Page:Departmental Ditties and Ballads and Barrack-Room Ballads, Kipling, 1899.djvu/127

Rh Sent out a flanking party

With Jemadar Hira Lal.

The men of the First Shikaris

Shouted and smote and slew,

Turning the grinning jingal

On to the howling crew.

The Jemadar's flanking-party

Butchered the folk who flew.

Long was the morn of slaughter,

Long was the list of slain,

Five score heads were taken

Five score heads and twain;

And the men of the First Shikaris

Went back to their grave again;

Each man bearing a basket

Red as his palms that day,

Red as the blazing village—

The village of Pabengmay.

And the "drip-drip-drip" from the baskets

Reddened the grass by the way.

They made a pile of their trophies

High as a tall man's chin,