The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1889-09-05
A KINGS PETS.
BY DAVID KER.

"People come out here and fire at a
crocodile and miss it, and then go home
and say it's bullet-proof," said my cous-
in, Roualeyn Gordon Cumming, the ia
nous ''lion-killer" of South Africa. The
"bullet- proof" theory, at which the great
hunter laughed, would have little chance
against the firearms of the present day;
but no one can pity the ''Timsach" (as
the Arabs call this river-pirate), for a
more hideous combination of cowardice
and ferocity, vast destructive power and
revolving physical ugliness, does not
exist on the face of the earth.
Moreover, the crocodile is so skilled at
"playing 'possum" that, like his terrible
cousin, the ground-sha of the Rea Sea,
he is often felt before he is seen. In the
Nile or the Ganges (as l can testify from
personal experience) you may at any mo-
ment see floating log-as you think
drifting slowly toward you with the cur
rent; and you will probably pay no par
ticular attention to it until it comes
within twenty feet or so, when it whirls
round suddenly and darts straight at you
with rush that lashes the muddy water
, into yellow foam, revealing all in one
moment the scaly, mud plastered body,
huge notched tail, horny snout, and
small, cunning, cruel eye of the croco-
die!
But of all the crocodile experiences
which have fallen to the lot of Mrs. Ker
and myself, the most memorable was
certainly that which befell us in the
Hindoo city of Jeypoor, or Jypoor, on
our way along the edge of the great
northwestern desert of India.
CHOW l think of it." said Mrs. Ker,
as we sat at breakfast in the veranda of
the snug little "Kaiser-i- empress
of IndiO Hotel" upon the steps and
balustrades of which the drifting sand Of
the desert had crusted itself like brown
sugar, ''this is the place where the reigning
Maharajah is said to keep tank full OF
pet crocodiles in his palace, just as an
Englishman might keep basin of gold
fish,"
~ wonder if he throws them a man
every now and then, to keep them in
condition" suggested l. eff SO, Ihope
they make an exception in favor of news
paper correspondents and reviewers, as
being in the 'chawing- up line like them
selves; but as kind critic was gracious.
ly pleased to observe that no man alive
could swallow my stories, perhaps croco.
ollie may not be able to swallow them
either. Anyhow, we must go and see. ,
We did so, and saw, during our in.
spection of the town and palace, quite
enough to have satisfied US, even if W.
had not seen the Maharajah's charming
pets at all. The whole city looked jus
like a huge piece of confectionery, thu
houses being all bright pink, with snow
white cornices, so as to give the exact eff
feet of an endless perspective of mon;
strous wedding cakes, recalling so for
chilly the German legend of the bread
and-butter house, with its cake roof ant
sugar windows, that 1 felt half inclined
to break off q piece of the nearest build
ing and begin to eat.
In front of the splendid hospital bull
by the Maharajah in honor of his friend
Lord Mayo murdered by Moslem fan
attic in 1874, while viceroy of India), ex
tended a spacious, and well-kept garden
on broad patch of smooth, green turf
in the centre of which two nativ
.'elevens" we're playing Hindoo cricket
match. The extraordinary antics of tn
players-who had evidently just begun t.
learn the game-and the wonderin,
comments Of the puzzled spectators (wh
were divided in opinion between suppos
ing. all the performers to be stark MAJ
and regarding the whole affair as som
peculiar religious ceremony set us bot
laughing till we could hardly stand; bu
Just then there came an interrupted
which made us grave enough.
A thin, care-worn man, in the dress @
an ordinary Hindoo peasant, followed b
five or six others who seemed to be hi
friends, approached us with lo'
salaam, and holding up the wasted, sick
Unlocking child that he carried in hi
arms, entreated me to heal it with
touch-a feat which he evidentl
thought quite within the power OF one
the wonder working "Inggrez Sahib-log
English masters).
The poor fellows imploring look, an
the silent, wistful appeal in the hollo'
eyes of the poor little sufferer itself mad
me long for the power of working mir;
cles as l had never longed for in m
childish reading of the healing exploit
of medievel saints or magicians. Wit
some difficulty contrived to explain
the afflicted father that was no 'sHakim
doctor, and advised him to carry h
sick child into the hospital, in front {
which we were standing, giving him |
the same time silver rupee fifty cents
The Hindoo acknowledged my preset
with another profound salaam as !
turned away; but could see that his di
appointment at my refusal more than ba
anced his pleasure in my gift.
A few minutes later we came up to IL