There is no literary art about a government report.

It stops a story right in the most interesting place.
These reports of Thug expeditions run along interminably in one monotonous tune: "Met a sepoy--killed him; met 5 pundits--killed them; met 4 Rajpoots and a woman--killed them"-- and so on, till the statistics get to be pretty dry.

But this small trip of Feringhea's Forty had some little variety about it.

Once they came across a man hiding in a grave -- a thief; he had stolen 1,100 rupees from Dhunroj Seith of Parowtee.
They strangled him and took the money.

They had no patience with thieves.
They killed two treasure-bearers, and got 4,000 rupees.