Confessions of a Thug Read online

  CHAPTER XXXIV.

  Cheetoo was evidently flattered by the distinction with which he hadbeen received, and as he examined the beautiful shawls which nowenveloped his person, a grim smile of delight lighted up his coarsefeatures. "These men have sense," said he to Ghuffoor Khan, "and areevidently accustomed to the visits of persons of quality. We littleexpected this civility, and in truth it is most acceptable after ourlong ride; but they have forgotten you."

  "Not so, noble Cheetoo," cried the Sahoukar, advancing withseveral pairs of shawls over his arm; "we are not forgetful of ourdistinguished guests;" and he threw a pair over each of the chiefs,which they received with complacency.

  "Let the room be cleared," cried Cheetoo; "we have business withthese worthy gentlemen, which I have sworn to do before we touch anyrefreshment."

  It was quickly done, and there only remained our leaders and thesahoukars, who huddled together like wild fowl on the approach of ahawk. "Come forward," said Cheetoo to them; "come and sit near us; wewould speak to you."

  They all arose, and, as they were directed, seated themselves inrespectful attitudes on the edge of the musnud. "Now," continuedCheetoo, "you are doubtless aware of our object. We want money, andmoney we will have, by fair means or foul; if ye are wise, ye will payme handsomely to be rid of me and my people, who are savage fellows. Idesire not to harm you, and on your own heads be it, if any disasterbefalls you. Say, therefore, how much are ye prepared to give?"

  "Truly," said the Sahoukar, my friend, who was the spokesman, "we havebeen duly advised of your Highness's coming; and as a proof that we didnot dread you, you see us here, and we have done our poor ability towelcome so distinguished a person. We have also received good counselfrom your servant the Meer Sahib; and, agreeably to his instructions,we have drawn up a list of a few trifles and some ready money which weare desirous of laying at the feet of your Highness." And the Sahoukarhanded to him a paper written in Persian.

  "This is unintelligible to me, for I am no moonshee; but can any of youread, brothers?" asked Cheetoo of the other leaders.

  "Not a word, not a letter," cried one and all; "none of us know oneletter from another."

  "I can send for a moonshee," said the Sahoukar; "one is in attendance."

  "If I am permitted," said I, "I will read the list; I may be able tomake it out."

  "Ha! thou art a clerk as well as a good soldier," cried Cheetoo,laughing. "Well, take the paper, and let us hear our good fortune."

  "First, then," said I, after I had glanced over the document, "thispaper sets forth, that the sahoukars and others of the market-town ofOomraotee, in council assembled, having heard of the near approach ofthe mighty Cheetoo and his army, and being desirous of approachinghis feet with a small tribute of respect, have put down the followingarticles and sums of ready money, which are prepared and ready for hisacceptance,--on no condition save that, they may find favour in hissight, and be the humble means of insuring his clemency to others."

  "Good!" said Cheetoo. "Now get thee to the marrow of the matter asspeedily as may be, for my stomach craves food, and I doubt not theseworthy gentleman's families have prepared a repast for me."

  "It is ready, noble Cheetoo," cried the Sahoukar; "and if the order isgiven, it will be set out; but the food of us poor Hindoos would betasteless to my lord, and therefore we have had the repast cooked bythe best Bawurchees of the town."

  "Silence!" cried the chief; "speak when you are allowed to do so; weare in no humour to be interrupted."

  The Sahoukar shrank back intimidated, and raising my voice I proceeded."The first item, Protector of the Poor!" cried I, "is a sum of fiftythousand rupees for yourself."

  "Is that all?" cried he, his brow contracting.

  "Stay," said I; "more follows. 'A tray of choice jewels, gold, andsilver, valued at fifteen thousand rupees, and three trays of shawlsand brocades for my lord's Muhal, valued at ten thousand rupees: inall, seventy-five thousand rupees. Secondly, a sum of ten thousandrupees to each leader of rank, of whom we learn from the worthy Syud,Ameer Ali, there are three: a tray of jewels to each, of five thousandrupees, and three trays, each valued at five thousand more; in all,twenty thousand rupees each.'"

  "Go on!" cried Cheetoo; "you have not done yet, I suppose?"

  "No," said I, glancing down the paper; "there is more following.'Thirdly, a sum of one thousand rupees to each duffadar: we areuninformed of their number, but we have supposed thirty.'"

  "Good!" cried Cheetoo; "what more?"

  "'Fourthly, the sum of fifty rupees to each deserving person, to begiven at the discretion of the mighty Cheetoo; by report we hear thereare four thousand. Also food, grain, and forage for as many days as thearmy may remain with us.' This is all," said I; "what are my lord'sorders?"

  "The list is well enough," said Cheetoo; "but they are wrong in someparticulars: first, there are fifty duffadars, are there not, GhuffoorKhan?"

  "There are," he replied; "I told them off myself."

  "Put that down, Meer Sahib," said Cheetoo. "Again, there are fivethousand good Pindharees; am I not right?"

  "True again," cried all the leaders; "were they not counted at Nemawur?"

  This was a lie; there were hardly four thousand, for nearly half thelubhur had gone off in a different direction from the Nurbudda; butit signified little; for Cheetoo, I knew, was determined to make thebest terms he could with the sahoukars. "Put down five thousand," saidCheetoo; "and now see how much you have got."

  I hastily arranged the amount, and read the paper to him. "First,"said I, "there is your Highness's share, seventy-five thousand rupees;secondly, on account of the leaders, sixty thousand rupees; then thefifty duffadars, each man a thousand, fifty thousand rupees; lastly,five thousand men, each forty, two hundred thousand. And the sum of thewhole is three lakhs and eighty-five thousand rupees."

  "And," said Cheetoo to Ghuffoor Khan, "the horses' shoes must be wornout, I think? we require new ones."

  "Certainly," cried the Khan, with a merry grin.

  "Put down fifteen thousand rupees for the horse-shoes; this, MeerSahib, will make the sum an even four lakhs: and gentlemen," continuedhe to the sahoukars, "I must trouble you to pay with as little delayas possible, or we must help ourselves."

  There was a hurried conference for a few moments among the Sahoukars,and a few angry words passed among them; but they were wise; my fatfriend rose, and making a lowly obeisance, declared the money was athand, and should be brought immediately.

  "Good!" cried Cheetoo; "now let me have my dinner, and do you all seethat the duffadars are present at this house by to-morrow's dawn, toreceive their shares and those of their men. The lubhur must moveon, for after this kind reception, I would not have my friends thesahoukars exposed to the chance of being plundered by my lawless bands."

  The chiefs separated, and I was preparing to leave the room with them,when Chetoo called me back; "Come and take your dinner with me," saidhe; "I doubt not your friends the sahoukars have prepared enough for ustwo."

  I obeyed the order, and seated myself at the edge of the musnud. Thedinner was soon brought, and a choice repast it was. We did justiceto it, for in truth our travel had sharpened our appetites. Thesesatisfied, and inhaling the fragrant smoke of our pipes, Cheetoo askedme how I had managed to bring about so advantageous a reception ashe had met with. I related the whole to him, suppressing, however,the fact that I had secured for myself so large a sum as ten thousandrupees; for had I disclosed that, he would presently have helpedhimself to half of it at least. Peer Khan was the only person who knewof it, and to him alone was I determined to entrust it.

  He was delighted; he had, I knew, determined to raise a large sum, andI had purposely exaggerated his probable demand to the sahoukars; this,and my threats and hints of the place being given up to plunder on theleast demur on their parts of paying handsomely, had been successful."You see, Meer Sahib," said he, "by your excellent conduct I havesecured, first, seventy-five thousand rupees; and what is over, afterevery p
roper Pindharee has got his forty rupees, will make the sumpretty near a lakh; which is, you will say, a good beginning."

  "May your prosperity increase, noble Cheetoo," said I; "if your slavecan help you to a few more sums like the present, he will only feelhimself too happy, and too honoured by distinction like the present.For the men I had with me, I made the same terms as you have acceptedfor the whole, and they were well satisfied."

  "And for yourself, Meer Sahib?"

  "I have not got much," said I; "perhaps I might have arrogated tomyself the distinction of one of the leaders, but I refrained: theygave me five thousand rupees, however, and I am satisfied."

  "Nay," said Cheetoo; "it was too little, my friend, and I advise youto get as much as you can next time. And as you have behaved so wellin this instance at the head of the advance-party, I will give it intoyour command in future, and must satisfy Ghuffoor Khan as well as Ican; he is a good soldier, but a thick-headed fellow, who is always forhelping himself, and setting fire to towns and villages, by which weseldom get half as much, especially from these rich places, as we coulddo by a little management and a few soft words."

  "May your condescension increase, Nuwab!" cried I; "your servant,Inshalla! will never disappoint you."

  I took leave of him soon afterwards, and joined the sahoukars, whowere sitting below counting the money, which lay in large heaps on thefloor. They received me joyfully, and expressed in forcible languagehow much they were indebted to me for my active interference in theirbehalf. They would have pressed on me the five hundred rupees they hadpromised when I presented them to Cheetoo, but I refused it.

  "No," said I; "if I have done you service, and I think I have, I willnot sell my good offices. You have dealt as well by me as I have byyou, so the balance is even; all I pray of you is, to let me have mymoney in gold bars, which I can easily conceal, except a few hundredrupees for present expenses."

  "It is granted," said the Sahoukar; and I had shortly afterwards thegold in my possession; and taking a few of the sahoukars' men to guardme, I bent my way to the camp, the bright fires of which sparkledthrough the darkness on the plain beyond the town, revealing many awild group which huddled round them to warm themselves from the effectsof the almost chilling night breeze. I was soon at my little tent,which consisted of a cloth stretched over three spears, two of whichwere stuck into the ground, and another tied across them as a ridgepole; and assisted by Peer Khan, I put the gold into the bags I hadmade in the flaps of my saddle, and sewed them over. I was ten thousandrupees richer in one night!

  "This is grand work," said Peer Khan; "here we have had no trouble; andif we go on at this rate, we shall return far richer than after thetoil and risk of a hundred Thuggee expeditions."

  "I am to have the advance-guard always," said I; "and it shall be myown fault if we do not always secure a good share: for my own part, Ihave foresworn Thuggee, as long as there is a Pindharee chief to erecthis standard."

  "And we will all follow you," he replied; "Motee and the others aredelighted with their success, and are in high spirits: there is not oneof them but has got a good share of to-day's work, for we stuck nearyou, and were bribed well to use our influence with you; they thoughtus all duffadars, and you know Motee and myself shared as such."

  "It shall not be my fault," said I, "if you are not all duffadars inreality before long. Let the men make themselves active, and dresshandsomely; you are all well mounted and will catch the eye of thechief."

  By dawn the next morning I was with Cheetoo. The sahoukars hadcollected the whole of the money, by subscriptions among themselvesand collections from the town; and the whole was distributed fairly,I must say, among the Pindharees. Each duffadar bore away the shareof his duffa, and they knew too well the risk they would run if theydefrauded any man of his just due. A few hours elapsed, and after ahurried meal, every man was on his horse, and the Lubhur departed toseek fresh plunder in the country before them. Yet before he set out,Cheetoo promised, in consequence of the ready payment of the sum hereceived, that in every future expedition he might undertake, the townof Oomraotee should be exempted from contributions; and he kept hisword. Oomraotee was never again plundered, and a large body of troops,which were stationed there afterwards, effectually deterred small andstraggling parties from surprising it as we had done.

  Onwards we dashed; I, at the head of my band, who had now implicitconfidence in me, caracoled along on my gallant horse, with a heart aslight and happy as the unlimited freedom of action I possessed couldmake it. No thought of care intruded, and I was spared the pain ofseeing the villages we passed through (from each of which we levied atmuch as we could, which was instantly laden on the Shootur camels thataccompanied us,) burned or plundered, and the inoffensive inhabitantssubjected to the cruel tortures of the men in the rear, who were oftendisappointed of booty.

  We halted at Karinjah; a few soldiers who were in the town made afeeble defence, and wounded a few of my men as we rushed into theplace; but they were soon killed or dispersed; and, as a warning toother villages, it was given up to sack and ruin. I could never bearthe sight of wanton cruelty, and I repaired to my place in the camp:shortly afterwards I could see, from the bright blaze which rose fromdifferent parts of the village almost simultaneously against the cleargray evening sky, that it was doomed to destruction. Rapidly the firespread, while the shouts of the Pindharees engaged in their horridwork, and the screams of the inhabitants--those of the women werefearfully shrill and distinct--made a fit accompaniment. But it wasa work in which the Pindharees delighted; order, which never existedsave when there was no excitement, was completely at an end, and anyattempt to have checked the mad riot which was going on would have beenattended most likely with death to the interferer. My own Thugs, too,sat around me, for a Thug is not savage, and they had no inclination tojoin in the excesses.

  We sat in silence, but our attention was soon arrested by the figure ofa man dragging along a girl, who resisted to the utmost of her power,but who was evidently nearly exhausted, I rushed forward to her rescue,and my eyes fell on the person of Ghuffoor Khan, his savage featuresexaggerated in their ferocious expression by lust and the scene he hadbeen engaged in.

  "Ha!" cried he, "Meer Sahib, is that you? here have I been working likea true Pindharee, and have brought off something worth having; look ather, man! is she not a Peri? a Hoori? The fool, her mother, must needsoppose me when I got into their house, but I silenced her with a thrustof my sword, and lo! here is her fair daughter, a worthy mate for aprince. Speak, my pretty one, art not thou honoured at the prospect ofthe embraces of Ghuffoor Khan?"

  By Alla! Sahib, I could have killed him, and it would have been aneasy matter to have done so, as he stood unprepared. I had half drawnmy sword from its scabbard, but I returned it: I made an inwarddetermination as to his fate, and I kept it. I vainly endeavoured toinduce him to give up the girl and let her go, but he laughed in myface, and dragged her off. She would fain have fled from him, andattempted to do so, but he pursued and caught her, for her tender feetwere cut by the rough ground, and I lost sight of them both in thequickly closing darkness. Miserable girl! she was a Brahmin's daughter,and was spared the degradation of seeing the light of another day, andthe misery of returning to her desolate home polluted and an outcast.Ghuffoor Khan told me in the morning, with a hellish laugh, that he hadmurdered her, as she tried to possess herself of his dagger, to plungeit into her own heart. "I spared her the trouble," he said.

  Gradually the fire lessened in its fury, as there remained but fewhouses unconsumed, but the Pindharees were still at their wild andhorrible work, as the shrieks borne to us on the night wind too welltestified. I had heard that these excesses were sometimes committed,but I had formed no idea of the terrible reality. A thousand timesI formed the resolution to quit the Lubhur and return to my home;but again the thought that a few straggling horsemen, who couldgive no proper account of themselves, would be immediately takenfor Pindharees, and sacrificed by the now infuriated people of thec
ountry,--this, and, I must add, a restless desire for furtheradventures, caused me to dismiss it from my mind. It began to raintoo, and we all huddled together in my little tent, and passed a wearynight, till the morning broke. Then we were again in motion, and theill-fated town of Karinjah, now a heap of smouldering ruins, was soonfar behind us.

  We passed Mungrool; and beyond the town, now in the broad daylight, Ihad an opportunity of seeing the spot where my first victim had fallen.I had thought that the place where he fell was in a large and densejungle, so at least it appeared that night in the moonlight,--but itwas not so; the rivulet was the same as when we had passed it, andI stood once more on the very spot where the Sahoukar had fallen! Athin belt of bushes fringed the stream, and Peer Khan pointed witha significant gesture a little higher up than the place at which wecrossed. It was the _bhil_ where they were buried, and it now seemed afearfully insecure spot for the concealment of our victims,--so closeto the road, and apparently so thinly screened from observation. Yetmany years had now passed since they were deposited in their lastresting-place, and a succession of rainy seasons had either washed awaytheir remains, or covered them still deeper with sand. We passed thespot too where our bands had encamped and separated; and before me wasnow a new country, though it little differed in character from that wehad already traversed.

  We halted at Basim, and I greatly feared a repetition of the scenesof the past night; but the men were, to my astonishment, quiet andorderly; and a handsome contribution levied in the town in allprobability saved it. From hence, in five marches, we reached Nandairon the Godavery, a rich town, and one which promised as large a supplyto our army as we had got at Oomraotee. We had feared the news of ourapproach would have reached it, and that the sahoukars and wealthyinhabitants would have fled; but it was not so: they were completelysurprised and at our mercy, for not a single soldier worth mentioningwas there to guard the place. A few there certainly were, who shutthemselves up in an old fort which overhangs the river and commandsthe ford; but they kept within the walls, only firing a matchlock-shotor two whenever any of our marauders approached too near; we did notmolest them, but set ourselves to work to levy as large a sum aspossible.

  As before, the advance guard had been entrusted to me, and I pursuedthe same system I had done at Oomraotee. I will not weary you with arepetition of almost the same tale; suffice it to say, that one lakhand a half of rupees were collected and paid to the army, and I gotfor my own share nearly three thousand rupees, some jewels, and a pairof shawls. The town was not destroyed; indeed that would have beenimpossible, as the houses were substantial ones, with terraced roofs;but the suburbs suffered, and the huts of the unfortunate weavers weresacked for the fine cloths for which the place is famous,--nor in vain,for half the army the next day appeared in new turbans and waistbands.

  The river was not fordable, and there was but one boat; we thereforepushed along the northern bank, till we reached Gunga Khair, where wewere told there were boats and a more convenient ferry: nor were wedisappointed. We crossed with ease during the day on which we arrivedopposite the place, the men swimming their horses across, and theplunder and baggage being brought over by the boats. A few hundred menattempted to defend the town, but it was carried by forcing open thegate, and plundered. We lost some of our men, and I was grazed on theleg by a bullet, and disabled from taking any active part in the sackof the place. Peer Khan and Motee were, however, not idle, and broughta goodly heap of jewels and coin to swell the general stock.

  From hence we penetrated southward. Beeder, Bhalkee, the fine andflourishing town of Hoomnabad (a second Oomraotee), were severallyplundered, or laid under heavy contributions; while every village whichlay in our route was sacked, and too often burned and destroyed. FromHoomnabad I led three hundred men to Kullianee, a few coss distant; butwe found the alarm had been given, and that all the rich inhabitantshad taken refuge in the fort, which is a very strong one, and to uswas impregnable. Such was the dread we inspired, however, that thedefenders of it remained quietly within it, and allowed us to keepquiet possession of the town till the next morning, when we againrejoined the main body.

  We descended by a pass in the hills to the village of Chincholee, whichwas of course plundered, and we followed a direct southwardly route,burning and plundering every place in our way, till the broad and deepstream of the Krishna effectually opposed our further progress. Herethe Lubhur halted for some days; forage was plentiful, every one wasloaded with money, and we enjoyed ourselves in our encampment as truePindharees. Dancing-girls were seized from all parts of the surroundingcountry, though no violence was ever offered to them, and they amusedus with their songs and performances, and left us when we were againput in motion, well satisfied and well rewarded, and regretting thatthey could not accompany us.

  Cheetoo was wrong to have halted, for the alarm that Pindharees wereout had flown through the country, and in our march towards Koolburgahwe got no plunder worth mentioning. Koolburgah we found garrisoned andprepared for our reception; so relinquishing our designs upon Sholapoorand the rich towns of Barsee and Wyrag, we struck off in the directionof Bheer, Pyetun, and Aurungabad, hoping to surprise the latter,though we feared it would be well garrisoned. But I was determined tosurprise Barsee and Wyrag, if I could, and I laid my proposals for theexpedition before Cheetoo. He readily acceded to my request, at whichGhuffoor Khan was extremely savage; and taking with me three hundredmen, the best I could select, and dividing them into duffas under myown Thugs, I left the main body at the town of Allund, and dashed ontowards Toljapoor, from whence there is a pass into the low country.

  Toljapoor has little to recommend it but the temple of Bhowanee, whichis a place of pilgrimage; and though I knew there were hoards of jewelsin the possession of the Brahmins, yet, as many of my men were Hindoos,they would not hear of the temples being sacked, and I was forced tocontent myself with levying a few thousand rupees from the inhabitants.Wyrag was our next aim, and we were successful. Our force was supposedto be a Risala of Mahratta horse, who were known to be in the district,and we were allowed to enter the town unopposed. We sacked it, and gota large booty, for there was no time for a proposal of contribution;indeed, I thought not of that alternative, nor could I restrain mymen after their long march. Yet they were not cruel, nor did I hearof any of them having tortured any one, and the inhabitants gave upenough of their valuables to satisfy them easily. Here we heard thatthe Risala we had been mistaken for was at Barsee, and as that placelay in our direct road to Bheer, where we were to join the main body,I was obliged to give up my intention of proceeding through it; therewas also a large body of the Nizam's horse at Purendah, and I fearedthat we might be cut off. An instant return by the road we had comewas our only alternative; and after a few hours' rest we were againin our saddles, and travelling as fast as we could urge our horsestowards Toljapoor. Nobly did my gallant horse carry me that day: mostof the men dosed theirs with opium to insure their bottom, but my goodcharger needed it not, and he was almost as fresh when we again reachedToljapoor, as when he had left it.

  Here we rested a day to refresh ourselves; and after that, pushing on,we overtook the main body at Bheer, where they were encamped. I hadbeen baffled in part of my design, yet Cheetoo received with greatcomplacency ten thousand rupees in money, and nearly the same amountin jewels, which I presented to him in full durbar, as the results ofmy enterprise; for this he invested me with a dress of honour, andpresented me with a good horse from among his own.