Kistulal was always grinning
THEY had driven down from Silent Hill, Henry and his shikart, starting at dawn as planned Even so, it was late in the evening when they got into Lamlung Cockburn had a hot bath and a meal wasting. 'Change into your pyjamas he said to Henry 'We'll eat in frot.t of the sitting-room hre in our dressrig gov us"
It was a good dinner that Cockburn had laid on, and he had even opened a battle of Moselle although Henry knew that he did not much care for wine himself I'm a rum and whisky man, Cock- burn always snd It was nice of (ockburn to have brought out a buttle of wine hecans he was coming. Henry thought So in the end it was the elephant god that brought you to lam- lung. Cockburn remarked
I'm very glad he did, sir, really glad Well, here's wishing you all the lurk Cockburn said, raising his glass high. Here's to your elephant' Fler's in the clephant You'll be wanting to start fly early to-morrow, I expect, said Cockburn Tell the he id bo wh ume you world like your bed. tea Order whitever you wan
"Thanks" Texpect you're all organized wh. No point in offering to lend you my rifle I have a hive hur fred express here, double barrelled."
No, thanks. I'm using my tom-xty-five, double barrelled too, by Roland 1ock You know how one gets attached to a weapon." Must be quite a gen much more striking power than a five hundred 'Oh, rather, terrific wallop "How are you off for ammun.tion?"
"Very well a whole box. Twenty cartridges."
'That ought to take care of a whole herd of elephants, with you doing the shooting. Does your man carry a bandook too?" Who-Kistulal? Lord. no! His business is to do the track- ing.... Your business to shoot, what?" That's right." I don't suppose you'd want one of my inen to go with you?"
" No, thank you.' said Henry politely. We are, sort of, used to each other's ways, you know, don't want to have to look after a chud man." I quite agree.
' I expect you'll want to turn in early.' Cockburn had remarked soon after dinner. 'Don't forget to tell the head boy what you want."
They set out at crack of dawn, the hunter and his guide: a team. like a tank-diver and his gunner, fully rehearsed in their separate oles, with the fullest confidence m each other's skill, each wholly dependent in the other they did not follow the elephant's tracks for long, but only to determine the duection it was heading for. The track was already over a day old and there was no point in following it in the hope of innuing into the elephant. They were hoth seasoned hunters and were sticking to the plan of act.on formed back at Silent Hill. Actually, it was Kistull's plan We will determine the direction he has gone in. fust. Kistulal had said, 'then we will make tracks for the nearest rice-field in that duection and hope that he turns up there in the afternoon. In the afternoon What do we do if he doesn't turn up belove the night?"
Oh, he'll come before sundown all right. I'm prepared to bet on it. You don t know how I have studied this elephant."
I expect you have, answered lemy I'll leave it all to you "Of course, that would mean taking lum on in the open field We two will stand close together just like a pair of at iecrows; not moving until he charges 'Oh, yes Then sahib shouts and I wat h
'If you can stop grnung"
At that, Kistulal's grin had become wider than ever, showing his even, strong, white teeth in his face made of black rubber. Sahib will have to shoot very carefully, get both shots in just when he begins his charge, so that two more are ready when he gets really close just in case of emergency."
I'll drop him before he reaches us; there won't be an emergency." Henry had assured him. I'll place my shots carefully."
'Oh, I'm not worried. But it is a dangerous business, shooting a rogue elephant the way we mean to shoot hin; charging at you when you are right out in the open. Even if you are a very good shot, you want to run away. But sahib can shoot steady, I know that, and place his bullets exactly where he wants them. And 1. I now sahib will not nin away."
The sahib will do his part of the job all right, just you see that you do yours,' said Henry. When, late in the afternoon, they were standing in the paddy field they had selected, at least six miles away from the Lam lung tea estate, waiting for the elephant to show up, Kistulal was once again grinning. Heury had shot a fair amount of Indian big game, including, of course, wild elephant, but he had never waited for an elephant right out in an open field and in broad daylight, offering himself as a target to be attacked, and then expecting to shoot the animal down while it charged. In the jungle, there was always a bush or a tree stump or an anthill to hide behind. It had never been like this before, fully exposed and vulnerable. He felt naked and nervous and unaccountably hungry, and he had to fight down a tendency to yawn. And then he happened to look at Kistulal, black and small and wiry, standing close behind, scanning the edges of the field with his cold, blark, sniper's eyes, totally unarmed but cool and completely at ease, and still with a trace of that idiotic grin on his face. And even as Henry was looking at restulal, frail and wizened and hatefoot. he noticed change come over his face: the faint grin faded out.
That was how Henry Winton had become aware that the one- tusker had already come into their field. For a long time, over the hammering of his heart. Henry continued to hear the rhythmic rustle of the elephant's pads swishing through the standing rice and squelching to the mud. It was late in the afternoon, and the weak, winter sun had already touched the hill-tops in the west. The elephant came unhesitatingly, cutting across the field about a hundred and fifty yards in front of them, huge and grey, its single tusk shining like copper in the sunlight and giving it a lop sided look It walked as though it were heading a ceremonial procession, purposeful and unhurried, looking exactly as Henry had expected it to look, vaguely like a god. Only when it had come directly in front of them did it halt, but it was still too far away for a shot. To a few seconds, it wriggled the end of its trunk, obviously trying to locate the humm stent, and slowly, pon- derons turned its body, setting its head is their direction. It pau ed to a few seconds more, as though making doubly sure of its am Then it lifted its trunk, spread out its ears and charged Thot was the list detail Henry semembered with clarity, the rest was a confused fomented blur on his memory He em mbered as he alle ammung jast at the reor of the uplifted turk, for that was wher the he he wren the eyes would he and then pressing the goh so moothly, re shzug that he wsms un lover but cool and deliberate vid doing every thing tight then lang the cold leathly snap of the hammer pin nstead of the sot the shell ung off
Then there wis pin his cart He remembered sarching at the second gt pressing as m and hume mother dead click the guns being of the nal and the two big shells being shown high the by the ecto mechas Hee nemised load with two me cuts dges and rig in quick succession now put hial the clephnt cls winty yards aw, and brun a deals metallu crks Ho remembered the the sudden accept ince of tot dl, shatter ma detent, of shouting to bull to run an at the same time. In and kur to fr best, unl, vaguely cops us that kis tulal sould not sery List And he remembered Kistulil's serted heart reading scream he wuld never forget that stream all he hy le stoped him his marks rely ty vids away and watched is though speilboamd, unable to drar his eyes away He saw the moment of death, when the frail figure the hunter was felled with Ish of the powerful oiling rink and stamped into the ground in thy meys of mud and bloal lifted high up agam, now limp and lifeless like a tag doll and smashed dwn with a powerful thud that shool, the ground, and then nettly, methodically stamped into the ouzy earth by those great horny feet....
He had turned and fled running wildly into the jungle, and then, when he tired and could run no more, slowing into a walk, but never stopping, never looking back He must have walked for mules and nules after that, through the darkening, smothering jungle, heading for the hare patch on the opposite hill side which he knew must be the Lamlung tea estate He was numbed and bruised and bleeding hut he was still carrying his heavy elephant gun and his leather haversack with the rest of the cartridges when he reached Cockburn's bungalow late that night. At the back of his nund, the evidence the rifle and the misfiring cutridges was some how terbly napestant He remembered leaning the rifle against the hat rack in Cockbur verandah and Cockburn's enormous black- and tan dog coming out barking furiously and then recognizing him and hiking his hands and face, and then Cockburn himself, in he red plaid dressing; own bolding up lantern 12
Variations on a theme
'DON'T even attempt to speak about it,' said Cockburn, Just drink that down and relax."
Henry Winton held the glass in both hands and drank. It was neat brandy, raw and fierce. It was supposed to give vou courage. warmth, a feeling of vitality. What Henry wanted was consolation and reassurance Brandy was a wonderful substitute..
From that point onward his mund was less blurred. He remem bered his arrival stself only vaguely: first Cockburn's Alsatian dog jumping at him in welcome, and then Cockburn huself a gaudy- woollen dressing gown coming out into the verandah holding up a lantein, for, of course, Lamlung had no electricity.
"Christ' You must be cold,' Cockburn had said in a voice full of concern, and he had yelled for his househays to get a fire going. He had half-dragged, half-led Henry into the setting-room and put him into a chair and put his own Scotch plaid dressing gown round his shoulders. Then he had brought out the bottle of handy and poured out a stiff peg. Drink that up and you'll feel better."
Now that lamps had been lighted and the brandy was doug its work. Henry's thought processes began to resume coherence; it was time to face some of the questions he had kept suppressed.
What were the values? Henry kept asking himself. What were the obligations of a hunter? Were you responsible for seeing that your shikan did not come to any harm throngh neglest on your part? If he did, what was the setribution?
Cockburn, without his dressing-gown now, thin and wrinkled and grey, was exceedingly understanding, of course, not asking any questions at all. He was being the pucka-sahib, cool yet casual. He had hit a cigarette and passed it to Henry and then hit one for him- self. The fire was going nicely now, and the Alsatiau had got over his first burst of welcome Soon, very soon, Henry knew he would have to tell everything: to put his nightmare into words. He wished he could stop the shivering of his shoulders.
Cockburn was standing before him with another glass in his hands. This is even better,' he said. 'It's a hot grog. Just sip it slowly."
Henry took the glass in his hand and sipped. It tasted of brandy and lime-juice and honey and cinnamon, and it was steaming hot. It was good. strong stuff; hot grog was bloody good.
Bloody good" said Henry. Thanks. That was the first thing he had said that night when he had come, winded and dishevelled. wet, mud-spattered, numbed with cold and fear, back from his hunt for the one-tusker.
'Kistulal is dead, Henry told Cockburn.
Oh, my God!" said Cockburn. I thought something like that had happened. But please don't try to think about it. You don't have to tell me, unless you want to." Dead,' said Henry very flatly. 'Killed by the elephant-god; the blasted elephant-god
They were fresh cartridges, he kept telling Cockburn. 'Ab- solutely fresh. I ordered the box from Gungaram's only a few weeks ago-I didn't need to test them."
Of course not, Cockburn assured him. I don't think anyone would not from a fresh box.
There were the formalities. The police had to be informed, and the body cremated after the police had finished their investigations. Cockburn had taken charge of all that; Cockburn who now repre sented the cool centre of a old in turmoil, the personification of a quiet, almost wordless efficiency.
Henry had gone to bed after the hot grog, and, though he did not sleep a wink, in the morning, after a shave and a scalding not bath, he felt much better.
'I've ordered breakfast,' said Cockburn. 'Eggs and bacon and coffee. You must try and eat. Would you like some rum in the coffee?
"No thanks."
Henry ate hungrily and drank three cups of coffee, strong, sweet, and thick with cream. The ridiculou. thought crossed his mind that Sudden did not approve of any of his managers' drinking coffee for breakfast; and then he wondered what Sudden would have to say about Kistulal's death. After breakfast they went and sat in the glazed verandah overlooking the valley and Itt their pipes.
How d'you feel now?" asked Cockburn. 'Much better, thank you, but tired, tertibly tired." 'D'you know you must have been walking for over six hours Last night must have covered at least fifteen miles.
"It seemed much more. It seemed never ending.
"No wonder you were tied out. Actually the nice field you are talking about is not more than five miles from her well, six at the most, and there is a perfectly good bundle path all the way Asa matter of tict, it's my favourite supe shooting spot.
I never struck the path, said Hents. It was jungie all the tune thorn mostlv.
I've sent a man to collect those cartridges of yours. Cockburn Said.
'Cartridges?
The ones eps ted when voladed Only twe, son said."
"Yes, only two"
The other two, the a vonated aga till in the fe when you got here. Both with big tits in the ps "Why have you sent some to bring back the cartridges "You se wet the pace 2 there whi na tather hes didn't find any cardges there "Why on earth m Jus m case Cucklos sauf pet cave you frive to You know. Hemy, you might have to ale vou story slightly Henry looked at Lockhen with surprise and a touch of anger. Cockbu's harp luselled tas leid an anxioms look, and the eyes had the suggestion of a vle hy nooked wholly sincere Alter it But it's the truth!
I know it said Cockburn, his face break ing mo hard. pleasant treases of come no one would doubt a word of what you have saud. But I have been thinking about it. I rather think we shall have to make up a slightly different story see what Linean?
"Why""
"Well, it won't do you a bat of good as a hunter, and it won't do you any good as a man a career man. They'll always say damaging things: they'll even say you got scared at the last moment and ran away. Even the most sympathetic will always say that you were careless in not testing your cartridges before you went out shooting an elephant; a known rogue a killer. They'll say it is hardly likely that you didn't....
But God's teeth' They were a fresh lot; no one does."
I know that, but everyone is supposed to, with cartridges you buy out here Who knows how many years they may have been lying in the shop? I know that in practice no one does. I never have myself. Luckily, it's not as though your hammer pans were weak or anything no fault with the rifle itself, I mean."
'None at all, you can check up."
I did answered Cockburn blandly. There's nothing the matter with the title. The two cartridges in it had been pushed with quite a bit of force Besides, the pus make a clean parctie m teak wood. and they have to te pre strong to do that It was the cartridges all night.
I can't he blamed for du! cutridges at a fr, like Gungaiam's ells me togol analges No one blaming vs Fears was that in maid Our mam conn now should be to clear, up as much at the mess as possible It is really more questian of it of tau swing ammu I didn't kill the man and Hey angnly:
No out 1, yg you bid And yet its not as staple as all that. They will always sy Winton sahib offer to shoot the elephant- god. Winton sal i skid Kistulal yn hunting with hum and show hum the elephant they say that Kistulal did lus job: Winton sahib didn't But its trough my od ac' It hurts like hell to have to own up to at ott mise, but hens to be the truth. The gumming black hastard did ius po beatifully. I didn't."
It will kill your reponem as a big ge hunter I don't give a daand Henny debat..
You do care Heyn have all your life to spend in this district You an afford not toate," ountry in the tea Tell me how anyone anyone at all can blame me if my Shikari du d as the usult of an uculent It is not all that much of an accident really: when you go out looking for a killer elephant you almost gn looking for accidents, and you take all secantons to see that th don't happen There's such a thing as the hunter's responsibility you know to look after his shikari. 'I don't care if I never go hunting again; in fact, I don't want to ever."
That'll only make things worse. Then they'll say you really did funk. Also there's that promise of yours to kill the one-tusker. Besides...
"Besides what?"
"Well, let's face it, Henry. It will finish your career as a planter.
You'll end your days in a backwater garden, off the ladder altogether, unless they can get ud of you earlier. Sudden will never forgive you for having let down the side in the eyes of his powerful friends in the Government: perhaps the Governor himself. Barloe's patch with his minister will be queered more than ever, the Indian ministers will laugh their heads off; and the villagers will whisper behind your back, pointing a finger at you. They can understand incivility indeed they almost expect it from the ruling class. But never cowardne-forgive the word tunning away in the face of danger."
'It's certainly a frightening thought, admitted Henty.
"The way we handle this... this incident now will make all the difference between success and failure. It you're determined to make a go of your career here. you cannot afford to be tied down to a suburban conscience."
No, Henry reflex ted. There was no room in India tor sahibs who failed, that was the over-ding truth; they were despised even more by their own class than by the Indians. Failure was unthinkable; it was the abyss, dark and bottomless. The slackening of the moral fibre, on the other hand, was something that his system was getting used to.
And there's the press. My God, you don't know the Indian press" Cockburn was saying. If they get a sahib in their mangle, particularly when it concerns something we ourselves profess to de better than the Indians... The political capital the Gandhis and Nehrus will make this sort of thing..
I didn't know that a shooting accident could conceivably lead to any thing political.
In India, everything that concerns a salub is political, damn it.
His very presence is the basis of all their polits al agitation." You know, said Henry, 'you're talking exactly like Sir Jeffrey Dait; as though in a moment you'll be talking about the side.
Corkbum's face once again broke into a pleasant smile. There is Hindi proverb which says that when you have to live in the water, you cannot carry on a feud with the fishes. You're a planter; you. have to live by Sudden's values. After all's said and done, there's no denying Sudden knows what makes the Empire tick better than any of us. He may be a pompous fool, but in many ways he represents the British Empire even more than the Viceroy himself." And you think there's sufficient ground in... in whatever has happened, for Sudden to feel let down?'
Oh yes. You as a career man cannot afford to expose yourself to any such damaging scandal: to lose face with the Indiaas is your death warrant." 'D'you mean to say I shouldn't even tell Sudden about it?
"Sudden least of all. He lives by a set of values far more rigid than any one else's. It you' e a career man you cannot afford to take chances Ah, here's the man I sent to look for those damned cartridges.
There was only one, sahib,' said the man, producing a cigar- sized brass shell from his pocket
There were two, damn you exclamed Cockburn sharply. "What happened to the other one?"
I looked for a long tum, sahib, it must have got buried in the mud. There was ankle deep mud in the field."
That's night, said Henry I suppose anything as heavy as that Cartidge dropping to the mud would get instantly buried."
'Oh, all right,' said Cockburn, still looking doubtful He took the cartridge to the window and examined it carefully. Just as I said, he remarked, turning to Heay The haminer pin's punched. quite a hole in the cap, seen, there's nothing wrong with your fou-sixty-five.
It was all due to the bloody cartridges said Henry. "Butish made artidges too The weather in this country can play havoc with cartridges," Cockburu said He went into his office room and came out flutter- ing a five-rupee note. He handed it to the coolie. The man salaamed politely, but Henry noticed that he did not smile as Indian coolies always did m token of saying Thank you. And then Henry realized with a sudden catch that the man had just seen the mangled mess of flesh and blood and how lying in a rice field- the remains of his shikari. "What do you think I should say?' Henry asked Cockburn later that day. 'What story should I tell?'
You weren't there.' said Cockburn flatly. 'We can't have you round when the man was killed.
Where else could I have been?"
'Here, on the hogsbark Let's draw up a sketch of the rice field and the surroundings You were up on this lull, close to the bridle- path That's how far you two had gone trailing after the elephant. You were let's see, two hundred yards away from the edge of the field, and you had sent this man Kistulal to ye it the tracks led into the held wait it was Kistulil who had told you to wait where you were so that he could go and find out whether the tracks led into the held. That would be much better (lear so far?"
'Yes
"Kistulal ww cosing the field, see, and the elephant must have been in the jungh on the other side. He saw the shikat first com ing out into the open, charged caught him and killed him"
Very unlikely with a min like Kistulal, he would have seen the elephant first the i had the eyes of a hawk Never mind about that We ve got to keep this simple and fool proof You hud the scream of course and then you ran towards the rice field fets say it took you two minutes to get there a few seconds mure o less By the time you got there, the elephant had already finished He was gome way way from you no, no across your front that would be better He was going away across your front and vou saw him just as he was about to disappear into the forest let's see about how a word that he? Say two hundred yards' Then why didn't I fine it him'
"You hd said Cockburn
"I did Oh, yes, who s going to say you then ? You fired both barrels just as he was getting away even at that extreme range, and you feel certam you got him in the side with at least one of your shots that would he the left side
So I did woud hum Yes Yes, you got him with at least one of the barels That should Barloe his rlking point and keep Sudden happy Winton shikari had gone off to see where the trail led to, they'll say and if it hadn't been for the stupidity of his shikari, Winton could easily have bagged the rogue that day.' As it was, you only wounded him, but until he shows up again, perhaps months from now, they can go on nursing the hope that your shot actually killed him. You can depend on the natives not to talk about his move- ments until he actually makes another kill - they won't squeal on their elephant-god." 'Then why didn't I follow him up and finish him off?'
With the shikari lymg dead there? Of course not! That would have been quite out of character mhuman, absolutely. You had 10 come back here to report his death, and you missed the way commg back in the dark.""
I'm still not sure all this is really ner essary," said Henry.
It's necessary only if you want to make a career in this country; otherwise it doesn't matter. And it's not as though it is going to hurt anyone. But of course it's up to you to decide Henry Winton diew m his breath. I suppose it sounds all night; all perfectly plausible I mean except that bit about my wound- ing the elephant."
That's a most important bit sud Cockburn 'Most important Who dvou think is gun to prove he wasn't wounded? Only after someone has gone and hagged him can they go counting the bullet holes on him. That's a very chats prospet at best, from what I can see, and anyway, let's hops that that someone is you, Henry." "You mean go after him ag un? hust"
That's ught. In fart you just have to. Everyone. Sudden and everyone, will think you are no end of a sport for keeping after the elephant after this made it. And it you do happen to bag lum, why, you will have avenged Kostulal s death
There's that, of mrse But will the police lay up, d'you think?"
As far as they ne concerned there won't even be much of an investigation, they will art have to accept your report It's not as though there would be a complamt made to them, on any thing like that it's only when there is a complant Indged with the police that they have to go round making inquiries "They won't stumble on the cartridge, will they?
I shouldn't worry, no one can find what Damdoo has failed to find.... And what about him? Won't he go shooting his mouth? Can he be trusted?' Cockburn laughed. 'I can't think of anyone less to be trusted than Damdoo: he's almost incapable of telling the truth. But he's safe enough with me. He knows he'll have to reckon with me if he goes blabbing, and he won't like that. I know too much about him for his own good. Besides, he's an ex-convict... already done a term in prison. No one believes an ex-convict. Neat, what?" 'Yes, very neat,' agreed Henry. 'And thank you very much for all you're doing. I expect that's the story I'll have to stick to, for my own good. But I must say it makes me feel a worm.'
'Oh, you'll get over that, retorted Cockburn. 'Don't let's start worrying about the rights and wrongs of it; all that matters is that you're not hurting anyone by this-this variation."
'Except Kistulal. He would never...
I know how you must feel. Kistulal is dead. We must make it up to his dependants, somehow."
I say. Henry exclaimed, 'did anyone hear my shots?"
'Nobody has, so far,' said Cockburn with a glint in his pale blue eyes. 'But before this evening is over, at least a dozen different people will have heard them."
Later that evening, they went for a stroll up to the Tista bridge, and from the bridge. Cockburn dropped the three unexploded cartridges in the roaring torrent of the river a hundred feet below. Now that he was going through with it, Henry could not help wishing that the fourth unexploded cartidge had been found, and he could not help mentioning his fear to Cockburn. 'I would have felt much less uneasy about it all,' he said.
I shouldn't worry,' said Cockburn. 'No one is likely to go look- ing for the thing."
