For a short time he was not a bore

From The Great Mutiny by Christopher Hibbert. Page 64.

The officer commanding the Division, to whom this letter was passed, was Major-General J. B. Hearsey whose father was believed to be half-Indian and whose wife, the daughter of his own half-brother, was certainly so. Hearsey's knowledge of Indian history was 'prodigious', Lady Canning had discovered, and 'for a short time' he was 'not a bore'; but the 'tremendous noise and laugh of this enormous strong old man [were] too much for long'. He was such a 'great boaster and talker' that it was surprising to discover what 'sense and coolness' he could show.19 He certainly displayed good sense now. Understanding native beliefs and prejudices far better than most of his fellow-officers, General Hearsey took Captain Wright's warning seriously. He sent it on at once to the Deputy Adjutant-General with his own recommendation that the men should be allowed to grease their own cartridges with a substance that did not offend them. Having passed through those tortuous channels which were the designated route for military communications of a like nature, the recommendation was eventually accepted. By then, however, there had been trouble elsewhere.