Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-09-21

| and while he was pursuing his investiga-
| tions into native life. His own life was
| sufficiently peculiar, and men complained
of his manners and customs. There was al
ways food in his house, but there were no
regular times for meals. He ate, standing
| up and walking about. whatever he might
| find in the sideboard, and this is not good
for the inside of human beings His do
mestic equipment was limited to six rifles,
three shotguns. five saddles and collection
| of stiff jointed mahseerrods, bigger and
| stronger than the largest salmon rods.
These things occupied one-halr of his bum
galow, and the other half was given up to
Strickland and his dog Tietjens-an enor-
nous Rampur slut who sang when she was
ordered and devoured daily the rations of
two men. She spoke to Strickland
in language Of her own, and whenever
in her walks abroad she saw things calculated
to destroy the peace of Her Majesty, the
Queen-Empress, she returned to her
master and gave him information.
Strickland would take steps at once,
and the end of his labors was trouble
and fine and Imprisonment for other people.
The natives believed that Tietjens was a
familiar spirit, and treated her with the
great reverence that is born of hate and fear.
One room in the bungalow was set apart for
her especial use. She owned a bedstead
blanket and drinking trough, and if any
one came into Strickland's room at night her
custom was to knock down the invader and
then give tongue until some one came with
light. Strickland owes his life to her. When
he was on the frontier in search of the local
murderer, who came in the gray dawn to
send Strickland much further than the An
daman Islands, Tiejens caught him as he
was crawling into Strickland's tent with a
dagger between his teeth, and after his in
iquity was established in the eyes of the-law
he was hanged. From that date Tietiens
wore a collar of rough silver, and employed
a monogram on her night blanket, and the
blanket was OF double woven Kashmir
cloth, for she was delicate dog.
Under no circumstances would she be
separated from Strickland, and when he
was ill with fever she made great trouble
for the doctors, because she did not know
how to help her master and would not allow
another creature to attempt aid Macar-
naght, OF the Indian medical service, beat
her over her head with a gun butt before
she could understand that she must give
room for those who could give quinine.
A short time after Strickland had taken |
Imray's bungalow my business took me |
through that station, and naturally, the |
club auarters being iull, 1 quartered myself |
uponStrickland. 1t was desirable bunga- |
lOW, ioOmcus duu
against any chance of leakage from rain. |
Under the pitch of roof ran ceiling |
cloth, which looked just as nice as q white |
washed ceiling. The landlord had re- |
painted it when Strickland took the bunga-
low, and unless you knew how Indian
bungalows were built you would never have
suspected that above the cloth lay the dark,
three-cornered cavern of the roof, where
the beams and the under side of the thateh
harbored all manner OF rats, bats, ants and
other things.
TieGens met me in the veranda with a BAY
like the boom of the bells of st. PauIs. T
and put her paws on my shoulders and said
she was glad to see me. Strickland had
to put together that sort of meal
which he called lunch, and Immediately
after it was finished went out about his
business. I was left alone with Tietiens
and ny own affairs. The heat of the sum-
mer had broken up and given place to the
warm damp of the rains There was no
motion in the heated air, but the rain fell
like bayonet rods on the earth, and flung M |
q blue mist where it splashed back again.
The bamboos and the custard apples, the
poinsettias and the mango trees in the garden
stood still while the warm water lashed
through them, and the frogs began to sing
among the aloe hedges A little before the
light failed, and whom the rain was ct it,