292
Engadine : Swiss district of resorts, the main one St Moritz.
Naick : corporal in the Indian Army.
Ghuznees : there was no such regiment: this is an invented name.
nullah : see note to p. 286.
rapparree : originally an Irish pikeman or irregular soldier, hence Irish bandit, robber, or freebooter. Here it means a disreputable rascal.
293
Bancroft : Sir Squire Bancroft (1841–1926), a famous actor-manager who specialized in drawing-room comedy; at the Haymarket Theatre from 1880–5.
pukka : Anglo-Indian word meaning regular, good, sound, proper.
Bahadur : title of respect in India appended to a person’s name; from a Hindi word meaning gallant.
294
Pledged the State’s ticker, eh? : promised more than he was entitled to. ‘Ticker’ recalls the pawning of Beetle’s watch at school.
image and superscription : Matthew 22: 20.
Warren Hastings : 1732–1818; Governor-General of Bengal, initiated many reforms. He was impeached after his retirement in 1783, his trial lasted for seven years (1788–95), and he was finally acquitted.
295
horns of the altar : 1 Kings 1: 50. The popular misconception is that (as Kipling obviously thought) victims could be offered up on the horns of the altar. In fact, they were to provide someone seeking sanctuary with a support to cling to.
basket-hanger : see note to p. 62.
femme incomprise : misunderstood woman; phrase possibly used by Sardou.
296
doab : tongue of land between two rivers.
bhai : brother.
The Complete Stalky & Co Page 40