It was a peaceful, well-paid life till Deesa felt the return of the desire to drink deep.  He wished for an orgie.  The little draughts that led nowhere were taking the manhood out of him.

He went to the planter, and ‘My mother’s dead,’ said he, weeping.

’She died on the last plantation two months ago; and she died once before that when you were working for me last year,’ said the planter, who knew something of the ways of nativedom.

‘Then it’s my aunt, and she was just the same as a mother to me,’ said Deesa, weeping more than ever.  ’She has left eighteen small children entirely without bread, and it is I who must fill their little stomachs,’ said Deesa, beating his head on the floor.

‘Who brought you the news?’ said the planter.

‘The post’ said Deesa.

’There hasn’t been a post here for the past week.  Get back to your lines!’

’A devastating sickness has fallen on my village, and all my wives are dying,’ yelled Deesa, really in tears this time.

‘Call Chihun, who comes from Deesa’s village,’ said the planter.’  Chihun, has this man a wife?’

‘He!’ said Chihun.  ’No.  Not a woman of our village would look at him.  They’d sooner marry the elephant.’  Chihun snorted.  Deesa wept and bellowed.

‘You will get into a difficulty in a minute,’ said the planter.’  Go back to your work!’

‘Now I will speak Heaven’s truth’ gulped Deesa, with an inspiration.  ’I haven’t been drunk for two months.  I desire to depart in order to get properly drunk afar off and distant from this heavenly plantation.  Thus I shall cause no trouble.’

A flickering smile crossed the planter’s face.  ‘Deesa,’ said he, ’you’ve spoken the truth, and I’d give you leave on the spot if anything could be done with Moti Guj while you’re away.  You know that he will only obey your orders.’

’May the Light of the Heavens live forty thousand years.  I shall be absent but ten little days.  After that, upon my faith and honour and soul, I return.  As to the inconsiderable interval, have I the gracious permission of the Heaven-born to call up Moti Guj?’

Permission was granted, and, in answer to Deesa’s shrill yell, the lordly tusker swung out of the shade of a clump of trees where he had been squirting dust over himself till his master should return.

’Light of my heart, Protector of the Drunken, Mountain of Might, give ear,’ said Deesa, standing in front of him.

Moti Guj gave ear, and saluted with his trunk.  ‘I am going away,’ said Deesa.

Moti Guj’s eyes twinkled.  He liked jaunts as well as his master.  One could snatch all manner of nice things from the roadside then.

‘But you, you fubsy old pig, must stay behind and work.’

The twinkle died out as Moti Guj tried to look delighted.  He hated stump-hauling on the plantation.  It hurt his teeth.

’I shall be gone for ten days, O Delectable One.  Hold up your near forefoot and I’ll impress the fact upon it, warty toad of a dried mud-puddle.’  Deesa took a tent-peg and banged Moti Guj ten times on the nails.  Moti Guj grunted and shuffled from foot to foot.