cloths to keep out the night
dews, as well as the stock of provisions. Ibrahim had also purchased
two very large, dark blankets, that could be used for a temporary
shelter. Surajah now felt quite at home, for he was engaged in the
same sort of duty he performed at Tripataly; and more than one pair of
dark eyes glanced admiringly at the two young officers, as they rode
down to the ford.

They had been furnished, by Fazli, with a list of the forts they were
to visit, and the order in which they were to take them; the first on
the list being Savandroog, fifty miles northeast of the city. After a
ride of twenty miles, they halted at a village. To the surprise of the
troopers, Surajah gave orders that nothing was to be taken by force,
as he was prepared to pay for all provisions required.

As soon as the villagers understood this, ample supplies were brought
in. Rice, grain, and fowls were purchased for the soldiers, and forage
for the horses, and after seeing that all were well provided for, the
two officers went to a room that had been placed at their service, in
the principal house in the village.

Ibrahim justified his assertion that he was a good cook, by turning
out an excellent curry. By the time they had finished this it was
getting dark, and after again visiting the troopers, and seeing that
their own horses were fed and well groomed, they retired to bed.

An early start was made, and at ten o'clock they approached
Savandroog. It was one of the most formidable of the hill forts of
Mysore, and stood upon the summit of an enormous mass of granite,
covering a base of eight miles in circuit, and rising in ragged
precipices to the height of 2,500 feet. The summit of the rock was
divided by a deep chasm into two peaks, each of which was crowned with
strong works, and capable of separate defence. The lower part of the
hill was, wherever ascent seemed possible, protected by walls, one
behind the other. The natives had regarded the fort as absolutely
impregnable, until it was stormed by the troops under Lord Cornwallis.

Dick looked with intense interest at the great rock, with its numerous
fortifications. The damages committed by the British guns could not be
seen at this distance, and it seemed to him well-nigh impossible that
the place could have been captured. They rode on, until they neared an
entrance in the wall that encircled the fort, at the side at which,
alone, access was considered possible.

They were ch