stood long arrays of bottles large and
small, containing liquids and powders of various colours. Minghal had no
respect for the infidel hakim's drugs, but the bottles made a pretty
show and pleased his eye.

Those who had known Kaluja Dass as the faithful servant of Craddock
Sahib might have been surprised at his remaining in the same house as
khansaman to Minghal Khan. No doubt they were somewhat astonished at the
change that came over the man. He was never tired of abusing his late
master and all the Feringhi race, and though, not being a man of war, he
did not actually fight against them, no man in Delhi cursed them more
heartily or uttered devouter wishes for their extermination. It was
partly this violence of language that induced Minghal Khan to engage
him. That important personage at first swore that he would have none to
serve him who had served the Feringhis; he even accused Kaluja of
favouring the accursed infidels, and only the most vehement
protestations of hatred--spittings, revilings, maledictions on countless
foregone generations of the sons of perdition--prevented the Pathan from
dealing with Kaluja in his haste as too many loyal natives had been
dealt with. And then, when the man offered to serve the hazur without
pay--so greatly did he honour this doughty enemy of the sahibs--Minghal
was satisfied. A man must live, to be sure, but a khansaman had
opportunities of squeezing the means of livelihood out of the purveyors
honoured with his master's custom; and Minghal, being as arrant a
brigand as ever went raiding on the border, was content to accept the
service of an experienced domestic on such easy terms.

But Kaluja's place was not an easy one, and became more difficult as
money ran short. This evening he had spent his last rupee in buying
sweetmeats as garnishment for the meal. The names he bestowed inwardly
on his master did not savour of respect. And when by and by Minghal came
in with two friends of his kidney, and saw the meagreness of the repast,
he cursed Kaluja as a dog and the son of a dog, and bade him go into the
bazar and buy something more suited to the dignity, as to the appetite,
of a friend of Bahadur Shah.

"Hazur, thy servant has not a pice," faltered the khansaman.

"Pig, wouldst thou answer me? Go, get thee some of the Feringhi's lumber
that remains, and sell it. Wouldst thou keep my guests waiting? Quick,
or by my father's beard I will hamstring thee."

Kaluja hastened from t