that passed, and meaning to act
as witnesses against me, if I had been led by the first scoundrel's
behaviour to lose my temper. The second man was not such a brute as
the first, and when I proceeded to ask their names and all about them,
and told them I meant to report them to their superintendent, they
became somewhat frightened, and tried to make excuses.

I told them to be off the premises at once, offering to take the
summons, and give a receipt for it, but they now saw that they had
made a mistake in trying to bully me, and made off at once. Mark the
sequel. The day before the case was fixed on for hearing, I sent off
the moonshee who was a witness of my own, and his evidence was
necessary to my proving my case. I supplied him with travelling
expenses, and he started. On his way to the Court he had to pass the
_thanna_, or police-station. The police were on the watch. He was
seized as he passed. He was confined all that night and all the
following day. For want of his evidence I lost my case, and having
thus achieved one part of their object to pay me off, they let my
moonshee go, after insult and abuse, and with threats of future
vengeance should he ever dare to thwart or oppose them. This was
pretty 'hot' you think, but it was not all. Fearing my complaint to
the superintendent, or to the authorities, might get them into
trouble, they laid a false charge against me, that I had obstructed
them in the discharge of their duty, that I had showered abuse on
them, used threatening language, and insulted the majesty of the law
by tearing up and spitting upon the respected summons of Her Majesty.
On this complaint I was accordingly summoned into Purneah. The charge
was a tissue of the most barefaced lies, but I had to ride fifty-four
miles in the burning sun, ford several rivers, and undergo much
fatigue and discomfort. My work was of course seriously interfered
with. I had to take in my assistant as witness, and one or two of the
servants who had been present. I was put to immense trouble, and no
little expense, to say nothing of the indignation which I naturally
felt, and all because I had set my face against a well known evil, and
was determined not to submit to impudent extortion. Of course the case
broke down. They contradicted themselves in almost every particular.
The second constable indeed admitted that I had offered them a letter
to the magistrate, and had not moved out of the verandah during the
colloquy. I