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A Scion of the Kampani Bahadur

A TALE OF INDIAN SPORT

[SPECIALLY WRITTEN FOR THE HASTINGS Standard.J

By F. D'A. C. De Lisle. (AH n;ihts re*erre<l Inj the author.) Chapter Vlll.—Jones' Jingling Johnny! A sickening smell of attar of roses made little Jones' head swim, and he dug the spurs into Monarch and dashed across the racecourse. It was an unwise proceeding, for Monarch, unforgetful of his previous night's " doing," went to market with a vengeance, and it took " The Sandfly " all he knew to stick on. At Inst he got him pretty quiet, and took him round the course over all the jumps. The free show was very entertaining to the lookers on, who enjoyed it greatly, and Sn»arha>i, the Guezerati courtesan, was captivated with the hurra sahih. ' " Who is that woman, Lai Singh ?' asked Jones of his orderly as they returned past the Guezerati's carriage. " A bad woman, Khmhuranil," answered the orderly. " She is of noble blood—one of the Bajputs of Kaliatliar —but her father, the Sultan, did not wed her mother. She therefore became a nautrh girl, and now lives at the Court of Jopal. Shun the s»or, I\hixlaii(t)nl, she is bad!" A boy came tearing past on a grey Mampuri pony covered with blue spots and with a string of bells round his neck, a large round bell on his tail, and a small circle of bells on each fetlock. The effect was both curious and ludicrous, and " The Sandfly " almost laughed as he thought—- " He shall have music wherever he goes." Four polo ponies had just been started from the six furlong post for a sprint. The boy on the Manipuri was fully a furlong behind them when he gave chase. In four furlongs he had them all collared, when he fell away apparently beaten. " The Sandfly " galloped up to him on the far side of the course. Everybody else was interested in witnessing the close finish between the polo ponies. " Why the little beggar would hardly blow a match out ! He could easily have beaten the others. I wonder what this fellow's game is'?" So thought Jones. " Ask him whose pony that is, Lai Singh ? " The orderly received for answer—"lt is ,Snnitr/ian's pet. The big lady at the court of Jopal." " Ask him if she will sell," said Jones. The boy did not know. "By Jove, I'd do something with him if I had him," said Jones. "He'd make some of the cracks here sit up, I know. Go and ask that woman if she will sell him, Lai Singh." The stalwart Punjabi paled to his very lips. " Klimlau-and, my caste!" he cried, imploringly. "Oh, by Jove! I forgot " said Jones. " Beg pardon, Lai Sing. Send the boy." The hoy returned, saying that Sonaehan would see the Lai Sahib herself. " Confound her," muttered Jones. " I wonder what the chief would say if he surprised me talking to her. But I must get that little beggar by hook or by crook. Here goes. I'll chance the scandal. Wait for me here, Lai Singh," and riding r away on Monarch he cantered up to Snnachan's carriage. And then the fnn commenced. Jones' Hindi was a conspicuous failure, and had not the Xourwahal come to his rescue he would had floundered on hopelessly lost. To his surprise, she spoke English. Indifferently well, but still understandable. " So, my lord, you want my tutt>>, How much you give for him?" said the Guezerati. ■ " Name your price, madam," said the lancer, gallantly ; "I cannot bargain with a lady." " Will you treat him well? He is my l>ap (child). You will not warm (beat) him, like you do that (mad thing) you are riding ? " Jones feh confused. He knew the little beggar would suffer punishment if raced. What could he say ? " I will try to treat him kindly. Do not be afraid—l will be good to him," he said. " I will think of it to-day. Come and see me to-night at my house ; then I will tell you. What! you are not afraid to visit me?" She cooed the words to him, and Jones felt decidedly uncomfortable. " Confound her, she'll get me into a devil of a mess," he thought, but unhesitatingly answered : " I will come. No, I am not afraid. Why should Ibe afraid ? Such charms as you possess would captivate any man !'' The Guezerati flushed crimson, and her deep brown eyes flashed lustfully on " The Sandfly." With the uncontrollable passion of the Eastern blood, this beautiful creature was already hungering for the love of this l.<it who sat his j-a<nd of a horse like* a centaur. And so they parted. At seven that evening .Jones, guided by the boy who had ridden the pony in the morning, entered the compound of the Guezerati's house. The low tones of the (Hindoo llu:. i and the mnn itonous lnuu of the ("in !■■■ Cin.t. f''y to his ears. Cool were the daiMiitd r >oius of tinbasement, when- ghost-like figures glided about in their snow-white garmerits. Upstairs he was shown into a dimly lighted room where a fmih-Jt wafted the purfiiim-.s of through the air, and a -mall hra/ier, burning by a lighted niin/hili, diffused a scviit of passionflowers through the room. Before his eyes had accustomed themselves t>» the dim light, two soft arms were thrown about his n -ck and he

felt himself pressed to the soft, yielding bosom of the perfumed houri, who •whispered into his ear the passionate words, "M< ra<' jahn (my soul).

He sank on to a divan and strove hard to collect himself. And his temptation was greater than that of Saint Anthony. But his heart was true to the love he could not have. The love to which he did his every night. And the charms of the perfumed Guezerati were of no account to him. She tried all her wiles, but in vain. At last rose. " Go," she said, " though you pass from me to forget me. Go, my soul ! I shall not forget you. And take my tutto as a remembrance of Sunarhan." She sank on a charpoy and burst into tears. " I must pay you for him," said Jones. " No, no ; I give him to you. A gift from Si,nach<oi. But do not forget the giver, my beautiful English soldier." Jones made a grimace and took his leave. Outside the boy was waiting with the pony. He led the way and Jones was soon safely with his escort and the pony with him, jingling his bells gleefully as the grass-cutter gave him a feed. Have you ever seen a Jingling Johnny ? It's part and parcel of a regimental'band—that is to say, of a band that has any pretensions to be called a band. A Jingling Johnny is a long pole with arching branches covered with bells of every description. This pole is curried by a member of the band, vshakes it in time to the music, and i produces the clanging, jangling jingle which gave it its name. I think the Coldstreams and Grenadiers have a Johnny in their bands, and it is a source of general interest; " Here comes the jingling Johnny !" being the general cry among the onlookers at a march past of troops and band. " By Jove ! I'll christen him ' Jingling Johnny,' " said Jones. "He reminds me for all the world of one of those things." He went across to the mess-room of the 48th P.W.O. and entered his grey Manipuri gelding Jingling Johnny, 4 years, 13 hands, for all events. There were two more days before the gymkhana, and Jones gave the Manipuri plenty of w T ork during that time. Now, in galloping him, Jones found him quite capable of going the six furlongs at a really good pace—he could even go the mile in about one-fifty-two. But in riding him, Jones noticed that the pony always slackened off whenever he passed the boy who had charge of him before he became " The Sandfly's " property. And on the second morning, when finishing strong down the straight, the pony faltered, slackened, and almost stopped fifty yards from home upon hearing a peculiar kind of whistling. And that boy was standing by the rails whistling loudly to himself. Now, I have remarked before that Jones was possessed of a simply devilish acuteness. And it stood him in good stead now. In a moment he saw through the game—the Guezerati had sold him. Pie could now understand all those big wagers Jopal and his native friends made with him. It w r as all a plan to loot him. But it did not come off. On the day of the pony races Jingling Johnny started for the Polo Cup, six furlongs. And Jopal stood to lose 50,000 rupees, Futteh Jung 20,000, and Bythal 10,000 if he won. And win he did. Jones jumped off with the lead, and, making the pace a cracker, came home by twenty lengths ahead of everything. Though leading, he rode resolutely, and administered such a gruelling to his mount as surprised the 48th P.W.0., who called him a " blasted ass" for his idiotic riding. There was a tremendous commotion about fifty yards from the winning post, when the ponies were finishing for the Polo Cup. But in the excitement of the moment few people noticed four stalwart lancers of the 28th B.L. who seized a boy leaning againsf the rail (preparing to whistle), and gagged, hound, and carrried him away to thi ear, struggling frantically. The trie: V>d failed and the Jattia'la Confed. went, down to the tune of about 80,000 rupees before the triumphant Jones. But though Jones returned to Pindi with his new pony and the Balwal Polo Cup, the 80,000 rupees he had won were left by a native banker at the house of the Guzerati dancing trirl, as the price of the grey Manipouri pony that had been her pet. I-'or though Jones had thought her guilty of conspiring to ruin him, he discovered that he was mistaken. She knew nothing of the trick. The '■"</ had been Jopal's tool in the business. The morning of Jones' departure from Balwal, the Cantonments there awoke to lind the doors of every stable of the Juttiala Confed. painted over with the following legend in white letters — '• Remember J. J. J. !! ! " And they asktd themselves savagely as they citrs.-d their luck. Did it mean " Jones' .lingling Johnny ? ' (i.N D oi' Chapter VIII.)

Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/HAST18970212.2.17

Bibliographic details

Hastings Standard, Issue 245, 12 February 1897, Page 4

Word Count
1,737

A Scion of the Kampani Bahadur Hastings Standard, Issue 245, 12 February 1897, Page 4

A Scion of the Kampani Bahadur Hastings Standard, Issue 245, 12 February 1897, Page 4

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