Gunga Dass only leered and replied:--
"I will not--unless you give me something first."
Then I recollected where I was, and struck the man between the eyes, partially
stunning him. He stepped down from the platform at once, and, cringing and
fawning and weeping and attempting to embrace my feet, led me round to the
burrow which he had indicated.
"I know nothing whatever about the gentleman. Your God be my witness that I do
not. He was as anxious to escape as you were, and he was shot from the boat,
though we all did all things to prevent him from attempting. He was shot
here." Gunga Dass laid his hand on his lean stomach and bowed to the earth.
"Well, and what then? Go on!"
"And then--and then, Your Honor, we carried him in to his house and gave him
water, and put wet cloths on the wound, and he laid down in his house and gave
up the ghost."
"In how long? In how long?"
"About half an hour, after he received his wound. I call Vishnu to witness,"
yelled the wretched man, "that I did everything for him. Everything which was
possible, that I did!"
He threw himself down on the ground and clasped my ankles. But I had my doubts
about Gunga Dass's benevolence, and kicked him off as he lay protesting.
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