"Yes. I'm told that they are Brahmins, though I don't know much about
natives yet," replied his host.

Dermot was silent for a while. He could hardly believe that the boy was
right. Brahmins who, being of the priestly caste, claim to be semi-divine
rather than mere men, will take up professions or clerical work, but with
all his experience of India he had never heard of any of them engaging in
such manual labour.

"How do you get them?" he asked.

"Oh, they come here to ask for employment themselves," replied Daleham.

"Do they get them on many gardens in the district?" asked Dermot, in whose
mind a vague suspicion was arising.

"There are one or two on most of them. The older planters are surprised."

"I don't wonder," commented Dermot grimly. "It's something very unusual."

"We have got most, though," added his host. "I daresay it's because our
engineer is a Hindu. His name is Chunerbutty."

"Sounds as if he were a Bengali Brahmin himself," said Dermot.

"He is. His father holds an appointment in the service of the Rajah of
Lalpuri, a native State in Eastern Bengal not far from here. The son is an
old friend of ours. I met him first in London."