was required to swear, and he did so without a blink.

Then there was more delay, while somebody was found who knew him and
could certify to his address, and it was nearly evening by the time
he was allowed to go.

* * * * *

It was also nearly evening when a messenger arrived at the barracks
to report the death of a Sikh trooper by murder in the bazaar. The
man's name and regimental number proved him to have been one of D
Squadron's men, and since its commander, Ranjoor Singh, was then in
quarters, the news was brought to him at once.

"Killed where?" he demanded; so they told him.

"Exactly when?"

It became evident to Ranjoor Singh that there had been some truth
after all in the babu's tale. The verbal precis of the only witness,
given from memory, about a man who galloped away on horseback, threw
no light at all on the case; so, because he could think of nothing
better to do at the moment, the risaldar-major sent for a _tikka-
gharri_ and drove down to the morgue to identify the body.

On the way back from the morgue he looked in at the police station,
but the babu had been gone some ten minutes when he arrived.

The police could tell him nothing. It was explained that the crowd
directly after the murder had been too great to allow any but those