case it would be
well to level these houses for, if the enemy fired them, it would
be almost certain to fire the houses inside the palisade."

The rajah's face brightened. The tone of assurance in which Harry
spoke reassured him, and he said to the interpreter:

"Tell the officer that my people shall do just as he tells them, if
he will point out where the defence must be erected."

Harry was not long in fixing upon the line for the entrenchments.
It was some two hundred yards in diameter and, at the rajah's
orders, the whole of the men and women of the town set to work, to
pull down the huts standing within fifty or sixty yards of this.
This was the work of a couple of hours, and the materials were
carried up to the line. The stronger timbers were first planted, in
holes dug for them; and the intervals between these were filled
with bamboo poles. On the inside face other bamboos were lashed,
with rattans across them. As fast as these were used, more houses
were pulled down, until the defence was completed, the crossbars
being some nine inches apart.

This work performed, the men, women and children brought up what
provisions they had, and their most precious belongings. These were
carried inside the wall of the palace. It was two o'clock before
the work was finished, and there was then a rest for half an hour.

Then all were set to work to dig a trench, three feet deep with
perpendicular sides, at a distance of two feet from the palisade. A
large store of bamboos that had been too slender for use in the
palisade were sharpened, and cut into lengths of two feet; and
these were planted, thickly, in the bottom of the trench. Others,
five feet long, were sharpened and then thrust through the
interstices between the upright bamboos; the ends being fixed
firmly in the ground inside, while the sharpened points projected
like a row of bayonets, at a height of some two feet above the edge
of the ditch.

It was nightfall before the work was finished. The rajah had,
himself, been all the time upon the spot; and was delighted when he
saw how formidable was the obstacle that had been raised. One small
entrance, alone, had been left; and through this all the women and
children now passed, and lay down in the space between the new
palisade and the wall of the palace.

The men were ordered to take post behind the stockade, and a number
of boys were sent out, to act as scouts and give notice if an enemy
approached. The rajah