‘Hast thou seen?’ said Strickland after a pause.

’I have seen.  I am clay in the white man’s hands.  What does the Presence do?’

‘Hang thee within the month.  What else?’

’For killing him?  Nay, Sahib, consider.  Walking among us, his servants, he cast his eyes upon my child, who was four years old.  Him he bewitched, and in ten days he died of the fever—­my child!’

‘What said Imray Sahib?’

’He said he was a handsome child, and patted him on the head; wherefore my child died.  Wherefore I killed Imray Sahib in the twilight, when he had come back from office, and was sleeping.  Wherefore I dragged him up into the roof-beams and made all fast behind him.  The Heaven-born knows all things.  I am the servant of the Heaven-born.’

Strickland looked at me above the rifle, and said, in the vernacular, ‘Thou art witness to this saying?  He has killed.’

Bahadur Khan stood ashen gray in the light of the one lamp.  The need for justification came upon him very swiftly.  ‘I am trapped,’ he said, ’but the offence was that man’s.  He cast an evil eye upon my child, and I killed and hid him.  Only such as are served by devils,’ he glared at Tietjens, couched stolidly before him, ’only such could know what I did.’

’It was clever.  But thou shouldst have lashed him to the beam with a rope.  Now, thou thyself wilt hang by a rope.  Orderly!’

A drowsy policeman answered Strickland’s call.  He was followed by another, and Tietjens sat wondrous still.

‘Take him to the police-station,’ said Strickland.  ’There is a case toward.’

‘Do I hang, then?’ said Bahadur Khan, making no attempt to escape, and keeping his eyes on the ground.

‘If the sun shines or the water runs—­yes!’ said Strickland.

Bahadur Khan stepped back one long pace, quivered, and stood still.  The two policemen waited further orders.

’Go!’said Strickland.

‘Nay; but I go very swiftly,’ said Bahadur Khan.  ’Look!  I am even now a dead man.’

He lifted his foot, and to the little toe there clung the head of the half-killed snake, firm fixed in the agony of death.

‘I come of land-holding stock,’ said Bahadur Khan, rocking where he stood.  ’It were a disgrace to me to go to the public scaffold:  therefore I take this way.  Be it remembered that the Sahib’s shirts are correctly enumerated, and that there is an extra piece of soap in his washbasin.  My child was bewitched, and I slew the wizard.  Why should you seek to slay me with the rope?  My honour is saved, and—­and—­I die.’

At the end of an hour he died, as they die who are bitten by the little brown karait, and the policemen bore him and the thing under the tablecloth to their appointed places.  All were needed to make clear the disappearance of Imray.

‘This,’ said Strickland, very calmly, as he climbed into bed, ’is called the nineteenth century.  Did you hear what that man said?’