Page:Confessions of a Thug.djvu/110

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CONFESSIONS OF A THUG.

He seemed so struck with the proposal I made to him to come out and join us, that I lost no time in pressing him to leave the town, and I have succeeded. I have left Gopal, who joined us, to show him the way out, and assist him in packing up his things, and I have no doubt they will be here before sunset."

"Barik Alla!" exclaimed my father; "your face is bright in our eyes, Bhudrinath; and I have no doubt, lads," said he to the knot of listeners, "that the old Khayet[1] has abundance of money and jewels, and his plunder will help to see us on to Nagpoor: so if he does not come to us of his own free will, we must even waylay him, and that too in the next march. A short time will decide this; and if he does not come, some of you Lughaees[2] must be off to prepare the bhil or place of burial."

But we were saved the trouble; for the Khayet came into our camp, as he had said, by sunset, and was met at the confines of it by my father, and the two other jemadars. The respectability of his appearance struck me forci-

  1. Khayet, a caste of Hindoos, usually clerks.
  2. Lughaees, those of the band whose office it is to dig the grave and bury the dead.