II. One day after the discussion yet another warrior who had of greater matters, an Indian a pet mongoose. As those officer, with a fatherly smile, learned in zoology know, a remarked that one of the young mongoose is an animal in apwarriors had something to say. pearance somewhat like an EngThe young warrior, on being lish stoat, which is reputed to pushed to the front, said he have a positive passion for wished to make a petition. A dining off venomous snakes, friend of his, who was also a and especially off cobras. The warrior, had with conspicuous cobra, naturally not being a guile captured a cobra. A consenting party to this gascobra, as every one knows, is a tronomic eccentricity, puts up very deadly reptile, for a bite a fierce fight, and as often as from a cobra means certain not deals a poisoned blow to death within three hours. But his enemy, which obviates any a cobra can only bite with his necessity for future foraging head, therefore the said warrior expeditions. took the opportunity when the said cobra was hastily retiring into a hole head first, to seize it by the tail. Holding the tail tight with his left hand, he clasped the cobra's body with his right hand, and then gently pulled. As more and more of the snake came unwillingly forth, the warrior kept on slipping his right hand forward till, when the cobra's head at length emerged, he had him tight by the tail with his left hand and tight round the neck with his right hand. Thus disposed, the cobra could hiss and fume and show his exceeding annoyance, but could do no harm. Thus carrying him delicately to the lines, the warrior called to another warrior for a sack, into which he skilfully hurled the cobra, and standing well clear tied up the mouth. Now it so happened that in the same squadron there was This warrior now stepped to the front with his pet mongoose on his shoulder, and made request that the Sahib would act as umpire in a fight between the mongoose and the cobra. The Colonel readily consented, for none of us had ever been satisfactorily convinced from ocular demonstration that so harmless and impotent-looking an animal as a mongoose could really kill a cobra, the deadliest of the enemies of mankind. The first warrior was therefore sent off to fetch the sack containing the cobra, and the Durbar as a whole prepared to take a short respite from its less interesting labours. Close by happened to be a set of disused officers' quarters, which had a large room on the ground floor, lately the drawing-room of a beautiful lady, but now quite empty. This room, as if made for the purpose, formed an ideal arena for the classic battle. Two large French windows gave an excellent view into the interior, and these very conveniently furnished, with a little crowding and the use of overturned flower-pots and empty boxes, to a score or more of men, the advantages of the dress circle and upper boxes. These spectators were also quite safe. Inside the room the mantelpiece afforded accommodation for a few of the most honoured of the spectators, amongst whom were the Colonel, one Major, the Adjutant, and a stray subaltern. The only disadvantage of this seemingly favoured position was that though safe whilst on the mantelpiece, those on it would have to pass through exceeding perils if a call from the General or some other Imperial occasion should demand their passage across the floor whilst the cobra was in possession. In the corner of the room was a high ladder left by the workmen who had been mending the ceiling. Each of the rungs of this ladder was occupied, great politeness being exhibited by the younger officers in pointing out to their seniors the stupendous and indeed dangerous difficulty of climbing to the higher rungs. A few heroes who happened to have on riding-boots and carried swagger-canes stood on the floor against the wall. Before the conflict begins, be it known to those not inured to cobras that this unpleasant person cannot bite when he is lying along the ground or when wriggling along it. He must erect about half his length to strike, and when thus standing the erect part is about the height of an ordinary man's forearm when, with his elbow on the table, he raises it at right angles. Within the radius of that uplifted head is death; outside it, even by the fraction of an inch, is perfect safety. The only immunity is if a high boot or other impervious obstacle intervenes; whilst the attacker is, when standing erect to strike, extremely susceptible to a smart stroke on the neck from a cane. Indeed, his funeral may at once be arranged, for this stroke, if truly aimed, breaks the cobra's spine, and that is the end of him. The audience being now accommodated, the warrior, holding a sack with great delicacy at arm's length, is seen approaching, and he finds no difficulty whatever in making an easy passage through the crowd at the east window. Opening this window, he cuts the string at the mouth of the sack, deftly turns it over, and shoots the cobra into the room, shutting the window with remarkable celerity when this feat is accomplished. The cobra, doubtless a little surprised at the brusque treatment, looked along the legs of the booted heroes, and seeing nothing particularly obnoxious about them, made off to a dark and quiet corner, curled up, and went to sleep. The second warrior, the owner of the mongoose, now appeared at the other window, and, though bare-legged and bare- be badly, indeed fatally, had footed, was so confident in the if he entered the deadly circle; prowess of his champion that he would therefore have none he walked into the room and of it. placed the mongoose on the floor not far from the cobra. The cobra slept on, or pretended to do so, whilst the mongoose, not taking the slightest notice of him, carefully inspected the immaculate boots of the junior subaltern. These boots were a source of justifiable pride to the junior subaltern, and were, indeed, so brilliant that any mongoose might rightly admire them. Clearly, however, some steps were required to encourage the latent ardour of the combatants. To this end the master of the mongoose threw little bits of raw meat in the direction of the cobra, which the mongoose, immediately neglecting the shining boots, proceeded to devour. This woke up the cobra, and he stood up to his full height, and used some manifestly strong language. Whilst thus erect, he looked very menacing to the gentlemen on the ladder quite close to him, and one stout Indian officer, who was seated on the lowest rung, looked hastily down and fervently exclaimed, "Perchance that devil will not seize me by the hinder parts?" And now was to be seen a very curious piece of play. The thrower of meat cast one small bit just inside the radius of the cobra's strike. The mongoose went and had a look at it, but saw at once that he would Another piece of meat was thrown, and fell just short of the other piece. The mongoose went up to this, and as he arrived the cobra gave two rapid strikes, but they fell just a fraction of an inch short of the piece of meat. The mongoose never turned a hair or blinked an eye, but calmly went on eating the meat, knowing that, one-eighth of an inch outside the circle, he was as safe as if he were one hundred yards away. We all thought that the fight was off, and were beginning to wonder how we were going to get out of the room in safety and with dignity, and what was to be done about a loose cobra. Then something happened all of a flash. The cobra, red-hot with rage, still stood hissing death and destruction; he doubtless, too, was rather sore about the gills from having hit the floor so fiercely. The mongoose, seeming to grow reckless in his nonchalance, turned broadside on. The cobra hissed, "Thank God, I have got him!" and struck hard. The next second we saw that the mongoose had caught the cobra by the back of the neck at the exact moment when his fangs, missing their aim by a fraction, hit the floor. In less seconds than this sentence takes to write, the cobra was dead, bitten right through the back of the neck, thus severing the spine. III: Strange problems sometimes about it." But Ali Gul would not take the hint. He stood his ground, and looking the Colonel square in the eyes, made answer face the Colonel. One day at Durbar an Indian officer, one Ali Gul, an Afridi, brought up his son for enlistment. - for every one, high or low, rich or poor, had to go through the ranks. Side by side riding in the ranks might be seen a prince of the blood and the son of a peasant. But it was more usual for an Indian officer first to take so near a relation as a son to the Colonel's bungalow, so that he might get the Colonel's private opinion as to whether the lad was up to the standard of the regiment or not, thus avoiding the chance of having him publicly rejected on the grounds of poor physique before all the men in open Durbar. Ali Gul himself was a splendid fellow, of magnificent physique, and as brave as a lion, who had already twice won the Star for Valour in battle. His son, standing beside him, looked a poor creature-small, thin, and apparently of no stamina. The Colonel was rather embarrassed; he did not like to reject offhand the son of so brave and good a soldier, and thus blacken his face before the assembled multitude, nor did he care to take a lad evidently much below the usual standard to oblige any one. So he said, "Quite a nice boy, Ali Gul, who will doubtless fill out. Give him another year, and lots of good food, and then we will see "I know what is in your heart, Sahib. You think my son is not big enough or strong enough to be a soldier in 'The Guides.' But there are brave men who are neither big nor strong. Was not Lord Roberts, Sahib, such a one? Now let me tell your Honour a story which will show that this lad is not unworthy. A few weeks ago my son and a young friend of his, each aged about seventeen years, were making their way home through the mountains. Each of them had a Martini-Henry rifle in his hand, for, as your Honour knows, no unarmed man dare pass through the Afridi country. As they were hurrying along a shot rang out, and my boy's friend fell on the path grievously wounded. My son immediately got behind a rock and looked carefully around. Two more shots passed close to him, but he could not see whence they came, for the powder was smokeless. Moreover, his own rifle being a Martini-Henry, which fires black powder and makes a smoke, would instantly give away his position if he fired it. A few more shots came, and then, as the wounded boy on the path did not move, the marauders thought they had killed both, and that it was now safe to come down and carry off their rifles, each of which is worth nearly Rs. 500 (£50) in that country. But they moved with great caution, only one man advancing whilst the others covered his advance. My boy, lying flat on the ground, wriggled to one side of the rock, and putting his sight at 500 yards, took careful aim and shot the robber stone - dead, and he fell headlong downwards. The smoke of his rifle gave away my son's position, and immediately a brisk and accurate fusilade hit that spot. But my son was not there, for the moment he had fired he dodged away from that rock, and like a cat worked his way unseen to another rock fully fifty yards away. He now knew whereabouts the enemy were, and watched and waited. After firing several more rounds he saw two men begin to advance, but very cautiously, and giving no chance for a shot. Thus they skirmished steadily on towards the spot where the wounded lad lay, and it was not till they were within 100 yards that my lad got another chance. He then saw a head cautiously raised, and peering intently at the rock whence my son had fired his first shot. In one second my son, who was on the flank, lifted his rifle and shot this second man dead through the head. He then repeated his first manœuvre and, without showing himself, slipped behind another rock, and waited for a long time. A loose stone came bowling down the hill and passed him, then he heard a scrambling, and peered forth with much caution. A man was running away, zigzagging up the hill. He let him go from reasons of caution, and then, after another long wait, crept along to his companion, whom he found still alive. As all was now quiet, he approached the nearest dead enemy, and took his rifle and ammunition, and then went on and fetched the rifle and ammunition of the other enemy he had killed. Carrying three rifles and three bandoliers, he ran many miles to my house, and thence brought back his uncle and brother to help his comrade home. Now, Sahib," concluded Ali Gul, 'you have heard my story. Is the lad good enough for The Guides or is he not? His fate is in your Honour's hands." |