The Sahoukar called to a man inside. "Here," said he, "register these hoondees and get the money for them, and make out a receipt. Your name?" said he to me. "Ameer Ali, an unworthy Syud." The money was duly counted out, a trifling deduction made for interest, and the whole paid to me. I put my own seal as well as that of the Syud to the receipt, and after seeing the balance in the Sahoukar's books duly cancelled there was no longer cause to delay. "How will you carry all that money?" said the Sahoukar; "this is not a safe place for people to be seen out at so late an hour" (for the evening was now closing fast) "with such a sum in their possession." "Content yourself," said I; "we are three stout fellows, and well able to defend our charge." "You had better take two of my men, at any rate, to carry the money." "I will carry some, if I am permitted," said the man we had brought with us. "Bughwan knows I have eaten nothing to-day and knew not where to get a meal till these kind gentlemen met me; and I may perhaps earn a trifling sum above what they have promised me." "Good," said I; "how much can you carry?" "Two thousand rupees," he replied, "if my lord will try me." "Very well, then take up that bag." The rest we divided between ourselves, and departed. We did not return as we had gone, but avoiding the city, passed by the house of the English Resident, crossed the river below it, and on the other side struck into some close lanes, which led to the suburb we lived in. As we went along, I said to Bhudrinath in Ramasee, which I had now learned, "That fellow must not live; our secret is safe with the Sahoukar, but not with another. What do you say?" "I agree with you," said he. "We can throw the body into a well; and there is one not far off I think; I bathed there this morning." "Very well," said I; "when you see the place give the signal. I will settle all our accounts with him for his trouble and carriage of our money." We came to the well, and the signal was given; I was ready and my victim also, but he struggled hard, as the bag of rupees was on his shoulders, and my roomal had not fair play. He died, however, and we threw him into the well, with a large stone tied in his clothes to sink him. Strange, Sahib, that after protesting his poverty as he had done, we should have found forty-three rupees in his girdle!