Page:The Wreck.djvu/125

THE WRECK

121

Kamala had followed Ramesh and she now joined her entreaties to his. "You musn't leave him behind ! Do stop for a moment ! My poor Umesh !"

Ramesh now resorted to a simple method of over- coming the master's scruples, and for a suitable con- sideration the man stopped the vessel and took the lad on board. He then proceeded to administer a dressing- down to the culprit. Umesh, however, did not turn a hair; he laid his basket at Kamala's feet and grinned as though nothing- had happened.

"It's no laughing- matter," said Kamala, who had not quite recovered her equanimity. "What would have happened to you if the steamer had not stopped?"

Instead of repliring Umesh turned over the basket and emptied out on the deck a bunch of green plan- tains, an assortment of spinach, and a number of pumpkins and brinjals.

"Where did you get all these?" demanded Kamala.

The account that Umesh gave would not have been classed by the police as "satisfactory." On the day before when he had gone to the village market to buy curds and other provisions he had noted where these vegetables were growing in various gardens and on various roofs, and going ashore early that morning while the steamer was still aground he had made his selection without asking any one's leave.

"What do you mean by stealing things from people's gardens ?" thundered Ramesh.

"It wasn't stealing; I only took a little from each garden. No one's any the worse."

"So it isn't theft when you only take a little ! You rascal! Get out of my sight, and take these things with you!"

Umesh looked appealingly at Kamala. "Mother, this kind of spinach is what we call piring in my part of the country; it makes fine stew; and this we call beto,

and -"

Digitized by Google