"Good," said he, laughing; "we will see this rare plan of yours; but I tell you the villain is most wary. I never knew him come out except in broad daylight, when there was no danger, and then only to small parties." "Here, Junglee," said I to a smart young fellow who always attended my person; "you know Peroo, the Bhutteara?" "Certainly; my lord was with him this afternoon. I know his house, for I was in the bazar purchasing some flour, and saw my lord at the shop." "Good," said I; "then you will have no need to inquire for it. Now go to the Bhutteara, and take my seal-ring with you: mind you don't let it go out of your hand; tell him, with many compliments from me, that as we are so sure by his kindness of the bunij in prospect, and have some money with us, I will pay him what he asks, if he will come here to receive it. Say that I do so, as our return by this road is uncertain and may be at a distant period, and that I shall have no means of sending him the coin; and add, that I do this favour to him, as I am convinced of his good faith, and have placed implicit reliance in his assertions. Now, can you remember all this? Mind you speak to him in Ramasee,--he understands it." "Certainly," said the lad; "I know all." And he repeated what I had told him word for word. "That will do," said I, "and here is the ring: now be off,--run, fly, and let us see how soon you will earn two rupees." "I am gone, Jemadar Sahib," cried he joyfully. "I will be back instantly." "That is a sharp lad," said Peer Khan; "he takes one's meaning so readily. But oh, Meer Sahib, Peroo will never come for that message; he is too old a bird to be caught with chaff." "Depend on it he will; he will hear the tinkling of the silver, and will run to it as ever lover did to his mistress's signal. Besides, he has no chaff in prospect, but rupees, man, rupees. The fellow would run to Delhi for as much." "We shall see," said Peer Khan. "If it be written in his fate that he is to come, why, Alla help him, come he must, there is no avoiding destiny. What! Peroo the Bhutteara come out of his house at night to visit Thugs! I say the thing is impossible; it has often been tried, and failed utterly; the fellow laughed at them, as well he might." "For all your doubts, Khan," said I, "Inshalla! we will throw earth on his beard to-night; and as we may as well be ready, call Motee, and two or three Lughaees; the grave must be dug, and that immediately." Motee came, but was as desponding of success as Peer Khan. "You will never take him," he said; "did not Ganesha offer to divide a large booty here last year, and that Peroo should have a share if he would come to take it? and he sent word that he laughed at our beards, and we had better leave his share in the hollow of an old tree known to us, or he would send the whole police of Saugor after us in the morning." "And so you left the share?" "We did, and it was a good one too."