CHAPTER V
The Cad of the Regiment
"This is the place where I was knifed, Paterson," said Ted, "and there'sthe old boy I had been bargaining with. Watch him eyeing me; he looksrather scared, don't he?"
The wound was now quite healed, and impelled doubtless by a magneticattraction, akin perhaps to that said to be exercised on murderers bythe scenes of their crimes, our ensign had induced his chum Paterson tostroll with him through the _bazar_ one evening after duty was over forthe day.
While Ted had been down with his wound Alec Paterson had opened out in aremarkable manner and thrown down the last barriers of reserve. EnsignPaterson had only recently admitted Ted into close friendship. He was aScottish lad, hailing from Lanarkshire, and no better choice of a friendcould have been made. Physically he was tall and well-formed,intellectually he was ahead of most of his brother ensigns, and in moralcharacter strong, upright, and healthy. He was very reserved, difficultto know, chary of his intimacy, and slow of speech. Tynan termed him a"saint", and cordially disliked him; and in return Paterson disprovedthe accusation of saintliness by being obnoxiously polite and somewhatponderously playful in his dealings with the regimental _bete noir_.
"He does look scared," Alec replied. "He must think you were killed, andthat your ghost has come to jump down his throat or ride on his back,or whatever it is that their evil spirits do. You had better speak andreassure him."
As Ted approached the stall, the hand of the sleek Hindu shot forthacross the boards on which his wares were displayed and snatchedsomething from the front row. Not, however, before our hero hadrecognized the identical bangle that he had bought and paid for on theoccasion of his previous visit. His face flushed.
"That is mine," he asserted. "I bought and paid for it."
Understanding that the bangle had been seen, and that denial wasuseless, the shopkeeper salaamed and unabashed replied: "Nay, sahib, theone you bought you took away, and I have never set eyes on it since."
"But you told me it was unique--that there was not another like it inthe country."
"I am the sahib's slave, and I spoke truth. There was not another likeit in the Punjab. But since the Heaven-born's visit a Kazilbash merchantfrom Kabul, with whom I deal in turquoises, has sold me this. It isindeed similar to the one I sold the sahib, but the turquoises arelarger and better. Welcome is the sight of the Heaven-born in the eyesof his servant, who has suffered great anxiety."
"What's the row, Ted?" Paterson asked. And matters being explained, heat once enquired of the Hindu why he had been so anxious to prevent thebangle being seen if he had come by it honestly. But the "Aryan brown"was more than their match in guile.
"In truth I remembered how the former one had brought ill-luck to theyoung sahib, and I feared lest he might take a fancy to this one also.And I know that the sahibs are reckless in such matters, not believingin omens. Rather would I lose business than bring misfortune upon thehead of the young sahib."
Alec Paterson laughed.
"I'm afraid it's no go, Russell," he whispered. "The rascal is too deepfor us, and we cannot prove that it really is the same article."
"But it's robbery pure and simple!" Ted indignantly declared. "I knowit's the same that I lost during the scuffle."
The shopkeeper regarded them gravely and sadly, as though he felt deeplythe doubts they had cast upon his honesty. He produced one article afteranother, tempting them in vain to buy. At length, guessing that the boyhad set his heart upon the bangle, he offered him the pretty toy forthirty rupees, assuring him that he had given twice that sum to theKazilbash.
"I'll give you fifteen," said Ted, "and not an anna more."
The Hindu shook his head.
"I am poor man," said he, "else would I gladly beg the sahib to acceptit as a present."
"Very well," Ted firmly rejoined. "Come along, Alec."
They turned to go, but the Hindu hastily recalled them.
"Nay," said he, "I had forgotten that the sahib had to suffer the lossof the first one. For twenty rupees will I sell it, or, in truth, giveit away, rather than that the Heaven-born should be disappointed."
"Fifteen," was all Ted's answer; and once more the bangle changed hands,and the ensign left the shop. On the way to cantonments they overtookHarry Tynan, the object of their mutual dislike, and were about to passwith a nod as devoid of cordiality as decency would permit, when Tynanspoke, or rather sneered: "Why, Russell, I thought you always took agirl to protect you whenever you went into the _bazar_!"
"Did you really now?" asked Ted banteringly. "Wasn't it an effort?"
"What do you mean? Was what an effort?"
"To think--so unusual, you know, for you."
"Oh how clever you are! But how aren't you keeping an eye on BrotherJim's future wife, according to instructions? I saw her this eveningflirting as usual with the Commissioner Sahib. You are not doing yourduty. Captain Russell 'ud be angry if he knew."
"Come along, Russell; what's the use of talking to that cad?" whisperedPaterson. "Contemptible toad!"
But his friend's ire had been aroused by the last remark. He halted andfaced Tynan.
"What d'you mean?" he demanded.
Tynan slowly drew a huge cheerot from his lips and attempted to blowrings of smoke before replying.
"You know well enough. Stunnin' little flirt is Ethel--deuced stunnin'!Shouldn't be surprised if she threw Brother Jim over!"
"What do you mean?" repeated Ted with still greater heat.
"Don't be an ass, Ted. Leave the cad alone," Paterson again whispered.
Tynan was Russell's senior by nearly a couple of years, and he stood aclear three inches taller. Ted's anger amused him.
"Why--don't you know?" he innocently enquired. "You see, our littleEthel had been setting her cap at Sir Arthur Fletcher for months beforeshe saw your brother. But Arthur knows what's what, and the littledarling has had to put up with a mere captain of the Guides. But shestill hankers after the commissioner, and sighs for the handle to hername."
"Ye leein' hyaena!" Paterson burst out, his native dialect rising to thesurface in his excitement. "Keep a ceevil tongue in your heid, or I'llknock ye down!"
"No, you don't, Paterson," broke in Ted. "That's my business. You cad,to lie like that about a girl you're not fit to speak to! Take that!"
Our ensign struck his comrade across the face--a resounding smack withthe open palm.
The fight was very short. Though tall enough, Tynan was weedy and unfit.For several years he had considered himself a man of the world, and oneof the chief aims--if not _the_ chief--of his life had been to convincehis associates that he was well qualified for that dignified position,and the attainment of this object had, of course, necessitated abundantsmoking and drinking. Wonderful to relate, no one had so far seemedgreatly impressed!
Five minutes after the first blow, with bleeding nose and damaged eye,the contemptible fellow was sullenly admitting that he had had enough.
"Think it over the nicht," Paterson suggested. "If ye hev not I'll justgie ye seemilar satisfaction. And I'd hev ye obsairve it wad be safer tocam' oot wi' no mair lees o' that sort. Cam' awa', Russell!"
"Wait a moment, I've not done yet," said Ted. "Let me inform you now,you cad, what I would not waste my breath in telling you before--thatMiss Woodburn had refused Sir Arthur Fletcher before she became engagedto my brother, and that he has congratulated my brother, and is a loyal,honourable gentleman, of whose friendship Miss Woodburn is proud; anddon't let me hear you speaking of her again as you did just now."
The chums left the miserable being--neither man nor boy--to follow as hechose.
"What garred ye say that last, Russell?" asked the Scottish lad, who wasstill labouring under strong excitement, as soon as they had passed outof hearing.
"What? About Fletcher?"
"Yea You'd no right to drag his refusal into the affair!" Patersondropped the tell-tale accent as he spoke more slowly. "That's betweenhim and Miss Woodburn, and he wouldn't than
k you if he knew, nor wouldshe. It was perhaps very satisfying to you, but they don't need to bedefended from a fellow like our friend yonder."
"I'm very sorry--I'm a fool! I was so angry I didn't stop to think. Bah!he leaves a bad taste in the mouth, that fellow!"
"We should have passed him without taking any notice," Paterson went on."But it served him right!"
For the future Tynan gave his conqueror a wide berth, and Ted ignoredhis existence as far as their respective duties, would permit.
Returning from the officers' mess that evening, Ted was accosted by PirBaksh, the Mohammedan captain.
"I saw you fight with Ensign Tynan," said he. "He is the kind of officerto ruin a regiment. Once he dared to call me a _soor_ (pig) before mymen, and I thank you, sahib, for teaching him a lesson."
The Disputed V.C.: A Tale of the Indian Mutiny Page 6
