the state of
society in Oude, and may be mentioned here. Twelve sipahees of the
59th Regiment Native Infantry, then stationed at Bareilly, lodged
here for the night, in a surae, on their way home on furlough. Dal
Partuk, a Brahmin by caste, and a man of strength and resolution,
resided here and cultivated a small patch of land. He had two pair of
bullocks, which used to be continually trespassing upon other men's
fields and gardens, and embroiling him with the people, till one
night they disappeared. Dal Partuk called upon his neighbours, who
had suffered from their trespasses, to restore them or pay the value,
and threatened to rob, plunder, and burn down the town if they did
not.

A great number of pausees reside in and around the town, and he knew
that he could collect a gang of them for any enterprise of this sort
at the shortest notice. The people were not disposed to pay the value
of his lost bullocks, and they could not be found. While he was
meditating his revenge, his relation, Dhokul Partuk, was by a
trifling accident driven to take the field as a robber. An oil-
vender, a female, from a neighbouring village, had presumed to come
to Peernuggur, and offer oil for sale. The oil-venders of the town,
dreading the consequences of such competition, went forthwith to the
little garrison and prayed for _protection_. One of the sipahees went
off to the silversmith to whom the oil-vender had sold twopence-worth
of oil, and, finding the oil-vender still with him, proceeded at once
to seize both, and take them off to the garrison as criminals. Dhokul
Partuk, who lived close by, and had his sword by his side, went up
and remonstrated with the sipahee, who, taking him to be another
silversmith, struck him across the face with his stick. Dhokul drew
his sword, and made a cut at the sipahee, which would have severed
his head from his body had he not fallen backwards. As it was, he got
a severe cut in the chest, and ran off to his companions. Dhokul went
out of the town with his drawn sword, and no one dared to pursue him.
At night he returned, took off his family to a distant village,
became a leader of a band of pausee bowmen, and invited his kinsman,
Dal Partuk, to follow his example.

Together, they made an attack at night upon the town, and burnt down
one quarter of the houses. Dal Partuk offered to come to terms and
live in the town again, if the people would pay the value of his lost
bullocks, and give him a small in