Confessions of a Thug

by Meadows Taylor

  CHAPTER XXXV.

  Bheer was sacked, and given up to rapine and excess for two wholedays; and when we left it, scarcely a rag remained to the miserableinhabitants. It was piteous to see them raking together a few posts ofwood, many of them half burned, and erecting wretched hovels, whichthey covered with green boughs, to screen themselves from the coldwinds of the night. They suffered the ravage of their town passively,for there were no soldiers to protect it; and what could they have doneagainst a well-armed and savage horde like ours?

  Pyetun, on the Godavery, shared the same fate; and though many of therich inhabitants had fled for refuge to Aurungabad, yet enough remainedfor our purpose. You know, perhaps, that this place is celebrated fora manufacture of brocaded muslins, only inferior to those of Benares;and at that time there was an active demand for them, to supply thecourts of Poona and Hyderabad: you may judge, therefore, of the valueof the plunder we got; Cheetoo's camels and elephants were laden tothe utmost. None of us fared badly; and our own stock was now so largeof one valuable or another, that I hardly thought we should have beenenabled to carry it with us. I need not follow our track much furtherwith minuteness; suffice it therefore to say, that we passed theAdjuntah Ghat, not, however, without being closely pressed by sometroops of the Feringhees; but we eluded them by a rapid march or two,and after a vain attempt on Boorhanpoor, we struck off to the right bythe valley of the Taptee, and in a few days were safely returned to thecamp at Nemawur.

  In a little more than three months we had traversed the richest part ofthe broad territory of the Nizam; we had eluded his troops and thoseof the Feringhees, and laughed at their beards; we had plundered hisrichest towns with impunity, and we had returned, with scarcely theloss of a man, laden with plunder of enormous value. So rich was it,that the sahoukars of Nemawur, after purchasing all they could from us,were unable to find further funds to buy up the whole; and merchantsfrom Oojein and Indoor, and all the neighbouring large cities, weresent for to our rich market.

  In due time all had been purchased, and every man prepared to return asquickly as he could to his home, with the proceeds of his booty. I neednot say how my heart bounded at the prospect of again seeing mine, andlaying at my Azima's feet the wealth I had acquired, nor the pleasureshe would experience in hearing me recount the wild adventures I hadgone through. I accordingly purchased all the gold I could, as alsodid my men, and hiring two swift camels, I loaded them with it and thevaluable cloths we had received for our own use, and was ready for arapid march to Jhalone when I could receive my dismissal from Cheetoo'sdurbar. This it was not an easy matter to attain, for I had served thechief faithfully, he had confidence in my address and activity, and wasloath to part with me, fearing I would not return to his standard.

  The day I went to take leave he would not receive my parting gift, norgive me the usual ceremonial return of uttur and pan on my departure;and I sat in the durbar in gloomy thought, that perhaps treachery wasintended towards me--a poor return for my exertions. But I was wrong:he called me towards him when but few remained, and appointing a latehour in the night for an interview and private conversation, desired meto be punctual, for that he had matters of importance to reveal to me.

  I returned to my abode in better hope, yet still suspecting, and almostinclined to follow the advice of Peer Khan and the rest, who wouldfain have had me fly, as the only means of preserving our money. I didnot, however, entirely mistrust Cheetoo; but I determined, if he putme off with further words, and caused me more delay, that I would atonce leave him in the best way I could. I accordingly attended at thehour appointed, which was past midnight. I found the chief alone. I hadnever before been so honoured as to be admitted to an entirely privateconference, though I had been allowed a seat in his councils, and mysuggestions had been followed on more than one occasion. I could notdivine what was to ensue.

  "Be seated, Syud," said Cheetoo; "I have much to say to thee."

  "Speak on, Nuwab," I replied; "your words are sweet to your servant,and they will fall on ears which will convey their meaning to a heartdevoted to your service."

  "Listen then," said he. "But first I will ask you what you thought theobject of the last expedition to be?"

  "Its object!" cried I. "Why, I suppose, only to get as much moneyas you could for yourself and your men, so as to be ready to takeadvantage of the war which sooner or later must ensue between theMahrattas and the Feringhees--may their race be accursed! I never coulddivine a deeper object, though I have thought upon the subject myself,and heard many opinions expressed by others."

  "You are partly right," said he, "but not entirely; now you shall hearthe whole, and what my further projects are."

  I settled myself into an attitude of profound attention, and drank inhis words as he proceeded.

  "You have had a watchful eye upon the times, Meer Sahib, and Iexpected it from you. You may have heard that Tippoo Sultan--on whosememory be peace!--would fain have enlisted the Nizam and the wholeof the Mahrattas in one confederacy to overthrow and extirpate theFeringhees. Had his plans been successful he would have done it: but,a curse on his avarice! he had an under-plot to divide the Nizam'sterritories with the Mahrattas, which was discovered, Alla only knowshow; and--a curse on the luck of the Feringhees, who overthrew theonly power which, while it lasted, upheld the dignity of the Moslem'sfaith--Tippoo is gone and his power. Perhaps you are not aware that atthis moment, though Holkar is sorely disabled from what he was, andSindia has made a base league of passiveness with the Feringhees, adeep confederacy exists among the Mahratta states, and particularlybetween those of Poona and Nagpoor, to rise simultaneously and declarewar against the usurping and never-satisfied Europeans. Sikundur Jahwill join with the Feringhees; not that he can do much, for his army ismiserable, and his leaders have neither skill nor bravery, but stillhe will befriend them to the utmost, and his dominions are open to thepassage and subsistence of their troops, and in them positions can betaken up which will sorely harass the future operations of the Mahrattaleaders. My last expedition was therefore intended (and by the favourof Alla it has succeeded) to impoverish Sikundur Jah's country, to keepthe people in a constant state of alarm, and, need I add, to till ourown purses.

  "Now listen again. To effect my purpose thoroughly, and to distractthe attention of the Europeans from the preparations of the Mahrattas,these expeditions must be rapid in succession to have their due effect:one half of the Huzoor's dominions have been sacked, and the other halfremains;--Inshalla! it shall share the same fate. The Feringhees willbe kept in a perpetual state of alarm; they will follow us vainly fromplace to place, but I fear them not. I have laughed at their beardsonce, and will do so again. They shall know who Cheetoo Pindharee is,and to their cost. Not only shall the cowardly Nizam suffer, but therich provinces of the Feringhees shall be wasted. I will cross theKrishna; the river will be fordable, or nearly so; and the whole of theprovinces which are not overrun by their troops shall be prostratedbefore my power. This will exhaust their resources and paralyze theirefforts. The Mahrattas will then rise to a man: I will join them; forI have been promised a high command in their armies, and territoriesafter their conquest; and we will rise, Meer Sahib--yes, _we_, Isay, for these stirring times are the fit ones for such as myselfand you--Inshalla! we will take advantage of them, and win fame forourselves which posterity shall wonder at."

  "It is a rare plan," said I, "and a deep one, while the game seems easyto play. I can find no fault with it; but will not the Feringhees beprepared for us, and meet us wherever we show our faces?"

  "No!" cried he, vehemently, "they will not! cunning as they are, I willbe before them in the field. They now think that, glutted with plunder,we shall remain quietly here, and be fools enough to wait for anotherDussera before we are again on the move: but they are wrong to a man:and here has lain the cause of my apparent secrecy with you. I couldnot proclaim it in my durbar that I had planned another expedition;some prating fool would have blabbed of it at his home, and the newswould have flown o
ver the country in a week. No! I have kept it secret,except from a few, and they are my chief leaders, every one of whom hasa thousand men at his back. Hear me,--I am determined, by the favourof Alla, to move hence at the head of a larger army than the last hasbeen, in a space of time under two months. Say, will you come? I willgive you the command of a thousand horse, for I love you, and dependupon you. Can you return from Jhalone in that time? I have no wish todetain you here; a man's home is dear to him wherever it is, and youare right to return to it: yet tell me that you will join me within twomonths, and what I have promised I will perform."

  "I will," cried I; "may your condescension increase, your slave willtake advantage of your bounty. In less than two months, though I travelnight and day, I will come, and bring more men with me."

  "The more the better," said Cheetoo. "Take the best horse from mystable if you wish it, he cannot be in better hands than your own; andas you will want camels, take too as many as you require from my ownfleet ones: load them lightly and they will keep up with you. And nowgo--I am weary in mind and body, and need repose; you, I doubt not,will start with the morning's dawn. Go, and may peace be with you!"

  I left him, and joyfully rejoined my associates. I knew the secret wassafe with them; and as I unfolded the deep plan to them, they were lostin wonder and admiration at Cheetoo's sagacity and forethought. To aman they swore to join me, and to follow my fortunes through good orill. Merrily we set off the next morning, and quickly miles and milesof road disappeared under the hoofs of our fleet and hardy steeds. Infar less time than it had taken us to come, we had reached Jhalone,unlooked for and unexpected, and with a joyful bound I crossed my ownthreshold, and was again clasped in the embrace of my Azima. Whatwords can paint our joy? I cannot describe it; my heart was too fullfor utterance as I was again seated in my own zenana, and beheld thefrolics and gambols of my beauteous child. My father, too, he rejoicedwith me; but there was an eye of evil upon us; our cup of joy was fatedto be no sooner filled to the brim, than to be dashed from our lips.That eye was the Rajah's; but more of that hereafter.

  Not that I neglected him; the prices of his horses were duly paid, andI presented to him a valuable string of pearls, with some beautifulcloths, the plunder of Pyetun, and a tray of fifty-one gold pieces.One would have thought he would have been satisfied, but it was notso:--yet he was all smiles and congratulations. I was invested with adress of honour, and encouraged privately (for he secretly knew of thenew enterprise), to further exertions, and cheered on by him to windistinction and renown. Base liar and murderer! he deceived me; butwho could have guessed his thoughts?

  As soon as I could, I dispatched Peer Khan and Motee with two of theothers in various directions, to offer terms of employment and theprospect of booty to as many Thugs as they knew to be good men andgood horsemen; the latter was a qualification in which but few Thugsexcelled: nevertheless, in the space of ten days they returned withtwelve others, some of whom I knew, and all were stated to be resolutemen, well acquainted with the use of their weapons. They were easilyprovided with horses from the Rajah's stables, as the first had been,for he had received more than double their value, and would now haverisked his whole stud on the same terms. I examined their arms, andrejected such as were defective, supplying them with others. Oursaddles were newly stuffed, and every preparation which our experiencecould suggest was made for even a longer and more arduous enterprisethan that from which we had just returned.

  But little time now remained to me to enjoy the quiet peacefulness ofmy home, and now that I was there, I would fain have never again leftit. Wealth I had in abundance, enough for many years; and I was in asituation from which I could have risen to a high civil employment,in the management of revenue in the Rajah's country. Still the desirefor adventure was not blunted, and above all, the promise I had givento Cheetoo could not be evaded or neglected; and had he not promisedme the command of a thousand men? This had many charms in my sight;and should his plans succeed, to what rank might I not rise by myexertions, when the Mahrattas overthrew the Europeans and the Nizam,and their broad dominions were portioned out to the government oftheir faithful leaders! These thoughts urged me to a speedy departure,and tearing myself from my wife, I left the town, with the blessingsof my father and the apparent goodwill of the Rajah, who wished meevery success, and presented me with a valuable sword as a mark of hisespecial favour.

  I was soon again with Cheetoo, who received me with great joy; Ifound him busied with the large preparations he was making for hisintended expedition. By this time the news of the immense booty he hadcollected in his first expedition had spread through all lands far andnear; thousands had flocked to Nemawur, to offer themselves to hisservice, in the hope that they might partake in the next; and hundredswere arriving daily, to swell the numbers of the already assembledmultitude. A difficult task it was to allot the various tribes andindividuals to the command of the different leaders; and my aid wasasked by Cheetoo, and as readily given, to organize as far as we couldthe heterogeneous mass.

  It was no easy task, for the men would have preferred actingindependently, and on their own account; but this did not suitCheetoo's intentions, as his irruption, though for the sole purposeof ravage and plunder, was to be of a more regular kind than thepreceding. Ghuffoor Khan was there in all his savageness, lookingforward to the burning of towns and the torture of inoffensive persons,with a desire which had received additional zest from his previousexperience. We were on civil terms, but I had never forgotten thatnight at Karinjah, and the memory of the wretched Hindoo girl, andher sufferings and murder. In this expedition I felt assured that hewould give no check to his passions; and I only waited a favourableopportunity to arrest his career of crime by a stroke of retributivejustice; until this arrived I was determined to cultivate hisacquaintance as closely as possible, in order that he might be the moresurely my own.

  Our preparations were now made; upwards of ten thousand good horsewere already enrolled, and the number of their followers was beyondcomputation; how they existed on their own resources I know not, butthey did so, and right merrily too, for our camp was one scene ofrevelry and enjoyment. As a final ceremony, Cheetoo held a generaldurbar, at which all the chiefs and leaders were present: he disclosedhis plan of operations, which was, to penetrate through the territoriesof the Rajah of Nagpoor to the south-eastward, and passing throughthe forests and jungles of Gondwana, to pour his forces on the almostunprotected provinces north of Masulipatam; from thence to cross theKrishna, to ravage the country as far as Kurnool, and to return fromthence in the best way we could to Nemawur. This plan of operations wasreceived with glad shouts by the assembly, the army outside the tenttook them up, and the air was rent with cries of exultation. It was aspirit-stirring moment, all partook of the joy, and the chiefs eagerlybesought Cheetoo to lose no time in his departure. Nor did he. Preparedas the whole were to move at a moment's warning, the order was giventhat the army should cross the Nurbudda the next day.