owner.

The river crossed, the boat hugged the bank; after a time it came
to a standstill. One of the manjhis jumped ashore with the rope
and secured it to a tree. The Brahman and the bear-man both asked:
"What is wrong? Why stop the boat in this strange place?"

"You will soon know, you will soon see," answered the boatmen and
chuckled over some secret joke as, one after another, each stepped
ashore and disappeared.

The aged Brahman gazed after them apprehensively. Then, placing his
money between his knees, as he sat on the deck with crossed legs tucked
under him, he folded his hands together and bent forward in prayer.

The bear-man thought within himself: "Prayer for him, action for
me." And saying softly to the old man; "Brahman Thakoor, something
is brewing. I follow to see," he too stepped ashore.

Not far from the tree he found a small thatched house and several
men gathered behind it. Moving warily forward among the group he
recognised the manjhis. "Dacoits!" he whispered to himself. Then an
inspiration struck him.

He ran back to the boat, and asked the Brahman to change his seat
to the stern and be ready to steer off when he gave him a signal. He
took up a position in the prow and fondled his bear.

Within a few minutes a party of men appeared coming towards the
dinghi. Some were boatmen; all were dacoits.

The actor loosed the bear's chain, saying: "Go! go! hug the life out
of all of them!"

The sagacious animal responded to his master's order with a fierce
charge right among the approaching band of robbers. With startled
cries they fled in all directions. Quite sure they were effectively
scattered, the bear-man called his animal back, secured its chain
once more, and pushed from the shore.

With some difficulty he and the old Brahman navigated themselves back
to Calcutta and informed the police authorities there. The police
took possession of the dinghi which on inspection proved to be a
dacoit's nest well-equipped with instruments fitted for murder and
robbery. But none of this gang of river dacoits were captured.

The lives of the Brahman and the showman were certainly saved by the
wonderful intelligence of the latter's bear.

Raghu Dacoit

Madhub Babu, a Calcutta gentleman, owned much property in that city
and was known far and wide on account of his great wealth. To do him
honour, the City Fathers had named a tank after him.

At that time there flourished a notorious dacoit, Raghu