The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1899-08-30
6A5NSSS7NASRaHES5R@G
THE STRANGE RIDE
OF
81 MORR0WBIE JUkES.
- BY RUDYARD KIPLING.
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BY RUDYARD KIPLING.

Pornic, who was standing a few
yards away, was naturally a good deal
exhausted, but had not hurt himself in
the least. His saddle, a favorite polo
one, was much knocked about and had
been twisted under his belly. It took
me some time to put him to rights, and
in the meantime I had ample opportu-
mites Of observing the spot into which
had SO foolishly dropped.
At the risk of being considered tedious
must describe it at length, inasmuch
as an accurate mental picture of its
peculiarities will be of material assist
ance in enabling the reader to under
stand what follows.
Imagine, then, as I have said before,
horseshoe shaped crater of sand with
steeply graded sand walls about S5 feet
high. The slope, I fancy, must have
been about 65 degrees. This crater in
closed a level piece of ground about 90
yards long by 80 at its broadest part,
with rude well in the center. Round
the bottom of the crater, about three
feet from the level of the ground proper,
ran series of So semicircular, ovoid,
sarare and multilateral holes, all about
three feet at the mouth. Each hole on
inspection showed that it was carefully
shored internally with driftwood and
bamboos, and over the mouth a wooden
drip board projected, like the peak OF a
jockey cap. for two feet. No sign Of
life was visible in these tunnels, but a
most sickening stencil pervaded the en-
tire amphitheater-a stencil fouler than
any which my wanderings in Indian
villages have introduced me to.
Having remounted Pornic, who was
as anxious as I to get back to camp, I
rode round the base Of the horseshoe to
find some place whence an exit would
be practicable. The inhabitants, who
ever they might be, had not thought fit
to put in an appearance, so l was left
to my own devices. My first attempt to
s.rush'' Pornic up the steep sand banks
showed me that1 had fallen into trap
exactly on the same model as that
which the ant lion sets for its prey. AT
each step the shifting sand poured down
from above in tons, and ratified on the
drip boards of the holes like small shot.
A couple of Intellectual charges sent us
both rolling down to the bottom, half
choked with the torrents Of sand, and l
was constrained to turn my attention
to the river bank.
Here everything seemed easy enough.
The sand hills ran down to the river
edge, it is true, but there were plenty
Of shoals and shadows across which 1
could gallop Pornic and find my way
back to terra frma by turning sharply
to the right or the left. AS I led Pornic
over the sands I was startled by the
faint pop Of a rife across the river, and
at the same moment bullet dropped
with sharp "whit'' close to Pornic's
head.
There was 20 mistaking the nature
of the missile regulation Martini
Henry .'picket. " About 500 yards away
a country boat was anchored in mid
stream, and a jeS of smoke drifting
away from its bows in the still morn
ing air showed me whence the delicate
attention had come. Was ever re-
spectabl gentleman in such an i'm
passe? The treacherous sand slope al
lowed no escape from a spot which I
had visited most involuntarily, and a
promenade on the river frontage was
the signal for a Commandment from
some insane native in boat I'm
afraid that l lost my temper very much
indeed
Another bullet reminded me that I
had better save my breath to cool my
porridge, and I retreated hastily up the
sands and back to the horseshoe, where
I saw that the noiserof the rifle had
drawn IS human beings from the badger
holes which I had up till that point
supposed to be untenanted. found
myself in the midst of crowd of spec
tators-about 40 men, 20 women and
cne child who could not have been more
than years old. They were all scantily
clothed in that salmon colored cloth
which one associates with Hindoo men
dicants and at first sight gave me the
impression of a band Of loathsome fa-
kris. The filth and responsiveness Of the
assembly were beyond all description,
and I shuddered to think what their
life in the badger holes must be.
Even in these days, when local self
government has destroyed the greater
part of natives respect for sahib
/ have been accustomed to certain
amount of civility from my interiors,
and on approaching the crowd naturally
expected that there would be some rec
ognition of my presence. As a matter
of fact there was, but it was by no
means what / had looked for.
The ragged crew actually laughed at
me-such laughter I hope may never
hear again. They cackled, yelled, whis-
tied and howled as 7 walked into their
midst, some CT them literally throwing
themselves down on the ground in con-
vulsions CT unholy mirth. In moment
7 had let 90 Pornic's head and. irritat-