ES: and then, when they send his
corpse back to Holkar, what will you, HIS WIDOW, do?"

"Oh!" said she, shuddering, "spare me, spare me!"

"I'll tell you what you will do. You will have the pleasure of dying
along with him--of BEING ROASTED, madam: an agonizing death, from
which your father cannot save you, to which he will be the first man
to condemn and conduct you. Ha! I see we understand each other, and you
will give me over the cash-box and jewels." And so saying I threw myself
back with the calmest air imaginable, flinging the pistols over to her.
"Light me a pipe, my love," said I, "and then go and hand me over the
dollars; do you hear?" You see I had her in my power--up a tree, as
the Americans say, and she very humbly lighted my pipe for me, and then
departed for the goods I spoke about.

What a thing is luck! If Loll Mahommed had not been made to take that
ride round the camp, I should infallibly have been lost.

My supper, my quarrel with the princess, and my pipe afterwards, had
occupied a couple of hours of my time. The princess returned from her
quest, and brought with her the box, containing valuables to the amount
of about three millions sterling. (I was cheated of them afterwards,
but have the box still, a plain deal one.) I was just about to take my
departure, when a tremendous knocking, shouting, and screaming was heard
at the entrance of the tent. It was Holkar himself, accompanied by
that cursed Loll Mahommed, who, after his punishment, found his master
restored to good humor, and had communicated to him his firm conviction
that I was an impostor.

"Ho, Begum," shouted he, in the ante-room (for he and his people could
not enter the women's apartments), "speak, O my daughter! is your
husband returned?"

"Speak, madam," said I, "or REMEMBER THE ROASTING."

"He is, papa," said the Begum.

"Are you sure? Ho! ho! ho!" (the old ruffian was laughing outside)--"are
you sure it is?--Ha! aha!--HE-E-E!"

"Indeed it is he, and no other. I pray you, father, to go, and to pass
no more such shameless jests on your daughter. Have I ever seen the face
of any other man?" And hereat she began to weep as if her heart would
break--the deceitful minx!

Holkar's laugh was instantly turned to fury. "Oh, you liar and eternal
thief!" said he, turning round (as I presume, for I could only hear)
to Loll Mahommed, "to make your prince eat such monstrous dirt as this!
Furoshes, seize this man. I dismiss him from my s