night she suffered terrible anxiety, picturing in her mind all that
was perhaps befalling her little son.

In the meantime the child was sleeping sweetly and peacefully in his
bed in his mother's room. Tired out with play, he had slipped into
bed unknown to any one and there he lay.

About twelve at night the dacoits arrived and broke into the
house. They searched the empty rooms and were furious at finding no
valuables worth carrying away. They came to the room where the little
boy slept, and their loud voices awakened him. He sat up and, seeing
their strange faces and glaring torches, screamed with fright. One
of them threatened to kill him if he did not stop his noise. Another
stepped to the bedside and taking the little boy in his arms said:
"Little one, do not cry. No one will hurt you."

The child recognised his father's servant and twined his little arms
around the man's neck. The other dacoits laughed and walked out of
the room leaving their comrade with the child.

When daylight broke, the family returned home, and the poor young
mother flew through the house in search of her child. To her surprise
and joy she found him sleeping peacefully in her own room. Her
hysterical caresses awakened him and the little fellow could not
understand what ailed his mother.

"Did nothing happen during the night?" she asked. "Did you see anything
or anyone, my son?"

Rubbing his chubby knuckles in his eyes the sleepy little boy answered: