VENGEANCE OF JHAPOO THE GOND 265 



dusk had startled even me. It was intolerable to con- 

 template the chance of his discovery, or of that of myself 

 a British officer concealing the existence of a stuffed 

 man among his personal effects ; so it was necessary to 

 beat that unhappy burglar into semi-consciousness and 

 deposit him, led by devious and, I hoped, puzzling 

 passages, in a distant part of the hotel. For the box 

 itself I was forced to obtain a specially manufactured 

 canvas cover. 



Again, on the way up-country, the heat affected Jhapoo 

 to such an extent that I found myself unable to bear the 

 Eastern fragrances that were wafted through the compart- 

 ment from his hiding-place, or the intolerable expression 

 of well-bred surprise on the face of a distinguished-looking 

 man who occupied the opposite sofa-seat ; and with an 

 uncomfortable apology for my " Indian curios," I had him 

 removed to the guard's van. Even when I had reached 

 my destination that infernal box exercised its fatal 

 attractive power, for hardly had I begun to shake things 

 down in my new quarters before my lately engaged 

 servant was discovered rising hurriedly from its vicinity ; 

 and young Jones, bursting in one afternoon to borrow a 

 polo-stick, had found the box open, with me bending over 

 it, on the one and only occasion when I had bethought 

 myself of ascertaining how Jhapoo stood the ravages of 

 moth. Like a fool, at the sound of footsteps I too hastily 

 slammed the lid to ; and, although my visitor had not 

 penetrated the secret, that episode gave rise to the chaff 

 which followed me for years. 



Such were a few of the disadvantages of Colonel 

 Mulligatawny's commission, which I had accepted with 

 so light a heart. 



Finally, there came the offering the burnt sacrifice ! 

 Returning from the Mess one night I noted the faint 

 glimmer of a suspicious light in my bungalow, and, steal- 

 ing forward, stick in hand, found my quarters pervaded 



