1/1/2017 GeorgeOrwell:AHanging

GeorgeOrwell
AHanging
ItwasinBurma,asoddenmorningoftherains.Asicklylight,likeyellowtinfoil,wasslantingoverthehigh
wallsintothejailyard.Wewerewaitingoutsidethecondemnedcells,arowofshedsfrontedwithdoublebars,
likesmallanimalcages.Eachcellmeasuredabouttenfeetbytenandwasquitebarewithinexceptforaplank
bedandapotofdrinkingwater.Insomeofthembrownsilentmenweresquattingattheinnerbars,withtheir
blanketsdrapedroundthem.Thesewerethecondemnedmen,duetobehangedwithinthenextweekortwo.
Oneprisonerhadbeenbroughtoutofhiscell.HewasaHindu,apunywispofaman,withashaven
headandvagueliquideyes.Hehadathick,sproutingmoustache,absurdlytoobigforhisbody,ratherlikethe
moustacheofacomicmanonthefilms.SixtallIndianwarderswereguardinghimandgettinghimreadyfor
thegallows.Twoofthemstoodbywithriflesandfixedbayonets,whiletheothershandcuffedhim,passeda
chainthroughhishandcuffsandfixedittotheirbelts,andlashedhisarmstighttohissides.Theycrowdedvery
closeabouthim,withtheirhandsalwaysonhiminacareful,caressinggrip,asthoughallthewhilefeelinghim
to make sure he was there. It was like men handling a fish which is still alive and may jump back into the
water.Buthestoodquiteunresisting,yieldinghisarmslimplytotheropes,asthoughhehardlynoticedwhat
washappening.
Eighto'clockstruckandabuglecall,desolatelythininthewetair,floatedfromthedistantbarracks.The
superintendent of the jail, who was standing apart from the rest of us, moodily prodding the gravel with his
stick,raisedhisheadatthesound.Hewasanarmydoctor,withagreytoothbrushmoustacheandagruffvoice.
ForGod'ssakehurryup,Francis,hesaidirritably.Themanoughttohavebeendeadbythistime.Aren'tyou
readyyet?
Francis,theheadjailer,afatDravidianinawhitedrillsuitandgoldspectacles,wavedhisblackhand.
Yessir,yessir,hebubbled.Allisssatisfactorilyprepared.Thehangmanisswaiting.Weshallproceed.
Well,quickmarch,then.Theprisonerscan'tgettheirbreakfasttillthisjob'sover.
Wesetoutforthegallows.Twowardersmarchedoneithersideoftheprisoner,withtheirriflesatthe
slopetwoothersmarchedcloseagainsthim,grippinghimbyarmandshoulder,asthoughatoncepushingand
supporting him. The rest of us, magistrates and the like, followed behind. Suddenly, when we had gone ten
yards, the procession stopped short without any order or warning. A dreadful thing had happened a dog,
come goodness knows whence, had appeared in the yard. It came bounding among us with a loud volley of
barks,andleaptrounduswaggingitswholebody,wildwithgleeatfindingsomanyhumanbeingstogether.It
wasalargewoollydog,halfAiredale,halfpariah.Foramomentitprancedroundus,andthen,beforeanyone
couldstopit,ithadmadeadashfortheprisoner,andjumpinguptriedtolickhisface.Everyonestoodaghast,
tootakenabackeventograbatthedog.
Wholetthatbloodybruteinhere?saidthesuperintendentangrily.Catchit,someone!
Awarder,detachedfromtheescort,chargedclumsilyafterthedog,butitdancedandgambolledjustout
ofhisreach,takingeverythingaspartofthegame.AyoungEurasianjailerpickedupahandfulofgraveland
tried to stone the dog away, but it dodged the stones and came after us again. Its yaps echoed from the jail
wails. The prisoner, in the grasp of the two warders, looked on incuriously, as though this was another
formalityofthehanging.Itwasseveralminutesbeforesomeonemanagedtocatchthedog.Thenweputmy
handkerchiefthroughitscollarandmovedoffoncemore,withthedogstillstrainingandwhimpering.
Itwasaboutfortyyardstothegallows.Iwatchedthebarebrownbackoftheprisonermarchinginfront
ofme.Hewalkedclumsilywithhisboundarms,butquitesteadily,withthatbobbinggaitoftheIndianwho
neverstraightenshisknees.Ateachstephismusclesslidneatlyintoplace,thelockofhaironhisscalpdanced
upanddown,hisfeetprintedthemselvesonthewetgravel.Andonce,inspiteofthemenwhogrippedhimby
eachshoulder,hesteppedslightlyasidetoavoidapuddleonthepath.
Itiscurious,buttillthatmomentIhadneverrealizedwhatitmeanstodestroyahealthy,consciousman.
When I saw the prisoner step aside to avoid the puddle, I saw the mystery, the unspeakable wrongness, of

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cuttingalifeshortwhenitisinfulltide.Thismanwasnotdying,hewasalivejustaswewerealive.Allthe
organsofhisbodywereworkingbowelsdigestingfood,skinrenewingitself,nailsgrowing,tissuesforming
alltoilingawayinsolemnfoolery.Hisnailswouldstillbegrowingwhenhestoodonthedrop,whenhewas
fallingthroughtheairwithatenthofasecondtolive.Hiseyessawtheyellowgravelandthegreywalls,and
hisbrainstillremembered,foresaw,reasonedreasonedevenaboutpuddles.Heandwewereapartyofmen
walkingtogether,seeing,hearing,feeling,understandingthesameworldandintwominutes,withasudden
snap,oneofuswouldbegoneonemindless,oneworldless.
Thegallowsstoodinasmallyard,separatefromthemaingroundsoftheprison,andovergrownwith
tallpricklyweeds.Itwasabrickerectionlikethreesidesofashed,withplankingontop,andabovethattwo
beamsandacrossbarwiththeropedangling.Thehangman,agreyhairedconvictinthewhiteuniformofthe
prison, was waiting beside his machine. He greeted us with a servile crouch as we entered. At a word from
Francisthetwowarders,grippingtheprisonermorecloselythanever,halfled,halfpushedhimtothegallows
andhelpedhimclumsilyuptheladder.Thenthehangmanclimbedupandfixedtheroperoundtheprisoner's
neck.
Westoodwaiting,fiveyardsaway.Thewardershadformedinaroughcircleroundthegallows.And
then,whenthenoosewasfixed,theprisonerbegancryingoutonhisgod.Itwasahigh,reiteratedcryofRam!
Ram!Ram!Ram!,noturgentandfearfullikeaprayeroracryforhelp,butsteady,rhythmical,almostlikethe
tolling of a bell. The dog answered the sound with a whine. The hangman, still standing on the gallows,
producedasmallcottonbaglikeaflourbaganddrewitdownovertheprisoner'sface.Butthesound,muffled
bythecloth,stillpersisted,overandoveragain:Ram!Ram!Ram!Ram!Ram!
The hangman climbed down and stood ready, holding the lever. Minutes seemed to pass. The steady,
muffled crying from the prisoner went on and on, Ram! Ram! Ram! never faltering for an instant. The
superintendent,hisheadonhischest,wasslowlypokingthegroundwithhisstickperhapshewascountingthe
cries,allowingtheprisonerafixednumberfifty,perhaps,orahundred.Everyonehadchangedcolour.The
Indianshadgonegreylikebadcoffee,andoneortwoofthebayonetswerewavering.Welookedatthelashed,
hoodedmanonthedrop,andlistenedtohiscrieseachcryanothersecondoflifethesamethoughtwasin
allourminds:oh,killhimquickly,getitover,stopthatabominablenoise!
Suddenlythesuperintendentmadeuphismind.Throwinguphisheadhemadeaswiftmotionwithhis
stick.Chalo!heshoutedalmostfiercely.
Therewasaclankingnoise,andthendeadsilence.Theprisonerhadvanished,andtheropewastwisting
onitself.Iletgoofthedog,anditgallopedimmediatelytothebackofthegallowsbutwhenitgotthereit
stoppedshort,barked,andthenretreatedintoacorneroftheyard,whereitstoodamongtheweeds,looking
timorouslyoutatus.Wewentroundthegallowstoinspecttheprisoner'sbody.Hewasdanglingwithhistoes
pointedstraightdownwards,veryslowlyrevolving,asdeadasastone.
Thesuperintendentreachedoutwithhisstickandpokedthebarebodyitoscillated,slightly.He'sall
right,saidthesuperintendent.Hebackedoutfromunderthegallows,andblewoutadeepbreath.Themoody
lookhadgoneoutofhisfacequitesuddenly.Heglancedathiswristwatch.Eightminutespasteight.Well,
that'sallforthismorning,thankGod.
The warders unfixed bayonets and marched away. The dog, sobered and conscious of having
misbehaveditself,slippedafterthem.Wewalkedoutofthegallowsyard,pastthecondemnedcellswiththeir
waitingprisoners,intothebigcentralyardoftheprison.Theconvicts,underthecommandofwardersarmed
with lathis, were already receiving their breakfast. They squatted in long rows, each man holding a tin
pannikin, while two warders with buckets marched round ladling out rice it seemed quite a homely, jolly
scene,afterthehanging.Anenormousreliefhadcomeuponusnowthatthejobwasdone.Onefeltanimpulse
tosing,tobreakintoarun,tosnigger.Allatonceeveryonebeganchatteringgaily.
TheEurasianboywalkingbesidemenoddedtowardsthewaywehadcome,withaknowingsmile:Do
youknow,sir,ourfriend(hemeantthedeadman),whenheheardhisappealhadbeendismissed,hepissedon
thefloorofhiscell.Fromfright.Kindlytakeoneofmycigarettes,sir.Doyounotadmiremynewsilver
case,sir?Fromtheboxwallah,tworupeeseightannas.ClassyEuropeanstyle.
Severalpeoplelaughedatwhat,nobodyseemedcertain.

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Franciswaswalkingbythesuperintendent,talkinggarrulously.Well,sir,allhasspassedoffwiththe
utmostsatisfactoriness.Itwassallfinishedflick!likethat.Itissnotalwayssooah,no!Ihaveknown
caseswherethedoctorwassobligedtogobeneaththegallowsandpulltheprisoner'slegstoensuredecease.
Mostdisagreeable!
Wrigglingabout,eh?That'sbad,saidthesuperintendent.
Ach, sir, it iss worse when they become refractory! One man, I recall, clung to the bars of hiss cage
when we went to take him out. You will scarcely credit, sir, that it took six warders to dislodge him, three
pullingateachleg.Wereasonedwithhim.Mydearfellow,wesaid,thinkofallthepainandtroubleyouare
causingtous!Butno,hewouldnotlisten!Ach,hewassverytroublesome!
IfoundthatIwaslaughingquiteloudly.Everyonewaslaughing.Eventhesuperintendentgrinnedina
tolerantway.You'dbetterallcomeoutandhaveadrink,hesaidquitegenially.I'vegotabottleofwhiskyin
thecar.Wecoulddowithit.
We went through the big double gates of the prison, into the road. Pulling at his legs! exclaimed a
Burmesemagistratesuddenly,andburstintoaloudchuckling.Weallbeganlaughingagain.Atthatmoment
Francis'sanecdoteseemedextraordinarilyfunny.Weallhadadrinktogether,nativeandEuropeanalike,quite
amicably.Thedeadmanwasahundredyardsaway.

1931

THEEND

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GeorgeOrwell:AHanging
Firstpublished:Adelphi.GB,London.August1931.

Reprinted:
ShootinganElephantandOtherEssays.1950.
TheOrwellReader,Fiction,Essays,andReportage1956.
CollectedEssays.1961.
DeclineoftheEnglishMurderandOtherEssays.1965.
TheCollectedEssays,JournalismandLettersofGeorgeOrwell.1968.

(Textsource:OrwellProjectbyO.Dag.19992004www.orwell.ru)

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