thicket on this side of the neglected garden. In the distance there was a faint rustling sound that might be the first whisper of a coming breeze. It was far away on the extreme limit of consciousness, but it was there.
âWell, what is it, George?â said Richard Morton at last; and Captain Blake stared at the ceiling and said:
âYou can call it the new cartridge, if you like. They are all playing the fool about that.â
âBut youâve never gotâ em here so soon? The world must be coming to an end if you have.â
âNo, of course weâve not got them here, but dâ you think a little thing like that is going to stop them? We had half a dozen men at Umballa to learn the new drill, and since they came back at Christmasââ
âWell?â
Captain Blake crossed his legs.
âOf course I had them up and talked to them like a father, and they agreed with every word I said.â
âBeshak Sahib!â interjected Captain Morton with half a laugh.
âDamn their Beshak,â said Captain Blake, with the hesitation gone clean out of his voice. âI believe the wildest tales have been going round. Pigâs lard, cowâs fat, anything you please, all mixed up to grease this infernal cartridge with.â
âIf they really believe that there will be big trouble,â said Richard Morton quickly.
âWhoâs to say what they really believe!â
âWellââ Richard considered. âWhat about the men who went to Umballaâany of them Brahmins?â
âYes, four of them.â
âHow did the others receive them? Will they eat with them, and so forth?â
âOh, yes, thatâs all right.â
âHâm. If they really believed the new drill obliged men to bite cartridges greased with beef fat, theyâd have outcasted them.â
âWell, I hear that has happened in other places.â
âThat a fact?â
âEnough of a fact to make the authorities give a whole batch of the Umballa men a monthâs leave, and orders to rejoin at the depotâat the depotâafterwards.â
Captain Morton whistled.
âThatâs bad.â
âDamn bad,â said George Blake, his pensive gaze still fixed on the rafters.
After a time he looked down, and observed:
âEver seen chupattis passed round, Dick?â
âPassed round?â
âPassed from hand to hand, and from village to village, all over the country.â
âIâve heard the talk, of course. Has it been going on here?â
Captain Blake nodded.
âAnd at Cawnpore,â he said, âand round Agra. Everywhere else for all I know.â
âWhen?â
âJust before you came.â
âWhat do the natives say?â
âThey donât say anything. There have been lotus leaves passed round in the lines too.â
Captain Morton put down his pipe.
âLotus leaves?â
âYes.â
âThatâs queer. I never heard of them.â
âDid you ever hear of chupattis going roundâbefore this, I mean?â
âYes, I did, when I was a child. We were at Mahumdee at the time, and there was a lot of talk. The servants all talked, and of course I took it all in.â
âWhat did they say?â
âThey wondered what was going to happen. Apparently they at once expected something to happenâsomething calamitous. But they didnât know what.â
âDid anything happen?â
âYes, a very bad smallpox epidemic.â
âBut how, in Heavenâs name?â
âYes, I know, but it did happen, and every one believed the chupatti had been a warning.â
Captain Blake looked at his watch.
âWe had better get vaccinated in the morning,â he observed, âand meanwhile we had better go to bed; Iâve got an early parade.â
CHAPTER VIII
HOW MISS MONSON PAID A CALL
Have you heard the Piper calling?
Have you heard the echoes
Elsa Day
Nick Place
Lillian Grant
Duncan McKenzie
Beth Kery
Brian Gallagher
Gayle Kasper
Cherry Kay
Chantal Fernando
Helen Scott Taylor