I took off my hat and bowed, and asked this charming girl, 'Can you kindly tell me where I should go to find Colonel Selwyn?'
'Papa is at the orderly room, but he will be home soon. This is our house. I suppose you are Captain Devereaux?'
'Yes! I have only just arrived. I have been travelling all night and I am afraid I am more than dirty, and you must kindly excuse me for venturing to come near you in such a condition. You see I did not know which way to go, but left it to my pony and he brought me to you.'
'Well! Won't you let the syce take him, and come in and meet my mother and have a cup of tea? Papa won't be long, I am sure.'
'I am very much obliged to you Miss Selwyn, but I really feel much too grimy and dirty to present myself for the first time to Mrs Selwyn! It would make a bad impression I am sure and I should be sorry for that, for it might perhaps have the effect of her taking a dislike to a man who, since he has seen Miss Selwyn, would wish to be on good terms with her father and mother!
'Don't talk rubbish!' said this downright little maiden, blushing and looking as pleased as punch. 'My mother will, I am sure, make every allowance, and I am sure you must want a cup of tea or a peg, which perhaps you would prefer. Do come in!'
At this moment a lady, somewhat taller than Miss Selwyn, accompanied by another girl, much the same height as her sister, came to the door of the bungalow, evidently attracted by the voices they heard.
'Oh! mama!' cried my friendly maiden, 'here is Captain Devereaux, just arrived. I have asked him to come in and see you, and have a cup of tea or a peg, but he says he wants to see papa first, and is much too – too – well! dirty! Do make him come in!'
'Hush! Fanny! you let your tongue run away with you too fast! I am glad to see you, Captain Devereaux. I suppose you have had a terrible time at Nowshera during the last week. We heard you were there and could not move on account of the troops returning from the war wanting all the ekkas and carts.'
I made my excuse, saying that I considered it my first duty to report myself to the colonel, and that then, after I had made my toilet, I would do myself the honour of calling.
Fanny looked at me with reproachful eyes, as much as to say, 'You might as well have done what I wanted.' The other girl looked at me out of her great lustrous eyes, her mouth smiling slightly, while Mrs Selwyn gave me directions how to find my way to the orderly room, viz., by going back a part of the way I had come until I found a road leading to the barracks in which all the regimental offices were situated, about a mile from where we stood. Making my bow, and thanking Mrs Selwyn, giving the now pouting Fanny a bright look, as full of thanks as my dust-filled eyes would permit me, and taking another long look at the daughter whose name I had not yet learnt, I handed over my pony to the syce and walked along in the direction I had been told to go.
Before turning the corner I looked back. Fanny was alone, still standing in front of the house, looking after me. Her attitude was one of wistfulness. Somehow I felt she had been snubbed, and I was sorry for her, but glad to find my lines would be cast amongst people who, at first sight, seemed to be so lady-like and nice as Mrs Selwyn and her two daughters. These thoughts rather interfered with my admiration of the wild and savage beauty of the scenery I was passing through. Presently, turning a jutting shoulder of the cliff wall, I saw, perched on a slight eminence above me, a long, low wooden structure of large proportions, having an extensive red-tiled roof. Seeing a group of soldiers in their khaki, or mud-coloured, uniforms standing at the door I guessed this was the building housing the regimental offices, and passing through the group, I entered what seemed to be one vast hall with wooden pillars supporting its roof. The first person I saw proved to be the paymaster; hearing my name, he welcomed me warmly enough and showed me whereabouts I should find Colonel Selwyn, whose office was at the far end of the building. Thither I proceeded. The colonel was seated at his table dispensing justice. Around him stood officers in uniform, some red, some khaki, some blue, who had to bring up men. I scanned their faces. I knew none of them, and not being in uniform myself, and moreover covered with dust and dirt, I dare say I did not present a very favourable appearance. I waited until the last unhappy 'Tommy' was weighed off and then, advancing to the table, reported myself as Captain Devereaux, just arrived to join the battalion. Colonel Selwyn looked at me with interest for a moment, whilst the hitherto glum and stern-looking faces of the surrounding officers broke into smiles of welcome.
'Ah!' said the colonel, rising, 'glad to see you, Devereaux! I heard you were stuck at Nowshera. You came at an unlucky time when all the conveyances were engaged. I am afraid you had a wretched time of it down there!'
He shook me warmly by the hand, and introduced me to various officers, who did the same, and then, recommending me to go and get a peg before anything else, he asked the others to show me the way to the mess, saying he must himself hurry off home.
I accompanied my new brothers-in-arms, who led the way chatting and laughing and making many enquiries of me, until we reached the miserable shanty, called by courtesy 'the mess'.
I will not go in for a description of each and every officer. Suffice it to say that they were a very fair sample of the officers who form a proportion of every regiment in Her Majesty's Service. The seniors as usual proved to be selfish and greedy. The captains verged on the same state, but the subalterns were, as usual, gay devil-may-care, generous and ever ready to share their pittance with a brother in distress.
First thing I learnt was that, as water was very scarce, it was doubtful if I should get a wash that day; everyone was on an allowance, and my coming was not provided for. The next, that unless I had a chokidar [native watchman] neither my property nor my throat would be safe, since it was impossible to keep robbers out of the camp at night.
All this was a strange and by no means welcome contrast to the life I had been so lately leading at Nowshera, where I had the soft and delicious cunt of a perfect Venus to revel in. But as almost always is the case, my lines eventually turned out to be not cast in altogether so bad a mould as first appearances led me to expect.
In a few days I had found a nice little mud bungalow which would hold me. It is true it swarmed with the most formidable-looking and really dangerous centipedes, but I never got bitten by any, so that they only helped to keep me in a pleasant state of excitement, and I killed many of them. What made up for a great deal of the discomfort at Cherat was the delicious, cool and bracing air. I felt invigorated and strengthened by it. I enjoyed to the fullest inhaling it; and the savage grandeur of the scenery added enjoyment to breathing the pure mountain breezes which played upon it.
Soubratie had returned to Nowshera for his wife and my baggage, and it was nearly a fortnight before he returned. It was so difficult getting a cart, he said, he had to stay until Stone could get one for him, but I suspect that the profit arising from Mrs Soubratie's facile charms amongst the officers at Nowshera had much to do with his extra-long delay. I had not mentioned Mrs Soubratie to anybody and indeed hardly thought of her, but I got a most unmerciful chaffing about her the first night of her arrival. A married man! Just from his wife's arms! To engage a woman! It was in vain I endeavoured to defend myself, until I said that, as far as I was concerned, any fellow might have her, that it was my belief she would not be coy! At first my comrades would not believe me, but when they realised that such was indeed the case, their joy was unbounded. Like elsewhere, all the regiment's whores had deserted when the cry for 'cunt' went over the land from Peshawar on the arrival of the troops from Afghanistan and for several months neither officers nor men had enjoyed the sweet solace of a good luscious fuck at Cherat unless, as was the case in a few instances, he happened to be married and his wife was with him.