midable, almost
insurmountable. The erection of barricades was, we afterwards found, part
of the scheme, for in all the principal thoroughfares similar piles were
constructed, each being manned by a sturdy body of men, well-armed and
determined to hold in check and repulse the attack which they knew would,
ere long, be made upon them by the military.

The forces of Mo, feared on every hand for their daring and brilliant
feats were, we knew, not to be trifled with, and as word had been
secretly conveyed to Omar that the Naya, on hearing of the intention of
the people, had ordered her soldiers to institute an indiscriminate
massacre, we should have to fight hard to save our lives.

The barricade was soon completed, and quickly word spread from mouth to
mouth to get behind it. This we all did, to the number of about three
thousand; then came a period of waiting. It was not our object to renew
the attack, but to await reprisals. Apparently, however, the blowing up
of the palace-gate had utterly disconcerted the royal troops whose
barracks were in that vicinity, and we could see by the crowd of moving
torches that the soldiers were engaged in repairing the huge breach made
in the walls before marching forth to quell the insurrection.

In the darkness we waited patiently. A few desultory shots, fired by some
of our more adventurous partisans, who, climbing to the top of the
barricade, aimed where they saw the torches moving, broke the ominous
silence, but in distant parts of the city we could hear the rapid firing
of musketry, with now and then a loud thundering roar when a heavy
field-piece was discharged.

Each moment seemed an hour as we remained inactive behind that improvised
barrier of doors, shutters, furniture, iron gates and railings. Omar and
I were standing together beside one of the three Maxim guns by which our
position was defended, watching the preparations being made on the top of
the hill for assaulting us, when suddenly there was a bright flash, and
next instant a great shell fell behind us, bursting and dealing death and
destruction among our ranks. The air became rent by the shrill cries of
the wounded and the hoarse agonized exclamations of the dying, for this
first shot from the palace had been terribly effective, and fully fifty
of those anxious to bear their part in the struggle for liberty had been
killed, while many others were wounded. The shell had unfortunately
fallen right in the centre of the