The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1902-12-12

NHH
nm impostor and charlatan. and.
wishing to make the degradation com.
plete' pulled him by the beard and
spat on his raiment.
This scene took place i'm the open air
Ia sight Of 1900 people and the full
company of soldiers. The act mortallv
offended every law of caste and re.
ligion, and instead of raising shouts OF
Indignation the natives simply groaned
In horror. II was the handsome. con-
temptuous Captain Fyfe. clad in full
uniform, who stepped forward and
gathered the long white beard i'm his
clutch. IL was a wan faced. mis-
shapen and cringing native who fell
back before the upllfted hand OF the
prophet Captain Fyfe had disappear
ed of the face of the earth while the
eyes of all that vast crowd were full
upon him. Three thousand people look
cd upon the strange scene, and 100 of
them were English soldiers. A hundred
different men swore to IT, and 1t was
talked over wherever two Englishmen
met in India. But the press dared not
refer to 1t for fear Of encouraging the
natives.
The seconS lieutenant. now I'm charge
OF the troop, rode through that crowd
a score Of times. hut his captain was
not to be found. lie beat up the coun-
try around, he coaNcd and threatened.
but the Prophet Raimahal strobe on.
with his face TO the mountains. and
his followers were dumb. The troops
had to turn back. No sooner had the
report reached the colonel nt Gyah
than the second officer was put under
arrest. At his trial every man i'm the
command testified to the facts as above
related. II was against common sense
to believe the story, but could they say
that hundred men had cOnspircd 10
lief They had to accept their tcSti.
mony and cicar the officer. aud the only
thing left was t. roohpooh II and for.
bid the soldiers to talk
What had become of the native who
had stepped into Captain Fyfcs boots
as il were, no one could sny. lie had
drawn back and mingled with the
crowd and then disappeared.
Weeks and months went by. Then
one day straEge Hlndoo was seen
hanging about the cantonmcnt. His
face was like that of monkey rather
than OF a man, aud his misshapen legs
gave him queer gait A soldier went
forward with stick to drive him
away, but the ldltr protested, weeping,
and after. speaking In Il strange jargon
he forced out the words:
"Take me-take me to the colonelw
Ambling and cluckiug and chatter
ing he was passed To the colonel. Now
and then n native came I'm with re-
ports worth needing. and this thing
was supposed TO be the bearer Of some
such news Standing before the colo.
mel he suffered aud stammcrcd and
glggled like fool. What few words
he did utter no one could understand.
The colonel lost patience ana spoke TO
him sharply and the thing" groyclcd
at his feet
"Try your cane ON him" said the
colonel To captain who had been
drawn thlther 10y curiosity.
That will make him speak" replied
the captain as he brought the cane
down over the chatterer's shoulders,
So II did, lie sprang up screamed
out like wild beast two or three
times, and then, holding out his hands
In appeal. he cried distinctly:
Colonel, don't you know me? am
Captain Fyfe"
"God in heaven" gasped the colonel,
springing 10 his feet.
II am! | am! tell you, am Cap.
tain Fyfe, and ! want TO come back
here.
Horror struck, the officers looked In.
to his hideOus face and at his deformed
limbs and no man could speak
Il tell YOU, | am Captain Fyfe,'
screamed the thing" but you won't
believe it--you don't want me. will
go back"
And as the group continued TO stare
and wonder and feel their blood run
chill he ran ont of the ROOM fed across
the grounds with growls and cackles.
and before move was made 20 pre-
vent he was out OF sight behind some
buildings. The closest search was
made, but IN vain. For months and
months watch was kept for him, but
he never returned.