Soldier Stories   By: Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)

Transcriber's Note: Inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in the original document have been preserved. This e book has dialect and unusual spelling.

SOLDIER STORIES

SOLDIER STORIES

BY

RUDYARD KIPLING

AUTHOR OF "PLAIN TALES FROM THE HILLS," "UNDER THE DEODARS," "THE PHANTOM RICKSHAW," "WEE WILLIE WINKIE," ETC., ETC.

WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS

NEW YORK THE MACMILLAN COMPANY LONDON: MACMILLAN & CO., LTD. 1896

All rights reserved

COPYRIGHT, 1896, BY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY.

Norwood Press J.S. Cushing & Co. Berwick & Smith Norwood Mass. U.S.A.

CONTENTS

PAGE

WITH THE MAIN GUARD 1

THE DRUMS OF THE FORE AND AFT 25

THE MAN WHO WAS 78

THE COURTING OF DINAH SHADD 101

THE INCARNATION OF KRISHNA MULVANEY 139

THE TAKING OF LUNGTUNGPEN 182

THE MADNESS OF PRIVATE ORTHERIS 191

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

TO FACE PAGE

'PUT YER 'EAD BETWEEN YOUR LEGS. IT'LL GO ORF IN A MINUTE' 2

'HE RAN FORWARD WID THE HAYMAKERS' LIFT ON HIS BAY'NIT' 12

HE PICKED HER UP IN THE GROWING LIGHT, AND SET HER ON HIS SHOULDER 23

'HEY! WHAT? ARE YOU GOING TO ARGUE WITH ME ?' SAID THE COLONEL 35

CRIS SLID AN ARM ROUND HIS NECK 47

THE MEN STROLLED ACROSS THE TRACKS TO INSPECT THE AFGHAN PRISONERS 50

THE TUNE SETTLED INTO FULL SWING, AND THE BOYS KEPT SHOULDER TO SHOULDER 69

' RUNG HO , HIRA SINGH!' 85

HE FOUND THE SPRING 91

IT IS NOT GOOD THAT A GENTLEMAN WHO CAN ANSWER TO THE QUEEN'S TOAST SHOULD LIE AT THE FEET OF A SUBALTERN OF COSSACKS 94

'THIN WHIN THE KETTLE WAS TO BE FILLED, DINAH CAME IN MY DINAH' 117

'"MY COLLAR BONE'S BRUK," SEZ HE' 121

'"THE HALF AV THAT I'LL TAKE," SEZ SHE' 132

'"OUT OF THIS," SEZ HE. "I'M IN CHARGE AV THIS SECTION AV CONSTRUCTION." "I'M IN CHARGE AV MESILF," SEZ I, "AN' IT'S LIKE I WILL STAY A WHILE"' 149

'NINE ROUN'S THEY WERE EVEN MATCHED, AN' AT THE TENTH ' 157

THERE PRANCED A PORTENT IN THE FACE OF THE MOON 166

'I WAS KRISHNA TOOTLIN' ON THE FLUTE' 176

'"SHTRIP, BHOYS," SEZ I. "SHTRIP TO THE BUFF, AN' SHWIM IN WHERE GLORY WAITS!"' 185

'THERE WAS A MELLY AV A SUMPSHUS KIND FOR A WHOILE' 187

ORTHERIS HEAVED A BIG SIGH 192

WE SET OFF AT THE DOUBLE AND FOUND HIM PLUNGING ABOUT WILDLY THROUGH THE GRASS 201

[Illustration]

WITH THE MAIN GUARD