The herald., 1893-10-08
GUNGEET AND THE COBRA,
a TALE OF INDIA.

their pale summer grass by unbearable
heat which even the horses have to be
protected against by head and special
Towering of pith, when the "bestiss"
are continually laving their shrivelled
forms with water from the tanks to keep
Ncool, and when the gharry wallahs and
lpalanquin bearers lie asleep within their
Irrespective vehicles and on cool street
corners far from the penetrating rays Of
Ian unmerciiul oriental sun.
n It was O'Clock in the evening of the
I'd Of May. 1891, two soldiers were walk
ling in the grounds which surrounded
the Outram institute at Dunn Dunn, =
1 military cantonment, eight miles from
Calcutta, they were in earnest CONVERSE
4 tion, and now and then the soldiers
lounging on the verandah could hear
vqome words, the purport of which SEEM
ingly betrayed quarrel. However,
they were seen to shake hande, and
later joined the loungers in the can
teen.
The two young men referred to were
HPrivatss Jeffezies and Walker OF the East
! xGurrey regiment, at this time stationed
4 at Dam DUN. Both were handsome lads.
1who ran away from school in England,
Vund working their passage to Calcutta
Il 90 stewards in . British India steamer,
Il had enlisted a. private soldiers in q reg
Il iment of the line at Fort William. They
n were of gentle birth, and had found
,lit very hard to lead q soldiers life,
ynmid surroundings of different hue to
(which they had been accustomed; but
they made many friends in Company d,
j to which they belonged and were great
\ favorites with the colonel, who always
Iupoke kindly and encouragirgly to them
n wsen he inspected the awkward squad
N ct drill or met them walking in the
Cool Of the evening along some shaded
a road or In the bazaar.
n Company d had been ordered to pa
N rade for medical inspection next day,
u and the general conversation in Gam
teen, Library & Company's quarters
n was, How many would be sent to the
N hills, and who would be Che lucky men
n selected to take q change of climate for
\ their health"
"Oim shure," said Quinlan, comical
4 fellow of Irish extraction, "that them
4 ssre rscroots will git transportation TO
q paradise, thay same as If they be's deli
q cate. Now does wonder; what do you
n think yersel', Coorpral Tracy?"
"Wall, don't know, Quinlan. They
would be better off there than here.
Sure, 1 saw them quarreling tonight
without the institute ! think that
Walker wants Jeffries to desert, as
baught few words az sat in the ver-
hnda."
The conversation was here cut short
by: the provost sergeant, who entered
The /" "Canteen," and whose appearance
Was the signal for general departure.
hs roll call was just sounding.
Soon after flights out" sounded, and
rave for the yelping of jackals and the
Bound of the voices Of the guard as they
Exchanged signals from post to post, 81
Hence reigned supreme.
Jeffries and Walker plept side by side,
and lar into the night the two boys
talked of home and of the possibility Of
soon getting back again. 1t was of home
they were talking when seen standing
In the institute" grounds by Quinlan,
and it was Walker who had said ip an
excited way that they had earned their
lust deserts for enlisting, and which Pri-
waite Quinlan had in his characteristic
Iribh way misconstrued.
Boon Jeffries fell asleep, and all was
quiet within the quarters Of company d,
Vsave the swish of the punkah as it was
k1pulled to and fro by the wallah. Walker
felt feverish and could not sleep. He
lay awake all night with terrible head
ache and burning fever, and when rev.
eille sounded he was delirious with fever
and was carried to the hospital.
The company assembled for medical
parade, bat as all the men were found to
be in good condition, none were ordered
to the hills. After dismissal of parade,
Jeffries walked to the hospital to see his
chnm, but was refused admittance by
the apothecsry. He walked back to the
barracks beneath the rays of burning
hot aun, and when he arrived at his
company's quarters he felt weak and lay
on bis cot. Soon he was heard to moan,
andsthe color sergeant was sent for, who
had him sent to the hospital in q dhoo-
lie. The Apothecary recognized in him
visitor of the morning, and, on taking
him to the ward, he was found to be in
high state OF enteric fever. He lay
unconscious for hours. and for several
days he fingered between life and death.
= Walker convalescing, was allowed to use
bed beside Jeffries and help to nurse
NJ him.
One night about week after his ad-
mission to the hospital Walker awoke
rather suddenly, and, looking over
toward Jeffries, he was horriied to see
. fearful look of fright and suffering
upon his face, the bedclothes were
thrown back and his shirt was open.
Looking closely, Walker saw sight
| which made his blood run cold. He be-
! came paralyzed and could not move or
take his gaze off black object on JEFF
\ fries chest. The minutes seemed hours,
and the peon or hospital bearer would
N not awake before o'clock. Jefries
l was breathing with difficulty, and his
eyes, turned toward Walker, had look
4 Of unutterable anguish.
Suddenly a shadow. crept between the
two cots, and Gungeet, the hospital SER
want, who had risen earlier than usual
I that morning, was seen to move gently
toward Jeffries; his finger was placed
on his lips to insure. silence, and
l grasping the situation, he reached to
bird cage hanging near and
1 deftly opening the door, the inmate, a
1 canary, few out chirruping, which
reused sleeping reptile. An angry
hiss was heard. as a head darted from
among the dark mass coiled on Jeffries' Q
chest, q tulwer cleaned in the early
morning light, q fash, and cobra de
capello, one OF the most deadly and
highly venomous serpents of India, lay
stretched headlees on the floor.
Jeffries, who had become inseneible
with fright, was revived in very short
time. and when told of his aucara aud