Dick and Surajah found that their dialect differed much more from that of the country below the ghauts than they had expected and, although they had no difficulty in conversing with the peasants, they found that their idea that they would be able to pass as natives of one of these villages was an altogether erroneous one.
"This will never do, Surajah," Dick said, as they left one of the villages.

"We shall have to alter our story somehow, for the first person we meet, in Seringapatam, will see that we are not natives of Mysore.

We must give out that we come from some village far down on the ghauts--one of those which have been handed over to the English by the new treaty.

You know the country well enough there to be able to answer any questions that may be asked.

We must say that, desiring to be soldiers, and hating the English raj, we have crossed the hills to take service of some sort in Mysore.