CHAPTER XV

FAREWELL TO THE HILLS

The Proclamation Parade--An unsteady charger--"Three cheers for the King-Emperor!"--The Indian Army's loyalty--King George and the sepoys--A land held by the sword--An American Cavalry officer's visit--Hospitality of American officers--Killing by kindness--The brotherhood of soldiers--The bond between American and British troops sealed by blood--U.S. officers' opinion of us--A roaring tiger--Prince Jitendra Narayen--His visit to Buxa--An intoxicated monkey--Projected visits--A road report--A sketch fourteen feet long--The start--Jalpaiguri--A planters' dinner-party--Crossing the Tista River--A quicksand--A narrow escape--Map-making in the army--In the China War of 1860--Officers' sketches used for the Canton Railway survey--The country south of the hills--A sepoy's explanation of Kinchinjunga--A native officer's theory of the cause of earthquakes--Types on the road--After the day's work--A man-eater--A brave postman--Human beings killed by wild animals and snakes in India--Crocodiles--Shooting a monster--Crocodiles on land--Crossing the Torsa--Value of small detachments--The maligned military officer--A life of examinations--The man-killing elephant again--Death of a Bhuttia woman--Ordered home--A last good-bye to a comrade--Captain Balderston's death--A last view of the hills 296

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

After the Proclamation Parade _Frontispiece_

Buxa Duar _To face page_ 16

"The fort was built on a knoll" " 16

Rajput sepoys cooking " 24

British and Indian officers " 24

My double company " 28

My bachelor establishment " 28

A kneeling elephant " 36

"The ladies of the hamlet came forward" " 54

Bhuttia drummers " 54

Chunabatti " 56

"From my doorstep I watched them coming down the hill" " 66

The Deb Zimpun's prisoners " 66

The Durbar in Buxa " 74

A _sambhur_ stag and my elephant " 90

Bringing home the bag " 90

Forest Lodge the First " 100

Forest Lodge the Second " 100

"The _mahout_ was holding up the head" " 110

Subhedar Sohanpal Singh " 128

"We saw another elephant" " 130

The tiger's Lying in state " 172

The tiger's last home " 172

"My sepoys drilling" " 178

Buglers and non-commissioned officers of my detachment " 178

The walled face of Fort Bower over the river " 282

The stockade and ditch of Fort Bower " 282

The gate with wicket open and drawbridge lowered " 286

Captain Balderston inside the stockade " 286

Bringing home the General's dinner " 290

"I was mounted on a country bred pony" " 296

"An elephant loaded with my stores and baggage" " 296

LIFE IN AN INDIAN OUTPOST