The doctor came the next day, and did not seem satisfied; the fact being
that, on awakening, my mind was all on the fret. For I was always face
to face with the thought of what had become of my mother and sister at
Nussoor. Of course I sorrowed, too, about my father's fate; but I was
not so anxious about him. He was a soldier, with some hundreds of
trusty Englishmen at his back, and I knew that he would be ready to meet
any difficulties.
Then there was Brace to fidget about, and my other friends of the troop.
I wanted to know whether they had been scattered, as Ny Deen had
assured me, and whether the English rule really was coming to an end.
"He thinks so," I said; "but I will not believe it yet."
Then I worried about being a prisoner, and with no prospect of getting
free. It was very pleasant to be waited on, and treated as the rajah's
friend, and there were times when I almost wondered at myself for
refusing the costly gifts he had offered. But I soon ceased wondering,
and began to feel that jewelled swords and magnificent horses were
worthless to one who was a prisoner.
The days passed drearily by in spite of bright sunshine and breezes and
delicious fruits, with every attention a convalescent could wish for.
By degrees I reached the stage when I was borne out through the shady
edge of the forest in a palanquin, plenty of bearers being forthcoming
when needed, and then disappearing again, leaving me wondering whence
they came, and how far away the rajah's principal city might be.
Everything I asked for was obtained directly; but I was a prisoner, and
not the slightest information could I get. The only inkling I had of my
whereabouts was obtained one day when I was being borne along in the
shade by my bearers, with Salaman at my side. They halted at the edge
of what was almost a precipice, to give me a view through an opening of
a far-spreading plain at a considerable depth below; and this taught me
at once that I had been placed, of course by the rajah's command, in the
shady forest somewhere on a mountain slope, where the air was
comparatively cool, and where I was far more likely to recover than in
some crowded city in the broiling plains.
That was all that the view down the precipitous slope taught me. I
could not recognise a single landmark, and returned to my prison-tent as
low-spirited as ever.
It must have been a day or two after, when I was making my first essays
in walking, that, unexpectedly as usual, the rajah came riding in among
the trees quite alone, and as he drew rein, smiling, close to where I
was standing, I could not help envying him the strength and ease with
which he managed his splendid charger.
He was quite simply dressed on this occasion, and his appearance
indicated that he must have ridden far.
As we shook hands, I was wondering that he should have come without any
escort, but just then I heard the snort of a horse at some distance,
which made the beautiful arab by my side throw up his head and challenge
loudly, when two more horses answered, and I felt that I had been
premature in thinking the country so peaceful and free from troops that
the rajah could ride alone.
He swung himself down, and a man sprang forward to lead away the horse,
while, taking my arm, the rajah led me to the cushioned carpets spread
beneath the tree, looking at me smilingly the while.
"Come," he said; "this is better; up and walking. You look different,
too. Why, I might venture to send your horse over for you to try and
mount, but not yet."
"Why not yet?" I said, as we sat down among the cushions.
"For several reasons," he replied, smiling at me. "I want to see you
stronger."
"But I think I could mount now; and, at a gentle walk, the exercise
would do me good."
"Perhaps," he said; "but we must see."
He clapped his hands, and Salaman glided up.
"Bring coffee and a pipe," he said.
Salaman bowed and retired.
"I have ridden far," he said to me, "and am tired."
"Tell me about the state of the country," I said eagerly, after we had
sat some moments in silence.
"It is not peaceful yet," he replied. "The English are making a little
struggle here and there. They do not like to give up the land they have
held so long."
We were silent again, and Salaman and the two servants I had seen most
often, came up, bearing a tray with coffee, a long snake pipe, and a
little pan of burning charcoal. A minute after the pipe was lit, and
the great amber mouthpiece handed to the rajah, who took it after
sipping his coffee, and the men retired as he began to smoke, gazing at
me the while.
"It is useless," he said at last. "A lost cause."
I sat frowning and thinking that he did not understand Englishmen yet,
or he would not talk of our cause being lost.
"Well," he said at last, "I am very glad to see you getting so strong.
In another fortnight you will be well enough to come back to the city."
"What city?" I asked.
"Mine. To my palace," he replied proudly; but he turned off his haughty
manner directly, and continued. "I have had rooms set apart for you,
and a certain number of servants, so that you will be quite free, and
not dependent upon me."
"Free!" I cried, catching that one word; it had such a delightful ring.
"Then you will let me go as soon as I have visited you at your palace."
"To be cut down--slain, after I have taken such pains to save your
life?" he said, with a smile.
"Oh, I am very grateful for all that," I cried hastily; "but you must
feel that even if they are unfortunate, my place is with my own people."
"No," he said quietly, as he went on smoking and gazing straight away at
the densely foliaged trees. "I cannot feel that. For I know that it
would be folly for you to return to meet your death. It would be
impossible for you to get across the plains to the nearest place where
your people are trying to hold out. Even if you could get there, the
army besieging them would take you, and no one there could save your
life."
"Let me try," I said.
He shook his head.
"It would be madness. If I let you have your horse now, you would try
some such folly."
"You call it a folly," I replied. "I call it my duty."
"To rush on your death? Look here, my friend; why do you want to get
back? To take up your old position as a junior officer?"
"Yes, of course!"
"I thought so," he said, with animation, and his eyes flashed as he went
on. "You are young and ardent. You wish to rise and become the chief
of a troop of artillery?"
"Of course," I said.
"And some day a general, to command others?"
"I hope so--a long way ahead," I replied, smiling.
"Of course. I knew it," he said, as he let fall the tube of his pipe,
and grasped my arm. "It would be long years before you could command a
troop?"
"Oh yes--long, long years."
"And you would be quite an old man before you became a general?"
"Perhaps never," I said, wondering at his eagerness, and yet feeling
something akin to a suspicion of his aim.
"Then why wish to go?" he said, with a smile.
"Why wish to go?" I replied. "I do not understand you."
"I say, why wish to go and compete with hundreds of others who would not
understand you, and any one of whom might carry off the prize--when you
can stay with me?"
"Stay with you! What for?" I faltered.
"I will make you a general, now--at once," he said excitedly, "and ten
thousand men shall bend down before their Moslem rajah's friend, who,
from this time forward, will lead and direct my artillery."
"Rajah!" I exclaimed, surprised but not surprised, for I had half
expected some such proposal, but of course only in a very minor form.
"Look here, Vincent," he continued, bending forward, and speaking
excitedly. "When I came to your barracks as a humble syce, it was to
learn everything about your guns, and the way in which the horse
artillery was trained. In those days, beaten, kicked, trampled upon, I
always had you in my mind, and I watched you, how quick, how clever, and
how brave you were. My heart warmed to you even then; but as I have
grown to know you better and seen what you are in the field in action
with your men, I have said again and again that there could be no one
better for my trusted friend and general."
I laughed, though a curious feeling came over me that the man who would
make me such a proposal must be mad.
"Why do you laugh?" he said. "Are you pleased at what I propose?"
"Pleased? No," I said frankly. "You are laughing at me--making fun of
me."
He frowned.
"Is it so trifling a thing, that I should laugh over it?"
"No, it is not a trifling matter; but it seems to be trifling with me to
propose such a thing. You cannot be in earnest."
"I am in earnest, and it is wise," he said sternly.
"But it is an appointment for an old, experienced man, and I suppose
that I am a mere boy."
"The great Company thought you old enough to take charge of their guns,"
he said gravely.
"Yes, but with older officers over me."
"Well; I shall be over you; but you will have full charge of all my
cannons. You understand them thoroughly."
"Of course I know a little about them."
"Little!" he cried. "It is magnificent. Have I not seen you often?
Did I not see you carry them off after I had captured them, and was
training my men? but slowly--oh, so slowly."
"You forget that I was only a junior officer acting under my captain's
orders. It is nonsense, and you are saying all this to make me vain, to
flatter me."
"I never stoop to flatter," he said coldly. "It is the truth. Yes, you
are young, but you will soon grow older and more experienced, and train
my men till they have all the speed of yours. Do you tell me that you
could not drill and teach my soldiers?"
"Oh no, I do not tell you that," I said frankly, "because I could."
"Yes; of course you could, and it will be a proud position for you."
"What! as a British officer in the service of a rajah?"
"Yes; I could tell you of a dozen cases where an English soldier has
drilled his master's forces as you will drill them, for I must have
large troops of horse artillery like you had. You shall be in command."
I looked hard at him, for even then I felt that he must be joking with
me, the proposal seemed to be so out of all reason, and I had so small
an estimate of my own powers, that there were moments when I felt ready
to laugh, and felt sure that if Brace, serious as he was, had heard it,
he would have burst into a hearty fit of mirth.
But the rajah's face was grave and stern, and his words were full of the
calm conviction that I was the very person to take the command of his
men and train them as he wished.
As he sat gazing at me, waiting for me to accept his proposal, I tried
to treat it in all seriousness, as if quietly discussing the matter with
him.
"Do I understand you rightly?" I said; "that you wish me to be your
chief artillery officer?"
"Yes, that is it," he said, "to arrange everything, and above all to get
up as quickly as possible three or four troops of horse artillery. You
know exactly how it should be done, and could teach the men till they
were as quick and dashing as your own."
"It would require Englishmen then," I thought, for I could not see that
it was possible with Indians.
"Would it take very long?" he said. "You could start with men from the
cavalry, and so only have to teach them gun-drill."
"Yes, it would take very long," I said.
"Never mind; they would get better every day. I should be satisfied,
for I know what you can do."
"Why do you wish to have these troops?" I said, more for the sake of
keeping back my reply than for anything else.
"Why? To make me strong," he cried excitedly. "With men like that, and
the quick-firing guns, I shall be more powerful than any of the rajahs
near. But you hesitate; you do not say yes."