The Morris County chronicle., 1903-04-03

~
CHEST ?"
train brought it past our station, where
it rested for a day and then moved
on. In a defile 10 miles to the north
of us it was ambushed by over a thou
sand dacoits and suffered a severe
misfortune. There was not only
heavy loss in killed and wounded, but
the treasure and portion of the sup
plies were captured and run off.
The remnant of the train returned
to us and went into camp until re-en-
forcements could come up, and the
bullet headed, tyrannical Colonel Kem-
BILE. whose obstinacy and recklessness
had brought about the disaster, pro-
ceeded to make it redhot for every
body. Any set of men except British
soldiers would have mutinied and
taken his life. Raging over his de-
feat and feeling his helplessness. he or
dered out detachments and command
ed them to bring in every native they
could overhaul. 1t was well populat-
ed country, with hundreds of loyal ma
tives to be picked up, but the colonel
proceeded to look upon each and every
one as guilty of having had a hand
in the attack on the train. More than
score were shot or hung offhand,
while others were whipped at the post
or ordered out of the district. 1t was
a reign of terror for three weeks, and
the end was fitting one.
My own detachment one day brought
I'm a mere boy whom we had found
covering in thicket. do not believe
he had the slightest knowledge of the
ambush or took any part in it. He was
a timid lad. whose father had been one
of the first ones hung, and he was so
frightened that but little could be got
out of him. The colonel bulldozed and
browbeat him and finally ordered his
execution on the ground that he was
spy. 1t was only when he knew that
he must die that the young fellow
braced up and showed his courage, and
as he was being led away to execution
he said to the colonel
"Sahib Colonel, | am innocent, and
you will be punished for my death.
You may shoot me and bury my body,
but my spirit will follow you to the
grave"
Half an hour later he was dead, but
he was the last one to be executed.
That evening as the colonel entered the
officers mess tent for supper all of us
noticed that he had a queer. troubled
look on his face and that he cast fur
tive glances behind him. After a bit
he tried to be jocular, but the effort
was a failure He said something
about not feeling well, but nobody dar-
ed question him. AT midnight that
night we got an explanation. The
colonel called the sentinel into his
tent, and with white face and trem
bling voice and the perspiration stand
ing out OH his forehead he said:
"Man. do you see that boy sitting on
the chestY
81 see nobody, sir" replied the senti-
mel
"He is there. l tell you! He fol-
lowed me to mess and back, and he
has been here in plain sight all the
evening. Take him awayw
"But there's nobody here, sir"
And there wasn't. The sentinel call
ed in two officers, who looked and
searched in vain and assured Colonel
Kemble that no boy was present. He
tried to turn it off with a laugh, but in
less than "a hours every man in camp
knew that the colonel was haunted by
a specter. He made a brave effort to
bluff Il out, but it was useless The
specter followed at his heels by day
and sat by his bedside at night, and
In week the strong, aggressive man
was becoming a mental wreck. He
turned to us for pity and sympathy,