Tara: A Mahratta Tale

by Meadows Taylor

  CHAPTER XII.

  Our friend the Lalla was soon at his ease with his new guide, whoseinjunctions to Motee, bidding him "take care," "mind a stone," "lift uphis feet," and the like, encouraged the good beast, who now stepped outbriskly, while the curious mixture of Oordoo and Mahratta, in which thesmall gossip and scandal of the neighbourhood was told him by Lukshmun,amused him much. The mile or so which intervened between the villageand the temple was soon passed; and as they began to ascend the shortrising ground towards the temple and the tree, the latter could be seenin all its wild picturesque detail, and was indeed a striking object.

  The sun had now broken forth, and its beams shone slantingly throughits rugged trunks and gnarled branches, resting brightly upon theglossy foliage sparkling with raindrops, and lighting up everyexcrescence and furrow of the knotty bark, casting broad shadows onthe road below: while a slight parting shower, the large drops ofwhich flashed brightly in the air as they descended, pattered uponthe leaves, and spread out into the valley in a silver rain. As thetravellers gained the summit, the clear sky beyond to the west notonly caused the tree to stand out boldly and grandly against it, butthe brightness of the sun dispelled the gloomy associations which theappearance of the place had suggested during the rain. A slight breeze,which had hardly been felt in the hollow, rippled the little pools onthe roadway and on the plain beyond the tree, which, level and stony,continued, apparently many miles, in the direction they had to go.

  Motee paused at the summit of the eminence, and the Lalla could nothelp stopping him to look back upon the road by which he had come. Thebright yellow gleams of the sun shone broadly upon the two villages,and upon the rich green masses of their corn-fields. In the distanceboth looked pretty and comfortable: and their terraced houses, severalwhite temples, and the dome of a small village mosque shone brightlyin the sun. Behind these, and to the south, the plain over which theLalla had come stretched away for many miles, showing the trees of avillage here and there, with the occasional sparkle of a white houseor temple among them; and behind all, the great black cloud of theday's rain, upon which there was a rainbow forming of great beauty, andagainst which a flight of white storks flashed like silver in the sun.Away to the south, the eye followed hollow and rise, undulation afterundulation, till they were lost in a farther distance, which meltedtenderly into the sky.

  "It is a fair country, friend, after all," said the Lalla, "though itdid not look well in the rain. That plain yonder is in the direction ofBeejapoor, perhaps?"

  "It is, sir," returned Lukshmun; "that high land, near the sky yonder,is beyond the Bheema river, and, if we were there, we should see thetomb of the great Sultan Mahmood, now finished. It is very grand, sir,and shines like silver when the sun is on it; and when I go there,"continued the man, "I stand like a fool, looking at the King's palace,the Ark fort, the great gun, and the 'Ibrahim Roza'--that's the placewhere Ibrahim Adil Shah was buried, you know, sir----"

  "Numascar Maharaj," cried a clear manly voice, now beside the Lalla'shorse, which appeared to him to rise out of the earth, for he had notobserved the approach of Gopal Singh and Rama from the temple.

  "Who are these?" exclaimed the Lalla, starting and beginning totremble--"who are these?" and the warning of the old Byragee nowcame upon him, with the distressing conviction that he ought to haveregarded it; but it was too late. "Who are ye?" he asked anxiously.

  "O, this is my brother Rama," said Lukshmun, assuringly, "and that isour Jemadar Gopal Singh; they only waited here while I went to Kinny."

  "Be assured, noble sir," added the Jemadar, laughing, and in goodOordoo, with a slight southern accent, which seemed to assure theLalla, "there is nothing to fear. Your worship is from Kullianee,perhaps."

  "Yes, from Kullianee yesterday."

  "Ah, yes, I remember; you were at Poorungeer's Mutt. I was just aboutleaving when you arrived, and the old man offered you escort of myparty, but you preferred staying."

  "I--I--I--had business," replied the Lalla, stammering, not exactlyrelishing Gopal Singh's bold looks, and yet unable to object to him. "Iwas tired and needed rest, and you could not wait."

  "You had come from the royal court, I think they said, and were goingto Beejapoor with letters for the King--proposals for peace, perhaps."

  "So they said--who?" Of all things, the Lalla supposed his destinationand business were at least secret; yet they appeared known, and to aperfect stranger, too, by the wayside. He did not feel able to reply,and was almost inclined to trust to Motee's speed, and break throughthe men; but Lukshmun, on receiving his matchlock from his brother,fixed the match, which had been hanging loose upon the cock, in a veryprecise manner, pressing the trigger to see if the match descended uponthe pan. The others, too, looked carelessly to the priming of theirguns, but to the Lalla's idea ominously, and as if he should understandthe action. Lukshmun's face, too, appeared changed--it was not sopleasant as it had been.

  "Come," said the Jemadar, "we have far to go to-night--what kept theeso long, Lukshmun?"

  "O, the Patel at Kinny said we were to escort this worthy gentleman, asgovernment orders had come about him from Allund; so I waited, as therain had delayed him."

  The Lalla felt reassured; his arrival was no doubt expected. "Ah, yes,sir," continued Gopal Singh, "you had better have come on with usthree days ago, but it does not matter now. That is a fine horse ofyours," he added, patting Motee's neck, "and from Hindustan, I think,as my lord is. We, too--that is, my family--are also from thence,Kanouj Khutrees; so is this good gun, too;" and he held out his own."Yes; one can hit a man on horseback at full speed half as far as tothe stream yonder."

  It appeared to the Lalla as if the Jemadar was reading his thoughts asclearly as if he were telling them himself.

  "And if we were in battle," he continued, "and any one were trying toget away from me, he would be shot between the shoulders before hecould even reach the tree yonder."

  "I--I--have no doubt of it, Jemadar Sahib," returned the Lalla,--"nodoubt: and your speech is pleasant to hear after the rough languagehereabouts."

  "Come, come," cried Lukshmun, with seeming impatience, "if you want topay compliments, noble sir, wait till we get to the end of our journey.Come!" and as he spoke he touched Motee's rein. "Come on, my son!" hesaid, and the horse followed.

  As they passed the little temple in its loneliness under the shadow ofthe huge tree, it looked a place for evil deeds. A large horned owl onthe highest branch, now awakening for his evening flight, hooted loudlyabove them, and was answered by another. It seemed an evil omen, andstruck to the Lalla's heart.

  "Ah! we cannot pass you, my friend," said Gopal Singh. "Look, LallaSahib, what my gun can do."

  As he spoke, he raised the piece and fired. The aim was true anddeadly, and the huge bird fell down heavily close to Motee's feet witha rushing sound, causing the horse to start back.

  "I never miss," said the man, decidedly, and reloading his piece. "Nowcome on."

  "Shabash! Well shot," said the Lalla; but his heart was throbbing fast,and it was a positive relief to him when the dark grove was behindthem, and they emerged upon the bare, wild, open plain beyond.

  "A lonely place that, Jemadar," remarked the Lalla, turning to the manwho walked behind him; "and the old Byragee, where I slept, advised menot to go by it; he said Pahar Singh's men might be about. Who is thisPahar Singh?"

  "Pahar Singh?" returned the Jemadar. "O, a worthy gentleman whois quiet enough when not plagued. He is the lord of the marcheshereabouts--a valiant man, and a good soldier; and in these troubledtimes, Lallajee, has his friends and his enemies, like most of us: 'tisthe way of the world."

  After another mile, during which none of the party spoke, the Jemadarproposed to the Lalla to dispense with the guide. "Evening was drawingon," he said; "they knew the country, and the contents of the bundlecould be carried on the saddle or divided among them;" and, indeed,it appeared necessary, as the guide, limping, declared he could go nofarther, and had a thorn in his foot. The nece
ssary arrangements weresoon completed; and, between the Lalla's saddle-bags and his saddle,the contents of the bundle were soon disposed of; the guide received asmall gratuity, and retraced his steps at a far more rapid pace than hehad advanced.

  "He has no more a thorn in his foot than I have, Lalla Sahib," saidthe Jemadar, laughing. "Look how he goes! but Bheema there is no worsethan his fellows, and does not like the idea of a night journey withoutchange. Now we shall get on better. Let the horse walk out, Lukshmun;only keep by him."

  Lukshmun let go the rein, but he did not leave his place, and thoughthe rate at which the horse now proceeded kept the men at a rapid walk,and occasionally, indeed, at a trot, they preserved the positions theyhad taken up without alteration, speaking little among themselves,except occasionally in Mahratta or Canarese, with both of whichlanguages they appeared familiar.

  The sun was setting in great glory. After the heavy clouds had passedaway to the eastward, a clear blue sky succeeded for a while; but as agentle breeze arose, it had brought up with it light, fleecy vapours,which, as the wind again died away at sunset, became motionless, and,gradually attracted to each other, formed piles of white clouds edgedwith deep grey. As the sun declined, white became orange and goldand crimson: while the sky itself, of an intense purple above, fadedinto green, yellow, and rosy tints, on which the golden clouds seemedto float in soft but brilliant masses: and, as it dipped below thehorizon, a flood of light suddenly shot up, tinging the lower edges ofall the lighter portions with vivid scarlet, and mingling with the deeporange and purple hues above, gorgeously.

  "The gods have a festival upon Mount Meru to-night, Lallajee. Doesthe sun go down in that fashion in your country?" said the Jemadar,pointing to the sky and breaking a long silence. "We have made goodwork of it since the guide left us. Come, here is a little stream,and you need a change of posture; dismount and rest, while I offer myevening libations to the four elements."

  "No, I will not dismount, Jemadar," returned the Lalla; "you will notbe long, and by all means let your men get a drink of water too, andwash their feet. I will stay here."

  "He is not to be trusted," said the Jemadar to his men in Canarese; "Isee it in his eyes. If he stirs, shoot him, and both of you stay byhim."

  Rama had fastened one of the horse's tether-ropes about his waist, andhe now proceeded to tie the end of it to the cheek-strap of the bridlein a methodical manner.

  "What are you doing?" cried the Lalla, alarmed at the action; "looseit!"

  "O, my lord will dismount," said Lukshmun, "and who is to hold thehorse?"

  "I am not going to move: loose it, I say!" cried the Lalla, impatiently.

  But Rama sat down doggedly at a little distance, holding the rope, andbegan deliberately to munch a cake his brother had unfastened from hisback, resting his gun across his knees.

  "Loose it!" again cried the Lalla, "Jemadar, why have I been tied likea thief?"

  The Jemadar had divested himself of his upper clothing and stepped intothe stream; he was taking up water in his hands and pouring it to thefour quarters of the earth. His clothes and arms were on the river bank.

  "There is no use in disturbing him, Maharaj," said Lukshmun, quietly;"he is at his prayers, and can't hear. My brother, you see, doesn'tunderstand you, and he only does what the Jemadar told him; so get offand walk about a little. Come, I will hold the stirrup for you."

  "No; loose the rope!" cried the Lalla again, eagerly, and reaching overto do so himself.

  "Ah, Maharaj! you must not do that; you see my brother will be angry. Iadvise you to be quiet," said Lukshmun, putting back the Lalla's hand,and pulling the knot of the rope firmer.

  But the Lalla could not now contain himself; his alarm was graduallyincreasing. He thought he could break away from the men, and dashthrough the stream ere they could fire at him. Touching Motee with thebridle and his heel at the same time, he aroused him from the sluggishposition he had assumed, and moved him a little so as to face Rama,who still sat eating; and the Lalla was quietly gathering up the reinspreparatory to urging the horse forward, when the keen practised eyesof the men detected the intention. Excited by his rider, the horsegathered himself on his haunches and made a bound; but Lukshmun,leaping at the bridle, hung on to it, jerking it back so violently thatthe horse reared, while the Lalla, whose right arm had been seized byRama, lost his balance, and fell heavily to the ground.

  Hearing the cries of the men, Gopal Singh had run from the streamhastily, taking up his sword, and reached the spot as the Lalla fell.

  "Get up!" he cried, seizing his arm; "what folly is this? By the gods,he has fainted! Thou hast not used thy knife, Rama?"

  "Not I, Jemadar; but he fell heavily. What could I do? He would havebeen off, for the horse is a strong beast, and I could hardly holdhim--only for the old trick. Get some water, Jemadar, he will drinkfrom thee. I will hold him up. Stay, here is his lota."

  While the Jemadar ran for water, Rama knelt down and raised the Lalla'shead, who now opened his eyes. "Speak to him, Lukshmun; tell him to getup and be quiet," said Rama to his brother.

  "Do you hear, Maharaj? you are to get up and be quiet. Rama says so,"cried Lukshmun, "and he is not a child."

  "Nor I, Lalla," said the Jemadar, returning with the water. "ByKrishna, what made thee vex the hunchbacks? they were likely to berough enough if provoked. Art thou hurt?"

  "No, my lord--that is, valiant sir--only a little," replied the Lalla,moving his body about to ascertain the fact. "No; but my life!--O sparemy life!--do not kill me."

  "I am more hurt than he is, Jemadar," said Rama, rubbing his arm, "forhe fell on me. Ah, you rascal!" he continued with a Mahratta oath,"only for the Jemadar there I had settled accounts with thee; get up!"

  "I petition," said Lukshmun, who led up Motee, now calmed, "as theLalla broke faith with us, that he walks; and Rama rides, as he ishurt."

  "Ah, by your heads, no!" exclaimed the Lalla; "I never could walk acoss in my life; and my feet would never go over these stones andbriars. Kill me, if ye will, but walk I cannot."

  "Tie him up," suggested Rama, "if he can't walk; we must not trust himin the dark on that good horse."

  "A good thought," said the Jemadar; "give me his sheet from the saddle."

  The Lalla guessed what had been said, and protested and resistedvehemently; but he was as a child in the hands of the men, and in afew moments his hands and arms were swathed to his body gently withinthe sheet, but so that he could not use them: and he was raised to hisfeet, trembling violently, while the bandage was fastened behind him.

  "Ah, sir! do not shake so," said Lukshmun, smiling, and joining hisown hands in mock supplication; "if you do, you will go to pieces, andthere will be none of you left when we get to our uncle, Pahar Singh."

  Pahar Singh! the Lalla's heart sank within him. But he had no timefor remonstrance. He was lifted like a child into the saddle, the menresumed their arms and positions, and again set forward.

  "Where are you going to take me, Jemadar?" asked the Lalla, trembling,as they crossed the stream. "Ah, be merciful to----"

  "So you have got speech at last," returned Gopal Singh. "Listen, Lalla,if you had been quiet you should have ridden like a gentleman, now yougo as a thief. Pahar Singh, my uncle, is lord of these marches, andknows what to do with you. One thing, however, I may tell you; if youmake any further attempt to escape, I will shoot you. It is not yourcarcass that he wants, but what you have on it; the gold you got atKullianee. Now, beware, for you know the worst."

  Of what use was resistance, and the Lalla clung to life. They mighttake his gold. There remained, at least, the papers he possessed; andif he begged his way on foot to Beejapoor, what matter, so that he gotthere with them?

  So they proceeded as rapidly as the ground would admit, stillcontinuing to avoid all villages by paths through the fields, withwhich they seemed perfectly acquainted.

  Before they reach their destination, which they will do in two or threehours more, we may describe the person to whom they
are proceeding.