Rudyard Kipling,
Plain Tales from the Hills — His Chance in Life
(1889)
“ Then he thought of Miss Vezzis and the fifty rupees, and took the situation on himself. There were seven native policemen in Tibasu, and four crazy smooth-bore muskets among them. All the men were gray with fear, but not beyond leading. Michele dropped the key of the telegraph instrument, and went out, at the head of his army, to meet the mob. As the shouting crew came round a corner of the road, he dropped and fired; the men behind him loosing instinctively at the same time.The whole crowd—curs to the backbone—yelled and ran; leaving one man dead, and another dying in the road. ”
