the forts on its
summit. The governor met them at the gate.

"You will pardon my not descending to meet you below," he said, "but I
am not so young as I used to be, and the journey up and down fatigues
me much."

Dick and Surajah dismounted, and the former presented the two
documents. The governor, after reading the pass, bowed, and led the
way into the interior of the fort; and they were soon seated on a
divan in his quarters, when he read the circular letter.

"I am glad indeed," he said, when he had finished, "that the sultan is
pleased to take into consideration the many demands I have made for
cannon and ammunition. A large number of the pieces are past service,
and they would be as dangerous to those who fired them as to those at
whom they were aimed; while I have scarcely powder enough to furnish
three rounds for each. As to the defences, I have done my best to
strengthen them. Idleness is bad for all men, most of all for
soldiers, and I have kept them well employed at repairing the effects
of the English fire. Still, there is much to do yet before they are
finished, and there are points where fortifications might be added
with advantage. These I will gladly point out to you. They have been
beyond our means here, for, as you will perceive, it will need
blasting in many places to scarp the rock, and to render inaccessible
several points at which active men can now climb up. For this work,
powder is required. And I would submit that, for such hard work, it
will be needful to supply extra rations to the troops, for the present
scale scarcely suffices to keep the men efficient, especially as most
of them have their wives and families dependent on them."

"I have no doubt that the sultan will accede to any reasonable
requests, your Excellency. He is anxious that the walls of the forts
should be placed in the best possible condition for defence. No one
doubts that we shall, ere long, be again at war with England, and
although the sultan relies much upon large reinforcements that have
been promised by France, with whom he has entered into an alliance,
they have not yet arrived, and he may have to bear the brunt of the
attack of the English by himself."

"I have heard of this," the governor said, "and regret that we shall
again have the Feringhees upon us. As for the Mahrattis or the Nizam,
I heed them not--they are dust, whom the sultan could sweep from his
path; but these English are terrible soldiers. I have fou