Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-06-28
'supportable, and 1 bade him say some


gnawing.
"what other Sahib, you swine? Speal
at once and don't stop to tell me lie. "
"He is over there, answered Gunga Dass
pointing to burrow mouth about four door
to the left OF my own. "You can see 70
yourself. He died in the burrow as yol
will die and will die, and as all these mel
and the one child will also die"
"For PHYS sake, tell me all you know
about him. Who was be? When did b.
come and when did he die?"
This appeal was weak step on my part
Gunga Dass only leered and replied: ''l
will not-unless you give me something
frst''
Then 1 recollected where 1 was and struck
the man between the eyes, partially stun
ming him. He stepped down from the plat
form at once. and cringing and fawning and
weeping and attempting to embrace my
feet, led me round to the burrow which he
had indicated.
81 know nothing whatever about the gen.
tleman. Your God be my witness that I do
not. He was as anxious TO escape as you
were and he was shot from the boat, though
we all did all things to prevent him. He
was shot here" Gunga Dass laid his hand
on his lean stomach and bowed to the earth.
"Well, and what then? Go on"
"And then-and then, Your Honor, we
carried him into his house and gave him
water and put wet cloths on the wound, and
he laid down in his house and gave up the
ghost"
SIN how long? In how long?"
A TERRIBLE DEATH.
"About halt an hour after he received his
wound. call VIshnu to Witness" yelled
the wretched man, "that I did everything
for him. Everything which was possible,
that / did,"
He threw himself down on the ground
and clasped my ankles. But I had my
doubts about Gunga Dass' benevolence and
kicked him off as he lay protesting.
81 believe you robbed him of everything
he had. But l can find out in a minute or
two. How long was the Sahib here?"
Nearly a year and a half I think he
must have gone mad. But hear me swear,
Protector of the Poorl Won't your Honor
hear me swear that 1 never touched an ar
ticle that belonged to him? What is Your
Worship going to do?"
1 had taken Gunga Dass by the waist and
had hauled him upon the platform opposite
the deserted burrow. As did so thought
of my wretched fellow prisoners unspeak-
able misery among all these horrors for 1S
months and the final agony of dying like a
rat In a hole, with bullet wound in the
stomach. Gunga Dass fancied I was going
to kill him, and he howled pitifully. The
rest of the population, in the plethora that
follows full flesh meal, watched us without
stirring,
Go inside, Gunga Dass." said I, "and
fetch it out"
was feeling sick and faint with horror
now. Gunga Dass nearly rolled off the
platform and howled aloud.
"But am Brahmin, Sahib-a high caste
Brahmin. By your soul, by your fathers
soul, do not make me do this thingl'
"Brahmin or no Brahmln, BY my soul and
my fathers soul, in you goi' said, and
seizing him by the shoulders crammed his
head into the mouth of the burrow, kicked
the rest of him in, and sitting, covered my
face with my hands.
At the end of few minutes heard a
rustic and creak, and then Gunga Dass,
in sobbing, choking whisper speaking to
himself; then soft thud-and uncovered
my eyes.
THE MUMMIFIED CORPSE.
The dry sand had turned the corpse in
trusted to its keeping into yellow brown
I told Gunga> Dass to stand off
while L examined it. The body-clad in an
worn, with leather pads on the shoulders
was that of a man between 30 and 40, above
middle height, with light, sandy hair, long
nustache and rough. unkempt beard.
The left canine of the upper jaw was miss
ng, and portion of the lobe of the right
Ear was gone.
On the second finger of the left hand was
/ ring-a shield shaped bloodstone set in
,old, with a monogram that might have
,een either "B. K" or "B. L." On the
bird finger of the right hand was silver
ing in the shape of a coiled cobra, much
worm and tarnished. Gunga Dass deposited
handful of trIfes he had picked out of the
urrow at my feet, and, covering the face of
he body with my handkerchief, I turned to
xamine these. give the full list IN the |
ope that it may lead to the Identification of
be unfortunate man:
First-Bowl of briarwood pipe, serrated |
the edge; much worn and blackened;
ound with string at the screw.
Second-Two patent lever keys; wards of |
9th broken.
Thlrd-Tortoise shelI-handled penknife,
liver or nickel name plate, marked with
Monogram "B. K"
Fourth-Envelope, postmark undecipher-
BILE, bearing Victoria stamp, addressed to
Miss Mon" crest illegible) - cham"
''nt"
Fifth-Imitation crocodile skin notebook,
18th pencil. First 45 pages blank; Az illeg-
de; 10 others filled with private memoranda
.lating chiefly to three persons-a Mrs. L.
ingleton, abbreviated several times to "Lot
ingle. Mrs. S. May" and "Garmison,"
eterred to in places as Jerry" or Jack"
Sixth-Handle Of small-sized hunting
nile. Blade snapped short. Bucks horn,
a vii sriv r. l
utt; fragment of cotton cord attached.
WHERE WAS THE GUN.
1t must not be supposed that inventoried
IL these things on the spot as fully as I
ave here written them down. The note
Ook first attracted my attention, and put
in my pocket with a view to studying it
tier on. The rest of the articles I con-
eyed to my burrow for safety's sake, and
lere, being methodical man, / inventor
ID them. then returned to the corpse
nd ordered Gunga Dass to help me carry it
ut to the river front.
While we were engaged in this the ex-
loded shell of an old brown cartridge
ropped out of one of the pockets and rolled
my feet. Gunga Dass had not seen it;
nd 1 fell to thinking that a man does not
AIRY exploded cartridge cases, especially
browns" which will not bear loading
vice, about with him when shooting. In
sher words, that cartridge case had been
red inside the crater. Consequently there
ust be gun somewhere. 1 was on the
erge of asking Gunga Dass, but checked
yself, knowing that he would lie.
We laid the body down on the edge of the
by the tussocks. 1t was nv in
ntion to push it out and let it be swal-
wed up-the only possible mode OF burial
lat 1 could think Of I ordered Gunga
ass to go away.
Then gingerly put the corpse ont ON the