The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1884-03-27

cord passed through q hole IN the
wall, looked very much like q half
melted snowbalD, when he was sud
denly disturbed by a knock at the
door.
Come in!'' cried he snappishly
expecting the entrance ofsome Hin
du farmer or peasant with com
plant rs long and unintelligent as
an Assyrian inscription. But at the
first glimpse Of the person who en-
tered his face cleared at once.
, The visitor was a tall native, with
the handsome features and stately
bearing Of q Mahratta. His figure,
nearly six feet in height, was so
gaunt and sinewy that it seemed to
be made of pln-wire, and his pierre
ing black eyes looked out from be-
meath the folds of his white turban
with the quick, keen. watchful
glance of a practical hunter.
In truth, Ismail, the Mahratta,
was we'll used to tracing other game
besides deer or tigers. Over and
above his occupations as scout,
hunter and government courier, he
was in constant request as a de-
tective, and, for tracking down
either a wild beast or q criminal, he
had no equal in Bengal.
Gliding into the room as noise
lessly as a shadow, he made a low
salaam. and said in his own Ian
guage:
May the humblest of his ser
wants speak to the Sahib ?" (mas-
ter)
There was nothing particularly
humble, it must be admitted, in the
speakers bearing; on the contrary,
he held himself erect. and looked
the Commissioner full in the face
with the air Of a man who knew his
own value, and had something to
tell which he felt to be worth hear
ing; but Mr.. Sparks, with whom IS
mail was an old acquaintance, ap-
pcared to understand these signs
perfectly, and said:
"What has Ismail to tell? I am
listening .
Il have h:en at the village of
Ramganj," answered the Mahratta,
laying a stress upon the last word.
"Ramganj g echoed Mr.. Sparks.
"Ah, to be sure; the place where
that crocodile's been eating up so
many people
care you quite sure, Sahib ="
asked the Hindu keenly watching
the effect of his words, that it was
a crocodile tlat did it %
The Englishnan an started. and
looked fxedly a. Ismairs immov-
able face.
That's how ! heard the story
told,'' rejoined he. eff it wasn't q
crocodile what was it -
"Did the Commissioner, Sahib,"
Ismail, 'eyer hear of 3
crocodile being so nice in his eat
ing as to devour none but women,
and only such women as had plen-
ty of silver bangles on ?"
Again Mr.. Sparks gave slight
start, and the sparkle of his eye
that he was beginning to
guess the rildIe, but he took care
to make no interruption, seeing
that Ismail wished to have the
pleasure of telling the whole story
himself.
Il went to the village con-
tinued Ismail; "and talked with
the people. Then I Idived into the
river (my lord knows that 1 can
find my way through water as well
as through thickets), and at the bot
tom I came upon a noosed rope.
The Commissioner nodded with
the air of a man whe understood
the whole affair perfectly, but still
he said nothing.
"Tne Sahib understands how it
was DONE proceeded the Hindu.
"When any woman worth robbing
went into the water, the moose tan
gled her feet, and the robber hid
den among the bushes on the oppo-
site bank, dragged her down and
drowned her, and then plundered
the corpse at his leisure"
Il see" said Mr.. Sparks. "Well,
Ismail, you know there's Govern
ment reward of thousand rupees
(S5OO) for every murderer brought
to justice;> see what you can make
OF the case" 80 .-
The Mahratta's black eyes fash
ed fire, for FIVE hundred dollars is
more to a Hindu than FIVE thousand