44 RIFLE AND SPEAR WITH THE RAJPOOTS. 



that the " Protector of the Poor" will then give him a larger 

 backsheesh. 



The river is very shallow, and the men who tow are 

 often compelled to wade in the water. Mahdoo proposes 

 that we should give him a few rupees, then he will get more 

 men from the village, and we shall go faster. As on a 

 previous occasion we found this was only his excuse to be 

 utterly idle, and, what was worse, devote himself entirely to 

 conversation, we turn a deaf ear to him. 



Octoher -1-lnd. — About the middle of the day we arrived 

 at Kanbul, and were met by a patriarchal-looking person, 

 who announces that his name is " Lassoo," and that he is 

 the father of our head shikari. 



He brought with him a bunch of flowers, a basket of 

 fruit, and an enormous bundle wrapped up in a sheet, and 

 containing nine volumes of chits (letters of recommendation), 

 every one of which he expected us to read. In his youth 

 he was a well-known shikari, and has done much good ser- 

 vice, once saving the life of his master. Oddly enough he 

 remembered Alan at once, having met him many years ago 

 when shooting with the late Duke of Marlborough. 



Lassoo is now Kotwal (Mayor) of the village, so his chits 

 cannot be of much service to him, but he appears to have a 

 harmless mania for collecting them, possesses already over 

 two thousand, and asked for ours without a moment's delay. 



We went up to the bungalow, where we found the 



