Dirkovitch rose with his "brothers glorious," but he could
not understand. No one but an officer can tell what the toast
means; and the bulk have more sentiment than comprehension.
Immediately after the little silence that follows on the ceremony
there entered the native officer who had played for the Lushkar
team. He could not, of course, eat with the mess, but he came in
at dessert, all six feet of him, with the blue and silver turban
atop, and the big black boots below. The mess rose joyously as he
thrust forward the hilt of his sabre in token of fealty for the
colonel of the White Hussars to touch, and dropped into a vacant
chair amid shouts of: "Rung ho, Hira Singh!" (which being
translated means "Go in and win "). "Did I whack you over the
knee, old man?" "Ressaidar Sahib, what the devil made you play
that kicking pig of a pony in the last ten minutes?" "Shabash,
Ressaidar Sahib!" Then the voice of the colonel, "The health of
Ressaidar Hira Singh!"
After the shouting had died away Hira Singh rose to reply, for he
was the cadet of a royal house, the son of a king's son, and knew
what was due on these occasions. Thus he spoke in the vernacular:
- "Colonel Sahib and officers of this regiment.
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