STORY OF A MURDEROUS "SAHIB" 329 



worthy. He said the murderer treated his wife very 

 badly, and she had to leave him ; she went to her 

 people at Dardli, among whom were two men named 

 Micin Singh and Nain Singh, the separation being effected 

 by mutual consent. The mother, living with the couple 

 at the time, approved of the arrangement. Six days after 

 the separation the murderer went to Makpa village and 

 forcibly carried off the sister of one Dharam Singh, a noted 

 local beauty ; his solitude was imbearable, and this was 

 the way he selected to put an end to it. But his wife's 

 desertion still preyed on his mind, and he was haunted 

 with the idea that her relatives were conspiring to take 

 his life. This morbid feeling led him to suspect everyone 

 who came near his house ; he drank heavily, too, and in 

 the end probably quite lost his mental balance. A short 

 distance below the house there lived a trader named Mala 

 Eam, a Bisahiri, who was a connection, by marriage, of 

 Mian Singh's. The murderer went down to this man's hut 

 and called for Mala Eam. He was wrapped up in his 

 choga (cloak), and had a khiikri concealed under it. 

 His manner at once betrayed his intention, and Mala Eam 

 concealed himself, while his wife stood up and said he was 

 not at home. The murderer suddenly drew his heavy 

 knife, and, with two blows on the head and neck, killed 

 her on the spot. The dogs began to bark at him, and a 

 villager came running up to drive them off; he attacked 

 the man and wounded him severely. He then went off to 

 his house. He suspected everyone he saw of coming to kill 

 him, and accordingly attacked anyone he encountered. He 

 went down to the level between the two bridges, and saw 

 two men ; they said they were taking shoes to Mian Singh 

 to sell. This enraged him. " You scoundrels ! " he said ; 

 " you should have brought them to me ! " and cut them 

 down at once. Two men from the Makpa village then 



