The Phantom 'Rickshaw and other Eerie Tales
Encyclopedia
The Phantom 'Rickshaw and other Eerie Tales (published 1888) is a collection of short stories by Rudyard Kipling
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, the narrator, Jack, repudiates her and eventually becomes engaged to Miss Kitty Mannering. Yet Mrs. Wessington continually reappears in Jack's life, begging him to reconsider, insisting that it was all just a mistake. But Jack wants nothing to do with her and continues to spurn her. Eventually Mrs. Wessington dies, much to Jack's relief. However, some time thereafter he sees her old rickshaw and assumes that someone has bought it. Then, to his astonishment, the rickshaw and the men pulling it pass through a horse, revealing themselves to be phantoms, bearing the departed ghost of Mrs. Wessington. This leads Jack into increasingly erratic behavior which he tries to cover up by concocting increasingly elaborate lies to assuage Kitty's suspicions. Eventually a Dr. Heatherlegh takes him in, supposing the visions to be the result of disease or madness. Despite their efforts, Kitty and her family become increasingly suspicious and eventually call off the engagement. Jack loses hope and begins wandering the city aimlessly, accompanied by the ghost of Mrs. Wessington.
in Katmal, India
, hears someone in the next room playing billiards
. He assumes that it is a group of doolie-bearers who've just arrived. The next morning he complains, only to learn that there were no doolies in the dâk-bungalow the night before. The owner then tells him that ten years ago it was a billiard-hall. An engineer
who'd been fond of the billiard hall had died somewhere far from it and they suspected that it was his ghost that occasionally came to visit it.
n leper colony
. He quickly learns that it is impossible to climb out because of the sandy slope. And the river is doubly treacherous with quicksand
and a rifleman who will try to pick them off. He recognizes one man there, a Brahmin
named Gunga Dass. Gunga has become ruthless, but he does feed Jukes. Eventually Jukes discovered that another Englishman had been there and died. On his corpse Jukes finds a note explaining how to safely get through the quicksand. After Jukes explains it to Gunga, Gunga confesses to murdering the Englishman for fear of being left behind. They plan their escape for that evening, when the rifleman will be unable to see them in the dark. When the time to escape arrives, Gunga knocks Jukes unconscious and escapes alone. When Jukes awakes he is found by the boy who kept his dogs and helped to escape by means of a rope.
, meets two colorful characters, Daniel Dravot
and Peachey Carnahan, while on a train. Later they seek him out at his printing press
in Lahore
, for books or maps of Kafiristan
. He then plays witness to their vow to each other to become kings of Kafiristan, a venture which he sees as ill-advised. Two years later Peachey returns and informs the narrator that they indeed reached Kafiristan. While there, were seen as gods and eventually Daniel is made king. They taught the Kafiristanis how to use rifle
s and military tactics. Eventually Dravot decides to take a Kafiristani woman to wife. In her terror she bites him. Upon seeing him bleed, the priests declare him not to be a god and the Kafiristanis immediately seek their deaths. One clan chief, whom they call "Billy Fish" helps them to escape but eventually they are caught and Daniel is thrown into a gorge to his death. They crucified
Peachey but then let him go when he survived. The narrator puts Peachey in an asylum where he dies soon thereafter.
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
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The Phantom 'Rickshaw
After an affair with a Mrs. Agnes Keith-Wessington in SimlaShimla
Shimla , formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British...
, the narrator, Jack, repudiates her and eventually becomes engaged to Miss Kitty Mannering. Yet Mrs. Wessington continually reappears in Jack's life, begging him to reconsider, insisting that it was all just a mistake. But Jack wants nothing to do with her and continues to spurn her. Eventually Mrs. Wessington dies, much to Jack's relief. However, some time thereafter he sees her old rickshaw and assumes that someone has bought it. Then, to his astonishment, the rickshaw and the men pulling it pass through a horse, revealing themselves to be phantoms, bearing the departed ghost of Mrs. Wessington. This leads Jack into increasingly erratic behavior which he tries to cover up by concocting increasingly elaborate lies to assuage Kitty's suspicions. Eventually a Dr. Heatherlegh takes him in, supposing the visions to be the result of disease or madness. Despite their efforts, Kitty and her family become increasingly suspicious and eventually call off the engagement. Jack loses hope and begins wandering the city aimlessly, accompanied by the ghost of Mrs. Wessington.
My Own True Ghost Story
The narrator, while staying at a dâk-bungalowBungalow
A bungalow is a type of house, with varying meanings across the world. Common features to many of these definitions include being detached, low-rise , and the use of verandahs...
in Katmal, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, hears someone in the next room playing billiards
Billiards
Cue sports , also known as billiard sports, are a wide variety of games of skill generally played with a cue stick which is used to strike billiard balls, moving them around a cloth-covered billiards table bounded by rubber .Historically, the umbrella term was billiards...
. He assumes that it is a group of doolie-bearers who've just arrived. The next morning he complains, only to learn that there were no doolies in the dâk-bungalow the night before. The owner then tells him that ten years ago it was a billiard-hall. An engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
who'd been fond of the billiard hall had died somewhere far from it and they suspected that it was his ghost that occasionally came to visit it.
The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes
One evening Morrowbie Jukes, an Englishman, is feeling a bit feverish and the barking of the dogs outside his tent are upsetting him. So he mounts his horse in order to pursue them. The horse bolts and they eventually fall into a sandy ravine on the edge of a river. He awakens the next morning to find himself in an IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n leper colony
Leper colony
A leper colony, leprosarium, or lazar house is a place to quarantine leprous people.-History:Leper colonies or houses became widespread in the Middle Ages, particularly in Europe and India, and often run by monastic orders...
. He quickly learns that it is impossible to climb out because of the sandy slope. And the river is doubly treacherous with quicksand
Quicksand
Quicksand is a colloid hydrogel consisting of fine granular matter , clay, and water.Water circulation underground can focus in an area with the optimal mixture of fine sands and other materials such as clay. The water moves up and then down slowly in a convection-like manner throughout a column...
and a rifleman who will try to pick them off. He recognizes one man there, a Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
named Gunga Dass. Gunga has become ruthless, but he does feed Jukes. Eventually Jukes discovered that another Englishman had been there and died. On his corpse Jukes finds a note explaining how to safely get through the quicksand. After Jukes explains it to Gunga, Gunga confesses to murdering the Englishman for fear of being left behind. They plan their escape for that evening, when the rifleman will be unable to see them in the dark. When the time to escape arrives, Gunga knocks Jukes unconscious and escapes alone. When Jukes awakes he is found by the boy who kept his dogs and helped to escape by means of a rope.
The Man Who Would Be King
The narrator, a journalistJournalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, meets two colorful characters, Daniel Dravot
Daniel Dravot
Daniel Dravot is a fictional character in Rudyard Kipling's short story The Man Who Would Be King, subsequently made into a feature film in 1975. In the film, he is portrayed by Sean Connery.-In the short story:...
and Peachey Carnahan, while on a train. Later they seek him out at his printing press
Printing press
A printing press is a device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium , thereby transferring the ink...
in Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, for books or maps of Kafiristan
Kafiristan
Kāfiristān or Kāfirstān was a historic name of Nurestan , a province in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan and Pakistan, prior to 1896. This historic region lies on, and mainly comprises, basins of the rivers Alingar, Pech , Landai Sin, and Kunar, and the intervening mountain ranges...
. He then plays witness to their vow to each other to become kings of Kafiristan, a venture which he sees as ill-advised. Two years later Peachey returns and informs the narrator that they indeed reached Kafiristan. While there, were seen as gods and eventually Daniel is made king. They taught the Kafiristanis how to use rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
s and military tactics. Eventually Dravot decides to take a Kafiristani woman to wife. In her terror she bites him. Upon seeing him bleed, the priests declare him not to be a god and the Kafiristanis immediately seek their deaths. One clan chief, whom they call "Billy Fish" helps them to escape but eventually they are caught and Daniel is thrown into a gorge to his death. They crucified
Crucifixion
Crucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...
Peachey but then let him go when he survived. The narrator puts Peachey in an asylum where he dies soon thereafter.
External links
- Works by Kipling
- Note that as Kipling's writing is mostly in the public domain, a large number of individual websites contain parts of his work; these two sites are comprehensive, containing almost everything publicly available.
- Something of Myself, Kipling's autobiography
- The Kipling Society website
- Kipling Readers' Guide from the Kipling Society; annotated notes on stories and poems.