Most of the latter whom death has
spared are free now, and with many of them have I talked. They are
most of them old, and few would take the road again, but scarce one
but has trained up his son or grandson to the work; not to practice
it,--the hand of the whites was too heavy before, and the gains
are not large enough to tempt men to run the risk--but they teach
them for the love of the art. To a worshiper of the goddess there
is a joy in a cleverly contrived plan and in casting the roomal
round the neck of the victim, that can never die. Often in my young
days, when perhaps twelve of us were on the road in a party, we
made less than we could have done by labor, but none minded.
"We were sworn brothers; we were working for Kali, and so that we
sent her victims we cared little; and even after fifteen or twenty
years spent in the Feringhee's prisons, we love it still; none
hate the white man as we do; has he not destroyed our profession?
We have two things to work for; first, for vengeance; second, for
the certainty that if the white man's Raj were at an end, once again
would the brotherhood follow their profession, and reap booty for
ourselves and victims for Kali; for, assuredly, no native prince
would dare to meddle with us. Therefore, upon every man who was
once a Thug, and upon his sons and grandsons, you may depend. I do
not say that they would be useful for fighting, for we have never
been fighters, but the stranglers will be of use.
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