by G. A. Henty
CHAPTER XIX.
Now alone, Bathurst threw himself down among the bashes in an attitudeof utter depression.
"Why wasn't I killed with the others?" he groaned. "Why was I not killedwhen I sat there by her side?"
So he lay for an hour, and then slowly rose and looked round. There wasa faint light in the sky.
"It will be light in another hour," he said to himself, and he again satdown. Suddenly he started. Had someone spoken, or had he fancied it?
"Wait till I come."
He seemed to hear the words plainly, just as he had heard Rujub'ssummons before.
"That's it; it is Rujub. How is it that he can make me hear in this way?I am sure it was his voice. Anyhow, I will wait. It shows he is thinkingof me, and I am sure he will help me. I know well enough I could donothing by myself."
Bathurst assumed with unquestioning faith that Isobel Hannay was alive.He had no reason for his confidence. That first shower of grape mighthave killed her as it killed others, but he would not admit the doubtin his mind. Wilson's description of what had happened while he wasinsensible was one of the grounds of this confidence.
He had heard women scream. Mrs. Hunter and her daughter were the onlyother women in the boat. Isobel would not have screamed had thosemuskets been pointed at her, nor did he think the others would have doneso. They screamed when they saw the natives about to murder those whowere with them. The three women were sitting together, and if one hadfallen by the grape shot all would probably have been killed. He feltconfident, therefore, that she had escaped; he believed he would haveknown it had she been killed.
"If I can be influenced by this juggler, surely I should have felt ithad Isobel died," he argued, and was satisfied that she was still alive.
What, however, more than anything else gave him hope was the pictureon the smoke. "Everything else has come true," he said to himself; "whyshould not that? Wilson spoke of the Doctor as dead. I will not believeit; for if he is dead, the picture is false. Why should that thing ofall others have been shown to me unless it had been true? What seemedimpossible to me--that I should be fighting like a brave man--hasbeen verified. Why should not this? I should have laughed at suchsuperstition six months ago; now I cling to it as my one ground forhope. Well, I will wait if I have to stay here until tomorrow night."
Noiselessly he moved about in the little wood, going to the edge andlooking out, pacing to and fro with quick steps, his face set ina frown, occasionally muttering to himself. He was in a fever ofimpatience. He longed to be doing something, even if that something ledto his detention and death. He said to himself that he should not careso that Isobel Hannay did but know that he had died in trying to rescueher.
The sun rose, and he saw the peasants in the fields, and caught the noteof a bugle sounding from the lines at Cawnpore. At last--it had seemedto him an age, but the sun had been up only an hour--he saw a figurecoming along the river bank. As it approached he told himself that itwas the juggler; if so, he had laid aside the garments in which he lastsaw him, and was now attired as when they first met. When he saw himturn off from the river bank and advance straight towards the wood, hehad no doubt that it was the man he expected.
"Thanks be to the holy ones that you have escaped, sahib," Rujub said,as soon as he came within speaking distance of Bathurst. "I was inan agony last night. I was with you in thought, and saw the boatsapproaching the ambuscade. I saw you leap over and swim to shore. I sawyou fall, and I cried out. For a moment I thought you were killed. ThenI saw you go on and fall again, and saw your friends carry you in. Iwatched you recover and come on here, and then I willed it that youshould wait here till I came for you. I have brought you a disguise, forI did not know that you had one with you. But, first of all, sit downand let me dress your wound afresh. I have brought all that is necessaryfor it."
"You are a true fried, Rujub. I relied upon you for aid; do you know whyI waited here instead of going down with the others?"
"I know, sahib. I can tell your thoughts as easily when you are awayfrom me as I can when we are together."
"Can you do this with all people?"
"No, my lord; to be able to read another's thoughts it is necessarythere should be a mystic relation established between them. As I walkedbeside your horse when you carried my daughter before you after savingher life, I felt that this relation had commenced, and that henceforwardour fates were connected. It was necessary that you should haveconfidence in me, and it was for that reason that I showed you some ofthe feats that we rarely exhibit, and proved to you that I possessedpowers with which you were unacquainted. But in thought reading mydaughter has greater powers than I have, and it was she who last nightfollowed you on your journey, sitting with her hand in mine, so that mymind followed hers."
"Do you know all that happened last night, Rujub?" Bathurst said,summoning up courage to ask the question that had been on his lips fromthe first.
"I only know, my lord, that the party was destroyed, save three whitewomen, who were brought in just as the sun rose this morning. Onewas the lady behind whose chair you stood the night I performed atDeennugghur, the lady about whom you are thinking. I do not know theother two; one was getting on in life, the other was a young one."
The relief was so great that Bathurst turned away, unable for a while tocontinue the conversation. When he resumed the talk, he asked, "Did yousee them yourself, Rujub?"
"I saw them, sahib; they were brought in on a gun carriage."
"How did they look, Rujub?"
"The old one looked calm and sad. She did not seem to hear the shouts ofthe budmashes as they passed along. She held the young one close toher. That one seemed worn out with grief and terror. Your memsahib satupright; she was very pale and changed from the time I saw her thatevening, but she held her head high, and looked almost scornfully at themen who shook their fists and cried at her."
"And they put them with the other women that they have taken prisoners?"
Rujub hesitated.
"They have put the other two there, sahib, but her they took toBithoor."
Bathurst started, and an exclamation of horror and rage burst from him.
"To the Rajah's!" he exclaimed. "To that scoundrel! Come, let us go. Whyare we staying here?"
"We can do nothing for the moment. Before I started I sent off mydaughter to Bithoor; she knows many there, and will find out what isbeing done and bring us word, for I dare not show myself there. TheRajah is furious with me because I did not support the Sepoys, andsuffered conditions to be made with your people, but now that all hasturned out as he wished, I will in a short time present myself beforehim again, but for the moment it was better that my daughter should go,as I had to come to you. But first you had better put on the disguise Ihave brought you. You are too big and strong to pass without notice inthat peasant's dress. The one I have brought you is such as is wornby the rough people; the budmashes of Cawnpore. I can procure othersafterwards when we see what had best be done. It will be easy enough toenter Bithoor, for all is confusion there, and men come and go as theychoose, but it will be well nigh impossible for you to penetrate wherethe memsahib will be placed. Even for me, known as I am to all theRajah's officers, it would be impossible to do so; it is my daughter inwhom we shall have to trust."
Bathurst rapidly put on the clothes that Rujub had brought with him, andthrust a sword, two daggers, and a brace of long barreled pistols intothe sash round his waist.
"Your color is not dark enough, sahib. I have brought dye with me; butfirst I must dress the wound on your head, and bandage it more neatly,so that the blood stained swathings will not show below the folds ofyour turban."
Bathurst submitted himself impatiently to Rujub's hands. The latter cutoff all the hair that would show under the turban, dyed the skinthe same color as the other parts, and finally, after darkening hiseyebrows, eyelashes, and mustache, pronounced that he would passanywhere without attracting attention. Then they started at a quick walkalong the river, crossed by the
ferryboat to Cawnpore, and made theirway to a quiet street in the native town.
"This is my house for the present," Rujub said, producing a key andunlocking a door. He shouted as he closed the door behind him, and anold woman appeared.
"Is the meal prepared?" he asked.
"It is ready," she said.
"That is right. Tell Rhuman to put the pony into the cart."
He then led the way into a comfortably furnished apartment where a mealwas laid.
"Eat, my lord," he said; "you need it, and will require your strength."
Bathurst, who, during his walk, had felt the effects of the loss ofblood and anxiety, at once seated himself at the table and ate, at firstlanguidly, but as appetite came, more heartily, and felt still morebenefited by a bottle of excellent wine Rujub had placed beside him. Thelatter returned to the room just as he had finished. He was now attiredas he had been when Bathurst last met him at Deennugghur.
"I feel another man, Rujub, and fit for anything."
"The cart is ready," Rujub said. "I have already taken my meal; we donot eat meat, and live entirely on vegetables. Meat clouds the senses,and simple food, and little of it, is necessary for those who wouldenter the inner brotherhood."
At the door a small native cart was standing with a pony in the shafts.
"You will go with us, Rhuman," Rujub said, as he and Bathurst took theirseats in the cart.
The boy squatted down at Rujub's feet, taking the reins and whip, andthe pony started off at a brisk pace. Upon the way Rujub talked ofvarious matters, of the reports of the force that was gathering atAllahabad, and the madness of the British in supposing that two or threethousand men could withstand the forces of the Nana.
"They would be eaten up," he said; "the troops will go out to meet them;they will never arrive within sight of Cawnpore."
As Bathurst saw that he was talking for the boy to hear, rather than tohimself, he agreed loudly with all that he said, and boasted that evenwithout the Nana's troops and the Sepoys, the people of Cawnpore couldcut the English dogs to pieces.
The drive was not a long one, and the road was full of parties goingto or returning from Bithoor--groups of Sepoy officers, parties ofbudmashes from Cawnpore, mounted messengers, landowners with theirretainers, and others. Arriving within a quarter of a mile of thepalace, Rujub ordered the boy to draw aside.
"Take the horse down that road," he said, "and wait there until wereturn. We may be some time. If we are not back by the time the sunsets, you will return home."
As they approached the palace Bathurst scanned every window, as if hehoped to see Isobel's face at one of them. Entering the garden, theyavoided the terrace in front of the house, and sauntering through thegroups of people who had gathered discussing the latest news, they tooktheir seat in a secluded corner.
Bathurst thought of the last time he had been there, when there had beena fete given by the Rajah to the residents of Cawnpore, and contrastedthe present with the past. Then the gardens were lighted up, and a crowdof officers and civilians with ladies in white dresses had strolledalong the terrace to the sound of gay music, while their host movedabout among them, courteous, pleasant, and smiling. Now the greaterportion of the men were dead, the women were prisoners in the hands ofthe native who had professed such friendship for them.
"Tell me, Rujub," he said presently, "more about this force atAllahabad. What is its strength likely to be?"
"They say there is one British regiment of the line, one of the plumedregiments with bare legs, and one of the white Madras regiments; theyhave a few guns, a very few horsemen; that is all, while there aretwenty thousand troops here. How can they hope to win?"
"You will see they will win," Bathurst said sternly. "They have oftenfought well, but they will fight now as they never fought before; everyman will feel himself an avenger of the foul treachery and the brutalmassacres that have been committed. Were it but one regiment that iscoming up instead of three, I would back it against the blood stainedwretches."
"They are fighting for freedom," Rujub said.
"They are fighting for nothing of the sort," Bathurst replied hotly;"they are fighting for they know not what--change of masters, forlicense to plunder, and because they are ignorant and have been ledaway. I doubt not that at present, confident as they may be of victory,most of them in their hearts regret what they have done. They haveforfeited their pensions, they have thrown away the benefits of theiryears of service, they have been faithless to their salt, and falseto their oaths. It is true that they know they are fighting with ropesround their necks, but even that won't avail against the discipline andthe fury of our troops. I feel as certain, Rujub, that, in spite of theodds against them, the English will triumph, as if I saw their columnmarching into the town. I don't profess to see the future as you do, butI know enough to tell you that ere long that palace you can see throughthe trees will be leveled to the ground, that it is as assuredly doomedas if fire had already been applied to its gilded beams."
Rujub nodded. "I know the palace is doomed. While I have looked at itit has seemed hidden by a cloud of smoke, but I did not think it was thework of the British--I thought of an accident."
"The Rajah may fire it with his own hands," Bathurst said; "but if hedoes not, it will be done for him."
"I have not told you yet, sahib," Rujub said, changing the subject, "howit was that I could neither prevent the attack on the boats nor warn youthat it was coming. I knew at Deennugghur that news had been sent ofthe surrender to the Nana. I remained till I knew you were safely in theboats, and then rode to Cawnpore. My daughter was at the house whenI arrived, and told me that the Nana was furious with me, and that itwould not be safe for me to go near the palace. Thus, although I fearedthat an attack was intended, I thought it would not be until the boatspassed the town. It was late before I learnt that a battery of artilleryand some infantry had set out that afternoon. Then I tried to warn you,but I felt that I failed. You were not in a mood when my mind couldcommunicate itself to yours."
"I felt very uneasy and restless," Bathurst said, "but I had notthe same feeling that you were speaking to me I had that night atDeennugghur; but even had I known of the danger, there would have beenno avoiding it. Had we landed, we must have been overtaken, and it wouldhave come to the same thing. Tell me, Rujub, had you any idea when I sawyou at Deennugghur that if we were taken prisoners Miss Hannay was to bebrought here instead of being placed with the other ladies?"
"Yes, I knew it, sahib; the orders he gave to the Sepoys were that everyman was to be killed, and that the women and children were to be takento Cawnpore, except Miss Hannay, who was to be carried here at once. TheRajah had noticed her more than once when she was at Cawnpore, and hadmade up his mind that she should go to his zenana."
"Why did you not tell me when you were at Deennugghur?"
"What would have been the use, sahib? I hoped to save you all; besides,it was not until we saw her taken past this morning that we knew thatthe Miss Hannay who was to be taken to Bithoor was the lady whom mydaughter, when she saw her with you that night, said at once that youloved. But had we known it, what good would it have done to have toldyou of the Rajah's orders? You could not have done more than you havedone. But now we know, we will aid you to save her."
"How long will your daughter be before she comes? It is horrible waitinghere."
"You must have patience, sahib. It will be no easy work to get the ladyaway. There will be guards and women to look after her. A lady is not tobe stolen out of a zenana as a young bird is taken from its nest."
"It is all very well to say 'Be patient,'" Bathurst said, getting up andwalking up and down with quick angry strides. "It is maddening to sithere doing nothing. If it were not that I had confidence in your powerand will to aid me, I would go into the palace and stab Nana Sahib tothe heart, though I were cut to pieces for it the moment afterwards."
"That would do no good to the lady, sahib," Rujub said calmly. "Shewould only be left without a friend, and th
e Nana's death might bethe signal for the murder of every white prisoner. Ah, here comes mydaughter."
Rabda came up quickly, and stopped before Bathurst with her head bowedand her arms crossed in an attitude of humility. She was dressed in theattire worn by the principal servants in attendance upon the zenana of aHindoo prince.
"Well, what news, Rabda?" Bathurst asked eagerly.
"The light of my lord's heart is sick. She bore up till she arrived hereand was handed over to the women. Then her strength failed her, and shefainted. She recovered, but she is lying weak and exhausted with allthat she has gone through and suffered."
"Where is she now?"
"She is in the zenana, looking out into the women's court, that no menare ever allowed to enter."
"Has the Rajah seen her?"
"No, sahib. He was told the state that she was in, and the chief ladyof the zenana sent him word that for the present she must have quiet andrest, but that in two or three days she might be fit to see him."
"That is something," Bathurst said thankfully. "Now we shall have timeto think of some scheme for getting her out."
"You have been in the zenana yourself, Rabda?" Rujub asked.
"Yes, father; the mistress of the zenana saw me directly an attendanttold her I was there. She has always been kind to me. I said that youwere going on a journey, and asked her if I might stay with her and actas an attendant until you returned, and she at once assented. She askedif I should see you before you left, and when I said yes, she asked ifyou could not give her some spell that would turn the Rajah's thoughtsfrom this white girl. She fears that if she should become first favoritein the zenana, she might take things in her hands as English women do,and make all sorts of changes. I told her that, doubtless, the Englishgirl would do this, and that I thought she was wise to ask yourassistance."
"You are mad, Rabda," her father said angrily; "what have I to do withspells and love philters?"
"No, father, I knew well enough you would not believe in such things,but I thought in this way I might see the lady, and communicate withher."
"A very good idea, Rabda," Bathurst said. "Is there nothing you can do,Rujub, to make her odious to the Nana?"
"Nothing, sahib. I could act upon some people's minds, and make themthink that the young lady was afflicted by some loathsome disease, butnot with the Nana. I have many times tried to influence him, but withoutsuccess: his mind is too deep for mine to master, and between us thereis no sympathy. Could I be present with him and the girl I might dosomething--that is, if the powers that aid me would act against him; butthis I do not think."
"Rujub," Bathurst said suddenly, "there must have been medical storestaken when the camp was captured--drugs and things of that sort. Can youfind out who has become possessed of them?"
"I might find out, sahib. Doubtless the men who looted the camp willhave sold the drugs to the native shops, for English drugs are highlyprized. Are there medicines that can act as the mistress of the zenanawishes?"
"No; but there are drugs that when applied externally would give theappearance of a terrible disease. There are acids whose touch would burnand blister the skin, and turn a beautiful face into a dreadful mask."
"But would it recover its fairness, sahib?"
"The traces might last for a long time, even for life, if too much wereused, but I am sure Miss Hannay would not hesitate for a moment on thataccount."
"But you, sahib--would you risk her being disfigured?"
"What does it matter to me?" Bathurst asked sternly. "Do you think loveis skin deep, and that 'tis only for a fair complexion that we chooseour wives? Find me the drugs, and let Rabda take them into her witha line from me. One of them you can certainly get, for it is used, Ibelieve, by gold and silver smiths. It is nitric acid; the other iscaustic potash, or, as it is sometimes labeled, lunar caustic. It is inlittle sticks; but if you find out anyone who has bought drugs or casesof medicines, I will go with you and pick them out."
"There will be no difficulty about finding out where the English drugsare. They are certain to be at one of the shops where the native doctorsbuy their medicines."
"Let us go at once, then," Bathurst said. "You can prepare some harmlessdrink, and Rabda will tell the mistress of the zenana it will bring outa disfiguring eruption. We can be back here again this evening. Willyou be here, Rabda, at sunset, and wait until we come? You can tell thewoman that you have seen your father, and that he will supply her withwhat she requires. Make some excuse, if you can, to see the prisoner.Say you are curious to see the white woman who has bewitched the Nana,and if you get the opportunity whisper in her ear these words, 'Do notdespair, friends are working for you.'"
Rabda repeated the English words several times over until she had themperfect; then she made her way back to the palace, while Bathurst andhis companion proceeded at once to the spot where they had left theirvehicle.
They had but little difficulty in finding what they required. Many ofthe shops displayed garments, weapons, jewelry, and other things, theplunder of the intrenchments of Cawnpore. Rujub entered several shopswhere drugs were sold, and finally one of the traders said, "I have alarge black box full of drugs which I bought from a Sepoy for a rupee,but now that I have got it I do not know what to do with it. Some of thebottles doubtless contain poisons. I will sell it you for two rupees,which is the value of the box, which, as you see, is very strong andbound with iron. The contents I place no price upon."
"I will take it," Rujub said. "I know some of the English medicines, andmay find a use for them."
He paid the money, called in a coolie, and bade him take up the chestand follow him, and they soon arrived at the juggler's house.
The box, which was a hospital medical chest, was filled with drugs ofall kinds. Bathurst put a stick of caustic into a small vial, and halffilled another, which had a glass stopper, with nitric acid, filled itup with water, and tried the effect of rubbing a few drops on his arm.
"That is strong enough for anything," he said, with a slight exclamationat the sharp pain. "And now give me a piece of paper and pen and ink."
Then sitting down he wrote:
"My Dear Miss Hannay: Rujub, the juggler, and I will do what we can torescue you. We are powerless to effect anything as long as you remainwhere you are. The bearer, Rujub's daughter, will give you the bottles,one containing lunar caustic, the other nitric acid. The mistress ofthe zenana, who wants to get rid of you, as she fears you might obtaininfluence over the Nana, has asked the girl to obtain from her father aphilter which will make you odious to him. The large bottle is perfectlyharmless, and you can drink its contents without fear. The caustic isfor applying to your lips; it will be painful, but I am sure you willnot mind that, and the injury will be only of a temporary nature.I cannot promise as much for the nitric acid; pray apply it verycarefully, merely moistening the glass stopper and applying it withthat. I should use it principally round the lips. It will burn andblister the skin. The Nana will be told that you have a fever, which iscausing a terrible and disfiguring eruption. I should apply it also tothe neck and hands. Pray be very careful with the stuff; for, besidesthe application being exceedingly painful, the scars may possibly remainpermanently. Keep the two small bottles carefully hidden, in order torenew the application if absolutely necessary. At any rate, this willgive us time, and, from what I hear, our troops are likely to be herein another ten days' time. You will be, I know, glad to hear that Wilsonhas also escaped.
"Yours,
"R. Bathurst."
A large bottle was next filled with elder flower water. The trap wasbrought around, and they drove back to Bithoor. Rabda was punctual toher appointment.
"I have seen her," she said, "and have given her the message. I couldsee that she understood it, but as there were other women round, shemade no sign. I told the mistress of the zenana that you had given mesome magic words that I was to whisper to her to prepare the way for thephilter, so she let me in without difficulty, and I was allowed to goclose up to
her and repeat your message. I put my hands on her beforeI did so, and I think she felt that it was the touch of a friend. Shehushed up when I spoke to her. The mistress, who was standing close by,thought that this was a sign of the power of the words I had spoken toher. I did not stay more than a minute. I was afraid she might try tospeak to me in your tongue, and that would have been dangerous."
"There are the bottles,"' Bathurst said; "this large one is for her totake, the other two and this note are to be given to her separately.You had better tell the woman that the philter must be given by your ownhands, and that you must then watch alone by her side for half an hour.Say that after you leave her she will soon go off to sleep; and mustthen be left absolutely alone till daybreak tomorrow, and it will thenbe found that the philter has acted. She must at once tell the Nanathat the lady is in a high fever, and has been seized with some terribledisease that has altogether disfigured her, and that he can see forhimself the state she is in."
Rabda's whisper had given new life and hope to Isobel Hannay. Previousto that her fate had seemed to her to be sealed, and she had only prayedfor death; the long strain of the siege had told upon her; the scene inthe boat seemed a species of horrible nightmare, culminating in anumber of Sepoys leaping on board the boat as it touched the bank, andbayoneting her uncle and all on board except herself, Mrs. Hunter, andher daughter, who were seized and carried ashore. Then followed a nightof dull despairing pain, while she and her companions crouched together,with two Sepoys standing on guard over them, while the others, afterlighting fires, talked and laughed long into the night over the successof their attack.
At daybreak they had been placed upon a limber and driven into Cawnpore.Her spirit had risen as they were assailed by insults and imprecationsby the roughs of the town, and she had borne up bravely till, upon theirarrival at the entrance to what she supposed was the prison, she wasroughly dragged from the limber, placed in a close carriage, and drivenoff. In her despair she had endeavored to open the door in order tothrow herself under the wheels, but a soldier stood on each step andprevented her from doing so.
Outside of the town she soon saw that she was on the road to Bithoor,and the fate for which she was reserved flashed upon her. She rememberednow the oily compliments of Nana Sahib, and the unpleasant thrill shehad felt when his eyes were fixed upon her; and had she possessed aweapon of any kind she would have put an end to her life. But her pistolhad been taken from her when she landed, and in helpless despair shecrouched in a corner of the carriage until they reached Bithoor.
As soon as the carriage stopped a cloth was thrown over her head. Shewas lifted out and carried into the palace, through long passages andup stairs; then those who carried her set her on her feet and retired.Other hands took her and led her forward till the cloth was taken offher head, and she found herself surrounded, by women, who regarded herwith glances of mixed curiosity and hostility. Then everything seemed toswim round, and she fainted.
When she recovered consciousness all strength seemed to have left her,and she lay in a sort of apathy for hours, taking listlessly the drinkthat was offered to her, but paying no attention to what was passingaround, until there was a gentle pressure on her arm, the grasptightening with a slight caressing motion that seemed to show sympathy;then came the English words softly whispered into her ear, while thehand again pressed her arm firmly, as if in warning.
It was with difficulty that she refrained from uttering an exclamation,and she felt the blood crimson her cheeks, but she mastered the impulseand lay perfectly quiet, glancing up into the face bent down close tohers--it was not familiar to her, and yet it seemed to her that she hadseen it somewhere; another minute and it was gone.
But though to all appearances Isobel's attitude was unchanged, her mindwas active now. Who could have sent her this message? Who could thisnative girl be who had spoken in English to her? Where had she seen theface?
Her thoughts traveled backwards, and she ran over in her mind allthose with whom she had come in contact since her arrival in India; herservants and those of her acquaintances passed before her eyes. Shehad scarcely spoken to another native woman since she had landed. Afterthinking over all she had known in Cawnpore, she thought of Deennugghur.Whom had she met there?
Suddenly came the remembrance of the exhibition by the juggler, andshe recalled the face and figure of his daughter, as, seated, upon thegrowing pole, she had gone up foot by foot in the light of the lamps andup into the darkness above. The mystery was solved; that was the facethat had just leaned over her.
But how could she be interested in her fate? Then she remembered thatthis was the girl whom Bathurst had saved from the tiger. If theywere interested in her, it must be through Bathurst. Could he too havesurvived the attack of the night before? She had thought of him, as ofall of them, as dead, but possibly he might have escaped. Even duringthe long night's waiting, a captive to the Sepoys, the thought that hehad instantly sprung from beside her and leaped overboard had beenan added pang to all her misery. She had no after remembrance of him;perhaps he had swum to shore and got off in safety. In that case he mustbe lingering in Cawnpore, had learned what had become of her, and wastrying to rescue her. It was to the juggler he would naturally have goneto obtain assistance. If so, he was risking his life now to save hers;and this was the man whom she despised as a coward.
But what could he do? At Bithoor, in the power of this treacherousRajah, secure in the zenana, where no man save its master everpenetrated, how could he possibly help her? Yet the thought that he wastrying to do so was a happy one, and the tears that flowed between herclosed lids were not painful ones. She blamed herself now for havingfelt for a moment hurt at Bathurst's desertion of her. To have remainedin the boat would have been certain death, while he could have been ofno assistance to her or anyone else. That he should escape, then, if hecould, now seemed to her a perfectly natural action; she hoped thatsome of the others had done the same, and that Bathurst was not workingalone.
It did not occur to her that there could be any possibility of thescheme for her rescue succeeding; as to that she felt no more hopefulthan before, but it seemed to take away the sense of utter lonelinessthat she before felt that someone should be interesting himself in herfate. Perhaps there would be more than a mere verbal message next time;how long would it be before she heard again? How long a respite had shebefore that wretch came to see her? Doubtless he had heard that she wasill. She would remain so. She would starve herself. Her weakness seemedto her her best protection.
As she lay apparently helpless upon the couch she watched the women moveabout the room. The girl who had spoken to her was not among them. Thewomen were not unkind; they brought her cooling drinks, and tried totempt her to eat something; but she shook her head as if utterly unableto do so, and after a time feigned to be asleep.
Darkness came on gradually; some lamps were lighted in the room. Not fora moment had she been left alone since she was brought in--never lessthan two females remaining with her.
Presently the woman who was evidently the chief of the establishmentcame in accompanied by a girl, whom Isobel recognized at once as thejuggler's daughter. The latter brought with her a tray, on which weresome cakes and a silver goblet. These she set down on an oak table bythe couch. The girl then handed her the goblet, which, keeping up theappearance of extreme feebleness, she took languidly. She placed it toher lips, but at once took it away. It was not cool and refreshing likethose she had tasted before, it had but little flavor, but had a faintodor, which struck her as not unfamiliar. It was a drug of some sortthey wished her to drink.
She looked up in the girl's face. Rabda made a reassuring gesture, andsaid in a low whisper, as she bent forward, "Bathurst Sahib."
This was sufficient; whatever it was it would do her no harm, and sheraised the cup to her lips and emptied it. Then the elder woman saidsomething to the other two, and they all left the room together, leavingher alone with Rabda.
The latter went to the door quietly and drew
the hangings across it,then she returned to the couch, and from the folds of her dress producedtwo vials and a tiny note. Then, noiselessly, she placed a lamp on thetable, and withdrew to a short distance while Isobel opened and read thenote.
Twice she read it through, and then, laying it down, burst into tears ofrelief. Rabda came and knelt down beside the couch, and, taking oneof her hands, pressed it to her lips. Isobel threw her arms round thegirl's neck, drew her close to her, and kissed her warmly.--Rabda thendrew a piece of paper and a pencil from her dress and handed them toher. She wrote:
"Thanks a thousand times, dear friend; I will follow your instructions.Please send me if you can some quick and deadly poison, that I may takein the last extremity. Do not fear that I will flinch from applying thethings you have sent me. I would not hesitate to swallow them were thereno other hope of escape. I rejoice so much to know that you have escapedfrom that terrible attack last night. Did Wilson alone get away? Do youknow they murdered my uncle and all the others in the boat, except Mrs.Hunter and Mary? Pray do not run any risks to try and rescue me. I thinkthat I am safe now, and will make myself so hideous that if the wretchonce sees me he will never want to see me again. As to death, I have nofear of it. If we do not meet again, God bless you.
"Yours most gratefully,
"Isobel."
Rabda concealed the note in her garment, and then motioned to Isobelthat she should close her eyes and pretend to be asleep. Then she gentlydrew back the curtains and seated herself at a distance from the couch.
Half an hour later the mistress of the zenana came in. Rabda rose andput her finger to her lips and left the room, accompanied by the woman.
"She is asleep," she said; "do not be afraid, the potion will do itswork. Leave her alone all night. When she wakes in the morning she willbe wild with fever, and you need have no fear that the Rajah will seekto make her the queen of his zenana."
