Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1894-05-25
A HIND00'S LOYALTY.


French.
NV servant Salad was by no means an
extraordinary fellow. l picked him up in
Benares, one scorchng afternoon in mid
summer. l was in want of kitmutgdr,
and he seemed to have nothing to do. He
could not speak one word of English, and,
TO tell the truth, that was the first and
only recommendation upon which | en-
gagged him.
In religion he was a Mussuman, but he
was far from being devOut; indeed, l very
soon rated him as below the average in ev-
erything. However, as l did not require
anything remarkable, we got on well
enough to the end; for he followed me
poor fellow-to his death.
Steal? Most decidedly. He would in
variably steal anything belonging to me
that attracted his fancy. If l discovered
it and went about it in the right way, |
could usually get it back.
Salad never left me for an hour from
the time he entered my service. He fol-
lowed me all day and slept on a rug at my
door or lay on the sand at my feet or just
outside my tent, at night, as the case might
be, and he received Just as many lectures
on veracity and made just as many prom
ises as the time allowed: but | am sure
week of his life as he did the first week he
was with me. 1t is as much the nature of
the Oriental to lie and steal, as it is of a
dog to bark at a horse, or of cat to help
herself to cream.
One who expects too much is apt to give
credit for too little. That may be the rea-
son the HindOO has such a bad reputation
in the minds of some who mean to be just,
or even generous. Many good turn Salad
did me, right in the line of those two
traits. 1t takes a rogue to catch rogue,
and l know that he saved me from being
robbed by others many times over for all
that he took himself, while he would de-
tect lie in what any one else told me as
quickly as negro boy in old Virgin
would spot ripe watermelon.
We were marching through the Terai,
once with a small detachment. A soldier
was leading my horse, while l walked upon
one side of the path, followed at little
distance by Salad, hunting for bird l had
shot and which had fallen in the tail grass.
Suddenly there was a cry from those be-
hind. looked quickly over my shoulder.
A hooded cobra, disturbed by the commo-
ton l was making, had risen out of the
grass just behind me. His fiat head and
faring hood were already thrown back for
was within three feet of my face when my
eyes rested upon it. If l turned, should
expose more of my face. If l lifted a
hand he would strike it quicker than light
ming. There was no chance to get away,
and | was utterly helpless.
Before | had time to think a second
thought, however, Salad made one leap
from where he was standing, and before
his feet had touched the ground, he had
brought his staff about with a sharp whirr
as it cut the air, too quick even for a snake
to dodge, and the next instant the cobra s
body was writhing in the grass, while his
head, completely severed, fell at my feet.
Had Salad waited an instant, he would
have been too late. No one else could
have reached me; yet if he had missed his
aim or the snake had lodged, his own life
would have paid the forfeit. No one knew
it better than Salad himself, but he took
the chance and saved my life. He had
in his girdle at the time a bright-col
ored silk handkerchief which he had stoleI
from me, and only that morning had sol
EMMY declared that he knew nothing about
it.
Up in the hills, one afternoon, l was w.
ing on low tent-bed, taking a nap, wher
Salad saw poisonous insect, kind o.
had nothing near to use as a weapon, anC
no time to lose. He caught it in his naked
hand, and threw it out of the tent-door
| woke in time to see it flying through the
air, and hurrying out killed it before it GOT
away.
l called to Salad to ask if he had escaped
a sting, and receiving cheerful reply in
the affirmative, thought no more about il
till, CHANGING to enter the tent softly and
unexpectedly, | found him sucking the
back of his right hand for dear life. He
stopped the instant he saw me, andIput
the hand behind him.
The poison had already begun to take
effect. The hand and arm were swelling
and before long Salad was lying on the
floor, writhing in agony. The only anti
dotes l had were ammonia and whiskey
Salad knew the contents of both bottles,
for he had the care of all my traps. l did
the best for him with the ammonia; but
utterly in vain l pleaded, begged, com
manded that he take the whiskey. He
would not touch it.
Why? Only because he was a Mussul,
man. No matter how intense his agony OF
determined my command, he put his well
hand over his mouth and shook his head
He felt sure that he was dying and he be.
save him, but that made no difference. He
came so near to death that he was past
seeing anything and beyond hearing. He
lay upon the ground, just breathing, pant
ing, as though he was almost at an end.
1t seemed useless to try again, and yet,
now that he was unconscious, l could at
least make last, desperate trial with the
whiskey. The moment that it touched
his lips, he struggled away, clutched his
lips with his hand and shook his head
l believe the very fear that | should sue
coed in giving him whiskey kept him alive
till the poison began to lose its power. AT
all events, he did not die
Salad was as fond of hunting as l. Many
time we two slipped away from camp in
the gray of early morning. Once, just be-
fore daylight, | was out with my shotgun
in a thinly-wooded jungle, a mile from
camp, upon the shore of a small lake, wait
ing for birds.