vage bite
at the hand which fed it, a vicious attack that Ahmed only escaped by a
hair's breadth. The ryot stood for a few minutes watching these
ineffectual attempts, then shouted a farewell and moved away.

Ahmed was annoyed. To an oriental time is nothing; but for the possible
inconvenience of the situation he might have been content to wait the
animal's pleasure. But he felt that the sooner he was in Delhi the
better. And it suddenly occurred to him that his position might prove
even more inconvenient than he had hitherto reckoned for. The ryot who
had just disappeared had probably returned to his home in some not
distant hamlet. He would almost certainly tell the people about the
recalcitrant camel, and they might see a chance of helping themselves to
its load. One solitary trader, even though an Afghan, would be no match,
they would think, for a band of lathi-wallahs. Ahmed wished he had
seized the man, and held him at least until the camel had recovered its
temper. It was too late to think of that now; the ryot was quite out of
sight, and Ahmed had perforce to return to his mat.

In the course of an hour he had reason to wish that the idea of
arresting the man had occurred to him sooner. He saw in the distance a
group of at least half-a-dozen men approaching, all carrying lathis
except one, who had a matchlock. They might, of course, have been
induced by mere curiosity to come and see the amusing spectacle of an
Afghan baffled by a camel. But belonging himself to a robber tribe,
Ahmed suspected that their motive was not so peaceable. Well, they
should not despoil him without a fight. They would indeed hardly expect
to do so, for, though a trader, he was an Afghan, and if they knew
anything of Afghans they would know that he would not yield without
offering resistance. But they were six to one!

Fortunately Ahmed had some little protection in the great bulk of the
camel and in the banian-tree behind him. While they were still a great
way off, he slipped his talwar from its covering, and laid it close to
his hand, ready for emergencies. He had, besides, his pistol and his
knife. But he felt that he was in an awkward predicament. The matchlock
would carry further than his pistol; the man who bore it had only to
keep out of range and "pot" him at his leisure. Even if the man missed
him, he might hit the camel, and then the animal, if not mortally
wounded, would probably rise quickly enough and bolt in an entirely