with him, was
missing and, knowing how watchful and active he was, he hoped that
he might have mounted and ridden off, before he could be attacked.

Chapter 17: An Escape.

Harry's arms were at once bound. He was placed on a horse and,
escorted by ten natives, was taken out of the town and, after a
ride of three hours, arrived at the foot of a strong hill fort,
perched on a lofty rock. Here the party dismounted. Halfway up the
hill they passed through a gate in the lower wall; and then mounted
to the fort, where the officer in command received them and, on
reading an order from the rajah, conducted the prisoner into a room
at the summit of the highest tower. His arms were then unbound, and
the governor and soldiers left the room, locking and barring the
door behind them.

On the way, Harry had thought over his position. It did not seem to
him desperate, if only Holkar failed to capture Delhi; and even if
he did so, there was still some hope. He had no doubt that the
rajah was waiting to see how matters went. If Holkar captured the
city, he would probably send him in to him as a pledge of his
goodwill; but he might still hesitate, until he saw the issue of
the battle that was likely to be fought outside the walls, when the
English army arrived there. He had hitherto affected friendship
with the English; and had offered no objection, whatever, to the
small force being stationed near his town. But, doubtless, the news
of the disaster to Colonel Monson's force had shaken him; and
convinced him that the English were not invincible, and that
Holkar's immense army would inflict a decisive defeat upon them, in
which case those who had shown any friendly feeling towards the
English would be made to suffer for it--by devastation of their
lands, and the loss of their jagheer, if not of their lives. Harry
felt, therefore, that the success of the attack on Delhi would
probably be as disastrous, to himself, as to all the defenders of
the city.

His first impulse was to look out from the loopholes of the tower.
On the one side, as he had noticed, the rock fell sheer away from
the foot of the wall, to a depth of two or three hundred feet. On
the other side he looked down into a courtyard, sixty feet below
him. This was surrounded by high and very strong walls, bristling
with cannon; and with strong circular bastions at each corner.

Immediately below him was the flat roof of the house occupied by
the rajah, when staying a