Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-10-17
gle Cobra and the HOrSekseper.
JAMES FREDERICK HERRICK'


rCOpv'ighted, 1861
Fnoineer Hodson's surly temper was
,,oronghlv aroused. The night before he
had ordered the kuthuraikarun, or morse
keeper. to nave Regulus, his sturdy little
pau sad0led and at his door by day
hroak hit here it was $50 O'Clock and
there was no sign of man or beast. He
stormed and fretted, and so demoralized
his usually deoorous maty (butler) with
his picturesquely intermingled Hindoo-
stani and English profanity that when
that tunctionary returned from a vain
search for the missing servant in the
stable. he readily dropped into the Hodson
Sdiom as he announced that the man was
,.damn no there"
Rrntus Hodson, "Brute" Hodson, as he
was generally oalled-the abbrevlatiOn
having. however, an entirely different
significance when applied by his few per-
eonal friends from that it bore when used
nv the much larger number of those who
reared and hated the man on account OF
his violent nature-had resigned from the
army several wears before, after long
and what he considered, unrequiJed SER
vice as non-cOmmissiOGed officer In
Sepoy regiment, and obtained the ap'
pointment of civil engineer in one of the
provinces of southern India. This change,
willie welcomed by his comrades In arms,
had been both unfortunate and fortunate
for Brutus Hodson. Unfortunate, as the
mutiny, whose ravages afforded rapid
prom0tIon to low rank men, followed
closely upon his retirement, and fortu-
nate because more than oneSepOy, cherish
ing resentment at the brutal treatment re-
ceived from Engineer HOdsOn, would
gladly have improved the opportunities
for fearful revenge offered by the out
break.
Engineer HOdson was now stationed at
Runduko0um, a place that had taken
n its name from two large tanks IN the
vicinity. The wet season had begun and
the rains were unusually heavy. One of
the tanks had broken it's banks and the
rush Of water had swept away long
stretch Of government road, the elements
having thus devolved the duty of immedi-
ate repairs upon the sweet-tempered en-
gineer, who found the heat a sufficient
4 cause for bitter complaint when he was
i following the edlct of duty in fair weather,
4 and could not permit the present freak of
the season to pass undenOunced. If
Brutus Hodson had been consulted al
creation be would have recommended for
Southern India season unvarying IN
salubrity through the year-neither hot
nor cold, dry nor wet, kept 80 by an over
Spreading of clouds and gentle
sprinkle every midday, which would have
cooled his bungalow wnen it was most
Oven-llke, thus doing away with the
necessity OF moistened tatties, dampened
Verandas and swinging punkshs. He
could have suggested other radical i'm
proVements, too, and, not having been
asked Tor advice, he was aggrieved and
inclined to censorious criticism. 1t never
rams but 1t pours, be had SAID with GER
tain proiane adaptations of his own, when
ne heard of the FOODS unwarranted
preach OF discipline in meddling with the
road. Then, he had sent a peon to the
Elllage tarsuldar with a peremptory order
10 nave small army of coolies at the
scene OF disaster, accompanying the COM
lnand with threat of dire calamity if it
was not carried out.