I took it from him, and unrolled fold after fold of clean paper. "Why, there is nothing here," said I; "I suppose he kept this to write on."
"Go on to the end, nevertheless," said my father; "let us see all."
After removing three more folds I came to another small packet, which was tied up with thread. "Here is something at last," said I, breaking it open: "bills of exchange, in the name of the blessed Prophet! and, I doubt not, of value, too. Have we any one who can make them out?"
"I cannot read the writing," said Bhudrinath, "but I can make out the figures if they are not written in Persian."
"Ah, no," said I, "they are Nagree or Guzerattee; so try your skill."
"This," said Bhudrinath, after examining one, "is for two thousand rupees: see, these are the figures."
"I dare say you are right," said I, handing the rest to him; "what are these for?"
"The third is for--let me see again," said Bhudrinath; "ah, I am right, it is for two thousand two hundred; and the last is for two hundred and forty."
"That is, let me see," said I, "four thousand eight hundred and forty. Well, we have got a good prize."
"Yes!" cried my father, "we should be well off if they were worth anything to us; but they are no better than the waste paper we have burned."
"How?" said I; "we should get the money if we presented them, surely?"
"You do not reflect," said my father, "that if we did so, it would lead to our detection in this matter: so destroy them."
"Indeed," said I, "I will not, but will keep them for stolen money; and I dare say were we to affect to be this Kumal Khan's agents, we might get the amount."
"As you will," said my father; "but remember you take no steps about them without consulting me." So I kept them, and had afterwards reason to be glad that I had done so.
As we were to leave the village the next morning, I thought I might as well go and take leave of Mohun Lall, and accordingly went to his house in the evening.
"So you could make nothing of that rascal who was hung up," said he, when we were seated; "these thieves are hardened vagabonds, and though I have hung several in this way, I have never been able to get anything out of them."
"I could not," said I; "the fellow was, as he called it, faithful, and died worthy of a better cause."