nfluence with our governor. Two days ago, he offered me, on certain
conditions, to deliver up the Negro, the half-caste, the Hindoo, and
the Malay. These conditions are--a considerable sum of money, and a free
passage on board a vessel sailing for Europe or America, in order to
escape the implacable vengeance of the Thugs.

"I joyfully seized the occasion to hand over three such murderers to
human justice, and I promised Mahal to arrange matters for him with the
governor, but also on certain conditions, innocent in themselves, and
which concerned Djalma. Should my project succeed, I will explain myself
more at length; I shall soon know the result, for I expect Mahal every
minute.

"But before I close these despatches, which are to go tomorrow by the
'Ruyter'--in which vessel I have also engaged a passage for Mahal the
Smuggler, in the event of the success of my plans--I must include in
parentheses a subject of some importance.

"In my last letter, in which I announced to you the death of Djalma's
father, and his own imprisonment by the English, I asked for
some information as to the solvency of Baron Tripeaud, banker and
manufacturer at Paris, who has also an agency at Calcutta. This
information will now be useless, if what I have just learned should,
unfortunately, turn out to be correct, and it will be for you to act
according to circumstances.

"This house at Calcutta owes considerable sums both to me and our
colleague at Pondicherry, and it is said that M. Tripeaud has involved
himself to a dangerous extent in attempting to ruin, by opposition, a
very flourishing establishment, founded some time ago by M. Francois
Hardy, an eminent manufacturer. I am assured that M. Tripeaud has
already sunk and lost a large capital in this enterprise: he has no
doubt done a great deal of harm to M. Francois Hardy; but he has also,
they say, seriously compromised his own fortune--and, were he to fail,
the effects of his disaster would be very fatal to us, seeing that he
owes a large sum of money to me and to us.

"In this state of things it would be very desirable if, by the
employment of the powerful means of every kind at our disposal, we could
completely discredit and break down the house of M. Francois Hardy,
already shaken by M. Tripeaud's violent opposition. In that case, the
latter would soon regain all he has lost; the ruin of his rival would
insure his prosperity, and our demands would be securely covered.

"Doubtles