Why, that the ball might have killed two elephants and wounded a third; but here, probably, it would have stopped, and done no further mischief. The trunk was the place at which to aim; there are no bones there; and away, consequently, went the bullet, shearing,

most had left their trunks behind them. A great quantity of them we seized; and I myself, cutting up with my scimitar a couple of the fallen animals, as a butcher would a calf, motioned to the men to take the pieces back to the fort, where barbecued elephant was served round for dinner, instead of the miserable allowance o

he garrison larder, with the exception of the cheeses, the olives, and the wine, which were locked up in my own apartment, before which stood a sentinel. Disgusting Mrs. Van! When I heard of her glutt

his attack off completely, the enemy sustaining a loss of seven hundred men. We were victorious; but when another attack was made, what were we to do? We had still a little powder left, but had fired off all the shot, stones, iron-bars, &c. in

Yesterday I had no ammunition; to-day, I discovered charges sufficient for two gun

alanquin, and came on waving his sword, and cursing horribly in his Hindustan jargon. Behind him came troops of matchlock-men, who picked off every one of our men who showed their noses above the

r, that though my garrison were without food, I knew my duty as an officer, and HAD PUT THE TWO DU

execution. In their first contact with an opposing body, they certainly floored it; but they be

ous Loll Mahommed when he saw the failure of my shot. "Onward, sons of the Prophet! the infidel h

age, but it was the cold concentrated rage of despair. "Macgillicuddy," said I, calling that faithful officer, "you know where the barrels of powder are?" He did. "You know the use to make of them?" He did. He grasped my

stepping into the front, took down one of the swivels;-a shower of

aimed coolly. Loll Ma

not above two hundre

re me, gesticulating a

ed-ba

ell back dead; the frightened bearers flung down the palanquin and ran-the whole host ran as one man: their screams might be heard for leagues. "Tomasha, tomasha," they cried, "it is enchantment!" Away they

d elephant yesterday; but now-oh! Heaven!-" She could say no more, but sank almost lifeless on my shoulder. I administered to her a trifling dram of rum, which revived her for a moment, and then rushed downstairs, determined that if it were a piece of my own leg, she should still ha

rder is empty; we must fill it as we did the day before yesterday. Who will follow Gahagan on a

rmur arose among the troops; and at last

not a grain of powder left, and must give up the fort when the attack is made to-morro

surrender, dies!" and I cut him down. "I

e sti

of those wretches who even now fled before your arms-what, do I say your arms?-before MINE!-alo

r hundred yards from the fort. I descended calmly the hill, a very steep one, and coming to the spot, took my pick of the animals, choosing a tolera

f rain. The enemy were behind me; I knew it, and quickened my pace. I heard the gallop of their horse: they came nearer, nearer; I was within a hundred yards of t

step-I fling forward my precious burden into the gate opened wide to receive me and it, and-I fall! The gate thunders to, and I am left on the outside! Fifty knives are gleaming b