"Sookdee," Ajeet said, "if we can rouse the anger of the _patil_--"
The Jamadar laughed. "If you insist upon the payment of silver you
will accomplish that, Ajeet."
Ajeet touched his slim fingers to Sookdee's arm: "Do not forget,
Jamadar--call me Raja. But as to the village; if we anger them they
will not entertain the merchant; they will not let him rest in the
village. And also if they are of an evil temper we will warn the
merchant that they are thieves who will cut his throat and rob him. We
will give him the protection of our numbers."
"If the merchant is fat--and when they attain wealth they always become
fat--he will be happy with us, Raja, thinking perhaps that he will
escape a gift of money the _patil_ would exact."
"Yes," Ajeet Singh answered, "we will ask him for nothing when he
departs."
After a time Hunsa was seen approaching, and with him the
grey-whiskered _patil_.
The latter was a commoner. He suggested a black-faced, grey-whiskered
monkey of the jungles. Indeed the pair were an anthropoid couple,
Hunsa the gorilla, and the headman an ape.
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