The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-03-28

"Thats the man; did you know himp
II should think did. I shan't forget him in
a hurry; how he once took up chair with man
sitting in it, and set it in the middle of the table
as easily as if it were plate Of biscuits"
Yes he was tremendously strong fellow l
remember myself seeing him write his name
on the wall Of the mess-room at Ramgunj with.
darsn't say how many, iron weights hanging on
his little finger. But was going to tell You how
first met him. You see, when came out here
for the first time was quite crazy about hunting
and shooting, as all you youngsters are; and
nothing would serve me but must GO up into
Bengal and shoot royal Bengal tiger
"'If you want to have crack at the big game,
said one of the officers of the -th Native In
fantry, at whose mess I dined on my way
through Lullutpur, you couldn't have better
man than Jack Campbell, of the -th He's one
CT the greatest shikaris tsportsnen) in all India,
just in the very district where you're going.
You've heard of him, of course
II was forced to confess that hadn't
"'Never heard of Jack Campbell! Well. by
Jove, that beats all. Why, he's the man who
1.-The theft echoed I; WELL you're lucky if
you've only one thief in all India
''At that they all began laughing like mad, as
If had made the finest joke in the world although
for my part couldn't see anything TO laugh at
Well, If you don't know the story you ought
to hear it at once for it's safe to turn up at every
mess that you dine at in Bengal. It's quite the
stock story of the season. Some things were
stolen one night in the barracks at Nawababad,
don't you know, and it was as clear as daylight
that whoever did 1t must have been one of those
inside. So Campbell paraded all his sepoys the
first thing next morning. and told them that
Brahma had shown him IN dream how to de-
tect the thief; and then he gave each of them a
hosx hoo obi on4 1r1a radf tn
in line and give up their chips one by one, tell
ing them that the thief. do what he might. would
be sure to have the longest Two companies
had gone by, when Jack suddenly colared one of
the men, calling out that he was the thief, and
the fellow at once confessed that he So,
after that, ss you may think. the natives rover
enced old Jack as if he had been Brahma him
self
" But how on earth did he manage itr
Don't you see? The chips were all the same
length. and the thief, to make sure of not having
the longest, had bitten piece Off
sAll this, of course, made me doubly eager TO
see this wonderful man, but hadn't got far into
Bengal when / heard that he had been trans
ferred from Nawababad to some other station,
the name of which couldn't End out This
seemed to knock the head all my hopes of
meeting with him; but / was fated to be intro
duced to him much sooner Than expected, and
in very melodramatic way.
II headed for the upland country along the
skirts of the Himalaya as good place for big
game, for those parts, being thinly peopled, the
tigers have it all their own way. You've been up
there yourself and SO you can guess what time
had in the villages with the native beggars; and
at last met one VINO was too much for me alto
gether. He was one of those wretched fakirs
whom the natives think holy they certainly
have the 'odor of sanctity' about them pretty
strong), and he came humping and whining
after me with q wooden bowlful of scraps the
very smell of which was enough to knock horse
down. Then, when / wouldn't give him any
thing he began to abuse me las these fellows
always dol. announcing that my grandmamma
had eloped with q gorilla, that my mother had
had a crossing sweeper for sweetheart, and
that my wfe-who, by the by, didn't exist then
was well known to have run away with half
caste cook.
TAT last felt as If I'd had just about enough
of it, so turned round and gave aim one in the
eye,' whereupon, 10 and behold! to my utter
amazement and horror, he fell down dead on the
spot, while all the rabbe of the village instantly
came rushing up yelling murderp
II have read somewhere Of a. sailor who said
he was so dumfounded that you might have
knocked him down with the butt end of mus
ket, almostr It wouldn't have needed anything
so emphatic to knock me down just then, for
was SO shocked and astonished that if the mig
gers had gone to work to kill me outright, as
some of them seemed very much inclined &c do
flor, of course my demolition of this miracle Of
dirty holiness was worse crime than If I'd
killed twenty common menl, / doubt if could
have lifted hand to defend myself.
But just then tall, gaunt, sly-looking old
chap-who; l afterward found out, was
Brahmin, and the chief priest of the place
stepped forward and said that the law had to be
observed, and that must be taken at once be-
fore Campbell Sahib'
g Campbell Sahibr thought to myself Can
this be the famous Jack at last2 and Is my first
introduction to him to present me in the respect
able character of convicted murderer
''But had no time to think Of it, for in trce
I found myself formed into procession and
marched off, with the corpse OF my poor inno-
cent, upwashed victim carried along beside me-
"We went right through the village and up
to the door Of q good bungalow country
house,, on the veranda of which l saw man
seated at a table covered with papers He was
a short, square, sunburned fellow. with thick.
brown beard. and immensely broad chest. and
gether, in fact, the kind Of man with whom you'd
much rather shake hands than fight.
"'Well, said Captain Campbell the was only
a captain them, after looking at the corpse and
listening to the story-wheh was no easy mat
ter. for they all spoke at once, one louder than
another-tne case seems to be clear one, and
in such matters the law is, of course, life for
life tremendous applause from the Hindu audi
ence, and visible sensation on my partl, unless
you choose to accept compensation in money for
the relatives of the deceased General bright
ening of faces in the crowd, the old priest him
self looking particularly happy.l
".But,' resumed Campbell, Just as the native
public seemed about TO vote unanimously for
the money compensation, where the law Is life
for life, it is better to give back life than to
take one; So instead of putting this Englishman
to death, would it not be well for me to bring
your friend to life AGAIN.
:. apparently the Hindus didn't think that 10
would be well at all; for, il lighted bombshell
had suddenly fallen among them, they could
hardly have looked more dismayed
"sWe cannot permit an unbeliever TO touch
this holy man, said the priest hastily, as Camp
bell rose from his place.
"'Far be II from me to touch him. answered the
Captain, with sly look at the filthy carcass
which no man in his senses would have touched
with anything shorter than barge pole. There
Is no need of that
HE went into the house and brought out
small bottle. from which he let fall on the bare
chest of the corpse three or four drops Of the
strongest aquafortis-powerfu enough to burn
q hole In an oak plank.
up jumped the dead man with screech like
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