The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1899-07-27

sides, the girl was of no consequence.
She was an orphan, and the Malik had
the legal right to dispose of her. Her
relations were few and poor. Four
guns, 90 rounds of ammunition, gun
and a substantial sum in cash, to say
nothing of the influence and security,
was good price for a ''tocherless las
sie." So Grierson got his way and his
wife. Now she was his wife in English
law, though he did not know it; but,
to do him justice, he meant honestly
by her, and treated her kindly and well.
At last there came day when the old
game of trailing the tail of my coat"
was played by the government of India.
Officially this is known as testing the
temper of the tribes;" and it is done
by sending parties more or less armed
to '.visit'' various tribes in friendly
way. The tribes have the same OBJ
jections to being called upon in
friendly way-with gun in your hand
that Englishmen have. They also get
alarmed, then they begin to shoot out
of funk, whereupon they are said to
be uncertain" an expedition goes
forth, and a little more red paint is
added to the map of our Indian empire.
1t was during one of these episodes that
Grierson's menage- came to the notice
of an official of the austere kind, and
Grierson was sent off abruptly to re-
mote part of the interior of Panjab.
He took his wife with him, and found
himself at once in troubled waters. He
was harried and squeezed; the English
women urged on their men to make his
life burden to him; but he held out
manfully till the charms of an English
girl set waning his affections for his
savage wife. He made trip up to the
frontier, and there gave her writing
of divorce, and handed her over to her
tribe again. He gave her also clothes,
money and jewelry. and the head man
| a rifle, and refused the return of his
purchase money. Then he rode away,
leaving the forsaken woman sittingfor-
| lorn on the sand and stones from which
he had taken her two years before.
| He did not think he was acting un-
kindly. He had found her poor, and
| he left her rich No doubt. too, he felt
a pang at parting. But as soon as he
was gone the women of the tribe fell
on her. She retaliated ON them. scoffing
at their dirt and savagery, and refused
| to do the old menial Offices. She refused,
too, to marry any one of the men, who
| would have been quite content to take
her for her wealth. Then the men
turned, too. The women began to
teach them to regard her as spy in
| the camp, and the inevitable Mullah
quickly let it be known that she was a
hereto from the faith--whateyer that
was in their eyes. AS she was wealthy
her existence was a shame, a danger
and reproach. 1t was not long before
she was doomed an outcast, a defiled
infidel, rebellious woman. They came
quickly to the point of passing sentence
of death on her; and they came to it the
quicker that the news was brought tc
them that Griersons was married ac
eording to the English religion to one
of his own race. What the poor tor
tured girl did or said in her rage is not
known, but it sealed her fate. It alse
cast the hatred of the entire tribe or
Grierson. He had debauched one o1
their swomen, and for two years ha6
cast shame on them.
Il On a gloomy winter morning, be
tween dark and dawn, they led her t.
the place of execution in the Gorge O.
Shame. No women were near. They
stripped her, and left her standing
naked in the midst of ring of crue
men, pitiless and needless of he
beauty. The Mullah worked himsel
and his hearers into religious frenzy
and then, at the height of it, sprung ol
her with his keen, heavy saber and Gu
her through the spine. She reeled witt
| a scream and fell on. her hands an,
knees. He struck her again, and sh
, fell on her side in torrent of blood
with strangling cry for mercy.
shower of big stones crashed on hc1
: battering the shape out of her bod.
7 and piling a mount above her. Hardl
. had her dying groans ceased when SAN
) and earth and pebbles completed tn
, tomb, and effectually wiped out ever
[ trace of her existence
The men lounged slowly off to joi
, the caravan, which was lurching an
: struggling away two or three mile
: ahead toward their native mountains
i And her relations divided between ther
: her property. But the atonement wa
1 not complete. 1t Svas needful tha
every trace of Grierson and his rae
!. should be wiped out. The blood of til
! murdered woman was on him, and tn
/ shame of the tribe. Year by year th
t traders passed through Hindustan, an
a sought always Grierson: sought hiI
/ for years; sought him till his hal
a which they had known black, was iro1
4 gray; sought him until many year
S later two men of the Zillah Khel passe
S a native regiment camping on the lin
e of march, while moving in relief, an
t learned that Grierson was in comman,
They left their servants and comrade
|, to journey on with their merchandis
r and took to the jungle, following th
e regiment. Grierson was keen sport