Both sides were taken by surprise, but the mutineers had the nominal
advantage, for their eyes were accustomed to the light. They had
the advantage in numbers, too, by almost two to one. But they dared
not fire, for fear of setting off the magazine, whereas Brown and
his little force dared anything. They fully expected to die, and
might as well die that way as any other. And a quick death for the
women down below would be better than anything the rebels had in
store for them. Brown yelled an order, and the rest was too quick,
nearly, for the eye to follow.
Three rebels died with bullets in them, and the rest stampeded for
the teak-and-metal door, to find it locked on them, and Brown and
the Rajput standing in front of it on guard. The mutineers attacked
fiercely. They flung themselves all together on the two. But they
had yet to learn that they were tackling, or endeavoring to tackle,
the two finest swordsmen in that part of India. And when they turned,
to find more room to fight in, or to draw their breath, they had
to face nine bayonets that hemmed them in, and drove them closer
and even closer to the swords again.
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