Confessions of a Thug Page 12

  CHAPTER XI.

  We were on our way towards Nirmul in the afternoon, and as we hadheard no more of the Nuwab and his distress, we were relieved from ouranxiety; but I was in great dread the whole time we remained at thetown after the Nuwab's people had left us, lest some chance should opento them a clue to detect us. The Bhutteara might possibly reveal whathe knew of our proceedings; for although he knew not our object, stillour remaining with him for so short a time (as he must have formed anotion that we were after some woman), coupled with the disappearanceof Zora, might have led him to suppose, and very naturally so, that wehad carried her off. Fortunately, however, no ill effects did ensue,and on the third day after leaving Oomerkher we reached Nirmul.

  As I entered the town I saw Bhudrinath in a shop, sitting with his backto the street, in conversation with a decent-looking man, a Moosulmanby his appearance. He did not observe me, but on my calling out hisassumed name he hastily rose, and assisting me to dismount, embracedme cordially. "Is she safe?" I asked in a low tone, so as not to beoverheard by his acquaintance.

  "She is," he replied; "you have nothing to fear; and she is allimpatience to behold you again."

  Sahib, I did not lose an instant in again beholding my beloved andpressing her once more to my heart. She was more lovely than ever;and after some fond chidings for my delay, and a relation of allthe anxiety she had suffered in my absence, and the fatigues of herjourney, we gave ourselves up to that voluptuous feeling of joy andsecurity, which those only know who have loved and been separatedfrom each other under circumstances of doubt or danger. After passingsome time with her I rejoined Bhudrinath. "Who was the man you wereconversing with when I came up?" I asked.

  "Why," said he, "from what I have picked up as yet, I suspect he hasurgent reasons for getting away from hence as fast as he can; in otherwords he has been helping himself to more than he ought in some revenueaffair, and his safety depends upon flight. I told him I expected youand your party, and that he would have a good opportunity of gettingaway if he chose to mix with us. You see," added Bhudrinath, "that whenonce I have fixed my eye upon any one, it is against my principlesto let him escape me; now, as this is the case, we must have thatman,--first, because of my principles, as I said, and secondly, becauseof the money which most assuredly he has in his possession: do youcomprehend?"

  "Perfectly," said I laughing; "your argument is an admirable one;therefore I will second your endeavours with all my heart. How shall weproceed?"

  "Why," said Bhudrinath, "that is a somewhat difficult matter todetermine, for I do not know where the fellow lives; but he promised tobe with me soon, and I dare say he will not be long away."

  "We must spread the carpet of patience," said I, "and sit on it, Isuppose, till he makes his appearance; meanwhile I see no reason why Ishould not eat."

  Well, Sahib I went inside the purda, where my well-dressed meal awaitedme, and Zora and I had our fingers very soon buried in a smoking dishof kicheree and a very good currie. While I was thus employed, I heardthe usual salutation pass between Bhudrinath and his acquaintance, andwhen I had satisfied the cravings within me, which had been grievous tobear, I joined them.

  "This is my brother, of whom I have spoken to you," said Bhudrinath,presenting me to him; "he has now, as you see, overtaken me, and weshall journey on together. All his men are encamped outside the town,but as he is more comfortable with me, you see him here."

  We exchanged salutations, and, by way of drawing him to the subject, Iasked Bhudrinath when we should start. "I cannot delay," said I; "thatdetention at Nursee was most inconvenient, and but for that we shouldhave been far on the road by this time."

  The man stared at me, and at last said to Bhudrinath, "Surely you mustbe joking when you say this gentleman is your brother; why, you aremuch older, and your features do not resemble in the least."

  "We are not real brothers," he replied, "but cousins; you know thatcousins usually call themselves brothers."

  "But how comes it," said he, "that he is the jemadar of your men, andnot you, who are the eldest?"

  "Why it is a long story, and would not interest you," said Bhudrinath;"suffice it to say, that he is the son of the elder branch, who marriedlong after my father, having lost his first wife; so, by the consent ofthe family and my own, he was declared leader, though he must confess Iam his adviser."

  I pretended to be ashamed of my dignity, and allowed, though I wasnominally superior, yet that I could not get on at all without my_cousin_. "Well," said the man, "you have curious customs in yourcountry, but in every one they differ. Here your relative situationswould be reversed; and so I suppose I must treat with you, JemadarSahib; I dare say your cousin has told you all about me?"

  "He has," said I, "at least as much as you have told him; but we areboth present, and what you say to one equally concerns the other; so Ipray you speak on without reservation."

  "I will not then recur to the past," said the man; "suffice it to say,that I have every reason to wish to get out of this place, as far asHyderabad; there I shall be secure from my enemies. I therefore proposeto accompany you, if you will guarantee me protection and concealmenton the road."

  "We are ready to do that," said I; "but you will allow we shall runsome risk; for, besides protection and concealment upon the road, wemust defend you if necessary; and all this requires some recompense."

  "True, and I am in no condition to drive a bargain, therefore you mustname your own terms."

  "You are liberal, I see," I rejoined, "and you shall find us to be soalso. Perhaps one hundred and fifty rupees will not be thought by youexorbitant?"

  "It is not; half I will pay you now, and the other half when we arrive."

  "Agreed," said I, "it is satisfactory; and now say how you intend totravel. If I have permission, I would advise a mode which would becertain to escape detection."

  "What is it?" cried he, eagerly.

  "That you should hire or buy a cart, and travel in it, at any rate, fora few marches; my brother has his zenana with him, and you could not bediscovered; no one would dare to search a cart which held females."

  "By Alla, it is a rare plan!" said the man; "I wonder it never enteredinto my head. Yet, cart I have none; and how to get one without givinga clue to my flight----"

  "Do not distress yourself about it," said Bhudrinath; "furnish us withthe money--about one hundred rupees will be enough--and I will go andpurchase one, and account to you for whatever may be over."

  "And my camels, and horses, and servants," said the man, "what can bedone with them?"

  "How many of them are there?" I asked.

  "There are two camels and two horses; and I have three or fourservants, whom I wish to accompany me."

  "Then send them all to our camp at night," said I; "they will not beseen, and if necessary they can be sent on a march."

  "You are a ready-witted people," cried he, "and what has cost medays and nights of anxiety, you have settled satisfactorily in a fewmoments. Now I clearly see there is no time to be lost; and I go tobring the money, and give directions to my people." So he left us.

  "Well done," cried Bhudrinath to me, "you fairly took the words out ofmy mouth, and I think the fish has taken the bait."

  "I think so, too," said I; "the fellow may be a very sharp revenuecollector, but he is no match for you and me; and you see he is agreater man than we thought for, as he speaks of his horses, camels,and servants: no doubt we shall have a good round sum from him."

  I hurried to my father, leaving Bhudrinath to manage everything his ownway, if I should not return in time to meet the man we expected. He wassurprised to see me, and exclaimed, "I did not think you would haveleft your adored so soon--to what am I indebted for this early visit?"

  "Nay," said I, "father, do not mention her--it sounds like banter; andI have other work in hand just now than attending even to Zora."

  "Ay, indeed! and now tell me my son, what thou hast in view."

  "Why," said I, "Bhudrinath and I have secured
a man in the town, whopromises to be almost as good a prize as either we have had before; andwhen you see two horses, some camels, and servants, come into your campthis evening, do you allow them to remain, and start them off as earlyas may be to-morrow morning towards Hyderabad."

  "I will do as you wish," said my father; "but tell me, Ameer Ali, whatis this you are about? Are you sure there is no risk--no danger?"

  "As far as I can see there is not; but hear what has been done already,and then judge whether the matter ought to be persevered in or not. Ifyou do not like it, we will drop it at once." So I told him all.

  "You are both of you doing your work well, and I approve of itgreatly," said the old man; "I will on my part receive the camels, &c.,and will send on a party of gravediggers this very night. We will setoff to-morrow night or early the next morning."

  Bhudrinath was absent when I reached the house in the town, and I hadto wait a long time for his return, which was not till near evening;however, I had the society I best loved, and the hours fled quickly. Iwas, nevertheless, overjoyed to see him return with a cart and two finebullocks. He had purchased the whole from a set of dancing-girls, andthe cart was fitted with curtains, in the manner of those used to carrywomen. When it was brought up to the house, he dismissed the driverwith a small present.

  "There," said Bhudrinath, "is ninety-five rupees' worth, and theconcern is cheap enough; our only care is now for the person who is toride in it."

  "Where is he?" said I. "Are you sure of him?"

  "As sure," said Bhudrinath, "as I ever was of any one; he is now goneto take leave of the Hakim of the place, and will pretend he has doneall his business. He has sent his camels and people to the camp, withstrict orders to obey whoever there may be there in authority, and Imyself directed them to go to your father and receive instructions fromhim. The man himself will be here at nightfall."

  "Inshalla!" cried I, "truly may we say we are fortunate; nothing hasgone wrong."

  Just as we had completed all our preparations, our friend came, and bythis time it had become quite dark, so that he joined us unobserved;and as we had sent word to him that the cart had been purchased, hebrought with him what we supposed to be his valuables; one of hisservants carried the bundle, which appeared carefully tied up in waxedcloths, and his hookah and his bedding. "Are you sure you have omittednothing?" he asked.

  "Certain," said I; "everything is ready. I have been to the gate, andhave told the guard that we have a long march before us, and will passout a little after midnight, with two carts and our people."

  "Well," said he, "then here is your money;" and he counted outseventy-five rupees to me.

  "Now we have nothing to desire," said I, "but to be informed of yourname, which hitherto you have not told us."

  "Call me Kumal Khan for the present," he replied; "you shall know myreal name at Hyderabad."

  "As you will," said I; "doubtless you have good reasons for notdiscovering yourself to us. Meanwhile, as you say, Kumal Khan will doas well as any other name; therefore, Khan Sahib, I think the soonerwe take some rest, the more we shall be refreshed for our journeyto-morrow."

  "I can lie down anywhere," said he; "I dare say I shall sleep,moreover, which my care and anxiety have prevented my doing for somenights past."

  He spread his carpet and covered himself up. Bhudrinath followed hisexample, and in a short time they were both asleep, as their deepbreathing testified. Strange destiny, I thought; there lies the man whohas but a few hours to live, side by side in peaceful slumber with onewho will be actively employed in his destruction. A few hours and theirsituations will be changed--oh, how changed! one to lie senseless inthe earth, the other to live and breathe, and to tax his wits to gainfresh victims. "Ya, Alla!" I exclaimed involuntarily, "thy purposes areinscrutable!"

  We were roused at the time appointed by the men, and our preparationsfor departure quickly completed. I saw Zora safely deposited in hercart, as also her old attendant, next Kumal Khan in his; and puttingmyself at the head of the party, we were soon beyond the gates of thetown, and at the encampment. Here I sent on Zora's cart, and desiredone of the men to come back and give us due notice should he meet theTillaees, or scouts, on the road. I then sought out my father, andinquired whether he had allotted Bhuttotes and Shumsheas (persons tohold the hands) to the servants and grooms.

  "I have settled everything," he replied, "and given every man hisinstructions: there will be no difficulty if all is ready before us.But are you sure that Kumal Khan, as you call him, is not armed?"

  "He has a sword," said I, "but what of that? Bhudrinath and I willeasily manage him, and he will not be on his guard."

  "Then keep well behind," said my father; "if there is any scuffle hewill not hear it, and I will send a man back to you when we meet thefirst of the scouts. You can then do as you please; either bring himon, or deal with him there as you like."

  "Very good," said I; "we will be guided by circumstances." I saw withsecret exultation how beautifully everything had been arranged, asour men and our acquaintance's servants passed me. To every one ofthem was attached one of the most expert Bhuttotes, with two others toassist if necessary: yet they disposed themselves so carelessly thatsuspicion was out of the question. Each one as he passed threw a lookof intelligence towards me, as much as to say, "Here is work we delightin;" and I felt truly excited as the whole band was before me, theirarms glancing brightly in the moonbeams.

  This, thought I, is the joy my father told me of; and what could raisesuch feelings within me in the common plodding pursuits of life? Whenthese fellows are but my own, then shall the name of Ameer Ali bedreaded and feared; men shall wonder at it: many a timid woman's heartshall beat as she listens to stories of me, and allows her fancy topicture to her him of whom she hears such deeds of daring bravery."Yes," cried I, aloud, for I could not control myself, "the time willcome, ay, and soon: the present is poor work to what I have thought ofand will put into execution!"

  The voice of Bhudrinath recalled my ideas. "In the name of Narayun andall the gods," said he, "what are you talking about? Come, we wait foryou."

  I urged my horse down the bank, and was with him in an instant. KumalKhan put his head out of the curtains, and asked if we had assembledour men. "Yes," said I, "they are all before us, except my cousin,myself, and a few of our attendants, who will stay round you."

  "That is right," said he; "I shall sleep, if this vile jolting willlet me. Oh that I were on my horse, instead of being cooped up in thiscart!"

  "Patience," said Bhudrinath; "I dare say you will soon be out of itagain."

  "That I shall, my friend," said he, "when I dare show myself," and sosaying he shut the curtains.

  Bhudrinath and I rode on some time in silence: at last we reached arising ground, which apparently led down to the bed of a river, for Ithought I saw the water glistening in the moon's rays. The jungle wasthicker than before, and I involuntarily turned to Bhudrinath. "Surelythis is the spot," cried I; "we must wait for the cart," for we hadpreceded it a long way.

  "We had better do so," he replied; "it will soon be up."

  We had just heard the rumbling sound of the wheels, when the man I hadsent on with it came up to us. "What news?" I asked; "is all prepared?"

  "By this time it is," said the man; "when I met the first scout Ireturned to tell you: they have fixed on a beautiful spot, and I doubtnot that the band are waiting for you, having done their share of thenight's adventure."

  "Well," said I, "we don't want you here, so go on again." But he beggedhard to remain, and I allowed him. As Kumal Khan passed us, Bhudrinathgave the driver the signal; he nodded his head in compliance: andtelling the men who were to hold our horses to be near and inreadiness, we got behind the cart, and followed it down the descent.About half-way down, the bank of the road sloped into it, and rose intoa small eminence. I marked the place, and saw that the driver had donethe same: the cart gradually diverged from the track; one wheel wentup the bank; it leaned fearfully over, and at last c
ame down with aterrible crash.

  We were off our horses in an instant, and ran up: Kumal Khan wasgroaning beneath it. We lifted it up and got him out; but he was eitherso frightened or hurt he could not speak. At last he recovered; and thefirst words he uttered were a volley of abuse at the driver.

  "Look!" cried he; "a smooth road, not a stone or a pebble, and yet thatson of a base mother must needs drive up yonder bank, and has nearlykilled me."

  "He shall be well punished for his carelessness," said I; "but are youhurt, Khan?"

  "My right arm is very painful," said he, holding it; "and I wish toAlla I had a horse to ride, instead of going further in that concern."

  "It cannot now be helped," said Bhudrinath; "and it is well none ofyour bones were broken. We will keep nearer you in future, and see thatthe fellow drives more carefully."

  The cart had been by this time set fairly in the road again, and KumalKhan's mattress and pillow arranged. As he turned away from us, andlaid hold of one of the posts of the curtains, and had his foot on thewheel to get in, I threw the handkerchief round his neck. "What--whatis this?" was all that escaped him; the rest was an indistinct gurglingin his throat for an instant. The wrench I gave to his neck must haveextinguished life, for he relaxed his hold of the post, and fell to theground without sense or motion.

  "Neatly and cleverly done," cried Bhudrinath; "I could not have managedit better myself; you see he does not stir--he is dead enough. Now,Meer Sahib, believe that a man can be killed before he touches theground."

  "I must see you do it," said I; "this fellow held on by the cart forsome moments. But come," I added to the men, "lift the body into thecart, we have no time to lose." They bundled it in, and we set off asrapidly as the bullocks could trot.

  "What if he should revive with this jolting?" said I to Bhudrinath.

  "Never fear," he replied; "if he does, he will only have to be killedover again; but depend upon it he is dead enough: no man ever survivedthe wrench you gave him--his neck is broken. The old Gooroo has taughtyou well, I see plainly."

  "I own I feel more confidence every time I do it," said I; "and Ishould not care if even now I had one or two more fellows to try myhand upon."

  "Nay," said Bhudrinath, laughing, "rest you content with what we havedone. See, we are at the bhil, and yonder is the whole band collected."We rode up to the spot, and the first inquiry was from my father:"Have you brought him?"

  "Yes," said I; "the earth that held him is in the cart."

  "Did _he_ do it?" he eagerly asked of Bhudrinath, and pointed to me.

  "Ay, did he," he replied, "and most properly too: he had him all tohimself; I did not interfere."

  "Alhumd-ul-illa!" cried my father; "he is a worthy son. Come,"continued he to all the men, "do not loiter here, but make the best ofyour way to the river-side; we will follow, and, I dare say, overtakeyou." Seeing there was no more to be done, I pushed on to the river,the Godavery, and finding that all had been ferried over, I urged on myhorse to overtake Zora's cart; for I knew not what she would think ofmy absence, nor how I could well account to her for it satisfactorily;but I trusted to chance to frame some excuse. I passed the men, whowere straggling along in parties of ten or twelve; but still I did notsee the cart, though I had desired those who were in charge of it notto drive fast. I became anxious, and urged my horse into a gallop.

  Well it was that I did so, for when I had proceeded some distance, Iheard a confused clamour before me. Could she have been attacked bythieves? was my instant thought. It was probable; for the road wasnarrow and the jungle thick on both sides, and seeing the few menwith the cart, thieves might have surprised them. I drew my sword, tobe prepared, as the noise and screams seemed to increase, and a fewmoments more arrived at the spot. There indeed was a scene of violence!the moon was still shining brightly, and I could see all before me.

  The cart was surrounded by the five or six men I had sent on with it,and who were defending their charge bravely: two of the robbers, as Isupposed, were stretched on the ground; the rest were aiming cuts at mymen, which they parried; but just as I got up, one of my men fell, andthe rest looked exhausted. I suspect neither party observed my arrival,so intent were they on their own proceedings, and I could see that mycry of "Bismilla!" accompanied by a cut which struck down one of therobbers was as startling to them as unexpected; while my faithful men,who now saw me plainly, set up a shout, and attacked their opposerswith renewed spirit. The scuffle lasted only a few moments longer:throwing myself from my horse, I drew my pistol from my girdle, anddischarged it at a thief who was coming up to me with his sworduplifted: the ball passed through his body, and he fell. On this therest of the band turned and fled. We pursued them for a short distance,and secured a youth who was one of them; the rest got clear off.