Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-05-03

White Hussars was a sight to be remeu-
bered. All the mess plate was out on the
| long table-the same table that had served
| up the bodies o. five officers after forgotten
! night, long and long agO-the dingv, bat
tered standards faced the door of entrance.
clumps OF winter roses lay between the sill
yer candlesticks and the portraits OF eminent
| officers deceased looked down on their sue
cessnrs irI ID between the heads of salnbhur
nilghai. markhor and, pride OF all the mess,
two grinnIng snow leopards that had cost
BasSet-HOlDer four months leave that he
might have spent in England, instead Of on
, the road to Thibet, and the daily risk of his
life by ledge, sTOw-slide and grassy slope
The servants, In spotless white muslin
and the crest of their regiments on the brow
o their turbans, waited behind their masters,
| who were clad in the scarlet and gold of
the White II uss RS and the cream and silver
of the Lushkar Light Horse. Dirkoviteh's
| dull green Uni Orm tine only dark spot
| at the board, but his big ONYX eyes made up
Tor it. He was ratern zing effusively with
the captain OF the Lushkar team, who was
wondering how mauy OF Dirkoviteh's Cos
sacks his own long, ldthy Uw'-eountrN man
could account or in a fair charge. But one
does not speak Of these things openly.
The talk rose higher and higher, and the
regimental band played between the courses,
as ; tho immemor al CUSTOM till all tongues
ceased f,r moment W tn the removal Of the
dinner slips and the first toast of obligation,
when the Colonel, rising, said: "Mr. V ice,
the Queen" and little Mildred, from the
bottom OF the table answered: 'fThe O ueen,
God bless her." and the biz spurs cianked
the big rien heaved themselves up and
drank tine Queen, upon who's pay they were
falsely supposed to SETTLE their mess bills
IEa sacrament o. the mess never grows
d, and never ceases to bring a
M into the throat of the list
eu.s, wherever he be, by sea or
BY land. DirkrvIteh rose with his
"brothers glorious" bat he could not up-
derstand. No one but an officer can tell
what the toast means, and the bulk have
more sentiment than eomprehension I'M
medigteiy after the little silence that oliows
Oil the ceremony there entered the native
officer who played for the Lushkar team.
He could not, o course eat with the mess.
but he came in at dessert, all six feet of him,
with the blue and silver turban atop and
the big black boots below. The mess rose
jOyOusly Y as he thrust forward the hilt OF his
saber in token OF iealty or the Colonel of
the White Hussars to touch, ana dropped
into a vacant chair amid shouts of "Rung.
h"! Hira SinghP' (Which, being translated,
means, "GO in and wiu.") "Did 1 whack
yod over the Knee, old mann "ResSaidar
Sahib. what the devil made you play that
kicking pig of pony in the last ten min
utes?' "Shabash, R-ssaidar SahibP' Then
the voice OF the Colonel, "The health of
Ressaidar Hira SinghP'
After the shouting had died away, Hirs
Singh rose to reply, for he was the cadet Of
a royal house, the son OF kings son, and
knew what was due on these occasions.
Thus he spoke in the yernacuiar. 'sCoIonal
Sahib and officers OF this regiment. Mueh
honor have you done me. This will L re-
member. We came down iroa afar to pIav
you. But we were beaten" (No rsult of
yours, Ressaider Sahib. Played on our own
ground. Y know. Your ponies were cramped
from the railway. Don't apologize
There ore, p.rhaps, we will come again if
1t be 50 ordained" " ("Hearl hear hear.
indeed bravo h'sh r') Then We viii
play you afresh -" Happy to meet YOU. -
Still there are lett no .eet upon our loaIes