Begumbagh | Page 8

surprised to hear that
there used to be quite a crowd to see Harry Lant's performances, as he
called them. But all the same, I didn't like his upsetting old Chunder
Chow; and it seemed to me even then, that we'd managed to make
another black enemy--the black ayah being the first.
However, Harry used to go on making old Nabob kneel down, or shake
hands, or curl up his trunk, or lift him up, finishing off by going up to
his head, lifting one great ear, saying they understood one another,
whispering a few words, and then shutting the ear up again, so as the

words shouldn't be lost before they got into the elephant's brain, as I
explained, because they'd got a long way to go. Then Harry would lie
down, and let the great beast walk backwards and forwards all over
him, lifting his great feet so carefully, and setting them down close to
Harry, but never touching him, except one day when, just as the great
beast was passing his foot over Harry's breast, a voice called out
something in Hindustani--and I knew who it was, though I didn't see--
when Nabob puts his feet down on Harry's chest, and Lizzy gave a
great scream, and we all thought the poor chap would be crushed; but
not he: the great beast was took by surprise, but only for an instant,
and, in his slow quiet way, he steps aside, and then touches Harry all
over with his trunk; and there was no more performance that day.
"I've got my knife into Master Chunder for that," says Harry to me, "for
I'll swear that was his voice." And I started to find he had known it.
"I wouldn't quarrel with him," I says quietly, "for it strikes me he's got
his knife into you."
"You've no idea," says Harry, "what a nip it was. I thought it was all
over; but all the same, the poor brute didn't mean it, I'd swear."

VOLUME ONE, CHAPTER FOUR.
Who could have thought just then that all that nonsense of Harry Lant's
with the elephant was shaping itself for our good, but so it was, as you
shall by-and-by hear. The march continued, matters seeming to go on
very smoothly--but only seeming, mind you, for let alone that we were
all walking upon a volcano, there was a good deal of unpleasantry
brewing. Let alone my feeling that, somehow or another, Harry Lant
was not so true a mate to me as he used to be, there was a good deal
wrong between Captain Dyer and Lieutenant Leigh, and it soon seemed
plain that there was much more peace and comfort in our camp a week
earlier than there was at the time of which I am now writing.
I used to have my turns as sentry here and there; and it was when

standing stock-still with my piece, that I used to see and hear so
much--for in a camp it seems to be a custom for people to look upon a
sentry as a something that can neither see nor hear anything but what
might come in the shape of an enemy. They know he must not move
from his post, which is to say that he's tied hand and foot, and perhaps
from that they think that he's tied as to his senses. At all events, I got to
see that when Miss Ross was seated in the colonel's tent, and Captain
Dyer was near her, she seemed to grow gentle and quiet, and her eyes
would light up, and her rich red lips part, as she listened to what he
was saying; while, when it came to Lieutenant Leigh's turn, and he was
beside her talking, she would be merry and chatty, and would laugh
and talk as lively as could be. Harry Lant said it was because they were
making up matters, and that some day she would be Mrs Leigh; but I
didn't look at it in that light, thought said nothing.
I used to like to be sentry at the colonel's tent, on our halting for the
night, when the canvas would be looped up, to let in the air, and they'd
got their great globe-lamps lit, with the tops to them, to keep out the
flies, and the draughts made by the punkahs swinging backwards and
forwards. I used to think it quite a pretty sight, with the ladies and the
three or four officers, perhaps chatting, perhaps having a little music,
for Miss Ross could sing like--like a nightingale, I was going to say;
but no nightingale that I ever heard could seem to lay hold of your
heart and almost bring tears into your eyes, as she did. Then she used