Some of the men knelt and clicked and reloaded half a dozen times
before they could fire; some were luckier, and fired the first time
or the third without reloading. They glanced suspiciously at one
another and hesitated, while there grew a shining heap of
unexploded cartridges, a foot high, under the Maharajah's very
nose. His Highness looked on stupefied for ten minutes, then burst
into blazing wrath. Maun Rao rode madly about examining,
inquiring, threatening.
'Our cartridges are filled with powdered charcoal,' he cried,
smiting one of them between two stones to prove his words. There
was an unexpected noise, and the noble General jumped into the air,
bereft of the largest half of his curled moustache. That one was
not. Then they all went furiously back to the palace. The only
other incident of that day which it is worth our while to chronicle
is connected with Surji Rao and the big shoe. The big shoe was
administered to Surji Rao by a man of low caste, in presence of the
entire court and as many of the people of Lalpore as chose to come
and look on. It was very thoroughly administered, and afterwards
Surji Rao was put formally outside the city gates, and told that
the king desired never to look upon his black face again. Which
was rubbing it in rather unfairly, as His Highness's own complexion
was precisely the same shade.
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