Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-12-10
captain FNf
" OF THE SIXTH
By ]. M. LYALL
0opyrscht. 1904. b. A. s. nnArdsea.

when a new prophet comes down from
the Himalaya mountains and begins to
stir up the people orders are issued to
suppress him at once. He is either cap
tured by the military and banished
from the province or arrested by the
civil authorities and immured in dun
geon until forgotten. The English In
India are arbitrary and autocratic.
They realize that they are living over
volcano which may spout flame and
death any hour. They move quickly
and strike hard.
The coming Of prophet means pop
ular excitement, plots and conspiracies,
rekindling Of the flames Of hatred, dan
ger to the English rule. Strong hands
must be laid on the holy man at once.
Perhaps there will be resistance and a
score of natives will be killed, and the
resistance may even grow into an In
cipient rebellion, but the English put 1t
down, bury the dead and give out moth
ing for publication. To rule India
without gloves Of steel would be to
lose her in year.
When the Prophet Rajmahal came
down to the province Of Behar from
his mountain retreat In which he
claimed to have slept and dreamed for
twenty years, intense excitement fol-
lowed in his track. He headed straight
for Moorshedabad, on the Ganges, to
yrtoif 0f
and the tombs of his long dead ances
tors, but he was headed Off sixty miles
to the north Of that place. A lieuten-
ant in the Sixth rifles had been detailed
with half the troop on this special duty.
While 1t is true that most Of the So
called prophets and holy men wander
ing about India are fakirs Of the worst
sort, who stir up excitement and sedi-
ton for the money there is in 1t, 1t is
also true that a few Of them are
earnest and conscientious and should
be dealt with harshly only after argu-
ment has been exhausted. The lieu
tenant found the Prophet Rajmahal to
be venerable and distinguished look
ing man. His age must have been
eighty years or more, and yet he was
sturdy and upright and had a voice
like clarion. He was fluent speak
er, full Of argument, reason and ap-
peal, and he was lighting fame of
zeal in every village he passed through.
He utterly refused any cash contribu-
tions lived on what the dogs would
hardly eat and addressed the people
without fear of consequences. He
had dreamed of emancipation and a
new ruler. 1t was sedition straight
from the shoulder, and in less than a
month he could set the whole province
in rebellion.
When the lieutenant came face to
face with the prophet, he resolved to
try reason and argument. The officer
could but yield respect and did not de-
sire to see him dragged around the
country, disgraced and degraded.
Rajmahal was for defiance at first,
and he had enough adherents In his
train to have eaten the troops ten
times over, but after an interview
lasting for hours he recognized the
force Of English logic and announced
that he would return to his mountain
lair.
The prophet was as good as his
word, but his return was slow. This
was caused solely by the crowds
blocking his way and exhorting him
to defy the government. He had not
yet made fifty miles ON the backward
track when Captain Fyfe came on
with the rest of the troop. The lieu
tenant was relieved from duty under
cloud, and orders were issued to push
the old man out Of the province at
the point Of the saber. Captain Fyfe
overlook him, pronounced him a fakir,
an impostor and a charlatan, and,
wishing to make the degradation COM
plete, pulled him by the beard and
spat on his raiment.
This scene took place in the open air
in sight of 5000 people and the full
company Of soldiers. The act mortally
offended every law of caste and re.
ligion, and instead Of raising shouts of
indignation the natives simply groaned
in horror. 1t was the handsome, con-
temptuous Captain Fyfe, clad in full
uniform, who stepped forward and
gathered the long white beard in his
clutch. 1t was a wan faced, mis-
shapen and cringing native who fell
back before the uplifted hand of the
prophet. Captain Fyfe had disappear
ed off the face of the earth while the
eyes of all that vast crowd were full
upon him. Three thousand people look
ed upon the strange scene, and 100 Of
them were English soldiers. A hundred
different men swore to 1t, and it was
talked over wherever two Englishmen
met in India. But the press dared not
| refer to it for fear of encouraging the
natives.
The second lieutenant, now in charge
of the troop, rode through that crowd
a score of times, but his captain was
not to be found. He beat up the coun-
try around, he coaxed and threatened,
but the Prophet Rajmahal strobe on,
with his face to the mountains, and
1 IL. all