Confessions of a Thug

by Meadows Taylor

  CHAPTER XXXIX.

  Three years, as I have before told you, Sahib, passed in inactivity.My father and myself were in high favour, at least so we thought, withthe rajah, who protected us and bestowed flattering marks of kindnessupon us. Our revenue business was increased, we had now the managementof a large tract of country, and I believe we gave satisfaction to thepeople as well as to their prince. The revenue was never in arrears; andmany persons from distant parts of the country, hearing of our mild andequitable mode of government, came and settled with us in our villages.Our perquisites as revenue collectors yielded a handsome income, andwe lived happy and tranquilly. Still a restless spirit was withinme; I heard of the successes of various bands of Thugs in differentdirections: men came and boasted of their exploits, and again I longedto be at the head of my gallant fellows, and to roam awhile strikingterror into the country.

  'Tis true I had gained the highest rank I could; I possessed fame;not a Jemadar or Soobehdar of Thugs could compare his actions withmine; but I vainly thought that there was more to be gained, and thatI had only to propose an expedition, to be joined by a larger numberof Thugs than had collected together for many years. In this I was notdisappointed, as you shall hear.

  I have before mentioned to you the name of Ganesha Jemadar, he wasalways with us when not on the road, envying our quiet and respectablemode of life, which he could not attain by any means, though he leftnone untried. He bribed all the rajah's court, nay the rajah himself,to procure employment; but there was something so harsh and forbiddingin his aspect, and so uncouth were his manners, that he did not succeedin what he so much longed for.

  He came in despair to us, and after rating in no measured terms theconduct of the rajah and his officers, said that he was determinedagain to take to the road, for there alone he found occupation andamusement. He pressed me to accompany and join him, pictured in strongterms the booty we should gain and the glory we should win; and aftermany demurs and objections on my part, I finally agreed. Notice wasgiven out to all the Thugs of that part of the country, that anexpedition of great magnitude would be undertaken after the ensuingDussera.

  Accustomed as Azima had become to my temporary absences, after theperiod of quiet I had passed with her, she now did not oppose myleaving her, as she had done before. She thought it was some mercantilespeculation which led me from home, and, as you may believe, I did notundeceive her. Rejoiced at the prospect of again serving under me,all my own band, and many more, flocked to the place of rendezvous,which was at some distance from Jhalone. Ganesha had upwards of ahundred followers; and, finally, on the day of the Dussera, the usualceremonies were concluded in the presence of upwards of three hundredThugs, than whom a finer or more experienced band were never gatheredunder any leader. I was justly proud of my charge; and my father, whohad accompanied me to the rendezvous, felt all his former fire kindlewithin him. I pressed him to accompany us, and the old man consented.

  Some were for trying a new line of road, and for penetrating intoGuzerat through Rajpootana. This question was fairly discussed in ageneral assembly, and opinions being much balanced between that routeand our old one by Saugor and Jubbulpoor to Nagpoor, the matter wasreferred to the decision of the omens. They were consulted as I havebefore described; and as they decidedly pointed to the south, nofurther doubt could be entertained upon the subject, and again we movedon in our old direction, to us familiar, for there was not a man amongus who did not know every step of the road, and the best places for thedestruction of any persons whom chance might throw in our way.

  We had proceeded nearly as far as Saugor, with but indifferent success,considering our large body, having only killed fourteen travellers, andgot but little booty; when one night, as my father and myself, with afew others, sat in our little tent, we heard the _ekarea_--that mostdreadful of all omens to a Thug. The ekarea is the short sharp barkor call of the jackal, uttered in the first watch of the night: initself there is something peculiarly melancholy and appalling, but toa Thug the sound is one of horror. In an instant all conversation wasat an end, and we gazed on each other in consternation and alarm. Noone spoke, we all listened intently; it might be repeated, which wouldbe worse than ever. It was; the sharp short bark was again heard, andthere was but little time for deliberation: all started to their feet.

  "We must return instantly," said my father. "Bhowanee is unpropitious,or danger threatens; at any rate to go on is impossible, for mark younot that the sound came from the very direction of to-morrow's march?"

  All agreed that it did, and were unanimous in their desire to return.Still I could not divine why the bark of a jackal should change thedetermination of three hundred men, and I ventured to say that I wassure it was some mistake, and that, even if it were not, we ought toproceed, since the omens had been so propitious at the commencement."Why!" said I to my father, "were they not so? Have we not worshippedthe pickaxe every seventh day according to the law? Have we notperformed all the necessary ceremonies on the death of every traveller?"

  "That is all true," said my father; "but it is madness to think ofproceeding. Foolish boy! you have never known a reverse, thanks toyour good fortune, and the excellent advice by which you have beenguided; but beware how you disregard omens--it will one day leadyou to destruction. As to this matter, the designs of Bhowanee areinscrutable, and she must be obeyed!"

  Other Thugs too had heard the ekarea, and many came in a clamorous bodyto the tent, begging either to be allowed to disperse, or to be ledback to Jhalone. Any words of mine would have been useless, for thewhole band seemed infected by superstitious fear; I therefore held mypeace. Our encampment was broken up instantly, and, late as it was, wethat night retrograded a few coss on the road by which we had come; nofresh omen of favour was vouchsafed to us, and we retraced our steps toJhalone, disappointed, wearied and dispirited.

  A month passed in idleness; but having formed my determination againto take to the road, I was not to be put off, and again I assembled mymen and sought for omens. They were favourable, and I heartily prayedto Bhowanee that they might not deceive us again into a fruitlessexpedition. They pointed too to a different direction, that of thewest, and we knew that between Bombay and Indoor, and indeed throughall parts of Malwa, large treasures were constantly passing. We hadbefore, as you have heard, reaped the largest booty I had ever got inthat quarter, and I hoped to secure a like one again. We accordinglyleft our home,--one hundred and twenty Thugs under myself and PeerKhan, who still stuck to me. Ganesha had gone off in a differentdirection--whither I knew not; his presence was always hateful to me;why, I could not tell, and I could but ill disguise the feelings Ientertained towards him.

  It was too long an expedition for my father to undertake, andaccordingly he stayed at our village. We met with no adventures worthrecording, Sahib, on our road to Bombay, for thither we were determinedto proceed in quest of plunder; besides, I had heard much of itsimportance, and I felt a curiosity to behold the sea and the shipsof the Feringhees, which came over trackless waters from their farcountry. But when I say that we met with no particular adventures, orany worth recording, you must not think that we were idle. Thirty-onetravellers died by our hands; several escaped us, the omens beingagainst their destruction; and, finally, we reached Bombay, with aboutfour thousand rupees worth of plunder--enough to enable us to liverespectably. In Bombay we put up in the large bazar which is withoutthe fort; and although, from the danger of detection, we could not keeptogether, yet a constant communication was kept up among us, and everyman held himself in readiness to start in any direction on a moment'swarning. I had appointed too a rendezvous, the town of Tannah, whichbeing close to the continent is a place where travellers congregate inlarge numbers previous to passing over.

  I saw the sea! Day after day I went down to its edge, and gazed on itsmagnificence. I used to lie on the grass of the plain before the fort,and pass hours of a sort of dreamy ecstasy, looking on its varyingaspect,--like that of a beautiful woman, now all smiles, and againagitated b
y the passions of love,--or listening to its monotonousand sullen roar, as wave after wave bowed its crest, and broke intosparkling foam on the white sand.

  I was lying thus one day, about the seventh after our arrival,meditating on our inactive life, and had almost determined to departthe next day, when a respectable-looking man came up to me. "SalamAliekoom!" said he; "you are evidently a stranger, for your dress andcarriage bespeak you to be an inhabitant of Hindostan. I have watchedyou for two days coming to this spot and gazing on the sea; have younever seen it before?"

  "Never," replied I; "my home is, as you say, far inland, and inHindostan; you have thus guessed rightly: and to me, a stranger, can itbe otherwise than that I should be struck with a sight so novel and sooverpowering as this expanse of water is, which seems to melt into thesky?"

  "The tones of your voice are music in my ears," said the stranger; "Ihave heard many from my country (for that is also Hindostan), but neverany which reminded me so strongly of my own home as yours. May I askyour village?"

  "I lived formerly in Murnae, in the Sindouse Pergunna," said I, "butnow reside in Jhalone."

  "Murnae!" cried the man in astonishment; but he lowered his voice as hesaid, "Ah, I remember now; 'tis on the borders of Sindia's country, andbelongs to him."

  "Not now," said I; "the Feringhees have had it ceded to them, and theypossess it."

  "But," said the man, changing the topic, "you love to look on the sea;have you ever been on its surface? have you visited the ships you mayhave seen moored before the town?"

  "I have not," replied I; "I several times determined to go, but myheart failed me when I saw the frail boat which should take me.Besides, I am a stranger; no one would have admitted me, were I to havegone to them."

  "Will you accompany me?" said the man. "I have an idle day before me,and shall be glad to pass it in your company."

  I gladly assented, and we took our way to a stone pier which ran intothe sea on the outside of the fort. I could not divine with whom I hadthus scraped an acquaintance; all the Peons on the Bunder (for so thepier was called) paid the greatest respect to my new friend; all madelow obeisances to him, and a scramble ensued among the owners of thesmall boats which were tied to the landing-place, for the honour ofconveying us to the shipping.

  He selected one, however, and pushing off, we were on the bosom of theocean. I confess I was afraid: though Jhalone was not far from theJumna, I had never seen that river, nor had I ever seen a boat beforemy arrival at Bombay. Now each succeeding wave, as we descended fromthe top of the last one, appeared as though it would roll over us;but the men were fearless and experienced, and after a few qualms Iwas reconciled to our situation. We rowed, for the wind was againstus, close round several of the ships which lay at anchor; and at lastascended, with the permission of a Feringhee officer who was on board,the side of an immense ship, which my friend told me was one of war,and belonged to the king of England. After looking over the upper part,a small gratuity of two rupees to a sailor enabled us to proceed belowto see the guns. I was astonished at their size, and at the exactnesswith which everything was fitted; the ropes even were twisted downinto coils, like huge snakes sleeping, and the whole was a pictureof neatness and cleanliness which I little expected to have seen.But these matters, Sahib, are doubtless familiar to you, so I willpass them over. We returned to the shore with a fair wind, and as theboatmen spread a small sail, we danced merrily along over the swellingwaters.

  I was about to separate from my companion, and again protested my senseof his kindness, when he stopped me. "No, Meer Sahib," said he, "I musthave further converse with you. I am much mistaken if you are not whatI was once, and am still whenever I can seize an opportunity."

  I stared at him. Could he be a Thug? If he was not, he would notunderstand our words of recognition; if he was, I should be right. Idid not hesitate. "Ali Khan Bhaee Salam!" said I, gazing intently athim.

  "Salam Aliekoom!" cried he. It was enough--he also was a Thug.

  "Those words I have not heard for many a year," said he; "they remindme of my early days, and the goor of the Tupounee."

  "Then you have eaten it?" said I.

  "I have," replied the man.

  "Enough," cried I; "I have met with a friend; but who you are I am asyet ignorant."

  "Have you not ever heard of Soobhan Khan Jemadar?" he asked. "You sayyou came from Murnae: surely I must be remembered there?"

  "I have," answered I; "those who knew you have believed you dead. Howis it that you are here, and a person of authority?"

  "I will tell you hereafter of my situation, but at present I have manyquestions to ask of you--and first, is my good friend Ismail Jemadaralive?"

  "My father!" said I, "surely he is; the good old man has attained afine age, and is well."

  "Shookur Khoda!" cried he; "but you said he was your father; surely hehad no children--he was not even married when I left."

  "Ah," said I, "so it might have been then, but here am I to speak formyself."

  "And Hoosein, his and my friend, does he too live?"

  "Alas, no! he died two years ago, full of age and honour." (I have notmentioned this event to you, Sahib, but it had taken place soon after Ireturned from my Pindharee expedition.)

  He continued to ask after many of his old friends, and at last inquiredhow many men I had with me. I told him, and he was somewhat astonishedat their number.

  "Well," said he, "you are here, and it will be hard if I cannot findsome work for you. I have told you I am a Thug, and have been so frommy youth: my father and ancestors were Thugs before me. But, many yearsago, I came here as the servant to a Sahoukar of Indoor. I liked theplace, and not long after got employment as a government Peon, in theservice of the English. They have been kind and generous masters to me;I have served them well, and have risen by degrees to the rank I nowhold, which is that of Jemadar. Why I left my station as a Jemadar ofThugs is perhaps unknown to you?"

  I replied that I did not know.

  "It was in consequence of a foolish quarrel with your father," saidhe. "We were on an expedition, and I thought he assumed too much; wewere both young men, of fiery blood,--we had a sharp altercation, andboth drew our swords: he was my superior, and I feared that he wouldcondemn me to death. I fled, entered the service of the Sahoukar asone of his escort from Indoor, and you see what I am. Yet I have neverforsaken the Thugs whenever I have met with them. I am too old to seekadventures myself, but I put the young and active in the way of them,and thus have kept up my connexion with them; not, it is true, withthose of Hindostan, for a feeling of shame has hitherto prevented mydoing so; but since Bhowanee has thrown you in my way, you shall notregret it. My acquaintance has been with the Thugs of the Dukhun, andI have headed one or two expeditions towards Poona, when I could getleave of absence for a while from my duties. But when I could not dothis, I have secured bands of travellers for my associates, and theyhave been successful. I have too, by the share of the booty I wasentitled to, been able to purchase the goodwill of those who couldbefriend me; and your servant Soobhan Khan enjoys a high characteramong the Sahib-logue for honesty and fidelity."

  "I do not doubt it," said I; "your appearance insures respect; yourmanners are courtly: and how could it be otherwise?"

  Thus conversing, we reached his house; it was not far from where I wasresiding; and, as he told me afterwards, he had discovered who we were,and had followed me from place to place, until he got an opportunityof speaking with me unobserved. From this time, as you may believe,Sahib, we were sworn friends. I listened to his details of roguery (forrogue he was in his heart) with great interest, and I accompanied himseveral times to the durbar of the gentleman with whom his duties wereconnected. He was evidently a person well thought of, and as far ashis office was concerned--that of keeping the peace, was zealous andactive. Still there was something forbidding to me in the way he nowfollowed his profession of a Thug; and as we became more intimatelyacquainted, he unfolded to me his plans and operations. I cannot tellyou,
Sahib, of their extent. He introduced me to the Jemadars of DukhunThugs who scoured the roads to Poona, to Nassuk, to Sholapoor, andHyderabad; to others from Guzerat, who were engaged in that part of thecountry,--but all under his control, and from all of whom he exacteda high rate of tribute as the price of the information he was able togive them, as to the despatch of treasure in various directions by thesahoukars and merchants of Bombay.

  I had remained with him a week, and our stock of money was sensiblydiminishing. What was to be done? He had promised assistance in givingme information of the despatch of treasure in our direction, and I hadhitherto waited in expectation that he would fulfil his promise. I wastired too of Bombay; the season was advancing, and I hardly thought weshould reach Jhalone before the setting in of the rains. I thereforewent to him, and frankly told him our money was running short, andthat in a place like Bombay, where my men were exposed to so manytemptations, they could not be expected to keep what they had; I wastherefore anxious to depart, and, if he could give me no hope of anyspeedy booty, that I should set off in two days, and take my chance onthe road.

  "My plans are not quite matured in your direction," said he. "I haveheard that one of the greatest traders to Indoor and Malwa is aboutto send not less than two lakhs of rupees thither. I know that theRokurreas are hired; but as yet I cannot say whether they carryhoondees or money. Three days ought to determine this, and in the meantime, as you want money, a thousand rupees are at your service, whichyou can repay me, with interest at three per cent. per month, on yourarrival at Jhalone. I will trust to your good faith as the son of myold friend."

  "I am obliged to you," replied I; "but the money is not quite sonecessary as I said. I believe every man has some twenty or thirtyrupees in his possession; but it was to prevent their spending thisthat I spoke to you as I did. Only say that within a week we may start,and my men will be careful."

  "Certainly," said he, "before a week's time; come to me to-morrowevening after prayer-time, and you shall have further news about yourbunij."

  The interest-eating rascal! said I, as I left him. He a true believer!Strange I have never heard of him from my father; but I will ask himabout the fellow on my return home, and doubt not I shall hear someevil or rascality of him. Not a rupee of his money will I touch, thekafir! A Thug to take interest from a Thug--who ever heard of it? Idare say he is as bad as the villanous Bhutteara we killed at Saugor.Nor was I wrong, Sahib. I became intimate with a Dukhun Jemadar who waswaiting for bunij, who told me that he ground the Thugs unmercifully,threatened to denounce them if they ever demurred, and got from themdouble the share he would have been entitled to had he shared the riskand the danger on the road.

  "But," said the Jemadar, "there is no doing without him, much as heoppresses us; he throws the most valuable booty into our hands, whichwe never could get scent of by ourselves; he has a number of Thugs whoare his servants, and whom he pays liberally to get him information;he possesses the confidence of the sahoukars, as he assists themto smuggle; they pay him too for a kind word now and then with theSahib-logue. In fine, he is paid both by them and us, and he contrivesto sell all our valuable plunder."

  "Then his receipts must be enormous," said I.

  "They are," said the Jemadar, "and we all grudge them to him; but stillhe protects us, and we could not do without him."

  "Has he ever been treacherous?" I asked; for, by Alla! I was inclinedto mistrust the rascal.

  "There are some stories of the kind," he replied, "but in the main heis to be trusted. Still, as I said, if he were not, we could do nothingwithout him; he knows every Jemadar of the Dukhun, and could if hechose blow up the whole system to-morrow; but it does not suit hisinterest to do so, and we are all his slaves."

  "Long may ye continue to be so!" cried I to Peer Khan when he had leftme; "but as for us, brother, 'tis the last time he will catch us here.What say you?"

  "Certainly," said Peer Khan; "these fellows are never to be trusted;they exist everywhere, in all shapes: they are zemindars and potailsof villages; they are Fakeers and bhuttearas; they are goosaens,sahoukars, servants, and mutsuddees; nay, the Rajah of Jhalone is onehimself. They are an evil 'tis true, but we could not do without them."

  "I have done so as yet," said I, "and, by Alla! I will never trust oneof them."

  "May you never have occasion, Meer Sahib." And the conversation dropped.

  I went as I had promised, and found Soobhan Khan in high glee. "I havesecured the bunij," said he. "Are you ready?"

  "I am. What are your orders?"

  "Listen," he replied. "I was right in saying the sum was two lakhs.Contrary to my expectations, the sum is in gold and silver and jewels;there are about ten thousand rupees in hoondees (bills), but that isall. Now before I tell you more, we must make our bargain."

  "Speak," cried I; "I am ready to give anything in reason."

  "Ay, you are my old friend's son, so I must not treat you as I do theothers I associate with," said he; "from them I get a third of thewhole, but from you I ask only a fifth. A fifth will be twenty thousandrupees. Will you give it?"

  "With pleasure," said I. "You may trust to my word; directly I get themoney, and reach Jhalone, I will purchase a hoondee on Bombay, and sendit you."

  "Capital!" cried he; "you are a man I like to deal with: no unnecessarytalk, no haggling like a bunnea, but you speak like a soldier as youare. Now give me a promise under your seal that I shall have the money,and I will detail the plan to you. The paper is a mere matter of form,and I am methodical."

  I objected to this, and his brow darkened; I saw it, and instantlyaltered what I had expressed: "Get me writing materials, and I willwrite it out."

  "What! you write? a Thug write? But never mind, since you are able todo it, so much the better: there will be no need of a third person."

  I wrote the paper, and handed it to him, having sealed it with myseal: he folded it carefully up, and tucked it into a fold of histurban. "Now we are all right, Meer Sahib. This treasure goes underthe escort of fifteen Rokurreas; they have three camels, and will bedisguised as soldiers, going from Poona to Indoor. They left thisplace yesterday, with part of the treasure; the rest is at Poona: fromPoona they will go to Nassuk, where you will fall in with them: trustme, my information is correct to the minutest particular. I know thesahoukars who send it; I have spoken with the Rokurreas; and to ensureyour being unsuspected by them, here is a pass written in Persian andMahratta, signed and sealed by the English officers of customs here. Itrepresents you as persons who have come from Benares in charge of goodsfor a sahoukar by name Hurree-das, and directs that no one shall molestyou on your return. The men who brought the goods are still here, andlikely to remain till the end of the rains. Their leader's name isFutih Mahomed, so Futih Mahomed you must be if you please; he, too, isabout your own age and appearance, and thus you will be better able topersonate him. You see I have laid a good plan, and I leave all therest to your own judgment. Make the best of your way to Nassuk; waitthere four days, and on the fifth you will see your bunij, if you keepa proper look out. Now go, make your preparations, and may Bhowaneesend you success. Remember Soobhan Khan, and return as speedily as youlike; I have no doubt I shall have found fresh work for you."

  "You may depend on me, Khan Sahib," said I; "I will not be long awayfrom you. Your plan is an admirable one; and, Inshalla! your twentythousand rupees are as safe to you as though you even now had them inyour possession."

  "Remember me with many kind words to your father, Ameer Ali," continuedhe; "would he come thus far to see an old friend, and forgive him forthe past?"

  "Of that I have but little hope," said I; "he is old and infirm, andnever leaves his village: but he shall write to you."

  "Enough, enough," said the Khan; "I have much to accuse myself of inthe past; but 'tis a long time ago, and he has most likely forgotten myfoolish conduct."

  I left him, but made an inward determination to be guided entirely bymy father's counsel as to whether one cowree of the twenty thousandr
upees should be paid or not. "And," said Peer Khan afterwards, "twentythousand rupees--the old villain! _He_ get it! Ah, Meer Sahib, we shallbe the brothers of owls and jackasses if he ever sees one rupee!"

  The next morning we were on our return to Jhalone, and we haltedbetween Bombay and Tannah for the day. Our pass was of much use, for itwas respected and obeyed; and, the day after, we passed Tannah and thedifferent revenue guard-houses without interruption.