owards him; while Dick Thuddichum, with a
heavy sword which he called his "cutlash," set upon the third. So
staggered were the assassins by the unexpected resistance they met with,
and so horrified at the fate of their companion, that they were quite
unable, though redoubtable swordsmen, effectually to defend themselves.
Faithful sprang by them, carrying the body of their leader in her huge
jaws up the steps of the temple; while Reginald shot his opponent, and
Dick brought the man with whom he was engaged to the ground with a blow
of his weapon. At the same moment a loud uproar was heard from the side
of the camp nearest the heights. Shouts and shrieks, the rattle of
firearms and the clash of steel, reached their ears; while the cry
arose, "The enemy are upon us! The enemy are coming down in countless
numbers!--to horse! To horse!" A sudden panic seized the troops. The
foot-soldiers, who were bivouacked, suddenly set upon before they could
fall into order to repel the attack, were overpowered by the hardy
mountaineers, who rushed in among them with their long daggers, and
killed all they encountered. The rajah's bodyguard, who had been won
over by the traitors, finding those who had seduced them killed, took to
flight; while most of the remainder, not understanding what had
happened, followed their example.

Fortunately, the rajah's horse was picketed near at hand. Reginald
advised him to mount, and offered to try and rally the fugitives. He
and Dick threw themselves on their horses; but he shouted in vain to the
horsemen to wheel round and attack the foe. He could dimly distinguish
the forms of the combatants in the valley below, where it was evident
that a desperate struggle was going on. Reginald now called Faithful to
his side to assist him in case of emergency. Though she seemed very
unwilling to quit her victim, she obeyed him, and came bounding along,
still carrying in her jaws the body of the khan. She dropped it,
however, at his command, and trotted on in her usual place by his side.
By this time some twenty or thirty troopers had collected around their
chief; but the rest, as soon as they could find their steeds and mount,
galloped off up the valley. Reginald, burning with indignation at the
cowardly way in which the troops had deserted the rajah, offered to lead
the small body which remained, feeling confident that by charging
suddenly into the midst of the mountaineers he could put them to flig