The Outlaws In a short time, about fifty to seventy-five persons gathered under the banyan tree. No one spoke at first. Only footfalls and the clink of weapons broke the silence. One man lit a torch and went around to each man present, peering closely at their faces to ascertain their identity. He then sat down close to Sursinh. Four or five men with lit torches stood encircling the group. Four others with loaded guns stood guard around the banyan. All of them had stout bodies. Some were short, some were tall and some broad, but all of them looked brave. They carried an assortment of weapons; some were of olden times while others were of more recent make. Four elderly and two young garasias sat in a circle around Sursinh along with a brahmin. The elder of the two young men spoke first. ‘Bapa, Buddhidhan is caught in our net. His son’s wife has set out for Bhadreshwar. If Goddess Amba is with us, she will be in our clutches by early morning. We will capture her right here at this banyan tree. He has snatched away our Dhirpur, but he will not be able to stomach it. It will be like a fly he has swallowed.’ The brahmin came closer and said, ‘Thakore, Pratapsinh Bapu is right, but you must listen to what a brahmin has to say. If you take that woman captive, you will make another enemy. You will gain nothing by making an enemy of Ratnanagari. The decision is yours, but mine is the counsel of a cautious brahmin’. Pratapsinh’s younger and more intelligent brother Vaghji said, ‘Bapa, Shankar Maharaj is right. It is our norm that we do not harass women and children. People support us because of our adherence to these norms. If we do what Pratapjibhai suggests, we will lose their support’. Pratapsinh spoke up angrily, ‘Vaghji, you are still incapable of thinking right! Rana Khachar harbours greater enmity towards Vidya Chatura than towards Bhupsinh. Therefore, he extends greater support to Samant Mulu than he does to us. If we were to join hands with Samant Mulu, Khachar would support us even more’. Vaghji looked at his brother, perplexed. Maniraj was the king of Ratnanagari. Samant Mulu was waging a baharvatu against him. Kumud Sundari was Vidya Chatura’s daughter; taking her captive would have strengthened the friendship between Sursinh and Samant Mulu. This was obvious, but it was not the real motive behind Pratapsinh’s suggestion. He was a lascivious man; he wanted to satisfy his desire for Kumud by capturing her. His father’s interest was secondary to his passion. Sursinh understood what Vaghji alluded to. He felt differently. Sursinh was a bhayat, a cousin of Jadsinh. Shathrai had snatched away Dhirpur from him. Denied justice, Sursinh had taken to baharvatu and become an outlaw. Bhupsinh and Sursinh had once shared an affectionate relationship. Sursinh expected that his garas would be reinstated to him once Bhupsinh became the ruler. But Shathrai was careful