CHAPTER XXVIII.
"Ram! Ram! Meer Sahib," was the salutation of the Sahoukar as we metat the spot whither Bhikaree had guided us. "Ram! Ram! I am glad youhave condescended to keep company with your poor servant, for truly thesweet savour of your fluent discourse has left a longing in my heartto hear more of it, and happily I am so far favoured."
I returned the usual compliments, and we set forward on our journey.Gradually my band arranged themselves around their new victims. Allwere at their places, and I eagerly looked out for the first scout whoshould give us intelligence that the bhil was ready. A strange feelingit is, Sahib, that comes over us Thugs at such moments: not a feelingof interest or pity for our victims, or compunction for the deed we areabout to do, as perhaps you might expect to hear, but an all-absorbinganxiety for the issue of the adventure, an intense longing for itsconsummation, and a dread of interruption from passing travellers; andthough I had become now callous in a great measure, still my heartwas throbbing with anxiety and apprehension, and my replies to theSahoukar's witty and jolly remarks were vague and abstracted: my wholethoughts were concentrated upon the affair in hand, and it was not tobe wondered at. He remarked my altered behaviour, and I rallied myself,and was soon able to amuse him as I had done before.
"Ah! that is like yourself, Meer Sahib," said he, as I had just givenutterance to a joke which caused his fat sides to shake,--"that is likeyourself. Why, man, whose face did your first glance on awaking fromsleep rest on? Surely on some melancholy being, and you have partakenof his thoughts ever since."
"I know not, Sethjee," I replied; "but you know that a man cannotalways command the same evenness of temper, and I confess that mythoughts were far away, at my home."
"Well," said he, "all I wish for you and myself is a safe return toour homes, for this travelling is poor work, and I have been unluckyenough to start on a very indifferent day after all my waiting. I haddetermined on leaving Saugor nearly a month ago, but on consulting theastrologer, he delayed me from time to time, declaring this day was badand that day was worse, until I could stay no longer: and it was allto little purpose, and I pray Naraynu to protect me and you from allThugs, thieves, and Dacoos."
"Ameen," said I; "I respond to your prayer most fervently, for I am onmy way to my service, where we chance often to get harder knocks thanwe can bear. But do they say there are Thugs on the road, and who orwhat are they? the term is new to me."
"Why truly I can hardly tell you, Meer Sahib. The Thugs, they say, arepeople who feign one thing or other, till they get unwary travellersinto their power, and then destroy them; I have heard too that theyhave handsome women with them who pretend distress on the roads, anddecoy travellers who may have soft hearts, to help them; then theyfasten on them, and they have some charm from the Shitan which enablesthem to keep their hold till their associates come up, despite ofall the efforts of the person so ensnared to gain his liberty. Andthat either thieves, or Thugs, or rascals of some kind or other doinfest the highways is most true, for many travellers disappear in anunaccountable manner. But I do not fear; I am in the company of honestmen, and we are a large party, and they must be stout men or devils whowould assail us."
I laughed inwardly at the Sahoukar's idea of Thugs, and had no doubtthat Ganesha Jemadar was, if the truth were known, at the bottom ofthe disappearance of the travellers. But I answered gaily, "Ah! nofear, my friend. These Thugs, as you say, may now and then light uponan unsuspecting single traveller and kill him, but no one would dareto touch a party like ours; and, Inshalla! if any appear, we will letdaylight into some of their skins; there is nothing I love better thanmaking keema (mincemeat) of these rascals. I have done so once or twicealready, and I never found them stand when a sword was drawn. Butyonder, I see, is one of my men sitting; I wonder how he got on beforeus. I will ask him. He must have started early to get a rest on theroad;" and as we reached him he slowly raised himself from the ground,and made his salutation to me and the Sahoukar; he appeared tired andacted his part well.
"How is this, Ameer Singh?" said I, "how is it that you are so much inadvance of us?"
"Oh," replied he readily, "a thorn ran into my foot yesterday, and asI knew you would not wait for me, I started at midnight with a fewothers, who said they would be my companions, and we travelled onleisurely; but I could not proceed farther, as my foot was painful, andI determined to wait for the party here to get a lift on a pony."
"You shall have it," said I; "mount the one which carries my baggage,and I will see that a barber examines your foot when we reach the endof the stage. But where are your companions?"
"They said there was a small river in advance, about half a coss off,and they would proceed thither and wash their hands and faces; theybade me tell you that, if I could not follow them, you would find themthere."
"Good," said I, "and I am glad to hear there is water near; we candismount and refresh ourselves, for the stage is a long one: how sayyou, Seth Sahib? You Hindoos are as particular about your morningablutions as we Moslems are."
"True, true," he replied; "the news is welcome, for my mouth is dry,and I have not as yet washed it; we will stop for a short time;besides, my stomach is empty, and I have sweetmeats with me which Iwill share with you, Meer Sahib; it is ill travelling without somethingin the inside."
"A good thought," I replied, "and I shall be glad of them; I usuallybring some myself, but have neglected to do so in this instance."
The scout was right, the rivulet he mentioned was scarcely as far ashe had said, and we reached it after a few minutes' riding; and sureenough there were my men sitting unconcernedly by the edge of thewater, busily discussing a hasty meal of some cakes they had broughtwith them. "Bhillmanjeh, have you cleaned the hole?" I eagerly inquiredof the Belha.
"Manjeh," he replied.
"What did you ask?" said the Sahoukar; "if they have not a clean vesselfor you to drink out of, you can have one of mine."
"Thanks for your kindness," I replied, "but my good fellow here tellsme that he has brought one, and cleaned it ready for me."
We all dismounted; the men rushed into the water, and were each and allbusily engaged in washing their mouths and teeth, and drinking of thepure element which murmured over its pebbly bed beneath their feet;but none of them quitted their stations, and only awaited the signalto do their work. "Is the bhil far distant?" I asked of the Belha whopresented me with a lota of water for the purposes of ablution.
"About an arrow's flight," said he, "down yonder in that thicket; it isa good place, and a well-known one; it was on this spot that GaneshaJemadar had a rare bunij last year. But do not delay for the sun ishigh, and travellers may be coming from the stage before us; this isthe only running water on the road, and all hasten to it to refreshthemselves."
"Then I am ready," said I; "and when you see me close to the Sahoukar,I will give the signal; I see the men are all prepared." And I walkedtowards him.
"Why don't you give the jhirnee?" said Motee-ram to me as I passed him,"we are all waiting for it."
"Now," said I, "be ready; I go to my station." The fellow near whom hewas standing turned round, hearing us converse in a strange language;but he immediately afterwards sat down and resumed the operation ofcleaning his teeth with great assiduity: there were two men behind himwho would shortly save him the trouble!
"Why, Sethjee," said I, "I wonder you do not go up higher; here youhave the water muddied by all the fellows above you. Come with me, andI will show you a deep place where I have just washed, and where thewater is clear."
"Ah, I did not think of it," said he; "I will follow you." He had beenwashing low down, and as I got him into the middle of the party I gavethe jhirnee.
Sahib, though I had not killed a man with the roomal for nearly fouryears, I had not forgotten my old trick: he was dead, I think, ere hereached my feet. Stupid it was in us to delay, and I prevented thelike in future. Every man resumed his employment of washing himselfas though nothing had happened, and there lay the bodies on th
e sand.We were once again fated to be interrupted. Two travellers were seenapproaching, and the bodies were hastily covered with sheets, as ifthose who lay beneath them were asleep; and I cried to the men for someof them to sit and others lie down, and all to feign great weariness.They did so, and the men came up; they were poor creatures, hardlyworth killing, and I proposed to Peer Khan to let them go, but he wouldnot hear of it.
"Let them go!" he cried; "are you mad? Do you not think that thesefellows already suspect who we are? Does a man ever come into thepresence of the dead, be they ever so well covered or disguised,without a feeling that they are dead? and see, some of our men arespeaking to them; they are true bunij, and Davee has sent them."
"As you will," said I; "but there may be more of them."
"Hardly so soon," replied he; "these fellows must have left in thenight to be here so early; but come, let us ask them." And we walked upto them.
"Salam!" said I, "where are you from so early; you have travelled fastif you have come from the stage we hope to reach in the course of theday; how far is it?"
"It is seven long coss," said the man, "and the sun will be high andhot before you reach it; but we are in haste, and must proceed."
"Stay," said I, "dare not move till you are allowed; and tell me, howmany travellers put up last night in the village from whence you havecome?"
"Two besides ourselves," replied the other of the two, evidently inalarm at my question. "Why do you ask?"
"Are you sure there were no more?"
"Certain," he replied; "we travelled together from Jubbulpoor, and putup in the same house."
"And how far are they behind you?"
"They will be here immediately I should think, for we started at thesame time, but have outstripped them."
"Good," said I; "now sit down there, and wait till they come."
"Why is this?" cried both; "by what right do you detain travellers? wewill go on."
"Dare to stir at your peril," said I; "you have intruded on us, andmust pay the penalty."
"What penalty? Are you thieves? if so, take what you will from us andlet us go."
"We are not thieves," said Peer Khan; "but stay quiet, we are worse."
"Worse! then, brother, we are lost," cried one to the other; "thesevillains are Thugs; it is even as I whispered to you when you mustneeds stop among them: they have been at their horrid work, and yonderlie those whom they have destroyed."
"Yes," said I, "unhappy men, you have guessed right; yonder lie thedead, and you will soon be numbered with them; it is useless to striveagainst your destiny."
I turned away, for I felt, Sahib--I felt sick at the thoughts ofdestroying these inoffensive people. They might have passed on--butPeer Khan was right, they had detected the dead, though the bodies hadbeen laid out and covered as if the senseless forms were sleeping--butthey lay like lumps of clay. No measured breathing disturbed the foldsof the sheets which covered them, and a glance had been sufficient totell the tale to the unfortunate people who had seen them. But I shookoff the feeling as best I could; had I given way to it, or betrayed itsexistence to my associates, the power I possessed over them would havebeen lost--and it was the spirit of my existence.
"They must die," said I to Peer Khan; "you were right, and they hadguessed the truth; but I wish it had been otherwise, and the lazyLughaees had done their work quickly; they might have passed on, and wehave had a good morning's work without them; they are not worth having."
"I would not exchange places with them for anything you could name,Meer Sahib, and perhaps it were well to put them out of their suspense."
"Do so, Peer Khan, and get the rest with them removed; I will dealwith one of the other two coming up. These fellows are half deadalready with fear, and the others I will fall on in my own way; I hatesuch passive victims as these will be."
Peer Khan and another went to the miserable wretches, who remainedsitting on the ground where we had left them. I watched them; theystood up mechanically when they were ordered to do so, and stretchedout their necks for the fatal roomal, and were slain as unresistinglyas sheep beneath the knife of the butcher. The rest of the travellerswere not long coming, and were only two, as the others had said.
"Now," said I to Motee, "these fellows must be dealt with at once: youtake one, I will the other; they must not utter a word."
"I am ready," said he; and we arose and lounged about the road. Thetravellers came up. One was a young and the other an old man. I markedthe young one, and as he passed me a Thug laid hold of his arm; heturned round to resent it, and I was ready. These too were carriedaway, and after collecting our dispersed party, we once more pursuedour route without interruption.
It had been a good morning's work. The Sahoukar was as rich as theBhutteara had said, and four thousand three hundred rupees greetedour expectant eyes as the contents of the laden ponies were examined:besides these there were six handsome shawls, worth better than athousand more, and a few pieces of cotton cloth, which were torn up andimmediately distributed. The other four travellers had upwards of ahundred rupees, a sum not to be despised, and which I divided equallyamong the band, reserving the large booty, and adding it to the sum wehad already gained.
Confessions of a Thug Page 29
