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ENGLISH PRISONERS FROM YPRES 353
into the struggle against the German army on European battle-
fields ? If this question is answered in the affirmative, I for
one, with the memories I have of Asia and Europe, nevertheless
retain the unshaken conviction that such conduct is the height
of cruelty. I do not mean cruelty to the German soldiers, for
I know what they think of their Indian opponents—a blend
of contempt and compassion. Besides, I do not think that
the sweeping clear of the Berlin streets will come to anything,
nor do I think that the trees of Sa^is Souci will ever spread
their shadows over the warriors from the Himalayan slopes, for
Ghurhas may be ever so useful in a campaign against Tibetans
and other frontier tribes, but in Europe they are no good.
Therefore I contend it is an act of cruelty to them to force
them over to the white man’s country—^to die all to no
purpose.
What opinion will these Indian troops harbour of their
white masters ? The future will show, and the survivors—if
there are any—will return to India and tell what they have
gone through. He who has seen something of the land of the
Arabian nights—who has ridden across the crests of Hima-
laya—who has listened to the sighing of the wind through
the deodars of Simla—^who has dreamed under the moon of
Tadj Mahal—^who has seen the Holy Ganges slowly glide in
ashen ringlets past Benares quays—^who has been spellbound
by the stately procession of elephants under the mango trees
of Dekkan—he, in short, who loves his India and admires the
order and security which British rule has brought into this
vast country, needs no imagination to understand the thoughts
with which the Indian soldiers will return, and the feelings
with which their families and countrymen will listen to their
recitals round the fireside of the humble little cottages in
Himalayan valleys. I think of it all with a feeling akin to
horror, for I cannot rid myself of the conviction that here, in
the name of civilisation, a crime is being committed against
humanity and Christendom,
Kipling has described (in " Mandalay ") in glowing, un-
forgettable lines the longing—one might almost call it the
homesickness—^which the English soldier feels who has served
his time in India or Burmah.
If the English soldiers long so, with what feelings must not
the Indians themselves dream of their homeland’s sunshine, its
palms and tinkly temple bells ! But their longing is vain.
2 A
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