Soldiers Three | Page 4

what
av a truso on his arrum was nefarious, an' wud be worse than easin' the
flag, so far as the talk aftherwards wint.'
''Old on, Mulvaney. Wot's truso?' said Ortheris.
'You're an oncivilised man, me son. Whin a gurl's married, all her kit
an' 'coutrements are truso, which manes weddin'-portion. An' 'tis the
same whin she's runnin' away, even wid the biggest blackguard on the
Arrmy List.
'So I made my plan av campaign. The Colonel's house was a good two
miles away. "Dennis," sez I to my colour-sargint, "av you love me lend
me your kyart, for me heart is bruk an' me feet is sore wid trampin' to
and from this foolishness at the Gaff." An' Dennis lent ut, wid a rampin',
stampin' red stallion in the shafts. Whin they was all settled down to
their Sweethearts for the first scene, which was a long wan, I slips
outside and into the kyart. Mother av Hivin! but I made that horse walk,
an' we came into the Colonel's compound as the divil wint through

Athlone--in standin' leps. There was no one there excipt the servints,
an' I wint round to the back an' found the girl's ayah.
'"Ye black brazen Jezebel," sez I, "sellin' your masther's honour for five
rupees--pack up all the Miss Sahib's kit an' look slippy! Capt'n Sahib's
order," sez I. "Going to the station we are," I sez, an' wid that I laid my
finger to my nose an' looked the schamin' sinner I was.
'"Bote acchy," says she; so I knew she was in the business, an' I piled
up all the sweet talk I'd iver learnt in the bazars on to this she-bullock,
an' prayed av her to put all the quick she knew into the thing. While she
packed, I stud outside an' sweated, for I was wanted for to shif the
second scene. I tell you, a young gurl's e-vasion manes as much
baggage as a rig'mint on the line av march! "Saints help Dennis's
springs," thinks I, as I bundled the stuff into the thrap, "for I'll have no
mercy!"
'"I'm comin' too," says the ayah.
'"No, you don't," sez I, "later--pechy! You baito where you are. I'll
pechy come an' bring you sart, along with me, you maraudin'"-niver
mind fwhat I called her.
'Thin I wint for the Gaff, an' by the special ordher av Providence, for I
was doin' a good work you will ondersthand, Dennis's springs hild
toight. "Now, whin the Capt'n goes for that kit," thinks I, "he'll be
throubled." At the end av Sweethearts off the Capt'n runs in his kyart to
the Colonel's house, an' I sits down on the steps and laughs. Wanst an'
again I slipped in to see how the little piece was goin', an' whin ut was
near endin' I stepped out all among the carr'ges an' sings out very softly,
"Jungi!" Wid that a carr'ge began to move, an' I waved to the dhriver.
"Hitherao!" sez I, an' he hitheraoed till I judged he was at proper
distance, an' thin I tuk him, fair an' square betune the eyes, all I knew
for good or bad, an' he dhropped wid a guggle like the canteen
beer-engine whin ut's runnin' low. Thin I ran to the kyart an' tuk out all
the kit an' piled it into the carr'ge, the sweat runnin' down my face in
dhrops. "Go home," sez I, to the sais; "you'll find a man close here.
Very sick he is. Take him away, an' av you iver say wan wurrd about

fwhat you've dekkoed, I'll marrow you till your own wife won't sumjao
who you are!" Thin I heard the stampin' av feet at the ind av the play,
an' I ran in to let down the curtain. Whin they all came out the gurl
thried to hide herself behind wan av the pillars, an' sez "Jungi" in a
voice that wouldn't ha' scared a hare. I run over to Jungi's carr'ge an' tuk
up the lousy old horse-blanket on the box, wrapped my head an' the rest
av me in ut, an' dhrove up to where she was.
'"Miss Sahib," sez I; "going to the station? Captain Sahib's order!" an'
widout a sign she jumped in all among her own kit.
'I laid to an' dhruv like steam to the Colonel's house before the Colonel
was there, an' she screamed an' I thought she was goin' off. Out comes
the ayah, saying all sorts av things about the Capt'n havin' come for the
kit an' gone to the station.
'"Take out the luggage, you divil," sez I, "or I'll murther you!"
'The lights av the thraps people comin' from the Gaff was showin'
across the parade ground, an', by this an' that, the way thim