TALES OF THE 28TH B.L.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7203, 14 September 1901, Page 2

TALES OF THE 28TH B.L.

■» - — (By F. DA- C. DE LISLE.) Nr>HL 'TWIXT LOVE AND HQN§UR. [All Rights? Resisted.] Axe you comijig out on patrpj fa-night? Tlie soldier «aid to <the g:rl ; The'mpon is up $»4 the sUrasne bright, The soldjex $a|4' to 'the girl. "We will Tva/tch the g]?w wonpe 'light, the trees While the night bird coos its love to please, Antt I'-il kiss you, 2£t>h?ae Jahan, q>iMs squeeze, The soldier «aid {p, the girl ! gp sang Lieutenant Dane in a jovial voice, as he turned into Oarr- Jones's quartere one Saturday morning about 8 o'clock, after parade. " You just let the chief hear you singing that song," «aifi Jones. "He'll give you 14daysC.B." " It's not a song — it's a chantie," promptly answered Dane. "N.ever- anind what it is. I'm surprised to hear you singing a canteen chorus," said Jones. " Oh, bobbery my I How moral we have become all of a sudden. Where's the difference between a canteen chorus and 'Malbrouckee va t'en guerre f" asked Dane. " ' Malbrouck se va t'en guerre ' is French, and 1 clever, ' What the soldier said to the. girl,' is only fit fa? swaddies. Don't do it again," S»id Jones. "Dear me," replied Dane. "I'm CQurt-, martialled, am I? Very -well, f>ir, I shall nop le* & occur again. By the way, what do you say to a day after ' tiger to-moi> row'?" " I shall be delighted. Anybody else got leave?" asked Jonfß. "Yes; PolhiUfpaj'eW and Bertrand will go jn one maohanj ym a.nd I take" th«» other. We will try the mafigoje. topes by the lakes at B. un.dy. If we Haft at three tprmoww mornjng, we will get there by seven. Take a jnovel, or some magazines j we may have to scad all day. I'll get the ' prog anti grog ' from fee mes* Kha-qsajna. You had better write for leave from church, parade. It's only a matter of form, 8.8 there will be no parade to-m_px?ow, The Parson gSakib ia a$ Dera Jiffiafl JJfhan." " Rigjht you are/ sajd Jones, and he hastily scribbled an application for Sunday leave, "Qui hi!" fee roared through the doprlesa rooms of his quarters, and answering came the xes#nant reply : l ?Hu?appr!" „-., In a minute hip bearer, a stalwart Oorya, stood fosfare 'him. " MftjffF Cojicanaon. eahib. ka. paa ley jo, aur jawab Iao," said Jon.es 5 and salaaming low, the beaper departed. "By Ch»rge, Jones, you are. getting along with your mponshi (tutor). You !had every wepd 1 there-^-idipm onjy faulty," said Dane. ".Asihow?" asked Jones. j " Well, you always find the Orientals strive for brevity. 'Major sahib k o doh,' is the better way of sending a communication by personal post. Tile idiom of 'ley jo' is faulty. Nevertheless, you're really getting along wonderfully, 1 ' said Dane. j " Glad to bear it. I'm anxious to get on j with my bearer. That fellow baa been, jn ' the family for fifty years Iftey tell me. Fancy bis knowing twenty yearns more of my father and grandfather than I know myself." "Servants in India become attached; to a family and stay with: them till they die. When I came out I found an ayah with, the mater's domestic staff who ha<J nursed every child in our family— my ifowr brothers, myself, ami my two sisters. A period ol service extending to over thirty years. Even the budmashes (rogues) refuse to go whan fcicked out. It is * most difficult job to get rid of them. They are 4*Qg fai#tful, and as affectionate," said Dane. " A good many people at Home would be delighftad with servants) of that nature. What arms shaJl I take to-morrow. I suppose a Martini-Henry rifle and a fowlingpiece will be all that I shall require?" asked Jones. j " Leave ! the fowling-piece. No . feath*a shooting when after big game — apt to scare •them away. Take & Colt's bull-dog if you've got one, if not I'll lend you one of nay pair. My . governor wanjied me never to go «f ter tiger without one. You never know when you may find yourself face to face with Stripes, and then the first miss often happens to be your last miss, unless you possess the most extraordinary nerve and can empty your six-shooter into his skull a* ha springs. I saw Hamilton, of the Loyal Poorbeahs, killed last year. He was stalking, when a lioness. sprang at him over the long grass. He fired and missed, then tried to club her as she landed. With o'he stroke of (her paw s-je smashed his collar-bone, shoulder-blade, and sword arm in two- places ; and twisted his rifle into a 'Q. He made a game and desperate fight of it, smash-ing 'her over the skull with his left repeateidly before she pulled ham down, frontal bone was smashed to a pulp. He was still living when I got up and blenv the back of her skull out ; but I shall never forget the eickening sight he looked as his eyes glazedi in death. If ihe had carried a revolver it might not have happened, and I wouWhave 'been me witness of a better fight than that for the championship of the world." " But wouldn't a knife do better at close quarters ?" asked Jones. " Oh, no," said Dane. " A tig«r is four times relatively stronger than a lion, and you might stick 'him once, but he would smash you to jelly before you could repeat the d««e." " I never knew that a tiger was stronger ' than a lion," said Jones. "He ds though, and 1 pluckier ; and very few lions ever tackle Mr Stripes. In our ignorance of natural- history we chose the regal lion as t<ha emblem of our indomitable race ; but the lion of Old England, generally g*ts a. most unmerciful gruelling wjjpn he tackles a Royal Bengal tiger. When the species do fight, it is the lioness that "facts the tiger. But Stripes invariably oome* out 0© top. Wher© are all the blackmaned Bengal lions? Not exterminated through shikari ; no. Since the advent of the Royal Bengal tiger up into the Hills out westward, the lion has been steadily driven over the frontier, back into Lhassa, Sikkim, an-d Thibet. Read Savage Landor, and see his accounts of the bkckmaiveid lions in. Sikkim — it is the survival of the fittest. Pluck-— savage nvurderous pluck — power and agility, against the big, beautiful, lethargic carcass of the easeloving king of beasts. Give me a. lean, hungry Bengal tiger, and I'll back him every time, for all I'm worth, against the fiercest blackmaned Indian or Africam £ions or lionesses to be found." "By Jove ! I'm glad you have told me,*' said Jones. " I don't like exposing my ignorance on these matters. How are we to get to Bundy?" " Oh, I'll drive you in my tum-'tujn as far as Rajgunge, and the Nawab of TJlmux will 'elephant' us to Bundy. He shoots tiger on the first Sunday in every month during the shooting season, and our. regiment has got carte blanche to join whenevei* we feel

inclined. He has forty elephants sta.bled at Jtajg-unge, and we can always depend on transport from there," saiid Dane. " How jolly !" cried Jones. "He must be a tip-tpp old fellow, this Xawab friend of 4 Ours.' " • •'6m of England's staurjehest allies, yjerce as a must (mad) elephant, he is one of the most warlike tribesmen in : the hills. He has a magnificent stretch of Shikari country at Ulmur, and you can get everything, from snipe to> tiger in his ground. Some day we will try for jaguar %nd chee-. tab, beyond yimur on the Kashmir boundary." "That will be splendid," said Jones. " Now I'll get my gear to rights, and dress for hazri." The next morning Jones was roused by a gentle touch on his shoulder, and he seemed to hear w subdued voice spying, far away : " Sahib ! Huzzoor ! Sareiv do budjeh gya sahib. (It's past half-past two o'cjQck, sir!)" "Eh* What? Hullo! Where is he? Eh! Where?" cried- Jones, -si Wing up in bed, and rubbing' his eyes.' He had been dreaming that he and Mrs Bruce were trapped hy tigers in the jungle. Hazily the snow-white form of his bearer loomed through the mosquito curtains, and the. full orbed Eastern moon was shining slant-wisa through the wio>. opened! jh&mils. <' Oh ! it's you, Talook! Pani lya?" said Jones. "Je ha ! safhib, Lya !" answered the bearer, salaamingJpnes dashed the anosquito-curtains up, and sprang from his bed into the bathroom, where his bearer proceeded to pour bueketsful of water over him 1 from " the earthenware gumlah which stood, filled to the brim, on the tiled floor. He then dressed in. a shikari costume of khaki, with cartridge pockets let in- fraßv. shoulder to shoulder. These he filled wr^ oartridges ; he buokled his Goltfs 1 revolver, loaded in every- cliamber, around his waist; and placing a wide solai topee on. his head, ho sallied put witK th« rifle in one hand and a mixed lot of " Asians " and " Pioneers " in the other,, just as Dane drove up a tan-, dem of polo ponies in his tumrtura. "Hullo ■tbiire! All aboard!" shonbed the driver. "Any more going on?" "Right you are!" answered Jones, hs scrambled in. "Riful dph!" to his bearer. "Got your glasses?" asked Dane. "Remember ~w« are shooting from- machans, and ypu wiU require glasses to watch His Nibs]'-' The binoculars wera brought out by iht bearer, and away they went. As ih,ey tyrned pit.p the Grand. Trunk Road, a bi» dogcart appeared, in which were, seated Lieutenant-Oolonel Lord Bertrand and Captain Polhill-Carew. Jones thought it queer that these two should,, be driving together, for since the Scouts' ball he bai learned all t*he 'history of Carew's mad, Iropeless passion for Lady Bertrand, and of her equally unconquerable passion for him. Lieutenant; Somerset . had told him all, affirming positively that no others knew of it; but Jones tpntbied for his squadron leader when he recalled the conversation fee h*d heard at the Scout's ball. A tweutyTmale drive found them at Raj-' gunge by five o'dock j and, mounting the Scab's elephants, they went on. to Bun? dy, wfeere they arrived at half-past seven. They were met upon their arrival by the Prims ab the Court of Ulnanjr, wbo had come from- Ulmur 8$ the royal repyesentative. fhe Nawab had gon« iun'ting some thirty miles south of Bundy, lie said ; but the machans were fixed ani ready for the officer Log, in the maßgpe tope?. Asking him to thank the Nawab cordially lor Ms hospitality, tha Englishmen red« pn som.e four miles to the mango topes, an 4 proceeded to occupy the two m*chans prepared for 'them. The two Jieuteiniinte poeupied the first .^Jaljfprm, an<Ji Lord Bertrand and Captain Ppjhill-Carew ciimbed into the second macho??, » large : bambop platform firmly erected in the forks ol three huge trees, growing olos» together, at about fifty ieet from th« ground. The 'two machana' were about a hundred yards apart. Th« platform* we Jwge «nd roomy, and capable ot oolding nearly a, dozen people. On each of them I was placed Wo or three easy ehairs ; »nd • table: ■• ■ • •■/■■■ ' To unpack the d*ink»bl«s and < ealtahSes was the -first work, which being perform^, the hock, Mrhieky, and sejtaer were plaited on the table, and the buruff (ice) in its blanket under the table. Then Jones wxd bis friend stretched themselves out luxuriously in the easy chairs, and, lighting their cheroots, proceeded to read the latest ■weeklies, while the shikar, or huntsman, kindly l*nt to them by the Nawab, kept watoh. Machao. hunting is slow and unprofitable as a rule, though not as free from danger as $ome people might imagine. Tigers have been known to spring into adjacent trees, apd, leaping down on to the platform, to nave dragged their victims to the ground with them. But the odds are greatly in favour of the gun, since the. time taken by the tiger to reach the madhan is longer and the opportunities for "potting" him are greater. | The process of macban shooting is simplicity itself. The machans are always built in trees enclosing some open space frequented by tigers. In this open space the kid of a .goahjs tied on a running string to a peg fastened in the ground in the centre of the space enclosed. When the kid gets tiredi of imprisonment, and especially towards evening, it commences to bleat for its mother, and bleats on unceasingly. The cry attracts the tiger, which not unfrequently roars from a great distance off. He is spotted by the shikar and bowled over sometimes before entering the ring. At other times he is allowed to spring and kill the kid, after which he is despatched while lapping up the warm blood of the decoy. The arrangements for the day were that Jones, being the novice, should have the first shot, then Carew, then Dane, and Lord Bertrand, who was an experienced shikar, last. Should any man kill one, he stood out ab the next. They took to the machans about 8 o'clock and Jones began to air Iris dubious Hindi on the Nawab's unfortunate shikar at once. By dint of questioning and much prompting from Dane, who- swore' -volubly at .being so frequently interrupted, Jones learned from the native that Ulmur,' the Nawab's capital, was about thirty miles from Bundy, that tigers ewarmed over the Nawab's dominions, and that only the night before a native woman had been carried off by a man-eater, and the Nawab had gone to get a shot at him. Yes, he thought they would get plenty of sport ; there were a great many lairs for tigers round the lake. About 9 o'clock the kid commenced bkating, and within twenty minutes there came a roar from right forward of where the first machan was. The shikar strained his eyes in that direction and 1 the two subalterns seized their rifles. " Uther, sahib ! Uthex ! " (Over there, \ sir!) said the shikar, pointing through the ■ jungle to about eighty yards ' away r and both the sportsmen saw a long yellow streak bounding along towards them through the long grass, as lightly as a cat. " Give it him as be springs, Jones," said Dane. "Right," said Jones, and his rifle went to his shoulder. With a .blood-curdling the 'tiger crouched eight or ten yards away from the kid for a spring, and " bang " went Jones's rifle, followed by the thud which showed that it was a fair hit on the hip, for the tiger sprang in the air with an angry snarl and limped painfully towards the machan, spitting like » wild cat. The next moment Carew's rifle rang out, and once more the tiger was hit, this time in the ribs. Its snarling and spitting was something terrible. ■■"■'" '' "My turn," said Dane coolly. An even thousand rupees I turn him over." "No wager!" cried Jones. The third, §hot hit the. tiger fairly on the skull, between the eye?, and with a convulsive spring in the air he fell dead. After an interval of some minutes, the shikars shinned down the ladders, and within ten

minutes a full grown tiger w-as hanging by his legs to one of $he topmost branches of a tall peepul tree. "It would not do. to leave him down there," snid Dane. "We should nev«£ get. another ghot. They can scent death hundreds' oi yards away !" : A little later Lord Bertrand appeared at the foot of their machan into which he climbed. "I say, Jones, let me ta&e first;, pot in future, you can have the next, it will give you a' better chance of getting a skin. There will only be three of us for the next as Dane stands out." "Very well," answered Jones. "Isn't it ralther rash of you to be stalking about on foot, sir?" " Oh ! I'm safe enough,. There are no other tigers about. ju.st now- By and, J>y« we will get nxpre sport." And XiOtd Be-r---tra.nd retu,rne<} to hig machan. About twelve o'clock roars were, b^eard; a,ll round the enclosure, and it was ascertained that three tigers were' approacning. The shikars couW tell that by *he different roars. "■ By Jove ! I may get another siot *t, once," cried Dane as he grs^bbe^ his. rifle. A roar which shqok thei machana f^Upwed by a second close "to the^r left, between, the two groups of spGflftfim.ea, them where a."fcu.ge tigres^. was ei^?ead.y crouching for- her sprang. A yard or- two behind her was a w«ll^rown cu,^, lashing his tail against his loins oofltenitedly in anticipation qi a good feed. f,ar riffht another loud roar told of the ajit proach of a. tihird tiger whicl^ \kw shikars told, 'them was the father of tie cub. "Great Scott! Why djPffn'-fe Bertrattd fire?" wWs|iered Jones, excitedly. "\Vould spoil all," said; Jiis. ipewpargon. "Watch the cub, for as soon as thJe tiger appears' Bertrand will kill the tigress. 4« never misses. . I'll leave th/e cut( to y.«Vb 8«d wiaiiio? a chance, at th^e *i^er ift yeas&.v eas&. Qarevr misses." ' '. J Just then the tiger leajped into tl^e en-closur-e, hundred yard? away to the right,^ iaahing his aides with his jt&wexftll tftg. " " ■■"" " " B an g ? Plunk •" I' OT 4 Bertrand's rifle," just as tie tigress sprang ; he hit her under the fore-arm while in midrair, and she dropped insi.d? the' encio6ure Stone <tead, shot through heart and lungs. Jones fired at the cub, and dropped him, just as Carew/ hit the old tiger, very J^rd. But t)he \ub jumped up, an| was orawjing a.way, as the tiger made a bound at the machan. Quick as tfchought Daoe had turned to fire at the cub. as he heard Jon«a's execration, -followed by a disgusted, "Mtese4 again!" He bpwl«d tihe cub over- beautifully, just. as the old tiger sprang at the mjbchtao j *nd he turned) hastily round to see its feaftnsplaahedi jawa snarling and. snapping at Jones, who wap calmly lugging out his revolver. Jones deliberately took aim, and sent a bullet crashing into the tiger'?! chest, " Let him have another !" cried Dane, by his eide } and once agaift Jones fired, tsfo\s time with mere effect, as the fcullet penetrated the brain of the animal, a|4 thp tiger fell dead. "Very cleverly a«4 coelly done, old man," said Lieutenant Done. " I got your cub, but you have scored over Oaraw. Won't he be savage. He has had <deuced hard luck, tfeougl). Tlw eighth, of an inch furtJjer, and instead pf feTeiking the tiger's elbow, his, sliet jvoul4 have penetrated its heart." "Well, you're in lu.pk,.D.ane," oriecL Lord Bertrand, aa he and Qaptain Qarew ciinVbed into tjieir machan, whjlei th>" kais were hauling Ithe dead tigers high, into tha tpees. "Two skins to our- one, el\? Jonep, you behaved with the greatest coolness. You wilimajce a grea* "shikar J" The carcases were cleverly .gkjnned by the Naw^b's men, the bodies were buried jn as many large hj>les, and everybody turned to the table for an impromptu tiffin.. ' The kid, which had never ceased pleating until, the tigress fell dead at its side, ' now remained mute, paralysed by the fright it had got. 'So a new kl4 was procured and exchanged for the la*t one j and it began to browse about the enclosure, ob- . livious to all danger. But about four in the afternoon it began to bleaib. and kept on bleating louder and louder. Half an hour passed, then, an hour, and then the jungle resounded to one teV rifio ro*r. "Bertrand's shot first!" said Dane, as the roaring came nearer and nearer. The shikars strained their «yes jfoiva sight of the tiger, but it was approaching in. the thick jungl* to the left, and only th* waving of the long grass showed wher«i it came. At length, witb a- fearful roar, a- huge tiger flashed through, the sunlight and Landed in the enclosure about six ' feet out of the jungle. He was a magnificent beast, the largest by fair of any that had been shot by the party that day, A moment's suspense, then Lord Beatrand's rifle spoke, and the huge beast sank writhing in death. ' " Now, if Carew oaa score next time, we shall have done splendidly," said Da»e., " We'll be going by six ; it gets too dark to be safe after that. Hullo, that's a mad thing for BeirtraJid to do." Lord Bertrand had left 'his macban. and was coolly marching up the enclosure to where the dying tiger lay. None of the shikars bad ventured out, for tigers are tenacious of life, and die hard. But the Lieutenant-Colonel of the 28th stood over the still breathing beast, and proceeded to pass a. small tape measure over it. " Good job he's dead," said; Dane, an the tiger did no^move. " He's a monster without a doubt!" Let us go and' have a look at him." • And both he and Jones descended from their machan with the shikar. Th«y had scarcely walked thirty yard* when a hideous roar transfixed them to the spot. Before they could move or cry out, a. tigress sprang from "the same jungle that the tiger had come out of. With a thirty foot spring, the 'brute landed right «ai Lord Bertrand, and bobh man and animal went plunging to the ground 1 . . „■ j . " Oh, good God! Poor Bertuand!" cried Jones, drawing hi* revolver and running towards the tigress. "Here, halt!" shouted Dane. " She'll carry him into the jungle if you give chase. Ah, there she goes. Now, Carew, for ycur life !" xxie tigress had picked up her victim, and was backing, or rather sidling, from her pursuers towards the jungle. Dane could not shoot, being unarmed ; Carr-oones had only hia revolver. " Leave it to Carew," said Pane, pointing to the other machan. Jones turned to look. Captain Carew was standing with his rifle to his shoulder, absolutely motionless. He might have been Eculptui'&d from marble, so still was he. For nearly a minute he re- j mained rigid, and Jones trembled, as he re- 1 called the Scouts' Ball, and what he had heard -that- -night. There between happiness andi himself lay the man who stood between them. How easy for Carew to miss, and be rid of him for ever. "Will he miss? Or is he trying to kill?" thought Jones. The prolonged aim became almost maddening. At last came a flash, followed by the report of Carew's rifle, and the tigress I fe!l in her tracks on the top of the Lieui tenant-Colonel, who was deluged in its blocd. The aim had been perfect, as half the tigress's skull was blown out. I "Thank God !" cried Dane in a low voice, and both the juniors dashed on to where their senior officer lay. He had dragged himself out 'from under the tigress, and was sitting up when they reached him. "AH right, lads !" he cried with a white face' ''thanks to Carew. My only fear was that he might miss. Hurt? I should rather think so. I fancy all my ribs are smashed where she struck me on the right side, and the brute has clawed me behind tSie left shoulder fearfully." A rude stretcher Avas quickly made out of some bamboo poles aoid a rug, and after Lieutenant Dane had rendered first aid, Lord B^trand was

hurried off to Rajgunge attended by Lieutenant Dane and the two shikars. Captain Polhill-Carew had appeared upon $be scene with an asben facej, trembling as. I if with an ague. There -was a look of horror in his eyes, and his lips; quivered painfully as he attempted to speak calmly. He gave his lhand to Lord Bertrand with apathy, turning away at once to give carders to break up the camp. Watching him carefuillji Carr-Jones read! in lys «y«s tjbe horror which had met hjm a> the though* <4. freedom and 1 happiness with her had burst upon him. " You have had an a.wful minutes !" thought Jones, " but man's nobility gained, tha day. Yon will never have cause "to Call yourself whiph you might have been ha,d yQu lfeten*4 to *h« vw& p| temptation ~a,nd missed, that shot j" i^ng in s^ence he. rc^e feacfc to bwdv amd Raj-. gpngfo thence to. BundaoJE with, Craptain !fp^hil|-Oar€W. Lprd'^ertfeffi^ had already reaped dook, having been brougitb, ?r by Lieutenant Dane in the d,ogcart.; and; h? was" h^ing attended *o ab. the JB^Ratqrium. wfeen.' other sperfcsmen arrived about midnigjnt. After seeing tbe "surgeon., "who said the Lieut-enant-Oploii<el wquH 'reepver, "Csirrr Jones left the Sanatorium and returned to barracks. On the verandah pf the oJnbroom stood Lady Bertrand and Captain Polhill-Carew. '* And yon sayed^ his lile, Arthur?" Jon.es beard her say j "that wais noble of you, indeed!" The "sub.* sa.w her white face upraised, sic caught the flajsh p| % tear on ifepr «heck \n %\fc blight mopnlight; and,, with % rig^trabaut tuin, he marched away from ihemt,, feeling thafc it was' gp#d "to &n % wojfll'an^ in. » j^gimeftt wh^ere there w-erer men like O^taiQ J»c3hiil ; Carew, who eou^cl. QWqi 6l7 §»#. t«n\ptßttions 'Tvfi^t. L^e &/&&< Sqnow.