Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-14

turnal rambles in the Sums of Calcutta
We're an everyday thing to you. If you're
spoken to. don't betray too much famil-
iarity with the vernacular. You know
about the limit OF the average Tommy 8
vocabulary: don't go beyond it," He I'M
bolted and locked the door b. which Am
Der had entered. putting the key in MS
pocket, and turned to second door
across the room. We'll leave this way;
chose this place because it's a regular
rabbit warren, with half dozen en-
frances and exits. I'll leave YOU in a
passage leading to the bazaar. Wait III
the doorway until you see me stroll past:
give me thirty yards lead and follow.
crowd as the plague and don't lose sight
of me. I'll stop in front Of DOhla
Baksh's shop long enough to light
cheroot and go on without looking back
When you come out I'll be waiting fol
you. If we lose one another. get back
to your hotel as quickly as possible.
may send you word. IL / don't. l shall
understand you've taken the first morning
train to Darjeeling. ! think that's all.
AS Amber left the room LabertOuche en-
tinguisled the lamp, shut and locked the
door and followed. catching Amber by
the arm and guiding him through pitch
darkness to the head of the stairs. Don't
talk" he whispered. trust me- They
descended an interminable flight of steps
passed down a long. echoing corridor and
again descended. From the foot of the
second flight Labertouche shunted Amber
round through what seemed a vertable
maze of passages-in which, however, Inc
was evidently quite at home. At length
Now go ahead," was breathed at Am
ber's ear and at the same time his arm
was released.
He obeyed blindly. stumbling down a
reeking corridor. and in minute more
to his unutterable relief, was in the open
air Of the bazaar.
Blinking with the abrupt transition from
absolute night to garish light, he skulked
i'm the shadow of the doorway, waiting
Beneath his gaze Calcutta paraded its
congress of peoples-a comprehensive col
lection of specimens of every tribe In
Hindustan and of nearly every other race
in the world Observation-Disclosures Delhi
Pathans. towering Skhs. lean. sinewy
Rajputs with bound jaws: swart, agile
Bills; Tommes in their scarlet TUNES.
Japanese and Chinese in their distinctive
dress, short and sturdy Gurkhas. yellow
Saddhus. Jats stalking proudly. Drawing
knots of sailormen from the port. sleek
Mahrattas, polluted Sanss. Punjabis.
Bengalis priests, beggars. dancing girls
a blaze of color ever shifting. a babel of
tongues never stilled, seething scum on
a witch's brew of humanity. -"
Like fat tawdry moth in his garments
of soiled pink. babu loitered past. with
never a sidelOng glance for the loaferish
figure I'm the Swallowed doorway, and the
latter seemed himself absorbed in the
suua billing with the keeper of a vegetable
stall adjacent But presently he wearied
of their noise. yawned. thrust both hands
deep I'm his pockets and stumbled away.
The bazaar accepted him a brother,
unuIestioning. and he picked his way
through il with an ease that argued moth
ing but absolute familiarity with his sur
roundngs. But always, you may be sure.
he had the CLEAN Of pink satin i'm the cor
ner of his eye.
BEFORE long Pink Satin diverged into
shadow So far the latter had been
treadng known ground. but little later.
when Pink Satin dived abruptly into a
darksome alleyway to the right. drawing
Amber after him as child drags toy
on a string. the Virginian lost his GEAR
ings utterly and was thereafter helpless
ly dependent upon the futter of Pink
Satin, and unworrie1 only so long as he
! could see him. in fidget of anxiety
whenever the labyrinth shut Labertoucne
from his sight for a moment or two.
II was quiet enough away from the
main thoroughfare, but with a sinister
quiet. Tall dwellings marched shoulder
to shoulder along the ways, suffered.
dark grim, with an effect of conspiratOrs
their heads together in lawleSs confer
ence The streets were intolerably mar
row, the paving a farce: pools of stag
nant water stood in the depressions. piles
of refuse banked the walls. The fetid ali
hung motionless but sibiant with stealthy
footsteps and whisperings. Prefer
able to this seemed even the infinitely
more dangerous and Odorous CoolootOllah
purlieus into which they presently passed
nesting place though 1t were for the
city's most evil and desperate classes.
ITO ne continued tomorrow