United States or Heard Island and McDonald Islands ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
What! do you think that I will allow the work here the regeneration of the Granthi state to be endangered by petty, miserable squabbles between my assistants? I have seen too much of support withheld at critical moments because one man had a grudge against another. Here we are all brothers. If Charteris intends to keep up this enmity, he must go."
"But think what he has sacrificed! Sher Singh will raise the country, bring down the Granthi army upon us, perhaps " "It's quite possible. But what I don't see is how your writing to the papers is going to prevent it." "It might lead to Hang it, Bob! is the fellow to go unpunished?"
"So that the army might rise against him in a week, and having slain him and Kharrak Singh and his mother, invade British territory and bring about a second Granthi war?" asked Partab Singh drily. "I have made my choice of a regent, O my friend, and by reason of the power I shall put into his hands, he will be the only man that Antni Sahib can choose."
When Charteris returned to Darwan, he found that the Granthi subordinate left in charge had improved the shining hour by adding to the number of his wives a daughter of the principal robber-clan of the district.
The old man smiled unpleasantly. "This Antni Sahib he is one to be wondered at, is he not? Men say that when certain would have had the English take possession of Granthistan for themselves, he withstood them." A meaning pause. "And they say also that when any Englishman would override the rights of a Granthi, be he Sirdar or peasant, Antni Sahib is on the side of the Granthi."
The Granthi escort required ruling with a rod of iron, for they were prone, after their usual fashion, to prey upon the people, and it was no part of Colonel Antony's plan to provide Partab Singh with a colourable grievance.
He was to observe many other things besides the irrigation system in the course of his journeys Partab Singh's military dispositions, the attitude of the people towards him, and also towards Ranjitgarh and the British, and the amount of union or disunion visible between the Mohammedan and Granthi elements in the population.
"My dear fellow," said Cowper, yawning, "we know at least that no Granthi is to be trusted. They are a set of nimuk harams, and we shan't trust them. Sir Edmund chooses to trust Sher Singh, as he would any native that ever walked, but that's all the goodness of his heart, and we ain't going to be led away by it. Forewarned is forearmed." Enough. Perfidious, false to their salt.
It's another Granthi War thanks to their delay." "And our Granthis?" "Oh, they marched off bag and baggage to join Sher Singh the other night, when the news came that we were not to be reinforced till the cold weather. I didn't hear of their going till they had nearly reached Agpur, and I wasn't particularly anxious to stop them when I did." "Better rid of them.
"And is the life of a man to hang upon the cry of a terrified child?" asked Sher Singh, with the same dignified meekness. "Nay, if he cried out 'Brother! would he not say the same to any man of Granthi stock? Jirad Sahib knows our customs, and that it is our wont to speak thus to one another." "The matter must be properly tried," said Gerrard.
Word Of The Day