Page:The Life and Work of Sir Jagadis C. Bose.djvu/21

7 So this young Jagadis, mounted on the dacoit's side, had a glorioos half-hour or more each way, his infant mind being fed with all the stories of his new guardian's adventures—one for each of the spear-thrusts and arrow-wounds from the old fights of his wild days, which had covered his breast and arms with scars. Tales of the assembling dacoits and of their attacks on a village, with suddenly lighted torches and loud war-cries, to scare the people and take them unawares. Yet tales also of the courage of the defenders, now of their defeat and robbery, or again of their successful resistance; tales of his own narrow escapes and of the death of companions, or their capture, and finally of his own: all these tales and more were vividly told again and again to the wondering child. So here at first-hand was that romantic arousal to the dangers and adventures of life, for which most youngsters have to depend on books alone, as of Red Indians for modern Western boys, or of highwaymen or pirates in their grandfathers' time. After a year of this companionship, young Jagadis was given a pony; and this became a part of the charge of the dacoit, who was always as honest and faithful a servant as could be. Once indeed he had a special opportunity of proving himself true to his salt. On one of the family's visits to the old family home at Vikrampur, on Mr. Bose's annual vacation-leave, a long boat journey, a suspicious-looking boat, with many rowers, dashed out of a creek, and made after them: plainly dacoits, from whom there seemed no escape. But now our tamed dacoit rose to the occasion: he jumped up on the boat roof and, standing erect to be recognised, gave a long and peculiar call. It was at once understood and accepted, for the pursuers straightway turned round and disappeared. This man remained with the family for four or five years in all, until Mr. Bose's promotion to Burdwan, when he returned to his native village, armed with the respectable record of a magistrate's old servant, behind which no one need inquire. Are criminals often thus kindly and wisely treated? If not, have not the world's magistratures,