lying there; but rolled the offending Magistrate in an old mat,
bound him tightly with a rope and carried him away to the river.

As he was borne on their shoulders through the night air, he gradually
came to his senses but kept silent and listened to his captors. By
this time it was dawn, and they were at the river. The majority were
for re-crossing and burning him, dead or alive. One dissentient voice
struck him with surprise. It was his father-in-law's! Clearly he
was one of the gang! But scruples had overtaken him and he pleaded
that he might not be a witness of the projected murder of his
son-in-law. "Spare me! spare me!" he cried.

Some jeered: "Ho! Ho! you still have a soft corner in your heart for
your son-in-law." At last they agreed that he might absent himself
and he apparently turned back.

The others now put their burden into a boat and crossed the river. They
were laughing at the father-in-law's weakness, and as they approached
the ghat failed to observe a Government budgerow anchored there. It
was the Divisional Commissioner's. He was out on tour. The paharawalla
on deck checked them: "Do not make such a noise. The Saheb sleeps."

They answered rudely and the watchman retorted angrily. The dacoits
loudly abused the man.

The noise woke up the Commissioner, and he got out on deck with a
loaded revolver in his hand. The dacoits jumped from their dinghy and
ran up the bank. It was evident who they were and the Commissioner
fired, aiming at their legs. One man fell with a scream of pain but
scrambled to his feet and ran on.

Nothing was to be gained by chasing them through the still dark
jungle. The Commissioner turned his attention to the boat. "Search
it" he ordered his watchmen. His quick eyes detected legs protruding
from a mat, and he was not surprised when his chaprassi called:
"Saheb, a dead man lies in it."

The Deputy murmured feebly: "I am not dead. I live." The chaprassi
amended the first statement: "Saheb, he speaks." The Commissioner
jumped into the dinghi, cut the ropes that bound the unfortunate man,
and discovered the Deputy Magistrate. It did not take him long to
recover and pour his tale of woe into his Chief's ears.

By sunrise they were all after the dacoits. Blood-drops marked the
way and, near by, they found the wounded man who, only able to hobble,
had hidden himself in a thicket. The Deputy Magistrate's father-in-law
was arrested. He was one of the leaders of the band. It did