1.K1I AND LADAK. 293 



exhumed. The upper front teeth were remarkably pro- 

 minent, the two centre ones large. The jemadar, who 

 had been well acquainted with the deceased, had no 

 doubt of the identity. There was a deep cut in the bone 

 just above the nape of the neck. The few roots of hair 

 on the skull were black. I ordered these relics to be 

 placed in my tent, and Murad was made aware that he 

 must accompany me. He only demurred at the difficul- 

 ties of feeding himself and horses on the road. But this 

 was at once overruled, as Basti Ram had engaged to 

 settle all such matters, or I would have done so. The 

 witnesses are to be paraded before me this evening, when 

 something definite, one way or the other, may be elicited. 

 I have taken measures to have them interrogated sepa- 

 rately, and much ado I had to get this understood. 

 Natives will follow their own train of ideas, and pervert 

 one's words in conformity thereto. 



Murad and the witnesses having come, after fruitless 

 efforts to conduct an examination in any useful form 

 it being impossible to obtain definite answers, and equally 

 out of the question keeping a witness to the point, and 

 preventing interruptions from my attendants, all wanting 

 to have a say I gave up the attempt in despair, and 

 sent the whole party off to the thanadar to be examined 

 on their oaths. 



Abdoolah returned from the inquisition with Murad 

 and a paper containing the summary of evidence taken 

 on oath before the thanadar, who sent me word that 

 there was nothing whatever stated, which could in any 

 way incriminate Murad ; his suspicions against him were 

 now entirely removed, and he believed his narrative to 

 be substantially true. This result gives me the greatest 

 satisfaction. I congratulated Murad upon it, and pointed 

 out how necessary it was for his own sake that the 



