Dick, in fact, was continuing his preparations for his work. He knew
that ignorance of any trifling detail which would, as a matter of
course, be known to every native, would excite more surprise and
suspicion than would be caused by a serious blunder in other matters;
and he wrote down, in a notebook, every scrap of information he
obtained, so as to learn it by heart at his leisure.
Rajbullub was much surprised at the lad's interest in all these little
matters, which, as it seemed to him, were not worth a thought on the
part of his lord's nephew.
"You will never have to buy these things, Sahib," he said. "Why should
you trouble about them?"
"I am going to be over here some time, Rajbullub, and it is just as
well to learn as much as one can. If I were to stroll into the market
in Tripataly, and had a fancy to buy any trifle, the country people
would laugh in my face, were I ignorant of its name."
His companion shook his head.
"They would not expect any white sahib to know such things," he said.
"If he wants to buy anything, the white sahib points to it and asks,
'How much?' Then, whether it is a brass iota, or a silver trinket, or
a file, or a bunch of fruit, the native says a price four times as
much as he would ask anyone else.
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