Page:The Slave Girl of Agra.djvu/81

 anger, "he is a Rajmahal man, and the boat he mans is not admissible in our races."

The blue veins swelled on Noren's forehead, and his lips trembled. An ominous murmur of dissent was heard from his old retainers, and a fresh tumult seemed imminent. But Sirish quickly walked up to his young friend and whispered in his ear.

"Don't cause a row, Noren; thy friends and retainers are few here, and will be overwhelmed by superior numbers. For my sake, for the sake of Hemlata, who is watching from yonder pavilion, restrain thy wrath and be a man."

Noren wiped his angry brow and stood mute for a moment. A new idea struck him. He leaped into the Birnagar boat and took the helm.

"I am of Birnagar, I suppose, and I will take the helm of this boat. Let the Lord of Debipur now judge between Birnagar and Debipur."

Everyone was struck by this singular turn of affairs. A note of dissent rose among the Debipur men against the young Zemindar of Birnagar taking the helm. Nobo Kumar was about to forbid it, when the far-seeing Gokul Das once more intervened.

"It is not the rule of our races that a Zemindar should be the helmsman. But my master would strain the rule in favour of the heir of Birnagar and indulge him in his wish. It ill befits the heir of Birnagar, however, to compete against the rustic helmsman of Debipur. My master himself will, therefore, sit on the Debipur boat, and let the Lady of Debipur and her daughter be the Judges."

A pause ensued after this novel proposal. Nobo