Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-03-16
DAILY SHORT STORY
THE MAN IN THE MOONLIGHT.

All over the great highways of In
dia,the government has established free
bungalows for the use of travellers
They are little more than shelters from
the weather If the traveller has nc
bedding he finds none provided. II
he has no food he must buy of the ma
tives or go hungry.
On the great highway between ALA
habad and Nagpoor there were eight
passengers of us. who got down from a
stage one night, tired, hungry and
sleepy. Three of the number were
women, being wives of three of the
men. We had with us, going down to
his regiment at Nagpoor, British ma
jor belonging TO IL native regiment
The British officer, no matter where
yous1ind him, is Il gentleman, but this
was an exceptional case. The major
was trough by nature, and drink had
rendered him anything but ian agreea-
bic companion or man offmanners.
The married men We're first in the
bungalow and made their selections.
The jor' stopped to quarrel with the
driver and therefore came last. There
was room left, for him, but he did not
choose to putfup with last choice lie
insisted that one of the married cou-
Piles turn out for him. When they re-
fused to do so he became abusive A
personal encounter finally resulted, and
the major was soundly thrashed by
one of his own nationality. He was
thrashed, but not silenced. He dared
his cOnqueror to fight him n duel. and
he threatened revenge on all of us.
1t was a bright moonlight night so
bright that one could see every leaf
on Il tree a hundred feet away. The
major disappeared while the rest of
us were cooking and eating, and we
saw no more of him for two hours
Then as 1 walked out on the grounds
TO smoke Il pipe he came sauntering
down the road j took it that he had
been to Il native hut about a quarter
of IL mile away to buy food and had
eaten it before his return. The man
had also been imbiBing afresh. l had
said that l would go in and go To bed
and had started for the veranda of the
bungalow when the man of war drew
a pistol and aimed it full ut me and
said
THAT will be as I say Walk down
the road"
isn't this rather high handed, ma
jor?'' l asked as l turned to him.
Never you mind about that. I'm not
going in. and there are enough of them
to vilify me without adding you. Move
on, l say
Major, you are laying yourself liable
to the law"
Curse the law! Will you move on
or take IL bullet?'
l saw that he was wrought up to the
pitch where he would shoot me down if
l opposed him, and l walked away
down the road. He followed and took
me by the arm, and. holding cooked
revolver in his right hand. he began to
talk about his military career The
brandy he had taken would have made
the average man maudlin drunk, and
lie would have had to have help TO
walk The mans voice was bit
thick, and now and then he lurched Il
bit, but. one could not have called him
drunk
We kept on walking for half mile
as we talked. and the major finally
drew me off the highway TO seat Oh
the ground beneath large tree.
sat with my back to the trunk of the
tree. while he sat in the open six feet
away. | was in the shade and he in
the clear moonlight. with n shallow
mullah or ravine thirty feet behind
him. The man had put down his piS-
tOl and seemed to have no further
thoughts against me-
/ was impatient to get away from
him and into the bungalow. and kept
hoping that his libations would finally
end in his going to sleep where he sat
Instead of that happening. however.
he seemed to grow more wakcful as
time passed OH.
He had held me prisoner under the
tree for full hour when | suddenly
noticed something queer beyond him.
The mullah was bordered OH our side
by few scattered bushes and bunch
es of grass. Under the moonlight each
bush and bunch cast Il shadow toward
me. While my eyes were carelessly |
resting ON these shadows one of them |
took the shape of Il tigers head, with |
the ears cooked up. l stared ut the |
thing for minute or two, but detected |
no movement.
Then the major began story about |
n battle, and in listening to him L for
got all about the shadow. Perhaps it |
was five minutes before looked again |
1t was still there, even If it had not |
grown palmer. From the shadow TO
the fringe of the jungle was nGt over
five PAGES. If tiger was stalking us
he would creep down that ravine.
Major, look behind you and tell me
if you see the shadow of tigers |
head" / said.
''Bosh on your tigers head" he ex-
claimed without turning his face II
tell you I'm bound to get even with
your crowd. The man who struck me
must give me satisfaction, or | will
shoot him down like hyena.''
Give me your pistol and let me fire
a shot"
You don't get it. | tell you. sir,
hat Won and yorri. nrnxyI bova .ro+,,