THE GHOOJURS.
Meanwhile Harkins and Avery were in need of a counselor, guide and
friend.
The first, as will be recalled, dropped from the limbs of the tree,
where he had taken refuge when the runaway elephant caused the howdah
to be scraped from his huge back.
The first act of the sportsman, after reaching the ground, was to
take a look at the demolished structure lying at the side of the road.
"Howdy?" he exclaimed, with a laugh; "considered purely as a howdah
you are now of little account. I had hard work to keep my rifle all
through this flurry, but I believe it hasn't received one half the
bruises that I have. Is that you, doctor?"
The surgeon came forward and the two shook hands, glad enough that
the adventure had come to such a fortunate ending for themselves,
though the main purpose for which it was undertaken had miscarried.
"We can't get back to the bungalow too soon," said Harkins; "the
night is pretty well gone, and there seem to be plenty of the natives
no matter in what direction we turn."
"Yes, and there are some of them coming this way," remarked the
doctor, as they started southward.
"There are only two horsemen, and we needn't turn aside for them."
The natives came along at an easy gallop, and neither halted nor
slackened their speed, as they identified one of the Europeans at
least, through the dust raised by the animals.
They had not gone far, however, when they suddenly wheeled and let
fly with a couple of carbines at the young men. The bullets passed
close, and the astounded Harkins, instantly bringing his gun to his
shoulder, returned the shot. He missed, probably confused by the
dust and his own excitement.
The ruffians galloped off, but there was little doubt that they would
return. The fugitives decided to keep to the highway a little
longer, and despite the extreme heat, moved at the fastest possible
walk. The strong moonlight was of great help, but they were alarmed
by the sound of firing, which they feared meant an attack upon the
bungalow. The sight of a crowd swarming around a carriage in the
road told the awful story. The wretches were so absorbed in their
scramble for plunder, that they paid no attention to the two figures,
which, leaving the road, made a wide detour beyond them.
Coming back to the highway once more, they pressed on with the same
haste, and in due time reached the bungalow, whose low thatched roof
they recognized while yet some distance away.
They quickly found that no one was in or near it.
"I don't know whether this is a bad omen or not," said Avery, whose
solicitude was distressing.
"I hope it means that they have withdrawn to a safe place," remarked
the more hopeful Harkins.
"That may be, but how are we to find out?"
"We shall have to depend on Luchman to open communication, for it is
out of our power to do it ourselves."
"Here is another of the dogs; be ready for him, Harkins, and shoot
first."
"I guess I won't be in a hurry," laughed the other, who, suspecting
from the first the identity of the stranger, now saw that it was
Luchman himself, that native rightly believing that his friends would
do their best to reach the bungalow where they had parted from the
others.
A minute or two was enough for each party to reach an understanding.
There was no time to lose. Day was breaking, and the mutineers and
budmashes were growing altogether too numerous for comfort. The
guide, therefore, quickly led the way back to the jungle, which, dark
as it was, was easily threaded by him.
His companions kept close behind, and they had not gone far before
their leader stopped.
"I think this is the spot, sahib," he said in a voice which despite
its gentleness showed a marked tremor.
"I don't see how you can know, when everything is so indistinct.
Helloa, friends! Where are you?"
Guarded as was the call of Avery, it was loud enough to be heard by
any one within a radius of a hundred feet, but the listening ears
caught no response.
"Call again, sahib."
Avery did as requested, but with no more result than before.
"They have moved further into the jungle," suggested Harkins. "Let's
follow them."
Luchman did not speak, but in the same stealthy fashion advanced
fully two hundred yards, stopping several times and emitting a
peculiar whistling sound, which any member of the missionary's family
would have been quick to recognize had it been heard. Both Avery and
Harkins also signaled and called so often that there could be only
one reason for the failure of reply: their friends were beyond
hearing.
"They are gone, sahib," said Luchman, "and I have no means of finding
where they are."
He explained that the last words of the missionary when they parted
on the edge of the jungle included his pledge that they would not
leave the spot, unless compelled to do so by the approach of danger.
As he had gone away, there could be no doubt therefore of the reason
for such a step.
"But why should they have gone so far," asked Harkins, "when the
jungle is dense and dark enough to afford all the concealment they
could need? Had the wretches approached, our friends would have had
to pick their way only a short distance when they would be as
invisible as if in the very heart of the jungle."
"It looks as if they had overestimated the danger. Luchman, isn't
this long night almost ended?"
By way of answer he pointed to the east, where the light of the
rising sun was beginning to show itself. Darkness was fleeing from
the earth.
"I am glad of that," said the distressed surgeon.
"And why?" asked Harkins.
"Our eyes will be of more service; Luchman will find out something
about the family, for they must have left signs in the jungle that
will give some clew."
The situation of the three may be described as being in a country
cultivated by ryots or small farmers. In the distance could be seen
the low huts of the native village, and the well from which the
supply of water to irrigate the fields was drawn. The only people
visible were a couple of villagers just starting out to begin their
toil in the fields that stretched from their dwellings to the very
border of the jungle.
The vegetation surrounding them displayed the prodigious exuberance
which amazes the traveler who visits India for the first time. The
jungle looked impenetrable, and would have closed about a regiment of
men like the sea over a sinking ship, so that the wonder remained as
to why the three Europeans left the cover, if indeed they had done so.
"There ought to be signs here," said Avery, addressing the guide,
"that will help you. I have read that the American Indian will trail
his foe over the prairie, mountain and forest, no matter how light
his step, and the Hindoo ought to be able to do the same."
Had the latter received the special training of the aborigines of
America, there could have been little doubt of his attaining the same
wonderful keenness of the eye.
As it was, Luchman and his friends scrutinized the ground as closely
as they could. They saw that the soil and undergrowth had been
impressed by passing feet. There was no doubt, therefore, of the
recent presence of their friends, but it was important to know
whether others had also visited the spot.
It was impossible to answer that question, but the probabilities were
that strangers had been there very recently.
This was an alarming conclusion, for it showed the natives must have
found the place of concealment within a short time after the guide
departed, a fact involving some occurrences that even Luchman could
not explain.
There were no evidences of anything like a struggle, and he was sure
he would have heard the firing of guns had there been any.
"Helloa! the mischief is to pay again!" exclaimed Harkins.
At the moment this expression was uttered the three had come back to
the edge of the jungle. Avery and Luchman looked around to learn the
cause of their friend's excitement.
Fully a dozen Ghoojurs were seen coming across the open field toward
the spot where the trio were hunting for traces of their friends.
The ragged party were straggling along on foot, without regard to any
order, but they were abundantly armed with guns, swords, knives, and
in one or two instances with spears.
It was impossible to imagine what brought them in that direction, and
the fugitives had no time in which to discuss the question. That
they were coming straight for them was evident, and unless the
Feringhees retreated at once a fight was inevitable.
It would have been folly to wait, and the three, therefore, started
back into the jungle, following the same line as the advance of the
Ghoojurs themselves. Had our friends taken a second thought probably
they would have turned to the right or left. Harkins was indiscreet
enough to try to keep an eye on their pursuers while making the
withdrawal.
Seeing his error, Luchman called sharply to him to hasten, but at
that moment the sportsman was discovered, several of the Ghoojurs
uttering shouts and breaking at once into a run toward the jungle.
There could have been little in the way of a race through the dense
undergrowth, but the fugitives were following a faintly marked path,
which allowed fair progress to the other side of the spur, as it may
be called, of the jungle, beyond which lay the open country.
They had no more than fairly started when Harkins, who was at the
rear, caught his foot in a wiry vine which threw him forward on his
hands and knees. With an impatient exclamation he was instantly on
his feet and running harder than ever.
It will be understood that each of the fugitives was capable of high
speed. It is doubtful whether Luchman had his superior in all India,
while the other two were athletes scarcely his inferiors in
fleetness. In a fair race, they would have soon left the Ghoojurs
out of sight, but the latter were more accustomed to making their way
through such obstacles than the two Europeans, and they had the
strongest of all incentives that such miscreants can have in a
contest of the kind.
In a few minutes the woods became more open; they were nearing the
other side of the spur of the jungle.
"Look out, sahib! they are going to fire!"
At the instant of uttering the warning, Luchman leaped behind a tree
and the others did the same.
Several shots cut through the vegetation near them, and the Ghoojurs,
seeing that the Feringhees were at bay, checked themselves when but a
few rods separated them.
The surgeon saw the call for a little heroic treatment. Observing a
dusky ruffian careless about exposing himself, he blazed away with
his revolver. The intervening space was so short that he punctured
the fellow in the leg, though unfortunately the wound was not severe.
With a yell the victim went limping back out of range.
The opportune shot threw the Ghoojurs into a panic, which, however,
was quickly over. Almost immediately they began what may be
characterized as a double flank movement that was certain to be fatal
to the fugitives, unless they resumed their flight without further
pause.
The ruffians were not lacking in courage, if it can be called
courageous for a dozen armed men to assail one fourth that number.
They branched out to the right and left, like a fan, so that by
pushing on and closing in they could quickly surround their victims
and have them at their mercy.
But the latter did not stand still and allow themselves to be bagged
in that fashion. Luchman saw the danger, and called to his friends
to take to their heels again. They obeyed, the three making
desperate haste toward the open country which was near at hand.
CHAPTER
THE RUINED TEMPLE.
The next minute the fugitives emerged from the jungle into what was
once a cultivated field, but which was now covered with a species of
short grass burned crisp by the sun. The ground was level, and
favorable for pedestrianism.
Our friends could not have asked anything better, and they
straightway gave their pursuers an exhibition of speed that must have
astonished them.
Harkins was bearing to the right, but was recalled by a word from
Luchman, and the three dashed for the other side of the plain,
distant about an eighth of a mile.
What was to be done when the boundary should be reached was a serious
question, but before attaining it an unexpected refuge presented
itself.
India abounds with interesting ruins, temples and caves, which
display an exquisite order of architecture of ancient times. In
front of the runners appeared a ruined temple, and the guide called
out that if they could reach that they would be safe.
The utmost effort was made, and Harkins and the surgeon were sure
they never ran so fast in all their lives. Probably their pursuers
believed the same, for they steadily dropped behind. Several fired
while on the run, but that was practice in which they did not excel,
and their shots went wild.
The structure, as seen from a distance, was simply a ruin. It had
been a fine building centuries before, but was fallen to pieces so
that naught beside the lower portion remained. Several walls, their
tops jagged and uneven, rose to a height of twenty or thirty feet,
and piles of masonry lay strewn around where they may have been
tumbled by fanatic hands or by the elements. Dense shrubbery and a
few twisted trees projected from the debris, and their roots, while
helping to disintegrate, also helped to hold what was left in
position.
The masonry was of a dull gray color, visible for a long way through
the emerald vegetation, though a casual glance might well have caused
a doubt as to whether it could be made available as a means of
defense. In ancient times, the use of a species of sugar in the
mortar gave it a degree of hardness which gradually became like that
of stone itself.
But there was no time to think of that: it was all that was left to
the fugitives, who continued to put forth their utmost efforts. They
kept well together until quite near the refuge, when Luchman shot
ahead with a swiftness that astonished the others. He bounded
through the arched way that had once spanned the entrance as if he
were shot from a catapult.
His companions were scarcely behind him, and they rushed in like a
couple of contestants on the home-stretch, all quickly pausing, for
they were doubtful of what remained beyond.
"Stop, sahibs," shouted Luchman; "they must not come in!"
The native breathed no faster because of his exertion, but the two
athletes were panting, though able to do far more had it been
necessary. Checking themselves, they turned about to watch the
movements of their enemies.
The latter had been thrown far behind, and were coming at a more
leisurely gait. The fugitives viewed them through the overhanging
branches of a gnarled tree, which grew off to one side from the
arched gateway. They saw the Ghoojurs pause at a safe distance and
engage in a discussion, most likely as to what course they should
follow, in view of the new turn events had taken.
"They are debating whether to make a rush after us or to wait till
they can bring up reenforcements," ventured Harkins.
"I can understand the two sides to that question," replied the
doctor. "It will not take them long to get all the aid they can
want, but the objection to that is that it will make the share of
each so much the smaller, when they come to divide the spoil."
Leaving his friends to keep watch, Luchman entered the fort of which
they had taken possession, to learn its capabilities in the way of
defense. He needed but a short time, and the result was more
satisfactory than he expected.
The arched gate or doorway extended backward twenty feet, where it
opened into a spacious apartment. The former was several yards in
width and eight or ten feet high. The room measured about thirty
feet square had a high ceiling and was dimly lit by several small
circular windows, similar to those used to light the cells of
prisoners. There were three at the rear, but none at the sides, and
they, with the tunnel-like passage which admitted the fugitives, gave
enough illumination for the occupants to see each other across the
apartment.
The roof of this room had been the floor of the tower-like structure
which is common to ancient Hindoo ruins. It appeared to be a foot in
thickness, and was composed of great blocks of hard, gray stone,
united by a cement, spread over and around a net work of massive
beams, which rendered them as durable as the rock itself. The walls
at the side were equally heavy, and, being joined by the same kind of
sugary cement, they were powerful enough to resist for a long time
the pounding of large cannon.
A small force could hold an immense one at bay, protected as was the
garrison by such powerful defenses. The only question was as to how
long a party could stand a siege.
In the case of our friends, this certainly could not be long, for
they were not only without food and water, but lacked the means of
getting any. All were hungry, and before long would be thirsty.
"We can hold them in check, sahibs, until night," said Luchman, "but
if we wait longer than that, they will have us fast."
Though a score of brave men might recoil from an attempt to carry the
place by storm, yet the Ghoojurs must have known that they had but to
contain their souls in patience for only a brief while. The tempting
fruit if left alone will fall to the ground in the fulness of time.
Since the Ghoojurs showed no disposition to make any immediate
advance, the guide told his friends that if they wished they could
take a survey of the interior, and he would call them when wanted.
Thereupon Harkins and the surgeon passed through the gateway, and
entered the large apartment.
"If we had several months' provisions and a well of water," observed
the sportsman, "we wouldn't care for all the Ghoojurs that could be
brought against us. They couldn't batter these walls down in a year,
and we would pick them off at our leisure."
"Why speculate upon that which can never be?" asked the doctor, whose
spirits were not so elastic as those of his companion; "there is no
means of getting food or water, and I am oppressed with a sentiment
that here we are to make a final stand."
"That for presentiments," replied Harkins, snapping his fingers;
"they all depend on the state of your stomach. I am hungry, but am
not bilious, and therefore haven't any presentiments."
"Who shall say whether our dear ones are yet alive?"
"No one, but there is hope," said Harkins, more sympathetically; "the
outlook is bad, but no worse than it has been several times before."
"We have been favored in a marked degree, but we must not shut our
eyes to what is before us. Hitherto we have had the liberty of
movement, but we are now walled in."
"Didn't you hear Luchman say that we must keep them in check until
night, when we would leave? What can that signify but that he has
fixed upon some feasible scheme?"
"Common sense will not allow me to believe that. There is but one
way out, and that is the one by which we entered; and the nights now
are almost the same as day."
"Keep a stiff upper lip, doctor, for though I can't explain the plan
of the campaign I know he can. Your depression just now is not
because of yourself but your absent friends."
"It is, for I am sure Luchman considers their case about hopeless;
what do you think, Harkins?"
"I believe they are prisoners."
"That is worse than if they were dead."
Harkins turned his head away and whistled softly: he knew his friend
was right.
"You have my profoundest sympathy, doctor, and my life is at your
service. If we knew where they were, I would lead in a rush that
would end in our death or their safety."
These were brave words, but there could be no doubt of their honesty.
There was no risk the sportsman would not have eagerly run for the
sake of his new friends. The doctor feelingly thanked him, adding
that he was confident he would soon be called upon to verify his
pledge.
Their eyes had now become accustomed to the twilight of the room, and
they saw distinctly.
"What the mischief is _that_?" asked Harkins, pointing toward the
further corner, where a large object with some resemblance to a man
was visible.
"We can soon find out," replied the doctor, striding across the
apartment.
Both laughed, for that which had caught their eye was an idol--one of
the hundreds of thousands of deities of India.
It was a grotesque imitation of humanity, with a head resembling an
elephant's and as big as the rest of the body, and with a mouth, eyes
and nose enough to terrify a beholder. It seemed to have been carved
from marble, and still bore traces of the red paint and gilt with
which it was once decorated.
"Do you know anything about this gentleman?" asked Harkins, after
they had examined the image.
"It is meant for Gungah, the many armed goddess of the Ganges."
"It seems to me that when these people tried to represent a goddess
they might have made her better looking. This specimen is enough to
give a man the nightmare."
While making these remarks, Harkins placed his hand against the idol
and pushed hard enough to move it slightly.
"She don't seem to be very solid on her pins," he said; "over she
goes!"
And with a more vigorous shove he sent her crashing to the floor.
"Thus shall tumble the Mogul Empire," said Avery, looking down on the
prostrate monster, "and it shall rise nevermore."
"I agree with your sentiments, but wish that the empire would not be
so long in falling. I tell you that old England, though thousands of
miles away, won't take long to strike, and when she does so, it will
be straight from the shoulder and she'll make the bones rattle."
"Yes," assented the surgeon with a glow of patriotic pride, "our
whole population is not an eighth of this country's, but we are as
much its master as though our army were ten times as big."
Since the two were talking thus familiarly, the doctor, having made a
remark, awaited the reply of his friend. But Harkins was as still as
the idol had been for hundreds of years.
"What's the matter?" asked Avery in some surprise.
Harkins raised his hand.
"_Sh! hark!_"
The surgeon did as requested, but was unable to hear anything to
justify the action of his friend.
"I say, my boy," remarked Harkins a minute later, "we haven't yet
unearthed all the mysteries of this old temple."
"To what do you refer?"
"We are not the only persons in it. While you were speaking a little
while ago I heard voices."
"Are you sure of that?"
"There is no doubt about it. The speakers used so much care that I
could not catch their words, but the voices themselves, though faint,
could not be mistaken."
"Could they not have been the Ghoojurs outside?"
"No, I thought of that; I was standing right here with no dream of
such a thing when--there they are again!"
Avery stepped forward and pressed his ear against the wall beyond
which it was evident the strangers must be. The next minute he
whispered:
"You are right, Harkins; there are other persons in this temple."