Daily Kennebec journal., 1895-01-17
THE UNDERTAKES.
By RUDYARD KIPLING.
rCopyright, 1894. BY Bachelor. Johnsoe D
Baehellerl
fContinued from yesterday.

ting his left eye again-''anything is
1 possible that comes ont of boat thrice
the size of Mugger-Ghaut. My village
/ is not small one"
There was a whistle overhead on
the bridge, and the Delhi mail slid
across. all the carriages cleaning with
light, and the shadows faithfully fol-
lowing across the river 1t clanked
away into the dark again: but the
mugger and the jackal were SO well
used to it that they never turned their
heads.
rs that anything less wonderful
than a boat thrice the size of Mugger-
Ghaut?' asked the bird, looking up.
II saw that built, child. Stone by
stone | saw the bridge piers rise, and
when the men fell off (they were Won
drous sure-footed for the most part
but when they fell Twas ready. After
the first pier was made they never
thought to look down the stream for
the body to burn. There, again, l
saved much trouble. There was moth
ing strange in the building of the
bridge" said the mugger.
But that which goes across, pulling
the roofod carts! That is strange" the
adjutant repeated.
1T is, past any doubt, new breed
of bullock. Some day it will not be
able to keep it's foothold up yonder,
and will fall as the men did. The old
mugger will then be ready"
The jacl1al looked at the adiutant,
and the adjutant looked at the jackal.
If there was one thing they were more
certain of than another, it was that
the engine was everything in the wide
world except bullock. The jaclal
had watched it time and again from
the aloe-hedges by the side of the
since the first engine ran in India. But
the mugger had only looked up at the
engine from below, where the brass
dome seemed rather like a bullock's
hump.
"M-yes, q new kind of bullock" the
mugger repeated ponderously, to make
himself quite sure in his own mind;
and Certainly it is bullock" said the
jackal.
"And again it might be-" began the
nugger, pettishly.
''Certainly-mostc certainly" said the
jackal, without waiting for the other
to finish.
"What?" said the mugger, angrily,
for he could feel that the others kne-v
more than he did, "What might it be?
never finished my words. You said it
was bullock"
'lt is anything the Protector of the
Poor pleascs. l am his servant-nat
the servant of the thing that crosses
the river"
Whatever it is, it is white faced
work." said the adjutant. ''And, for
my own part, l would not choose a
place so near to it to lie out upon as this
bar is
'You do not know the English as /
do said the mugger. ''There was
white-face here when the bridge was
built, and he would take boat in the
evenings and shuttle with his feet on
the bottom-boards, and whisper: Is he
here? Is he there? Get me my gun l
could hear him before l could see him
each sound that he nade-creaking
and putting and rattling his gun, up
and down the river. AS surely as had
picked up one of his workmen, and
thus saved great expense in wood for
the burning, SO surely would he come
down to the ghaut and shout in a loud
voice that he would hunt me, and rid
the river of me-thc mugger of Mug
ger-Ghaut. Me! Children. | have
swan under the bottom of his boat for
hour after hour, and heard him fire his
gun at logs: and when / was well sure
he was wcaried have risen by his side
and snapped my jaws in his face. When
the bridge was finished he went away.
All the English hunt in that fashion
except when they are hunted"
'Who hunts the white-f -faccs?" said the
jackal, eXcitedly
mo one now, but have hunted them
in my time"
81 remember little Of that hunting.
I was young then" said the adjutant,
clattcring his beak Significantly.
Il was well established here. My
village was being builded for the third
time, as remember, when my cousin
the gavial brought me word of rich
waters above Benarcs. At first would
not go, for my cousin, who is 4 fish
eater, does not always know the good
from the bad; but heard my people
talking in the evenings, and what they
said made me certain"
"And what did they say?" the jackal
asked.
They said enough to make me, the
mugger of Mugger-Ghaut, leave water
and take to my feet. went by night,
using the littlest streams as they served
me; but it was the beginning of the
hot weather and all streams were low.
l crossed dusty roads; went through
tall grass; | climbed hills in the moon
light. Even rocks did | climb. chill
dren-consider this we'll crossed
the tail of 5irhind the waterless, be-
fore | could find the set of the little
rivers that flow Gungaward. was
months journey from my own people
and the river that | knew. That was
very marvelousr'
"What food by the way?" said the