E-text prepared by Al Haines Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustration. See 18045-h.htm or 18045-h.zip: (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/8/0/4/18045/18045-h/18045-h.htm) or (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/8/0/4/18045/18045-h.zip) RUDYARD KIPLING by JOHN PALMER [Frontispiece: Rudyard Kipling] New York Henry Holt and Company First Published in 1915 CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION II. SIMLA III. THE SAHIB IV. NATIVE INDIA V. SOLDIERS THREE VI. THE DAY'S WORK VII. THE FINER GRAIN VIII. THE POEMS BIBLIOGRAPHY AMERICAN BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX I INTRODUCTION There is a tale of Mr Kipling which relates how Eustace Cleever, a celebrated novelist, came to the rooms of a young subaltern and his companions who were giving an account of themselves. Eustace Cleever was a literary man, and was greatly impressed when he learned that one of the company, who was under twenty-five and was called the Infant, had killed people somewhere in Burma. He was suddenly caught by an immense enthusiasm for the active life--the sort of enthusiasm which sedentary authors feel. Eustace Cleever ended the night riotously with youngsters who had helped to govern and extend the Empire; and he returned from their company incoherently uttering a deep contempt for art and letters. But Eustace Cleever was being observed by the First Person Singular of Mr Kipling's tale. This receiver of confidences perceived what was happening, and he has the last word of the story: "Whereby I understood that Eustace Cleever, decorator and colourman in words, was blaspheming his own Art and would be sorry for this in the morning."