wounded, and the unusual duel was over. The dying
man was quickly carried home, after all those present
had sworn not to reveal what had occurred?a promise
that they kept all too well.
Captain Thompson showed liis manhood best when
the surgeon told him that there was no earthly hope of
saving his life. Mindful of the fact that it would go ill
with Coleman if the facts of his death should leak out,
lie issued a dying statement completely exonerating his
antagonist. All the blame was fixed upon his own rash
ness and impe uosity of speech, and it is said that his
last words incl 1 ed a personal forgiveness of Coleman.
And so he died, surrounded by his family and closest
friends, without the public knowing anything of the
circumstances.
The next day Coleman showed up at his office as
usual, haggard-eyed but unruffled, his honor secretly
vindicated. The Evening Post came out as usual. I
have examined it with curious interest. Its yellow pages
are full of unfamiliar advertisements, interspersed with
scant items of news and long but dull editorials on ques
tions of the day.
There is no hcadliner to tell the exclusive story of a
sensational duel fought at midnight in a furious blizzard,
ending in the death of one of the principals. There is
nothing to record the fact that the Captain of the Port
of New York had departed this life in tragic and unex
plained circumstances. There is not even a stereotyped
obituary notice. Such was the conservatism and self
restraint of the Evening Post in 1804.
THE MOUNTAIN TIGER
Drawings by Wladyslaw T. Benda
By MICHAEL WHITE
HE Raja of Golapur strode impatiently
a balcony of his palace-fort, perched
atop a precipitous crag of the Western
(ihats, in sullen wrath and black ill
humor. He was a wiry, active little man,
as became a race of cutthroat, fly-by
night freebooters, and was rather proud
of his hereditary title of the Mountain
Tiger. With him were his sour-visaged Maratha,
Prime Minister, and others of the same bandit ilk.
Every time the Raja paused to drop his hawklike
gaze down over the parapet, some five hundred feet to
the valley below, he cursed the white sahibs by all his
gods. And that is saying a good deal; for his deities
were numerous.
Especially and comprehensively in that anathema he
mentioned the name of one Daly, an American engineer,
whom, to the Raja's mind, Shaitan had brought across
the Black Water solely to disturb a rule that was good
chiefly because it went at the nod of his capricious
humor. For visual cause of it, there lay a very deftly
constructed electric railway. It climbed ? in zigzag
fashion from the deep valley up to the walled
village of Golapur, almost circled the palace crag
in mid-air until it reached a summit at its western ex
tremity, and then went on to?Gehenna, in the Raja's
opinion.
That this cut-off line was a great saving in mileage
to a transcontinental railway mattered nothing to him.
Neither did he care an anna about possible increase of
land values or the benefit of it to his subjects. What
troubled him was that while previously his aery king
dom had been left pretty much to take care of itself by
the white sahibs, now the railway would bring them
jioking around asking tiresome reform questions and
turning up things much better kept hidden. He
firmly believed in the ancient principle of one-man
rule, and piously hated any change depriving him of
a part of it. Consequently his thoughts in full about
that railway and Daly, its builder, could hardly be
printed.
SUDDENLY he wheeled upon his Prime Minister,
shaking his gold-topped rattan cane fiercely. The
Prime Minister shrank back on reminiscent impulse.
"You see," the Raja's beautiful white teeth gleamed
savagely, "this devil work is now finished. Tomorrow
the Governor will come with other swine, and I shall
have to go and salaam before them, saying how pleased
am I?the Mountain Tiger?that they are about to
clip my claws and pull my teeth. Before this Daly
Sahib appeared it was said the thing could not be done,
and my throne remained as it has been for a thou
sand years. But he put big wheels near a waterfall,
and then with lightning wires?lo! I have seen with
my own eyes a train go by on the wings of magic.
Why was a stronger magic not brought to overcome
him?"
"0 Lord Raja Sahib," protested the Prime Minister,
"according to your order we employed very powerful
magicians, and they cast many spells whereof the stink
choked our breathing; but Daly Sahib's wheels could
not be stopped going round."
"Then why was he not bribed to say the thing was
beyond his power, and so return to his own country?"
The Prime Minister lifted his shoulders helplessly.
"This sahib is one of a strange people. He cannot be
talked with in that way. Besides, the Raja must
know it is a long time since we have been permitted
to go down and plunder the sheep of the plains.
Alas! it is but too true our treasure chests have grown
lean, unless it be those which are kept for a future
time."
"But it is not with a future time we have to deal,"
the Raja's dark eyebrows puckered ominously. "It is
for you to see I do not have to swallow indignity now
before the Governor and this Daly Sahib, who has
done that which I do not want. Am I?the Mountain
Tiger?to sit like an old hen and cackle while jackals
come to destroy the nest?"
"Very well, Raja Sahib. Something now shall be
done."
"Aye, and something well remembered; though be
careful it does not fall on my head. Let it seem to be
on that of this persistent intruder Daly Sahib. For
this thing let him go back to his own country with no
honor, cursing the day he set forth across the Black
Water. In such matters it is always best there should
be a woman. Then no one can tell where the truth lies
hid. Is not Bhawani, the nautch girl, here? She has
more wit than a hundred Prime Ministers or magicians.
Let her assist in beguiling Daly Sahib to his fall. Lo!
I have spoken!"
"^TTITH a wave of his hand the Raja dismissed the
hateful subject. So much for him in the pres
ence of his official family! But before Daly he wore
quite a different aspect. As the Golapur grade was the
stiffest part of the job, Daly had made that place his
headquarters. Therefore he had been brought a good
deal in personal contact with the Raja. To Daly the
Raja professed both warm admiration of his work and
personal friendship. This he backed up with presents
of game, and rather embarrassing offers of st wife-from
the royal family. He vowed that the coolie and other
troubles that beset Daly were due to the lawlessness
and ignorance of his people. Since he was not per
mitted to hang them, it was plain how his hands were
tied from rendering much assistance. Now, thanks be to
Daly and his lightning railway, there was going to be
?the Raja raged inwardly as he managed to get out
"a beautiful change."
Consequently, when Daly received a pressing invi
tation to discuss with his Highness the celebration
next morning of the opening of the new line, any
possible treachery did not enter his mind. The Gov
ernor was to travel from up country overnight, halt
at Golapur for breakfast and a local durbar, then in
spect the line on to its junction with the former route.
As part of Daly's plan the whole cut-off, or mountain
division, was electrically operated on the overhead
system.
So along about sundown Daly climbed to the grim
battlemented maze of buildings clinging serpent fashion
to the crown of the rock. He was welcomed by the
Raja in a very friendly manner. When invited to a seat
on the royal divan, Daly noticed that preparations had
been made for some kind of festivity. Low tables were
placed for the convenience of serving dishes, and one
corner of the chamber was occupied by three musicians
and a nautch, or dancing, girl. The musicians squatted
on the floor; while the dancing girl stood posed with
hands crossed upon her breast and head bent down
ward, as was customary in waiting upon a King's
order. *
?QERHAPS it was the riot of color she displayed in one
filmy-plaited skirt over another, the fine propor
tions of a supple figure, or the raven gloss of flower
decked hair that fixed Daly's wandering gaze upon her.
Presently she became conscious of it. She lifted her
head a little and looked at Daly from half closed eyes
full of craft and guile. Daly stared at her more curi
ously; for he wondered where he had seen her gipsy like
features before. On her face he noticed a flashing
change of expression, as if recognition was mutual.
But she dropped her head again quickly at sound of the
Raja's voice, and Daly put the incident aside as merely
a vague fancy.
"This is an auspicious hour," spoke the Raja.
"Thanks be to your great talent we have now the light
ning railway at Golapur. Therefore, while my caste
will not permit me to feast with you, you shall eat
and drink of the best, and we will have that entertain
ment"; he tossed a hand toward the musicians and
dancing girl.
Meantime a train of servants entered bearing trays
with covered silver dishes. A part of the first of these,
a snow curry of powdered cocoanut, was offered to
Daly on a plantain leaf. It looked good, and he was
about to begin upon it when the dancing girl caused
a diversion. She started a quarrel of such vio
lent mutual abuse with one of the musicians that
the Raja was forced to call the pair before him to
settle the dispute. While waiting her turn to speak
the girl turned on Daly a look so fraught with warn
ing that anyone of slight perception could hardly
have mistaken it. Further, a gesture indicated the
food.
"What nonsense is this?" cried the Raja, when he
had heard both sides of the quarrel. "What do I care
which of you trod on or elbowed the other? Is this the
way you expect to win a shower of silver? Go back to
your places!"
The girl and musician salaamed their obedience; but
as she retreated the girl cast another look of the same
burden on Daly.
"Now eat," the Raja urged. "That is a King's dish,
well seasoned."
But Daly had taken heed of the dancer's significant
act, and merely trifled with his fork. Grim tales of
such hospitality were plentiful enough for a hint of
that kind not to be discarded. Why the girl had thus
interested herself in him was a mystery; though, some
how, her features hovered in his memory.
"I see you do not like that dish," said the Raja
"Very well, let the Sahib try others"; he beckoned the
servants.
But Daly was equally sparing of the others. Except
a few grains of obviously "unseasoned" rice, no food
went down his throat.
"I appreciate your hospitality, Raja," said Daly,
dodging further pressure on that line, 'but I'm not
hungry."
"Then the Sahib shall drink of the wine which comes
across the Black Water!" cried the Raja.
A servant entered with a bottle which Daly noticed
was uncorked. The Raja's cupbearer stood waiting
with a crystal goblet.
"Let the goblet be filled with wine and given to that
girl to present," ordered the Raja. "Sahib," he turned
to Daly, "is it not said of your people that they never
refuse the graceful act of a woman?"
Wine was poured into the goblet and handed to the
dancer. She came forward, dropped on one knee be
fore Daly, and held up the goblet. But on her face was
the warning look, only more intensified. This she co
vertly emphasized by shaking her head and an expres
sive movement of her lips. Where had he seen her be
fore, Daly asked himself again, and what motive lay
back of her acts? At the moment he could answer
neither question.
"I am sorry indeed to refuse from such hands,"
Daly politely declined; "but like yourself. Raja, as
we say, I'm on the water wagon. I mean I don't
drink it."
The Raja drew back with an expression of sul
len humor, as if unexpectedly balked in some pur
pose.
"Begone!" he cried abruptly to the girl. "You have
not found favor with the Sahib. Go, you and those
musicians! You are not wanted. I see the Sahib is
sick or tired," he addressed Daly with the touch of a
sneer. "He shall not be further detained. I am pleased
for him to depart."
T"\ALY got upon his feet at the same time the Raja
rose. He felt intuitively that the atmosphere had
suddenly become tense. The Raja bowed formally.
Daly returned it stiffly. The Raja turned his back to
leave. In a few moments the chamber was emptied of
his servants. Daly strode to the door by which he
thought he entered; but another one adjacent was
locked, so he wasn't quite certain. Anyway, he passed
out by the open door into a dim corridor which in no
wise differed from many such in native palaces. He
went along for some distance, until convinced he had
mistaken the way of exit.
He was about to retrace his steps when he thought
he heard stealthy foot treads following. He stopped.
The other steps ceased also. He peered backward, but
saw no one. It was a bit uncanny. Then he caught a
shade of light round a turn ahead. Perhaps he was on
the right trail, after all; so he went forward. Pres
ently he stepped into a small inner court open to the
night sky above, whence it was illuminated by a quar