Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1882-12-04

leave my recess and lean across a
dismantled fragment of the building. |
they halted and then-for now the
moon was actually up-I saw that
their burden was no animal, but |
dead man. 1t was large and heavy
corpse, dressed in rich raiment, for
could plainly see the brocaded trou-
sers, the gold-hemmed robes, the
silver-mounted creese in the burnish-
ed belt. And then one of them spoke
in the common rekhta, or mixed dia-
lect of Hindostan-at which | re-
ioiced for | understood neither Per-
sian, nor Mahratta, nor Telegu, nor
Tamil.
''Take off the roomal (handker-
chief, Kahoo: it has done its duty
once more; it is the seventh time,
and mnst therefore be now discard
ed. Burn it we must, and place 1T
before the idol of Kalee. This fat,
unwieidy hogs son must be disposed
of. Now for his girdle and turban."
| saw them untwist long, moose
like piece of linen from the corpse's
neck, on which the bald head fell
loosly back. He had been strang-
led by the Thugs, and the Thugs
were close to me- They divested
him of his girdle, which made a
clinking noise as it struck the
ground.
''Do not rip it open, Kahoo; said
he not that he had hundred ashrafies
of gold and four dozen of earrings
and nose-rings about his person?
Look to his turban; they are safer
where they are. +"
They undid the windings of the
turban, from which / saw them take
many jewels which with the girdle,
they slowed away amongst their gar
ments. | raised my Manton; a
strange desire came over me to kill
those wretches; but [ remembered
that what might kill vulture, might
but scratch a man. Had l slain
those murderers of the murdered,
would it have been murder? Be sure
that it is Gods to punish And
when many years thereafter, | saw
at Guntvor, in the northern division,
no fewer than 100 convicted Thugs
in chains, | thought it was possible
that those two men were amongst
them.
Presently one of the men with
drew into some nook of the ruins,
the other dragged the body nearer to
the tank, and | heard him tell his
comrade to fetch the hodali, or pick
axe, and knew that they were dig
ging grave; and by and by l knew
by the sound of tlampling, that they
were pressing the earth compactly
over their victim. A cracking noise
succeeded, and from the bright re-
Election that shone all around, [
guessed that they had lit a fire over
the grave-their common practice.
A complete silence followed, that
lasted for more than an hour, con-
vinced me that they had either de-
parted or had fallen asleep; and |
was on the point of stealing from my
hiding-place, when loud voices in the
distance beyond the tank reached
me. heard the shouting of men
and amongst the advancing voices
there was one one that was familiar
and most welcome to me.
''Sahib ayeezl Sahib, kehan hue
toom ?" = master, dear master
where art thou?" Yes, sure enough
it was the voice of my faithful Sooli-
man. Then gliding cautiously from
my retreat | looked for the Thugs.
They were not visible; but a large
fire lay smouldering near the lake,
and some burnt rags were strewed
before the hideous idol. Were the
Thugs sleeping in the temple? /
knew not, neither did / care; for
now flashing across the water | per-
ceived the glare of many torches and
with loud voice l hailed my SER
want. In few moments thereafter
he was at my side, kissing my hands
and thanking Allah and the Prophet
that / was found.
1t may be as well to say that, al
though information was given to the
head man of Bassim, as we'll as to
the proper authorities in high places,
as to what / had witnessed, no dis
covery of the murderers was made ;
nor were any traces of them found
in the temple. There was a buried
body, and that was all.