The India we served

Front matter

- 2)” SIR WALTER ROPER LAWRENCE

“ By far the most authoritative, as wellasenma ae tertaining, contribution to a question of vital and | —-- urgent importance. Sir Walter’s book deserves FRE ian | Pan A ue permanent place in the literature of India.”— = | ‘ London Standard. = =—s‘ | |G Oe “An absorbingly interesting book, one of the se) DE EAE le cde best volumes of Indian memoirs ever published.” eee ee Cee Lai —London Daily Mail.

Pe “ Possesses toa rare degree that quality which | fl =——_ is: Mr. Kipling’s own, of transforming India into a a place of magic enchantment,” — Punch. Here fi C 4 ' + %: 3 : Bh) j ’ ty aes . ‘ i rhjess yA fh’, ‘ ve c u igus i ot A ‘e \ ; ; CO aa P ? cul, a My ‘ } “ Le bd ne 4) ed \f i ‘ + i ok A F t,

Preface

Tue letter on the other side is my apology for this book. Another friend,! cheering and chiding, bade members of my service observe and leave some record before we died; but most of us were as loath to write as to die.

I see now that I had unusual opportunities for observing, very close, and from many points of view; also from afar, through the wrong end of the telescope, as a member of the Council of India.

These reminiscences may seem to linger unduly in that region of enchantment—the Rajas’ land—known to so few, rich in colour and throbbing life. But to me this was always the real India.

Some think that the dreamland of Queen Victoria has gone for ever, and that the old relations between the Indians and the Sahibs are fast passing into myth and memory: even so, they reflect credit on both, and may be recorded.

But I believe that for many generations India will have need of the Sahibs and that the young pilgrim, who goes the road which I took, will find kindness and welcome if he gives the password and the greetings. He must know the language and understand the customs. He will, I hope, admire, as I did, the great men who made the road and prepared the camping grounds with water, food and firing and safe harbourage at night. They knew what the country wanted. I

4 See Chapter IX, p. 168, footnote}, x PREFACE have attempted in my tale to tell of all the roads I trod up to the time when they tried to turn India into a Western path.

If these reminiscences help the youth sailing East I shall be richly rewarded, and old Pliny’s belief, that ‘“‘no book was so bad but that some good might be got out of it,” will once more be justified.

WLR. L.

Bunce’s Farm,

SUSSEX,

Chapter I

Childhood—Gipsies—Dame’s School—Review of the Gloucestershire Hussars—Cheltenham College—The Ideal House Master—Home Life—School Friends—Balliol—Arnold Toynbee—Dr. Jowett— With Detective in East End—Rhoda Broughton—The Charm of Oxford—Some Foreigners and an Indian—Outfit for India—Arrival at Lahore ‘ ane ~ : oes ‘ : eer

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Chapter II

Voyage to India—A Theatrical Company—Bombay—Entertained by Moslem Gentleman—Journey to Lahore—Eurasian Hotel—Stay With Lepel Griffin—John Lockwood Kipling—Fancy-dress Ball —The Zoo-—Old Mogul Gardens—Municipal Committee—Nur Din, Chief of the Scavengers—Posted to Peshawar—Adventure With a Ghazi—His Trial—Become Political Officer to Brigade at Thal, Kurram Valley—The Police Officer of Kohat—Affray with Waziris—Said Khan—Life with 18th Bengal Cavalry—Capture of Village—Linguistic Vagaries of Indians and Englishmen— Camels—The Eurasian Treasury Officer—The Khyber Pass— Peculiarities of Eurasians—Problem of their Future . : xo ats

CHAD LE e LIL

Fever—Nathia Gali--Adventure at Murree—Bonfire in Forest—Gain further knowledge of Hindustani-—Denzil Ibbetson and his Census of the Punjab—Census Work in Peshawar—Ibbetson’s Methods and Personality—Life in Hazara—The “ Snake ”—Jail Work—Executions—Appointment to District of Merwdra (Rajputana)—Colonel Dixon—Officials—Methods of My Predecessor —The German Police Officer—Officials of Old School—Life in Beawar—Begin to understand Indians—Episodes of Indian Life —Case ot IlIlusion—India is Illusion—Frequent change of High Officials —Ajmere—Dacoits—Pea-chicks—Pranks of Colonel and German Police Officer—Raising Body of Mers to Hunt Dacoits —Thagi—Datura Poisoning—Brahman Murderer—Chits—Act as District Officer, Ajmere—The Snake Charmer—Cholera Epidemic xi

Xii CONTENTS

—Street Dogs in Ajmere—The Jains—To Pushkar Lake with Edward Buck—His character—Methods of Indian Servants— Camp of the Viceroy comes to Ajmere 3 ; ;

Chapter IV

Ordered to Mount Abu as Assistant to Agent to Governor-General for Rajputana—Political Department—The Rajputs—Pay—Servants—Their Love for English Children—On Tour with Colonel Bradford—His Life and Character—Officers of the Mutiny— Durbars—Informal Interviews with Rajas—The Bankers of India—Mahardja and Barons—Siege of Biddsar—Surrender of Barons—Meet One of them Twenty Years later—Southern Rajputana—Episodes of the Tour—Monasteries—-Weddings— Indian Mentality—Illustrative Anecdotes—Difficulty of Understanding Indian Point of View—A Degenerate Rajput—Rajput Love of Horses and Dislike of Roads—Ride up and down Tower of Baron’s Castle—Ceremonial—-Udaipur—Its Lake and Palace —Deserted Military Cantonment in Forest—The Old Gardener —Offered by Sir Charles Aitchison Post of Under-Secretary to Government of Punjab—kKill cold-weather Tiger and Bear in Forest of Capul Darra—Farewell Visit to Beawar .

Chapter V

Sir Charles Aitchison, Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjab—Simla— My Ignorance of Principles of Land Revenue—Life in Simla— Climate—Rhododendrons—Little Simla—Two Governments and Commander-in-Chief—Strong Provincial Sentiment—On Tour with Lieutenant-Governor—Unreality of such Tours—Episode of English Lady married to Moslem—My Marriage—Second Season at Simla—English Colonel and Daulat Ram—Camp at Rawal Pindi—Viceroy and Abdur Rahman—His Methods of Governing—His Durbars—Daulat Ram at Umballa—Illustrations of Gratitude of Indians—Jung Bahadur and his Elephants—The Bankers and Young English Officer in the Mutiny—Settlement Work in Kurnal Umballa—Moslem and Hindu Instructors— Sikh Landlords and their Methods—Extracts from my Diary showing scenes of Village Life—Kurushetra, Cradle of Brahman System—Its Unhealthiness—Beautiful Country round haa —Lala Bansi La), Banker—Loafers . : : :

Chapter VI

Serious Illness of my Wife—Kindness of Neighbours—Offer of New Appointment—Work in Punjab Secretariat—Under-Secretary to Government of India—Lord Dufferin’s fine Council—Submit

CONTENTS xiii

PAGE Cases to Viceroy—Concession Hunters—Charm of Lord Dufferin —Lady Dufferin’s Fund for Women of India—Rudyard Kipling’s Poem “‘The Song of the Women”—What “‘ The Purdah Cloaked ” —Civil Servants Overburdened with Work—District Officer between the Devil and the Deep Sea—Interviews Abridged— Value of Silence—Calcutta; its Splendid Hospitality—Tours to Madras and Burma—Christmas at the Lighthouse—Lord Dufferin Goes—Lord Lansdowne Comes—Accept Offer of Settlement Work in Kashmir—Respective Merits of Life in the Districts and in Secretariat—Charm of Simla . - ‘ - ; Su IO%

Chapter VII

Kashmir—Its Sale to Gulab Singh, Chief of the Dogras—Has Belonged to Many Masters—The Way of Gulab Singh—His Successors—Maharaja Pratab Singh Succeeds to a Bankrupt Kingdom—Determines to have a Settlement—This Unpopular with Privileged Classes—I am Boycotted—I Appeal to Czsar—Sympathetic, but Boycott continues—Incident of Colonel Natha Singh—Insist on his Dismissal—Boycott removed—Spies and Rumours—Kashmiri Methods—Brahman Opposition—Approval of the Great Mullah—Story of Gaganger and Beautiful Girl—Colonel Natha in New Guise—Rishi Bat remembers me at the Last— India, the Land of Regrets—Indian Women—A Letter from a Hindu Wife to her Husband . : ‘ : . é 2 = 323

Chapter VIII

Charm of Kashmir—Only Man is Vile—Unfair Criticism of Kashmiris —Subterfuge Their One Armour—Their Weakness and Their Strength—Astute yet Superstitious—Black Magic—Shrine Worship—Fatal Result of Superstition—The Power of the Curse —Story of Faqir’s Curse—Another Coincidence—My Friend’s Fraudulent Servant—His Fate—Delight of Life and Work in Kashmir—Fights and Anxieties—Lack of Privacy—Actors and Poets—Nature Turns against us—Earthquake—Cholera—Flood —Offer of Work at Home—Decide to Accept—Retrospect—Not a bad thing to Work under Indians—Sir David Barr the Ideal Political Officer : : ; P : : ‘ ; oot) Fae

Chapter IX

Reluctance to Write on Religious Subjects—Ignorance of Theological Literature—Unequipped by Study or Temperament—Hinduism in Three Northern Countries of India—Hinduism the Indigenous and National Religion—Based on One Idea, Reverence for the Brahman—Unmoved by Mogul Conquest—Unshaken by John

XIV

CONTENTS

Company—Brahmanism Described—Men Desert, but they Come Back—The Indispensable Brahman—No Signs of Weakening —The Home and the Brahman Director too Strong—Power of Caste—Reincarnation—Some Good Results of Brahman System —Scope for Worship—Life of Hindus not so Dull as we Imagine —Fairs, Feasts and Visits of Homage to Religious Men—The Faqir—His Detachment from the World—Contemplation—Unwise to Ignore the Brahman and the Faqir—The Astrologers— Fama and Hypnotism . ‘ : : : ; ; ;

Chapter X

Indian States Contrasted with System of British India—Huge Size of British Provinces—Personal Touch Between Raja and His People—The Daily Durbar—Education of Chiefs—Inherited Knowledge of Raja—Indian States a Terra Incognita—One of the Two Real Indian Institutions Left—Better Suited to Indian Temperament—Bright Life in Capital—Idiosyncrasies of a Few Abnormal Rajas—The Jewel Houses—Historical Gems—Treasure Forts—Isolation of Rajas Disappearing—System of Indian States more Suitable for India than Any Form of Democratic Government—Impossible for Indians to Work Bureaucratic System—Better to Adopt as Model for New System a Wellgoverned Indian State— Possible to Constitute Indian States throughout India—Recent Case of Benares—Due Safeguards of Existing Interests Necessary—Sketch of Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir : : : ; p ; . :

CHAPTER XI Sketch of Sir Pertab of Jodhpur—Sati—Becomes Maharaja of Idar

Adopts Me as Brother—His Curious English—His Hatred of the Moslems—Sketch of the Maharaja of Jaipur—A Great Raput— His Generosity—His Embittered Youth—Story of His Spiritual Adviser—His Visit to England—Shorter Sketch of the Maharana of Udaipur—His Divine Manners—A Prince of Courtesy—The Melancholy of the House of Udaipur . : ; . ‘

CHAPTER XII Leave India March, 189;—Three Happy Years as Agent to Duke of

Bedford—Decide to Return to India with Lord Curzon as his Private Secretary—The East a-calling—Lord Curzon’s Untiring Industry—Sketch of Lord Curzon—Printing of Confidential Papers—His Patience with my Criticisms—The Clever Bons Mots—His Desire to do Things for Himself—Thirst for New Problems—His Power of Acquiring Technical Knowledge

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CONTENTS XV

PAGE —His Wish to be Head of the Civil Service—His Interest in Indian Chiefs—His Love of Pageant and Ceremonial—His Reluctance to Pledge Himself or Successors Regarding the Future—His Passion for History—His insistence on Accuracy—His Ardour in the Preservation of Ancient Monuments—His Religion—Always Working at High Pressure—His Oratory . j F : . (219

Chapter XIII

Indians’ Interest in Queen Victoria—Their Veneration and Love— Tradition of the Great Queen and Mother—Shock caused by Death—Mourning in Calcutta—Lord Curzon’s Devotion—Proud of being Her Last Viceroy—Determines to Commemorate Her Great Reign—His Constant Effort to Carry out Her Wish to be “Kind to the Indians »—His Personal Attention to Petitions— Endeavour to Remove Grievance, however Small—Interterence with Man on the Spot—Decides to Build a Great Memorial to Queen Victoria in Calcutta—Incessant Toil till His Death for its Success—India His Home and the Pivot of His Life—Lord Kitchener—Lord Curzon’s Delight to Have Him as Commander-in-Chief—Lord Kitchener’s Interest in Transport and Supply— Comes out Determined to Control these Departments—Bides his Time for a Year—Threatened Resignation—Lamentable Breach Between Viceroy and Commander-in-Chief—Similarities and Contrasts of the Two Characters—Criticisms of Lord Curzon in England . : ° : . ° . ‘ m #239

CHAPTER XIV Leave India Again—Write for The Times—Old Policy of Keeping

England in Ignorance of India—Importance of Correcting Misstatements, Not only in England, but in the United States—Rudyard Kipling Quoted—Asked to Accompany the Prince and Princess of Wales to India as Chief of Staff—Busy for Next Nine Months Preparing Details of Tour—Prince and Princess Fulfil every Engagement—Great Enthusiasm in India—Contrast between Respect shown to Viceroys and Affection for King Emperor’s Son—Possible that this Influence in Some Permanent Form Might Solve Many Difficulties—Notice Great Changes since I Left Lord Curzon—Activities of Anti-British School—Movement no longer Confined to Great Cities—Risks of Tour—Story of the Two Detectives—Position of Indian Women. ; ; : e203

Chapter XV

At the India Office—The Council of India—Power Shifting from India to London—Danger of Impairing Authority in India—

XVI

CONTENTS

Appointed Commissioner by Lord Kitchener—Indian Hospitals in Brighton—New Experiences of Indian Mentality—Their Fine Conduct—-Two Memorials and a Touching Tribute—End of Reminiscences—Puzzle and Paradox—Hints to Young Men who go to India—Important that the Best of Our Race Should Go— Use of the “ Sun-Dried” Bureaucrat—India a Fascinating Land

CHAPTER XVI References to Constitutional Questions Merely Incidental—Indians

Talk more Freely with Me after I left Civil Service—Social Reform—Civil Servants Precluded from Subject of Women of India—Standards of Conduct Wholly Different—Religions and Customs Left Alone—Policy of “ Better Not”—In Northern India Bad Results of Old Customs not Conspicuous—English Education Begins too Early—Cruel Consequences of System— Stocktaking in 1906—Improvement in Social Conditions should Precede Political Changes—Provinces too Large—Cure for Non-co-operation—Suggestion that a Member of the Royal Family should be Prince Regent of India—Indian States Best Model for New Constitution—Greater Variety Required—Difficulty of Disentanglement—A New System of Government Called for— Present System Uncongenial and Beyond Capacity of Indians— Danger of Tampering with Caste and its Social Discipline— Hindus and Moslems—The Muharram—The Race for the Vote —Tribute to the Reform Managers . : ‘ ,

INDEX . © e . + . = e & e € a

PAGE

Chapter I

Childhood—Gipsies—Dame’s School—Review of the Gloucestershire Hussars —Cheltenham College—The Ideal House Master—Home Life—School Friends—Balliol—Arnold Toynbee—Dr. Jowett—With Detective in East End—Rhoda Broughton—The Charm of Oxford—Some Foreigners and an Indian—Outfit for India—Arrival at Lahore.

On entre, On crie, Et c’est la vie: On biille, On sort, Et c’est la mort.

Un jour de féte, Un jour de deuil, La vie est faite En un clin d’oeil.

six years, the sketch is made and the faint, fatal chart drawn of our strange pilgrimage. It all depends on three influences, the mother, the nurse and the governess. I was superlatively fortunate in all three. They were not only good, but beautiful as well. This I learned in later years from my elders. It was to the charm of my young nurse that I owed the welcome I received in the cottages of the lovely village in which I was born seventy years ago. I can remember the lush pastures, the green lawns and the beautiful trees in that slumberous country where the white-faced Herefords grazed, and the apples grew. Years later I thought that the fairest work of nature was the colour of the almond groves, and the iris, of Kashmir. But the apple blossom, when it blushes in the warm clasp of the enraptured sun, almost vies with the delicate beauty of the almond. B J

[ not in the twinkling of an eye, yet in the first five or

To my nurse I owed my visit to the gipsies in the hop garden. I shall never forget the drowsy scent as the gipsies softly smothered me in the hop cradles. Perhaps those warm faces with the brown eyes gave me my first orientation, my first gentle push Eastwards. Certainly I have liked the gipsy folk ever since.

I can remember with freshness the cottages with their little rows of daisies, primroses and sweet-williams, and how I thought the food of the villagers was delicious. Like Effie in “‘Silas Marner,” “I like the working folks and their victuals and their ways.” We were on the same level of thought. What we talked about I cannot now recall, but I have a suspicion that my friends of the cottages were against authority, and that they had a sympathy for one like myself, who was being brought up by rule. One rebel, in particular, was old Betty, who was a master weeder in our gardens. She had a dear face, like an apple in March: she was weatherwise and a teller of stories. She always welcomed me in the set words: “‘Come his ways, the pretty dear!’’ and when she spoke of governesses and nurses, she would say: ‘“‘Drat them!”’ and pull up her weed with a special virulence. This may ultimately have prejudiced my young mind against authority, but in the early days the authority was gentle and impalpable. My mother and my governess taught me to read without tears, and the easy, happy life which I have enjoyed is due to these eight quiet years.

Then a gentle uprooting from the red soil of Moretonon-the-Lugg to the yellow marl of the Cotswolds. <A Dame’s school. She wore ringlets, and at noon regaled herself with bread and cheese and ale, a sight that always made me hungry. ‘There was a tall, thin, sallow man who taught Latin. He carried a cane, with which he tapped his desk. And there was a stout lady who instructed us in French. It was not a large school, only eight boys, and I have among my papers a bill dated September, 1866, which shows that for two terms my education cost £9 3s. 9d., and of this, 3s. 6d. was for the “‘share of carriage to see the Review.” Ah, that Review! I have seen many splendid pageants and great arrays of armies, but my young and plastic mind was impressed, as by nothing since, by that march past of the glorious Gloucestershire Hussars, on a warm day in June. One incident affected our School almost to tears. As the regiment passed, glittering in the sun, one of the troopers fell slowly off his horse. We were loud in our sympathy; but a fierce-looking sergeant said things to the prostrate warrior which, being interpreted by our Dame, suggested that beer was the cause of the trooper’s downfall.

From the Dame’s school I entered Cheltenham College, starting in the lowest form of the junior school. In that junior school they certainly taught one thing most thoroughly: whether it was from fear or affection I know not, but I learnt the Latin and Greek grammars almost by heart, and the rest of my life at school, till I left in 1876, was easy and effortless. It was a good school and I went to an excellent house and was devoted to my house master. He was sometimes sarcastic, but we liked and respected him and would do much to win his approval. One term he was ill and unable to look after the house, and we behaved like angels, all for the sake of ‘‘Joe.”” Like my father, he wished me to become a barrister; but I had heard a naval friend of my family talk about the life of an Indian Civilian, and in a vague way I decided that India should be my goal. One night, towards the end of my school days, ‘‘Joe’’ was remonstrating with me for my lack of industry and energy, and said that I had no chance of passing the examination for the Indian Civil Service. He was very outspoken, and when I left Cheltenham and went to the great crammer, Mr. Wren, I worked hard, just to show my friend and house master that he was wrong. I had the great luck to come out at the head of the list.

Few boys work at a public school unless they are compelled or coaxed. I had been compelled to assimilate the Latin and Greek grammars, and they were my only school asset. But I had another great asset. I was one of a large family, and my brothers and sisters were all clever and accomplished. Their preoccupations were sport and English literature, and my favourite brother, Wyndham, a fine athlete and sportsman, and also a writer of good verse, knew his Chambers’s “‘Cyclopedia of Literature’’ almost by heart; and though light-hearted and careless, he took a delight in

THE INDIA WE SERVED pouring his knowledge of English poetry into me. And as

I admired him for his prowess in sport and wished to win his good opinion, I, too, acquired the Chambers habit and the love of English literature.

My father and his two brothers were great sportsmen, but philosophers too, and the patriarchal rule in our home was that everyone must be doing something. So my holiday pastime of lying under a shady tree looking at the sky and thinking the ‘‘long, long thoughts’’ of youth, was often rudely interrupted by my too energetic parent. When I grew to manhood I sometimes missed his driving power. I do not propose to dwell on my home life, though it was delightful and full of incident. We were a Welsh family, fond of music and song, sport and anecdote; sometimes laughter, sometimes wrath, and then affectionate reconciliation.

I look back to my school days with pleasure. I made some dear friends, most of them now gone: but my greatest friend, Endicott Peabody, a splendid American, 1s still my best of friends, as he was always my best of guides. But the happiest time in England was the life in Oxford.

I went to Balliol in October, 1877. Mr. Jowett, the Master, took a keen interest in the Indian Civil Service, and had written to my father to suggest that I should enter his college. The second term he gave me charming rooms: he advised me to cultivate friendships, to study character, and to observe rather than to work. I followed this advice too literally, and just read enough to scrape through the periodical examinations prescribed by the Civil Service Commissioners. So I had leisure to enjoy the charm of Oxford life. It was all new and wonderful to me—‘'that city of young life astir for fame.’ ‘The independence, the carelessness, the glorious companionship and the beautiful surroundings. I knew and liked everyone in college, and I especially admired the two dons who looked after me— Arnold Toynbee and Mr. Strachan Davidson. Their forbearance and patient toleration were astounding. Toynbee attracted me greatly. He was full of enthusiasm, very tolerant, and very stimulating. He always made us feel that there was something in us. He was like Mr. Jowett in that respect.

The Master was most kind to me. I used to stay with him at his house in West Malvern, and at the Master’s lodge I met great and unbending men, Dean Stanley, Robert Browning and others. Undergraduates were expected to listen rather than to talk, and rashly one day I struck in. Dean Stanley, who had just come back from America, was saying to the Master that the Americans could not write English. I suggested that “‘ The Scarlet Letter’ was English. The Dean snubbed me, and I felt rather unhappy during the rest of the breakfast. As I was walking out of the room, Dean Stanley came up, spoke kindly and asked me to call on him at Westminster. Later he made a great impression on me. I heard him preach in the Abbey on the death of Motley, and I thought it the greatest of sermons: and I thought, as I still think, that if I could choose any ofhce in England, I should choose the Deanery of Westminster. I must add that I do not think I heard a single sermon during my stay in Oxford. I often listened to the divine choirs of Magdalen and New College, but I was an infrequent attendant at Balliol Chapel.

Many terrifying legends clustered round Mr. Jowett. I always found him a most wise and considerate guide. We took up essays to him. I know mine were, in his own words, “poor stuff,’’ but in his talk he was always encouraging, and he kept me close to what was practical. He never sneered. He was impatient of silly remarks, but he loved a good joke, and it was pleasant to hear him laugh. I once asked him, when we were walking in the snow at Malvern, whether Jane Austen was much read at the beginning of the century. “I don’t know,” he said rather peevishly, ‘‘I did not live at the beginning of the century.” He was so full of energy and vitality that he disliked any allusion to age. I owe much to that dear Master, who encouraged and helped me, and was my friend till his death. The last time I saw him, before returning to India after short leave, I said, on wishing him good-bye, that I should see him again in three years. He replied: ‘‘ You will never see me again, but don’t forget to write to me about the introduction of tobacco into India.” They had told him that his days were numbered, but that did not impair his sacred thirst for knowledge.

Though the Master was interested in the governance of India, he, like all the rest, knew nothing of actual conditions in India, and during my two years’ probation I never met anyone who ever mentioned India. We read a certain amount of Indian history and Indian law, but there was no one to tell us of life in India and the work which awaited the young Civilian. Perhaps this was wise, for if we had known the tasks and responsibilities ahead of us, I, for one, should not have been so happy and careless as I was at Balliol. I had the good fortune to find an excellent teacher of Hindustani. I liked him, and so did a certain amount of work. I learnt the grammar, and this helped me greatly when I arrived in India. The great foundation for a happy and successful life in India is a thorough knowledge of the grammar of Hindustani, and this knowledge can only be acquired while at home.

By chance I made friends with a detective at Scotland Yard, and when I went from Oxford to the Inner Temple to eat dinners, I used every night after dinner to go down with my friend to Whitechapel. We visited the Mahogany Bars, and the Singsongs of Ratcliff Highway, the Eagle Music Hall, the resort of the burglars, and the Effingham Theatre, much loved by the pickpockets. I saw many curious scenes and made some most interesting acquaintances. In the course of two years I gained some knowledge of the doss-houses of Whitechapel.

My detective friend attributed his apparent immunity from violence to the fact that his criminal clients, lavish in some respects, always disliked expensive lodgings. If a criminal made himself obnoxious by violent outbursts he was a marked man, and his lodging-house received numerous visits trom the police. The lodging-house deputy soon realised that one of his guests was unpopular, and moved him on. But the other lodging-houses knew why he had been moved on, and there was no home for him in Whitechapel. He would then migrate to Seven Dials or Westminster; but here, again, it would be difficult to find a lodging for long. So I always noticed that the relations between my detective and the criminal tribes were friendly, indeed intimate, and I was certainly treated with great courtesy.

I danced at the Mahogany Bars, drank excellent sherry at twopence a glass with the old women who chaperoned the girls, and heard from them stories of romance and pathos. [ saw a jealous foreigner stab a rival fatally, but my detective took no notice. As the man fell, two policemen in uniform walked quietly in. As we left, the dance went on. They were dancing the Ratcliff Highway Kick.

But there was one man with whom my detective’s relations were strained. This was Captain P , a famous and successful criminal. When I made his acquaintance he was owner of two flourishing gin palaces, and lived luxuriously. One night, as I drove on a bus with my detective towards the East, he showed me by the light of a street lamp the photograph of a man strapped in a chair. He called my attention to a slanting scar on the forehead, and told me that he wished to test my powers of recognition. A few hours later we were at the Eagle Music Hall. I was near the liquor bar, and my detective had left me to find out from a woman the address of a criminal, one Hamer, whom he wanted. As I stood watching the stage, a well-dressed man, whose face was quite untamiliar, walked up and politely asked me if I was seeing the sights of the East End. He told me who the performers were, and pointed out in the audience some of the leading cracksmen. ‘Then the detective arrived, did not acknowledge the man’s greeting, and said we must be moving. However, the woman with whom he had been talking came up and asked him for a drink. He said: “Ask Hamer to give you a drink.” She said: ‘What do I know of Hamer?”’ “All right,” said the detective, ‘‘I’ll give you a drink,” and off they went. The well-dressed, polite stranger came up again and asked me to have a drink, but I declined. We talked some time, when back came the detective. He looked happy, but when he saw my companion he scowled. ‘‘Have a drink?” said the polite stranger. ‘‘No,’’ said the detective, ‘“‘I don’t drink with murderers and scoundrels like you.’ ‘‘See here,” said the stranger, ‘‘that’s a nice way to accept a gentleman’s hospitality: I’ll report you to the Home Office.”’ We then left, and the detective said: “Did you recognise him? That was Captain P , forger, murderer, and

~~ d capitalist.’ He then told me the reason of his dislike for P It was not because he had forged Turkish Bonds, and had instigated, indeed probably had himself perpetrated, the murder of a woman in Coram Street—an_ inconvenient witness. P had done something still more irregular. My detective liked fishing and enjoyed a day’s racing, and a year before, being off duty, went down to see MewOoakss ab , who was in the paddock, had pointed him out to others as a “‘Copper,”’ and the word went round, and my friend’s pleasure was spoiled. But later, Captain P had to give evidence at the Mansion House, and my detective asked some of his colleagues at Scotland Yard whether they would like to see the famous man. Eight of them drove off in two four-wheelers to the Mansion House, and my detective grouped them on the steps. Soon Captain P drove up in a smart brougham, and my detective advanced to meet him. ‘‘Why, this is friendly,”’ said P , grasping his hand. ‘“‘Yes,’’ said the detective, returning his grasp. ‘“‘You gave me away to your pals at the Oaks. Some of my friends from the Yard are taking note of you, your clothes, your brougham, your driver, and lastly,’ he said, “‘your scar,’’ indicating the scar with his left hand. ‘‘Now, wherever you go, you will have someone who knows you. Good morning.”

I learnt much from my association with the detective, among other lessons the importance of quick and ready admission of a mistake, and going right back to the beginning for a fresh clue. ‘This rule is good not only for the Police, but also for Politicians and Administrators. It is a hard, often a very wearisome and disappointing life. My friend used to give information in order to gain more valuable information. He never attempted disguises. He depended greatly on his memory for faces. For instance, he had been for months trying to arrest Hamer, and it was by sudden chance that he remembered that Hamer had been a friend of the woman we saw at the Eagle. He took Hamer the next day. There is a great deal of chance in the work of a detective. I believe that our Scotland Yard detectives are the best in the world. ‘There is very little in our British system which helps them in their work. ‘The Home Office was strict, and did not encourage too much zeal. On one point my detective and all his colleagues whom I knew were very positive, and that was that their work would be impossible if the death sentence were ever abolished.