The Jungle Fugitives

The Jungle Fugitives

The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Jungle Fugitives, by Edward S.
Ellis
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Title: The Jungle Fugitives A Tale of Life and Adventure in India
Including also Many Stories of American Adventure, Enterprise and
Daring: The Jungle Fugitives; Lost in the Woods; In the Nick of Time;
Lost in the South Sea; An Unpleasant Companion; A Stirring Incident;
Cyclones and Tornadoes; Lost in a Blizzard; Throwing the Riata; A
Waterspout; An Heroic Woman; The Writing Found in a Bottle; That
Hornet's Nest; A Young Hero; Overreached; A Battle in the Air; Who
Shall Explain It?; A Fool of a Genius
Author: Edward S. Ellis

Release Date: October 6, 2005 [eBook #16805]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)
***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE
JUNGLE FUGITIVES***

E-text prepared by Al Haines

THE JUNGLE FUGITIVES
A Tale of Life and Adventure in India Including also Many Stories of
American Adventure, Enterprise and Daring
by
EDWARD S. ELLIS, A.M.
New York Hurst and Company Publishers
1903

CONTENTS
THE JUNGLE FUGITIVES LOST IN THE WOODS IN THE NICK
OF TIME LOST IN THE SOUTH SEA AN UNPLEASANT
COMPANION A STIRRING INCIDENT CYCLONES AND
TORNADOES LOST IN A BLIZZARD THROWING THE RIATA A
WATERSPOUT AN HEROIC WOMAN THE WRITING FOUND IN
A BOTTLE THAT HORNET'S NEST A YOUNG HERO
OVERREACHED A BATTLE IN THE AIR WHO SHALL EXPLAIN
IT? A FOOL OF A GENIUS

THE JUNGLE FUGITIVES.
CHAPTER I.
IN THE SPRING OF 1857.
All through India, with its fanatical population five times as great as
that of England, the rumblings of the coming uprising had been heard

for months. The disaffection had been spreading and taking root. The
emissaries of the arch-plotters had passed back and forth almost from
end to end of the vast empire, with their messages of hatred and appeal.
The people were assured that the "Inglese loge" were perfecting their
insidious schemes for overthrowing their religion, and the faithful
everywhere were called upon to crush the infidels in the dust. The evil
seed fell upon the rankest of soil, and grew with a vigor and exuberance
that threatened to strangle every other growth.
The plot, as agreed upon, was that a general uprising was to take place
throughout India on the last day of May, 1857, but, as is often the case
in such far-reaching schemes, the impatience of the mutineers
precipitated the tremendous tragedy.
The first serious outbreak took place at Meerut on Sunday, May 10th,
just three weeks previous to the time set for the general uprising. That
town, with its population of about 40,000 at that time, lies thirty-two
miles northeast from Delhi, which was to be the capital of the
resurrected Mogul Empire. It was the precipitancy of this first revolt
that prevented its fullest success. The intention was to kill every white
man, woman and child in the place. Two regiments were clamorous for
beginning the massacre, but the Eleventh Native Infantry held back so
persistently that the others became enraged and fired a volley among
them, killing a number. Thereupon the Eleventh announced themselves
ready to take their part in the slaughter that was to free India from the
execrated "Inglese loge."
Seeing now for the first time the real peril, the colonel of the Eleventh
made an impassioned appeal to the regiment to stand by its colors and
to take no part in the useless revolt. While he was speaking, a volley
riddled his body, and he tumbled lifeless from his saddle. The Eleventh,
however, covered the flight of the other officers, but helped to release a
thousand prisoners, suffering punishment for various offenses, and then
the hell fire burst forth.
The bungalows of the officers, the mess houses of the troops, and all
the buildings between the native lines and Meerut were fired, and the
whole became a roaring conflagration, whose glare at night was visible

for miles.
When an appeal was made to the Emperor of Delhi by the troopers, he
inquired their errand. The lacklustre eyes flashed with a light that had
not been seen in them for years, the bowed form acquired new energy,
and he gave orders to admit the troopers.
Their message was enough to fan into life the slumbering fires of
ambition in the breast of a dying person.
He yielded to the dazzling dream. A throne of silver, laid away for
years, was brought into the "hall of special audience," and the tottering
form was helped to the seat, into which he sank and looked