FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34  
35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   >>   >|  
bay, Calcutta, or Karachi, the amenities of civilisation are sadly lacking. The bungalows are lit only by oil-lamps, their floors are generally of pounded earth covered with poor matting harbouring fleas and other insect pests, their roofs are of thatch or tiles, and such luxuries as bells, electric or otherwise, are unknown. So the servants, who reside outside the bungalows in the compounds, or enclosures, are summoned by the simple expedient of shouting "Boy". Presently the orderly appeared. "Shaikh Ismail," said the Major, "go to the Mess, give my salaams to Parker Sahib, and ask him to come here." The sepoy, a smart young Punjabi Mussulman, clad in the white undress of the Indian Army, saluted and strode off up the hill to the pretty mess-bungalow of the British officers of the detachment. In it the subaltern occupied one room. When he received Dermot's message, this officer, a tall, good-looking man of about twenty-eight years of age, accompanied the orderly to his senior's quarters. "Come in and have a smoke, Parker," said the Major cheerily. The subaltern entered and helped himself to a cigarette from an open box on the table before looking for a chair in the scantily-furnished room. As he struck a match he said, "Ismail Khan tells me you've just had trouble with that surly beast, Chand Khan". Dermot told him what had occurred. "What a _soor!_ (swine!)" exclaimed Parker indignantly. "I always knew he was a cruel devil; but I didn't think he was quite such a brute. And to poor old Badshah too. It's a damned shame". "He's a good elephant, isn't he?" asked the senior. "A ripper. Splendid to shoot from and absolutely staunch to tiger," said the subaltern enthusiastically. "Major Smith--our Commandant before you, sir--was charged by a tiger he had wounded in a beat near Alipur Duar. He missed the beast with his second barrel. The tiger sprang at the howdah, but Badshah caught him cleverly on his one tusk and knocked him silly. The Major reloaded and killed the beast before it could recover." "Good for Badshah. He seemed to me to be a fine animal," said Dermot. "One of the best. We all like him; though he'll never let any white man handle him. By the way, Ismail Khan says he permitted you to do it." "I doctored up his cuts. Besides, I'm used to elephants." "All the same you're the first sahib I've heard Of that Badshah has allowed to touch him. Do you know, the Hindus worship him. He's
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34  
35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Badshah

 

Ismail

 

Dermot

 

Parker

 

subaltern

 

orderly

 
senior
 

bungalows

 

Splendid

 
staunch

enthusiastically

 

absolutely

 

ripper

 

occurred

 
damned
 

indignantly

 
exclaimed
 

elephant

 

missed

 

permitted


doctored
 

Besides

 

handle

 

elephants

 

allowed

 
worship
 

Hindus

 

barrel

 

trouble

 

sprang


caught

 

howdah

 

Alipur

 

Commandant

 

charged

 
wounded
 

cleverly

 
animal
 

knocked

 

reloaded


killed

 
recover
 

reside

 

compounds

 

enclosures

 

summoned

 
servants
 

electric

 
unknown
 
simple