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The Eyes of Asia
 Notes edited by Sharad Keskar, who has drawn where appropriate on those of the ORG. The page and line references are from tne Sussex Edition of Kipling's works. |
Introduction  1. A Retired Gentleman  2. The Fumes of the Heart 3. The Private Account 4. A Trooper of Horse |
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IV A Trooper of Horse |
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[May 20 2008]
First Publication
This, the last of these stories, was published in London in the Morning Post of 24th and 29th May, 1917; in New York in the Saturday Evening Post on 9th June, and in Paris on 15th June, 1917, in La Revue des Deux Mondes.
[Page 219, line 1] Sister This was 'sister-in-law' in the Morning Post version. During 1916 the Indian Infantry had left France for Mesopotamia, but the Indian Cavalry remained in France.
Tehsil More correctly tahsil, an administrative sub-division of a district, occasionally further subdivided into taluks.
Sialkot a town, now in Pakistan, 70 miles north of Lahore.
[Page 219, line 61] Pakpattan 120 miles east of Multan.
[Page 219, line 13] Lyallpar 75 miles west of Lahore.
[Page 220, line 7] ghi Clarified butter for cooking.
[Page 220, line 21] cardamomis A spice used as a condiment in India, China, etc.
[Page 220, line 22] halwa a rich sweet dish of semolina, cooked in clarified butter, with sugar, blanched almonds and raisins, eaten with puris, deep fried leaven wheat bread.
[Page 226, line 4] In the Morning Post the letter was broken here into two parts, and there are a few extra words at the beginning of the heading: 'Make haste to deliver to'; and at the end of the heading: 'Let all government postmen make haste with this letter'.
Some further notes
Mama uncle, mother’s brother, therefore of less important to Chacha, also uncle but father’s brother.
Lumra very likely a mispronunciation, and possibly langra, meaning 'lame', or either luj or loolah meaning 'crippled' or 'maimed'; therefore, Mama lumra, the nickname for the enemy, is 'limping uncle', with feminine connotations.
Kaffirs infidels, nonbelievers, not followers of Islam.
[S.K.]
©Sharad Keskar 2008 All rights reserved
