Freeman (wishing to change the subject)." What about that Tor Khan's appeal?"

Leslie." It has been rejected, and been the cause of a circular, warning civil officers that should they assist any prisoner in drawing up his appeal, such conduct will be viewed with the serious displeasure of Government.""

Freeman." The Olympians are at Murree, and during the rains they maintain a raison d'être by raining down wigs on us. Once their picnic season commences they won't trouble us much. When I become my uncle's secretary, I will keep all my wigs for the hills-one writes more vigorously, you know, up in a bracing atmosphere-and whenever a wet day bottles me up in the house, I'll fire off something hot against you or some other fellow. You will be sweltering under a punkah, and won't have the energy to remonstrate even should I be wrong—which is, of course, unlikely."

The above specimen of the shop talked that night ought to satisfy any reader that even in a true history, history unadorned with local colouring is very bald stuff. I almost think my two heroes-for Freeman is one just at present-have been hardly intelligible, and that I had better explain that by the letters F.C. that high official known as the Financial Commissioner of the Punjab is meant; and that the distinction between. a remission and a suspension is-but no, you really wish me to go on with the story, do you? Well, then,

sink to your grave in the Cimmerian darkness of ignorance, O unenlightened reader! For your sake the objectionable words shall not again be repeated in these pages, except under the direst necessity.

Surfuraz Khan, as has already been stated, could not account for the changed bearing of his two Sahibs towards each other; and for some days he remained on the watch, hoping that something would occur to cool their friendship. He had a restless intriguing disposition, and it was natural he should have expected to profit through the disunion of his superiors. His hopes, however, were frustrated, for the time at least, and he found himself losing credit daily, both with the officers of the garrison and with natives, the latter of whom had formerly looked up to him as a patron. The former were now showing him the cold shoulder, as he had boasted amongst them that he intended to marry "an English mees;" and when he had completed his "half mounting," on the death of his wife, by purchasing a black horse, he was astonished to find that all his blackness failed to gain him sympathy, but rather excited mirth amongst Sahibs and natives as well.

What was specially galling to him was the exclusiveness of the Sahibs. They would allow him to join them in their games, talk to him on politics, and even invite him to mess sometimes, but become intimate with him they would not. In a thousand ways he saw they treated him as a man of an inferior race, and

meant him to understand that it was kindly condescension on their part to notice him. With Honeyman it had been otherwise. With him Surfuraz had been a confidential adviser; and though, between ourselves, Honeyman never did fully trust him, still his distrust was never made apparent to the world.

Thus during the Honeyman régime the Tahseeldar had posed as his master's master; and when any one sought an appointment or any favour from the Deputy Commissioner, the advice his friend gave him was, "Go to the Tahseeldar;" but now all that was changed, and men said, "Go to Leslie Sahib."

The above will explain the state of mind in which Surfuraz Khan was when he wrote the following letter to his old patron, Honeyman Sahib:

"POTTSABAD, 20th July 186—.

"YOUR HONOURABLE HIGHNESS,-At the time you went away you said, 'O Surfuraz, write me nowadays one leetle slip of paper containing that how work goes on.' Therefore I flourish my goose-quill in your eye, and indite one jolly epistle in pure English. Leslie Sahib plays the devilship with the district. He has no poleetical head, and he too great to learn politics from me. When you gone, he suspended half the Zungikhails, but they cry for more; then the Surkar cut him up rough, and scratch his wig, and he paid the cash reducted himself.

"You telled me a wise man has said, that the good

VOL. I.

M

poleetical in borderside is the honest man who speaks lies for the benefit of Government; so Mr Leslie is no good, because he always speaks true. But I am a good man of first class, because I know to speak the lies for the Surkar's sake and my own too.

"In truth, the lying is congenital (congenial?) to my nature, therefore I am one born poleetical. Leslie Sahib and Freeman Sahib agree with each other, but after a few days there will be an enmity once more. The district is in sorrow for you. It is consolation that the Zungikhails will be evil-doers of Government. -Your poor slave, SURFURAZ KHAN.

"P.S.-Leslie Sahib has lost one leetle girl. He asked me to find his Aimana Beebee. How you think? Was he no a bad man to love the leetle girl?"

That Surfuraz was a good letter-writer, and had mastered the first principles of diplomacy, must, I think, be admitted by any one who takes the trouble to read this letter of his to his patron. The only liberty we have taken with it is to correct the spelling, otherwise the English is his own.

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CHAPTER XV.

A CHOLERA EPIDEMIC.

SHOULD any of the 186- garrison of Pottsabad chance to read this book, they may remember how terribly hot were the first fifteen days of August in that year. It was the old story. The rains were late, and the three or four thunderstorms, which had burst over different parts of the valley, had all occurred early in July. As day succeeded day, the fierce heat of pitiless old Sol became more and more intense, and the term "peasoup" well described the muggy state of the atmosphere. The nights afforded no relief, for they were suffocatingly still, and during them the heat absorbed by day was being radiated out into the air.

Men slept as best they could: some under punkahs only; some with their heads inside the funnels of the thermantidotes; while others were unable to sleep at

all.

Towards dawn existence became endurable, but only for an hour or two. Once the great ball of the sun tipped the horizon, all nature succumbed to the com