eight of the Dacoits came up. From what they said, I gathered that the
rest of the band had dispersed, trusting either to get through the line
of their pursuers, or, if caught, to escape with slight punishment, the
men who remained being too deeply concerned in murderous outrages to
hope for mercy. Sivajee himself handed me a letter, which the man who
had taken my note had brought back in reply. Major Knapp, the writer,
who was the second in command, said that he could not engage the
Government, but that if Lieutenant Hastings was given up the act would
certainly dispose the Government to take the most merciful view
possible; but that if, on the contrary, any harm was suffered by
Lieutenant Hastings, every man taken would be at once hung. Sivajee did
not appear put out about it. I do not think he expected any other
answer, and imagine that his real object in writing was simply to let
them know that I was a prisoner, and so enable him the better to
paralyse the attack upon a position which he no doubt considered all but
impregnable.

"I was given food, and was then allowed to walk as I chose upon the
little plateau, two of the Dacoits taking post as sentries at the
steepest part of the path, while the rest gathered, chatting and
smoking, in the depression in front of the storehouse. It was still
light enough for me to see for some distance down the face of the rock,
and I strained my eyes to see if I could discern any other spot at which
an ascent or descent was possible. The prospect was not encouraging. At
some places the face fell sheer away from the edge, and so evident was
the impracticability of escape that the only place which I glanced at
twice was the western side, that is the one away from the hill. Here it
sloped gradually for a few feet. I took off my shoes and went down to
the edge. Below, some ten feet, was a ledge, on to which with care I
could get down, but below that was a sheer fall of some fifty feet. As a