﻿HUME'S 
  BARRED-BACKED 
  PHEASANT 
  179 
  

  

  the 
  men 
  began 
  to 
  howl 
  and 
  throw 
  themselves 
  at 
  my 
  feet, 
  but 
  of 
  course 
  I 
  shrugged 
  my 
  

   shoulders. 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  understand 
  what 
  was 
  passing, 
  but 
  I 
  knew 
  well 
  that 
  my 
  old 
  

   friend 
  would 
  not 
  hurt 
  a 
  fly, 
  and 
  was 
  quite 
  content 
  to 
  let 
  him 
  play 
  his 
  own 
  game. 
  I 
  

   found 
  out 
  later 
  that 
  what 
  he 
  had 
  said 
  when 
  he 
  pretended 
  to 
  be 
  so 
  furious 
  was 
  this 
  : 
  

   ' 
  You 
  scoundrels, 
  how 
  many 
  Manipuris 
  have 
  you 
  not 
  killed 
  in 
  old 
  times, 
  when 
  you 
  came 
  

   as 
  fugitives, 
  and 
  we 
  ought 
  to 
  have 
  killed 
  you 
  ? 
  I 
  it 
  was 
  who 
  was 
  Governor 
  down 
  here, 
  

   who 
  induced 
  the 
  Maharajah 
  to 
  spare 
  your 
  lives 
  ; 
  now 
  the 
  first 
  time 
  His 
  Highness 
  

   desires 
  a 
  small 
  service 
  of 
  you, 
  you 
  treat 
  his 
  sacred 
  orders 
  with 
  insolence, 
  you, 
  you 
  dogs 
  ! 
  

   You 
  shall 
  die 
  ! 
  Here, 
  seize 
  those 
  two 
  and 
  shoot 
  them 
  to 
  begin 
  with 
  ! 
  ' 
  

  

  "All 
  began 
  to 
  cry 
  and 
  howl 
  and 
  throw 
  themselves 
  on 
  the 
  ground, 
  but 
  the 
  old 
  

   gentleman 
  was 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  appeased, 
  and 
  I 
  really 
  became 
  nervous, 
  for 
  eight 
  men 
  with 
  

   loaded 
  Enfields 
  (which 
  they 
  did 
  not 
  in 
  the 
  least 
  know 
  how 
  to 
  use, 
  but 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  

   brandishing 
  in 
  the 
  most 
  terrifying 
  manner) 
  were 
  dangerous. 
  

  

  " 
  Guessing 
  that 
  he 
  wanted 
  a 
  stepping-stone 
  down 
  from 
  his 
  high 
  horse, 
  I 
  then 
  came 
  

   forward 
  and 
  suggested 
  that, 
  if 
  they 
  once 
  went 
  off 
  for 
  the 
  pheasants 
  and 
  brought 
  some 
  

   within 
  a 
  week, 
  their 
  lives 
  might 
  be 
  spared. 
  He 
  appeared 
  to 
  receive 
  the 
  suggestion 
  with 
  

   great 
  deference, 
  but 
  most 
  unwillingly, 
  and 
  walked 
  backwards 
  and 
  forwards 
  saying 
  in 
  

   their 
  language, 
  as 
  I 
  afterwards 
  learnt 
  : 
  ' 
  No, 
  they 
  shall 
  die 
  ; 
  they 
  are 
  only 
  fit 
  to 
  be 
  shot, 
  

   dogs 
  ; 
  still, 
  his 
  Excellency 
  is 
  His 
  Highness's 
  guest 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  as 
  though 
  the 
  Maharajah 
  

   himself 
  spoke, 
  but 
  they 
  ought 
  to 
  be 
  shot. 
  Well, 
  never 
  mind, 
  I 
  will 
  shoot 
  them 
  the 
  

   next 
  time 
  they 
  give 
  the 
  smallest 
  trouble.' 
  Then 
  he 
  turned 
  to 
  them 
  and 
  said 
  that 
  

   at 
  my 
  request 
  he 
  would 
  spare 
  them 
  if 
  they 
  went 
  off 
  then 
  and 
  there 
  and 
  brought 
  the 
  

   pheasants. 
  

  

  " 
  Instantly 
  they 
  agreed 
  to 
  go 
  ; 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  more 
  hesitation, 
  and 
  in 
  half 
  an 
  hour 
  

   they 
  were 
  off, 
  laughing 
  and 
  chuckling 
  and 
  vociferously 
  chaffing 
  the 
  two 
  who 
  had 
  been 
  

   seized 
  for 
  execution, 
  and 
  who, 
  although 
  they 
  fully 
  believed 
  that 
  they 
  had 
  been 
  within 
  an 
  

   ace 
  of 
  death, 
  equally 
  treated 
  the 
  matter 
  as 
  a 
  most 
  amusing 
  adventure. 
  Indeed, 
  they 
  

   went 
  off 
  in 
  such 
  high 
  spirits 
  that 
  I 
  suspected 
  that 
  they 
  had 
  seen 
  through 
  the 
  joke, 
  and 
  

   that 
  we 
  should 
  see 
  no 
  more 
  of 
  them, 
  but 
  the 
  Envoy 
  told 
  me 
  not 
  to 
  fear. 
  He 
  said 
  : 
  

   ' 
  These 
  are 
  not 
  men, 
  they 
  are 
  mere 
  animals 
  ; 
  unless 
  you 
  frighten 
  them 
  you 
  can 
  get 
  

   nothing 
  done 
  ; 
  they 
  always 
  meant 
  to 
  go 
  ; 
  all 
  this 
  has 
  been 
  done 
  in 
  the 
  hopes 
  of 
  getting 
  

   something 
  more 
  out 
  of 
  us 
  ; 
  they 
  are 
  in 
  high 
  delight 
  now, 
  because 
  they 
  can 
  easily 
  get 
  the 
  

   pheasants 
  without 
  any 
  real 
  danger, 
  and 
  though 
  they 
  have 
  failed 
  to 
  extort 
  more, 
  what 
  you 
  

   promised 
  them 
  at 
  first 
  is 
  to 
  them 
  what 
  a 
  crore 
  would 
  be 
  to 
  you 
  ; 
  they 
  never 
  saw 
  so 
  much 
  

   money 
  in 
  their 
  whole 
  lives 
  ! 
  ' 
  

  

  " 
  Sure 
  enough, 
  within 
  the 
  week 
  they 
  returned 
  with 
  one 
  beautiful 
  fresh 
  skin 
  and 
  one 
  

   perfectly 
  uninjured 
  bird 
  in 
  a 
  cage, 
  both 
  unfortunately 
  males. 
  According 
  to 
  their 
  account, 
  

   the 
  first 
  day 
  they 
  began 
  trapping 
  they 
  were 
  scented, 
  their 
  scouts 
  driven 
  in, 
  and 
  they 
  had 
  

   to 
  fly. 
  This 
  was 
  probably 
  true, 
  because, 
  as 
  they 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  paid 
  a 
  large 
  sum 
  per 
  bird, 
  

   once 
  they 
  were 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  they 
  would 
  assuredly 
  not 
  have 
  contented 
  themselves 
  with 
  

   securing 
  only 
  two. 
  Being 
  therefore 
  probably 
  true, 
  it 
  was 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  question 
  to 
  think 
  of 
  

   sending 
  them 
  back 
  again, 
  and 
  for 
  the 
  nonce 
  I 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  satisfied 
  with 
  the 
  two 
  birds. 
  

  

  " 
  When 
  I 
  exhibited 
  the 
  skin 
  at 
  the 
  capital 
  the 
  Maharajah 
  was 
  delighted. 
  Neither 
  

   he 
  nor 
  any 
  one 
  there 
  had 
  ever 
  seen 
  the 
  bird, 
  and 
  he 
  has 
  kindly 
  promised 
  to 
  procure 
  me 
  

   more, 
  and 
  especially 
  to 
  get 
  me 
  females. 
  Now 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  shown 
  that 
  the 
  bird 
  does 
  

  

  