"The Finances of the Gods": a Hindu holy man tells a child a story.
"The Amir's homily": an anecdote about the ruler of Afghanistan
"Jews in Shushan": a sad story about a Jewish community in Northern India.
"The Limitations of Pambe Serang": life below decks on a tramp steamer.
All these stories are very slight- which doesn't mean trivial. I particularly like "Jews in Shushan". Five stories- five different cultures- with Kipling always the expert witness, full of inside information and authoratative opinion. Only the delight he takes in it all reminds us that this immensely experienced man of the world has yet to see 25.
"There are three great doors in the world, where, if you stand long enough, you shall meet any one you wish. The head of the Suez Canal is one, but there Death comes also; Charing Cross Station is the second- for inland work; and the Nyanza docks is the third. At each of these places are men and women looking eternally for those who will surely come."