Tara: A Mahratta Tale
Page 53
CHAPTER LI.
Some days have passed at Beejapoor since we were last there, not idly,certainly. A large army had to be prepared for the field, and fora long, difficult, and perhaps hazardous service. The treasury wasopened, and the arrears of all troops disbursed; for the men had toprovide as well for their own wants as for those of their familiesduring their absence. The condition of the artillery was looked towith particular care, and preparations made for rough roads and rougherservice than other parts of the Dekhan afforded. Sivaji's mountainswere high and steep, the jungle and forest next to impenetrable, yetAfzool Khan had taken up the "birra," the gage of service, and haddetermined to bring the rebel bound to the throne of his young King,there to receive death or pardon, as might be most fitting.
But the old Khan was no boaster. He had seen something of that countrywhen, as a younger man, he had governed those provinces; and in histours through them had shared the hospitality of Shahji, the fatherof Sivaji, and had been guided by Sivaji himself through many a roughhunting expedition; he therefore remembered enough to adopt precautionsin all respects, and, so far as lay in his power, they were made.
That was not a country for the operations of cavalry, and it wastherefore more to the infantry and artillery that he trusted: and itwould not be wise to weaken the royal forces in and about the capitaltoo much, lest the Moghuls should take advantage of it, and makeincursions across the frontier, nay, even attack the capital itself.
His own Paigah, and troops that had been in quarters for the rainyseason at his own town of Afzoolpoor:--some of the Wuzeer's Abyssinianlevies, which were at Nuldroog,--some bodies of the old Dekhany horseunder Alla-ool-Moolk, the Dagtorays and Bylmees, were particularlyselected; and, with some of the best infantry, the army was complete.
Nothing could exceed the spirit and devotion of the troops. Inthe beautiful Jumma Mosque, where more than five thousand menassembled daily for prayer, the preaching of the Peer, and the otherecclesiastics of that noble edifice--which yet remains as perfect asit was at the period of this history--eloquently set forth the meritsof the Jehad, or religious war, in the eyes of God and the Prophet;and the certainty of paradise and its houris, to all who, falling bysickness or in battle, would surely enjoy them. Nor was it in the JummaMosque only that this fervour existed. In the royal Palace precincts,the city mosques--at the tombs of the ancestors of the Kings--thebeauteous Ibrahim Roza, and noble mausoleum of Sultan Mahmood, nothingwas left undone by the preachers to make the war popular, and toblacken the character and motives of the rebels. Frequently, indeed, tosuch a pitch of excitement were men wrought, that it was difficult torestrain them from attacking Hindus indiscriminately in the streets,and, in the expressive language of the Peer, from "making a pyramid ofa lakh of heads before the palace gates." But it was no part of theroyal policy to allow such religious fury vent at the capital or by theway: suffice it that, at the end of a long and toilsome journey, whichwould be made light through religious fervour, there would be freelicence to slay, and the raid of Afzool Khan would become memorable inthe history of the kingdom.
As the camps of the different leaders, too, formed without the walls,on that great plain which encompassed the city, bards and minstrels, incompanies or singly, balled-singers, and, above all, troops of dancingwomen--thronged to them; and day and night, audiences were formed,sometimes in the tents, sometimes in the open air, where the feats ofSivaji and Maloosray were sung in the native Mahratta or Canarese, withverses added for the occasion, urging the faithful to destroy them.
We may be sure that, if the old Khan and Fazil were active in thefield, Lurlee and Zyna were no less so in the house. To Lurlee war wasfamiliar. She had been long weary of a monotonous life in the city,varied only by an occasional day's excursion to the royal palaces atToorweh, the Ibrahim Roza, or to the Khan's own garden, which waswithout the walls; and she remembered vividly the time when, for monthstogether, the Khan's tent, or a temporary lodging in a village, wereher only home, moving hastily or leisurely, as the service required,from place to place, in her palankeen or on horseback, as might be.
Ah! she was young and active then, and with the sharing of a roughbivouac or hurried march,--scanty food, often cooked by herself, ahorse-cloth to lie upon, and a shelter contrived with four spearsand a sheet thrown over them--and hard fighting to boot,--were herpleasantest memories of the Khan's love and her own happiness. If shewere not so young, the old spirit was at last roused; and, day by day,as the preparations went on, the good lady told Zyna of the old wildtimes, and excited her desire to share in the new expedition.
To Zyna's great joy her father had directed that the whole family wasto move. Lurlee was indispensable to the Khan in the field, where,indeed, her truest value was apparent; and Fazil could not be deniedthe command he had earned by his sagacity and valour. Who, then, couldprotect Zyna, even did he desire to leave her? True, the royal Begumhad offered a home, and with it her love to the maiden; she shouldbe her little secretary, and write the King's private letters to herfather while he was absent. But it could not be: that loving heartwould have pined without those whose daily converse had been its lifefor years, and the invitation was affectionately but respectfullydeclined.
We may, perhaps, also hint another reason, not more powerful,certainly, than the love of those nearest and dearest to her, butworking with it, nevertheless, in no mean degree. Kowas Khan had notsuffered by his father's treachery. It was not only that Afzool Khanand Fazil answered for him with their lives and honour; but it hadbecome clear to the King, and to those who had examined the lateWuzeer's correspondence, that the son had been kept ignorant of hisfather's plans; so, when the period of mourning was past, Kowas Khanhad been taken to the royal court by the Khan and his son, and investedwith robes of honour. Of the King's participation in the secret ofhis father's murder Kowas Khan had no knowledge, and could have none.It was believed to have been committed in revenge by some dischargedsoldiers, and it were better that he died as he had done, than that histreacherous intention should have succeeded, or that the ignominy of apublic execution should have followed its detection.
While, therefore, the young man was still residing at the Khan's housewith his mother, and other younger members of the family, he renewedhis proposals for Zyna, which were heartily seconded by her, and otherfemale relatives. It was, however, no time for such affairs; and with atacit consent that, when the campaign was over, there should be no moredelay in the marriage, Kowas Khan contented himself with being told byLurlee Khanum--when the worthy dame had retired behind a screen--that,after a strict investigation, she had come to the conclusion that histemperament was fire and Zyna's air, and that, in consequence, theirunion promised to be felicitous in the highest degree; and that herfriend the Moolla agreed with her.
Did our space admit of it, we would tell how friends on both sides metfor the betrothal; and how,--there being no time for more lengthenedceremonies,--they stood up and interchanged packets of betel-leafcovered with gold and silver foil. How both sides swore that thosethey represented should never swerve from the contract; how the first,and hundred and tenth chapters of the Koran, were said devoutly by theMoolla and the assembly; and what good things were provided at night byLurlee Khanum and her trusty cook Kurreema, for those who came to thequiet ceremony. Many were the complaints of Lurlee's female friends,and perhaps Zyna's also, that there was not greater rejoicing; butAfzool Khan made it known that, when the marriage did take place,there should be no stint; and so the neighbours were satisfied for thepresent, and consoled themselves with hope for the future.
Bulwunt's wounds had proved of less consequence than was supposedat first, and loss of blood had caused the weakness under which hesuffered on the night of the scene in the temple. He was now able tomove about, and even to ride, and in the ensuing campaign, in a countrywhich he knew thoroughly, his local experience would be of great use.He was not, however, sanguine as to the result. As he expressed it,hunting Sivaji and Maloosray would be like chasing the wind; it wo
uldbe heard and felt, but never seen. Nevertheless they might be broughtto terms, and hereafter become worthy servants of the royal house.
Everything, therefore, being prepared, and the royal astrologers havingfixed a fortunate day and hour for the commencement of the march,the whole of the troops were drawn out in battle-array on the plainnorth of the fort, and the young King bade the leaders God-speed.Descending from his elephant, he embraced the old Khan, his son, andother noblemen and gentlemen of note; and as the royal Nagaras, orkettle-drums, which had been directed to accompany the force, struck upa march, and were answered by those of every body of horse, infantry,and artillery on the field,--the troops at once proceeded to theirseveral destinations, a few miles distant, shouting the war-cries oftheir several leaders.
It was necessary, however, for the Khan himself, with his son andKowas Khan, to visit Nuldroog, where a great portion of the army lay,and whence some of it was to accompany him; for though the troops atBeejapoor, which had been under the late Wuzeer, had shown no signs ofdisaffection, those at the fort were suspected, and their loyalty mustbe put to the proof ere the army could proceed. Lurlee Khanum and Zyna,therefore, were despatched under guidance and escort of Bulwunt Rao andothers, to Sholapoor, to await the Khan's arrival; and with a party ofhorse lightly equipped, his son Fazil, the Peer--who had declared hisintention of witnessing in person the discomfiture of the infidels, andseeing to the religious exercises of the army during its march--andKowas Khan, Afzool Khan proceeded by the direct road of his own town ofAfzoolpoor to the royal fort.
We need not follow their journey, for the country affords nothinginteresting or remarkable for description. After passing the town ofAlmella, they crossed the Bheema, now falling rapidly, and alreadyfordable in some places for horsemen: and Afzoolpoor, lying near thefurther bank, was safely reached on the third day.
Here the Khan found employment for two days more: for he was in nohurry to leave his own town, and the various matters to which he foundhe had to attend. His own last resting-place, a lofty, handsome,square building, with a massive dome, and the mosque adjoining it,were all but completed, and their consecration was necessary. This wasperformed by the Peer, the Moollas of village mosques around, the Kazeeof Nuldroog, and the representative of the saint Boorhan Sahib, wholived at the pretty village of Boorhanpoor, some miles to the north,where the saint's tomb had been erected. "It was well," said the oldKhan, "to have the place ready; who could tell whether it might notbe required soon?" Who could tell indeed? and so the ceremonies werecompleted.
Nor would the hospitable representative of the Boorhanpoor saint allowthe Khan's party to pass his village without entertainment. Parties ofleaders of the troops at Nuldroog, now only a few miles distant, cameto the festivities, and, in the meeting with them, all apprehensionswere removed from the Khan's mind. Swearing on the holy book beforethe saint's shrine, they declared their fealty to the King, and theirattachment to their young master, in terms which could not be mistaken.