New-York tribune., 1890-04-13
THE MAN WHO WAS.
nv RrDYARD KIPLING.

As an Oriental he Is charming II ls oniS WIZ WIZ
no insists nnnn being treated the most easteriy
~ Trcsern ncoples instead Of the most westerly
of easterns that he becomes Tadlc3l ahohay
extremely difficult TO handle Inc host never
Lnovvs which side of his nature Is gong 10 turn
Dirkovtch was a Russian-a Russian OF the
Russians-who appeared 10 get his pread ny serE-
ing the Gar as officer IN 'osShck reSl-
ment and corresponding for Russian newspaper
with name that was never twice ak, re
was handsome young Orental, iona Oh Wahucr-
ing through unexpored portions OF the ear'h,
and he arrived in India from nowhere N par
ticular. AT least no living man could ascertain
whether il was by way Of Baikh, baaaNshan,
else The Indian Government being in an un-
usually afiabc mood gave orders that he was TO
be civilly treated and shown everything that was
to be seen. So he drfted talking bad English
he foregathered with Her Maestys White Hus
sars in the city of Peshswur, which stands at the
mouth of that narrow swordcut in the hills that
men call the Khyber Pass lie was undoubtedly
an officer, and he was decorated after the manner
of the Russians with little enamelled crosses
and he could talk and Though this has nothing
10 90 with his merits he had been given up as a
hopeless task, or cask. by the Black Tyrone, who
Individually and collectively with hot whskey
and honey mulled brandy and mixed spirits
of every kind, had strvcn in all hospitality
10 make him drunk And when the Black Tyrone,
who exclusively Irish, fail TO disturb the peace
oil bead of foreigner, that foreigner is certain 10
be superior man.
The White Hussars were as conscientious in
choosing their wine as in charging the enemy.
All that they possessed, including some wOndrous
brandy, was placed at the absolute disposition Of
Dirkovitch. and he enjoved himself hugely-even
more than among the Black Iyrones
But he remained diStrcssingly European through Ia
ii all The White llussars were My dear true
friends, Fellow-soldiers glorious and Brothers
inseparable." lie would unburdcn himself by the
hour on the glorious future that awaited the COM
bined arms Of England and Russia when their
hearts and their territories should side by side
and the great mission of civilizing Asia should
begin. That was unsatisfactory, because Asia IL
not going TO be civilized after the methods Of the
West. There is too much Asia and She is too old
You cannot reform a lady of many lovers, ana
Asia has been Unsuitable in her fiiriations aforc-
time. She will never attend Sunday school or
learn to vote save with swords for tickets
Dirkovitch knew this well as any one else.
and TO make himself as genial as he could. Now
and then he volunteered little. q very little
information about his own sotnia of Cossacks left
apparently 10 look after themselves somewhere az
the back Of beyond He had done rough work in
Central Asia, and had seen rather more hclp-your-
self fighting than most men of his years. But he was
careful never to betray his superiority. and more
than careful to praise all occasions the appear
ance, drill uniform, and organization OF Her
Majestys White Hussars. And indeed they were
q regiment 10 be admired When Mrs DurQan,
widow Of the late Sir John Durgan, arrived in their
station. and after short time had been proposed
70 by every single man al mess. She put the public
sentiment very neatly when she explained that
they We're all SO nice that unless she could marry
them all, including the colonel and some majors
already married. She was not going to content
herself with one hussar. Wherefore she welded
a little man in a rife regiment. being by nature
contradictions; and the White IIussars were going
to wear craze on :heir arms but compro%is;Td by
the aisle with unutterable rcproach. She had
Tilted them aii-from Basset- Ifolmer. the senior
captain. TO little Mildred the junior subaltern,
who could have given her four thousand year
and title.
The only persons who did not share the general
regard for the White llussars were few thousand
xt-l. 1i.-nI
the border and answered To the name of Pathan.
They had once met the regiment officially and for
something less than twenty minutes but the
interview which was complicated with many
casualties. had filled them with prejudice. They
even called the White lussars children OF the
devil, and sons of persons whom 1t would be per
fectly impossible 10 meet in decent society. Yet
they were not above making their aversion fill
their money belts. The regiment possessed car
bines-bcautiful Martini Henri carbines that would
lob bullet into an cncmys camp at one thousand
yards. and were even handler than the long rife
Therefore they were coveted all along the border,
and since demand inevitably breeds supply they
weIs supplied at the risk Of life and
cored silvcr-scven and one-haf pounds
We clt of rupees. or sixteen pounds sterling
reckoning the rupee at par They were stolen
on their stomachs under the nose Of the sentries;
ther dis ppeared mysteriouslv from locked arm
racks and in the hot weather. when all the
barock doors and windows were open, they
vanisi.cd like pufIs Of their smoke. The
border people desired them for family vendettas
and contingencies. But in the long cold nights
Of the northern Indian winter the were stolen
most extensively The traffic Of murder
Ivcliest among the hills al that season, and prices
ruled high. The rcgimental guards first
doubled and L. trchled. trooper does not
much if T. loses a weapon-Government
must make it eood-but he deeply rescnts the loss
of his sleep. The regiment grew very angry
and rihcthicf bears the visible marks of their
anger upon him 10 this hour That incident
stopped the burglarcs for a time. and the guards
irglr .,.I IL
voted lt,elf to polo with uncX pcctcd results for
II beat by two goals 10 one that very terrible
POLO corps the Lushkar LIGHT Horse, though
The latter had four ponies apiece for short
hours light well as a native officer who
PLAYED like a lambent fame across the ground.
-, lhey gave dinner 10 celebrate the event.
lhe Lushkar team came. and DirkOvtch came
IN the fullest full uniform Of a Cossack officer,
which is full as a dressing-goyn. and was
introduced To the Lushkars, and opened his eyes
as ne REGARDED. They were lighter men than
the IIussars and they carried themselves with
He sNing that is the peculiar right of the Pun
r. Frontier Force, and all Irregular IIorse.
iLN LaN escrytmng else in the service, it has TO be
fo,ann.e..a but, unlike many things. it is never
TrVuen, and remains on the body till death
fs f" NJ great beam-roofed mess-room of
nr..1 MhIts Hrssars was sight to he
ii'uempcred. All the mess plate was out on the
b5s btIs uD.c-thc same table that had served up the
oIeS OF i've officers after a forgotten fight long
tho thu Gg dCng ago-the dngy battered standards faced
~. uoOr OF entrance, cumps Of winter roses lay
tween the silver candlcSticls, and the Dc traits
VI VI emnent officers deceased looked down on their
,TTCttssors from between the heads of san.bhur,
~,iislai, markhor, and, pride Of all the mess two
@s.nling @ snow leopards that had cost Bassct-H Hol-
=; Ser rlour months leave that he might have spent
~ ~ England, instead Of the road 10 Thibet, and
s e daly risk OF his life by ledge snow-siide and
grassy slope
,,ol Inc servants, in spotess white muslin and the
,i .s. oi thelr regiments the brow Of their
siad IN waited behind their masters, who were
s au IA III 'ne scarlet and gold Of the White iIussars
Ji IIu .he cream and silver Of the Lushkar Light
or1, He; DFkovltchs dull-grecn uniform was the
10y uafh spot at the board. but his big ONYX eyes
wiz up ior IT, lie was fratcrnzing cnusively
raaaI tne captain OF the Lushkar team, who was
, ,vnu,eflhg now many Of DirkOvitch's Cossacks his
own long, lathy dowp-connirvmcn could account
~ ~ ~ ialr charge. But does not speak Of
"ese things openly.
MI Inc talk rose higher and higher, and the reg-
mental band played between the courses, as is the
raeuorlal custom, till all tongues ceased for
ts tssnt s WIN the removal Of the dinner slips and
E Ee nfst toast OF obligation when the colonel, ris
ssls; said: Mr. Vice The Oucen and little Mil