fragment of gristle that he was gnawing. "What other Feringhi, you swine? Speak at once, and don't stop to tell me a lie." "He is over there," answered Gunga Dass, pointing to a burrow mouth about four doors to the left of my own. "You can see for yourself. He died in the burrow as you will die, and I will die, and all these men and woman and the one child will die."
"Good God! Gunga Dass! For pity's sake tell me all you know about him. Who was he? When did he come, and when did he die?" This appeal was a weak step on my part. Gunga Dass only leered and replied:—"I will not—unless you give me something first." Then I recollected where I was, and struck the man between the eyes, partially stunning him. He stepped down from the platform at once, and cringing and fawning and weeping and attemping to embrace my feet, led me round to the burrow which he had indicated. "I know nothing whatever about the gentleman. Your God be my witness that I do not. He was as anxious to escape as you were, and he was shot from the boat, though we all did all things to prevent him from attempting. He was shot here." Gunga Das laid his hand on his lean stomach and bowed to the earth,
"Well, and what then? Go on!"
"And then—and then, Your Honour, we carried him to his house and gave him water, and put wet cloths on the wound, and he laid down in his house and gave up the ghost."
"In how long? In how long?"
"About half an hour after he received his wound. I call Vishn to witness," yelled the wretched man, "that I did everything for him. Everything which was possible that I did!"
He threw himself down on the ground and clasped my ancles. But I had my doubts about Gunga Dass's benevolence, and kicked him off as he lay protesting.
"I believe you robbed him of everything he had. But I can find out in a minute or two. How long was the Sahib here?
"Nearly a year and a half. I think he must have gone mad. But hear me swear, Protector of the Poor! Won't Your Honour hear me swear that I never touched a thing that belonged to him? What is your worship going to do?"
I had taken Gunga Dass by the wrist and had hauled him on to the platform opposite the deserted burrow. As I did so I thought of my wretched fellow-prisoner's unspeakable misery among
