It was annoying, he agreed; and
he offered to go to Murshidabad himself and, if necessary, get other
dastaks signed.
"Very well," said Mr. Watts, from whose manner no one could have guessed
that he suspected his visitor. "We shall look for you tomorrow."
The man departed. Nothing was heard of him for two days. Then a letter
arrived, saying that he remained in Murshidabad, awaiting the return of
the Faujdar, who had been summoned to Rajmahal by the Nawab Sirajuddaula.
Three more days slipped by, and nothing further was heard from Coja
Solomon.
Desmond became more and more impatient. Bulger suggested that they should
break into the godown and remove the goods without any ceremony--a course
that Desmond himself was not disinclined to adopt; but when he hinted at
it to Mr. Watts that gentleman's look of horror could not have been more
expressive if his consent had been asked to commit a crime.
"Why, Mr. Burke, if we acted in that impetuous way we'd have all Bengal
at our throats. Trade must pass through the usual channels; to convey
goods from here to Calcutta without a dastak would be a grave
misdemeanor, if not high treason; and it would get us into very hot water
with the Nawab. I can only advise patience."
One morning, Desmond had just finished breakfast with Mr. Watts and his
wife, when Lieutenant Elliott, in command of the garrison, came
unceremoniously into the room.
"Mr. Watts," he said, "the fat's in the fire. A lot of the Nawab's
Persian cavalry have come into the town during the night.
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