Tara: A Mahratta Tale

by Meadows Taylor

  CHAPTER LXIII.

  Tara advanced, still trembling, and clinging to Goolab, and trying tohide her face in the end of her garment; she was only sensible of thesame sweet voice, as a girl of great, and to her strange, beauty, tookher in her arms, embraced her, and said gently, "Peace be unto you! youare welcome, with the peace and blessing of Alla upon you!" and thatanother taller and older lady embraced her in like manner, and said thesame. After that for a long while she remembered nothing.

  When she recovered, she was lying upon a soft bedding in a small room,near an open window which looked out upon the lake that encircledthe fort, glowing with the reflection of piles of sunset-clouds. Onwhat seemed an island in the lake was a Hindu temple, with a highpyramidical roof, around which hung the rich foliage of severalmagnificent trees, and temple and trees were reflected double in thestill water. These were the first objects that met her sight.

  Then, turning round, the same young face that she had seen on enteringthe apartment bent over her, and a soft warm hand was passed over herface, and the ends of the fingers kissed in loving greeting; but thegirl did not speak, though a sweet smile spread over her features, andshe seemed to beckon with her left hand to another person behind her,whom Tara could not see. Another moment and her deliverer advanced,saluting her respectfully.

  Fazil had ridden fast to overtake Tara, but had not succeeded. Twentymen, a light palankeen, and the hope of a liberal reward, had inducedthe bearers to put out their utmost speed, and they had well redeemedtheir promise of reaching their destination before sunset; but he hadarrived soon after.

  "Go away, brother," said Zyna, "do not speak to her now; you have seenthat she is safe--that is enough."

  "My sister," he replied in Persian, that Tara might not understand,"not so. It will grieve her, and thee too, sorely, but she must knowthe truth. Do not go away. I will speak to her in her own tongue, andshow her these sad memorials which I have brought. It is mercy not todelay in such cases.--Can you listen to me, lady, a few moments?" hecontinued to Tara; "what I have to tell you is not worse than what youhave already heard, but it will confirm it; and truth and reality areever better than doubt."

  "If you please to say it, sir," said Tara, who had arisen directly shesaw Fazil approaching, and stood by the window.

  "If--if--you saw anything that had belonged to them you would know it,perhaps," said Fazil hesitatingly.

  Tara's bosom heaved so that she could not speak. She appeared as ifgasping for breath, with the same distressing symptoms as when, in themorning, he had told her first of her bereavement,--and she trembledviolently. She could not stand, and crouched down against the wall.

  "O, not now, brother! not now," pleaded Zyna, who put her arm roundTara, and was supporting her.

  But Fazil was merciless. "It must be," he said. "And now, lady, listen.If you had any doubt, these will remove it. After I left you the secondtime I went to the Kucheri, for what Janoo Naeik told me he had leftthere, and these were given as having belonged to your mother, AnundaBye, and your stepmother, Radha Bye. Look at them."

  As he spoke he untied a bundle he held, and poured the contents at herfeet; heavy gold and silver ornaments of some value, and a few rings.

  Tara looked at them for a moment. The silver chain anklets, which wereher mother's, were dabbled with blood, now dry on them; the gold pairhad been made after those on her own feet for Radha's marriage, by herbrother Moro. Enough--all were familiar objects. They swam before hereyes--the room seemed whirling round, and, weak as she was, she sankdown again utterly unconscious, with Zyna crying over her.

  "Let them remain," said Fazil, "she must see them when she recovers,else she will not believe. Show them to her one by one. I dare notstay;" and he left the room.

  Tara had not however fainted, but she was gasping for breath, and Zynacalled to Goolab to bring a fan, while she opened the casement of thewindow still more, to let in air. "He said--he said," sobbed Tara,trying to speak; "lady, I cannot speak--I am choking--O! why do I notdie? He said----"

  "He said you were to look at them all, one by one," said Zyna, tryingto check her own sobs and tears. "He is kind. Fazil, my brother, wouldnot give you pain unless it were for good. Look! here they are," andZyna spread out the ornaments with her own hands, shuddering at theblood upon them.

  Tara looked earnestly at Zyna; the eyes were full of misery--so fullthat Zyna could not bear them--passed her hands over her own, pressingthem tightly, then looked away. Tara turned the ornaments vacantly overand over, sighing, and, as it were, catching her breath convulsively.There was one, a ring with a sapphire set in it, with which she knewher mother never parted, for she believed that without it evil wouldhappen to her, and that it had brought prosperity. It used sometimesto be put on the altar when they worshipped Lakshmee, the Goddess ofWealth--else it never left her mother's hand; but it was there. Zynadid not know this then, but she saw Tara's hand tremble very much asshe took it up and looked at it carefully. There was a dark staininside, and Tara put down the ring, gasping, as it were, for breath,then took it up again.

  Zyna watched wonderingly, the changing expressions which passed overthe beautiful features: first despair; then, as it seemed to her,prayers were murmured in a language she did not understand, and thefeatures appeared to relax, the upturned eyes glistened, there wasa look as if of hope or triumph upon the face. She moved closer toTara, still closer, as she thought she saw tears gathering in the hoteyes. If Tara could only weep it would be well. Zyna passed her leftarm round her, and gently drew the girl's head on er own shoulder andbosom; it fell softly there and rested; the hand which held the ringdropped on her lap, beating restlessly; but the other grasped her sothat it almost caused pain. Kind nature did not suffer the terriblestruggle to continue longer, else Tara had died; and with almost ashriek of pain, her tears burst forth uncontrollably.

  "Thank God for it," said Lurlee, who had entered, and was standingover them, and who now passed her hands over Tara, as Goolab had done;"she will be easier for this, and the worst is past: let her weep.The blessing of Alla and the Prophet on thee, my daughter," she saidto Tara. "I salute thee with peace! Thou hast entered at a fortunatemoment, and there is joy following thy grief. Fear not; thou hast cometo those who will be to thee what thou hast lost."

  "She will require much care, mother," said Zyna; "feel how she istrembling; I will not leave her. Ah, yes--that is the reason; take awaythose things, Goolab; wash them and put them by."

  Goolab took them up, and with all her choicest epithets of "Poor littlerose! my pretty dove! my lily! my own life!" she tried to soothe thegirl; but Tara heeded no one. Keeping the ring clutched in her ownhand, she hid her face in Zyna's bosom, then suffered her gradually tolay her head down on her knee, and rock it softly. She dared not speak,but tried to look up gratefully, sometimes, and then clung the closerto her gentle nurse.

  "Hush," said Zyna, as fresh bursts of tears often occurred, "I knowwhat has happened, and I will not leave thee, Tara; no, never now. Andhe, my brother, says it too." So they sat and lay--the two girls--longinto the night; and gradually, unable to resist the kindness lavishedon her, Tara spoke a little, and Zyna encouraged it, and heardwonderingly, Tara's simple tale of trial and sorrow.

  That night, too, her future fate was the subject of earnest debate,often approaching the verge of passion, between Afzool Khan, his son,and the priest. What could they do with a Brahmun orphan, a heathenunbeliever who was a captive, and a slave, by the laws of war? Long andearnestly did the priest plead that she should forthwith be sent to theroyal harem. So beautiful a slave would be cherished, loved, and haveevery luxury at her command; she might become the mother of princes,and the head of the state; and Afzool Khan supported this opinion,which was borne out by texts from the law, plausibly quoted by the Peer.

  But Fazil opposed them both, gently yet firmly, and at last almostfiercely. "She is my captive, if captive at all," he said; "my slave,taken in war, according to your own texts, Huzrut--and I can releaseher, or ranso
m her, or keep her, as I will. She has relatives at Wye,where we are going, and with your permission, father, she can stay withus till then; we will be her safeguard, honourably and truly. Afterthat," he added with some little confusion, "she can act for herself,and of her own free will; but to send her to the palace, to be deckedout and noticed for a while, and then flung aside--no, father; bettershe died, or better still that we now turned her into the street, toshift for herself among her own people."

  "That would be inhospitable, son, if no more," returned his father;"well, boy, let her stay, and welcome. No matter," he thought tohimself, "if he have his own way in this thing." The Khan was decidedlyin good humour. The kicheri, kabobs, and some other dishes which wereespecial favourites, had been dressed to perfection by Lurlee, and wererelished, as they can best be, with the zest insured by a long ride.

  Lurlee had met him in good humour, and the stars were in propitiousconjunction to welcome his arrival. The lady had nothing but good tosay of Tara, whose beauty and sad history had at once deeply impressedher. "What if she be an infidel," she said, "she will make the bettertrue believer. Let her stay with us, O Khan! she shall be a daughter tome," and the lady sighed. "There is nothing unlucky about the period ofher arrival, for the sun was in conjunction with Jupiter, and she wasborn under Venus, she says; and as she is a Brahmun she knows all abouther horoscope and the planets; besides, is not this Wednesday, and shearrived between five and six in the evening, under Venus, so that sheis born to us under the same planet as she was born to her own parents?Is not that curious? and by-and-by I shall call her Fazila, accordingto the blessed scheme of nativity sent by the prophets. And listenfurther, Khan," continued the lady, pausing and examining her book."Her name now begins with a T, and that stands for Air, and is lucky,because----" and she was nearly saying it aloud, only she checkedherself in time, "because," she said to herself, "Fazil's name beginswith an F, and that means Fire, and fire and air always agree best,because the one cannot exist apart from the other."

  "I don't understand, Lurlee," said the Khan, "how it is. What aboutfire?"

  "Never mind," replied the lady knowingly, "you will find out moreby-and-by, Khan! there is a good deal to be done before then."

  So Tara escaped another great peril which she knew not of, and remainedas an honoured and welcome guest with her new protectors. And in a fewdays, when Afzool Khan had made the necessary arrangements, his armywas ready to move on. These need no detail at our hands, except asconcerns two characters in our history who did not accompany it.

  The first was Kowas Khan, who, recalled by the King to manage theaffairs of his own troops, returned from Sholapoor to the capital. Theyoung man regretted the necessity; for to share a campaign in realservice with his friend Fazil, had ever been one of his most cherishedplans. The King's order was, however, peremptory, and was obeyed. "Whenwe return," said the old Khan to him as they parted, "the days ofmourning will be expired, and thou shalt have thy desire."

  With him was sent the Lalla, who, being naturally of an unwarlikenature, rejoiced at the prospect of escaping hardships of no ordinarykind. And was not Kowas Khan the late Wuzeer's son, and nominal Wuzeerhimself? He might become actually so, and what a field for advancementwas opened to him if this should be! "May your prosperity increase, mayyou be victorious," he said to the father and son as he took leave ofthem. "Inshalla! your poor servant will write you news of the city andcourt, after the true imperial fashion, which is more his vocation thanrecording battles; only remember that your slave is grateful."

  Afzool Khan's army, now organized in all respects, set forward on itsmarch. A few miles only were traversed daily, and it would require amonth or more ere they could reach Wye. Sometimes a house was found forthe ladies in a village or town near which the forces encamped; butmore frequently they were in the Khan's tents, which were infinitelypleasanter. The two girls grew together, the more as the firstrestraint passed away; and the lady Lurlee and Zyna were never tired ofhearing from the lips of the beautiful heathen, the simple story of herlife, her widowhood, and her strange rescue from dishonour.

  Was Tara happy? Yes; when she thought of what her fate must havebeen had she not been rescued from Moro Trimmul, or even if Fazilhad yielded to her first entreaties, and let her go without inquiry.She knew not then of the further escape from the royal harem whichFazil had secured; but as it was, gratitude to him had already becomethe main feeling of her life. Of her parents' death she had no doubtwhatever now. The other members of the family would have claimed theproperty and cast her off. Widow and priestess combined, she wouldhave been helpless against the insult and profligacy of men of her ownfaith, and now she was at least safe. She was grateful, therefore, and,for the most part, happy too.

  But often, as she wept bitterly under the old memories of an innocentand happy home, the loving arms of her mother seemed clasped about heronce more, and her caresses almost palpably felt, while the glisteningeyes of the goddess appeared to follow her, sleeping and waking, witha reproachful look of desertion. In these moments, Tara endured bittergrief; but ever at hand were the gentle remonstrances of her new motherand sister, and to them also were joined those of her deliverer which,in the constant association which grew out of a camp life, she feltbecoming more and more powerful day by day.