v TROUBLES WITH THE WORKMEN 53 



to my surprise and amusement I found that it was 

 my friend Karim Bux who was at death's door. It 

 was perfectly evident to me that he was only 

 "foxing," but when he asked for dawa (medicine), 

 I told him gravely that I would give him some very 

 good dawa in the morning. 



Next day at noon when it was my custom to 

 have evil-doers brought up for judgment I asked for 

 Karim Bux, but was told that he was too ill to walk. 

 I accordingly ordered him to be carried to my boma, 

 and in a few moments he arrived in his charpoy, 

 which was shouldered by four coolies who, I could 

 see, knew quite well that he was only shamming. 

 There were also a score or so of his friends hanging 

 around, doubtless waiting in the expectation of 

 seeing the "Sahib" hoodwinked. When the bed 

 was placed on the ground near me, I lifted the 

 blanket with which he had covered himself and 

 thoroughly examined him, at the same time feeling 

 him to make sure that he had no fever. He 

 pretended to be desperately ill and again asked for 

 dawa ; but having finally satisfied myself that it was 

 as \.\\e jemadar had said pure budmashi (devilment) 

 I told him that I was going to give him some very 

 effective dawa, and carefully covered him up again, 

 pulling the blanket over his head. I then got a big 

 armful of shavings from a carpenter's bench which 

 was close by, put them under the bed and set fire to 



