Convincing Arguments

By Sri Kumar G

“Now tell us your highness. Whatcha gonna be doing with the information?” asks Eli.

“I intend to rob a train in my homeland.” said the prince.

“What kinda Prince are ya tryna be robbing your own people?” said Eli.

“I do not intend to rob my people sir. As you know the E.I.C trades the barrels all over the world and is getting richer every day. They control the most water in the world. They are doing that by starving my people and taking away our water. They are filling the barrels from the rivers flowing from the Himalayas and shipping them off to the Port in a train. This train. It is a humongous one. We have never seen anything like that before. It is 10 times the size of this train and there is no way of stopping that train. We do not know how it works. How it moves. The sound of it moving still scares us all. We tried blocking its path with boulders and it crushed them into sand. Our weapons have been redundant in destroying the rails. My people need a way to stop that train. Only then can we save the water and quench years of thirst. The people working for the E.I.C would often come to our Palace and sometimes would tell us about the tales of the west. How the brave gangs here stop and rob trains. My father surrendered to the E.I.C in exchange that I get to travel west and learn of a way to stop the train in the guise of an adventure. I need this information to save my people. My offer still stands. Tell me how to stop the train and I’ll give you gold. As much gold your heart desires.” said the prince with a tinge of desperation.

“What good is gold for us when you’ve just told us you got barrels full of E.I.C water?” said Ada.

“I see. That changes the equation. In that case, rob the train for me and I shall give you 80 barrels of the water.” said the prince.

“Rob the train. For you? In India?” Jesse asked, surprised.

“But of course, Mr. Cole. Here I stand before the presence of those who have succeeded in robbing a train. Travel with me to my homeland and stop the big train for me and I shall ensure your safe return with 80, apologies… 100 barrels of fresh E.I.C water. Do we have an understanding? said the prince, extending his hand.

“Give us a minute would ya, your Highness”? said Ada and the DeLuna gang gather around her in a huddle.

“This could be legit boys. Think of what Eli said he heard on the boat. This country is gonna go to war over slaves. They’re hunting down our kind and enlisting them in war. We could escape the whole mess before it even begins. We go east and make ourselves a fortune” said Ada to her gang.

“How do we know it’s legit ma?” Said Irvin.

“Yeah, we don’t know if it still isn’t a trap.” Said Eli. “We’ve never been to the east. Ever.”

“Rose, you were talkin’ to his companion right. The red coat. What’d he say?” asked Ada to Emily Rose.

“Well, he said pretty much the same. He worked for the company due east. He was asked by his commander to protect some prince. He sounded legit.” said Emily Rose.

“If he’s got 100 barrels to bargain then he’s prolly got a 100 more too.” Said Frank.

“Yeah, maybe he does.”

“Alright. We take him to Jamestown. We find that red coat bodyguard of his. It’s true. We’ve never been to the east. But the west is at war. If anything, we leave this land in a time of war and save our skins. If what this prince is saying is true, we come back rich men and women.”

The gang gets out of the huddle and agrees to the terms of the prince. The prince and the DeLuna gang make their way to Jamestown to get Mr. Smith and from there to India. The prince succeeded in his quest to gather help to save his people.

By Sri Kumar G