The Sultaun was struck by the remark. ‘If I thought so,’ he said quickly.
‘Why should he for months have been collecting his money?’ continued Jaffar; ‘every rupee he could collect has gone to Hyderabad, bills, hoondees, gold, all except what he has with him; he has ground the uttermost couree from those who owed him anything.’
‘Is this true?’
‘Ay, by your head! shall I bring the Sahoukars who gave them?’
‘Ya Alla!’ cried the Sultaun, ‘what a serpent have I been nourishing! Thou saidst to Hyderabad?’
‘Ay, he will go to Sikundur Jah, and fill his ears with tales of thee for the English, and give them a plan of this fort. Was he not always with the engineers?’
‘Enough, good fellow,’ said the Sultaun sternly; ‘he must not reach the city—dost thou understand?’
‘I will not lose a moment; the men will have to travel fast, but they can overtake him.’
‘Will they dare attack him? methinks there are few who would attempt that, even among thy devils.’
‘There are some of them who would attack hell itself and its king Satan,’ said the man with a grin, ‘when they have had bhang enough; trust me, it shall be done. He escaped me once,’ said Jaffar, as he went out; ‘he will be lucky if he does so again; we shall be even at last.’