SAVED BY A DEAD BODY 



told them he would see the dead man's widow received 

 some compensation, and that therefore if they killed me 

 they would not only deprive the woman of her money, but 

 bring trouble on themselves. He added that as the body 

 was now disposed of he was sure we should hear no more 

 about it ! Nevertheless, we passed a terribly anxious 

 night, keeping a sharp look out, and long before the dawn, 

 had left the ill-fated village many a mile behind us. 



On reaching our destinaton I remitted a sum of one 

 hundred rupees about 10 to the chief civil authority 

 of the district, and this was eventually handed over to the 

 widow of the coolie. Thus ended the worst experience in 

 my long, eventful life, and often as I look back on it and 

 recall the dreadful drama, I shudder as I think what the last 

 scene might have been, but for the inspector's happy 

 inspiration to make use of the dead body. 



25 



