Woodville Republican. (Woodville, Miss.) 185?-current, 1888-11-10
THE GoORKHA's KNIFE
Daring Single-Handed Encounter
With a Bengal Tiger

Many years ago, when the King Of
Dude still reigned in Lucknow, little
dreaming how soon the English were to
come and rule in his stead, two men
stood together on the upper veranda of
the palace, which rose far above all the
other buildings around it. 1t was a
fine spring evening, and the crimson
glow of sunset was lighting up the flat
rooted houses and white-domed tenn
pies OF the great city, and the green
fields, waving woods and shining
streams that lay outspread for many a
mile around it.
But, splendid as the view was, the
two men seemed to pay but little heed
to it, Their attention was fixed upon
the spacious courtyard below, where
the native soldiers of the Kings body
guard were going through their exer-
cises; and the whole court was alive
with the fiutter of sillsen banners, and
the din of barbaric music, and the clash
and ring of steel, as the dark faces, and
white turbans, and many-colored
dresses, and glittering weapons, surged
to and fro like the waves of stormy
sea.
By the keen, critical look with which
the two spectators (who were both in
European dress) watched the manoeu-
vers of the soldiers, one would have
guessed them at once to be army Of
ficers, even without the evidence of their
SCARED faces and straight, well-knit
frames.
But, although both were unmistak-
ably soldier-like, they were so in very
opposite ways. The one, a tall, slim,
dandifed young fellow, with pointed
black mustache, was French captain
of dragons the other, short, square,
thick-set, grizzled, with whlskers as
thick and wiry as bramble-bush, was
an English colonel of Bengal native In
fantry.
'Well, you may say what you please,
my dear Colonel" said Captain De
Vautran, "but you'll never persuade
me that these Asiatics of yours can be
made into soldiers. Remember, we
Frenchmen tried it ourselves hundred
years ago, and you know what came,
of it."
Perhaps you didn't try long enough, "
answered the Colonel, quietly. "I-don't
say that those fellows down yonder are
fit to face European troops, but l think
I could show you some others that
would be"
At that moment there appeared on
the terrace behind them a large,
swarthy, heavy-built man, whose en-
broidered robes and jeweled sword-hilt,
with the splendid ruby that sparkled in
the front of his snow-white turban,
showed him to be a person OF some con-
sequence. His face was somewhat bloat-
ed and discolored, as if from habitual
over-feeding and want of exercise but
there was nothing in it save the rest
less, sidelong glance of his small black
eyes to mark him as one of the most
pitlless tyrants in all India. Yet such
was actually the case, for this man was
no other than the King of Dude himself.
''You are looking at my men, see,
sahibs" (gentlemen), said he, in very
tolerable English. would you like
to come down and sec them a little
closerP"
''We follow, your Majesty" replied
Colonel Sedley, bowing.
And the King descended the stair
that led to the courtyard, the two of
ficors following, and a long train of
richly-dressed natives bringing up the
rear.
Seats were placed for the King and
his guests, and the guards went through
all the details Of sham fight with con-
siderable spirit. But Captain De
Vautran was not to be pleased, and
though too polite to say so openly, he
evidently thought the whole show very
poor affair.
''See that fellow now," said he to
OoAOhOA OOoAOys BAuhOlhB db d leah, llt-
tie man hardly bigger than a we'll
grown boy, whose fat, brown face and
wide mouth made him look very much
like penny with a whole through it.
s.Do you mean to say that he would
ever make soldierP''
"And supposing were to tell YOU"
replied the Colonel with quiet smile,
''that that very man is by far the best
soldier in the whole place, what would
you say thenP''
81 should say" cried De Vautran,
''that you should not tell such stories
to mer'
"And supposing I were to say the
same," put in the King, "what would
the Captain sahib say thenP"
Il should say" answered the
Captain, with a polite bow, "that your
Majesty was pleased TO make fun OF
me"