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Merriman's ship is prevented from sailing until the goods reach Calcutta, and that this causes great inconvenience and loss." Here the Babu whispered in his ear. "Yes, and add you will know how to put it that if the dastaks are sent off immediately, the Faujdar will receive from Mr. Merriman a suitable gratification."
"Babu Surendra Nath Chuckerbutti," announced the darwan. The Babu entered. "Come and tell me if these are our dastaks," said Desmond. The Babu ran his eyes over the papers, and declared: "Yes, sir, they are the identical papers, and I perceive the signature of the Faujdar is dated three weeks ago." "Thank you," said Desmond. "Now, Coja Solomon, I must ask you to come with me."
It was annoying, he agreed; and he offered to go to Murshidabad himself and, if necessary, get other dastaks signed. "Very well," said Mr. Watts, from whose manner no one could have guessed that he suspected his visitor. "We shall look for you tomorrow." The man departed. Nothing was heard of him for two days.
Watts showed Desmond over the fort, introduced him to his wife, and then took him round the English settlement. Next day Joti Lal Chatterji returned from Murshidabad with the news that the dastaks, duly signed by the Faujdar, had been delivered to Coja Solomon a fortnight before. "'Tis rather worse than I expected," said Mr. Watts gravely. "There is something in this that I do not understand.
The papers might not be the dastaks after all. What was he to do? The peons were not likely to be able to read. He scanned the papers. There was the name Merriman in English characters, but all the rest was in native script. The smile hovering on the Armenian's face annoyed Desmond, and he was still undecided what to do when a voice at his elbow gave him welcome relief.
He met with no more difficulty than at Path, and informing the official who examined the dastaks that he would drop down to Amboa before tying up for the night, he drew out again into the stream. He spent some time in consultation with the serang.
If you value your life you will do as I wish, without delay or disturbance. My men are outside; a word from me will bring them swarming in. Now, the dastaks!" Coja Solomon was an Armenian and a merchant; in neither capacity a fighting man. In a contest of wits he could be as cool and as ready as any man in Bengal; but he had no skill in arms and no physical courage.
We will send for Coja Solomon." No one could have seemed more genuinely surprised than the Armenian when informed of what had been learned. He had received no dastaks, he declared; either a mistake had been made, or the papers had been intercepted, possibly by some enemy who had a grudge against him and wished to embroil him with his employer.
And he is only a youth: let us see if Coja Solomon is not a match for him." Rising to his feet, he smiled and shrugged, and spread out his hands deprecatingly. "It is true the dastaks are here," he said suavely, "but they only reached me yesterday, and indeed, as soon as I received them, I had the goods put on board the boats for transit to Calcutta." "That is very fortunate," said Desmond.
As soon as it was discovered that the goods had been carried off, kasids would undoubtedly be sent along the banks, possibly swift boats would set off down the river in pursuit, and, dastaks or no dastaks, the goods would be impounded at Khulna or Hugli and himself arrested.
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