that you intend no disrespect to this Council by
your answer?" To this challenge I made no response. "Very good, I
daresay you may be equal to the commission we have to offer you. You
must know that we have received letters from the newly proclaimed
Nabob of Bengal, complaining of certain improvements we have made in
our defences. Those improvements were made in the prospect of the
French war, but the Nabob chooses to regard them as directed against
him. Now the point is this, that we believe information has been
supplied to Surajah Dowlah by some person in this town, not one of the
Indians, but a European, who must have some means unknown to us of
coming to and fro. We have set a watch, but are unable to detect him.
Mr. Holwell has suggested that you might undertake this task, and by
reason of your ability to communicate with the Gentoos in their own
language, succeed in discovering this person; in which case we are
prepared to pay you a very handsome reward."

I did not feel much inclined to this proposal at the first blush,
considering that it carried little honour with it. But Mr. Holwell,
who no doubt divined my objections, set himself to remove them.

"You will render the Company and the whole settlement a great service
if you are able to effect this, Ford," he said. "The fact is that the
presence of a European spy, most probably a Frenchman, is a source of
very great danger. There are many weak points in the fort, for
instance, which would be overlooked by a Moor, but of which fatal
advantage may be taken if they are communicated to an enemy by an
intelligent observer. I think it is your plain duty to assist the
Council if you can."

"That is enough, sir; I will do my best," I replied.

The Governor then dismissed me, and the Council broke up. I believe
letters were sent to Surajah Dowlah, to explain the circumstances
which had awaked his suspicions, but without any good effect.
Meanwhile Mr. Holwell carried me to his house, where we laid our plans
for the detection of the spy.

It was settled that I should assume the dress of a Moor, and in that
character should pass my time about the fort and adjacent grounds,
that being the place to which a person seeking information would be
most likely to repair. Mr. Holwell provided me with a turban, jacket,
and blue trousers, and I stained my face with a pigment which he
assured me would not easily come off. At the same time I wore a
scymetar in my belt, and put a pa