The Bridge-Builders

full text.

A fabulous detailed description of the construction of a great railway bridge (the "Kashi Bridge") across the Ganges. The novella - regarded as one of the best of its kind - illustrates Kipling's remarkable capacity for assimilating and portraying details of civil engineering practice which he had largely learned from the engineers themselves.

The bridge is nearing completion when it is threatened by a major flood. After taking all possible precautions to save his bridge, the Chief Engineer, Findlayson, is swept down the river at night in a small boat, onto an island, with his Lascar foreman, who gives him opium to stave off the cold. Under the influence of the drug, he has a vision of the gods of India. They do not care for change in the old order of things, and so protest against the bridging of the river.

The bridge stands, despite the flood, but in the broad sweep of human history, perhaps this is not such a deep loss to the old gods, who will always be there to claim the allegiance of men and women in different ways, whatever material changes there may be. While people dream, the gods will still be there.