Presently he stood upon it in the subsiding rustle of the leaves, breathless and trembling..
He seemed to have disturbed every living thing within a hundred yards.

A score of bats flew up from the wall crevices, a flying fox struck him on the shoulder, at his feet something black and slender twisted away into a darker place.

Sunni stood absolutely still, gradually letting go his hold upon the pipal twigs.
Presently everything was as it had been before, except for the little dark motionless figure on the wall; and the south wind was bringing across the long, shrill, mournful howls of the jackals that plundered the refuse of the British camp half a mile away.
Then Sunni lay down flat on the top of the wall, and began to work himself with his hands and feet towards the nearest embrasure.

An old cannon stood in this, and threatened with its wide black mouth any foe that should be foolish enough to think of attacking the fort from the river.

This venerable piece of ammunition had not been fired for ten years, and would burst to a certainty if it were fired now; but as nobody had ever dreamed of attacking Lalpore from the river that didn't particularly matter.