TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER 



military authorities was particularly gratifying to Sir F 



S r, for, as it happened, there had been a certain amount 



of friction between the police and military which this 

 gracious action quite removed. I was much interested 

 to learn that the band referred to belonged to my father's 



regiment. Sir F - S r subsequently held the office 



of Commissioner of Police, Bombay, in which capacity he 

 earned quite a world-wide reputation, and was much liked 

 and respected by all classes, and amongst the large native 

 commercial community was especially popular. 



It was during this period of his successful career, while 

 employed in the investigation of a famous and sensational 

 case of poisoning, that an incident occurred which showed 

 the reputation he had acquired for finding out the truth 

 and bringing offenders to justice. The case was a most 

 important one, involving many persons of high rank. 

 These, fearing he would discover their complicity in the 

 crime, offered, through intermediaries, to pay him one 

 lakh of rupees for merely giving up the direction of the 

 enquiry which he was conducting personally ! 



Needless to say he refused the offer, and being naturally 

 very much incensed at such a suggestion being made to 

 him, promptly reported the matter to the Government. 

 Yet strange as it may seem the reply he received was 

 virtually a snub, some precocious young civilian in the 

 Secretariat writing to the effect that " The time of the 

 Government was too precious to be taken up with such 

 twaddle ! " 



Soon after this, at Aden, while on his voyage home on 



leave, Sir F S r was much surprised at hearing that 



a fussy globe-trotting American was enquiring for him 

 all over the ship. Wondering who this individual could be 

 and why he wished to see him, his curiosity induced him to 

 reveal himself. 



The stranger, looking at him curiously for a while then 

 said, " He had heard a story about him which had struck 

 him greatly, and that he would be glad to know if it was 

 true and whether he was really the man who had refused 

 a bribe, of a sum so enormous as a lakh of rupees, in the 

 poisoning case ? " 



" Yes," replied Sir F S r quietly, " I am the 



220 



