Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1905-09-02
AT High
Wafer Mark
By c. b. LEWIS
Copyright. 1906. bv n. u. Mcclure

river had been finished. and there was
much rejoicing. They had been sunk
IN the muddy bed of the stream dis
lance Of sixty feet. and they lowered
almost as high above the surface IL
had taken thousands Of tons of stone
and thousands of bags of cement and
hundreds OF days work To complete
these piers. They had had the labor
OF thousand men and fifty elephants.
When they were finished holiday
was given to all the workmen. and
the chief engineer gazed proudly at
his work and said:
''f'hey are done mt last Floods may
roll down-earthquakes may topple
down forests-come what may, and
my piers will stand here when thou
sand years have passed away"
1T IL so. sahib-it is So" answered
the voice OF thousand natives. and
then they cheered him and his work.
When thousand native Indian
workmen are employed together ON
one job there are three or four castles.
There are masons. carpenters. elephant
drivers. shovelers. boatmen and what
not There is enmity between the
castles. there Is jealousy between the
different trades. there Is chance every
hour In the day for general riot. and
the men must be under a strict dis
ciplIne. The superintendent word
must be law from which there Is no
appeal A culprit Is not told to 90
hence, because he has bound himself
and the company has bound itself. He
Is punished by fine, Imprisonment or
the lash. Because OF this custom this
news ran through camp one morning:
AT the hour OF high noon today the
nag OF punishment will be raised on the
STAFF, and Kim Nassik will be tied to
the post and logged Three times has
his overseer warned him. and three
times has he muttered and cursed be
low his breath and failed to amend his
conduct Kim Nasslk Is lazy. and he
has made Bundara. his elephant. the
same. When both driver and elephant
are lazy. the work days. One man and
his beast can hinder hundred others.
1t Is right that Kim Nassik should be
well logged"
When the elephant driver. after sew
eral warnings. had been sentenced TO
punishment. he replied to the superin-
tendent:
"Your words are true. sahib. and |
would not have you take them back.
! have been lacking In diligence. and
Bundara has agreed with me. but we
have reason. A few Sundays ago be
got loose and ran away to the jungle.
We hunted for him for hours. When
we finally came upon him he was talk
Ing with a wild elephant. He came TO
me at my bidding. but that night, when
all the camp was asleep. he whispered
In my ear that we We're fretting the
river: that the waters were growing
and complaining: that some evil would
surely fall upon US II we damned
them back. For million years the
Goomtree has had free flow to the sea.
Could II be otherwise than that she
should be angry and that some disas-
ter should befall us?'
SHOW is II with the trees-with the
grass-with all else that man usesT
asked the official III the river Is
million years old men have used her
for a million years. Thousands OF
boats and RATS have fioated down her
current and she has not complained.
Men must travel. and they must have
bridges on which TO cross streams.
We have not damned the current
back. There Is plenty Of room for 1t
to flow onward. Bundara Is a big.
strong beast, but he Is lazy. He has
told you this story that he may have
less work TO do. You shall have twen-
ty lashes at the post before all men.
and Bundara shall also look on as
warning to tell no more lies"
"As you will. sahib."
At noon the whipping took place. but
the punishment was not severe. II
was because Of the moral effect that
II was inflicted. Kim Nassik's ele-
plant was there. and he dropped his
head and tears ran from his eyes. They
said he felt pity for his master and
that his conscience troubled him. Tc
spare the feelings OF man and beast.
the superintendent gave them half
day of the works-half day In which
to repent and decide TO do better In
the future.
At shutdown all labor ceased. and II
was reported that Nassik and his beast
had gone TO the jungles That was a
serious offense. The elephant was gov
eminent property and was hired to
the railroad company nj so much per
day. Nasslk had been his mnhout for
ten years. hut he was no more. He
had incurred serious penalty by fee
Ing. and party was made TO bring
him back. but they hunted In vain. In
four weeks the incident was almost
forgotten.
In time the great iron beams were
stretched from pier TO pier. and cross
beams and Orders were put In place.
and from sunup TO shutdown the hot
air qulvered under the strokes Of the
scores Of hammers. The approaches
were filled In and spans laid 10 the
piers. and the chief engineer looked
over his work with n smile Of satisfac-