"Why," replied he, "it was done easily enough, though I feared for my success when I saw that one of the Dacoos was a fellow I had known a long time ago; however, he did not recognize me, thanks to my white beard and these marks of the infidels; he never thought I was Ismail Thug. I sat and conversed with their leader, who told me very gravely he was a servant of the English, going to Hindostan on leave of absence. I said I was one also, and had come from Jalna, where I was a collector of duties on spirits. We then became intimate, and the upshot of the whole was, that we agreed to travel together; and, by Alla! if the omens are good, they shall die to-morrow. Delay is useless with these fellows, for they evidently think (from the signs I saw them making among themselves, which are known to me), that we are certain bunij to them, and if we do not attack them, they will fall upon us."
"We shall need good hands," said I; "and I will take the leader."
"I will be a Bhuttote also," said Ganesha; "I never killed a Dacoo. Are they stout fellows?"
"Very," answered my father; "but, like all their tribe, they are heavily armed, and can do but little against us, if we manage properly."
"We had better fall on them with our swords," I observed.
"Not so, my son; but we will surround them, and if there is not a good opportunity, the men can use their weapons."
We were soon agreed on this point; and in the morning the Dacoos joined us as we moved round the village into the main road. They were twenty-five in number, stout, but heavy-looking men, armed to the teeth, with their heads enveloped in folds of cloth. They had with them thirteen tattoos, heavily laden; and it was well that they had this encumbrance, as it served to separate them, as each tattoo required a man to drive it. Had they kept in a body, we could have made but little impression on them, and dared hardly to have attacked them.
"Now, look out!" said my father to the men; "if you see them leaving their beasts, and collecting in two and threes, fall on them at once, or they will attack us: they know well enough who we are, though they pretend they do not."
We journeyed on in company; after I had ridden for some distance I dismounted, and walking beside the leader, I entered into conversation with him. He did not recognize me in the least, and very gravely began telling me how he had met with Thugs on his way down; how he had fought with and overpowered a large band, and carried off their plunder, amounting to some thousand rupees.
I could have struck him on the mouth with my shoe, but I refrained; yet it was enough to have provoked me, being so barefaced a lie. Still I applauded his bravery, and he continued: "Yes, Meer Sahib, these Thugs are the greatest villains unhung; and I praise the Prophet that I have gained some information about them, which I will give to my masters the Europeans. The fool of a Thug, or rather one of his people, told me they belonged to Jhalone; I am going that way, and if I do not tell the Rajah of their being in his city, call me an owl, and a father of jackasses. I expect, too, he will reward me handsomely."