And in the crack had been thrust, so that it stood upright, a gnarled tree-trunk, carried from who knows how far.

And there, crucified to the dry wood was our daffadar Gooja Singh, with his flesh all tortured and torture written in his open eyes--not very long dead, for his flesh was scarcely cold--although the birds had already begun on him.

Who could explain that?
We sat our horses in a crowd, and gaped like fools! At last I said, "Leave him to the birds'." but Ranjoor Singh said "Nay!" Ramnarain Singh, who had ever hated Gooja Singh for reasons of his own, joined his voice to mine; and because they had no wish to offend me the other daffadars agreed.

But Ranjoor Singh rose into a towering passion over what we said, naming me and Ramnarain Singh in one breath as men too self-righteous to be trusted! "What proof have we against him ?" he demanded.
"Try him by court martial!" Ramnarain Singh screwed up courage to answer.

"Call for witnesses against him and hear them!" "Who can try a dead man by court martial ?" Ranjoor Singh thundered back.