There was a sound of clashing of arms, and the report of a
pistol.
As Tim's eyes came on a level with the terrace, he saw Hossein bound
with uplifted blade into the midst of a group of men in the corner.
Three times the blade rose and fell, and each time a loud shriek
followed. Then he disappeared in the midst.
Tim was but a few seconds behind him. Discharging his pistol into the
body of one of the men, and running his sword into another, he, too,
stood by the side of his master. Charlie, streaming with blood, was
half sitting, half lying in the angle of the parapet. Hossein, his
turban off, his long hair streaming down his back, was standing over
him, fighting furiously against some ten men, who still pressed
forward, while several others lay upon the ground.
In spite of the arrival of Charlie's two allies, they still pressed
forward, but the shots of the pistols had been echoed by the muskets
of the sentries. Loud shouts were heard, showing that the alarm was
sounding through the palace.
One more desperate effort the assailants made, to beat the two men who
opposed them over the parapet, but Hossein and the Irishman stood
firm. The weight and numbers of their opponents, however, told upon
them; when the first of the sentries appeared upon the platform,
followed closely by his comrade; and both, with levelled bayonets,
charged into the fray.
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