The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1904-10-07

mai nnd OYef0OWluB wet
seasons and fevcrs and a dozen other
disagreeable things to make life miscr-
able.
There was an uprising in n neigh
boring petty state, and n detachment
Of the Forty-ffth was ordered there
post haste. Which does not mean
much as 20 speed in a country with
roads and temperature such ns India
has.
We duly arrived, however. and found
that there was a pretty mess OF it,
The petty prince of the little prov
ince had been raising and keeping
standing army, consisting OF thirty or
forty lower caste Hindoos, whom he
had armed with as many guns of an
old.fashioned design, probably worked
off on him by some junk denler on the
coast.
Whether the Oriental inclination for
despotism had got TO be little harder
than usual on the members OF the
standing army, or whether the army
had found itself getting more powerful
than its sovereign-for some reason it
had revolted and deserted In n body,
plundered the royal bungalow and
some OF the native residents OF the sta
ton, and was at that time living n sort
OF bandit life In the nelghborlng jungle,
swooping down on the place whenever
provisions ran short, and taking what
ever they wanted, with an incidental
murder here and there.
Major Barker, on learning all the
circumstances and the amount Of the
force from the few English residents,
said:
Wen put an end 10 this at once,
sir; Wen stamp the rebellion out like
that, sir" and he stamped his foot
sharply on the mating by sheer good
luck catching one Of the big reaches OF
that cline under his SOLE which lent
objective force to his declaration.
We'll, we did stamp them out very
much like that--whcn we found them.
But the finding Of the rebels was the
hardest part of the job and, in spite Of
the majors contempt for the quality Of
the foe, ii happened that he was TO be
the man who was TO come the nearest
10 losing his life in short campaign
which was all but bloodless on our
side.
The undercurrcnt Of rebellion against
our English rule in India is well illus
trated by the conduct OF some of the
natives Of this station, from whom we
tried TO find out the whereabouts of
the rebelious standing army.
Much as they were I'm fear OF their
fellow countrymen's raids and bIThar-
ous atrocities, ms between them and us
their aid was given to the rebels.
In few days Major Barker had be
come furious.
They think they can fool us, do
they? BY CAD, sir I'll show them!
Wen hunt them ont, sir, and hunt
them down, sir-in short order, too, by
Jovcw
SO the major divided his detachment
Into several small rcconuoitcring par.
ties to beat up the jungle very much
RS he would have done on tiger hunt,
with n systematic plan of progress and
q series Of stated rendezvous.
The major, on his part, took two
men with him. and was one of them.
Our party was smaller than any OF
the others, and l think the reason was
that he wanted to express to the men.
in a striking way, his utter contempt
for the nature e the enemy.
The majors zeal and bravery were
beyond question:; these and his hot
hcadedness were apt to he sources of
misfortune to him occasionally.
At the time referred 10 lie dragged
us OH so eagerly and impatiently into
the forest that on the very first day we
completely lost ourselves. through not
having time to take proper precautions
TO mark our path.
The fact worried Dick Brace and me
considerably, and we began to discuss
the matter over the fire we built at
dark that night with a view to keeping
of the wild denizcns ~ this Indian
forest.
We could not get much satisfaction
from the major
Lost, slr;" said he. lost! Absurd.
These rascally Hlndoos find their way
back through these forests; how dare
you imply, sir. that our Christian in.
telllgence is unable to do the same
Don't speak that way again. sir. or Ill
put you under arrest for disrespect "a
your commanding officer"
Then the major lay down and wen
"a sionn wltflp Mol. Rroco op1 \ .oti oI
II over.
IL is just such men as the major tina
have the luck in this world.
Next morning az dawn we were M
aud looking about FOR something {,
shoot for breakfast. II was the majo
who stumbled over the bird and sho
il and at the same time he stumblep
over a trail that bore with Il diver
signs which would seem TO indicate Il
use by the enemy.
There, sir" said the major, when W
were forced to halt for a rest after a
hours march. there, sir. you see III
triumph OF British instinct. il not inte
ligence, over cody craft. You may ca
IL luck, sir, my stumbling on this trai
but I. sir, call 1t superior instinct, bor
Of keener intelligence"
The major had risen, as he delivcre
this specimen OF his logic and his ph
osophy. and he had hardly got q
words out Of his mouth when the
was a fash aud q deafening repo