ON THE ROOF OF THE WORLD

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 14061, 16 May 1906, Page 3

ON THE ROOF OF THE WORLD

(By HAROLD .BLIND in the “ Pall ■ Mall Gazette.”) The train was already moving when the door opened and he tumbled into the carriage. Catching at the light luggage rack, he fell against a girl’s hat brim, and, hastily sat down opposite me. He was a soldier; small, wiry, and intelligentfor all the world like a thoroughbred terrier —indeed, his sprucely-waxed moustaches, almost suggested whiskers. As I observed him he lifted up the right hand side of hie tunic, and stuck a ticket into fhe little trouser pocket. His face was deeply tanned. It was a good face, of which you may see dozens in any barracks, or any town or village in England. But after a time the faces in the barracks take a new vigour, and the eyes get the quiet self-reliance that comes to men who have talked to death at the outposts of our Empire, and fought beside* many ~ strange peoples wearing the King’s uniform. “This right for ’Ammersmith?” he asked. “Yes! . . . You’re home on furlough, eh?” “ Yuss! we’re just ’ome from Tibet— Lhassa to Park’uret, my eye!”. “ What do you think of the last Government’s treatment of Colonel Younghusband and the treaty ?” “Chronic,! After all we done, too! They are a crowd ’ere! Nice way to encourage men to work! We did a job that no army ever ’as done, an’ nor body but us could do! Them Sikhs and Gurkhas are fine fellers an’ no mistake! Lord! ’ow we suffered on the way ’ome, over them passes ; knee-deep in snow; sixteen thousand feet up; bloomin’ blizzards; an’ we ’ad to carry every ounce of food, fodder, an’ firin’! On the way to Lhassa, too! Them thunderin’, great mountins topplin’ on your ’ead all the time; an’ the people foolin’ round with rollin’ rocks, 'an’ magazine rifles an’ swords; huildin’ sangars an’ pretendin’ they was peaceful. But we give ’em one or two good ’idins, and they got quite chummy in the end.” “ What sort of country is it? “Pine! There must be gold an’ turquoises by the ton; an’ ’caps of timber, an’ a white man’s climate; an’ Russia can’t do no ’arm. . . He seemed to be getting excited, and I offered him a cigarette. “ Thanks, I don’t mind. ...” Quieted by the tobacco, be went on; “My townie . . . like brothers w© was. . . . _We was ‘aving a bit of a scrap in the ’igh ’ills, an’ it was ’and to ’and. i’d stuck a groat big feller, an’ another beggar, with a bally great sword, was ackin at my ’ead. I sees it cornin’—the sweep of it—an’ I says to myself, ‘ Now I’m done I’’ when my townie sticks ’is rifle in between, an’ 'the sword slips down an’ cuts ’is ’and, an’ next second the feller with the big .sword cuts dm down. Then 1 got mad, an’ droppin’ my rifle, I jumps at ’is throat. I don’t know ’ow X done it, for ’e was about six-foot-two; an’ I’m not a big man! But I ’its ’im fair, and ’e slips upon somethin’. Down we goes, an’ I throttles ’im while I bangs ’is ’ead on a rock. I remember snarlin’ “I’ll teach yer, my beauty, I’ll teach yer!’ with ©very bump, when my lieutenant comes along, and ‘ What’s this?’ sez ’©. ‘ Look!’ sez I, noddin’ towards my mate between the bumps. ‘ Come off, you little devil!’ sez ’e, catcbin’ ’old of me; but just then the nigger gives a most ferocious wriggle, an’ I feds the devil come in mo again. ‘ Damn you, let go! ’© killed my pal!’ I shouts, an’ lifts the nigger right off- the ground an’ bangs ’im on the rock—l ’eard ’is ’ead crack, an’ ’e got limp all of a sudden. I sat up, feelin’ sick an’ faint. Then I grabs a rifle, an’ bolts after my orficer, an’ , we gets into a lot of Gurkhas clearin’ an ’illsido. The whackin’ big Tibetans runs as soon as the'wicked little villains got pretty close; but some, led by a-lama, puts up a good fight, an’ I sees red ageu. I was fightin’ close beside my orficer hoy, an’ it was rough and tumble, cut, thrust, club, an’ parry, an’ ’© was goin’ it like anythin’. Suddenly the lama jumps for ’im an’ cuts ’im awful. A ’avikiar gives a shrill yell an’ lets ’im ’ave it with ’is kukri. I stops an’ bends over my ‘sub.’ ’ls shoulder was nearly off. ‘ ML. Johnny ! ’clp me with the Sahib I’

I shouts to a Gurkha. I was oldimthe wound together as best Leonid, anr ’ad stopped the blood a bit. E makes bandages out of a Tibetan e_ .toggery and patches ’ini up. But ■© shades is ’ead an’ sez, ‘Too much blood, hoi here, hold—hard 1 Want Surgeon! So ■ I was left ’oldin’ my ‘sub. s _ art ry, while ’e trots off to find the amou an , which was Gawd knows where. - daren’t *shift an inch, an I ex P ' some stragglin’ 1 nigger p" ’ind and out me, for the fight roll ‘ ed away over the ridge. Presently J ’eard the bugles sound Cease birel and after what seemed hours, - ® bio!’ I dursn’t let go of the ai iy, fear of not gettin’ it agen; and 1 got awful cramped. It got dark, a™,, , gan to shiver. Gradually the caked; and it began to freeze hke very deuce. Now the wounded man stirred a little . . • pVaps "i cold. I wanted to tell hm not to move, so I put out my free hand an P inc^ ’is ear. His eyes opened vacantly, a looked up at the stars. Ip inched ira again, an’ said: ‘ Keep still-, sir. turned-’is ’ead a little an’ looked at me. ‘ Oh! it’s you, is it! What s Imp. pened?’ ‘You’re cut up, sir, an ln* ’oldin’ your art’ry, sir, so don V ‘Oh 1’ sez ’e, uninterested like, thank , an’ ’e shuts ’is eyes agen. " spoke in what the Scripture calls a ‘still small yoice’—as if *• was very tired. Suddenly soratf poor feller starts groanin’ an f® l * ’ow awtul quiet the night was, an tn« ’ill lay still, and waitin’ for I don. t ■ know what. There was most tremen; dous snow peaks all about, an I uncter stood what I’d ’card one of them ifatioualists say about ‘The himmeneity of space.’ My right am was ' played out, an’ I knew- that if didn’t come soon I must risk.a change of ’ands. Then I sees ’is revolver o®| the lanyard. I picks, it up in my left ’and an’ pulls it off. ‘ Bang'!’—it goe* off three times an’ then—click- u empty! The shots went echoing away for miles. A dog started ’owlin’ a lonj) ; way off, an’ it was awful creepy, an, I was numb with cold an’ cramp.” • « “I must ’ave dozed off, for the next thing I knew an ’and gripped my ehew der, an’ I see a tall priest in dum* blanketin’, an’ a big kind of Tam-o ■ Shanter on ’is ’ead. I thinks,. ‘ Now we’re done fori’ an’ wished id kept the revolver. But, ’© looks down sort! of kindly like, an’ sez something in ’i* lingo, so I tries ,’im in ’lndustam. Tell* ’im I’m ’oldin’ my officer's'art’ly, an would ’e give me a drink or ’old it foi ; a bit. I thought as being a Bhuddkf priest, as ’e might p’r’aps act Chris-tian-like. ’E shakes ’is ’ead, an’ bends down to see what I was doin’. Then * nods, and sez somethin’ 'else, an’ sign* to me to keep still, an’ ’e’ll go an’ get ’elp. Then ’e goes off down the s ’ill, quick, but ’aughty in ’is stride. Presently I sees ’im come up the ’ill with a queer old lantern an’ four chaps carryin’ a dhooli. ’E kneels down an’ sea, as plain as if it was English: ‘lt’s all right, I’ll look after ’im for you; don’t you worry, brother.’, I felt ’im take my ’and from the wound quick. I triedto get up, hut was so stiff ; an’ cold I couldn’t stir. Then two of the bearers picks me up, an’ everythin’ spins v round.” ... “ "When I comes to I was lyin’ on ai pile of skins, an’ wrapped up in warm blankets, before a blazin’ fire of logs, with a pot ’angin 1 over it —lookin’ .at . the flames in a sort of ’appy dream. Gradually I remembered what ’ad ’appealed, an’, by-an’-by, I ’ears somethin’ movin’ in the room. I turns on . my side to look round, an’ sees thei priest cornin’ over to the fire, ’eldin’ a , basin in ’is ’and.. ’E points tp the basin, an’ the pot, an’ me. I shakes my ’©ad, an’ sez; ‘No!’ To think of food made me sick. But ’e nods ’is ’ead an’ smiles; opens the pot, an’ ’ dips in the basin as the steam goes : ’urryin’ op the chimney. Tb,en ’ e squats , down by me, an* - lifts me"up, ’ia ' shoulder, ’oldin’ the basin in ’is left ’and, which ’© ’ad round me. ’E dips bits of bread in the soup, an’ feeds in* like a kid; ’© makes me drink the soup, an’ I feels much better. I asks ’in* by signs ’ow my comrade is gettin’ on. . ’E turns me arf round, an’ there I seek ’im lyin’ wrapped, up; ’is face was very wiute an’ quiet. 'The priest shuts ’is ©yes, breathes deep an’ reg’ler, an’ puts ’is finger on ’is lips,, which I take* i to mean sleep.■' All at once I feels awful sleepy myself ; an’ the fir© turn* into kerosene flares on a Edgware Road stall, an’ the kind old priest hito a copper.” ■. . . “I was w r oke up by voices, an’ rolled out of my blankets feelin’ fit as a, fiddle. I see the Surgeon-Captain talkin’ to the priest, an’ lookin’ at four Sikhs liftin’ my ‘sub.’ on to a stretcher. Through the doorway I see a hit of woody ’ill and: a great, glistenin’-snow-capped giant miles an’ miles away behind. The sun was ... . ’EUoI Ravenscourt Park? That’s farther than ’Ammersmith, ain’t it?” . . . Come out an’ ’ave a drink ? Well, I don’t mind, sir. But I must buck up an’ get ’ome to muwer, oh-? . . . Yutas! I did see the old priest agen; on the way ’ome from Lbassa it was. I give ’Lm two buttons, an’—’e give m* —this!” The Fusilier dived into the breast ol his scarlet tunic and 'brought out a' little box. Opening it, he;.took out a; 3 rough gold ring, set with a big turquoise, curiously engraved, ‘‘ Do fine for my girl!” .’ . . “ Yuss, it is curious, ain’t it? A gentleman what’s the brother of the young lady my ‘sub.’s’ engaged to, told me it mean* v as ’ow ‘Yer mustn’t kill nothin’, an’ . "must love yer enemy!’ Rum thing them ’eathen ’avin’ texts like -that! . . . . Ah! ’ere we are, SatawL. , Jjounge!” ; ' r; '