At the expiration of two months, a peon came to learn what they were doing.  Karim wrote a letter by him to the Nawab, saying that ’the dog he wished was never to be seen without ten or twelve people about him; and that he saw no chance whatever of finding him, except in the midst of them; but that if he wished, he would purchase this dog in the midst of the crowd’.  The Nawab wrote a reply, which was sent by a trooper, with orders that it should be opened in presence of no one but Ania.  The contents were:  ’I command you not to purchase the dog in presence of many persons, as its price will be greatly raised.  You may purchase him before one person, or even two, but not before more; I am in no hurry, the longer the time you take the better; but do not return without purchasing the dog.’[13] That is, without killing Mr. Fraser.

They went on every day to watch Mr. Fraser’s movements.  Leaving the horse with the groom, sometimes in one old ruin of the city, and sometimes in another, ready saddled for flight, with orders that he should not be exposed to the view of passers-by, Karim and Ania used to pace the streets, and on several occasions fell in with him, but always found him attended by too many followers of one kind or another for their purpose.  At last, on Sunday, the 13th of March, 1835, Karim heard that Mr. Fraser was to attend a ‘nach’ (dance), given by Hindoo Rao, the brother of the Baiza Bai,[14] who then resided at Delhi; and determining to try whether he could not shoot him from horseback, he sent away his groom as soon as he had ascertained that Mr. Fraser was actually at the dance.  Ania went in and mixed among the assembly; and as soon as he saw Mr. Fraser rise to depart, he gave intimation to Karim, who ordered him to keep behind, and make off as fast as he could, as soon as he should hear the report of his gun.

A little way from Hindoo Rao’s house the road branches off; that to the left is straight, while that to the right is circuitous.  Mr. Fraser was known always to take the straight road, and upon that Karim posted himself, as the road up to the place where it branched off was too public for his purpose.  As it happened, Mr. Fraser, for the first time, took the circuitous road to the right, and reached his home without meeting Karim.  Ania placed himself at the cross way, and waited there till Karim came up to him.  On hearing that he had taken the right road, Karim said that ’a man in Mr. Fraser’s situation must be a strange (’kafir’) unbeliever not to have such a thing as a torch with him in a dark night.  Had he had what he ought’, he said, ‘I should not have lost him this time’.