1 HISTORY OF IIUNJEET SING'S FAMILY. 11
2 with some fifteen or twenty horsemen. Maha Sing received him
3 and his band and treated him with great respect. It chanced
4 however, that two years afterwards, the chief of the Missall at an
5 entertainment, and when his Sirdars and principal followers were
6 present, jocosely questioned Khodadad Khan about the death of
7 his mother. This annoyed the matricide, and he tauntingly replied
8 that his mother met her death at the hands of her own son,
9 for only intending to do what his, Maha Sing's, mother
10 was daily committing with the knowledge and almost in the
11 presence of an insensate, shameless, cold-blooded son. This
12 sharp rebuke confounded Maha Sing, who however said
13 nothing further at the time. But thenceforward he seemed
14 more thoughtful and appeared to be revolving some painful
15 matter in his mind. More than a month passed without any
16 thing happening to change the face of affairs. But at the end
17 of that time Maha Sing having had occasion to leave his home,
18 and returning suddenly a few days after, found his mother
19 carousing with Hakeekuth Sing and others. This scene
20 revived, in all their force, the feelings with which the taunt of
21 Khodadad Khan had inspired him, and he determined to wash
22 out the disgrace in his mother's blood. Having on some pretext
23 sent Hakeekuth Sing aud the other revellers from the house,
24 he entered his mother's apartment and shot her dead with
25 his own matchlock. He then, restraining his followers who
26 would have assisted him, cut off her hand with his sword. After
27 this he summoned Khodadad Khan and showing him the body
28 of his mother and his own bloody sword, said he hoped that
29 he and the world would acknowledge that he had at length
30 redeemed his character and avenged the honour of his family
31 stained by his mother's conduct. As to Hakeektuh Sing he
32 declared that having no proof of his guilt he could not slay him
33 then, but would watch his opportunity to revenge upon him
34 the injury which the honour of his family had, as he strongly
35 suspected, suffered at his hands. His true reason for sparing
36 Hakeekuth Sing, however, was supposed to be that he knew