ats and food to his guests. At the end of that time he came
in, one evening, with only two attendants.

"I have come to speak to you on this matter, privately," he said.
"My ministers are altogether divided in opinion. Some say we should
fight against Tippoo, who is a cruel and implacable foe, and who
has slaughtered all the Hindus in his territory who refused to
embrace his religion. Others say it is better to be friends with
him, for it seems that these white men intend to eat up all India.
Already they have taken the Carnatic and Bengal, now they want to
take Mysore. What will they take next?

"For myself, I wish well to the English. Though there are few of
them, they are brave and strong; but my council know of the offer
that Tippoo has made us and, unless I can show them that the
English are also ready to give us material advantages, I shall not
be able to persuade my chiefs that our interest must lie in an
alliance with them."

"That is so, Rajah, and if you will inform me what are your
expectations, I will see how far they tally with those which the
Governor General has authorized me to offer."

"I am not greedy," the prince said. "I wish only to have what is
fair and just. I think that our aid is worth two crores of rupees
(200,000 pounds) and that the Company should put me in possession
of the lands of Purseram Bhow, together with the land that lies
between us and Malwan, including the territories of the Rajah of
Bhopal."

"Your demand," Harry said gravely, "is so far beyond what I was
authorized to offer you, that I fear it is altogether useless for
me to submit it to the Governor General. He would, I am sure,
consider that, in naming such terms, you had resolved to make
acceptance impossible."

"That is by no means my intention," the Rajah said. "Nothing could
be further from my thoughts; and in order to secure an alliance
that, I believe, would be advantageous, I might be able to make
some slight concession."

"I will send off a messenger, then, submitting your offer and
asking for instructions, and requesting that I may be allowed to
meet you, by further concessions on my part; but I fear that,
strained as the English treasury is by the preparations for the war
against Tippoo, it would be impossible for the Company to pay the
sum you name; nor do I think that they would be disposed to
guarantee you the territory of Bhopal, seeing that we have no
quarrel with the rajah of that country.

"No doub