WILD DOGS 173 



starting, Govind found out that the pin and wheel 

 itself were now practically useless, so the kotwal of 

 the place brought another cart for us. Our cartmen 

 said their bullocks were quite fresh and could easily 

 do the last ten miles. However, in the middle 

 of the night they pulled up in a village and said the 

 bullocks were tired and could go no farther, and they 

 went t6 call the kotwal to give us a new relay. 

 The kotwal took some waking but eventually came, 

 and I asked him for three new pair of oxen. He 

 said there were none in the village. As this did not 

 sound very likely, I took a walk in the village and 

 opened the gates of several cattle sheds, which 

 seemed very well filled with cattle. 



I looked in my pocket for a letter that a police 

 inspector had given me, with orders to the kotwals 

 in his district to give help in supplying transport. 

 I could not find it, so went back to the cart, where I 

 saw a copy of the Field. I tore a sheet out and held 

 it up before the kotwal, in the bright moonlight, 

 and told him to read the orders written there, and 

 then let me have no more delay about the business. 

 Of course he did not know a word of English, but 

 the effect was magical : out came our three pair 

 of bullocks, and, after some difficulty in starting 

 them, away we went. Not very far though, they 

 were absolutely raw ; for some of them tried to run 

 away, one turned round and looked into the cart, 

 and another lay down and sulked, but, by dint of 

 persuasion and occasional bolts, we reached the 

 next village. Another change here, and after a 

 mile, one of them went dead lame and another lay 



