264 The Hunting Grounds 



I was enjoying a weed after dinner, with M 



and B , when loud discordant vociferations were 



heard in the servants' outhouses, and going out to see 

 what was the matter, we found the whole gang hold- 

 ing a court-martial on the recusant Sawrney ; to which 

 we listened, keeping out of sight. The Gooroo was 

 gesticulating in an extraordinary manner, and holding 

 out somewhat in this style : " Soono Bhai (listen 

 brothers), here we are all very tired, with our feet 

 broken, and our legs and arms full of thorns with 

 tramping for five days through the jungle, and all to 

 no purpose, for the elephants, may their fathers be 

 burnt, were not to be found, and we had to come 

 back, ' with blackened faces J before the gentleman 

 and ' eat dirt ' (literally, get abused). Is not this 

 vile conduct on the part of that monkey-faced Saw- 

 mey, to whom we went to the expense of offering 

 sacrifices of sheep and cocks ? Are we to suffer him 

 to laugh at us in our trouble and throw dirt on our 

 beards in this manner ? No, brothers, we will pay 

 him out. Heigh ! Ali Beg, you are a Mussulman, 

 and do not fear the evil eye of a Hindoo sawmey, so 

 take the cursed son of burnt fathers and defiled 

 mothers who has dared to bring all this evil upon us, 

 cast dirt upon our beards, and make the master turn 

 his face away from us, break off his nose and ears, 

 put out his eyes so that he can never find his way 

 back, and fling him into the lake." The whole gang 



