Soldiers Three

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Soldiers Three (1890)
by Rudyard Kipling

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This transcription is of a later edition, published in England, of a work first issued in India in 1888. Of the seven pieces it contains, six first appeared in The Week's News during 1888. (from Bibliography of the Works of Rudyard Kipling (1927), by Flora V. Livingston). Original publication information for each story, derived from the same bibliography, is given in the 'Notes' for each story.

3405674Soldiers Three1890Rudyard Kipling

SEVENTH EDITION.

SOLDIERS THREE:

A COLLECTION OF STORIES

SETTING FORTH CERTAIN PASSAGES IN THE LIVES AND
ADVENTURES OF PRIVATES TERENCE MULVANEY,
STANLEY ORTHERIS, AND JOHN LEAROYD.

BY

RUDYARD KIPLING.

"We be Soldiers Three——
Pardonnez moi, je vous en prie."

LONDON

SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON, SEARLE, & RIVINGTON
Limited,
St. Dunstan's House
Fetter Lane, Fleet Street, E.C.
1890

page

To
that very strong man,
T. ATKINS,
Private of the Line,
this book is dedicated
in all admiration and goodfellowship.

page

PREFACE.

This small book contains, for the most part, the further adventures of my esteemed friends and sometime allies, Privates Mulvaney, Ortheris, and Learoyd, who have already been introduced to the public. Those anxious to know how the three most cruelly maltreated a Member of Parliament; how Ortheris went mad for a space; how Mulvaney and some friends took the town of Lungtungpen; and how little Jhansi McKenna helped the regiment when it was smitten with cholera, must refer to a book called Plain Tales from the Hills. I would have reprinted the four stories in this place, but Dinah Shadd says that "tearin' the tripes out av a book wid a pictur' on the back, all to make Terence proud past reasonin'," is wasteful, and Mulvaney himself says that he prefers to have his fame "dishpersed most notoriously in sev'ril volumes". I can only hope that his desire will be gratified.

RUDYARD KIPLING.

page

CONTENTS.

PAGE
The God from the Machine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		11
Private Learoyd's Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		21
The Big Drunk Draf' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		30
The Solid Muldoon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		40
With the Main Guard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		50
In the Matter of a Private . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		65
Black Jack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		75
L'Envoi [not part of original contents list] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		93

Layout 2

This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.

The longest-living author of this work died in 1936, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 87 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.

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