The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-26

| instant and grabbed the colonel We
| dragged him under cover, and in that way
saved his life. Both of us were wounded,
but not seriously. Afterward we both got
| medals for that.
well, we took SO much treasure
at Jancey that even the share of q
| private soldier amounted to fifty rupees
ana rupee, you know, is worth so cents
IN TINS country. From Jancey we went on
TO Calpee, skirmishing all the way. We
passed out of Central India and into Ben
gal, and went as far as the edge of the bar
rler jungle. Then we were ordered back to
Bombay, where we waited under orders to
go to China. Our regiment was finally
| sent home to England. Now, it's a rule,
you know, that if you volunteer to remain
on IN service at such time two-years'
credit is given you, which shortens the
service to nineteen years. I decided to
stay on in India Colonel Stewart advised
me not to do this. He said good reports
had been sent in to the Home Office about
me and that it would be better for me to go.
But stayed on-and if hadn't probably
would never have met KipIing and then
wouldn't have got written up as Private
Mulvaney, would L? But I could have
stood that well enough. The reason l
didn't go home was that I had no educa-
ton, and knew that l couldn't possibly be
promoted out of the ranks for that reason.
Where did [ first meet Kipling? That
was at the well of Cawnpore. This was
the place OF the massacre, you know. Five
OF US were sitting around the well one
afternoon when a civilian rode up and dis
mounted. He had field glasses and carried
satchel. He wasn't clearly shaver, re-
member that. Charley Hood was with me
and Jack Crothy and Bill Gun, and I
don't remember the others.
We're any of you in Blood's battery?'
Kipling said, as he came over and took
seat. OF course, we didn't know who he
was. l never found out his name till Twas
Just going to leave India, though / saw a
good deal of him after that time.
BILL Gun said he was in Blood's bat
terry.
Then Kipling out with his bottle and
asked if we had any objection to tasting
his bottle. Oh, we had no objections, and
the bottle was soon empty. Then Kipling
went Off and got another bottle. We SOL
dlers couldn't buy it-regulations strict.
Then he sat down and had long talk with
Bill Gun and all of US. Bill had been in
the first relief of Lucknow and was hemmed
in there by the natives. He told Kip
ing all about that, all about how
the natives started in to undermine the
residence, and then how Outram under
mined their mine. He told him about
digging big pit where the women and
children were placed for safety, and how it
was the women down in the pit who first
heard Tha mines r,lauinr onI oil
the soldiers that the 'Campbells were COM
ing. Then we told him about the Mana
Sahib's doings and all of those things.
He used to come into the canteens at
night and hear all the stories that were
going. He was always sociable, but never
had much to say himself
"Mulvaney knew contractor on one of
the new Central India lines and wrote to
him for some sort of work." says Kipling
in the "Big Drunk Deaf" ''The contractor
said that if Mulvaney could pay the pas
sage he could give him command of gang
of coolies for old times sake"
And this is partly true, only McManus
did not have to pay his passage, for when
he was mustered out he was given
pass to any part of India on the
Government roads that he cared to
visit. And it was not McManus
who wrote to the contractor, but his COM
mander, Colonel Stewart, and the colonel
gave him letter to the contractor, which
read: "He is simple, but trustworthy"
And McManus brought that letter with
him to America. When Kipling came to
visit McManus on the railway, the latter
said to him, in the language of Private
Mulvaney:
'I'm civilian now. Cud you tell that I
was liver martial man2 Don't answer
sor, if you're strainin' betune a compi-
ment an lie.''
at was that time" says McManus,
s'that Kipling had brandy and tiffin in my
bungalow. He came down the track on
handcar pushed by two natives, along with
Mr.. Curling, the assistant engineer, The
first thing he said to me was:
give seen you before, haven't I?'"
eyes, sir; at Cawnpore, I said, and
then he remembered me and stayed and
had long talk.
"Well, then 1 went diving. It was big
pay, but bad work. 1t was scraping YES
sells and the like of that. saved up good
bit and then went down to Delhi on that
tear. Yes, rode in palanquin and had
~ 70 VI AulA w Lie IL IdSCcO. w u0Il 1t was
over I was broke again. But while 1 was
diving met Kipling often. lie used to 60
to the canteens to talk with the old soldiers.
Once he asked me if didn't want better
job than had, but was satisfied then and
told him 1 was.
when I left diving 1 got a pass to
Penang and was in charge there of the
waterfalls at Prince Edwards Island in the
Straits of Malacca, between India and
China. / met Kipling there again. This
time he told me his name and said he was
going to Hongkong, and that if ever
wanted friend to send to him in care of
Captain Newball, the master attendant of
the navy at Hongkong. Then, after Kip
ling went on to China, I got pass to Ran
COON. That's where I shipped on the
Aphrodite for San Francisco"
"There was Mulvaney," says his biog-
rapher, ''the father of the craft, who had
served with various regiments from Ber-
muda to Halifax, old in war, SCARED, reck-
less. resourceful, and in his pious hours an
unequaled soldier" And you have only
to know William McManus to know how