current of my official career ran smoothly as
oil. I rose not very early in the morning,
sipped my coffee, lighted my cheroot, mounted
my horse, and cantered a mile or two. After
breakfast I sauntered down to the Court
House for an hour, and decided as many
cases as there was evidence taken upon. The
Sheristadar gabbled over this part of the
work at a tremendous pace—too rapidly for
the witnesses to hear distinctly. Occasionally
some unfortunate prisoner held up his
hands and protested that the evidence had
not been taken down fairly; such accusation
aroused the indignation of the Sheristadar
amd I invariably put down all disrespectful
interruptions—for, as my native secretary
assured me, had I once listened to such
nonsense, there would have been no end to it,
and I should have no time to attend to
my revenue duties.

Amongst other matters, I did not forget
the hint regarding the Sessions Judge of my
district. I took the very first opportunity
of paying my respects to this important and
conceited person; and so far succeeded as
to make a decidedly favourable impression.
My new acquaintance was married; and I
had lived long enough in the world to know
that if you secure the wife's good opinion,
that of the husband follows as a matter of
course. I paid the utmost deference to the
lady; agreed with all her opinions, shared
in her likes and dislikes; pinned my belief
to her faith; and I had no doubt but that
had she declared it to have been midnight
at high noon, I should have vowed I saw
the stars.

That card was well played. None of my
summary decisions were reversed, and very
soon no one dreamt of appealing against me;
which of course saved a world of trouble, and
no end of anxiety and suspense to the suitors
themselves—who were only natives.
Occasionally I was troubled with some
dissatisfied indigo planter; but I took good care
to give no sort of encouragement to these
gentry, or I should very soon have had my
hands full. We always considered these people
as interlopers, for they neither belonged to the
Service, nor would they be treated as Ryots.
I always told them that I was there to
administer justice to the natives—not to them;
who had really no business whatever in the
country. The truth is, these interloping fellows
would have nothing to say to my
Sheristadar, but each insisted on having his case
gone into by myself. One of them, who spoke
the native tongue like a Ryot, had the insolence
to declare in open court that my translator
had not rendered a part of the native evidence
correctly to me. I commanded him to hold his
peace; but as he continued to protest against
my official's conduct; and, as I dared not eject
him from court, I gave orders to have him
gagged. Four of my Paiks seized the astounded
Englishman; and, before he was aware of what
they were about to do, they had forced an
enormous wooden gag into his mouth—one
that had been used on many an unruly Hindoo
—and thus they held him until the case was
completed and I had left the court. It is
almost needless to add that I was seldom
troubled with any indigo planters afterwards.
I believe a complaint was lodged against me
with my friend the Sessions Judge, but no
attention was ever given to it.

I remained at Bogglepoor upwards of two
years before I was promoted to be Deputy
Collector of a large district of about twice the
size of Yorkshire. I was sorry to leave, for
I had had a very quiet time of it, having left
nearly all my magisterial duties to my
Sheristadar. So thrifty and industrious was he,
and such an economical manager, that
although his official income was only fifty
rupees, or five pounds, a month, he contrived
to live almost as comfortably as myself. I
am sure he took an occasional sly pull at the
Pagoda Tree.

The income of my new post at Luckybad
was a thousand rupees monthly, which, translated
into the vulgar tongue, signifies one
thousand two hundred pounds a year. This
was well enough considering my time of
service; and, by dint of great economy, I might
have paid off a part of my Hooghly debts had
there been any occasion for doing so; which
there really was not; for no sooner had I been
promoted than I had an intimation from the
Banian that, in the event of my requiring
any further assistance to support the dignity
of my new office, he would instantly give the
necessary instructions to his agent at Luckybad.

On taking charge of the Cutcherry of the
district from the Collector I was succeeding,
I learnt to my surprise and delight that
the office was really worth nearly double what
it stood at in the Company's list. A little
explanation from my principal over our first
coffee and cheroots placed the whole thing
clearly before me. The Deputy Collector had
the appointment of various native officials for
the supervision of the salt and opium dues;
and, so lucrative were these posts in many
ways, that it became the custom for the persons
appointed to them to pay their patron
monthly fees, or dustomie, to the amount of
ten times the recognised emoluments of the
offices. Thus the head inspector of the salt and
opium revenue, with a salary of five pounds
sterling per mensem, paid to my predecessor
fifty pounds monthly as dustomie.
Another, having monthly wages of three
pounds, paid twenty-five pounds, and so on.
In this way the Deputy Collector made up an
extra ninety pounds every month; or upwards
of a thousand a year.

At first this new feature in the Service
rather staggered me. I hesitatingly inquired
of my friend whether it was all right and quite
safe. He laughed at me, and observed truly
enough that was "the system;" the native
subordinates could not be prevented from