xliv                                        RANCHEE CIRCLE.

get from one to the other by the time fixed. Thus I went down towards Kurhurballee on the
branch of the new chord line of railway, seeing work on the road, and found the men's work
on the whole successful, some of the cases being extremely good, especially in villages round
Pachamba, and some places near Bhundareedeeh, nine miles east thereof, close to the new
railway. Here the resident Railway Engineer had rendered much assistance by the influence
he possessed with the people round. Some of the villages seemed never to have been
visited by inoculators.

17. Turning northwards again from Bhundareedeeh, I had intended to have gone back
to Mendhie Hossein's party, but news reached me that the Tekait of Ghorrunjee had, directly my
back was turned, broken his promises and refused all aid to vaccination, which consequently
had not been carried out. I determined, therefore, to go back to him again and see if
anything could be done; taking a somewhat different route, I was able to take in on the road
some more villages which had been done by Ishak Khan's men, and on the way camped one
day near a large village called Mirzagunge; here the people were most hostile. A man
belonging to my camp passing quietly through the bazaar heard some one call out—" Here is the
man who scratched the boy's face." An excited crowd collected who seemed inclined to be
violent, and a boy was brought forward who showed a cut on his forehead which he said had
been inflicted by one of the vaccinators who had taken him down to the bank of the nullah
by himself, and there cut his forehead with a sharp instrument. Fortunately for the accused,
the boy on being confronted said that this was not the man, and he was then let go and
returned to camp in the greatest alarm. The matter was reported to the Police at Khurruck-
diha, but no clue could be found to the author of this absurd story, which no doubt had
been invented by some malicious persons with the view of bringing odium on the vaccinators,
and if this was their design it succeeded admirably ; the rumour spread and frightened the
people all about, doubtless in connection with the popular idea (similar to those which were
current last year), that we wanted to extract drops of blood for magical purposes, or for
sacrifice to ensure the success of the new line of railway and of the bridge now building over
the Burrakur,

18. At Ghorrunjee I found that the people entirely refused vaccination, saying they had
had no instructions from their tekait or zemindar, without whose approval nothing should be
done, but that if obtained they were willing. With him I could not get another interview ;
he sent various absurdly false excuses to avoid seeing me by his agent or karpardaz, who,
however, declared perpetually that his master and himself had done all they could to persuade
the people and that it was the latter who refused ; this, I believe, was totally untrue. It was
evident, however, that nothing could be done, and I determined to return to Mendhie Hossein's
party, meanwhile writing to the Deputy Commissioner to ask the aid of his efforts at
persuasion in this and similar cases.

19.    My camp left Ghorrunjee on January 25th, marching towards Domchah again.
On the road, as at Ghorrunjee, I found much more difficulty as regards supplies, &c., on my
second visit than the first time. The tekaits and their karpardazes were evidently annoyed
at my coming again, and made endless excuses to avoid giving assistance in any way. I
made particular enquiries as to whether any of my people had given any cause for complaint
on the former journey. The tekaits and headmen said none. Everything had been fully
paid for, and there was not the slightest complaint, but the people were frightened, &c., &c.
It was often asked " Why did I want to come so often ? the district officers did not come more
than once in the year. They had helped me once and could not do it again. It gave
trouble and the people did not like it, and so on."

20.     On the way to Domehah great complaints were brought against Mendhie Hossein
by his men of extorting fees from them, &c., and all work had been stopped for several days ;
they refusing to work until they had obtained redress, which they came to seek.

On reaching him at Domchah he recriminated upon them. After much investigation
many of the charges made could not be proved, and the other differences were arranged.
Such bitter feeling, however, existed that it was obvious they could never work together again.
Moreover, on minutely examining his pay book, and comparing his various statements, so great
irregularity and discrepancy were discovered that confidence in his integrity was much shaken,
and I should have discharged him at once, but that in the middle of the season his services could
not be spared, the work which had already been much interrupted would have been still more
seriously hindered. He was therefore ordered at once to go and relieve Ellahee Bux in the
charge of the southern party at Ramgurh below Hazareebagh, the latter native superintendent
taking the Domchah party in exchange. This change involved serious hindrance to the
work, but seemed to be the best arrangement possible under the circumstances. Ellahee Bux
was instructed on arrival to make his head quarters at Jynuggur, further to the south, and