OSR Samyukta 41-Life afresh at Sawai pg49 - Page 10

OSR SAMYUKTA PART 24 - Veer saves Sakshi and Shera

Gradually approaching the brightest segment of the morning emitting its fiery warmth on the congested settlement; the pre-occupied inhabitants discharge various chores of their profession in full swing. Heedless of the deafening rackets of frisky children involved in games and quarrels; the older ladies continue to hammer hot alloys, skilfully wield sharp instruments and cool ornate weapons in designated corners of the colony.

Whizzing out of her makeshift shelter into the tumult around in glowing orange apparel; the assiduous girl continues to turn a deaf ear to the ceaseless pestering nuisance of her father, following her. Counting the sparse evidence of her hard work in her effeminate palms, a few copper coins; Shera rapidly slips the coins into a patched maroon cotton bag. Adjusting her veil and the small bits of inexpensive jewellery complementing her elemental perfect features, she slips the bag on to her shoulders.

Before stepping out of the area; she reluctantly turns to observe the sour faces of her father and Tasha, lingering behind. Sighing aloud at her father's relentless grudges and dissatisfaction, Shera speaks up "Baba... please understand... I cannot give you this money... I need it to buy some raw materials... Sakshi didi would be waiting outside for me... it is getting late... I shall miss the tanga to Mirgaon..."

Interrupting her explanation by letting out an irritating yawn; Tasha stretches out his hands lazily, and then deliberately pains the busy girl by reminding her "Tch... tch... Shera... no wonder you are such a capable spy. You roam around with your friend putting on a mask of innocence, when in actuality you have promised Rajkumar Agni that you would help him incriminate her family along with Rajkumar Veer... "

Emotionally torn by his provocative reminders, Shera fumes "What do you have against me Tasha? Why don't you just leave me alone?"

Gritting his teeth, Tasha bends forward and accedes to her in a tone that is barely audible "Then... stop behaving like you rule this tribe..."

Giggling in jest at the absurd statement, Shera retorts calmly "Pick up the tools... start working. Prove your efficiency and I shall gladly hand over the responsibility to you..."

In an effort to break up their brawl, Shera's father steps forward in support of his favourite protge "Why do you always create such a fuss about everything Shera?"

Noticing how she turned away and started walking away from his direction, as a display of her revulsion; the Sardar begins to protest in a brash voice. The remaining members of the tribe find their attention diverted to the clash happening at the far end of their colony and pause their noisy routines to overhear the argument.

Tired of her father's hue and cry; the girl eventually resigns to her fate, stops in her tracks and swings around to listen, as he warns her "You are unhappy about having to listen to Rajkumar Agni's orders, aren't you? Don't make me remind you time and again Shera…Rajkumar Agnivardhan is our deity! He saved our business by repaying all our debts. With the amount of money we owed people; we would have either been in prison or killed. He was the one who saved our lives and our tribe. We are indebted to him forever. Bear in mind that just as he chose to save us with one decision of his; he can destroy us with another decision of his. Being his slaves, we have to listen to his orders!"

Dropping her tools; an old woman walks up to the trio and interrupts the monologue by fearlessly voicing her opinions in aid of the lone girl, "Sardar, you are more than aware that Rajkumar Agni did not clear our debts out of pity. The only reason that our debts were cleared was because the Rajkumar was smitten by Shera from the very moment he saw her at the Chatarpur-Niphaud border few months ago. All he wanted was for this beautiful girl to be under his control. Realizing her capabilities when he met her; he wanted her to work for him, as his slave. Now he is misusing her to carry out all his devious deeds. Being her father; you don't even mind, as you've received your money!"

Watching her father's growing anger and discomforted at the thought of the children listening to her depressing reality, Shera attempts to stop her aunt in mild manner "Gauri chachi… please… let us not discuss all this again now…"

Stopped when her attention is caught by a few soft tugs to her skirt, Shera bends over to see a small boy protectively hugging her legs. Realizing that the aggrieved boy had overheard their pitiful discussions during the course of his games, she orders him softly "Shhh Manu go out and play…go...haven't I told you that it is not a good omen for children to listen to conversations that adults are having… where is Radha…go now…"

Suddenly; amidst a sporadic bout of coughs resonating from a secluded corner of the settlement, a frail man sits up slowly. Struggling to shout out in a bid to be heard by his fellow tribe members, Bade baba adds his views "Sardar; when we were in trouble, if you had not acted foolishly and been more efficient, we would not be facing this plight now. We need never have seen these days. Our tribe was not doing so badly. However; you refused to listen to any of our advice, drowned your woes with drink and when debts spiralled out of control, you accepted the help of someone like Rajkumar Agni. Now all able young men from our tribe who jointly refused to subject to his whims have been killed or have fled from our tribe for good. Have a look at the number of fatherless children we have. The poor child Shera; works morning, noon and night to manage all affairs. She feeds the elderly members. Yet, you continue supporting this useless Tasha!"

Tears begin to flow down the crinkled cheeks of the old man, as he recalls the fallen pride of his tribe in agony "I don't see any end to this… you have made us become permanently bonded slaves to Rajkumar Agni…"

Unable to endure the accusations anymore; the enraged Sardar darts forward in a state of fury to cuff the senior member, screaming aloud in frustration "How dare you… show me some respect…I am the head of this tribe now…"

Immediately surveying the dreadful scenario; Shera runs behind him and holds her father's hand, as she pants "Baba… please stop… Bade baba was also the head of our tribe once…please don't do this..."

Battling to control himself; the Sardar frees his wrist vehemently. Viewing everyone's alarmed expressions in loathe, he whispers to his disappointed daughter "You always end up creating a scene Shera. Anyway; as the daughter of the head of this tribe, it is your duty to ensure the tribe's safety and do whatever Rajkumar Agni orders you to!"

Comprehending Shera's displeased expressions in response to her altercations with her father, Tasha lectures her "You have become very proud of yourself Shera… and increasingly disrespectful towards your father too…shame on you… "

Furious at how Tasha was aggravating Shera with every passing moment; the tiny Manu, positions himself in front of the young man with both hands on his hips, in a bid to challenge him. Shoving the little boy aside gruffly; the heartless man finally leaves the colony to rejoin the rest of his vagrant mates, waiting outside. Offended by the insult; Manu picks up a pebble from the ground to hurl it at Tasha in contempt, however; finds himself stopped in his tracks by his frightened sister, Radha. Sighing to herself; Shera walks up to the children, props Manu up on his feet and dusts his knees.

In response to what he considered Shera's complacency; Sardar points in the direction that Tasha left and announces with pride "Instead of having a daughter like you, if only I had been blessed with a supportive son like Tasha…"

Looking up at her father in woe; only to find him exit the settlement haughtily, the subdued girl sadly mulls aloud on his hurtful words "Other fathers take care of their daughters; while I support my father, who drinks and gambles. I don't have the fortune to enjoy ma's handmade food; on the contrary, I am busy feeding my tribe. Other girls my age spend their time visiting fairs to buy delicate jewellery for their hands, while here I am burning my hands in the coal and smithy. Yet, he would prefer to have a worthless person like Tasha for a son!"

Powerless to redeem the desolate girl from her misery; the old ladies gaze at each other sadly and then drag themselves back to their respective corners to resume their duties for the day. Slowly scouring around her settlement; Shera feels relieved to find everyone returning to normalcy, till she catches an old lady silently shedding tears of distress.

Approaching her; Shera holds her supportively, while the old lady confesses her fears "We shall manage...please don't get involved in such dangerous games, risking your life."

Aware that Agni would eradicate their entire troupe if she didn't submit to his orders, Shera smiles in reply "What needs to be done...needs to be done..." Beaming in pride, she brags mockingly "You know that if there is one girl capable of playing risky games, it's me…don't worry and chachi please don't cry…" Pulling down her cheeks to expose her cheerful eyes, the mischievous girl comforts her "See... even I am not crying…"

Ensuring that the old lady eventually broke out into fits of giggles, Shera concludes "All right...I better leave Gauri chachi…Sakshi didi would be waiting for me..."

Aryanagar, The bar street

Even the brilliance of such a splendid noon fails to lighten the gloomy faces in the bleak street, causing the two lustrous comely young ladies passing through, to stand out. Clasping their belongings with one hand and holding their cotton veils to conceal their faces from the heat with the other, they skitter along in order to proceed towards their respective destinations. Relishing the company of her associate; the awed girl continually engages the more cognizant Sakshi in merry conversation, ignorantly attracting unwanted attention from vile prying eyes.

Thrilled by how content and joyous Sakshi seemed by her potentially beautiful future and enamoured by the subject of their discussion; Shera queries further on, not paying attention to the locale around, "The jewellery for the wedding already been purchased! What about your apparel...that has been decided too...you are soon to be united forever with the man of your choice and dreams…how mesmerizing…" spotting the apprehension in Sakshi's eyes, Shera reassures her "Don't worry I shall not let anyone know about this didi…but, I must say… if everything you have told me about Dhruv ji is true, he is definitely the most magnanimous person I have ever come across…" she pauses "By the way, you haven't told me how you met him…"

Turning crimson-hued at the barrage, Sakshi playfully pats her on her back in resent "Oh Lord! You ask so many questions... well... well... he... he saw me standing up to Rajkumar Agni once... and apparently…" abruptly darting around, Sakshi changes the subject to express her fears "Shera, I told you... we should not be using this route... do you use this pathway often... this is not a safe place... if ma or Dhruv come to know..."

So long engaged in dreamily pondering on Sakshi's pleasing situation that she could only fantasise about for herself, Shera is abruptly forced to snap out of her trance. Uneasily detecting the increasingly offensive and unsympathetic faces of intoxicated Aryavraths strolling the street; she quickly nods her head to soothe Sakshi's worried sentiments pragmatically "Didi... we both were running late... anyway; as long as you are with me, why worry? Besides, it is a bad omen to take a detour once you have started off in a particular direction …don't worry, it is bright mid-morning now…"

Slapping her forehead, the amused Sakshi laughs aloud "Your silly beliefs…from where do you bring up all these notions and sayings?"

Chuckling at Sakshi's bewilderment, the frisky girl grabs her hand and nudges her along in order to abandon the dismal lane as soon as possible "Oh come along…didi…if not, I shall definitely miss my tanga to Mirgaon…"

Just as the girls hasten along, Shera unwittingly trips on the outstretched leg of a drunken man lazing on the ground. Briefly taken aback by the mishap; they stop in their tracks in order to apologize to the bawling anguished man. Staggering up slowly; the immodest man glares at the regretful faces of the two friends for a few moments and then unexpectedly grabs Shera by her wrist.

Shocked by his insolence; the irate girl glowers at his clasp and then warns him in a stern tone "Please leave me alone sir... leave me alone... I request you... or... or..."

Seizing her other wrist tightly, the man sniggers "Or... what would you do pretty girl... why don't you come along with me..."

Desperately striving to hide her repugnance; Sakshi grabs Shera by her arms hoping to help tug the girl away from the man, as she requests him "We didn't mean to hurt you sir... please just leave us alone... we shall leave from here immediately..."

Refusing to give in to the pleas or threatens of the two girls; the inebriate man adamantly harshens his grip around Shera, resulting in a conspicuous scuffle between the three. Attracted by the proposition of a potential scandal, other spiteful men from the street gather around the trio to entertain themselves with the new development. While the isolated young ladies battle to escape, they mark the slow gathering of the atrocious mob in horror. Instantly recognizing some of the audience to be Agni's friends; the vulnerable Shera hopes they would come to her rescue, only to be let down again.

As the crowd break out into gradual sniggers at the sight of the struggling girls, the now forlorn Sakshi chides Shera "This is why I warned you so many times that we should not have taken this route... this is the second instance that I am facing something like this..."

Feeling sorry for her friend and rapidly weighing the growing perils of the situation; Shera wastes no further time. Gathering all her might, she pushes away the ruffian holding her and unveils a shining knife from within her cotton bag. Firmly pointing it towards the brute, she cautions him repeatedly "Stay away from us... I warn you... stay away... stay away..."

Lacking any sense of judgement, the disoriented man lunges forward and finds himself directly subjected to the piercing thrust of the daring girl's weapon in his shoulder. As the injured man falls to the ground crying out in torment, the unruly throng surrounding the two friends grow enraged by attack of two Shramik girls on a fellow Aryavarth.

Realizing the escalating ferocity of the savages around them; the two young ladies stare at each other pitifully, combating to preserve their sanity and spirit. As they mentally deliberate over various plans of escape from the quandary that they were in, they fearfully observe four thugs stepping forward from the crowd towards them. Goring at the malevolent faces of the men; Shera and Sakshi dodge their advances many times over, in vain hope that someone or something would come to their rescue soon.

Eventually; two men manage to grab Sakshi by her arms, while two others clutch the evasive Shera by her neck, as they yell aloud "From when did two Shramik girls find the daunt to injure a noble Aryavarth? We will take pleasure in punishing you for this..."

In spite of the two victims investing the entire might of their strength to wrestle and free themselves from the menacing clench of their culprits; they find the potency of their force too meek to resist the dominance of four men. Further entangled into the strong hold of the four men, Sakshi and Shera are forcefully hauled away from the streets.

The cheering hollers by the thugs and the cries of pleas for help by the girls are interrupted by a booming female voice echoing through the streets "Two helpless girls walking by in broad daylight and this is the only behaviour that can be expected from you… how abominable that Aryanagar has to see days like this!"

Slowly parting open to view the source of the challenge, the group become surprised to be confronted by a middle-aged Shramik woman standing behind them, displaying her defiance with a wooden pole. As the unruly men erupt into uncontrollable laughter at the remarkably tame hurdle, the writhing Shera and Sakshi agonizingly observe the tearful eyes of the pained mother.

Gauging the dread in her daughter's and Shera's eyes; the wrathful Pari responds to the frivolous guffaws of the rowdies, by hollering authoritatively "Before even one of you dares to raise your hand on any one of these girls… you will have to face me first…"

Amidst her tuffles; Shera watches the futile yet valiant attempts of Pari to free them, cursing her irony of having been forced into revealing information against the very family that now demonstrated the nobility to stand by her side. Unable to look into the warm eyes of the selfless mother anymore; the tortured Shera discovers that her battle with her conscience was more arduous than the battle against the two men restraining her.

Ultimately reaching the end of the comparatively deserted pathways; the mob and their captives are caught unaware as they come face to face with an abandoned royal white steed neighing energetically. While the reckless men stare at each other in confusion for a short period; the shivering confined young ladies continue to peer at each other, in angst. As the unmoved group shake their heads and decide to proceed, one of the men discerns a resplendent handsome figure decked in emerald green attire, casually emerging from behind the tall animal. Taking magnificent calculated strides; the youngest of the princes pats his faithful pet and then calmly walks towards the crowd to slowly raise his head, revealing his stormy eyes.

Noticing their first ray of hope in the form of the dauntless Veer's advent; the tearful Sakshi exhibits a great sigh of relief, while the disturbed Shera rejoices ambiguously at the thought of the mere possibility of their escape. Intimidated by the unwanted arrival; all the raucous men, including Agni's friends, remain hushed for many moments.

Angling over slightly; Veer surveys the battered Pari striving to regain her consciousness and the piteous state of Sakshi and Shera, muffled and constrained by the cruel party.

Struggling to control his explosive rage at the deplorable act against the family that he had immense love and respect for; Veer quietly adjusts the rings on his fingers for many tense moments and then looks up, into the eyes of the numerous culprits.

Comprehending that due to his current responsibilities in defence, he could not personally avenge the family's insult or take matters into his own hands anymore; he finally ceases the silence by dictating the usual commands "Leave the two of them alone and then...silently... without any form of rebellion... accompany me to prison..."

Glaring at each other shortly, the crowd then burst forth with a volley of vehement objections "Rajkumar Veer how could you insult us Aryavarths in front of two Shramik girls?" "They raised their hand on an Aryavarth and injured him..." "They deserve to be punished for this..." "We were only bringing them to justice, like is normally done..."

Listening to their resentments; Veer folds his hands to display subtle dominance and then orders the men "Let go of the young ladies... let them narrate their accounts too..."

Being reluctantly released by the group after a short while; the shaken Sakshi immediately explains everything that transpired in accurate detail to the prince.

The young lady then concludes her statements with earnest appeal "Rajkumar Veer; arrest these vile men. They don't allow girls or women to live here in peace. Frequenting this street; they have made life torturous for Shramik girls and women passing through, by deliberately picking on them and troubling them incessantly. Please arrest them and put an end to this!"

Perceiving the just royal listening to the grievances of a lowly commoner, the horde stare at each other in bitter resentment. Gradually judging Veer's intensifying infuriation through his tightly clenched fists, they realize the trouble they could face if they lingered around any longer.

As they begin to walk away from the scene disrespectfully, Veer accosts them aloud "Do you really think you would be able to walk away from all this? Why the unnecessary violence and the bloodbath? Just give in...and save me, my time."

Watching the stubborn uncivil crowd walk away, Veer finally gives in to his curbed wrath and bursts forth furiously to grab two of the four prime culprits by their neck. By the sheer might of his wrists; he tows along the two men by their neck and pins them against an adjacent wall, as he screams "Just because you are Aryavrats, you think you can commit crimes against the Shramiks and walk free... well, I would not let this happen in Aryanagar, any longer... I shall teach you such a lesson that you would never think of raising your eyes or hands on any girl or woman in future... ever!"

While the two men gasping for breath painfully uncover how powerful the grip around their necks was, they view the flared vengeance in Veer's eyes in terror. Blinded by rage, as the prince continues to hold them, not minding the gnawing pain from the previous injury in his torso; the motionless spectators grasp the gravity of their dire circumstance.

Recovering from her tribulations; Sakshi helps her mother to her feet, shocked by the condition of the guilty men at the hands of her brother. As the choking men look to the offended Shera pleading for help, the girl responds with a soft vindictive smile.

In a desperate bid to escape imprisonment; one of the observers picks up Veer's sword from the ground and foolishly charges forward to drive the metal into Veer's body. However; the alert prince drops his gagging prisoners to the ground and ducks down, eluding the strike. Meting one hard kick to his assailant, the furious Veer snatches his sword back and slashes the insensate man.

Taking advantage of the strength of their numbers; the remaining men encircle Veer and escalate the violence by employing their respective weapons, which the solitary defender manages to swerve, skirt and evade effortlessly. Fending any form of audacious assail from every direction with his trusted sword; the warrior skilfully incapacitates all his enemies by dislodging their weapons. Reciprocating their vile deeds; the enraged prince inflicts superficial agonizing gashes, maiming all ruffians around him with unmatched proficiency. At the end of his short yet effective achievements; Veer surveys the now sober injured men around him, moaning and wailing in pain. The spared few sensible thugs who don't participate in the physical retaliation; yield to the authority of the prince, with their heads bent down in shame.

Having studied the horrific spectacle from a safe distance for so long; the silent Agni's friends utilize the respite to the violent turmoil, to attempt to cautiously slip away.

However; their short lived relief is interrupted, when Shera catches them leaving and announces her observations aloud "Four men over there… I think they are trying to escape..." she pauses to try and catch Veer's attention again "R...R...Rajkumar Veer..."

Slowly looking up to discover the deceitful men seeking to slip away; the fervent prince weighs his sword and then discharges it with adept prowess. Propelling ahead; the blade lodges in the ground imposingly, blocking the path of the four escapees. The four friends glare at each other and then wisely decide not to withdraw their swords or engage the proficient warrior in combat, temporarily submitting to Veer's might.

Briefly catching up on his breath; Veer walks up to Agni's friends and gradually extracts his weapon from the ground, all the while goring into the eyes of the four men.

Pointing with his sword to a silk shawl adorning the shoulders of one of the four men, Veer requests in a low tone "May I have your shawl please?"

After a brief pause; as the startled male gradually removes his shawl and hands it over, Veer proudly wipes the blood off his sword with the expensive garment and confesses calmly "Actually, I don't want such sinful blood staining even the edge of my blade..."

Having curiously watched their interactions so far; Shera becomes entertained by this retribution to Agni's friends and conceals her face with her veil to stifle her first genuine giggle in many days.

The populace in the street become suddenly diverted by the clamour of metallic clangs and uniform footsteps marching into the street. Veer turns around to notice his personal sentinel that had been dispatched to accompany the commander of Raipur, eventually arrive. Rapidly examining the bloody scene; the muddled troops hasten their steps and encircle both the wounded offenders and those quietly standing at the fringe.

The highest ranking soldier at the scene approaches Veer in order to update him of the situation and receive further instructions "After taking leave of the commander, we were informed by common folk regarding all the turbulence and disturbance happening here. We arrived as soon as possible. Shall we apprehend these men for interrogation Rajkumar?"

Nodding his head to affirm the plan of action; Veer then voices his frustrations in a rigid tone "It was by chance that I was returning from our official meeting and passing by a parallel street, when I was alerted of the problem here. The people here claim that this street or area is very unsafe for girls and women to use even in broad daylight. If there are horrible incidents happening like this always , why isn't there any security here?"

Watching the soldiers rounding the culprits, Veer admonishes "Drunken people from these bar rooms have no right to amuse themselves at the expense of hapless passerbys! Why has no action been taken in the past?" he pauses "From this very day; I want you to ask Sanjaya ji for at least 15 soldiers to be posted across this area, at any time of the day. I don't want to hear of any such things happening again. Is that clear?"

Consenting to his bidding; the soldier replies meekly "Don't worry Rajkumar Veer... I shall let Senapati Sanjaya know about all this... your command shall be followed..."

Recouping their energy; Sakshi and Pari regard the prince's efforts with conspicuous pride, while Shera observes the unfolding episodes in subtle wonder. Soon after; leaving behind his humbled officer, Veer rushes towards Pari and Sakhi to ensure they were fine.

Supporting her injured mother by her shoulders, Sakshi begins to thank the prince "I... I don't know how to... how to... repay..."

Immediately deducing what she was trying to express, Veer shushes them "Didi…don't even think of thanking me…let me drop you both home… maaji needs to be attended to by a Vaidya...I shall take you along... come with me..."

Again recalling all the incidents of that noon; the moved Sakshi gazes at her brother and mutters to herself with immense pride "My saviour…my brave brother..."

Smiling in reply; Veer remains mum, not catching the full purport of what she meant.

After a few moments of pleasant exchanges; Veer gently leads the two gracious ladies towards his horse. Eyeing the tall steed; Pari evaluates the situation and then nods her head to unwillingly refuse her son's company "I sincerely thank you for the offer of help Rajkumar, however; I cannot mount a horse..." As veer begins reasoning with her, Pari dabs the wounds on her elbows and then advices him "Don't worry Rajkumar... I am not alone, Sakshi is there with me... our house is only two streets away and I am not profusely injured...Vaidyaji would come home if requested, don't worry about me..."

While joyously observing the conversations between the mother and son; Sakshi notices the lonely Shera, standing a short distance away.

Following Sakshi's beckons; Shera approaches the close-knit family and folds her palms to thank the lovable mother "Thank you for your help maaji... I don't know what I... I..." Laughing aloud, Pari taps the girl's head gently "Why are you thanking me? Are you not Sakshi's friend? Do you think I would not have done even this much for you? Silly girl... thank the Rajkumar... if not for him... we would all have been vanquished today..."

Keeping up formalities; Shera shows her gratitude to the prince, aware that he had deliberately not looked in her direction, even once so far "Thank you for everything Rajkumar Veer" gently turning to her friend, she continues "I have to leave now didi... maaji... we shall meet again later..."

Watching the girl begin to walk away all by herself; Pari calls out to Shera, asking her to wait and then modestly suggests to the prince "Rajkumar Veer you wanted to offer us your help...you could actually help Shera... she had to go to Mirgaon to purchase some essential materials for her shop, but she has missed the tanga now... she is all alone too!"

Shocked by the unforeseen intimation, Veer struggles to come up with an answer to forsake the idea "No maaji... she knows... I mean... I... I have some work to attend to..."

Though touched by the lady's concern; Shera senses the situation and then replies chirpily to avoid Veer the embarrassment "I think what Rajkumar Veer means to say is that I should be able to manage by myself" she adds with a smile "Maaji... if that thug was not as fat as he was, don't you think I could have just dealt with him all by myself?"

Entertained by Shera's exaggerated claims; Sakshi and Pari begin laughing aloud, while Veer scoffs to himself at her comments in disbelief. Eventually judging by their reactions that the prince and Shera were possibly not on very good terms; Pari and Sakshi leave the matter alone and bid the prince farewell "We shall take your leave now Rajkumar Veer... and hope to see you sometime soon..."

Smiling at the two ladies as they departed; Veer then turns around to notice the solitary girl casually gliding away, at a distance. Watching her rub her arms as though to comfort herself; the nobility in the proud prince's nature makes him gradually perceive that she might still be disturbed, after the horrifying ordeal. Vainly trying to convince himself for a short while that it would be fair to let her proceed alone; Veer then darts around for any signs of a guard, to accompany her. Unable to find any soldier around, Veer reprimands himself for having sent away all his men with the culprits.