The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-07-25


sigh of relief from the lips of 5000 native
workmen who had toied since in the morn
ing. More than thousand monday whistles had pre-
ceded this Engineers, watermen stonemasons,
penters iron workers. aborers and elephants had been
toling day after day for almost three years casons
had SUNK piers built approaches made, and wood
great structure be finished -Four hun
dred and eighty natives had yielded their lives to this
0doloch space cleared in the
jungle. The fever always with them, and accidents
ready embrace them. When one fell out,
another ready to step into his place. Labor in India
is cheap.
5000 native worknen, all but sought
the shade, to break their fast and rest their tired
quietly disappeared in the jungle to
clear spot half mile above the bridge. Each
laborer but each leader of men, and Ram
Lal the leader ALL AS the others gathered
around him. he turned the opposite bank of
the Juna distant half mile with millions of gal
out long lean arm, said
Here the banks of this river was born. Here
generations people have lived and died and
blessed the sacred waters It has been with others
you Three the white men came here and
looked across as we look to-day. The waters were
clearer and the croeodies and down basked
on the shores When we put our dead upon RATS and
sent them ahoat knew they would voyage peacefully
waters whispered softly they there
no pollution"
Ram speaks truly" whispered to .>
Look at godmother now!" exclaimed the man,
grew and a
"Can find crocodile for miles down? Since
when have you raft bearing its dead down to the
Ganges? The white man has planted heaps OF stones to
the waters. has polluted them with oil and mud
disgust a
it will the iron monsters which shrek
and hiss and rumble and not for the living the
dead. Shall it be shall it not? Shall god
peace again flows shall these
allowed until
bonds in and sends her waters into houses and
temples to punish us? have called here to ask
you have spoken"
Ram Lal has spoken, and and feel and think
a does" replied around him.
Five days hence" sail the leader he looked from
face to face the bridge II be finished and train will
pass over it, and the whi.e will rejoice
nrid Tn hav
necks They have torn down temples, destroyed
holy ponds, and damned and bridged our sacred
rivers Nothing is sacred to them. Know not that
this line of railroad thru the of
dead, and that the bones of women and children
gone with the dirt to fill the holes? bade toll
all these months because there famine in the land
and the white paid we'll for labor, but also
time IS ripe s' '' ~'''' '@@''' - "e - ' 1''
"The time is ripe" murmured the others.
"And hands shall destruction free
godmother of these unholy distractions which
her flow Back to your men and pass the word Let all
the signal. Then strike together"
1--WE will strike together"
A quarter Of an hour later the whistle blew again,
by the elephants BEFORE
their
At the hour Ram Lal appealing to the fanaticsm
of his people, Egbert Clifford an American and of
the chief engineers assistants great work.
smoking his cheroot in the shade of banyan tree on
the outskirts of the white mems camp.
.sahib, a
in his ne sat thinking He looked up
TIndoo girl beside glance him that she was
handsome and her voice and carriage showed
Of high caste.
'"Thank for what?" he asked, after moment.
''Six months ago, I bathed in the Oranges at
Raickpoor, crocodile crept and would have
seized devoured but for you. You away
could thank but learned
not forgotten brave deed am here to thank you
girl" answered Clifford with laugh
the incident, but there nothing heroic
about it, it that you here among the low
caste? This is place for you"
sahb speaks truly" said the girl she drew
herself up. 81 the daughter of rajpoot but yet
yet-sahib, have come to tell you something. You
saved my life and grateful Listen to and heed
my words"
talked minutes and the engineer heard her
without interruption Then she disappeared into the
Jungle She gone twenty minutes when Saun-
ders chief engineer that and the two
sauntered bridge. When they had reached
the the abutment, Saunders carelessly
inquired:
.sWho's the kd?"
..You mean girl talking
eyes"
1T happened to save her life from crocodile few