"Why don't you give the jhirnee?" said Motee-ram to me as I passed him, "we are all waiting for it." "Now," said I, "be ready; I go to my station." The fellow near whom he was standing turned round, hearing us converse in a strange language; but he immediately afterwards sat down and resumed the operation of cleaning his teeth with great assiduity: there were two men behind him who would shortly save him the trouble! "Why, Séthjee," said I, "I wonder you do not go up higher; here you have the water muddied by all the fellows above you. Come with me, and I will show you a deep place where I have just washed, and where the water is clear." "Ah, I did not think of it," said he; "I will follow you." He had been washing low down, and as I got him into the middle of the party I gave the jhirnee. Sahib, though I had not killed a man with the roomal for nearly four years, I had not forgotten my old trick: he was dead, I think, ere he reached my feet. Stupid it was in us to delay, and I prevented the like in future. Every man resumed his employment of washing himself as though nothing had happened, and there lay the bodies on the sand. We were once again fated to be interrupted. Two travellers were seen approaching, and the bodies were hastily covered with sheets, as if those who lay beneath them were asleep; and I cried to the men for some of them to sit and others lie down, and all to feign great weariness. They did so, and the men came up; they were poor creatures, hardly worth killing, and I proposed to Peer Khan to let them go, but he would not hear of it. "Let them go!" he cried; "are you mad? Do you not think that these fellows already suspect who we are? Does a man ever come into the presence of the dead, be they ever so well covered or disguised, without a feeling that they are dead? and see, some of our men are speaking to them; they are true bunij, and Davee has sent them." "As you will," said I; "but there may be more of them." "Hardly so soon," replied he; "these fellows must have left in the night to be here so early; but come, let us ask them." And we walked up to them. "Salam!" said I, "where are you from so early; you have travelled fast if you have come from the stage we hope to reach in the course of the day; how far is it?" "It is seven long coss," said the man, "and the sun will be high and hot before you reach it; but we are in haste, and must proceed." "Stay," said I, "dare not move till you are allowed; and tell me, how many travellers put up last night in the village from whence you have come?" "Two besides ourselves," replied the other of the two, evidently in alarm at my question. "Why do you ask?" "Are you sure there were no more?" "Certain," he replied; "we travelled together from Jubbulpoor, and put up in the same house." "And how far are they behind you?" "They will be here immediately I should think, for we started at the same time, but have outstripped them."