CHAPTER X.
THE DOOR IS SHUT.
Nearly a year had passed since Charteris and Gerrard had entered into theagreement which was to regulate their rivalry for the hand of HonourCinnamond, but the end of the six months' armistice had arrived withoutany renewal of hostilities. It was tacitly recognised between them thatit would be a mistake to conduct operations by letter, and neither ofthem was in a position to ask for leave. When Charteris returned toDarwan, he found that the Granthi subordinate left in charge had improvedthe shining hour by adding to the number of his wives a daughter of theprincipal robber-clan of the district. His official position gave himthe means of doing many little kindnesses to his new relations, and withtheir concurrence he arranged to gladden Charteris's eye on his return bythe spectacular destruction of an old disused fortress, the clan'sheadquarters being transferred to a larger post in a more sequestereddistrict. Unfortunately, in following up a raid, Charteris tracked theraiders to their lair, and as they thought their kinsman-in-law hadbetrayed them, and retaliated by informing on him, the whole matter cameout. Thereupon ensued a change of personnel in Charteris's staff, thedestruction of another fortress, and the persistent harrying of suchmembers of the clan as declined to come in and submit--all of whichoccupied time and thought so fully that matters of sentiment were forcedto take a subordinate place in the ruler's mind.
As for Gerrard, he was beginning to hope that Agpur was inclined tosettle down under the Regents. Each month that passed without aninsurrection was so much to the good, and brought nearer the day whenKharrak Singh would rule in safety in his own name. State affairsfollowed a well-defined course--almost a stereotyped one. When SherSingh proposed any measure, the Rani objected to it, and if Gerrardthought that it ought to be passed, it fell to him to argue her intoacquiescence. If the Rani originated a scheme, Sher Singh was theobstruction, and had to be coaxed into good humour before the projectcould be laid before the Durbar, who would have squabbled placidly to alleternity had they been admitted to an open share in the differences oftheir betters. Still, Gerrard was learning by this time how to handlehis unruly team, and was not without a sanguine belief that the Raniwould soon know something about the use of money and the management of anarmy, and that Sher Singh was really settling down in his subordinateplace with something like contentment. Their mutual opposition, hethought, was becoming rather formal than actual, and might even die downin time. But Gerrard was no more omniscient in estimating the futureyield of his poultry-yard than other people, and it took little to setthe two protagonists, whom he had looked upon as reformed characters,thirsting for each other's blood again.
Sher Singh's father-in-law died, leaving no son, and it was the naturalthing that his fief of Adamkot should descend to his daughter's husband.The Prince pointed out, very reasonably, that it was hardly suitable forone of the Regents to possess no stake in the country beyond a rentedhouse in Agpur, while the other enjoyed the revenues of several wealthyvillages. With Adamkot secured to him, he would be well provided forwhen his allowance as Regent ceased in time to come, instead of beingobliged to linger on as a pensioner at his younger brother's court. TheRani objected strongly to the proposal, and flung herself into thestruggle tooth and nail. The only hope of keeping Sher Singh loyal wasto make him strictly dependent upon his allowance, she declared. WithAdamkot in his hands, he would be above the reach of want, and couldwithdraw thither if anything displeased him, and make it a centre ofintrigue against the state. It was the bulwark of Agpur against the mostunruly part of Darwan, and he was quite capable of betraying his country,and leading an army of Darwanis against the capital.
The Rani's patriotic anxiety would have appealed to Gerrard more stronglythan it did had there not penetrated to him, among the bits of palacegossip which Munshi Somwar Mal contrived to pick up for his employer'sbenefit, the news that she was determined to secure the fief for thebrother of one of her favourite attendants, and had gone so far as topromise it to him secretly. This she had no right whatever to do, andGerrard prepared for a contest. Sher Singh must have Adamkot, but hispossession of it should be tempered by the condition that he was not toreside there for more than ten days without the Rajah's permission.
The struggle between the Regents became known in the city almost as soonas at the Residency, and the army took advantage of the tension to demandan increase of pay, holding riotous assemblies at a spot where theirmenacing shouts were distinctly audible from the Rani's apartments.Before Gerrard could get the Durbar's consent to use the guard todisperse them, the Rani had sent out her scribe to inquire into theirgrievances, and the poor old man, set upon and bullied by the leadingspirits, promised them in his mistress's name all they wanted, before hewas allowed to escape with torn clothes and trailing turban. But thisagain was a matter in which the Rani had no power to act. Gerrard wasfirmly fixed in his resolve not to increase the pay of the swashbucklerswho swaggered about the city girt with costly shawls and decked withjewelled necklaces, as though they were fresh from a profitable campaign."Every Sepoy is a Sirdar at least, and every Sowar a Rajah!" was theenvious comment of the peaceable citizens who endured their insolence,and before this last palace-squabble, it had been a bright dream ofGerrard's to embody the civil inhabitants into some kind of militia, andwith their help and that of the guard to reduce the army sternly to itsproper place. Accordingly, he devoted an interview of considerablelength to explaining to the Rani that Partab Singh's treasure, now muchreduced in amount, must no longer be drawn upon in minor emergencies, butkept for the tug of war which might be expected when Kharrak Singh cameof age. The Rani listened with apparent submission, and he was beginningto congratulate himself on her meekness, when she posed him by suddenlysuggesting a bargain. Let the troops have their increase of pay, andSher Singh might have Adamkot. It needed another long argument to proveto her that there was no question of a compromise, and when she had beenforced to realise, with a very bad grace, that the increased pay wouldnot be granted, she still remained obstinate on the matter of SherSingh's fief. Gerrard was worried by the delay, since it had beenintended to invest the Prince formally on the occasion of Kharrak Singh'sbirthday, which was close at hand, but he resigned himself to theprospect of a succession of further interviews, destined, of course, toend in the collapse of the Rani's opposition.
The reception in honour of Kharrak Singh's birthday, a very brilliantaffair, was held in a pavilion erected for the purpose in the courtyardof the palace, since Sher Singh was still debarred entrance to thebuilding itself. On the dais at the upper end was a silver-giltarm-chair for the little Rajah, flanked by plain silver chairs forGerrard and Sher Singh, and behind the three chairs was a curtain, whichshielded the Rani and her attendants from the public gaze. Gerrard wasconscious of an unusual amount of whispering and excitement behind thecurtain, but it did not occur to him that this had any specialsignificance until the speeches were over, and those present came up tooffer their congratulations and their _nazars_. First of all came SherSingh, as the foremost subject of the realm, with an offering of goldcoins, which it was Kharrak Singh's duty graciously to accept and retain.But to Gerrard's dismay, and the horror of all the spectators, the boydrew back as his brother approached, and folding his arms across hischest, sat like a little cross-legged image of obstinacy, mutelydeclining to notice either the offering or the offerer. Whisperedremonstrances were useless, and Sher Singh, after waiting for a moment invain, cast the _nazar_ contemptuously on the gold-worked carpet, andturned away with a face convulsed with rage. "The child has been put upto this!" he muttered angrily, and stalked down the gangway, between therows of Sirdars and notables. Gerrard beckoned hastily to the next man,mentally resolving to get the durbar over as quickly as possible, andthen hurry after Sher Singh and try to placate him, but to his horror,Kharrak Singh remained immovable, and declined to notice the offering nowheld forth to him. Remonstrances came from behind the curtain at this,and Gerrard gathered that the boy had improved on his mother's
instructions; but as if an evil spirit had taken possession of him, hesat hugging himself tightly, finding, apparently, a malicious pleasure inthe perturbation he was causing. It was highly probable that the Ranihad desired him to be specially gracious to the military officers whowould bring up their swords to be touched when the old councillors hadpassed, but Gerrard was not minded to let matters go further. The durbarwas hastily broken up, with the excuse that the Rajah must be ill, andthe Rani and her crowd of chattering excited women conducted back, withall the usual paraphernalia of sheets held before and behind and oneither side of them, to their own apartments. Gerrard allowed thembarely time to get back there before demanding an audience, but in thatbrief interval he heard that the Rani had that morning distributed to thearmy the monthly allowance which had just been paid to her, and thejewels in which she had invested her savings since her widowhood. Itmight be considered a valiant effort to compensate them for the breakingof her promise, but Gerrard knew that her tradesmen's bills would have tobe settled by the Durbar in consequence. The lady was clearlyincorrigible, and he braced himself for the struggle.
The Rani displayed no penitence when, after much delay, and manycomplaints as to the unreasonableness of the request, she consented toreceive Gerrard, but he detected a trace of alarm in her voice when shereferred to Kharrak Singh's treatment of the councillors. Evidently herson had gone further than she wished, for it was no part of her plan todrive the Durbar into making common cause with Sher Singh. Gerrardseized upon the opening thus afforded him, and made skilful use of it.The harm done must be instantly repaired, and the offended notablesplacated with suitable gifts and assurances, if Kharrak Singh's rule wasto endure. The Rani assented to this, though with reluctance; but whenGerrard proceeded to say that the first person approached must be SherSingh, and that the Rani's peace-offering to him must be the fief ofAdamkot, she refused to hear another word, and when he persisted,intimated that the audience was at an end. He took out his watch.
"Maharaj," he said, sending his voice loudly in the direction in which,as the rustling behind the curtain informed him, she was withdrawing indisdain, "I give you five minutes. If by that time you have not put yourseal to the _sanad_,[1] and given it to the Rajah to bring to me, that wemay ride together to Kunwar Sher Singh's house with it, I leave Agpur,and tell Colonel Antony Sahib that it is impossible for me to fulfil myduties here."
The rustling ceased, and it was clear that the Rani had paused. Thenthere broke out a tumult among her women, some evidently entreating herto yield, and others advising that she should let the insolent Feringheego, and take the reins of power into her own hands, secure of the supportof the army.
"Two minutes gone!" said Gerrard.
The Rani tried to temporise. "Let not Jirad Sahib fit the shoes ofimpatience to the feet of offence," she said blandly. "Is he not rulerhere? But the wise ruler is he who acts with the dwellers behind thecurtain on his side."
"Three minutes gone!" said Gerrard.
"I have set Jirad Sahib's foot on my head because it was the will of myson's father," cried the Rani passionately; "but to that of Sher Singh Iwill not bow."
An approving chorus from the attendants answered her, interrupted byGerrard's reminder that four minutes had passed.
"What is it you command me to do?" she demanded desperately.
"To seal the _sanad_ and send the Rajah to accompany me with it to KunwarSher Singh's house at once, that he may invest him without delay--then tosummon another durbar, so that men's minds may be set at ease. The fiveminutes are over." Gerrard pushed back his chair with a harsh grating onthe marble pavement, and rose impressively. "I leave Agpur in half anhour, and I trust your Highness and the Prince will be able to settlematters peaceably."
He took two or three steps, and then her voice called him back. "I willratify the _sanad_, but let Jirad Sahib carry it himself to him who is toenjoy it."
"The Rajah takes it or no one," said Gerrard. The women broke out intocries of indignation at his brutality, but their mistress knew how farshe could go.
"The seal is affixed," she said, her voice trembling with anger; "andJirad Sahib has leave to depart, for which he did not see fit to waitjust now."
The last word was undeniably hers, and Gerrard hoped that therecollection of his breach of etiquette might support her in herconsciousness of defeat. Kharrak Singh came pouting out from behind thecurtain, carrying the document as if it had been a snake or a scorpion,and after running his eye over it, Gerrard hurried him out. He had givenhis orders before the interview, and in a very short time the processionwas in motion, and what was even better, Kharrak Singh in a good temper.He was riding his father's great state elephant, with its very finestjewelled trappings, and Gerrard accompanied him on another elephant ofless magnificence, while a third carried the patent of investiture in agilt box, and the _khilat_ or dress of honour which was to be conferredon Sher Singh at the same time. It would have been beyond the power ofthe boy to continue to pout in such circumstances, and as he mounted,Kharrak Singh shrilly promised his pet troop of the guard new coats ofyellow satin. The procession wound gallantly through the narrow streetsto Sher Singh's house, but before the door was reached, the officials whohad been sent forward to announce to the Prince the honour that hissovereign intended to confer upon him came back with long faces. SherSingh was not at home. In fact, he had hurried back after hishumiliation at the durbar, called for his horse, and ridden forth on ajourney with a handful of attendants--to Adamkot, so the servantsbelieved. The blow was so heavy that Gerrard refused at first to believein its reality, and sent messengers to the city gates. The news theybrought served only to confirm the first report. The Regent and his bandhad passed through two hours before, bound for Adamkot in hot haste.Gerrard ordered the procession to return, and it retraced its stepsslowly, while he laid his plans for saving the situation. There wereinnumerable things to be arranged when he returned to the palace, and hesummoned the Rani's scribe, and desired him to acquaint his mistress withwhat was being done, in order to avoid the loss of time which would becaused by another personal interview.
"I leave early to-morrow for Adamkot to bring Sher Singh back," he said."He must come, but I hope he will yield to entreaty and come peaceably.I take with me three of the state elephants, with sufficient troops toform an imposing escort, and at the same time to make opposition useless.A letter couched in terms of the utmost friendliness, conferring upon thePrince the title of Prop-of-the-Kingdom, will be ready in a short timefor her Highness's signature, and I shall present it with the patent ofinvestiture and the _khilat_. Other _khilats_ are being prepared inreadiness for a durbar to-night, at which the Rajah will confer them uponthe councillors offended this morning. If her Highness objects to thesearrangements, you have my authority to point out to her that unless SherSingh is placated immediately, the very gravest consequences are certainto ensue."
"Does his Highness accompany your honour upon this journey?" asked theold man.
Gerrard shook his head. Kharrak Singh's presence was highly desirable asan act of atonement, but if he came, the Rani and all her women must cometoo, and the journey would require a week instead of two days. "No," hesaid, "I trust Kunwar Sher Singh will return with me, and we will thenarrange a feast and a special reception in his honour."
The scribe salaamed and departed, and Gerrard gave a few moments toreviewing his plans. He was taking with him the most persistentlydisaffected of the troops, so that the Rani would be well able to holdthe palace with the guard should there be any outbreak on the part of theremainder during his absence. The councillors would be mollified by thehonours conferred upon them, and also by the Rani's submission in thematter of Sher Singh's fief, and as no contentious business could betransacted while he was away, they ought to be able to keep the peace.It seemed as though all dangers had been provided against, and Gerrard'sspirits rose insensibly. Seizing a sheet of paper, he scribbled a hastynote to Charteris.
"If you are
anywhere in the Adamkot direction, infringe our frontier andlook me up," he concluded, after sketching roughly the state of affairs."I have always heard of it as the most _tiger-ish_ spot in the country,and Shere Sing may well stand us a hunt in return for all the trouble hehas given me. Among the hotties[2] I am taking with me for purposes ofdisplay, I have included old Pertaub Sing's trained hunter, so we oughtto see some sport. By the bye, when is your appeal for my help coming?Just wait till this little business is off my hands, and I'll be with youin a jiffey."
This sent off, and the Rani's consent to his arrangements received andacknowledged, there was the durbar to attend, at which Kharrak Singhconferred his _khilats_ and received his _nazars_ in the most angelicmanner, and it was zealously whispered about that Sher Singh had left thecity under a complete misconception of the love and affection entertainedfor him by his brother, which would be proved by the honourable embassysent to command his return, and the gifts that it would carry. One ofthese was to be the store of gold hidden by Charteris in the Residencyprecincts, which Gerrard had to disinter and pack for transport when hewas left alone at night, so that a very small amount of sleep was allthat he enjoyed before it was time to start in the morning. KharrakSingh appeared on the chief state elephant to ride with him out of thecity, and insisted on his coming up into the howdah. Late hours, earlyrising, grief at parting from Gerrard, and remorse for his own share inbringing this about, had combined to make the boy's frame of mind veryfar from ideal, and he alternated between threatening to behead Gerrardif he went, and hanging round his neck entreating to be taken with him.When the moment of parting came, his hands had to be forcibly unclasped,and he subsided on his cushions a limp and sobbing little bundle, onlyrestrained from screams of passion by receiving leave to open thewrappers of any illustrated papers if Gerrard's mail came in during hisabsence.
The journey to Adamkot was not eventful. The two highly ornamented gunswhich accompanied the troops stuck once or twice in crossing rivers, andhad to be hauled out by the elephants, and there was continuous murmuringamong the soldiers against the speed of the march and the prohibition ofplundering, but Gerrard did not trouble himself. Sher Singh wastravelling light and fast, and it was natural that he should gain uponthem, as inquiries at the various villages on the route assured them hewas doing, but if the troops could do in three days what the fugitive hadaccomplished in two, it would be proof positive that no time had beenlost in repairing the injury done him. When they camped on the secondnight, it was certain that this would be achieved, and Gerrard went tobed in good spirits after making the round of his outposts. The next daywould see, he hoped, a grave difficulty settled by prompt grappling withit, and would bring him the breezy company of Charteris, and possibly thepromise of good sport. His sleep was dreamless until an overmasteringimpression that tidings of disaster were arriving hotfoot awoke him. Thesound of distant horses' feet was in his ears as he raised his head fromthe pillow, but when he sat up and listened he could hear nothing. Hisservant and the orderly sleeping close at hand protested in injured toneswhen he called to them that he had been dreaming, and so did the sentriessupposed to be keeping watch on the outskirts of the camp, to whom hesent an inquiry without much hope of success.
"If any messenger arrives from Agpur, wake me and bring him here atonce," he said as he lay down again. "Why, what a fool I am! The soundwas coming the opposite way, I am sure. It must have been a dream."
No messenger arrived, and the rest of the march to Adamkot was made thenext day. It was almost sunset when Gerrard drew rein and looked up atthe great fort of reddish brick towering above him. He was riding in thebed of the river Tindar, here more than a mile wide, and now dry save forone small channel. When the river was in flood, Adamkot must stand onits very brink, but at present its sheer cliff rose from an expanse ofsand and mud. It occupied the point of a tongue of high land formed bythe river and a ravine, also dry, and a deep ditch guarded it at the onlyside on which level ground approached the walls. He wondered whether itwould be necessary to make a toilsome march up the side ravine to reachthe entrance, but Badan Hazari, pointing to a gateway at the top of thecliff, reached by a winding ascent from the foot, told him that this wasthe usual means of approach when the river was low. When it was high, adrawbridge was lowered over the ditch at the back. Gerrard sent off,therefore, his selected embassy, bearing a friendly letter from himselfas well as that signed by the Rani, and inviting Sher Singh to receivehim, that he might deliver the gracious gifts of the Rajah.
The embassy wound up the long path, entered the gateway, and returned,without Sher Singh, but with an elderly fakir, who was introduced as thePrince's private physician. With many apologies and compliments, heinformed Gerrard that his master, cut to the heart by the Rajah'sbehaviour, had taken to his bed as soon as he reached home, and was tooill to be disturbed. He had turned his face to the wall, said the oldman dramatically, and though he had laid the letters on his brow and eyesin token of gratitude, he had not even strength to read them at present.Would his beloved friend Jirad Sahib pardon his seeming discourtesy, andreturn to the capital, whither he would follow as soon as the life-givinginfluences of his sovereign's kindness had renewed his spirit? Gerrardexpressed his sorrow at the Prince's illness, but offered to visit himand read the letters aloud, at the same time investing him with the_khilat_. But this was refused. Sher Singh's wounded spirit could notendure the sight of a stranger at present, it seemed, and he could onlyexpress his deep regret that for so unworthy an object Jirad Sahib shouldhave interrupted his important labours, and entreat him to waste no moreof his valuable time. There was not even a word said of lodging him andhis escort in the fort for the night. Gerrard's anger rose.
"I came to see Sher Singh, and here I stay till I have seen him," hesaid. "We will pitch here, below the gateway, and see which of us willtire first."
[1] Grant, patent.
[2] _Hathis_, elephants.
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