The Rajah of Dah

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER TWENTY.

  THE RAJAH'S MESSAGES.

  Murray woke with a start to find that the sun was well above the trees,and a curious sensation of shame troubled him as he recalled the eventsof the previous night.

  As he started up, he saw that Mr Braine was seated at his little tablewriting, and as the latter noticed his fellow-prisoner's awaking, helaid down his pen, and held out his hand.

  "I was writing a few lines to the doctor," he said. "I daresay theywill take a note for me. I have told him that we are prisoners, toaccount to my wife for our absence."

  "Tell him--tell them," said Murray, flushing a little, "to be of goodcheer, for we are behaving like prisoners, and watching some means bywhich we may all escape from this wretched place."

  "And if my letter goes to the rajah first, he may get it interpreted forhim, and know what we intend to do." Murray made an impatient gesture.

  "You are right," he said. "My brain is all confused. We cannot escapewithout those boys."

  "I am as confused as you are," replied Mr Braine. "The rajah has hadthose two taken to hold as hostages. I am sorry to give you pain, butthe truth must be told."

  "But why--why?"

  "Do you need to ask?"

  "No," said Murray, despairingly. "I know well enough, and in my selfishlove for her, I am ready to say she must be saved from such a fate."

  "And my son condemned to death in company with your brother's child."

  Murray sprang up, and began to pace the room, making the floor wave andthe walls quiver with his impetuous tread.

  "Tell me what to do," he said at last. "I feel helpless. I will followyour instructions, and look to you for what is right."

  Mr Braine shook his head sorrowfully, finished his letter, and handedit to Murray to read.

  "Yes," he said; "you cannot say more."

  The letter was sealed, and the chief of their guards summoned.

  "I want this letter taken to the doctor," said Mr Braine.

  The man bowed, took the letter, and gave it to one of his men, who wentoff directly, while Mr Braine stood back against the wall of the room.

  "I thought so," he said. "I am fallen from my high position now."

  "What do you mean?" said Murray, eagerly.

  "The messenger has gone toward the rajah's place, and not to thedoctor's house."

  Breakfast was brought in to them soon afterwards, but Murray turned fromit in disgust.

  "Eat, man," said Mr Braine, quietly. "It is a necessity. You may wantall your wits and strength before long."

  "I said I would look to you for advice," Murray exclaimed; and he satdown and ate mechanically, while Mr Braine went on talking.

  "If those boys were here," he said; "matters have now arrived at such apitch, that I should try and scheme in some way to procure a boat, getall on board, and make an attempt to start away in the darkness."

  "Of course!" cried Murray. "They might not see us, but if they did, weare skilled in the use of our weapons, and I swear I could bring downevery man at whom I shot."

  "Yes," said Mr Braine, thoughtfully; "if driven, we should have tofight. I might win over three or four or half a dozen of the men towhom I have been friendly. I think I could. But no. The rajah hasbeen too cunning for us. He sees that we are likely to try to escape,and he has us on the hip. Murray, I cannot go and leave my boy to themercy of this demon. Mercy? He does not know the word. I shouldhorrify you, if I told you of all I have been compelled to witnesshere."

  Murray gazed at him with his brow puckered, and then he suddenlystarted.

  "I was to go on another expedition to-day; and, good heavens! here comesthe rajah's messenger to say that the elephants are ready. He shallkill me before I'll stir a step. Stop," he cried excitedly--"theelephants. I shall be able to take gun, rifle, and revolver. What if Imake the men stop a mile or two away in the jungle path. Could youcontrive to join me with the ladies after dark?"

  "And if you could alone over-ride your guard, and I could contrive tojoin you with the ladies after dark, where should we go? My dearfellow, it is madness. Only out into the mountains to starve. We couldnot take the ladies, even if we could forsake the boys. Hush! here heis."

  The Tumongong, who had been in close conference with the chief of theguard below in the garden, now ascended the steps, and saluted the twoprisoners.

  "I bring you a message," he said, gravely. "The rajah wishes him towait for a few days before going upon his expedition, and he is toreturn to his own house. Tell him."

  "The rajah sends word that we are to be separated, Murray," said MrBraine. "You are to go."

  "And if I refuse?"

  "There is no appeal, man; force would be used. Go patiently, andconsole yourself with the thought that I am working and planning foryou. You must go."

  Murray rose and held out his hand.

  "Look here," he said; "if they have not taken them, I have plenty ofarms and ammunition there, and I am ready to stand by you to thedeath.--Hah!" he ejaculated angrily, as he turned fiercely on theTumongong, "you know what I said?"

  The Malay looked at him fixedly, but said nothing, and Murray shookhands with Mr Braine.

  "Is this a ruse!" he said, bitterly. "Is it good-bye for ever? Arethey going to make an end of me?"

  The Tumongong looked admiringly at the firm manly fellow about to be ledoff, for aught he knew, to execution, and he spoke quickly to MrBraine.

  "The Tumongong bids me tell you that your life is quite safe."

  "Hah!" ejaculated Murray; and he gave the Malay a grateful look, andwent down to where his escort was waiting, the chief and half the guardmarching him off back to his house, where at the first glance he sawthat his weapons were still in their places; and here he threw himselfdown, to try to hit out some plan, while the Malays stationed themselvesabout the place, and he saw that he was to be strictly watched.

  Meanwhile the Tumongong and Mr Braine stood gazing hard into eachother's faces.

  "Well, what next?" said Mr Braine at last, gazing searchingly into theMalay's eyes.

  "You are to join the doctor and his family, and if you value your life,help his highness by reasoning with them, so that his wishes may beobeyed at once."

  "He is still set upon this atrocity?"

  "Yes; he is determined that the poor lady shall be his wife."

  "And if we all refuse and set him at defiance?"

  "What good?" said the Tumongong, bitterly.

  "I cannot do it, man," cried Mr Braine. "Tell me where are thoseboys?"

  "I cannot--I do not know."

  "But--you have always been my friend--is there no way out of thisdifficulty?"

  The Tumongong was silent.

  "Yes," continued Mr Braine; "there is that way. His death orimprisonment. Is not the time ripe?"

  The Malay made no answer.

  "Murray is a strong man, brave as a lion; the doctor, Greig, and I aregood shots. We will fight for you to the death."

  "It is time to go," said the Tumongong, coldly; and he walked out intothe veranda, and gave the guard below an order to be in readiness.

  "It would be to the death," he said, quietly, as he returned. "No; weare not strong enough. It is not for want of courage. I could krishim, but it would be too cowardly. If we fought, it would mean death toyour friends and the boys--the ladies left alone to his mercy. There: Iam your friend. I have trusted you: my life is in your hands."

  "It has been for months," said Mr Braine, quietly; "I have known yoursecret for long."

  "Are you ready?" said the Tumongong, loudly. Then in a low tone--"Bringyour weapons."

  Five minutes after, the Resident was being marched to the doctor's,where his coming was eagerly greeted; and the guard there beingstrengthened by the newcomers, the Tumongong looking grave, and thengoing slowly off, followed by his attendants.

  "Frank? Tell me about Frank," cried Mrs Braine, clinging to herhusband's hand.

  "Mr Murray--Ne
d?" cried Amy, seizing the other.

  "All well as yet," said the Resident, sadly.

  "This is true?" whispered Mrs Braine. "You are not deceiving me?"

  "You know," he replied, gravely; and the ladies shrank away to weeptogether, while the doctor offered his old friend his hand.

  "Bad news?" whispered the doctor.

  "The worst. He insists, and it is to be at once."

  "I would sooner kill her," said the doctor, passionately.

  "And I would sooner see her dead."

  They stood thoughtful and silent for a few minutes before the doctorspoke again.

  "I never felt our helplessness so much before. Where is Murray?"

  Mr Braine told him.

  "A good man the less, but we might perhaps get a message to him to makea dash for us here. Braine, will you fight?"

  "To the death."

  "We shall be four, with the women to load for us as we fire."

  "I am ready, man," said Mr Braine, sadly; "and we shall have thesatisfaction of acting as Englishmen in a time of peril, but we can dono more than keep them at bay for a time. Even if we did that, theycould starve us out."

  The doctor let his hands drop helplessly to his side.

  "Yes; that's it," he said. "It is madness. It would only mean so muchbloodshed and nothing done."

  "He would send every man he had to his death to gain his ends."

  "If I had only known--if I had only known!" groaned the doctor; "hewould never have recovered from that last illness, I swear."

  "Then you swear falsely," said Mr Braine, holding out his hand. "Myold friend, John Barnes, never did a treacherous act, and never could."

  "Hah!" ejaculated the doctor, wringing the Resident's hand. "Now youdisarm me: but a man would do desperate things to save his wife andchild."

  "Even to giving his life, as I would mine."

  They stood by the door in silence, then gazing out into the garden,where a spearman stood at the gate, and the rest of the guard sat aboutmechanically chewing their betel-nut and sirih-leaf, apparently heedlessof the prisoners' presence, but ready to start into action on theinstant.

  Mr Greig joined them, and the day wore on in sorrow and despair, fortheir position seemed to be absolutely hopeless, and it was nothing tothem that the sun shone down from the pure blue sky on the gorgeousvegetation, whose leaves seemed to shed silver beams of light downamongst the dark shade beneath. Plan after plan was suggested andreferred to the ladies, who also made proposals. But the result wasalways the same. They acknowledged that the rajah, with his Easterncunning, had checkmated them, and that nothing could be done but wait.

  As the day wore on, the doctor's servants went about their work asusual, and Tim Driscol brought in the mid-day meal, and stood looking onin despair to find it untouched.

  "Oh, Miss Amy, dear," he whispered, "my heart's bruk intirely to seeyour pretty eyes all swelled up and red like that. What'll I do,darlin'? Say the word, and if it's to slay and kill him, I'll go."

  "Don't--don't talk to me, Tim," she whispered, with the tears flowingfast.

  "Not talk to ye--me who carried ye when ye were only half the size yeare! I'll go to the masther, thin."

  With the freedom of an old servant, he went out to where the doctor wasseated in the veranda, so as to avoid seeing the sad faces within.

  "Oh, masther, dear," he said, "what's to be done?"

  "I wish I could tell you, Tim."

  "It makes a man's heart sore, sir, to see the misthress and her frindslooking like that.--Mr Braine, sir, begging your pardon for intrudin',it's only bekase I want to help. Wouldn't a good fight set it straight,bekase if so, I'm your man."

  "Waste of blood, waste of life, and no good done, Tim," said theResident, sadly. "We are in God's hands. I cannot see that we canstir."

  "Four of us and Mister Murray, if we could get at him," mused Tim; "thatmakes foive, and they're as many hundreds, and got their prahus andboats beside; but I don't know. The old counthry looks a very shmallplace on the map, but she could beat the world. Well, the masther hasonly got to spake, and I'll foight for me misthress and my young lady aslong as I can lift a fist."

  As the evening drew near, Tim comforted himself by examining and loadingthe guns and pistols that were in the house, and then replaced them,ready for use at a moment's notice.

  But when he had done, he shook his head sadly.

  "It's such a whishp of a place to fight in," he said to himself. "Annyone could knock it all over wid a scaffold pole. Why, if it kim to afoight, the bastes could run underneath, and shtick their spears throughthe flure. An' I'd like to get one crack at the head of the man Icaught doing it."

  The dinner-time came, and Tim made another attempt to get the unhappyparty to eat.

  "And not a bit of fruit," he muttered. "Wonder whether they'd let usget some."

  He went and spoke to one of the women who acted as servant, and shereadily agreed to go and fetch what was necessary, catching up thesecond sarong worn by the Malay women as a veil, and used with the twoends of the long scarf-like article of attire sewn together.

  With this over her head, she started off, and the guard now looked upsharply, but they had no orders to interfere and prevent one of thewomen from going out, and in less than a quarter of an hour she returnedbearing a basket of mangosteens and bananas.

  But it was all labour in vain; the dinner and dessert, so thoughtfullyprepared, remained untouched, and the wine, cool and fresh from theevaporating it had received, remained on the table.

  It was a lovely starlit night, and after Mr Greig had gone, the doctorand Mr Braine rose from the table to go and walk up and down in theveranda, and wait for the coming of the next messengers from the rajah,for that there would soon be another both felt perfectly convinced.

  They had not long to wait before the Tumongong appeared with a smallretinue of men, spear-armed as usual, who were halted by their officerat the foot of the steps, while the Malay chief ascended to the verandato announce briefly that the rajah would honour the ladies with a visitthat evening; after which he turned and left the place as he came, thedark figures of his escort filing out through the bamboo gate, lookinglike shadows in the starlight.

  "There is only one thing left," said Mr Braine, as the doctor sat toomuch stunned by the intelligence, now it had come, to be able to go inand communicate it to his wife and child.