to him,
and the two were almost inseparable. Perhaps it hardly becomes one like
me to offer an opinion on such a point; but, knowing what afterwards
happened, I must say that I never either liked or trusted that Russian
from the day I first set eyes on him. He seemed to me too double-faced
and cunning for an honest English gentleman to have much to do with. But
he had travelled a great deal, and was very good company, which was
perhaps the reason why Captain Chillington took so kindly to him. Be
that as it may, however, it was decided that they should go on the
hunting excursion together--not that the Russian was much of a shot, or
cared a great deal about hunting, but because, as I heard him say, he
liked to see all kinds of life, and tiger-stalking was something quite
fresh to him.

"He was a curious-looking gentleman, too, that Russian--just the sort of
face that you would never forget after once seeing it, with skin that
was dried and yellow like parchment; black hair that was trained into a
heavy curl on the top of his forehead, and a big hooked nose.

"Well, your ladyship and miss, away we went with our elephants and train
of servants, and very pleasantly we spent our two months' leave of
absence. The Captain he shot tigers, and the Russian he did his best at
pig-sticking. Our last week had come, and in three more days we were to
set off on our return, when that terrible misfortune happened which
deprived me of the best of masters, and your ladyship of the best of
sons.

"Early one morning I was roused by Rung Budruck, the Captain's favourite
sycee or groom. 'Get up at once,' he said, shaking me by the shoulder.
'The sahib Captain is very ill. The black devil has seized him. He must
have opium or he will die.' I ran at once to the Captain's tent, and as
soon as I set eyes on him I saw that he had been seized with cholera. I
went off at once and fetched M. Platzoff. We had nothing in the way of
medicine with us except brandy and opium. Under the Russian's directions
these were given to my poor master in large quantities, but he grew
gradually worse. Rung and I in everything obeyed M. Platzoff, who seemed
to know quite well what ought to be done in such cases; and to tell the
truth, your ladyship, he seemed as much put about as if the Captain had
been his own brother. Well, the Captain grew weaker as the day went on,
and towards evening it grew quite clear that he could not last much
longer. The pain had left him