y went on, "that the men must
provide themselves with long bamboos, which they can thrust through
the openings in the stockade, and push the faggots away. But even
if we do so, we must calculate upon the enemy succeeding, in some
places, in setting the palisades on fire."

"That would be very serious; but of course we should go in behind
the wall."

"I do not want to do that, as long as we can possibly stay here. I
think that, when night comes, we ought to make a sortie."

"But are we not too few, sahib?"

"Too few to defeat them, Abdool, but not too few to beat them up.
You see, the wind always blows, in the evening, up from the sea. I
noticed it last night. It was quite strong. What I should propose
would be to pull up enough bamboos for four men to go out,
together, on the side facing the wind. Two hundred men should first
sally out; remaining, as they do so, close to the ditch. When all
are ready, they should crawl across the cleared ground and then, at
a signal, attack the enemy who, taken by surprise, would be sure to
give way, at first.

"As they attack, fifty men with torches should rush out and follow
them, and set fire to as many huts as they can. As soon as they had
done their work, all should run back, when the signal is given.

"There will be two advantages: in the first place, the sudden
attack will disconcert the enemy, and render them less willing to
expose their lives, by storming a place so desperately held; in the
second place, the wind will carry the flame over the whole town,
and I hope the burning fragrants will carry the flames over all the
fields where the crops are dry; thus causing them much more
difficulty in obtaining dry wood for faggots, and they will be
exposed to our arrows, much longer, before they throw them against
the stockade."

"It would be excellent, sahib; but do you think the men would go?"

"Just at the present moment, they would do anything; they are half
wild with excitement and triumph."

Harry presently went with the interpreter to the rajah's house.

"I have a plan to propose to you," he said, "that will render it
much more difficult for the enemy to set fire to the stockade;" and
he then explained his scheme.

The rajah's eyes glistened with excitement.

"Nothing could be better," he said; "and there is but one fear, and
that is, that the enemy will follow us so hotly, that they will
enter through the breach before we can close it."

"I have thought of th