Give him honor as may befall
and full allowance of work, but look to it, oh, king, that neither he
nor his hold a foot of earth from thee henceforward.
and full allowance of work, but look to it, oh, king, that neither he
nor his hold a foot of earth from thee henceforward.
Kipling - Poems
"
"That is true," said I. "Stay within the door. I go to speak to the
king. " The population of the state were ranged on the hillside. I went
forth and spoke.
"O king," said I, "touching this man, there be two courses open to thy
wisdom. Thou canst either hang him from a tree--him and his brood--till
there remains no hair that is red within thy land. "
"Nay," said the king. "Why should I hurt the little children? "
They had poured out of the hut and were making plump obeisances to
everybody. Namgay Doola waited at the door with his gun across his arm.
"Or thou canst, discarding their impiety of the cow-maiming, raise him
to honor in thy army. He comes of a race that will not pay revenue. A
red flame is in his blood which comes out at the top of his head in that
glowing hair. Make him chief of thy army.
Give him honor as may befall
and full allowance of work, but look to it, oh, king, that neither he
nor his hold a foot of earth from thee henceforward. Feed him with words
and favor, and also liquor from certain bottles that thou knowest of,
and he will be a bulwark of defense. But deny him even a tuftlet of
grass for his own. This is the nature that God has given him. Moreover,
he has brethren"--
The state groaned unanimously.
"But if his brethren come they will surely fight with each other till
they die; or else the one will always give information concerning the
other. Shall he be of thy army, oh, king? Choose! "
The king bowed his head, and I said:
"Come forth, Namgay Doola, and command the king's army. Thy name shall
no more be Namgay in the mouths of men, but Patsay Doola, for, as thou
hast truly said, I know. "
Then Namgay Doola, never christened Patsay Doola, son of Timlay
Doola--which is Tim Doolan--clasped the king's feet, cuffed the standing
army, and hurried in an agony of contrition from temple to temple making
offerings for the sin of the cattle--maiming.
And the king was so pleased with my perspicacity that he offered to
sell me a village for 20 pounds sterling. But I buy no village in
the Himalayas so long as one red head flares between the tail of the
heaven-climbing glacier and the dark birch forest.
I know that breed.
THE RECRUDESCENCE OF IMRAY
Imray had achieved the impossible. Without warning, for no conceivable
motive, in his youth and at the threshold of his career he had chosen
to disappear from the world--which is to say, the little Indian station
where he lived.
"That is true," said I. "Stay within the door. I go to speak to the
king. " The population of the state were ranged on the hillside. I went
forth and spoke.
"O king," said I, "touching this man, there be two courses open to thy
wisdom. Thou canst either hang him from a tree--him and his brood--till
there remains no hair that is red within thy land. "
"Nay," said the king. "Why should I hurt the little children? "
They had poured out of the hut and were making plump obeisances to
everybody. Namgay Doola waited at the door with his gun across his arm.
"Or thou canst, discarding their impiety of the cow-maiming, raise him
to honor in thy army. He comes of a race that will not pay revenue. A
red flame is in his blood which comes out at the top of his head in that
glowing hair. Make him chief of thy army.
Give him honor as may befall
and full allowance of work, but look to it, oh, king, that neither he
nor his hold a foot of earth from thee henceforward. Feed him with words
and favor, and also liquor from certain bottles that thou knowest of,
and he will be a bulwark of defense. But deny him even a tuftlet of
grass for his own. This is the nature that God has given him. Moreover,
he has brethren"--
The state groaned unanimously.
"But if his brethren come they will surely fight with each other till
they die; or else the one will always give information concerning the
other. Shall he be of thy army, oh, king? Choose! "
The king bowed his head, and I said:
"Come forth, Namgay Doola, and command the king's army. Thy name shall
no more be Namgay in the mouths of men, but Patsay Doola, for, as thou
hast truly said, I know. "
Then Namgay Doola, never christened Patsay Doola, son of Timlay
Doola--which is Tim Doolan--clasped the king's feet, cuffed the standing
army, and hurried in an agony of contrition from temple to temple making
offerings for the sin of the cattle--maiming.
And the king was so pleased with my perspicacity that he offered to
sell me a village for 20 pounds sterling. But I buy no village in
the Himalayas so long as one red head flares between the tail of the
heaven-climbing glacier and the dark birch forest.
I know that breed.
THE RECRUDESCENCE OF IMRAY
Imray had achieved the impossible. Without warning, for no conceivable
motive, in his youth and at the threshold of his career he had chosen
to disappear from the world--which is to say, the little Indian station
where he lived.
