As he lay perfectly still after his cropper it looked as
though Resident Hodson had lost his jackal. But Barlow is one of those
whip-cord Englishmen that die of old age; he was in the saddle again in
two days. Well, _au revoir_ and salaam."

When the clattering scurry of Nana Sahib's Arab had died out Baptiste
turned to the Dewan, saying:

"Well?"

"I will write the letter to Raja Karowlee, but you must sign it,
Sirdar; also furnish a fast riding camel and a trusty officer," the
Dewan answered simply.

"But Nana Sahib was nebulous--we may be made the goat of sacrifice."

"It is a wisdom, Sirdar; but, also, it is from the Prince an order; and
my office is always one of blame when there are excuses to make--it is
always that way. When a head is required the Dewan's is always
offered."

CHAPTER III

In answer to the Dewan's request Raja Karowlee sent a force of two
hundred Bagrees to Jean Baptiste's camp. Evidently the old Raja had
run the official comb through his territories, for the decoit force was
composed of a hundred men from Karowlee, under Ajeet Singh, and a
hundred from Alwar, led by Sookdee.

The two leaders were commanded to obey Sirdar Baptiste implicitly; and
Baptiste passed an order that they were to receive a thousand rupees a
day for their maintenance.

In addition there was a fourth officer, Hunsa, who was a jamadar, a
lieutenant, to Ajeet Singh. And if then and there the ugly head had
been cut from his body, the things that happened would not have
happened.

From the advent of the Bagrees, even on their way from Karowlee, Hunsa
had been plotting evil. He was a man who would have shrivelled up,
become atrophied, in an atmosphere of decency--he would have died.

Hunsa caused Sookdee to believe that he should have been the leader and
not Ajeet Singh.

A document was written out by Dewan Sewlal promising that in the event
of the decoits carrying out the mission they had come upon the estate
would be restored to Raja Karowlee, and that he would be compelled to
assign to the three decoit leaders villages within that territory in
rent free tenure. The Dewan, with wide precaution, took care that the
document was so worded that General Baptiste was the official promiser,
putting in a clause that he, Sewlal, the Minister, would see that the
General carried out these promises on behalf of Sindhia.

Baptiste set his lips in a sardonic smile when he read and signed the
paper. However