First Publication
18th October 1887 in the Civil and Military Gazette.
The story
In which “Smith” goes on leave to the Hills leaving his household under the control of his Butler, Bahadur Khan. His leave is continually interrupted by messages about the ensuing mayhem in his household, much of which is originally caused by the Bahadur Khan eloping with the sweeper’s daughter and leaving the household to the tender mercies of a hired Babu.
Notes on the Text
This is the fifth of the “Smith” stories to appear in the collection, but was the third to be published.
[Page 360, line 8] Gazette of India an official newspaper listing appointments, etc.
[Page 360, line 16] phenyle a disinfectant, the principal ingredient being cresylic acid derived from coal tar.
[Page 360, line 16] quinine the first antimalarial drug.
[Page 361, line 1] cinchona febrifuge A preparation which contains not less than 7% of anhydrous quinine and not less than 50% of total crystallisable cinchona alkaloids, being the sum of the percentages of quinine, quinidine, cinchonidine and cinchonine. See the
Herb Data website.
[Page 361, line 25] Babu an Indian clerk.
[Page 361, line 31] from the Hills “Smith” had gone on summer leave to Simla, Mussoorie, or one of the other Hill Stations.
[Page 363, line 16] two had died of fever not necessarily of malaria but probably for want of the quinine, for there were other prevalent fevers which could be fatal to a debilitated constitution. [ORG]
[Page 364, line 1] raffle rubbish
[D.P.]
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