Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1899-06-10

1ucy SAT GOgeTnoT In kn0L6 ana TALKED
God only knows what they found tx
discuss-in low. equable tones, curious
~ in contrast to the strident babblt
with which natives are accustomed tt
make day hideous.
Now and then an access of that sud
den fury which had possessed me in the
morning would lay hold on man Oh
woman, and with yells and imprecations
the sufferer would attack the steep slope
until, baf1ed and bleeding, he fell back
on the platform incapable of moving q
limb. The others would never ever
raise their eyes when this happened, as
men too well aware of the futility Of
their fellows attempts and wearied
with their useless repetition. Isaw four
such outbursts in the course of that
evening
Gunga Dass took an eminently bust
nesslike view of my situation, and
while we were dining-I can afford tc
laugh at the recollection now, but il
was painful enough at the time-pro-
pounded the terms on which he would
consent to ''do'' for me. Ny rupees
s annas, he argued, at the rate of 8
annas day, would provide me with
food for 81 days, or about seven weeks
that is to say, he would be willing to
cater for me for that length of time.
At the end of it was to look after my.
self. For further consideration-vi-
delicet my boots-he would be willing
to allow me to occupy the den next to
his own and would supply me with as
much dried grass for bedding as he
could spare
Every well, Gunga Dass, I replied.
"To the first terms cheerfully agree,
but as there is nothing on earth to pre-
vent my killing you as you SIT here and
taking everything that you have"-1
thought of the two invaluable crows at
the time--'I fatty refuse to give you
my boots and shall take whichever den
I please. .
The stroke was bold one, and l was
glad when / saw that it had succeeded.
Gunga Dass changed his tone immedi-
ately, and disavowed all intention Of
asking for my boots At the time it did
not strike me as at all strange that |, a
civil engineer, man of Is years stand
ing in the service. and, trust, an aver
age Englishman, should thus calmly
threaten murder and violence against
the man who had, for consideration, it
is true, taken me under his wing. /
had left the world, it seemed, for CEN
turtles. I was as certain then as | am
now of my own existence that in the
accursed settlement there was no law
save that of the strongest, that the liv-
ing dead men had thrown behind them
every canon of the world which had
cast them out, and that had to depend
for my own life on my strength and
vigilance alone. The crew of the ill
fated Mignonette are the only men who
would understand my frame of mind,
eat present, I argued to myself, 81
am strong and match for six of these
wretches It is imperatively necessary
that I should, for my own sake, keep
both health and strength until the hour
of my release comes-if it ever does.
Fortified with these resolutions. l ate
and drank as much as / could, and
made Gunga Dass understand that / in
tended to be his master, and that the
least sign of insH bordination on his part
would be visited with the only punish
ment had it in my power to infict-
sudden and violent death. Shortly after
this | went to bed. That is to say,
Gunga Dass gave me a double armful
of dried bents, which thrust down the
mouth of the lair to the right of his,
and followed myself, feet foremost. the
hole running about nine feet into the
sand with slight downward inclina-
ton, and being neatly shored with tim
bers. From my den, which faced the
river front, I was able to watch the
waters of the Sutlej flowing past under
the light of "a young moon and compose
myself to sleep as best might.
The horrors of that night l shall
never forget My den was nearly as
narrow as a coffin, and the sides had
been worn smooth and greasy by the
contact of innumerable naked bodies,
added to which it smelled abominably.
Sleep was altogether out of question to
one in my excited frame of mind. AS
the night were on it seemed that the
entire amphitheater was filed with
legions of unclean devils that, trooping
up from the shoals below. Knocked the
in their lairs.
Personally I am not Of an magma
tive temperament-very few engineers
on that occasion was as COM
pletely Frustrated with nervous terror
as any woman. After half an hour or
SC, however, I was able once more to
calmly review my chances of escape.
Any exit by the steep sand walls was
Of course impracticable. l had been
thoroughly convinced of this some time
before. It was possible, just possible,
that I might in the uncertain moon
light safely run the gantlet of the rife
shots. The place was so full of terror
for me that was prepared to undergo
any risk in leaving it. Imagine my de-
light, then, when after creeping stealth
ly to the river front / found that the
internal boat was not there. My free
7om Law hefora ma in the NEXT few