'"
"You are a confirmed croaker," Captain Rintoul said.
"I do not think so, Rintoul. I know the men I am talking about,
and I know the Hindoos generally. They are mere children, and can
be molded like clay. As long as we had the molding, all went well;
but if they fall into the hands of designing men they can be led
in another direction just as easily as we have led them in ours.
I own that I don't see who can be sufficiently interested in the
matter to conceive and carry out a great conspiracy of this kind.
The King of Oude is a captive in our hands, the King of Delhi is
too old to play such a part. Scindia and Holkar may possibly long
for the powers their fathers possessed, but they are not likely to
act together, and may be regarded as rivals rather than friends,
and yet if it is not one of these who has been brewing this storm.
I own I don't see who can be at the bottom of it, unless it has
really originated from some ambitious spirits among the Sepoys,
who look in the event of success to being masters of the destinies
of India. It is a pity we did not get a few more views from that
juggler; we might have known a little more of it then."
"Don't talk about him, Doctor," Wilson said; "it gives me the cold
shivers to think of that fellow and what he did; I have hardly slept
since then. It was the most creepy thing I ever saw. Richards and
I have talked it over every evening we have been alone together,
and we can't make head or tail of the affair.
Pages:
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227