"No!" I exclaimed, "I will not; standing as I am, I will hear what you have to say. Remember, when I draw my sword the plunder begins, and though I have some influence over these brave fellows while they expect a reasonable offer from you, yet the instant they are disappointed, my power ends, and I will not answer for any of your lives." "Come aside with me for a moment," said the chief merchant; "I would speak with you apart; you need fear no treachery from a sahoukar!" We all laughed heartily. "No, no," said I, "I fear nought, and will come. And do you, my good fellows," I added, turning to my men, "see that none of these worthy persons escape. Well," said I, when we had gone a few paces from the group, "what would you say? Be quick; my men are impatient, and your houses and shops are provokingly and temptingly near." "Listen then," replied he: "you are a leader, and by your conduct doubtless have the influence you appear to have. You have not more than five hundred men with you; we offer you therefore ten thousand rupees as your own share, one thousand to each of your sirdars, and one hundred apiece to your men; this will be nearly a lakh of rupees, and we will take our chance with the main body. What do you say? be quick and tell me, for the money is at hand, and can be easily distributed before the main body comes up." I pondered awhile; I knew Cheetoo would make his own terms, and I did not see any harm in getting as much as I could of the spoil before he came. I knew also that he expected ten lakhs, and would get it, or nearly the sum, by fair means or foul. "Listen again," said the sahoukar: "you are in advance; you have nought to do but take your money and push on, and any village before you will shelter you for the night; what will Cheetoo know of it?" "Nay," said I, "here we remain; after a march of twenty-five coss, we are in no humour to proceed; but I will take my men outside the town on the instant payment of one lakh of rupees:--remember, one third of what we get goes to the chief, and our share, after all, is not much." "Agreed," said he; "now come to your men, and persuade them to be quiet: they will not get so much by violence as by treating us well." We returned to the group we had left, and I unfolded to them the proposition which had been made to me; it was welcomed with a loud shout which made the air ring, and was then succeeded by loud cries for the money. The sum had evidently been collected previously, for in a few moments a line of men heavily laden with bags of rupees, issued from a lane close to where we were sitting. Duffa by duffa of the Pindharees, each headed by its own duffadar, was brought up to the spot; each man received his hundred rupees, each leader his thousand, which were stowed away in the capacious bags of their saddles. "You have not cared for yourself, Meer Sahib," said Peer Khan; "you have taken nothing."