Page:True Tales of Indian Life - Dwijendra Nath Neogi.pdf/18

4 as possible, they remained in the less frequented parts of the city until midnight, when they drove to the place where the body of the guru lay. They then got out of the cart in which they had come, and, creeping stealthily up to the body, found much to their surprise that it was unguarded. Evidently the foul smell which had arisen had been too much for the sentinels, who had betaken themselves elsewhere and were in all probability by now fast asleep. Without loss of time the old man and his son lifted up the body tenderly and reverently and placed it in the cart.

Then, as both father and son had foreseen, a question had to be settled, which was nothing more nor less than which of them should sacrifice himself and leave his dead body to take the place of the guru's. They had each in their own minds decided that some such plan was necessary, as otherwise an alarm would have been given as soon as it was seen that the body had been removed; a hue and cry would at once have been raised, and all their efforts would have been in vain, for needless to say the country would have been scoured and the remains brought back before they had got far on their way to distant Amritsar. In his own mind the father had firmly resolved that he should be the victim. As yet he had said nothing, but now he spoke out and declared his intention.

In vain his son tried to dissuade him from his purpose, and pleaded that his father's tact and foresight were indispensable, and further, that as he was one of three sons, his loss would not be felt so much. But his entreaties and arguments were of no avail. The old man was not to be moved from his purpose, and firmly but lovingly overruled his son's objections. Then,