_Goluk._ What could he have done, without he said that? Just see, no anxiety would have remained in our family if the fifty bigahs of rice produce had been left with us. And if they give us the money for the Indigo, the greater part of our troubles will go away. NOBIN MADHAB _enters._ O my son, What has been done? _Nobin._ Sir, _does the cobra shrink from biting the little child on the lap of its mother on account of the sorrow of the mother_? I flattered him much, but: he understood nothing by that. He kept to his word, and said, give us sixty bigahs of land, secured by written documents, and take 50 Rupees, then we shall close the two years’ account at once. _Goluk._ Then, if we are to give sixty bigahs for the cultivation of the Indigo, we cannot engage in any other cultivation whatever. Then we shall die without rice crops. _Nobin._ I said, “Saheb, as you engage all your men, our ploughs, and our kine, every thing, in the Indigo field, only give us every year through our food. We don’t want hire.” On which, he with a laugh said, “You surely don’t eat Yaban’s[2] rice.” _Sadhu._ Those whose only pay is a belly full of food are, I think, happier than we are. _Goluk._ We have nearly abandoned all the ploughs; still we have to cultivate Indigo. We have no chance in a dispute with the Sahebs. They bind and beat us, it is for us to suffer. We are consequently obliged to work. _Nobin._ I shall do as you order, Sir; but my design is for once to bring action into Court. ADURI _enters._ _Aduri._ Our Mistress is making noise within; the day is far advanced; will you not go to bathe, and take your food. The boiled rice is very near become dry. _Sadhu._ (_Standing up._) Sir, decide something about this, or I shall die. If we give the labour of one-and-a-half of our ploughs for the cultivation of nine bigahs of Indigo-fields, our boiling pots of rice will go empty. Now, I am going away, Sir, farewell, our oldest Babu. (_Sadhu goes away._) _Goluk._ We don’t think that God will any more allow us to bathe and to take food in this land. Now, my son, go and bathe. (_All go away._) ----- Footnote 2: The Mahomedans and all other nations who are not Hindus, are called by that name. ----- ---------- FIRST ACT—SECOND SCENE. THE HOUSE OF SADHU CHURN. ------- RAY CHURN _enters with his plough_.