Washington sentinel., 1898-06-25
Apnah Aoroan Ben gal

unrulY mass creditable only to dis.
tinguished musicians. They livec
in waffle rush huts, little clusters
Of dozen or so. on clear space
by the way, picturesque beneath
the long limbed palms, but filthy
on inspection. The location OF a
village was decided by some green
grown pond, where the inhabitants
bathed and washed their clothes,
and got their water for cooking.
For long we stood out against
drinking any OF the water from
these ponds. But there are times
when a man exclaims "Hang 1t all.
enteric fever or no enteric fever,
Im going to have drink" And
when the sun had got us into that
state on various mornings, we
drank long draughts of the nasty,
muddy, sickening fluid, and let the
consequences take care oil them
selves. It's no good argument
with thirsty man in the presence
of water.
The Bengali is the greatest cow
ard IN India. AS a consequence
Bengal contributed not a single
soldier to our Indian native army.
A Sikh could put a village to
flight, and European with re-
volver could hold ten thousand at
bay. The three of US struck terror
into the heart OF every Bengali we
met. II he was sufficiently awake
TO see US couple of hundred yards
off, he would grip the tails Of his
oxen and send them dancing into
the thicket until man, oxen and
cart would jam between tree
trunks. The best service we could
do was to ride on and take no
notice. When we stopped the
wretcheCl Bengali would begin
trembling all over, and, clasping
his hands together, beseech US
pityingly to spare his life. When
the Bengali did not see US till we
were upon him he was trans6xed.
He would do nothing, He sat and
looked at us. "Get out OF the
way" we shouted in Hindustani.
But never a movement. One even
ing at dusk we swung upon twenty
bullock carts. We were not quite
sure about the road, so we dis
mounted to ask. Not word could
be drawn from the Bengali drivers
but "Sahib, sahibp" in whining
tones, accompanied by pressing
the palms of the hands together in
praying attitudes. In a week we
managed to get a full blooded,
loathing contempt tor these cring-
ing wretches, who have not the
courage of the often quoted worm.
You may tread on them as much
as you like without any prospect
OF their ever turning.
Rather exhausted, we spun up
one morning to the only respect.
able bungalow in a village called
Dihri, and called loudly for some
one to attend to our wants. 1t was
surprise when a burly English
man appeared at the door, and with |
a broad smile explained that his
house was not the dak bungalow.
He knew who we were, and after
sending his servants to show us
where the dak bungalow was, in
sisted we should have breakfast
and dinner with him. There was
no modesty about us, but consid-
erable hunger, and we at once
closed with his hos 3italitY. Far
away from railways, engaged in
opium cultivation, and seeing only
half a dozen white faces in the
course of the year, our host de-
voted his spare time to hunting.
He was a mighty hunter. And
before breakfast and after break
fast, during the afternoon, in the
before dinner and after
dinner. he regaled US with stories
of adventure, showed his collection
of skins, and barred his arm to eN-
hibit the teeth and claw marks Of
a quarrelsome bear which resented
being shot. 1t was his tiger stories
that made our flesh iingle and our
hair heave. We were in the very
heart Of the Bengal tiger district,
and with the nonchalence OF a rab
bit shooter he told us Of the prev
alence of these unwelcome brutes.
''It was close here" he said, "that
they caught a tiger credited with
having done to death two hundred
natives. Only last week, while
out for a walk, saw a tiger walk
across the road. Are
you likely to be attacked7 Well,
don't know. You may and may
not1 but rather think a bicycle
would irighten a tiger" Oi course,
we said it would be rather nice to
see tiger, that il would provide
An appreciated adventurous flip.
But, as a matter OF tact, we regret
ted having talked determinedly
about the absolute necessity OF
getting away with the moon rise.
We tried to shake our hosts con-
victions that it was at night tigers
we're on the prowl. But he would
not accommodate us.
When the moon did rise we
dressed quietly and went down to
the banks OF the river Soane, where
a boat was waiting to ferry us over.
The Soane is a wide stretching
shallow stream which goes its
way with occasional
halts on sandy shoals. We piled
our machines in the PROV and then
lay along the bottom while the
lanlky Bcngalis pulled at the oars
listlesslY. all the time calling on |