Barrack-room Ballads and Other Poems Author:Rudyard Kipling Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE BALLAD OF THE KING'S MERCY Abdhur Rahman, the Durani Chief, of him is the story told. His mercy fills the Khyber hills—his grace is manifold; He has... more » taken toll of the North and the South —his glory reachethfar, And they tell the tale of his charity from Balkh to Kandahar. Before the old Peshawur Gate, where Kurd and Kaffir meet, The Governor of Kabul dealt the Justice of the Street, And that was strait as running noose and swift as plunging knife, Tho' he who held the longer purse might hold the longer life. There was a hound of Hindustan had struck a Euzufzai, Wherefore they spat upon his face and led him out to die. It chanced the King went forth that hour when throat was bared to knife; The Kaffir groveled under-hoof and clamored for his life. The Ballad of the King's Mercy 35 Then said the King: "Have hope, O friend! Yea, Death disgraced is hard; "Much honor shall be thine"; and called the Captain of the Guard, Yar Khan, a bastard of the Blood, so city-babble saith, And he was honored of the King—the which is salt to Death; And he was son of Daoud Shah the Reiver of the Plains, And blood of old Durani Lords ran fire in his veins; And 'twas to tame an Afghan pride nor Hell nor Heaven could bind, The King would make him butcher to a yelping cur of Hind. "Strike! " said the King. "King's blood artthou —his death shall be his pride! " Then louder, that the crowd might catch: " Fear not—his arms are tied!" Yar Khan drew clear the Khyber knife, and struck, and sheathed again. " O man, thy will is done," quoth he; "A King this dog hath slain." Abdhur Rahman, the Durani Chief, to the North and the South is sold. The North and the South shall open their mouth to a Ghilai flag unrolled, ...« less