CHAPTER IV.
"A-HUNTING WE WILL GO."
"Here are ten rupees for you, Somwar Mal. You did me good serviceto-day," said Gerrard to his Munshi, who salaamed to the very ground.
"May the Protector of the Poor continue to be as a spreading tree,under whose branches this slave and all his house may find shelter!" hesaid devoutly. Gerrard thought he had departed, but looking uppresently, saw him still standing humbly with folded hands.
"What is it, Munshi-ji?" he asked him.
"Sahib, among the attendants who accompanied the Rajah Partab Singhwhen he departed was a certain scribe, who made himself known to thisslave as the grandson of his father's cousin, and asked leave to visithim this evening."
"Well, what of that? You may be able to get some useful informationout of him. Ah, I see; you think he may be coming as a spy?"
"This slave has no doubt, sahib, that the young man will becommissioned to discover whether the Protector of the Poor was aware ofthe identity of the Rajah and his son when he received them, or not.What answer does the Presence desire should be given?"
"Why, the truth, of course!" said Gerrard impatiently.
"It is an order," said Somwar Mal, and salaamed himself out. Hisemployer thought no more about him until just before bedtime, when theMunshi, his face beaming with modest gratification, sought anotherinterview.
"This slave was not mistaken, sahib. The young man did his errand witha dexterity that would have deceived many, but not the humble one whowatches over the interests of the Presence. The question came asthough unpremeditated, as he had expected, and in accordance with thewill of the Presence, he gave a true answer, saying that on the firstappearance of the strangers on the horizon your honour cried out,'Behold, some great one cometh! It is in my mind that the Rajah PartabSingh and his son are about to visit the camp.' And very great was thewonder of the young man that your honour could so well have hoodwinkedhis master."
"O Somwar Mal, you are a spoil-sport!" cried Gerrard. "Do you not seethat all the hospitality I showed to the Rajah--all my faithfulness tomy guests--now goes for nothing?"
The Munshi regarded him with mild reproach. "Nay, sahib, the meanestof men may not fail in hospitality--it is a duty incumbent upon all;but the power of foreseeing events is a direct gift from Heaven, andwill move the Rajah to desire greatly the linking of his fortunes withyour honour's. There is also another small matter in which this slavehas to-night done what he could to add a stone to the pillar of yourhonour's prosperity."
"I wish you had asked me first. But let me know what obligations youhave undertaken for me."
"The youth, the son of shame, dared to inquire in confidence what werethe weaknesses of the Protector of the Poor!" said the Munshi, in anawful whisper. Gerrard fell in with the humour of the occasion.
"And of course you swore that I had none?"
Somwar Mal hung his head. "Alas, sahib! your honour bade me tell himthe truth."
"You are right, Munshi-ji. Truth is great, and shall prevail. Andwhich of my hidden faults have you discovered to the eyes of the world?"
"Sahib, your honour's credit is safe in the hands of your slave. Hebade the youth name one after the other such things as have brought toruin many wise men, and then assured him that not one of all these hadever touched your honour. But of that one thing which he hasobserved----"
"This becomes interesting," said Gerrard. "Speak."
"Nay, sahib, it is for this slave to lay the hand of respect upon themouth of discretion."
"Not when the mouth of command issues an order. Say on."
"If it is an order, sahib----?" An inexorable nod answered him, and hewent on. "Sahib, it has sometimes seemed to the humblest of yourservants, who asks forgiveness for presuming to raise his eyes aboveyour feet, that your honour was more occupied in seeking the right wayto do a thing than in doing at once what required doing."
"Lack of decision? I see, and you told the youth this?"
Grieved surprise was in Somwar Mal's tone. "I, sahib? I told him thatthe besetting sin of the Protector of the Poor was a hasty judgment insometimes acting without thought!"
"Oh, go away, you old humbug!" shouted Gerrard violently, and SomwarMal retired proudly smiling, while his employer laughed undisturbed.
"Whether it is due to Soomwar Mull's original notions of truth, or toold Pertaub Sing's own favourable impressions, it seems to be certainthat I have _made a conquest_!" he wrote to Charteris the next evening."I have given up attempting to unravel the Rajah's motives in visitingme incog., and will only hint that if I were told the whole thing was_got up_ with a view to burking the momentous question who should paythe first call I should not be surprised. Do you _twig_? Pertaub Singhas visited my camp, which is one to me; but the visit was notofficial, and that's one to him. In any case, I thought I should becarrying out Antony's wishes if I paid an official visit to-day, whichI did, and was entertained regardless of expense, garlands, ottar,_paun_ and all. The old boy is a _regular brick_, for--now grow greenwith envy--he has invited me to go a-hunting with him to-morrow.Hawking, he said--by the way, what would not a certain lady give to bea spectator of that most chivalrous of sports?--but oh, my beloved Bob,there's a _jheel_ which I strongly suspect to be the intended scene ofour exploits, and if there ain't pig there, call me a Dutchman.Conceive my feelings. If we sight pig, will it be my duty to turndelicately away, with a pained expression of countenance, or would itbe better style to affect to have seen nothing whatever? Or willthere, will there be spears in reserve, and the chance of some gloriousfun? After all, my boy, envy me not till you hear how the day ends."
The day began uneventfully enough, though the spectacle of the Rajah'shunt delighted Gerrard's eyes. The old ruler himself and hiscouncillors and Komadans seemed to have donned their brightest garb forthe occasion, and the little prince, now known by his proper name ofKharrak Singh, was resplendent in emerald-green velvet, with a blue andsilver turban and a broad folded girdle of stiff gold tissue, in whichwas stuck a huge dagger, large enough for a sword for him. He rode awhite pony with a pink nose and a long tail, and on either side of himwas an ancient armed retainer, charged to keep him out of any possibledanger. The hawking was pretty to watch, but not particularlyexciting, and Gerrard found it much more interesting when theinnumerable dogs of indescribable breed which accompanied the partystarted something larger than birds in the brushwood surrounding theswamp. Partab Singh looked at his guest, and read the expression ofhis face aright. With a smile the old Rajah called up a man whocarried a number of spears, and bade Gerrard take his choice. Thebeaters were wildly excited, declaring that the dogs had roused an oldand very cunning boar which had long baffled the hunters of theneighbourhood, and after a brief council of war it was decided that theRajah should take his stand at one side of the _jhil_ and Gerrard atthe other, the beaters keeping watch to prevent the quarry's breakingout across the open ground at the back, and the court officials goingto the end of the swamp in case he should take to the water.
Rather to his annoyance, Gerrard found that the little prince, insteadof accompanying his father, preferred to remain with him, in dangerousproximity to the track through the underwood along which the boar wouldprobably come. Horribly afraid that the quarry would break out in hisabsence, he seized the white pony's bridle, and in spite of KharrakSingh's vehement opposition, led him back to his guardians and bade himstay with them. As he cantered back to his post, the child's shrillvoice made him look round, and he saw him striking furiously with hissheathed dagger at the hands of the two servants, who held the pony oneither side. Satisfied that the boy was in safety, Gerrard waited,spear in hand, watching the movements of the bushes, which showed thatsome heavy body was making its way through them. From the yapping andyelping of the dogs at a discreet distance behind, he felt certain thatthis was the boar, and listened eagerly for the crackling of thebrushwood as it came towards him. Then it burst into the open--thefinest tusker he had ever se
en--and made for him as fiercely as he rodeat it. But to his utter astonishment, just as it met the iron itswerved violently--so that the spear merely inflicted a long gash fromshoulder to flank--and charged on at something behind him.
Nearly thrown from the saddle by the absence of the expectedresistance, Gerrard recovered himself and wrenched his horse round, tobehold a sight which made his heart stand still. A white pony, withstreaming mane and tail, was in full flight, and on the ground lay avivid green and gold bundle, with two small feet kicking in the air.Kharrak Singh had evidently been thrown sideways from the saddle as thepony turned tail, and the boar's rush had carried it beyond him, but ithad already transferred its attention from the terrified horse to thenearer foe. The two retainers, uttering cries of horror as they rodetowards the fray, were hopelessly distant, and there was no one else athand. Two things associated themselves in Gerrard's mind, without anyvolition on his part--the blood-stained spear in his hand and KharrakSingh's broad golden belt, and some vague association with Somwar Malwas present as well. He and the boar charged simultaneously for theprostrate child, but before the cruel tusks could reach him, the spearhad passed under the stiff golden folds and swung Kharrak Singhignominiously into the air and across Gerrard's saddle. The astonishedhorse, accustomed to pig-sticking, but not to having the prey placed onhis back, took the bit between his teeth and dashed furiously away,with the boar in full pursuit--so Gerrard gathered from the chorus ofyells and shrieks that arose. One hand was fully occupied with thereins, the other with holding the child, and it was impossible todisengage his spear while going at this pace, though the handlecollided with half the trees they passed, and threatened to jerkKharrak Singh from his grasp.
"Hold fast, little brother!" he called out.
"Not your little brother!" The words reached him faintly, and hesmiled, for at least the child was not much hurt. Venturing to glanceround to see whether the boar was continuing the chase, he found thatit had given up, but to his astonishment all the hunt, mounted and onfoot, were pursuing him with wild cries. "Maro! maro!" [1] theyyelled, and two of the Komadans, who were drawing ahead of the others,had one of them a spear in rest, and the other his sword drawn. Like aflash of lightning it broke upon Gerrard that to a distant observer hisaction must have had all the appearance of a peculiarly cold-bloodedmurder, and that before he could explain to these avengers that hisspear had merely lifted the child by his girdle, they would have cuthim down from behind. To check his horse was impossible, for thesounds of pursuit stimulated it continually to fresh efforts, and hehad no means of defending himself while he explained matters, since hisspear was still entangled in Kharrak Singh's golden waistbelt.
A second time the pleasing sense of proving Somwar Mat a false prophetcame over Gerrard as he jerked his horse violently to the right, wherean irrigation channel, leading from the swamp, crossed his course. Thepursuers evidently thought it would prove an insurmountable barrier,for he could hear by their shouts that the two foremost were separatingso as to ride against him from either side, when he would be caughtbetween them and the main body behind. But his horse was a notedjumper, and that fact saved him. He felt it rise to the leap, andthough the channel was too broad, and it fell on its knees on the slopeof crumbling earth at the farther side, he contrived to twitch himselfand Kharrak Singh out of the saddle in time to prevent its slippingback into the muddy water. Once on his feet, he was able to disengagethe spear without difficulty, and as the horse also struggled up hecaught it and set Kharrak Singh in the saddle, then turned to confronthis astonished pursuers. They had halted in sheer amazement, and weregazing at him with various expressions of stupefaction, old PartabSingh himself, the spear in his iron hand shaking like a leaf; at theirhead. Kharrak Singh hailed their astonishment as a tribute to himself,for some reason or other, and clapped his hands and cried "Shabash!"until he was tired.
"Is the child unhurt?" the foremost Komadan ventured at last to ask,rather unnecessarily.
"Fool! who should have hurt me?" cried Kharrak Singh.
"The Feringhee," answered every one together.
"Surely ye are all mad, O people. I would have killed him with mydagger!" and the boy clapped his hand to his girdle, only to discoverthat the precious dagger had dropped by the way. Turning immediatelyupon Gerrard, he began to beat him with his fists. "Where is mydagger, O fair man? Hast thou stolen it? Give it back!"
"_Choop!_" said Gerrard unceremoniously, for Partab Singh had ridden tothe edge of the bank opposite.
"O my friend, was this well done--to endanger your own life and thechild's, and cause all my people to believe you a murderer, for thesake of a moment's jest?" asked the old man.
"Maharaj-ji, there was no jest. The child lay on the ground, in thepath of the charging boar, and I could save him in no other way----"
"He caught me up on his spear, as a kite snatches up a kitten!" criedKharrak Singh proudly. "I felt the breath of the unclean beast on myleg!"
Partab Singh turned to his guards. "Bring hither the heads of theliars who spake evil of my friend Jirad Sahib, and lay them beforehim." Then to Gerrard, "My face is black, O my friend. When justicehas been done, I shall be less abashed, and able to speak to you."
"I entreat your Highness to pardon the men. Their eyes deceived them,and they thought they spoke the truth. If I am indeed your friend----"
"They shall live. Their eyes alone shall pay the forfeit, for I haveno use for eyes that deceive their owners."
"Nay, let them go free. I ask nothing else of your Highness."
"This is in very deed my friend's will?"
"In very deed."
"I had sooner you had asked for half my treasury, but the wretchesshall go free," grumbled Partab Singh, and two very badly frightenedmen were ignominiously sped with kicks and cuffs to the rear. Thenearest cultivators were then summoned, and forced to break down thecanal-banks, and make a temporary causeway for Gerrard to cross, in themidst of which the Rajah met him and embraced him, and insisted that heshould forthwith mount his own splendid horse, with its gold-encrustedtrappings, and saddle-cloth flashing with gems. Thus they rode back,the Rajah on a humble pony, with Gerrard on the great horse on hisright, and Kharrak Singh, extremely discontented with Gerrard's plainsaddle, relegated to his left. In the course of the ride, Gerrardlearned that he was immediately to visit the Rajah at the city ofAgpur, that the inestimable service he had rendered the state might beproperly acknowledged and proclaimed, and that if he desired the lifeor property of any man in the province, he had only to ask for it.Colonel Antony's ambassador could have desired no better proof of thecomplete success of his mission.
The evening was spent in Partab Singh's camp, where all his officersand officials came by command to pay their respects to Gerrard andcongratulate him upon his exploit. It seemed absurd, as he rode backto his own camp at night, to realise by what a chain of accidents hehad been led to his present position of favour, and he reflected sagelythat accidents might as easily dethrone him, so that it would be wellto report the state of affairs at once, in case Colonel Antony shouldwish to take immediate advantage of it. He had got rid of hisfull-dress uniform and the garlands with which he had been decorated,and was writing busily by the light of a smoky lantern, when theGranthi commander of his escort came to say that they had caught a mantrying to make his way unperceived into the camp, who said that he wasa Sirdar who had urgent business with the Sahib.
"Tell him to come in the morning," said Gerrard.
"He comes from one of the states newly included in the Company'sterritory, sahib, and has a petition to present. Moreover he dares notcome by day, for fear of the Rajah here."
"A British subject? I suppose I must see him, though why he should beskulking in Agpur territory---- Bring him in, Badan Hazari."
A tall man much muffled in a large cloak was ushered in, and atGerrard's invitation, sat down on the floor. When Badan Hazari wasgone, he lowered the cloak a little, and looked at Gerrard
as though heexpected recognition, but there was none.
"I place my life in your hands, sahib. I am Sher Singh."
"There are many of that name," said Gerrard, puzzled.
"Not many who are also princes of Agpur."
"You are a relation of the Rajah's, then?"
"Merely his eldest son, sahib." The man glanced round fearfully as hespoke, as though listeners were to be dreaded.
"What! the son who was sentenced----?"
"The discernment of the Sahib is wonderful. Yes, these are the eyesthat were to be presented on a golden plate for my father to gloatover."
"But why are you here? You must know that your life-----"
"Is in danger? True, but I seek for justice from the Protector of thePoor."
"If you have a claim against your father, you must lay it beforeColonel Antony and the Ranjitgarh Durbar."
"And be stabbed or poisoned by emissaries from Agpur? Nay, sahib, Iwant nothing for the present--merely a promise of justice in future.Who is to sit upon the _gaddi_ when the pyre has been built for RajahPartab Singh?"
"I understand that the Rajah has the right to nominate his ownsuccessor. It is no affair of mine," said Gerrard coldly. SherSingh's eyes blazed.
"Not though he nominates the young upstart he has raised up to theprejudice of me, his rightful heir?"
"Ah, by the bye, why were you sentenced to death and cut out of thesuccession?" asked Gerrard casually. Sher Singh blinked once or twicebefore answering.
"What father does not hate his heir?" he asked at last.
"And the hatred was groundless?"
"What heir does not consider his father's life unduly prolonged? Saythat he is tempted to anticipate the enjoyment of what will be all hisone day----"
"Enough!" said Gerrard sharply. "You wish me to intercede with theRajah for you?"
"Nay, sahib, since then my life would end before his. But you are highin the favour of the great Antni Sahib, the fountain of justice, who isall-powerful in Granthistan, save in this little corner. Does hedesire to add to his present cares another infant-ruled kingdom, withanother shameless Rani and more headstrong Sirdars to tear it inpieces? Partab Singh's days cannot now be long. Were it not well thathe should be succeeded by a man of full age, who has travelled amongthe English and seen their power, and can be trusted to act towardsthem as a loyal ally?"
Gerrard considered the suggestion a moment, aware that Colonel Antonywould give much to prevent the duplication of his present anxieties,and at the same time settle satisfactorily the affairs of thistroublesome province. But unfortunately Sher Singh, in his eagernessto clinch matters, went too far.
"Sahib," he said, leaning forward confidentially, "in the treasury atAgpur there is wealth for many men. What if it were divided betweenAntni Sahib, you, and me--and Antni Sahib need not know what was thesum you and I found there?"
Gerrard started up. "Badan Hazari!" he shouted, and the soldier camerunning. "Turn this man out. He has dared to offer me a bribe. Youhave made a mistake, nephew of a foolish aunt. Leave to live, and adecent maintenance, you may obtain through Colonel Antony Sahib, butafter to-night, nothing more."
"This slave is indeed foolish as the beasts," lamented Sher Singh."Let the Sahib in his mercy obtain for him even now what he haspromised, and for the present he will dwell quietly, and aim no more ata dignity that is clearly above his capacity."
The reason for this change of front Gerrard had not time to puzzle overat the moment, for as Sher Singh left the tent under the escort ofBadan Hazari, the Rajah's minister, Diwan Dwarika Nath, appeared out ofthe darkness with his attendants, and cast a keen glance at thedeparting figure. Dismissing his servants to a distance, andapologising for the lateness of his visit, Dwarika Nath proceeded tomake various arrangements on his master's behalf with regard to thejourney to Agpur, all in a very friendly and polite spirit. But as herose to take his leave, he turned suddenly on Gerrard.
"His Highness might be interested to learn what visitors his _friend_Jirad Sahib entertains in secret at night," he said.
"My visitors come without any wish of mine, but they go when I choose,"retorted Gerrard warningly.
Dwarika Nath held up a deprecating hand. "There is no need for hisHighness to know who the visitor was. I alone recognised him."
"It might certainly be safer for you not to bring that recognition tothe knowledge of his Highness," mused Gerrard.
Dwarika Nath's face grew avaricious. "But there is my duty to hisHighness. How could I consent to keep silent on a matter that affectshim so nearly?"
"I really don't know. Your conscience ain't in my keeping. Settle itfor yourself," said Gerrard carelessly. "Now I suppose I have made twoenemies to-night!" he remarked to himself as Dwarika Nath turned awaywith baffled greed in his eyes.
[1] Kill! kill!
The Path to Honour Page 4