Only in India could it happen that a line of Rajahs, drag-net-armed--oblivious to the duties of a king and greedy only of the royal right to tax--could pile up, century by century, a hoard of gold an jewels--to be looked at.

The secret of that treasure made the throne worth plotting for--gave the priests, who shared the secret, more than nine tenths of their power for blackmail, pressure, and intrigue--and grew, like a cancer, into each succeeding Rajah's mind until, from a man with a soul inside him he became in turn a heartless, fear ridden miser.
Any childless king is liable to feel the insolent expectancy betrayed by the heir apparent.

But Jaimihr--who had no sons either--was an heir who understood all of the Indian arts whereby a man of brain may hasten the succession.

Worry, artfully stirred up, is the greatest weapon of them all, and never a day passed but some cleverly concocted tale would reach the Rajah, calculated to set his guessing faculties at work.
Either of the brothers, when he happened to be thirsty, would call his least-trusted counsellor to drink first from the jewelled cup, and would watch the man afterward for at least ten minutes before daring to slake his thirst; but Jaimihr had the moral advantage of an aspirant; Howrah, on the defensive, wilted under the nibbling necessity for wakefulness, while Jaimihr grinned.
What were five thousand drilled, armed men to a king who feared to use them?
Of what use was a waiting countryside, armed if not drilled, if he was not sure that his brother had not won every man's allegiance?
Being Hindoo, priest-reared, priest-fooled, and priest-flattered, he knew, or thought he knew, to an anna the value he might set on Hindoo loyalty or on the loyalty of any man who did not stand to gain in pocket by remaining true; and, as many another fear-sick tyrant has begun to do, he turned, in his mind at least, to men of another creed--which in India means of another race, practically-wondering whether he could not make use of them against his own.
Like every other Rajah of his line, he longed to have sole control of that wonderful treasure that had eaten out his very manhood.

Miser though he was, he was prepared at least to bargain with outsiders with the promise of a portion of it, if that would give him possession of it all.