Tara: A Mahratta Tale

by Meadows Taylor

  CHAPTER X.

  The three persons who were sheltering themselves in the porch of thetemple had apparently no apprehensions. Each in turn, throwing acoarse black blanket about him, mounted the heap of stones and lookedeagerly toward the villages and along the line of road. The otherssat together, rolling up leaves of the banian tree from time to time,which they filled with tobacco from their pouches, and smoked as fastas made. All three were heavily armed with long straight swords withsolid basket-handles, from which a spike projected below the hilt,enabling the wearer to use his weapon double-handed, as well as toprotect the wrist; shields of stout hide, with brass bosses, hung attheir backs, and daggers of different forms were in their girdles. Inthe chamber of the temple their three matchlocks leaned against thewall--two being ordinary ones with long bright barrels, the other shortand handsomely inlaid with gold, evidently of superior value to theothers. The men wore their large crooked powder-horns, and bullet-bags,with tinder-boxes, attached to soft leather waist-belts, and theirpriming-horns, hung to the breast-buckles of their sword-belts, of buffleather. The matchlocks were ready for instant use; for the matcheswere lighted, and the smoke, from the match-ends, and that of a smallfire made of dried twigs, filled the chamber and issued from the door.

  The two men who were sitting in the porch--one had just gone andtaken post again upon the stones--were stout square-built fellows,of dark-brown complexion, with peculiarly round powerful shoulders,which gave them almost the appearance of deformity. They wore coarsecotton tunics and tight drawers, which reached to the knee, leavingthe lower part of the legs bare, and showing them to be sinewy andwell exercised by constant travel. They had not removed their sandals,which were strong and studded with large-headed nails, and, as theysat together, the resemblance in figure was very striking. They were,in fact, twin-brothers, and, being Mahrattas, had been named, as isusual, Rama and Lukshmun, after the popular heroes of the Mahabarut.Even in features there was a strong resemblance; but the expression ofthe elder, Rama, was as gloomy, if not savage, as that of the younger,Lukshmun, was cheerful and good-natured.

  The brothers had been long silent, and the third person, who, with aheavy black blanket thrown over his head, had been sitting for sometime upon the stones, got up and returned to the porch as a freshcloud passed overhead, accompanied by heavier rain than before,which gradually shut out the village and road from his view, shookthe wet from the blanket, and stood looking gloomily at the sky andthe torrents of water which were running off the ground towards thedeclivity of the eminence. There was a great contrast between thisperson and the others in every respect, and he merits, perhaps, aseparate description.

  Though young, he was evidently the leader of the party, and hiscomparatively fair complexion and regular features, as well as thecaste-mark on his forehead, showed him to be a Rajpoot, descendedfrom those emigrants from Northern India whom military service, evenat that period, had tempted from Oude and Delhi to the remote Dekhan.In stature, as in powerful make, he much exceeded his companions, andhis carriage was soldierlike and graceful. He wore a quilted tunic ofwhat had once been gay red "mushroo," the strong satin of the country,but now stained and frayed; long tight drawers, turned up to thecalf; a dark red turban, of fine texture, jauntily cocked aside, itsgold thread end being turned back over the top; and his powder-horn,bullet-bag, and shield, as well as a little gold embroidery upon hissword-belt, all of a better quality than the others, with a finesingle pearl ear-ring--proved him to be as much superior to them inrank, as his expression and deportment were in intelligence.

  Gopal Singh, for such was his name, was, in truth, decidedlygood-looking. Large black eyes, full of light, a prominent nose, bushywhiskers, very neatly trimmed, and a small moustache twisted upwardsinto close curls at the corners of a mouth delicately formed and almosteffeminate in character when relaxed, but which, when the lips werecompressed, seemed full of deep expression both for good and evil,--thechin, clean-shaved and prominent, betokening firmness,--all combinedto form a countenance in which decision and energy were evident; but,in spite of his good features, their general expression was repellant,expressing cruelty and lawlessness of no common order.

  "He will never get across the Benathoora to-day, my friends," he said,stepping into a dry corner of the porch and sitting down; "and we havea weary journey to Itga before us in this mud; yet I dare not face themaster, my uncle, without some news of him."

  "Maharaj," replied Rama, respectfully, folding his hands--"Greatprince"--by which title (an ordinary one of respect), or that ofJemadar, Gopal Singh was usually addressed by them--"I know theBenathoora, and she will not come down before night; and if it be truethat the man left Kullianee yesterday, there is plenty of time for himto be here by sunset. Depend upon it, he will make for Allund to-day,and there will have been no deep mud for some hours after he left.Couldst thou see nothing on the road?"

  "Nothing, Rama. At one time I thought I saw him at the gate of thevillage yonder, but as the rain cleared off, it was only some cattlegoing in; then the mist closed up the view, and I could see no more,and came away. By Krishna, but this rain is something to see! Iquestion whether he could cross the nulla down there before Kinny, itseems filling so fast."

  "Ah! he can ford it well enough if he is bent on coming," saidLukshmun, "and he could not stop at either village, for I told theGowra this morning, if a stranger came, to send him on with a guide,and to shut the gate if he wanted to stop. So, if he left Kullianeeyesterday, he ought to have come a good distance before night; and ifhe started again this morning, there is no river, or nulla, between tostop him but the Benathoora, and that will be fordable till midnight,even with heavier rain than this. He would not stay for the rain toclear?"

  "He must have left it," returned the Jemadar; "he dared not stay there.One of old Lukmun Geer's disciples was to accompany him to a villagehalf-way to Allund yesterday, and send him on from thence with guidesfrom village to village. We offered escort, but he would take noone--the fellow was suspicious."

  "Then he is quite safe, Maharaj. The guides may plague him; but if hestarted under injunctions from the old Bawa's disciple, he will bepassed on carefully," returned Rama.

  "I hope he is, brothers. I would not lose our chance of the gold he hasfor something--nor indeed of himself."

  "Gold! Jemadar," cried both eagerly, in a breath.

  "Yes, my friends; good royal mohurs, I know; for the day beforeyesterday he rested at the Gosai's Mutt, and had a Hoondee cashed inthe shop. It was a goodly pouchful, I know, and it will come to us ifwe wait patiently."

  Gopal Singh lighted some tinder with his flint and steel, and then aleaf cigarette, as we may call it, and began to smoke in silence whichwas only broken by the dripping of the rain from the porch of thetemple and the tree, the general plash over the plain, and the loud andcontinuous croaking of the frogs in the pools and puddles.

  The Jemadar first broke silence. "Some one must look again," hecontinued, after a while; "and it is brighter now. Go thou, Lukshmun,take the blanket and sit close."

  "It is not weather to turn out a dog," muttered the man, sulkily,getting up and stepping down from the porch; "but I will go, Maharaj,if it is your order. Shall I go on to Kinny," he continued, "and seeif I can get tidings of him? Better that than sitting up there like adrenched scarecrow in a field."

  "Good, brother, go! Try the nulla before you venture into the middle ofit, lest it be too strong for you," said Rama.

  "And wait there for a time," added the Jemadar. "If he do not arrivebefore night thou canst bring some flour, ghee, and sugar from thePatel; for if we are to watch here all night we had need to eat, andI must make some bread; but if the man comes, bring him on--he willbe well-mounted and will not fear the nulla, and thou canst inventsomething about going back to Allund on urgent business."

  "Trust me for that, Jemadar. If I have an ugly face I can speak softwords when I choose, and I know enough of the camp language to makehim understand. Now, I am going." So saying, he doubled
the blanket ina peculiar manner, so as to form a cloak, threw it over his head andshoulders, and folded the sides tightly about him; then taking off hissandals, which he carried in his hand, he strode away in the rain, asrapidly as the mud would admit.

  "Take care of the thorns in the lane near the village; put on yoursandals there: we can't have you troubling us with a Babool thorn inyour foot," shouted the Jemadar.

  Lukshmun turned round and nodded his assent, and continued as before.They watched him silently till he disappeared over the brow of theeminence, when Rama said to his companion, "What if they have sent theman on by the other road, or warned him, Jemadar?" There was anotherroad which passed about half a mile to the south of where they sat.

  "He dare not, Rama; by his soul he dare not," replied the Jemadar,with flashing eyes and distended nostrils. "Do you think he would daremy uncle's vengeance? does he wish his cattle to be harried by PaharSingh, and his village burnt?"

  "Perhaps not; and it would be likely enough to happen, Jemadar," saidRama, laughing; "and, I suppose, we should have to come to do it. Butwhat is to be done with the man?--That?" and he pointed significantlyto the old well with his thumb.

  "O no, Rama," returned the other, laughing in his turn. "Nothing ofthat kind, now. The man himself is precious, why, the uncle knows, andsome more of them, though they have not told me. I only hope he willnot make a fight of it and get hurt."

  "Then we could not help it, of course, Jemadar."

  "No, indeed, friend. But we are three to one, and he is only aMutsuddee after all--not a man of war--he will be quiet enough, I daresay."

  "Well, if I am to say the truth, Maharaj, I am glad of it," returnedRama. "It is all very well to kill people in a fair foray, or ifanybody will fight in a Durora, one's blood is up, and it does notmatter; but, somehow or other, the last affair here was not agreeable,and ever since I have not liked the place at night. We need not addto the people that lie yonder," and he pointed over his shoulder to acorner of the tree, "unless, indeed, it is to be, then of course wecan't help it."

  "Nor I either, Rama. It is only pleasant here when there are fiftyor sixty good fellows assembled, and the gold and silver are boilingin the pots yonder. I don't like this new business as well as theold----By Gunga, what a flash!"

  Indeed the flash of lightning, which caused both to start to theirfeet, was nearly blinding. Without warning, except by the passage ofanother dark cloud above, it had fallen on part of the old tree whichwas separate from the rest--a branch supported by two roots whichhad struck into the ground--and had riven away part of it, whichfell across the mound of stones with a loud and heavy crash, and wasfollowed by a cracking peal of thunder, so loud and so near that themen involuntarily put their hands to their ears.

  "It would have killed him if he had been on the stones," said Rama, whofirst spoke, as the peal, spreading itself over the heavens, was dyinginto deep growls in the distance. "By all the gods! was there ever suchthunder?"

  "It will break up the clouds, perhaps," returned the Jemadar, "and thisrain will then stop. Yes, it was a narrow escape, indeed, and we may bethankful he went. It is a good omen for us, Rama!"

  "I vow a rupee to be inlaid in the floor of the temple of Devi,at Tooljapoor, and to feed twenty-four Brahmuns," said the man,reverently. "Yes," he added, looking up and over the plain, "I think itwill break up before sunset."

  But we must follow the spy on his double errand, while the pair, whostill converse, speculate upon the probable issue of it, smoke byturns, and long for a break in the rain. And there is another person,too, who must needs be looked after on his journey hitherward.