Page:Rudyard Kipling's verse - Inclusive Edition 1885-1918.djvu/311



OH DA THONE was a warrior bold: His sword and his rifle were bossed with gold,

And the Peacock Banner his henchmen bore Was stiff with bullion, but stiffer with gore.

He shot at the strong and he slashed at the weak From the Salween scrub to the Chindwin teak:

He crucified noble, he scarified mean, He filled old ladies with kerosene:

While over the water the papers cried, "The patriot fights for his countryside!"

But little they cared for the Native Press, The worn white soldiers in khaki dress,

Who tramped through the jungle and camped in the byre, Who died in the swamp and were tombed in the mire,