The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1895-05-17

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people said that it was best 10 SAP
nothing at all, but to pay the tax and
plow the land. After a long time the
river cleared, and those that came down
it had been clearly drowned By the
foods, as could well see; and. though
it was not so easy then to get food,
was heartily glad of it A little kill
ing here and there is no bad thing
bnt even the mugger is sometimes sat
isfed, as the saying is.
Marvellous! Most truly marvellous"
said the jackal. u am become fat
through merely hearing about so much
good eating. And afterward what. if
it be permitted to ask, did the Protector
of the Poor do?"
Il said to myself-and By the Right
and Left of Gunga locked my jaws on
that VOW said would never go row
ing any more. So lived by the ghaut,
very close to my own people, and
watched over them year after year;
and they loved me so much that they
threw marigold wreaths at my head
whenever they saw it lift Yes, and
my fate has been very kind to me, and
the river is good enough TO respect my
poor and infrm presence; only"
No one is all happy from his beak to
his tail" said the adjutant, sympathet-
ically, What does the mugger of Mug
ger-Ghaut need more?"
That little white child which I did
not get, said the mugger, with a deep
sigh. HE was very small, but have
not forgotten. am old now, but be-
fore die it is my desire to try one new
thing. 1t is true they are a heavy
footed, noisy and foolish people, and
the sport would be small, but remem
Der the old days above Benares, and if
the child lives he will remember still.
It may be he goes up and down the
bank of some river, telling how he
once passed his hands between the
teeth of the mugger OF Mugger-Ghaut,
and lived to make a tale of it. My fate
has been very kind, but that plaques
me sometimes in my dreams 1.-The
thought of the little white child in the
bows of that boat" He yawned and
closed his jaws. And now will rest
and think Keep silent. my children,
and respect the aged
He turned stifay and shufled to the
top of the sandbar, while the jackal
drew back with the adjutant to the
shelter of a tree stranded on the end
nearest the railway-bridge.
THAT was a pleasant and profitable
life" he grinned, looking up inquiring'
ly at the bird who lowered above him
And not once, mark you, did he think
fit to tell me where a mOrsel might
have been left along the banks Yet
! have told him a hundred times of
good things wallowing downstream
How true is the saying: All the world
forgets the jackal and the barber when
the news has been toldr Now he is
going to sleep. Arrh!''
"How can a jackal hunt with mug
ger?" said the adjutant, coolly Big
thief and little thief; it is easy to say
who gets the pickings.'
The iackal turned, whining impa-
tiently, and was going to curl himself
up under the tree trunk, when he sud-
denly covered and looked up through
the draggled branches at the bridge al
most above his head.
What now?" said the adjutant.
opening his wings uneasily.
''Wait till we see. The wind blows
from us to them, but they are not look
ing for us-those two men"
Men. is it9 My office protects me,
All India knows I am holy" The ad-
jutant, being a frst-class scavenger, is
allowed to go where he pleases, and
so this one never finched.
81 am not worth a blow from any
thing greater than an old shoe," said
the jackal, and listened again. "Hark
to that footfallr he went on THAT
was no country leather, but the shod
foot of a whiteface Listen againI
Iron hits iron up there. 1t is gun,
Friend, those heavy-footed, foolish
English are coming to speak with the
mugger."
warn him, then. He was called
Protector of the Poor by some one not
unlike starving jackaI but little
time ago"
Let my cousin protect his own hide
He has told me again and again there
is nothing to fear from the whitefaces
They must be whitefaces, Not a vii
lager of Mugger-Ghaut would dare t.
come after him See! said it was q
gun. Now, with good luck, we shall
feed before daylight. He cannot hear
well out of water, and-this time it il
not woman
A shiny barrel giittered for a minute
in the moonlight on the girders The
mugger was lying on the sandbar al
still as his own shadow. his forefee
spread out little, his head dropped
between them, snorting like a-mugger,
a voiceon the bridge whispered; Its
an odd shot-straight down almost
but as safe as houses Better try behind
the neck. Golly, what bruteI The
villagers will be wild if he's shot
though He's the deota (godling) Of
these parts.
Don't care a rap" another voice an
swered He took about fifteen of my
best coolies while the bridge was build
ing, and it's about time he was put q
stop to. I've been after him in a boat
for weeks. Stand by with the Martini
as soon as I've given him both barrels
OF this
Mind the kick. then. A double four,
bore's no joke"
That's for him to decide. Here
goesw
There was a roar like the sound of a
small cannon (the biggest sort of ele
phant-rife is not very different from
some artillery, and double streak Of
fame followed by the singing crack
Of a Martini, whose long bullet make:
nothing Of a crocodileS plates. But the
explosive bullets did the work. One o.