CHAPTER XXVII.
We travelled from village to village for four days, meeting with noadventure, and in truth I was beginning to be weary of the delay andinactivity, when, on the fifth morning, one of the men we had leftbehind to bring information arrived.
"Peer Khan, Sahib, sends his salam," said he, "and requests you willreturn immediately, as the bunij has been secured, and is about toleave the city."
"Know you aught of who he is?"
"No, I do not, Meer Sahib. I lived at the Bhutteara's, and he and theJemadar were often in earnest conversation about him, but I was not letinto the secret."
"'Tis well," I replied; "refresh yourself, and be ready to accompanyus. How far are we from Saugor?"
"By the way I came, about fourteen coss," said he, "but by a path whichI know, the city is not more than half the distance."
"Then we may be there by evening?"
"Certainly; by noon if you please--and I will conduct you now."
Accordingly, guided by him through a wild track which I should neverhave found alone, we reached Saugor towards evening, and afteroccupying our former ground, I hurried to the Bhutteara's, where I waspretty sure of meeting my friends. Peer Khan was there, and welcomedme. "I was fearful the messenger would miss you," said he; "but, praiseto Alla, you are come."
"And this is our worthy ally, I suppose?" said I, making a salutationto the Bhutteara.
"The same," he answered; "your poor slave Peroo is always happy when hecan serve his good friends."
"I have not forgotten what you are to get, my friend," said I, "and youmay depend on the word of a true Thug for it. Are we sure of the man?"
"As sure," said Peer Khan, "as of those who have hitherto fallen;to-morrow he will take his last look on Saugor."
"Ul-humd-ul-illa!" I exclaimed; "so much the better. And he will be agood bunij, you think?"
"He will be worth seven or eight thousand good rupees to you," said theBhutteara; "and all _nugd_ (ready money) too."
"Good again, friend; but why do you not take to the road? You are alikely fellow enough."
"Oh, I have tried it already," said he, laughing; "I was out on twoexpeditions with Ganesha Jemadar. Do you know him?"
"I have heard of him," I replied; "he is a leader of note."
"He is," said the Bhutteara; "but he is a cruel dog; and to tell thetruth--I fear you will think me a coward for it--I did not like the wayhe treated the poor people he fell in with; so I quitted active work,and only do a little business as you see now, by which I pick up atrifle now and then."
"Well," said I, "you do good, it appears; but beware how you act, andsee that you do not bully poor Thugs out of their money by threateningto denounce them." The fellow winced a little at my observation, butrecovering himself, stoutly protested he had never been guilty of sobase an act.
Peer Khan threw me a sly look, as much as to say, you have hit theright nail on the head; but I did not press the matter further, for wewere completely in his power. "Then," said I, "we start in the morningI suppose?"
"Do so," replied the man; "the Sahoukar goes to Jubbulpoor. It wouldbe as well not to show yourselves for some days, as he might take thealarm, and some people of note have disappeared of late on the road."
"Now," said I to Peer Khan, "we have no further business here, and I amtired; let us go to the camp. We can send two scouts to remain here, togive us intelligence of the Sahoukar's departure, if necessary." Themen were instructed in what they had to do, and we left them and theBhutteara.
"You probed that rascal deeply by what you said," said Peer Khan as wewalked along: "it is the very practice by which he gets his money; thefellow is as rich as a Sahoukar by this means, and never omits to levya contribution on every gang which passes Saugor."
"Then," said I, "my mind is made up as to his fate. Such a wretch isnot fit to live--a cowardly rascal, who sits at his ease, runs no risk,undergoes no fatigue, and yet gets the largest share of any one. Heought to die. What say you to putting him to death?"
"It is a rare plan," replied he; "but how to get him out of the town Iknow not; he is as wary as a fox."
"Oh," said I, "that is more easily managed than you think. The Kafir isfond of money?"
"As fond as he is of his own miserable existence."
"Then, Peer Khan, we have him. Directly we get to the camp I will senda man with a message, which you shall hear me deliver, and if it doesnot bring him, call Ameer Ali a father and grandfather of jackasses."
"Good," said he, laughing; "we will see this rare plan of yours; butI tell you the villain is most wary. I never knew him come out exceptin broad daylight, when there was no danger, and then only to smallparties."
"Here, Junglee," said I to a smart young fellow who always attended myperson; "you know Peroo, the Bhutteara?"
"Certainly; my lord was with him this afternoon. I know his house, forI was in the bazar purchasing some flour, and saw my lord at the shop."
"Good," said I; "then you will have no need to inquire for it. Now goto the Bhutteara, and take my seal-ring with you: mind you don't let itgo out of your hand; tell him, with many compliments from me, that aswe are so sure by his kindness of the bunij in prospect, and have somemoney with us, I will pay him what he asks, if he will come here toreceive it. Say that I do so, as our return by this road is uncertainand may be at a distant period, and that I shall have no means ofsending him the coin; and add, that I do this favour to him, as I amconvinced of his good faith, and have placed implicit reliance in hisassertions. Now, can you remember all this? Mind you speak to him inRamasee,--he understands it."
"Certainly," said the lad; "I know all." And he repeated what I hadtold him word for word.
"That will do," said I, "and here is the ring: now be off,--run, fly,and let us see how soon you will earn two rupees."
"I am gone, Jemadar Sahib," cried he joyfully. "I will be backinstantly."
"That is a sharp lad," said Peer Khan; "he takes one's meaning soreadily. But oh, Meer Sahib, Peroo will never come for that message; heis too old a bird to be caught with chaff."
"Depend on it he will; he will hear the tinkling of the silver, andwill run to it as ever lover did to his mistress's signal. Besides, hehas no chaff in prospect, but rupees, man, rupees. The fellow would runto Delhi for as much."
"We shall see," said Peer Khan. "If it be written in his fate that heis to come, why, Alla help him, come he must, there is no avoidingdestiny. What! Peroo the Bhutteara come out of his house at night tovisit Thugs! I say the thing is impossible; it has often been tried,and failed utterly; the fellow laughed at them, as well he might."
"For all your doubts, Khan," said I, "Inshalla! we will throw earth onhis beard to-night; and as we may as well be ready, call Motee, and twoor three Lughaees; the grave must be dug, and that immediately."
Motee came, but was as desponding of success as Peer Khan. "You willnever take him," he said; "did not Ganesha offer to divide a largebooty here last year, and that Peroo should have a share if he wouldcome to take it? and he sent word that he laughed at our beards, and wehad better leave his share in the hollow of an old tree known to us, orhe would send the whole police of Saugor after us in the morning."
"And so you left the share?"
"We did, and it was a good one too."
"Then Ganesha was an owl, and I will tell him so if I ever meet him.Peroo should not have had a cowree from me; nor will he now unless hecomes to take it."
We were silent for some time, and I could hear the dull blows of thepickaxe, as the sound was borne by the chill night-wind from theplace where the grave was preparing. He will come, thought I, and hisiniquity will be ended: shame on the cold-blooded coward who can sellmen's lives as he does, without striking a blow against them! As I wasthus musing, our messenger was seen, in the dusky light, returningat the top of his speed, and alone. "We told you so!" cried both myassociates triumphantly; "we told you how it would be!" I was vexed,and bit my lips to conceal my chagrin. "Let us hear wha
t he says, atany rate," said I.
"Well, what news, Junglee?" cried I, as he ran up quite out of breath.
"Wait a moment, Jemadar," said he, "till I can speak: I have run hard."
"Here, drink some water: it will compose you. What has happened. Isthere any alarm?"
"Ah, no alarm," replied the lad, "but listen. I went as fast as I couldwithout running, for I thought if I appeared out of breath when Ireached him he might suspect something; so when I got to the town gate,I walked slowly till I reached his shop. He was busy frying kabobs forsome travellers, and told me to go into his private room and wait forhim. In a short time he came to me.
"'Well,' said he, 'what news? Why have you come? The bunij is safe; itwas but just now that one of your scouts came and said he had heardorders given for his departure to-morrow. What do you want?'
"So I repeated your message, word for word as you delivered it tome, and he seemed much agitated. He walked up and down the room forsome time, talking to himself, and I could hear the words 'Ganesha,''treachery,' once or twice repeated. So at last I grew tired of this,and said to him, 'I cannot wait, I have orders to return immediately:will you come or not?' and this stopped him; he turned round and lookedat me severely--
"'Tell me,' said he, 'young man, was Motee-ram present when thismessage was delivered?'
"'No, he was not,' I replied.
"'Did he know it?'
"'No; he had not returned from the town when I received it; at anyrate, neither I nor the Jemadar Sahib saw him.'
"'Was Peer Khan present?'
"'No,' said I stoutly, 'he was not.'
"'But he left this place in company with your master.'
"'He may have done so,' said I, 'but I did not see him; I was preparingthe Jemadar's bedding when he returned, and the message was deliveredto me privately; for after he lay down to rest he called to me anddelivered it: and I may as well tell you that he counted out the moneyfrom a bag which was under his pillow.'
"'How much was there set apart for me?'
"'Two hundred and fifty rupees; he was counting more, but he stoppedshort, put the rest into the bag, and said it would be enough.'
"'And how much is in the bag?'
"'Alla maloom!' said I; 'how should I know anything about it?'
"'Who sleep in the tent with the Jemadar?' he asked, after anothersilence and a few more turns about the room.
"'No one,' said I. 'I sleep across the doorway; but no one is everallowed to enter.'
"'You are a good lad,' he rejoined, 'and a smart fellow. How should youlike to be a bhutteara?'
"'Well enough,' said I; for I wanted to see what he was driving at, andI suspected no good."
"Did you ever hear of such a rascal?" said Peer Khan. "Oh, if we onlyhad him, I would wring the base neck off his shoulders."
"Let him go on," said I; "don't interrupt him."
"Well," continued Junglee, "he paced to and fro again several times,and at last came and sat by me, and took my hand in his. I did not likeit, so I laid my other on the hilt of my dagger, which was concealed inmy waistband.
"'Junglee,' said he to me, 'thou art a good lad, and may be to me ason if thou wilt aid me in this matter. Young as thou art, this bloodytrade can have no charms for thee; besides, I'll warrant your Jemadardoes not make a pet of you as I would, and obliges you to work hard?' Inodded.
"'Ay! it is even so,' said he, 'and thou wouldst be free? speak, boy,and fear not; thou shalt be a son to me. Alla help me! I have neitherwife nor child.' I nodded again.
"'That is right,' continued he; 'although you are ill used, you do notlike to abuse the salt you have eaten, and I like you the better forit. Now listen to me. I will come, but not now. You say you lie at theentrance of the tent--good: you must sleep as sound as if you had takenopium--do you hear? I shall step quietly over you, and I know an oldtrick of tickling with a straw--do you understand?'
"'I do,' said I; 'you would have the large bag.'
"'Exactly so, my son,' said he, 'you have guessed rightly; trust me,I will have it. As I go away I will touch you; you need not follow methen, but you can watch your opportunity.'
"'But the scouts,' added I; 'you have not thought of them.'
"'Oh, I can easily avoid them; the night is dark and cloudy, and no onewill see me; I shall strip myself naked, and throw a black blanket overme.'
"'Then I agree,' said I; 'and I will quit those horrid people andbecome an honest man. Now what am I to say to the Jemadar?'
"'Say,' replied he, 'that the herdsman's flock has often been robbedby the wolf of its fattest sheep; and the herdsman said to himself,I will catch the wolf and put him to death. And he dug a hole, andsuspended a fat lamb over it in a basket, and sat and watched; and thewolf came, and saw from afar off that there was something unusual inthe generosity of the herdsman, and he said to himself, Wolf, thou arthungry, but why should one lamb tempt thee? the time will come whenthou mayest find the herdsman asleep; so wait, although thy stomach isempty. Say this to the Jemadar and he will understand thee.'"
"By Alla! thou hast done well, Junglee," said I, "and thy faithfulnessshall surely be well rewarded. What think you, my friends, of thisvillain?"
"Ah, we are not astonished," cried both, "it is just like him; but,Inshalla! he will fall into his own snare."
"Now," said I, "call two of the scouts;" and they came. After I hadtold them of the plot Peeroo had formed. "My friends," I continued,"you must allow this rascal to come into the camp: one of you lie downclose to my tent, and pretend to be asleep; but have your eyes open,and directly you see him enter, rouse Peer Khan and Motee, and bringthem to the entrance; and do you two then place yourselves one oneach side of the door, so that he cannot see you. I shall feign to beasleep, and shall let him take the bag, though he should even fall overme in doing so; as he comes out you can seize him and hold him fast; dohim no harm till I come; and as for you, Junglee, if you do not sleepas sound as though a seer of opium was in your stomach, I swear by Allayou shall lie in the same grave with him."
"Do not fear me," said the lad; "I have eaten your salt, you are myfather and my mother, you have treated me kindly, and how could Ideceive you? had I intended it, I had not mentioned a word of what hetold me."
"Then we are all prepared," said I. "Did he say when he would come?"
"He did," said Junglee; "in the second watch of the night, when he hadno more business."
"Good; then mind you are all ready, and we will spit on his beard."
Anxiously to me did the hours pass, till the time came when I mightexpect him. I went out of my little tent repeatedly to see that allwere at their proper posts, and returned as often, satisfied that theywere. Peer Khan was lying near my tent apparently in a sound sleep, butI knew he was awake; the scouts were wandering lazily about; above all,the night was so dark that I could not see my hand before me, and thesplashing and murmuring of the tiny waves of the lake upon the shorewould prevent any noise of his footsteps being heard. "Yes," I said,half aloud, as I retired to my carpet for the last time, "he will come;thief as he is, he will not miss such a night as this; but the darknessfavours us as much as it does him."
"Now, Junglee," said I, "this is the last time I stir out; mind yourwatch, my good lad, and I will not forget you; Peer Khan is close atthe back of the tent: I care not much about the rest, they will soon becollected when he is caught."
"Do not fear me," said the boy; "my eyes are not heavy with sleep, andwhen I move from this spot to call Peer Khan, a rat will not hear me."
I went in and lay down; I drew my trusty blade and laid it close tomy right hand, so that I could grasp it in a moment; and coveringmyself up with my quilt, as well to hide it as to assure me when hecame (for I knew he would endeavour to pull it off me), I continued tostare steadfastly on the entrance of the tent; and my eyes becomingsensible of the greater darkness of the inside than of the outside, Iwas certain that if any one entered, or even passed the door, I shouldsee him. Long, long did I lie in this position
; I hardly stirred, lestPeeroo should be outside listening whether I was awake. It was now, Iguessed, considerably past midnight; still no one came, and I shouldhave been inclined to despair, did I not feel certain that his fatewould lead him to destruction. Why is it, Sahib, that one has thesepresentiments? I have often felt them during my lifetime, but I nevercould account for them.
At last he came. I saw an object darken the doorway, hesitate for amoment, and then pass in over the body of Junglee, who snored so loudlyand naturally that I could have declared he was asleep, had I notknown the contrary by having spoken to him a short time before. Alla!Alla! Sahib, how my heart beat!--I could hear its throbbings, and theyseemed to be so loud in my breast that I thought he would hear themtoo. Another thought flashed across me--could he be armed? and would heattempt to destroy me? It might be; and I almost trembled as I thoughthow I was to lie inactive and in his power while he abstracted thebag; I was on the point of leaping up and passing my weapon throughhis body, but I dismissed the idea. He is a thief, a miserable thief,and has not courage to bring a weapon, much less to use it; and hewill want both his hands too--he cannot have one. So I lay quiet, withmy hands on the hilt of my sword. The tent was very low, and he wasobliged to advance stooping: he reached my side and knelt down, and asI feigned the hard breathing of sleep, I felt his warm breath when helooked over me and into my eyes to see whether I really slept or not.He appeared satisfied that I did, for he instantly thrust his handunder the pillow, but so quietly that I could not have felt it had Ibeen asleep: but the bag was not on that side, it was under my otherear; he felt it, but found, I suppose, that he could not abstract itwithout his awakening me; so he felt about on the ground for a pieceof straw or a blade of grass, and began tickling my ear on the sidenext to him. I obeyed the intention of the action, and turned towardshim with a grunt: it startled him, and he was still for a moment: butagain his hand was groping; I felt the bag recede--recede till it waswithdrawn from the pillow; I heard the clink of the money as he placedit on his shoulder, and I was content: I saw too that Junglee was notat the door (though when he had gone I know not--having been too muchoccupied by my own situation), and that the Bhutteara was aware of it.He stopped, and murmured in a low tone, "Strange that he should begone; but he knows the way and will not disappoint me." Another step,and he was beyond the threshold, and in the rough grasp of Peer Khan,Motee, and a dozen others.
"Capitally managed!" cried I, as I ran to the door and joined thegroup: "strike a light, one of you; let us see the face of this Roostumamong thieves--a fellow who dares to rob a Thug's camp and defy him tohis beard."
A light was brought, and there stood the trembling wretch, with the bagof rupees still on his shoulder, and clutching it as though it werehis own. "Ha!" said I, "so it is you, Peeroo, and the wolf who was sowary has fallen into the hands of the shepherds at last; he would nottake the little bait, but the large flock was well watched, and he hasfallen into the trap. And now, rascal," I continued, "thou wouldsthave robbed us, and dost deserve to die, yet upon thy answers to thequestions I will put to thee depends thy life or death."
"Name them, oh name them!" said the wretch; "let me live,--I will setoff without delay, I will even accompany you; you may turn me out fromamong you in the jungle, and if ever my face is seen in Saugor again oron this road, deal with me as ye list."
"Very good," said I; "now answer the following questions. Is the bunijyou have promised false?"
"As true as that I breathe: ah, Meer Sahib, have not your men seen thepreparations, and will not you hear the same to-morrow from them? howcould you doubt it?"
"How much money will you give us to let you go? I want two thousandrupees."
"Ai Mere Sahib! Mere Sahib!" cried the wretch; "two thousand rupees!where am I to get them? I have not a cowrie in the world."
"It is a lie," said Motee and several others; "you have thousandsof rupees which you have bullied poor Thugs out of; we could name ahundred instances in which you have taken money from us: how dare youdeny it?"
"Look here," said I, "here is the roomal, and you know the use of it;say whether you will give the money or not."
"I will give it," said he; "I will swear on the pickaxe to do so, anddo you come with me and take it."
"Ay," said I, "and be taken too ourselves! no, no, friend Bhutteara, donot try to throw dust on our beards after that fashion. Inshalla! thepeople who could catch you have sharper wits than you seemed to givethem credit for: no, man, I was but joking with thee--where is all thywealth concealed?"
"You may kill me if you will," said he, "but I give no answer to thatquestion."
"Ah, well," cried I, "you may think better of it when you are choking;now you two hold him fast, and take the bag off his shoulders." Theydid so. I threw the roomal about his neck, and tightened it till he wasalmost choked: he made several attempts to speak, and at last I relaxedmy hold a little; but he could not utter a word--fear of death hadparalyzed his powers of utterance.
"Give him some water," said I, "it will wash down his fright." Hetook it, and fell at my feet, and implored me to spare him. I spurnedand kicked him. "Where is the treasure?" I said: "you have felt thetightening of the roomal once, beware how you risk it again: where isthe treasure?"
"Promise to let me live and I will tell," cried the Bhutteara,trembling in every limb.
"I will promise," said I; "you shall remain here, and I will sendpeople to bring it; you well know we have no time for delay, and if youtrifle with us you know the result--you have already half felt it."
"Where is Motee-ram? he knows the spot."
"Liar! I know it not," cried Motee, stepping forward; "do you wish tomake me out to be a participator in your base gains?"
"You know the spot," continued the Bhutteara, "but you do not knowthat there is aught there; you remember the old hollow mango-tree onthe other side of the town, where you left the last share I got fromGanesha?"
"I do."----"Well, then, you must dig in the hollow of the trunk; abouta cubit deep you will find all I have--gold, silver, and ornaments."
"Now," said I, "villain, I have kept my word, you _shall_ remain here;the grave is dug which shall hold thee, and has been ready for hours:I swore that I would spit on thy beard before morning, and Bhowanee,whose votaries thou hast bullied and threatened, has delivered theeinto my hands:" and I spat on him; all the men who were near me did thesame. "Again," cried I, "hold him fast, and bring the tobacco." He knewthe fatal jhirnee, and struggled to be free; but he was a child in thepower of those who held him--in an instant more he was dead!
"Off with you, Motee!" cried I; "take ten men and go to the spot hementioned; he may have told the truth, and we shall be the richer forit; then will many a man cry 'Wah! Wah!' when he hears of this deed."
The body was taken away and buried, the grave was smoothed over andbeaten down, the place plastered over, some fire-places made, and fireslighted to blacken them, and our work was concealed. Now did not thatvillain deserve his fate, Sahib? To my perception, his cold-bloodedwork was far worse than our legitimate proceedings; and as for histreachery, he paid the forfeit of it.
It was a fearful revenge, said I; but you spoilt the justice of it byyour vile love of plunder. Why should you have promised him his life,and then have murdered him? that was base.
I did not promise it to him; I said he should remain where he was, andhe did remain--ay, he is there now.
It was a nice distinction certainly, Ameer Ali, and only showsthe more how little you are to be trusted. But how did you get onafterwards,--had he told the truth about his money?
He had, replied the Thug. Long before morning Motee returned, androusing me, poured at my feet a heap of gold and silver coins,necklaces, armlets, bracelets, and anklets. They were worth nearlythree thousand rupees, and not one article of them was there but hadbeen given him by Thugs. Motee, Peer Khan, and others recognised mostof the property. We melted all the ornaments, and divided the whole atour next stage, and it was a good booty, and enriched us f
or a longtime; indeed I may say it lasted till our return home.
And the Sahoukar, I asked, was the news true about him?
Oh, quite true, said Ameer Ali; I will tell you of him. We left Saugorearly, and at a short distance on the road sat down to eat the goor, asis usual with us after any adventure. While we were thus employed, oneof the scouts came up, and told us the joyful news that the Sahoukarhad left the town, and was close behind us, and that the other, whosename was Bhikaree, had taken service with him as far as Jubbulpoor asan attendant, to watch at night while the Sahoukar slept.
"And how does he travel?" I asked.
"He is on a tattoo, a good strong beast," said the scout, "and hastwo others laden with him, and there are four men besides himself andBhikaree."
"Good," said I. "Now, my lads, we must push on; the Sahoukar must seenothing of us for some days, and till then I shall avoid all others."
We hastened on, and got to the end of our stage. Three days wetravelled quietly, and from time to time observed the omens; they wereall favourable, and cheered us on. On the fourth, as if by accident,we contrived to fall in with the Sahoukar and his people; our faithfulBhikaree we rejoiced to see in his train. It was in the road that wemet with him, or rather allowed him to overtake us, and the usualsalutations passed. I was well dressed and well mounted, and looked asoldier. He inquired our destination and business, to which the oldstory was answered, and we proceeded merrily along. The Sahoukar was afat, jolly fellow, and witty in his way, and stories were interchanged,and we all laughed heartily at his jokes. It is astonishing, Sahib, howsoon these trifles engender good will and friendship among travellers:the loneliness of the road and the weariness of the stage are forgottenin such pleasant conversation: and before we had reached the end of thestage we were as great friends as though we had travelled together formonths, or known each other for years. A kind farewell was interchangedas we parted at the village; he to put up inside it, in the bazar, andwe to our old plan of encampment.
"To-morrow," said I to the assembled men, "is a good day, it is Friday:we must finish this business." All were agreed upon it, and at midnightthe Belhas and Lughaees went on, the former to choose a spot for theaffair, and the latter to dig the grave.
At daylight, a man (our Bhikaree it was) came to say the Sahoukar wouldwait for us at the other side of the village, and begged we wouldbe quick, as he liked our company, and wished for the safety of ourescort. "I have been frightening him a little," continued he, "and intruth he has been in alarm ever since he left Saugor, for he had heardof the disappearance of some parties on the road last year; so when wemet you yesterday he was highly delighted, and afterwards spoke warmlyof you, Jemadar Sahib, and said he could feel no fear in your society."
"Well done," cried I; "thou too hast played thy part well, and it shallnot be forgotten; but, my friends, the Sahoukar waits, and we hadbetter be moving; do you all surround his party as you did yesterday;ply them with tales and stories, and keep their minds quiet."
"Jey Bhowanee! Jey Ameer Ali!" was the shout of the party as we quittedthe ground and took our way to the spot where the Sahoukar awaited us.
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