The  dacoits  were  too  clever,  and  seeing  this,  we
made  no  further  trouble.  It  was  in  the  hot
weather.  What  can  a  man  do  in  the  hot  days  ?
Is  the  Sahib  who  is  so  strong — is  he,  even,  vigor-
ous in  that  hour?  We  made  an  arrangement
with  the  dacoits  for  the  sake  of  peace.  That  was
the  work  of  the  Havildar  who  was  fat.  Ho!  Ho!
Sahib,  he  is  now  getting  thin  in  the  jail  among
the  carpets.    The  Havildar  said:     "Give  us  no


At  Howli  Thana  53

trouble,  and  we  will  give  you  no  trouble.  At
tlie  end  of  tiie  reaping  send  us  a  man  to  lead  be-
fore the  judge,  a  man  of  infirm  mind  against
whom  the  trumped-up  case  will  break  down.
Thus  we  shall  save  our  honor."  To  this  talk  the
dacoits  agreed,  and  we  had  no  trouble  at  the
Thana,  and  could  eat  melons  in  peace,  sitting
upon  our  charpoys  all  day  long.  Sweet  as
sugar-cane  are  the  melons  of  Howli.
Now  there  was  an  assistant  commissioner — a
Stunt  Sahib,  in  that  district,  called  Yunkum
Sahib.  Aha!  He  was  hard — hard  even  as  is
the  Sahib  who,  without  doubt,  will  give  me  the
shadow  of  his  protection.  Many  eyes  had  Yun-
kum Sahib,  and  moved  quickly  through  his  dis-
trict. Men  called  him  The  Tiger  of  Gokral-See-
tarun,  because  he  would  arrive  unannounced  and
make  his  kill,  and,  before  sunset,  would  be  giv-
ing trouble  to  the  Tehsildars  thirty  miles  away.
No  one  knew  the  comings  or  the  goings  of  Yun-
kum Sahib.  He  had  no  camp,  and  when  his
horse  was  weary  he  rode  upon  a  devil  carriage.
