credited with having some knowledge of native drugs. This man, when off duty, had visited the unfortunate woman and given her certain medicines, but had no conception of the serious diseases from which she was suffering.

This habitual unwillingness to give a direct reply has a counterpart in the propensity to adopt indirect methods, to go round about, and often a very long way round about, towards an object which may be perfectly legitimate in itself. Everyone who has had to deal with large numbers of subordinates must have had some curious experiences of these tactics, which are seldom of much avail, though they involve a waste of valuable time and cause irritation, or sometimes, perhaps, amusement.

some gram an inquiry whether any appeal or representation from the sender was under consideration; and was informed that nothing had been received from him except a formal request, forwarded through the proper official channel, that his name should be registered for field service. He had already been twice on field service, once at an earlier stage in his career to Suakim, and more recently to China, and bore an excellent character, but was not considered to be qualified for a more important charge than the one which he was actually holding, though there had been every desire to treat him generously. The time for his retirement was drawing near, and he knew perfectly well that he would not be asked to go on field service again; and the man's whole object was to suggest to me afresh that he had not been adequately rewarded for his late service in China. The request that his name should be registered was intended to bring himself again to notice in connection with field service; and the telegram to me was to ensure, as in fact it did, that I should make some inquiry about him, and learn what he had done, and then perhaps be led to review his case and give some final promotion to the man, who up to the last had shown himself ready to go on field service. I

One morning I found among my telegrams the following message from an old Mahommedan postmaster, whom I knew personally, and had seen two years previously on his return from China, where he had been in charge of a field post-office with the expeditionary force sent from India: "Myself and family members continue to pray for your Honour and Lady Sahib." That was the entire message, and it came like a telegraphic bolt from the blue, as for two years I had heard nothing of the man. The assurance it gave was no doubt flattering, and the word "continue" almost pathetic; but why should it suddenly have been thought necessary to send me this assurance? I wrote on the tele

ought to add that this postmaster had, I believe, a genuine feeling of loyalty towards myself, and if this had not been the case, the actual wording of the telegram sent by him

would, I think, have been dif- India, and it was one of the

ferent.

Many other instances could be given of this predilection for indirect methods, which has its root in a desire to prepare the way beforehand, and to ensure, as far as possible, that the mind of a superior should be well disposed towards the person who has to make a request, when the request is actually preferred. One of the most trusted of my subordinates for many years was a Hindu official of much higher rank than the postmaster who has been mentioned. He had a genius for organisation, and in the face of difficulties was full of resource and self-reliance, so long as he knew that he had the support of his superiors, a support which was freely accorded to him. During a great part of each year I saw him frequently, and always treated him on most friendly terms, while, in recognition of his services, various rewards and distinctions were conferred on him by Government. And yet, during all these years, I never succeeded in getting at his genuine views or personal wishes. He was always moving, with much diplomacy, in one direction or another, but he worked round and round in such a circle, he made his approaches at such a distance from his real objective, that I never knew, except in the light of later circumstances, what he was aiming at, or what was at the back of his mind. He retired from Government service before I left

ironies of life that when he came to me for the first time with a frank and direct request, I found myself unable to accede to it.

This predilection for indirect methods is found among all classes of Indians. Men even of rank and position will come to see an official again and again, with some ulterior object in view, which will be disclosed only after many days; and this is one of the difficulties in the way of maintaining a frank and cordial intercourse with the natives of the country.

Side by side with the predilection for indirect methods, there exists a curious readiness to resort to sheer importunity in making claims and appeals, which also is characteristically Oriental. The persistence, however, with which a request is urged is no necessary sign of its justice or of its truth. The native of India has, undoubtedly, a keen sense of justice, but he is possessed also by a strong belief in the virtue of favour, and in the possibility of inducing a superior to turn a favourable eye upon him, whatever may be the

merits of his case.

One of the strangest instances of this in my own experience, strangest in view of its sequel, was the case of a Kanarese mail-line overseer. This man occupied a humble official position, his duty being to see that the prescribed rate the mail-runners on the lines of speed was maintained by under his control, and that these runners were regularly

to call in the police, and finally he realised that his importunity would not be allowed to prevail, and disappeared with his family.

paid each month, the money warned him that unless he for this purpose being entrusted desisted I should be forced to him. He had been dismissed from Government service on the clearest evidence that he had been in the habit of misappropriating part of their pay, and his appeal had been rejected by me. One morning I found a man standing outside my garden gate at Poona, in an attitude of profound humility, a long, thin man, standing on one leg like a crane, with his head bent forward and his hands folded together in front of his face,and crying out the single word "favour." This was the overseer, and I had him called into my study, where I explained to him that it was quite impossible that he should be re-employed, as he had proved himself unworthy of trust, and I added that he was fortunate in not having been criminally prosecuted. To all this he had nothing to say except "You are the master, and can show favour." He was then told that the case was not one for favour, and advised to go back to his own home. For the next ten days, however, he took up his stand morning and evening outside my gate, and greeted me, whenever I appeared, with his cry "favour, favour." One morning he presented himself accompanied by his wife and several children, all crying "favour, Sahib!" while a baby, not yet able to voice the cry, was laid at my feet in order to enforce the petition. Before this I had sent for the man a second time, and a third time, and had

A month or two later, at the beginning of the hot weather, I was returning from an early morning walk by an unfrequented road, when I met an ascetic with his face and naked body smeared with ashes. The man stopped on seeing me and began to speak in a loud tone, declaring in vague language that there was evil in store for me. This was a most unusual thing for an ascetic to do, but thinking that he was under the influence of a drug I was passing on without taking any notice of him, when it came across me like a flash that the voice was the voice of the Kanarese overseer. I turned round at once and sharply demanded his name, on which he hesitated for a moment, and then gave the name of a Maratha Brahmin. I told him that I knew his voice, that he was the Kanarese overseer, and that he would be wise to be more careful in his speech. The man moved away uneasily, muttering and mumbling, and that was the last I saw of him. There could be no doubt whatever as to who he was, and he seemed to be prospering in his new vocation, as he looked sleek beneath the white smearing of ashes.

More recently I had a much more troublesome experience of a similar kind. This time the importunate suitor was a native

of Madras, who had been dismissed from his appointment as a clerk for sheer incompetence. He had run through the whole gamut of appeal, and finally came to Caloutta for two successive years during the cold weather, in order to try what could be achieved by personal importunity. For some time he contented himself with attending every morning outside my office, in order to make a low salaam to me when I got out of my carriage; but presently learnt that I was in the habit of walking home in the evening across the Maidan, or open spaces, of Calcutta, and then took to following me home. He did this at first at a respectful distance and in silence, but after several days began to follow more immediately on my heels, and to call attention to himself by ejaculating various supplications. For about a week I took no notice whatever of him, never even turning my head, and it required the exercise of considerable selfcontrol to walk a mile with a

wholly responsible for his acts, and on finding that he was subsisting on charity at Calcutta, I had previously arranged to pay his railway fare back to his native town; but this only had the effect of confirming him in his resolution to remain on where he was. For the time, however, the interference of the police caused him to cease from troubling.

The following year he appeared again in Calcutta during the cold weather, and began the same line of behaviour. Owing to his fear of the police he did not often attend at my office; but he followed me about wherever I went with a quite extraordinary knowledge of my movements, and certainly proved himself an adept in shadowing, who would have had nothing to learn from any suffragette. If I went shopping, he would appear on the pavement beside me, or I would hear suddenly the well-worn phrase, "You are my lord," from behind; if I went to the Zoological Gardens on Sunday afternoon, he would be at the gate to see me drive away; on

one of the two occasions on

dogging your footsteps all the way, and repeating at intervals: "You are my lord! which I attended the Calcutta You are my lord!" One evenRaces that year, I found him ing, however, I turned angrily among the crowd at the enupon him, and though I got trance to the Grand Stand; rid of him for the moment I and on the night of the illuallowed him to see that he was minations in honour of the causing annoyance. Conse- visit of the Prince and Princess quently, like an Eastern or a of Wales, he was waiting outSpanish beggar, he redoubled side the United Service Club his unwelcome attentions, and where I had been dining. As for several days shadowed me I have said, the man, though wherever I went, until I was harmless, was partly crazed, compelled to call in the police. and on this account I was unThe man, indeed, was not willing to take criminal pro