The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1895-12-19
Copyright, 1894, by Bachelor, johnson, a
Bacheller.l


mot before the fifth shot" said the
muqger, as though he had never
dreamed of stunning one OF his listen
ers-''not before the fifth shot did ]
sink, and | rose in time TO hear a thief
of q boatman telling all those white
women that ] was most certainly dead.
One bullet had gone under a neck
plate of mine. ! know not II II Is there
still, for the reason ! cannot turn my
head. Look and see, child. IL will
show my tale Is true"
''I?" said the jackal. "Shall an eater
OF old shoes, a bone-cracker, presume
TO doubt the word of the Envy of the
River? May my tail be bitten off by
blind puppies II the shadow of such a
thought have crossed my humble mind.
The Protector OF the Poor has con-
descended TO inform me, his slave, that
once in his life he has been wounded
by n woman. This is sufficient, and ]
will tell the tale TO all my children,
asking for no proof"
"Over-much c~ivility Is sometimes no
better than over-much discourtesy, for,
Us the saying is, one can choke n guest
with curds. do not desire that any
children of thine should know that the
mugger of Mugger-Ghaut took his only
wound from n woman. They will have
much else To think Of IL they get their
living as miserably as does their
father"
1T is forgotten long agol 1t was
never said! There never was n white
womanl There was no boat! Nothing
xyhatoyor happened Mt nll.n
The jackal waved his brush TO show
how completely everything was wiped
out of his memory, and sat down with
an mir.
Indeed, very many things hap
pened," said the mugger, beaten in his
second attempt that night to get the
better of his friend. Neither bore
malice, however. Eat and be eaten
was fair law along the river, and the
jackal came in for his share Of plumber
when the mugger had finished n meal
II left that boat and went upstream,
and, when | had reached Arrah n
the back waters behind it, there were
no more dead English. The river was
empty for awhile. Then came n or
two dead, in red coats, not English, but
of one kind all-Hindoos and Purbeeahs
then five and six abreast, and at
last. from Arrah to the north beyond
Agra, II was as though whole villages
had walked into the water. They came
out of little creeks one after another, as
. the logs come down in the rains. When
the river rose they rose also II
l companies from the shoals they ha(
: rested upon; and the falling loot
: dragged them with 1t across the fields
> and through the jungle by the lone
!. hair. All night, too, going north,
' heard the guns, and by day the shoe
feet Of men crossing fords, and tina
= noise which a heavy cart wheel make
y on sand under water; and every rippl
y brought more dead. Atlast even wa
l afraid, for I said: If this happen t.
: men how shall the mugger of Mugger
Ghaut escape?' There were boats, toe
. that came up behind me without sails
y burning continually as. the cotto'
boats sometimes burn, but never sink
ing"
"Ah!" said the adjutant. "Boats Xix
those come TO Calcutta of the South
They are tall and black, they beat u
= the water behind them with a tai
and they"
"Are thrice as big as my village. NJ
boats were low and white; they bet
up the water on either side of then
70 and were no larger than the boats
=, one who speaks truth should be. The
made me very afraid, and ! left wat'
a and went back TO this my river, hidin
e. by day and walking by night, when
lis could not find little streams to he
I'm me. | came to my village agail
tie but | could not hope to see any OF N
people there. Yet they were plowir
-, and sowing and reaping, and going
~ and fro in their fields as quietly as the
:, own cattle"
''Was there still good food IN u
n. river?" asked the jackal.
"More han | had any desire fo
Even land | do not eat mud-even
e" was tired and, as | remember, n lit
is frightened of this constant comir
IN down of the silent ones | heard n
10 people say in my village that all q
DO English were dead, but those that car
we face down with the current were n
English, as my people saw. Then Il
he people said hat IL was best to sa
led nothing at all, but to pay the tax nj
lb. pillow the land. After a long time q
90 river cleared, and those that came dow
aid II had been clearly drowned by q
by floods, as | could well see; and, thoH,
it was not so easy then to get foe
! was heartily glad of it. A little Iii
sh' ing here and there is no bad thing
ne but even the mugger is sometimes s.
IN isled, as the saying Is"
me Marvellous! Most truly marvelou'
ed said the jackal. II am become {
he through merely hearing about so mu
are good eating. And afterward what
in- 1t be permitted to ask, did the Protect
of the Poor do?"
,cs IL said to myself-and by the Rig
and Left of Gunga locked my jaws
-, that vow--I said | would never go RI
ing any moro. So lived by the gha'
very close TO my own people, and
watched over them year after YET
and they loved me so much that III
threw marigold wreaths at my he
whenever they saw it lift. Yes, q
my fate has been very kind to me, q
ssh the river is good enough TO respect
rbe poor and inhrm presence; only
the mo one is all happy from his beak
ano his tail" said the adjutant, sympath
nth ically. "What docs the mugger of Nj
Jug ger-Ghaut need more?"
this THAT little white child which |
- - III IL. -ssL d. a.