Page:Quartette - Kipling (1885).djvu/66

 annas. The absurdity of the gift struck me at once, and I was about to replace the money.

Gunga Dass, however, was of a different opinion. "Give me the money," said he; "all you have, or I will get help, and we will kill you." All this as if it were the most natural thing in the world!

A Briton's first impulse, I believe, is to guard the contents of his breeches pockets; but a moment's reflection convinced me of the futility of differing with the one man who had it in his power to make me comfortable; and with whose help it was possible that I might eventually escape from the crater. I gave him all the money in my possession, Rs. 9-8-5—nine rupees eight annas and five pie—for I always keep small change for use as douceur when I go on shooting expeditions, &c., at any distance from my camp. Gunga Dass clutched the coins, and hid them at once in his ragged loin-cloth, his expression changing to something diabolical as he looked round to assure himself that no one had observed us. "Now I will give you something to eat." What pleasure the possession of my money could have afforded him I am unable to say; but inasmuch as it did give him evident delight I was not sorry that I had parted with it so readily, for I had not the slightest doubt that he would have had me killed if I had refused. One does not protest at the vagaries of a den of wild beasts; and my companions were lower than any beasts. While I ate what Gunga Dass had provided—a coarse chapatti and a cupful of the foul well-water, they showed not the faintest sign of curiosity—that curiosity which is so rampant as a rule in an Indian village.

I could even fancy that they despised me. At all events, they treated me with the most chilling indifference, and Gunga Dass was nearly as bad. I plied him with all sorts of questions about the terrible village, and received extremely unsatisfactory answers. So far as I could gather, it had been in existence since time immemorial—whence I concluded that it was at least a century old,—and during all that time no one had ever been known to escape from it. [I had to control myself here with both hands, lest the blind terror should lay hold of me a second time and drive me raving round the crater.] Gunga Dass took a malicious pleasure in emphasizing this point and in watching me wince. Nothing that I could do would induce him to tell me who the mysterious "They" were. "It is so ordered," he would reply,