Caste | Page 4

slim flat gold watch from his pocket. "I now must
leave you two interesting gentlemen," he said, "for I am to play a few
chuckers of polo with--particularly, Captain Barlow. He is jackal to the
bloodless Resident. I really thought a couple of days ago that he would
have to be sent home on sick leave. One of my officers rode him off the
ball in a fierce drive for goal, and by some devilish mistake the post
hadn't been sawed half-through, so when Barlow crashed into it it stood
up. As he lay perfectly still after his cropper it looked as though
Resident Hodson had lost his jackal. But Barlow is one of those
whip-cord Englishmen that die of old age; he was in the saddle again in
two days. Well, au revoir and salaam."
When the clattering scurry of Nana Sahib's Arab had died out Baptiste
turned to the Dewan, saying:
"Well?"
"I will write the letter to Raja Karowlee, but you must sign it, Sirdar;
also furnish a fast riding camel and a trusty officer," the Dewan

answered simply.
"But Nana Sahib was nebulous--we may be made the goat of sacrifice."
"It is a wisdom, Sirdar; but, also, it is from the Prince an order; and my
office is always one of blame when there are excuses to make--it is
always that way. When a head is required the Dewan's is always
offered."
CHAPTER III
In answer to the Dewan's request Raja Karowlee sent a force of two
hundred Bagrees to Jean Baptiste's camp. Evidently the old Raja had
run the official comb through his territories, for the decoit force was
composed of a hundred men from Karowlee, under Ajeet Singh, and a
hundred from Alwar, led by Sookdee.
The two leaders were commanded to obey Sirdar Baptiste implicitly;
and Baptiste passed an order that they were to receive a thousand
rupees a day for their maintenance.
In addition there was a fourth officer, Hunsa, who was a jamadar, a
lieutenant, to Ajeet Singh. And if then and there the ugly head had been
cut from his body, the things that happened would not have happened.
From the advent of the Bagrees, even on their way from Karowlee,
Hunsa had been plotting evil. He was a man who would have shrivelled
up, become atrophied, in an atmosphere of decency--he would have
died.
Hunsa caused Sookdee to believe that he should have been the leader
and not Ajeet Singh.
A document was written out by Dewan Sewlal promising that in the
event of the decoits carrying out the mission they had come upon the
estate would be restored to Raja Karowlee, and that he would be
compelled to assign to the three decoit leaders villages within that
territory in rent free tenure. The Dewan, with wide precaution, took

care that the document was so worded that General Baptiste was the
official promiser, putting in a clause that he, Sewlal, the Minister,
would see that the General carried out these promises on behalf of
Sindhia.
Baptiste set his lips in a sardonic smile when he read and signed the
paper. However, he cared very little; no concern of his whether
Karowlee attained to his lands or not--it would be a matter of the King
disposes. Even that the Dewan stood in Baptiste's shadow in the affair
was another something that only caused the Frenchman to remark
sardonically:
"Dewani, the English sahibs have a delectable game of cards named
poker in which there is an observance called passing the buck; when a
player wishes to avoid the responsibility of a bet he passes the buck to
the next man. Dewani, you have the subtlety of a good poker player and
have passed the buck to me."
The Brahmin looked hurt. "Sirdar," he said, "you are the commander of
matters of war, which this is. You stand here in the city of tents as
Sindhia; I am but the man of accounts; it is well as it is. And now that
we have signed the promise the decoits will also sign, then I will make
them take the oath according to their patron goddess, Bhowanee. They
are just without--I will have them in."
When the three jamadars had been summoned to the Dewan's presence,
he said: "Here is the paper of promise as to the reward from Sindhia for
the service you are to render. You will also sign here, making your seal
or thumb print; then it will be required that you take the oath of service
according to your own method and your gods."
Ajeet consulted a little apart with Sookdee and then coming forward
said: "We Bagrees are an ancient people descended from the Rajputs,
and we keep our word to our friends; therefore we will take the oath
after