A week later, however, Karim strode into Chandra Babu’s office attended by two friends, and counted out ten ten-rupee notes, which he handed to the moneylender, with a peremptory request to release his chattels at once.  Chandra Babu was greatly surprised by the turn matters had taken, but he was not the man to let property slip from his clutches.  So he asked Santi whether the debtor did not owe a bill of costs.  The manager referred to his books and declared that Rs. 33 8. 0. were still due.  Karim planked down the money without further ado and asked for a receipt, which Santi reluctantly gave him.  Then he again demanded the immediate release of his property.  On receiving an evasive answer, he remarked that Chandra Babu would hear from him shortly and left the office.

About a month later, Chandra Babu was aroused from sleep in the dead of night by shouts coming from his inner courtyard.  He jumped up and popped his head out of the window, but withdrew it hastily on seeing twenty or thirty men running about his premises, with lighted torches, and shouting—­“Loot! loot!” Paralysed by fear, he crawled under the bed and lay in breathless expectation of further developments.  Presently the door was forced open, and a crowd poured into the room.  Chandra Babu’s hiding place was soon discovered by the dacoits (gang robbers), who dragged him out by the legs and demanded his keys on pain of instant death.  Seeing a rusty talwar (sword) flourished within an inch of his throat, the unhappy man at once produced them, whereon the dacoits opened his safe and took out several bags of rupees.  Then at a signal from their sardar (leader), they bound Chandra Babu hand and foot and squatted round him in a circle.  The sardar thus addressed him:—­

“Babuji, do you know us?”

“How can I know you?” groaned their victim.  “Your faces are blackened and concealed by your turbans.  Gentlemen, I implore you to spare my life!  I never injured any of you.”

“Indeed!” replied the sardar sarcastically; “you have been the ruin of us all.  Look you, Chandra Babu, we are all Khataks (customers) of yours whom you have fleeced by levying exorbitant interest on loans and falsifying our accounts.  It’s no use going to law for our rights; you are hand in glove with the civil court amla (clerks) and peons (menials) and can get them to do whatever you wish.  So we have determined to take the law into our own hands.  We have made up our accounts and find that you have extorted from us Rs. 5,000, over and above advances of rice and cash with reasonable interest.  Now we’re going to help ourselves to that sum, besides damages at four annas in the rupee (twenty-five per cent.).  This makes just Rs. 6,250 you owe us.”

Thereon the dacoits counted out cash to that amount and no more, which was placed in bags containing Rs. 1,000 each, ready for removal.  Chandra Babu heaved a sigh of relief, thinking that he had got off rather cheaply, but his troubles were not at an end.  The sardar came close to him and asked:—­