ommon-sense about it to recommend itself to
your conventional mind. Why, t'other day I had to decide the ownership
of a disputed piece of ground--as hard swearing as ever I heard, and
trains of mounted adherents and sympathisers riding with us to view the
plot, and perjuring themselves for their respective sides. I saw it
was six of one and half-a-dozen of t'other, so when we were returning,
precious slow and stately, I gave a sudden view-halloa! and started
off. They were bound to come too, and I should have died of laughing
to see those old liars bumping along and running foul of one another if
I hadn't been too busy. I had the claimants one on each side of me,
and by judiciously boring either quad. when it seemed inclined to draw
ahead, I kept 'em fairly level. When they had had as much as I thought
good for them, I pulled up, and several old codgers went over their
nags' heads, of course. But all I said was that as the claimants had
come in level, it was clear the land was to be divided between them,
and we went back and did it there and then. They had a shawl apiece to
sweeten the bargain, and I made a feast for the hangers-on, so
everybody was pleased."

"That's the sort of thing that makes them call you the mad sahib," said
Gerrard. "Wonder they care to depend on you."

"That's only because you forget that 'mad' don't mean the same to them
as to us. All Sahibs are mad, of course--and say that I am a little
madder than most. But all mad people are directly inspired by Heaven.
Therefore the madder I am, the more surely am I inspired. Twig?"

"It's a pretty deduction. I wonder if Sadiq Ali would set me down as
inspired if I stood on my head before him when I go back?"

"No, because you couldn't do it!" said Charteris wickedly. "Takes some
practice even to be effectively mad, my boy."

Whereupon Gerrard rode at him with upraised whip, and sensible
conversation was at a discount until they returned to camp. Then the
long hot morning was devoted to hearing petitions and trying cases.
Charteris and Gerrard sat in one of the tents, with the complainants
under the awning before them, and the Munshis on the ground at the
side, while the witnesses perjured themselves and contradicted each
other with equal gusto. In the course of the proceedings a panting
messenger pushed his way through the throng carrying a red official
bag, the colour showing that the letter it contained was urgent.
Charteris opened it