These men differ from common Mahrattas in the same way as Mr.
Wilberforce Jones, or Mr. Palmerston Smith, differs from the ordinary
run of Joneses and Smiths.

How uniformly does ambition rule us all! The young rao, fired by the
hope of wearing a belt, makes a bold resolve to leave his father and
mother, his wife and children, his brothers, their wives and
children, his uncles, aunts, and cousins, and the little hut in which
they have all lived so happily since he was a little, naked, crawling
thing, dressed in a silver rupee. He looks for the last time on the
buffalo and the lame pariah dog, ties up his cooking pots and a
change of raiment in a red handkerchief, and starts on foot, amid the
howling of females, for the great town, a hundred miles away, where
the brother-in-law of his cousin's wife's uncle is on the personal
staff of the Collector. He fears that the water of the place may not
suit his constitution, but he risks that and other unknown perils.
Arriving at his destination, he works his interest by quartering
himself on his influential connection, who, finding that an extra
seer of rice has to be boiled for every meal, leaves no stone
unturned to find employment for him. First a written petition is
drawn up by the local petition writer, in the following terms "Most
Honoured and Respected Sir,--Although I am conscious that my present
step will apparently be deemed an unjustifiable and unpardonable one,
tantamounting to a preposterous hardihood in presuming to trespass
(amidst your multifarious vocations) on your valuable time, yet
placing implicit reliance on your noble nature and magnanimity of
heart, I venture to do so, and ardently trust you will pardon me.
Learning that a vacancy of a sepoy has occurred under your kind
auspices, I beg most respectfully to tender my services for the same,
and crave your permission to invite your benign attention to the