But when he took the bus back to Deogan one afternoon after meeting his father and saw a line of official-looking vehicles parked on the road to the village, all the fears he had ignored for a fortnight returned. Even Bishto, who had seen more than his honest share of government vehicles, stared at them with curiosity.

And among the cars was the distinctive dark green off-roader that was Sorkari Patnaik’s official car. The might of the law had come to Deogan, and Korok felt the fear in the village even before he got off the bus.

He raced to the village, passing a group of men. The hated tripod instrument had returned, and with it charts and maps. The villagers had gathered in the mahji’s clearing. The mahji himself, Korok saw over the top of Deogan’s assembled heads, was talking to Rath, a fat little assistant to Balangir’s Collector. The collector is the most important official in a district, and is in charge of all government schemes and policies, just as the Superintendent of Police, or the Senior Superintendent of Police, the head of the police department in a district. Collector Behera and Sorkari Patnaik were, therefore, the kings of Balangir. If Collector Behera had sent his trusted man Rath, this was an important visit, although not so important that Behera himself had to come. And why should a great man like Behera come to a humble Gond village?

Between Rath and the villagers were a few policemen; others were scattered around Deogan. Next to Rath stood Sorkari Patnaik, and even from the other end of the crowd Korok should see his face shining with sweat. With him were three or four constables with guns. Sorkari Patnaik never went anywhere on his own. He could have sent one of his junior officers, but Patnaik liked being seen in person by the villagers, so that they would not forget to be afraid of him. That was his way.

The mahji had his official look on his face, the one which said ‘If I don’t go to Balangir, Balangir should not come to me!’ But also, and this was rare, he looked worried. Rath had just finished making an announcement over a loudspeaker in his hand, and the Gonds were whispering to one another. Around the mahji assembled senior villagers and headmen from other villages looked puzzled or just shocked, or both.

Korok found his neighbours in the crowd and asked them what had happened. In low murmurs, they told him of the events since the morning. The sorkari men were everywhere, poking the ground and taking measurements with brown sorkari tape. Some, as he discovered, had walked around Devi Hills, fording the two streams to Tel River on foot. Others had been up the hill too.