Chapter II

But what of the poor old bhisti's, whose work had been so far
To water with their musick the track of the horseless car?
When they saw the huge water-tank go on its way,
And with showers of water the dust fiend lay;
"This can never last," they wisely cried,
As they sat in a line on the car track side;
"And when it fails it will be our day,
We'll ask for our musicks quite double pay;
Instead of a pice our charge shall be,
An anna at least," and they chuckled with glee;
But they in their turn were doomed to dismay,
For the tank had likewise come to stay.

So to the Red Road away they hied,
And to water it well is now their pride;
When the sahibs drive there in the cool of the day.
They see them at work in the old-time way.

----------

{19}

A little hill-boy was Buncee, a chokra trusty and true;
In the days when I was new to the East
He taught me more than he knew;
"Ghusl munta, sahib," said he; I doubtfully shook my head;
"Ghusl na munta," in scandalized tones, but I knew not what he said.
Then he straightened himself against the wall, and went through
a pantomime show
Of bathing. I smiled and nodded assent;
It was cute of the boy, you know.

He was eager to save all the pice he could, that when the
season was o'er,
And the sahibs all left and went down to the plains
He would have of rupees a store.
So I became his banker, and locked them away in my case,
And told him he now must be doubly sure to take every care of the place.
I returned one day in the midst of the rains, the inner door was locked,
And when I tried the outer one, I found that it was blocked;
So I forced my way into the room, and there the youngster lay,
Stretched out before the outer door, with never a word to say.

{20}

He had lighted the charcoal-burner to air the chill, damp room,
Then lain down to guard the treasure, unheeding the deadly fume.
We carried him out and brought him to, and I tell you I was glad,
For I'd grown attached to the chokra, the true little Indian lad.

A peon brought me a chit one day;
I said in pretended dismay,
"I have no money to pay this bill, the man can go away;"
"But, sahib," said Buncee quickly, "there are my rupees, you know."
Do you wonder I liked the youngster, or that I valued him so?
And oft in the gloaming I sit and think, and memory backward flies;
For many there be with hearts as true in that land under Eastern skies.

{21}

GLOSSARY

No. 1. New Zealand, Tasmania, Australia, Ceylon, India.

Page 1. British Isles.

Page 7. Khansamah--Head table man.
Charpoi--Native-made bedstead.
Murghi--A chicken.
Dechie--Cooking-pot.
Dak-bungalow--Post-house.

Page 8. Burra Sahib--Head of a firm.
Compound--Grounds attached to a house or building.
Peg--A whiskey and soda.

Page 14. Gharri Wallah--Cab driver.
Bhisti--Water-carrier.
Musick--Goatskin of water.
Pice--Equal to a farthing.
Anna--Equal to a penny.

Page 16. Chokra--Boy.
Ghusl munta--Bath want.
Ghusl na munta--Bath not want.
Peon--Messenger.
Chit--Anything contained in an envelope, usually meaning
a letter.

[Transcriber's note: the above page numbers appear to be incorrect, e.g., the book's first numbered page is 5. Best guess as to correct numbers, based on the actual page on which the above words appear: 1, 5 (above number, actual number); 7, 11; 8, 12; 14, 18; 16, 19.]

<pre id="pg-footer">