114 RIFLE AND ROMANCE 



incredulous persons by adding to the already extraordinary 

 story of an almost miraculous escape, refrained from 

 mentioning certain peculiar coincidences that accompanied 

 it. Since, however, even the abridged version has met 

 with playful expressions of scepticism on the part of more 

 than one reviewer, it seems that there is little to be attained 

 by further reticence. 



On the way to the jungles in which he later came to 

 grief, the writer had diverged from his route in order to 

 pay a visit to his birthplace, which happened to lie in the 

 vicinity. 



In Indian " stations " or cantonments it is the custom to 

 retain certain houses as the residences of the various civil 

 and military officials, and these become known for all time 

 as " the General's house," " the Civil Surgeon's bungalow," 

 and so forth. There was therefore no difficulty in locating 

 the residence of the Deputy-Commissioner, which was still 

 standing unchanged, nor in unearthing what personally 

 interesting information was sought by dint of questioning 

 old servants, chaprasis, and pensioned native subordinates. 

 Even the room in which the writer had first seen light was 

 pointed out by a shaky old man who, probably with a view 

 to rupees, claimed the supreme felicity of having once 

 officiated in the honourable capacity of nursemaid. 



When the patient completed his painful journey of forty 

 miles on the bed and, reaching the local headquarters, was 

 carried to the house of the friend in need who happened 

 to be the then Deputy-Commissioner he found himself 

 comfortably installed in the selfsame room which had 

 once resounded to his infantile cries a coincidence which 

 aroused the gravest doubts as to his recovery in the minds 

 of his superstitious attendants, especially as a premature 

 effort to transport him seventy miles across country to his 

 own place resulted in a severe relapse and a second return 

 to the apparently fateful chamber. 



The civil station referred to is Bttil, situated in the 



