of the honey-tree, the rich green of the palms, and
the bright emerald of the occasional paddy-fields
were a beautiful mixture of colour in the tender
morning light The brick - coloured land and dis-
tant blue rocky hills, with the clear sky, filled up the
background.
We pitched our next camp near an old and once
strong, but now deserted and ruined fortresa People
in England, who only know of the historic strong-
holds, have little idea of the nimiber of elaborately
strengthened places which have been formed in India,
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68 TALES FROX ''BLACKWOOD.''
and which under the strong and peaceful 0way of
Britain, have now lost their raiaon cTSire^ and are
forgotten in the junglea. The one in question was
an example. Two rocky and steep scarped hills
about half a mile apart^ connected by a bastioned
Une of walled fortification and a deep dry ditch.
The hills, 400 to 500 feet high, with seveial lines
of fortification upon them, and a large walled keep
crowning eacL The native village nestled inside
the fortifications at their feet Some old guns lay,
motddering and grass-covered, on the ramparts, whose
sole warders wero the troops of monkeys which little
feared a stranger, and only acknowledged our presence
by loud and general chattering.
Many were the lamentations over the destruction
among the village herds which the patd poured into
our ears when he came to pay his respects; and
many were the hopes expressed that the noble sahibs
would slay the two tigers which haunted the neigh-
bouring jungle, and relieve the district from the fear
of their ravages Our hopes of brilliant sport rose
with each tale of woe, and we waited with eager
anticipations for the thtkarri^ next morning's report
of the result of their preparations.
The next morning came at last^ and with it the
welcome news that one of the buffaloes, which had
been tied up near the tigers' haunts, had been killed
during the night, and that the slayer had been
marked down in a ravine about a mile and a half
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cxuhoidjuioih ? ? 69
dirtaat) whither he had carried his prey to goige it
at his leisnie, and where he was probably now sleep-
ing off the effects of his meal.
The beateis had been already summoned from the
Tillages, and, headed by our friend the paid^ they
began to assemble at our camp, each group, as it
came in, more motley and wild in appearance than
the last Our final preparations have been made, and
we start for the scene of action. Our nondescript
crowd follows — some, and they the proud ones,
carrying rusty matchlocks, some with spears, some
with sickles or knives tied to the ends of sticks.
Tom-toms, horns, pipes, were not wanting, while the
professional shikarrie strove to keep order in the
array, carrying bundles of native rockets, with the
important air of lictors with their fasces.
A short walk, and we neared the ravine where the
tiger had been marked down. It lay by a broken
rocky hill, or rather cluster of hills, with trees and
brushwood on their sides, and pieces of dense thicket
in their hollows. At the distant side of the hills the
ground sloped into a broken woodland, which stretched
away for miles towards a blue range of high land in
the horizon.
Our beaters were taken in charge by two shikarris^
who were to dispose them so as to be ready to sweep
the ravine and hills before them, while the guns stole
quietly round the outskirts to the distant side where
the game was likely to break. Then came the busi-
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70 TALB8 FEOM '' BLACKWOOD.'*
ness of taking up our portions. We dievr for sta-
tions, and my lot fell on the right of the line. Mac-
kinnon was on the lefty and Button in the centre,
and we were to be placed about 150 or 200 yards
apart I clambered into a tree with my gun-bearer,
and took up a safe position, while Button and Mac-
kinnon went on to be posted by the head skUcarri,
Then came the most trying time of the day's work —
waiting for the beat to commence. A seat on a
knotty branch of a tree is not a comfortable position,
when perfect stillness is necessary, and every in-
dividual roughness on your perch seems to work its
way more and more uncompromisingly into your un-
defended person. The Deccan hot-weather sun biases
overhead, his beams reflected with almost original
intensity from the glowing rock hard by; and the
thin, half-withered foliage of the jungle-tree, which
gives a good sweep for a rifle, is far from being a
sufficient umbrella in point of shada It is quaint
and interesting, however, to watch the animal life in
the jungle, when all is still, and its inhabitants are
unconscious of observation. First, a magnificent pea-
cock, scenting danger in the wind, comes bustling
dowji the hill, making so much noise that I almost
think he must be the tiger. He catches sight of me
in the tree, and is horrified to find himself committed
to so short a distance from a human stranger. He
takes flighty and floats gracefully away, without a
movement of his wings, after two or three initial
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COINCIDENCSS?? 71
Btrokea Then a mxmgooB rashes across the open,
fall of important business. He disappears into a
heap of stones, and a minute or two later again shows
himself, and returns to his original cairn. A rustle
of leaves — a squirrel has changed his quarters, and
moved his monotonous cry from one tree to another.
Another rustle. This time it is a large lizard that
has left, with a flop, the stone where he has been
sunning himself, and has bustled to other quarters.
Whir, whir, whir ! tom, tom, tom ! went suddenly
the beaters' rattles and drums in the distance. The
beat at last commenced. Wild shrieks and discor-
dant yells, which might have represented every form
of human agony, roused the echoes of the hills.
Bang! — there a firework was thrown into a rocky
cave. Stones are being rolled down the clifs into
unapproachable thickets, and every form of Hindoo
objurgation and reviling is being shouted, to induce
the lurking game to move forward where the rifles
are prepared to receive him. The jungle tenants were
awakened in earnest A gaunt hyaena trotted by,
looking fearfully over his shoulder. An old bear,
with a couple of cubs, came rolling along, and passed
within a few yards, complaining loudly at being dis-
turbed. Suddenly a huge dusky form swung slowly
through the bushes, about 200 yards from me. I
grasped my rifle tighter, reckless that the barrels felt
almost red-hot in the sun. I thought he must come
down a pass in the rocks within easy shot, and I felt
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73 TALKS nOX
certain that I ooold eover himi when a wretched
natire, who had been put in a tree some distance off
as a look-out, with the strictest iigimctions to silence,
could not contain his excitement, and began holloaing
and shouting at the top of his voice. Of course the
tiger turned, and my chance was gone. He loomed
as big as a bullock, a magnificent sight, as his striped
side glowed red in the sunlight, while he passed to
my left
I waited for Button's rifle to speak, but heard
nothing. There was almost sQence for a minute,
when I heard two shots in rapid succession coming
from where I supposed Mackinnon to be. These
were followed, after a pause, by two more. Another
pause, and an English ** Who-whoop 1 " rang through
the jungla The line of beaters came up, and told
me that though one tiger had been killed, the other
had sneaked off to one side, and made his escape
towards the distant hills. There was nothing more
to wait for, and I made my way in the direction that
the sound of shots came from. There lay the tiger,
terrible still in death. Button had the complacent
air of the man who has fired the lucky shot, while
Mackinnon looked a little pale, and his gun-bearer
was holding forth most volubly to the beaters who
had arrived on the spot As I appeared. Button with
equal volubility commenced to give his account of
the death —
** What a sharp thing that was of yours, old fellow,
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OOINGIDKNGIS?? 7S
•
to Bend that shtkarri to bring me to Mackinnon's
post ! I was sitting waiting for the tiger to show,
when the nigger came and beckoned to me to follow
him. I thought he most know all about it, so I
slipped down from mj tree and arrired just in time
to see Mackinnon standing on that rock, and firing at
th& tiger within five-and-twenty yarda He must
have hit the beggar, but not hard enough, for the
brute was just going to spring, and I don't think
Mac would have gone back to cantonments after it.
I confess I felt a bit jumpy; but I took as quiet
a shot as I could, and put an ounce of lead in the
brute's bndn and another in his throaty and turned
him over. Mac had a nanow squeak. "So wonder
he looks a bit shakey."
" Lucky indeed you were there, Button," I said ;
*' though I never sent to move you. But how on
earth were you mad enough to leave your tree, Mac-
kinnon 1 Tou must have thought yourself a better
shot than most of us, to choose to meet a tiger on
foot*'
'' Well, you see, Melville, after I had been sitting
in the tree for some time I found there were red
ants in it, or rather they found me out, and began to
bite so viciously that I could stand it no longer, so I
thought I would make a run for it^ and try to find
another perch. Just as I had got on to this rock,
the tiger came chaiging down, and my only chance
was to fire. I hit onoe^ I know, bat only enough to
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74 TALES FROM ''BLACKWOOD.*'
make bim pat up his biiBtles. My gun-bearer had
not followed me, and if Button had not come up at
that moment, I should have been finished off long
before now. I quite gave myself up."
" Well, it was a nairow shave. But, Button, show
me the sktkarri who moved you. He has deserved
well of his country, at any rate."
'' Oh, I couldn't mistake him— an old fellow with
a grey beard and a red turban; seemed awfully
keen and excited, but was sharp enough to make no
noise."
I had seen all our ehikarris in the morning, but
did not remember one answering to the description.
We got all our followers together, and there were
certainly no absentees, as the danger was over, and
they thought that perhaps pay-time had come. Even
the fat paid arrived from the safe position which he
had occupied far in rear of the fray, and added his
^^sJiabaah** to the shouts of delight of the rest of the
crowd.
Still, no one with a red turban. The shtkarris
swore that there was no Ud puggri kxz^ZoA amongst
them. Who could it be, whose opportune inter-
ference had, in all probability, saved Mackinnon
from a ghastly death? All declared that they had
i\o hand in moving the sahib from his position. But
Button stuck to his story, and said there could be no
mistake.
« Do you think I would have been such a d d
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0QIKGIDIN0X8?? 75
fool as to come down to the ground, if I had not been
moved hj a man who seemed to know what he was
about r'
Button's gim-bearar was looked for to see if he had
recognised the mysterious messenger; but he was
only now coming up in rear of the crowd, and frankly
acknowledged tibat he had been in too great a funk
to quit the tree, when he thought a tiger was on foot
He had seen his master suddenly jump down, with-
out apparent reason, and was astonished when he
went away. All's well that ends well, and Mao-
kinnon's and Button's gun-bearers escaped the lick-
ing which they no doubt anticipated for not being
handy at the critical moment Indeed, one could
hardly blame the poor wretches for not plunging into
the jaws of danger in the reckless and apparently
purposeless way that their masters had doneu
While our followers were employed in slinging
the tiger on a stout bamboo, to cany him home in
triumph, we ensconced ourselves in a cool adjacent
cave, hailed the coolie with the Imicheon-basket^ and
prepared to slake our thirst in well-earned goblets.
I was puzzling over the tale of the unknown thakarri
and his timely appearance, when Button paused in
lifting his tambler to his lips, and said —
<< Melville^ I believe my red-turbaned friend is first
cousin to the man you vowed you saw that day's
panther-spearing.''
Wild as the suggestion seemed, I could not help
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76 TlUB ROX ''BLkCKWOOD.'
feeling there migjit be a connection between the two
events. Both weze, at any zate> mysterious, and to
neither was there to me any satisfactory solution. I
could only say —
'' My dear Button, you thought that day that I was
dreaming. Perhaps you dream yourself sometimes."
No more was said, and we returned to our camp.
The whole population of the village turned out to
receive us — ^men, womeUi and children — all eager to
see the dreaded monster, which had only been known
to them as the stealthy and ruthless taker of black-
mail from their herds, and which might at any time
have made a bonne bouche of papa or mamma, or
brother or sister. We felt very great and beneficent
beings indeed, and promised ourselves many more
moments of equal triumph before our leave was up.
Alas 1 our hopes were soon rudely blighted. Behind
the exulting and shouting crowd appeared a runner,
who unrolled his turbui, and produced a letter
addressed to Captain Melville, with the ominous
initials, 0.H.M8., on the envelopeu To my diflgust^
it was from the adjutant.
''Mt dbar Mblvillb, — ^There has been an out-
break among some fanatics about 150 miles from
here, and the Resident has applied for a company
to be ready to be sent down to support the native
police, who don't seem to be w(»th muck We are
ordered to furnish the company, and yours is the first
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CX)INGIX>KNCI8 ? ? 77
for deteehment The oobnel, therof oie, denies that
joa will letuzn to headquarters at onoei A dawk
of hones has been ananged for yoiL Sony to spoil
your sport"
This was diqgQstiiig; and there was nothing for it
but to obey, and bid farewell to our tented freedom
and sport Why eould not those wretched fanatics
have controlled their spirits till the drill season, when
a little mild campaigning might have been a not cm-
welcome intetlude in our usual series of battalion and
brigade parades t The journey out to our shooting-
ground had been fatiguing, but at any rate we had
been buoyed up against weariness, and it had been
made pleasant for us by the anticipation of the fun
wluch we hoped to have ; but the journey back, with
the immediate prospect of an inglorious and rather
distasteful duty, was very different We got through
it, however, and reported ouiselyee, to the intense
delight of some of our friends, who had feared that
the letter of recall might not reach us, and that they
would have to go on coercion duty instead of us.
Though we were held in readiness, the actual orders
for our movement did not arrive tiU the second day
after our return ; but Mackinnon and I had our time
fully occupied on the intervening day by parades and
preparations.
Fortunately for us, there was a railway which could
bring us within a few miles of the place where our
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78 TALBS FBOM "* BUICEWOOD.*
services were leqtdied ; and still more f ortmiately, wb
were only a small body of troops to be moved, so we
were not crammed with regulation tightness into the
train, but both officers and men had ample room, a
matter of no small consideration towards the end of
the hot weather. My company was formed up at the
station about six o'clock in the evening, so that we
might run the troop-train through and get into camp
before morning. There they stood, in cool and easy
JcJiaki clothes, with greatcoats rolled, haversacks over
their shoulders, and their pouches bulging with ball-
ammunition, while the active sergeants were telling
off the parties to load the baggage in the vans, and
allotting ite proper complement of men to each com-
partment of the carriages. All looked serviceable
and workmanlike; and though the men seemed at
first sight a little drawn and black under the eyes
from the effects of the long hot months they were
stalwart seasoned soldiers, whose stamina was at its
best.
In these days there is one great satisfaction to a
soldier, and especially a regimental officer, in serving
in India, that when any troops are required for ser-
vice, everybody is trained, fit and ready to go. There
the army is on a war-footing always, and it is not
necessary to break up a brigade to furnish a battal-
ion, nor a battalion to furnish a company. Here
are no batches of reserve men or detachments of
volunteers from distant ganisons turning up at the
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OOIKGIDENGES?? 79
last minute^ and breaking the hearts of officers and
non-commissioned officers alike. Here is no confu-
sion or uncertainty about the necessaries for a cam-
paign, and the transport which is to convey them.
Everything is clearly by regulation laid down and
known, and though it may and sometimes does hap-
pen that there is a local difficulty in providing what
is required, the Indian departments so well know
their work that that difficulty is always quickly
overcome. Add to this that the soldier in India
receives in peace-time systematic training in packing
loads and arranging them for whatever transport-
animals are available — elephants, camels, mules,
ponies, or bullocks — and it will be easily conceived
how smoothly the military machine works, and how
little friction or dislocation is caused by the sudden
call to arma
Mackinnon and I were the only two officers who
went with the company, as the battalion was unfor-
tunate in having some still on the sick-list Button
came to the station to see us off, and gave us his
blessing, and, what was more to the purpose, put an
ice-box with cooling drinks, and a luncheon-basket
with dinner, into our carriage, to solace us on our
journey.
We sped along through the night without cotUtb-
tempa^ and arrived at our destination in the grey of
the morning. Early as it was, we found the Collector
of the district awaiting us, who was profoundly re-
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80 TILES FROM * BLACKWOOD/*
lieved that his handB bad been 8treiigtbeiied,taid that
be migbt bope now to be able to leatore oider. Tbe
origin of tbe distorbances appeared to be tbat a fana-
tic Moslem, in a moment of religions frenzy, bad killed
a Hindoo. Tbe murderer bad been concealed by tbe
people of bis village, wbo, wben a force of police were
sent down to searcb and to enforce tbe law, bad taken
up arms, broken into open rebellion, and committed
several deeds of violence. Tbe native police bad been
defied and driven back, and tbe Collector and otber
magistrates stoned and tbreatened. It was now boped
that, if tbe police bad tbe support of a few soldiers, it
would be seen that resistance was hopeless, and that
things would settle down into their usual course.
The headquarters of the rioters were rather more
than twelve miles distant, and it was arranged that
we should encamp for the day, and march in the
evening to a village within two miles of their position,
and attack them on tbe following morning, unless in
the meantime they had seen the folly of their ways,
ceased resistance, and given up their ringleaders and
the original murderer. The Collector was very loath
to proceed to extremities with them, and said that be
would give them every chance of timely submission,
by sending a message to tell them of the force which
was now coming against them, and the serious con-
sequences of continued resistance. I never expected
that our services would be really required. Very few
comparatively of tbe fanatics appeared to have fire-
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1
OOINGIDKNCBS 11 81
ann% and the arrival of a train fall of white soldiers,
whose number rumour would no doubt multiply in-
finitely, seemed likely to make the desired impression
on the country-side.
We set to work to pitch our camp, and make our
detachment comfortable for the day, while the Collec-
tor sent off his ultimatum.
In the course of the forenoon we were joined by a
large body of native police, and between four and five
our small column moved off. It was a very trying
maich. The men were nearly ankle -deep in dust,
and dusty clouds, kicked up by every footstep, filled
our eyes, ears, and mouths, and made the heat of the
atmosphere even more intolerable. We made steady
progress, however. The police were some hundred
yards in front of my company, as the Collector, who
rode with them, wished the surrender to be made, if
it was made, to the civil power, and to keep the
soldiers as much as possible in the background.
" Oh, Bill ! what would you give for a pot of can-
teen porter)'' said one of my men huskily to his
next file, as they made their way through the gritty
atmosphere.
" Les beaux espriU se reTteorUrerU" said Mackinnon,
equally huskily, to me ; "I was just going to say that
an iced whisky-and-soda would be heavenly."
We reached the edge of some cultivated ground
after a time, however, and halted for a few minutes
to let the men quench their thirsty and refill their
T.g.— V. p
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83 TALES FROM "BLACKWOOD/
water-bottles at a neighbouring welL While we were
thus employed, two or three faint reports of musket-
shots were heard in the distance, and the police came
tumbling back from the front in considerable confu-
sion, the Collector bringing up their rear, brandishing
a white umbrella, abusing them for their conduct, and
adjuring them to come back and secure their oppo-
nents. The most striking objects in the crowd were
the messengers who had been sent in the morning,
and who now presented themselves, each with one of
his ears in his hand, which had been cut off, and sent
as sole receipt and answer to the summons which they
had brought ,
Things began to look more serious; and, as the
colour-sergeant remarked, " it seemed as if there was
some blood ahead of u&"
The sun had sunk below the horizon, and little
more could be done, as we had only moonlight to
guide us on a not very well-known track. I sent a
sergeant with a few men extended before us, to look
out for any lurking adversaries, and we pushed on to
the village where we were to bivouac, the police crowd-
ing together behind u& Our night was not too com-
fortable ; but the men had their rations, and the Col-
lector's soiixir-csLmel came up, with ample supplies for
himself, Mackinnon, and me. We hardly expected a
surprise ; but an inlying picket was told off, sentries
posted, and the rest of us lay down in the best shelter
we could find, wrapped in our greatcoats, to seek all
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COmCIDEKCES ? 7 83
the filmnber that was possible. Tom-toms and shout-
ing in the distance showed that the rebels remained
awake for long; but even this ceased after a time^
and all was stilL
All were on the alert^ and ready to move between
four and five in the morning. Every man had his
coffee, to guard against the ill e£fects of the morning
miasma ; and as the police were not to be depended
upon if there was any fighting, I made all the pre-
parations for the advance. Mackinnon took the lead
with five-and-twenty men, with orders to push through
the broken forest-ground, and, if possible, rush the
hamlet where the rebels were collected, while I fol-
lowed close in support with the rest of the company.
The Collector rode with the advanced party, while the
police took up a safe position in rear of the column.
We half anticipated that, when it was seen that we
were really in earnest, everything would be left clear
before us, and that the rebels would disperse and seek
safety in distant retreats.
We moved on for more than a mile in silence,
when I suddenly heard an irregular fusilade opened,
followed quickly by the sharp reports of English
rifles. I quickened the pace of my men, cleared the
belt of forest, which had impeded our view, and saw
a scattered crowd of natives keeping up a smart fire
as they retired on the village, which was in sight
half a mile distant. Mackinnon was following them
rapidly, with his men extended at short intervals^
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84 TALES IBOM « BLACKWOOD "
but well in hand, and kneding and fiziog as they
advanced. That it was not child's play was shown
by two bodies of natives lying bleeding on the gronnd
where they had fallen, and one of onr men who came
limping to the rear with a bullet through his le^
The Collector's white umbrella gleamed among the