THE ROHILLAH BROTHERS. 
7 
with cordial welcome by his elder brother, to whom he 
related a plausible story of two travellers, who, hav- 
ing halted at a certain village, had declared their 
intention of proceeding through the jungle about dusk, 
in order to avoid the intensity of the sun’s heat. 
The unsuspecting brother, always ready to be a 
party in any enterprize from which money was likely 
to accrue, readily embraced the proposal of his trea- 
cherous relative to accompany him and attack the tra- 
vellers. The wife of the too credulous Rohillah, how- 
ever, entertaining some suspicion of her brother-in- 
law’s intention, endeavoured to dissuade her husband 
from accompanying him. Her entreaties were of no 
avail ; the prospect of plunder was too alluring, and 
the robber accompanied his crafty relation about sunset 
towards the imagined goal of his eager but criminal 
expectation. The treacherous plotter assured his vic- 
tim that the travellers were carrying about them con- 
cealed property, which circumstance he represented 
himself to have ascertained from a person who had 
travelled in company with them to the village where 
they halted, that person having overheard a conver- 
sation between them which led to this conclusion. 
So plausible was the traitor’s story, that his bro- 
ther’s suspicions, which had been at first somewhat 
disturbed by the apprehensions of his wife, were com- 
pletely lulled, and he eagerly plunged into the forest, 
incited by the hope of plunder. The wife followed 
at a distance, unperceived by the brothers. Evening 
had already begun to project her dusky shadows over 
the scene. The distant cry of the jackal was heard 
at intervals, startling the dull ear of night” with 
