Immediately I was afflicted with an excessive cold which , beginning in my crop , ran down to the extreme end of my toes , and deprived me even of speech , while the boatmen laughed at me . Never have I felt such cold . I danced in my grief and amazement till I could recover my breath and then I danced and cried out against the falseness of this world ; and the boatmen derided me till they fell down . The chief wonder of the matter , setting aside that marvellous coldness , was that there was nothing at all in my crop when I had finished my lamentings ! '' The Adjutant had done his very best to describe his feelings after swallowing a seven-pound lump of Wenham Lake ice , off an American ice-ship , in the days before Calcutta made her ice by machinery ; but as he did not know what ice was , and as the Mugger and the Jackal knew rather less , the tale missed fire . `` Anything , '' said the Mugger , shutting his left eye again -- `` ANYTHING is possible that comes out of a boat thrice the size of Mugger-Ghaut . My village is not a small one . '' There was a whistle overhead on the bridge , and the Delhi Mail slid across , all the carriages gleaming with light , and the shadows faithfully following along the river . It clanked away into the dark again ; but the Mugger and the Jackal were so well used to it that they never turned their heads . `` Is that anything less wonderful than a boat thrice the size of Mugger-Ghaut ? '' said the bird , looking up . `` I saw that built , child . Stone by stone I saw the bridge-piers rise , and when the men fell off -LRB- they were wondrous sure-footed for the most part -- but WHEN they fell -RRB- I was ready . After the first pier was made they never thought to look down the stream for the body to burn . There , again , I saved much trouble . There was nothing strange in the building of the bridge , '' said the Mugger . `` But that which goes across , pulling the roofed carts ! That is strange , '' the Adjutant repeated . `` It is , past any doubt , a new breed of bullock . Some day it will not be able to keep its foothold up yonder , and will fall as the men did .
The old XXXXX will then be ready . ''
Calcutta Jackal Mugger burn day fall fire first ice-ship lamentings