CHAPTER XXXI.
After all had been completed, we travelled on until we reached a smalland wretched village, some coss from the scene of our late adventure,where, after the customary sacrifice of goor, the considerable booty wehad gained was produced and distributed. There soon arose a discussionas to our future proceedings. Some advised that we should return andgo on to Nagpoor--many indeed were for this, and I also inclinedto it--but Peer Khan gave better counsel, saying that, by our thusgoing backwards and forwards on the same road, we should certainlybe suspected and perhaps attacked; and that to expose ourselves tothis, was not to be put in comparison with any chance of booty: headvised that we should make the best of our way towards Ellichpoor,avoiding that town, and keeping near the hills, until we got outof the jurisdiction of Sulabat Khan, who, if he heard of us, wouldassuredly suspect us of the death of the Nuwab Subzee Khan, who hadbeen his guest, and whose fate was generally known over the countryand attributed with justice to Thugs. After some further deliberationwe all agreed to his plan, and the next day, leaving the high road, westruck into a jungle-track and pursued it; and I was heartily glad,after some days of weary travel, when, arriving at the pass near thedeserted temples of Mookhtagherry, we saw the wide valley of Berarstretched out before us, covered with the still green and luxuriantcrops of jowaree.
For some days previous I had had shiverings and pains all over my body,and my mind was restless and ill at ease. In spite of my efforts tothrow them off, horrible dreams haunted me at night, and the figure ofShurfun constantly presented itself to my fancy--now in the fulnessof her beauty, and now changed and distorted as she must have been indeath; while at one time she was pouring out her tale of love to me,and at another upbraiding me with her fate. I had mentioned this to mycompanions, and many were the ceremonies which they performed over meto drive away the evil spirits which Motee declared had possessed me.But they were of no avail, and on the morning we reached the top of thepass I was so ill that I was obliged to be supported on my horse.
What was to be done? To go into Ellichpoor was to run into the tiger'smouth, and all seemed to be at a loss whither to proceed. However,on clearing the mouth of the glen through which the road ran, someof the men discerned a large village a very short way off, and cameback with the welcome intelligence. I was sitting, or rather lying,at a miserable Goand hamlet on the road; and when I heard the news Iremembered the village they spoke of, which I had passed the morningwe left Ellichpoor with Subzee Khan, though I had forgotten itsname. Thither, therefore, I begged they would carry me, and placingme upon my good horse, I was soon there, and made as comfortable ascircumstances would admit of in the empty shop of a Bunnea. But thefever raged within me; my whole frame was first convulsed with violentshiverings, which were succeeded by intense burnings. I remember nomore of that day, nor indeed of many days after, for I lay insensible,and my spirit hovered between life and death.
The first words I recollect, after that terrible time, were from myfaithful attendant. "Shooke Khoda!" he exclaimed; "at last he hasopened his eyes!" and he ran and called Peer Khan and others to me.
"Where am I?" I faintly asked, for in the violence of the fever I hadforgotten everything.
"Shooke Khoda!" again exclaimed all; "he speaks at last!"
I again repeated my question, and it was answered by Peer Khan. "Why,do you not remember?" said he; "here you are in the good village ofSurrusgaum, within three coss of Ellichpoor; and now that you havespoken all will be right, you will soon recover; but we have been sadlyanxious about you, for a worthy Mussulman, who is a Hukeem, said onlyyesterday that you would die, and bade us prepare for your burial:however, he was wrong, and, Inshalla! you will soon see yourself at thehead of your brave fellows again."
"Alas, Khan, I fear not," said I, "for I am weak and helpless, and yourstaying with me only delays you to little purpose. Leave me to my fate,and if it is the will of Alla that I should recover, I will rejoinyou at our home. I feel that I should be only a useless clog on yourmovements; for if I even get over this fever, I shall scarcely be ableto sit on my horse for many a day to come."
"Forsake you, Meer Sahib--never!" exclaimed all who were sittinground me. "Who will bury you if you die? or who will tend you if yourecover? What words are these? Are you not our brother, and more, ourleader? and what would become of us if we left you?"
"Well, my friends," said I, deeply affected by their kindness, "sinceyou prefer the bed-side of a sick man to roaming in the wide and opencountry, even be it so; a few days will end your suspense, and eitheryou will have to bury me here, or, if it be the pleasure of Alla, Ishall once more lead you to new enterprises."
"But you must be silent," said Peer Khan, "for the Hukeem said so, andtold us if you roused at all to send him word, as he had prepared somemedicine for you, which he would administer, and hoped it would hastenyour recovery. I will go and tell him the good news."
In a short time the Khan returned, accompanied by an old and venerableperson, who, after feeling my head and body, turned to the Khan anddeclared that my state was satisfactory. "But," said he, "as the feverproceeded from cold, which is still in his stomach, we must give himthe medicine I spoke of: I have prepared it, and, being compounded ofheating drugs, it will soon expel the cold, induce perspiration, and,Inshalla! to-morrow he will be a different being, though he will beweak for some time to come."
The draught was prepared, and, though nauseous in the extreme, Iswallowed it, and by his directions covered myself with quilts andhorse-cloths. I was quickly in a profuse perspiration; and when theHukeem, who sat by my side all the time, thought I had been long enoughunder this treatment, he withdrew the coverings one by one, and takingmy wet clothes from me, I soon fell into a sound and refreshing sleep,from which I did not awake till the next morning's sun was shining onmy eyelids.
I felt so much refreshed when I awoke that I arose, but my headswam round and I fell. I did not essay to repeat the exertion; butI was well; I felt that I had thrown off the disease, and I wasthankful. Soon I had an inclination to eat, and after a slight meal ofkicheree I was indeed a different being. Two days more restored me toconvalescence, and I heartily wished to be again on the road towardhome; but travelling on horseback was out of the question, as I couldonly walk a few steps with assistance; so, as Peer Khan volunteeredhis services, I despatched him to Ellichpoor to endeavour to hire apalankeen or dooly with bearers, to carry me a few stages, or as longas I should find them necessary. He returned with them, and the nextday, having remunerated the good Hukeem, I gladly set out once again incompany with my gallant fellows.
We took the best road to Boorhanpoor, that through the valley of Berarand close to the hills; and when we reached the old town of Julgaum,I felt myself so strong that I dismissed the palankeen and once moremounted my good horse. A joyful and inspiriting thing it is, Sahib,to mount one's horse after a long and painful illness, and to feelonce more the bounds of the generous animal under you, as though hetoo rejoiced at his master's recovery. He was, like myself, in highspirits, and I never enjoyed a ride so much as I did on that morning;the cool breeze fanned my thinned cheek as I rode along, now humouringmy horse by allowing him to bound and caracol as he pleased, nowexercising him on the plain, and again rejoicing my band as they walkedmerrily along, apparently under the influence of the same joy as myselfand rejoicing to see me once more at their head.
We met with no adventure till we reached Boorhanpoor, where we arrivedon the tenth day after leaving the village at which I had been sonear dying: indeed we sought none. We found good quarters in one ofthe old serais in the town, and I was determined to stay there untilwe met with something to lead us on. Accordingly, men were daily sentinto the different bazars; but seven days passed in idleness, and Ibegan seriously to think that the death of Shurfun, which, though aninevitable deed, was against my faithful promises, had caused me toforfeit the protection of our patroness: in other words, I feared mygood fortune had deserted me, and for once I proposed a grand sacrificeto Dav
ee and that the omens should be consulted, in order to afford ussome clue to our future proceedings.
It was done, and the omens were good--"Propitious to a degree!" saidMotee, who was our conductor in these matters; "we shall have goodbunij soon, or these would never have been vouchsafed to us."
But another day passed, and still the Sothaees reported nothing. Theday after, however, about noon, Motee came to me. "You may know," saidhe, "that this place, from its wealth, is frequented by Rokurreas, ortreasure-carriers, who bring money from Bombay, and take it into Malwato purchase opium."
"I do," said I; "what of that? I heard as much from my father, who bademe return this way in the hope of picking up some of them."
"Then," said he, "I wish you to come with me, you and Peer Khan; youhave both sharp eyes, and I am much mistaken if I have not discoveredeight of them. I have killed others of their tribe before now, and Ithink I am not wrong when I say that these are some also."
"Good," I replied, "I will come;" and, accompanied by Peer Khan andMotee, we set forth to examine the men whom the latter had spokenof. In an empty shop we found them. Wary as these people are, it washighly necessary that we should not excite their suspicion; so wehurriedly passed them, concealing our faces in our handkerchiefs; yetfrom the casual glance I threw at them I was certain, from their sturdyforms and the one camel they had with them, as well as from a kind ofrestless and suspicious bearing, that they were the men we were insearch of. This was just the season too; they would be bearing treasureto make advances to the poppy cultivators in Malwa, as the seed of theplant would not be sown for another month at least.
I was satisfied; yet how to ensure their company I knew not, and manyschemes passed through my mind before I could determine on anything: atlength I formed one, as I sat with my companions on a flight of stepsleading down to the river, and whither we often resorted to enjoy thefresh breezes and pure air from the noble river which flowed beneathus. "I have been thinking," said I, "what we are to do to secure thesefellows; you know they are proverbially wary."
Both nodded assent. "Well," I continued, "what think you of thefollowing scheme? You and I, Peer Khan, will pretend to be travellers;we will go now to our serai, throw dust and mud over our horses anddirty our clothes, and, taking two men and a pony heavily laden withus, we will go round the city, enter by the gate under the old palace,and pretending to be weary, halt close to them; we shall easily be ableto worm ourselves into their confidence, and will then accompany them.You, Motee, I will leave in charge of the band, and send you word whatroad we are to take. You must be guided by circumstances, and contriveto let the men overtake me by twos and threes: some must go on before,so that we may come up to them; and in this manner, though the bandwill be scattered, yet, Inshalla! in a few marches we shall musterstrong enough to do the work. We can keep up a communication with eachother; so that when the business is done we can assemble, and thenhurry forward to our home. But on no account must you be more than astage behind us; and you must contrive to reach our halting-place ashort time after we have left it. Now say, my friends, will this plando? or can you advise any other more practicable? if so, speak."
"It is excellent," cried both, "and had wisdom for its father. No timeought to be lost."
We returned to our serai, and towards the afternoon two astravel-stained and weary travellers in appearance as ever came offa long and fatiguing march were seen to enter the south gate ofBoorhanpoor and traverse the bazars in search of shelter. Thesewere myself and Peer Khan, attended by my good lad Junglee and twoother Thugs. We passed and re-passed the shed, which was a largeone, in which the Rokurreas were; and feigning to have been deniedroom everywhere that we had applied, I at last rode up to them, andaddressed myself to the most respectable among them, a fine tallfellow, with huge whiskers and mustachios.
"Yaro!" said I, "you seem to be travellers as well as ourselves, and,for the love of Alla, allow us a little room to spread our carpets.Here you have seen us pass backwards and forwards for many times,and yet there is not a soul who will say to us, Dismount and refreshyourselves. Nay, we have been refused admittance into many emptyplaces. May their owners' sisters be defiled!"
"Go to the serai," said the man; "there is room there, and you will becomfortable."
"Indeed," said I, "we have tried it already, and it is full; some fortyor fifty fellows were in it, who bade us begone in no measured terms;and, in truth, we liked not their appearance, having some valuablesabout us. They looked very like thieves or Dacoos--did they not,brother?" said I, turning to Peer Khan.
"Ay, indeed," said he; "who knows, if we had put up among them, whetherwe should not have had our throats cut? It was the mercy of Alla,"continued he, looking up devoutly, "that the place was full, or, wearyas we are, we should have been right glad to have rested ourselvesanywhere; for indeed I can hardly sit on my horse."
"You see," said I, "how we are situated. Hindoos though you be, youwill not refuse us. The evening is drawing in, and we have ridden allday; a slight meal is all that we can hope to get, and then sleep willbe welcome."
"Well," said the fellow, "it will be uncivil to turn you away, soalight; and," cried he to one of his companions, "do you, Doorjun, andsome others, move the camel's saddles and those bags nearer this way,and there will be room for these Bhula Admees."
As they were being moved, I heard the money chink. We dismounted, andin a short time our horses were rubbed down, and a meal prepared, forwe had fasted that day on purpose. When we had eaten it, behold usseated in conversation with the Rokurreas; and having already possessedourselves of their intended route, we agreed to accompany them formutual security, and in short were on as good terms with them as if wehad travelled hitherto together. Our appearance, our good horses andarms, assured them that we were soldiers; for I had told them we werein the service of Holkar, returning from Poona, where we had been ona mission to the Peshwa, and bearing with us not only despatches, butsome hoondees of large amount. In proof of this I pulled forth a bundleof papers from my inner vest, and touching my head and eyes with them,praised the munificence of Bajee Rao, and extolled the friendly termshe was on with Holkar.
This was my master-stroke; the idea had occurred to me when I was atthe serai, and I had hastily collected a bundle of waste-papers andaccounts, made them up into a packet, directed it to Holkar, and sealedit with my own seal, which was as large as that of any prince in thecountry. By Alla! Sahib, they believed me to be what I represented, assurely as that they had heads on their shoulders, and forthwith beganquestioning me on the possibility of the Peshwa and Holkar uniting tooverthrow the Feringhees; but I was mysteriously close in my replies,just hinting that it was possible, and turning off the conversation tothe marks of favour which had been shown me by Bajee Rao, about which Itold enough lies to have choked myself; and I pointed to my own noblehorse as one of the Peshwa's gifts. They all declared that he wasworthy of the giver and of the possessor; and, after agreeing on ourstage for the morrow, which was distant eight coss, they went to sleep,with the exception of two, who sat guarding the treasure with drawnswords, and all believing that they were in company with an unknowngreat personage.
Before I lay down to rest I despatched Junglee with the information toMotee. I spoke to him openly in Ramasee, and he set off on his errand."That is a queer language," said the Jemadar of the Rokurreas; "what isit?"
"'Tis Teloogoo," said I carelessly. "I picked the lad up at Hyderabadtwo years ago for a small sum, and he is my slave; he understands ourHindoo, but does not speak it."
Perhaps it was unwise to have done it, but I spoke in so careless amanner that they concluded I had sent him out on some casual errand.Indeed, I told him to buy some tobacco and pan on his way back, andas the serai was not far from where we were, the time occupied in hisgoing to it would not exceed that of an ordinary errand. He returnedwith the pan and tobacco, and told me they were ready, but that themajority would remain the next day, and that seven of the best, underGoordut, were then about to depar
t; the rest, leaving one of theirnumber as a scout in the village we were to halt at, would push on asfar as they could beyond.
I was satisfied; and so sure did I feel of the success of thisadventure, that I would have wagered all I possessed that I killed theRokurreas in three days. We started the next morning, and for two dayssaw none of our men; however Peer Khan augured well from it, saying thefellows were up to their work, and would appear in good time; and thatif they came too soon, our companions would take the alarm and be off.
On the fourth day one of our companions appeared; we overtook him onthe road, and as I lagged purposely in the rear, I learned from himthat Goordut and his remaining men were in advance of us one march, andthat some would join us that day, and the rest the next. This was as itshould be. Four men joined us at the village we encamped at; and as wewere now nine to eight, I began to think on the probability of puttingthem to death by violence--I mean attacking them with our swords onany opportunity which might offer. But it was dangerous, as they wereindividually stouter men than we were, good hands at their weapons, andas watchful as cats.
The second day Goordut and his party joined us but it was as much asI could do to persuade the Rokurreas to allow them to travel in ourcompany. They declared it was directly against their rules; that wemust be aware of this, and that, if it was known by their employersthat they even admitted one traveller into their society on the road,they would lose their reputation and means of subsistence. "But you,"continued the Jemadar, whose name was Bheem Singh, "you are respectablepersons, who, for the honour of the government you serve, would assistus against thieves or robbers, and we travel in your company throughthese territories of Sindia as safely as though we had a rissala ofcavalry to guard us. However, for our sakes, let not the tales ofwayfarers make any impression on your mind; depend upon a Rokurrea'sexperience, they are not to be trusted; and even when by yourself,always avoid associating with any one; no good can come of it, and muchharm may ensue."
I promised to take his advice, and as I saw clearly that they would notadmit any more of our band into their company, and that a quarrel andseparation from them would inevitably be the consequence if I persistedin forcing any more upon them, I determined to finish the matter as Ibest could with the twelve men I had. Junglee was worth but little,at least I counted not upon him, as he was a mere stripling; but therest were the very best of my band, all noted Bhuttotes, and fellowswho had good swords, and knew right well how to use them. In the day,therefore, we had a consultation; we met in a field of jowaree, whichconcealed us, and there we discussed the affair. Peer Khan proposedto send one of the men back for Motee and the rest, to tell them topass us in the night without stopping, and to allow us to overtakethem early in the morning; and as soon as the two parties were mingledtogether, in passing each other, that I should give the jhirnee.
The plan was very feasible, and the advice was good, as it placed theissue beyond a doubt: I inclined to it myself. Still there was nohonour to be gained by it; it would be large odds against a few, andthis I did not like, as I had a choice in the matter. At last I said,after musing some time, and listening to Peer Khan as he discussedthe measure, "No, no, Peer Khan; we are all of us young, and fame isdear to us. If we kill these people in the old way, and the booty islarge, we shall no doubt get praise; but think, man, on the honour tobe gained, the good name! If we risk ourselves against these fellows,and are victorious, will not every Thug in the land cry Shabash! andWah, Wah! and is not this worth an effort? I tell you a good name isbetter than riches! and if it is our time to die, we cannot avoid it bycalling up Motee and his people. They are, after all, only the refuse;and are we not the picked men of the band, and those on whom the matterwould fall, even were the whole now present? Say, therefore, will yerisk your lives against these fellows, and fall on them to-morrowmorning?"
Sahib, they did not hesitate; one and all pledged themselves to followme, and die with me should it be their fate. "Then see your swords areloose in their scabbards," said I, "and let each of you plant himselfwithin striking distance of his enemy, on his left hand. Peer Khan andmyself are mounted, and we cannot fail. I feel assured that there willbe no danger, and that we shall succeed."
We dispersed, and rejoined our associates. The evening was spent insinging and playing on the sitar, on which two of the Rokurreas andsome of my men were adepts; and we retired to rest at a late hour,fully prepared to do our work well and bravely on the morrow. And themorrow came, and the sun rose in splendour; we set out soon afterwards,for the Rokurreas would not travel before it had risen, for fear ofsurprise from thieves or Dacoos, who generally fall on travellers inthe dark.
Somewhat to my mortification, two of the Rokurreas mounted the camelthey had with them, saying their feet were cracked and sore, and theycould not walk. This disconcerted me for a moment, for I thought theyhad suspected us, and I knew that most, if not all, the treasure wasladen upon it. But I affected no surprise, and was determined, ifthey showed the least symptoms of flight, to wound the camel, andthereby prevent its getting away from us by the great speed I knew itpossessed, for they had put it to its utmost the day before, to show methat it could outstrip a horse.
We travelled along until mid-day, and the fatigue and heat made us gladto dismount at a stream which crossed the road. I thought it would bea good opportunity to fall on them, but I was disappointed; they allkept together, and I was then satisfied that they half suspected ourintentions; but I could not delay the attack long, and was determinedto make it under any circumstances, for the rapid rate at which theRokurreas travelled was exhausting my men, who had much ado to keepup with them. By the merest good luck, about a coss after we leftthe Nulla, we entered on a rough and stony track, which diminishedthe speed of the camel, whose feet were hurt by the stones, and hepicked his way cautiously, though I saw the men on his back used everyexertion to urge him on. This slowness enabled my men to take theirplaces, and we continued to proceed a short distance, but ready at anymoment for the onset. I wished to get as near the camel as I could, inorder to prevent its escape; but the road became worse, our pace stillslower, and I was satisfied it could not be urged quicker. We were atthis time all in a group, and I saw that the time had come. How myheart beat! not with fear, Sahib, but with excitement--excitement likethat of a gambler who has risked his all on a stake, and who, withclenched hands, set teeth, and half-drawn breath, watches the turn ofthe cowrees, which is either to ruin him or better his fortunes.
Peer Khan threw a glance towards me: one of the Rokurreas was trudgingalong at his horse's shoulders, another was at the same place nearmine; and the fellows on the camel, with their backs turned towards us,were singing merrily one of the wild lays of the Rajpoots, in whichfrom time to time they were joined in chorus by those on foot, and bysome of my men who knew the words. Junglee was close behind the camelleading my pony, and the others in the rear, but all in their places. Icast but one look behind to see that they were so, and being satisfied,I gave the jhirnee--"Junglee, pan lao!" I cried with a loud voice.
The swords of my party flashed brightly from their scabbards, and in aninstant were buried deeply in the bodies of their victims and crimsonedwith gore. As for myself, I had cloven the skull of the fellow beneathme, and my sword, sticking in the wound, escaped from my hand as hefell. I threw myself from my horse to recover it, and only then saw thecamel prostrate on the ground, moaning terribly; the men upon it hadfallen with it, but both had gained their legs: one had thrown himselfupon Junglee, and the poor lad waged an unequal combat with him; theother rushed on me with his sword uplifted. Sahib, I thought my end wascome; but I had time to disengage my shield from my back, and held itbefore me in defence while I tugged in very desperation at my weapon.
Praise be to Alla! it yielded to my great exertion, and we were onequal terms. I have before told you of my skill as a swordsman, but Ihad met my match in the Rokurrea: he, though all his men were lyingaround him save one,--who, having sorely wounded my poor attendant, wasnow closely press
ed by Peer Khan and another,--was as cool and wary asmyself. We fought well, and for a long time the contest was equal; wewere both out of breath, and our shields hacked with the repeated blowswe had each caught on them; at last, as my foot slipped on a stone,he made a stroke at my head: the blow was weak from his exhaustedstate, or it would have ended me: it cut through my turban and slightlywounded my head.
I did not fall, though I was somewhat stunned by the stroke; he mighthave taken advantage of the moment, yet he neglected it. Maddened bythe thought of defeat, I rushed on him, and by the violence of myattack forced him backward: at last, he too slipped as he retreated,and lost his balance; he raised his sword wildly in the air to recoverhimself, but I did not lose my opportunity as he had done; my blowdescended with its full force, increased by a sudden leap I madetowards him, and he fell to the earth cloven through the neck andshoulder--he was dead almost ere he fell. A moment I gazed on thefeatures of the brave Rajpoot, and then sought my poor lad, from whomthe life-blood was fast ebbing away; his wound was also in the neck,and the blood rushing into his throat, was choking him. I tried tostanch it with my waistband, but ineffectually; it relieved him for amoment, and he asked for water. A leathern bag containing some had beentied to the camel by one of the men, and I put the mouth of it to hislips; he drank a little, and sat up, supported by Goordut.
"I am killed," said he; "Jemadar--I die--my own blood chokes me: Icannot recover. Do not leave my body to be eaten by the beasts, butbury it. That fellow," continued he, after a short interval, andpointing to one of the dead, "that fellow's sword killed me. I cut thehind sinews of the camel's leg, and it fell; I thought they would bothbe stunned, but he got up and attacked me, and I was no match for him.All the rest of you were engaged, or you would have helped me. But itwas my fate to die and I felt it yesterday; the bitterness of deaththen passed over me, but now I am content: the pain will soon be over."
Here he sunk insensible, and we stood around him weeping; for he was anaffectionate lad, and we all loved him as a brother. But he recoveredagain slightly, though the rattle was in his throat, and the bloodhardly allowed him to speak. "My mother!" he said, faintly. "Jemadar,my mother!--you know her, and my little sister. They will starvenow;--but you will protect them for poor Junglee's sake?" And he stroveto bend his head on my hand, as though to supplicate my assistance forthem.
"Fear not," said I, "they shall be well cared for, and while Ameer Alilives they shall know no want." But I could hardly speak for weeping;for I knew the old woman, and many were the prayers she made for hissafe return as she confided him to my care. Alas! how should we be ableto tell her his fate!
The poor boy was satisfied with my words; he would fain have repliedto them, and his lips moved; but a torrent of blood checked hisutterance, and, raising his dull and glazed eyes to mine, he bowedhis head on my hand, and died in the effort. "Now," said I, to theassembled Thugs, "I here swear to one thing, and ye are none of mineunless ye agree to it. I swear that, whatever share would have come tothis poor lad, it shall be doubled for his mother; as yet, we know notwhat it is: but, whatever it be, it shall be doubled."
"We agree," cried all; "nay, every man of us will add to it what wecan; had Junglee not hamstrung the camel, which none of us thoughtof doing, it might--nay, would have escaped; for we saw its speedyesterday, and the two good Rajpoots who were on it would have carriedit off."
"Ye are my own brothers for this good promise," I said; "and now, someof you dig a grave for the poor lad. We must unload that beast, andstrip the bodies. For myself, I am in some pain, and will wash my headand tie up the cut--so set about your work quickly."
The camel still lay groaning; they tried to raise it up, but in vain;the stroke had divided the sinew above the hock, and it could not raiseitself; so one of the men cut its throat, and ended its pain. The bagsof treasure were transferred to my pony and Peer Khan's horse, andmine, and every man also filled his waistband; so that we were enabledto carry it all off. We took the swords of the Rajpoots; but everythingelse, and their bodies, were dragged into the jungle to some distance,and hastily covered with earth and stones. The bloody earth on thescene of the conflict was collected and thrown away, and in a veryshort time nothing remained to mark the spot but the carcass of thecamel, which we could not dispose of; and leaving the usual marks forthe guidance of Motee and his party, we continued our march on the mainroad.
Ah, how great was our joy when, before we reached the stage we were toencamp at, and as we sat at the edge of a stream washing ourselves,we saw, on the brow of a rising ground we had just passed, our partycoming up. They ran towards us in breathless anxiety and hope. Moteewas first, and he threw himself into my arms. "We hastened on," hesaid, "from the last stage, hoping to overtake you in time; and when wesaw the dead camel, how great was our suspense till we could find you!We saw the traces of the conflict, and some blood which had escapedyour notice--which I have removed--and that added to our anxiety; but,Davee be praised! we have found you at last, and you are all safe. Isit not so?"
"Not quite," I said; "we have lost poor Junglee, who was killed in thefight, and I am wounded--but 'tis only a slight cut, and a few dayswill heal it."
Some of the treasure was instantly distributed to the other ponies; andencamping outside the village, when we reached it, after the accustomedsacrifice, I had my small tent pitched, and all the treasure wasconveyed to it. One by one the bags were opened, and glorious, indeed,was the booty--well worth the risk we had encountered! It consistedof dollars, gold mohurs, and rupees, to the value of sixty thousandrupees in all; and there were also six strings of large pearls in asmall box, sewn up in wax-cloth, which could not be worth less thanten thousand more. I need not describe our joy: we had comfort--nay,affluence, before us for years, and every one sat and gazed at the heapof treasure in silent thankfulness. Finally it was all collected andput into bags, which I sealed with my own seal.
We now hurried to our home, for we sought no adventure, nor needed any:only two unfortunate wretches, who insisted on joining us, were killed,and in less than a month we were within three marches of our village.I despatched a man in advance to give notice of our approach; and,Alla! how my heart beat with love and fond anxiety to see Azima, andto press once more my children to my heart, after all the perils I hadencountered; how intense was my anxiety to reach my own threshold, whenI saw the well-known grove appear in view, the spot from whence I haddeparted so full of hope, and the walls and white musjid of the villagepeeping from amidst the trees by which they were surrounded! I urgedmy horse into a gallop, and I saw my father and Moedeen approaching tomeet me, to give me the _istukbal_, the welcome of return; but, as Ineared them, they hung their heads, and advanced with slow and mournfulsteps. A sudden pang shot through my heart. I threw myself from myhorse, and ran towards them. My father was weeping.
"Speak, for the sake of Alla!" I cried. "What can this be? Oh, say theworst at once, and tell me--is Azima dead? this suspense will kill me."A few words only the old man spake, as he told me that my child, mybeautiful boy, was dead!
And Ameer Ali wept.
Confessions of a Thug Page 32
