Jones of the 64th: A Tale of the Battles of Assaye and LaswareeBrereton, F. S. (Frederick Sadleir)
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Jones of the 64th: A Tale of the Battles of Assaye and Laswaree
Brereton, F. S. (Frederick Sadleir)
Maratha War, 1803 -- Juvenile fiction
A shout of triumph filled the air and set the forest ringing a second
after the gun had sent out its bullet, for Jack had hit his mark. At his
friend's words he had waited, steadying himself, and then, when he felt
that he was full on his mark, he had taken a deep breath, wedged himself
closer to the rock, and had firmly pulled the trigger. And now he was
dancing with delight, for the pig, as the sound of the shot crashed out,
had started forward at a gallop, till Owen covered it, fearing that it
had escaped the bullet. Then it suddenly toppled over, and rolling
amidst the stones came to rest with its feet in the air.
"Shut up! There may be more," commanded Owen. "There!"
Another of the animals darted into the clearing, heard the sounds
beyond, and raced toward the forest. But he ran only a few feet, for
Owen proved to be as dead a shot with the gun as with the pistol. A
minute later Mulha appeared, within a few feet of them, and advanced
with smiles of pleasure.
"The sahib is a fine shot," he said. "I am no shikaree, but the first
beast was hardly in the glade before it had darted out. And see where
the bullet struck. It is hit through the chest, and on the very edge of
the forest. In another instant it would have been gone. Now let the
sahibs take their places again, and I will beat on the far side."
He plunged into the forest again and was lost to sight. But after a few
minutes had passed they heard his blows again, as he beat the underwood,
and gun in hand waited for another shot. On this occasion, however, they
were not so fortunate. A few birds broke from the wood and went
screaming aloft, while a little later a troop of monkeys, disturbed by
the intruder, went chattering across the glade, running on all fours,
and some swinging themselves from branch to branch.
"We will move on to another part, then, sahibs," said Mulha, as he
appeared again. "There is plenty of game here, both big and small, and
you may hope to make an even finer bag. Tread carefully now, and make no
noise, for these beasts hear at a great distance."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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