6

number of horses about him-jumped and kicked more than was agreeable to his master, to the great amusement of the sowars, who kept cutting their jokes at the expense of the sleek Dewan. Wah, wah!' keisa buboola ghora!-what a fly-away steed!' they cried; 'bravo, vukeel sahib! You'll catch all the dacoits before we can come up if you go on at that pace.'

Somewhat incautiously, I mentioned to the vakeel that his services would be required at Ooblana, to make an impression upon the headmen of the place, who had been cattle-lifting. He promised to do his best, but doubted if the people would listen to him; though, he added, possibly the thanadar might, who lived in the town. About a mile from Ooblana I met one of the Jat headmen, who ran on to show the way. My horse, glad to move faster through the chilly morning air, broke into a hand-gallop; and when I pulled up to let the guide come on, the fat vakeel was reported missing. His horse had last been seen running off towards home with him, through the grass jungle, at a pace which the sowars declared it was no wish of the rider to encourage. From this I understood that Dewan Singh had no taste for a controversy with the men of Ooblana, and, when I knew more of them, I thought him quite right.

The sun was just rising over the broad leaves of the Dhāk jungle-bushes, when my guide pointed to a mango-tree, from which came down two of his party, and informed us that the buffalo herd was close by. We pushed on, the tall wiry Jats running like antelopes as we got near the milking-place. From a rising knoll I could see some hundred buffaloes standing quietly round one of the sedgy pools, which in those parts are found here and there amongst the bush-jungle. Three or four men, armed only with light hatchets, were

watching them. And now we came in sight of the village, or town rather, of red brick, with a wall round it, and strong gateway-the land near being cultivated as far as a matchlock could carry from the wall, and no farther. Beyond, all was thick grass and bush-jungle. The Jats, rushing in amongst the cattle, soon tied the arms of the astonished herdsmen, and joyfully recognised several of their lost buffaloes.

A few minutes had passed in counting and examining the animals, which seemed to know the voice of their owners, when all at once a cry came sweeping down the west wind, so loud and so shrill as to make the old woods round us ring again. Hark!' said my men; 'there is the Rooka: we shall soon have the villagers down upon us.' Hastily ordering the sowars to keep the buffaloes well together, I pushed on towards the town. A chuprassey, mounted on a horse of mine, and the Kurnal thanadar, both of whom I knew to be courageous men, followed me. Look, sir,' said the thanadar,—' look at the rascals coming down like ants out of that fort, and then, perhaps, you will understand why I do not fancy coming on these dours alone. If your honour were not here, do you suppose those cutthroats would let one of us escape alive?' Whilst he yet spoke the enemy were upon us: lines of roughlooking fellows-armed, some with spears, some with matchlocks, blowing away at their matches, some with big clubs only-came sallying out of the town-gate; whilst the walls above and around were crowded with old men, women, and children, all screeching like so many jackals. Conceive the cry of a pack of foxhounds joined to a chorus of Indian watchmen and pariahdogs, and you will have only some faint idea of what the Rooka' (or war-cry) of a Ranghur village is. My

chuprassey, riding up to the foremost man, called out, 'Stop, rascal! Don't you see the Sahib Bahadoor?' He might as well have spoken to the wind. I tried to stop the next man by pulling a pistol out of my holsters, and pointing it in his face. He coolly said, Shoot away, if you like, but you won't get our buffaloes,' and then ran off after the next towards the pool. At this moment I recollected what the fat vakeel had told me about there being a thana at Ooblana, and pushed through the gate, determined to call the Sikh thanadar to account. I did not know then, what I afterwards learned, that this worthy official was the very man who had plotted the raid on Asynduh, and was to have netted the biggest share of the booty, if I had not come to disturb his arrangements. I had some difficulty in getting by the crowds of armed men in the narrow street, but, sticking the spurs into my horse, forced my way on as well as I could. Before I had reached the thana I met the thanadar, with two other horsemen fine, handsome, well-armed Sikhs, all three were, and ready for mischief they looked-charging down the street, whilst the people salaamed to them right and left. On seeing my white face, the thanadar's jaw fell, as, putting my hand into my pocket, I exclaimed, Here is Mr. Clerk's letter: I am his friend; if one of my buffaloes is carried away by these vagabonds, Mr. Clerk will hang you over your own gate.'

I turned my horse's head, and then, calling on the thanadar to follow, proceeded towards the buffalo pool. The men of Coblana had been too many for my troopers, and had carried the cattle off into the jungles, out of sight or hearing. Here and there a straggling horseman came sneaking out of the thicket, looking foolish and disconcerted. I vowed to the thanadar that

I would never leave the place without my buffaloes, and that he should be held responsible for the consequences if they were not restored to me. We galloped off in the direction from which our sowars were returning, and, after a two miles' ride, I heard the shouts of the villagers and the cracking of the bushes under the heavy tramp of the cattle. My sowars now showed a very bold front, but there was little need for their help; for when the Ooblana men saw me riding, with the thanadar at my heels, they ran off towards their stronghold, and we drove the buffaloes off towards my boundary.

On reaching the Dachour thana we counted our cattle, and found we had seventy-nine head of fine buffaloes. Those which were fairly proved to belong to Asynduh were restored to their owners, and the thieves were made over eventually to Mr. Clerk for punishment. I got back to Kurnal, after a forty miles' ride, well pleased with my day's work. When I twitted the sowars upon being outdone by a set of cow-drivers, they declared that they were not attacked according to the rules of warfare, but that their opponents got amongst them and set up a screech, on which every buffalo cocked its tail and ran off like mad to the jungles. The vakeel, when he next came to make his salaam, execrated his bad luck and his pony, which had run,

he said, till the saddle-girths burst.

'But, sir,' he

ended, 'I have got rid of the beast, and will ride in a palanquin for the rest of my days.'

CHAPTER XXIX.

BEERBUL THE BHOORJEE.

I HAVE never been able to make up my mind whether it is right and proper for the head of a district to make over a part of his police-reports to a joint or assistantmagistrate for orders: if he do not give the younger officers in the service some separate police charge, they will have little opportunity for learning how to manage a district, and will take less interest in their duties than when they are entrusted with a distinct responsibility. On the other hand, such evils arise from a slight apparent error, from a seemingly trifling inconsideration, that one trembles to place the powerful lever of police authority in the hands of an inexperienced workman. An incautious nod of the head in the cutcherry may cause the ruin of whole families in the Mofussil. A careless dissent to the proposition of a subordinate may involve an entire village in riot and bloodshed. Here is an instance of the evil resulting from an inconsiderate though well-intentioned order.

I was, in 184-, walking through the ward of my gaol in which prisoners under trial were kept. Here were assembled, not only men committed by me to take their trial at the sessions-court, but also the prisoners from a neighbouring district, whose cases were pending before the same tribunal. Men awaiting