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174 as we had made our way through India, had won Bhartpur, Lahore, &c. by fraud, so might it be possible that we mixed bone-dust with the grain sold to the Hindu. When I told him of our power in Europe, of how the Russian war had quadrupled our army in a year, and in another it could, if necessary, have been interminably increased, and that, in the same way, in six months, any requisite number of Europeans could be brought to India, and therefore that we are not at the mercy of the Sepoys, he replied he knew we had plenty of men and money, but that Europeans were expensive, and that therefore we wished to take Hindus to sea to conquer the world for us. On my remarking that the Sepoy, though a good soldier on shore, is a bad one at sea by reason of his poor food, "That is just it," was his rejoinder. "You want us all to eat what you like that we may be stronger and go anywhere." He gave us credit for nothing. He often repeated, "I tell you what everybody says"; but when I replied, "Fools and traitors may say so, but honest, sensible men cannot so think," he would not say that he himself did or did not believe, but (as he had previously done) said, "I tell you they are like sheep — the leading one tumbles, and down all the rest roll over him." Such a man is very dangerous. He has his full faculties, is a Brahman, has served us twenty years, and knows our strength and our weakness, and hates us thoroughly. It may be he is only more honest than his neighbours, but he is not the less dangerous. On one only point did he give us credit. I told him that in the year 1846 I had rescued 150 native children left by our army in Kábul, and that, instead of making them Christians, I had restored them to their parents and friends. "Yes," he replied, "I remember well; I was at Lahore." On the other hand, he told me of our making Christians of children purchased during famines. I have spoken to many others of all ranks, especially during the last fortnight.