Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-01-10
KIPLING DESCRIBES
INDIAN TROOPS

CONTINUED From First Page.)
the earth over. So spoke Biz Singh.
erect and enormous beneath the gray
English skies He hailed from n GER
tain place called Banalu, near Patiala,
where many years ago two Sikh SOL
diers executed striking bnt perfectly
Just vengeance on certain villagers
a cultivator
Then came the big still English gun
ners who are trained TO play with the
little guns. They took one such gun
and melted 1t into trifiing pieces of not
more than $50 pounds each and re-
assembled II, and explained Its inner
most heart till even a layman could
understand. There Is a lot to under
stand about screw guns-especially the
new kind. But the gunner of TODAY.
like his ancestor, does not talk much,
except In his own time and place, when
he Is as multitudinously amazing as
the blue marine.
The Mule I.ines,
we went over to see the mule lines
detest the whole generation of these
parrot-mouthed hybrids, American.
Egyptian. Andalusian or up country:
so II gave me particular pleasure 10
hear Pathan telling one chestnut
beast who objected to having its name
hogged any more what sort Of a lady
horse his mamma had been. But qua
animals. they were a lovely lot, and
had long since given up blowing and
finicking over English fodder.
lis there any sickness? Why Is
yonder mule lying down." demanded,
as though all the lines could not see
l was shuddering amateur
There Is no sickness. sahib. That
mule lies down for his own pleasure.
Also. II 10 to get out OF the wind He
said the man with the horse clippers.
And thou?'
Il am Pathan.,' said he with i'm
pudent grin and true border cock of the
turban. and he did mo the honor to
let me infer
The lines were full of talk as the
men went over their animals. They
were not worrying themselves over
this new country OF Belait. 1t was
the regular gossip of food and water
and firewood. and where so-and-so had
hid his currycomb.
Talking of cookery, the orthodox men
nave been rather put out by English
visitors who come to the cook houses
ana stare directly at the food while
IT Is being prepared. Sensible men do
not object to this, because they know
that these Englishmen have no evil
intention nor any evil eye. but some
Umes narrow souled purist (tooth-
ache or liver makes man painfully
rengious) Will Spy strangers" and in
sist on the strict letter Of the law,
ana then every one who wishes to be
orthodox must agree with him-on an
empty stomach. too-and wait till q
fresh mess has been cooked This Is
taklif-a burden-for where the in
tention Is good and war afoot, much
can and should be overlooked
moreover. this war Is not like any
other war. 1t is n war OF our Raj
everybody's war;" rs they say In the
bazaars. And that Is another reason
why 1t does not matter If an English
man stares at ones food. This
gathered In small pieces after watering
time, when the mules had filed up to
the troughs in the twilight, hundreds
OF them. and the drivers grew dis
cursive on the way to the lines
The last saw of them was in the
early cold morning. all In marching
order. linking and jingling down q
road through woods
Where are you going?"
God kno&s!"
The Inn of Good-nys.
1t might have been for exercise
merely. or 1t might be down to the
sea and away to the front for the bat
tie of Our Raj" The quiet hotel
where people sit together and talk In
earnest. strained pairs is well used to
such departures. The officers OF a
whole divlsiOn--the raw cuts of their
tent circles lie still unhealed on the
links--dined there by scores; mothers
and relatives came down from the
uttermost parts OF Scotland for a last
glimpse of their boys. and found beds
goodness knows whore; very quiet lit .