Harry's stay with Nana was a short one as, in three days, he was
again sent to Poona. This time he was to take up his abode at a
large house, occupied by two of the leaders of Bajee's party; the
rajah having told him that he would request them to entertain him,
if he should again come to Poona. He was the bearer of fifty
thousand rupees, principally in gold, which he was to give to them
for the use of Bajee. He had no message this time for the prince,
personally, Nana having said to him:
"I want you to let me know how matters are going on. The young man
may do something rash and, if Balloba's suspicions are in any way
excited, he may send him to some distant fortress; which would
seriously upset my plans, for I should have to retain Chimnajee in
power, as representative of his brother.
"We know that he was placed on the musnud greatly in opposition to
his wishes; and he certainly hailed, with pleasure, the prospect of
Bajee's release. Still, it would not be the same thing for me. A
minister of the Peishwa can rule without question by the people
but, acting only as minister to a representative of the Peishwa, he
would be far more severely criticised; and it is certain that, to
raise money for paying Scindia the sum that has been agreed upon,
extra taxation must be put on, the odium resulting from which would
fall upon me."
The two officers received Harry cordially. He had personally known
them both and, as Nana's representative, they would have treated
him with much honour, had it not been pointed out to them that this
might be fatal to their plans for, did Balloba hear that some
strange officer was being so treated by them, he would be sure to
set at once about finding out who he was, and what he was doing
there.
"Matters are going on well," they said. "The old general, Manajee
Phurkay, who was one of Rugoba's devoted adherents, is now staying
in Bajee's camp, and is enlisting men for his service."
"Where are they being assembled?"
"In Bajee's camp. He is not interfered with, there."
"It appears to be a very rash proceeding," Harry said. "It is true
that Bajee has apparent liberty, and can have with him in his camp
many of his friends; but a gathering of armed men can scarcely
escape the eye of so keen an observer as Balloba."
[Illustration: Harry . . . saw a party of soldiers coming along the]
road.
A few days later, Harry, being out one evening, saw a party of
soldiers coming along the road from the direction of Scindia's
camp. This was unusual for, in order to prevent plundering, the
orders were stringent that none of Scindia's troops should enter
Poona. He hurried back to the house, and acquainted the two leaders
with what he had seen. They were inclined to laugh at his
apprehension but, when a body of horsemen were seen coming down the
street, they issued orders for the doors to be closed and
barricaded. There were some twenty men in the house, and when the
officer who commanded the detachment summoned them to open the
door, and to deliver the two nobles to him, he was met by a decided
refusal, from the chiefs themselves, from an upper window.
The officer then ordered his men to dismount and break open the
door but, when they attempted to do so, they were met by a fire of
musketry from every window. Many fell; and the officer, seeing that
the house could not be taken, except by a force much larger than
that at his command, rode off at full speed, with the survivors, to
Scindia's camp.
No sooner had they gone than the horses were brought out from the
stables, and the two officers, with ten of their troopers, rode off
at full speed. Harry refused to accompany them, as he wished to see
what had really happened, in order to carry the news to Nana. He
therefore rode out to the farmhouse where he had before stayed,
left his horse there, and returned to Poona.
Here he heard that Rao Phurkay had been seized, and that Bajee
Rao's encampment was surrounded by troops, who suffered none to
enter or leave it. The next morning he went over there and found
that, as the supply of water had been cut off, the garrison had
surrendered; all being allowed to depart, with the exception of
Bajee, over whom a strong guard had been placed.
Before they left, Manajee Phurkay gave them all directions to
gather in the neighbourhood of Waee. They did so, and were joined
at once by the two chiefs. Nana promptly sent them a supply of
money, telling them to take up their position at the Salpee Ghaut;
where they were speedily joined by ten thousand men, and openly
declared for Bajee Rao.
In the meantime Balloba, believing that the whole plot was the work
of Bajee Rao, determined to despatch him, as a prisoner, to a
fortress in the heart of Scindia's dominions. He sent him off with
a strong escort, under the charge of an officer named Sukaram
Ghatgay who, although having command only of a troop of one hundred
horse, belonged to an ancient and honourable family.
Balloba could hardly have made a worse choice. Ghatgay had a
daughter who was reported to be of exceptional beauty, and the
young Scindia had asked her father for her hand. Ghatgay, an
ambitious and enterprising man, had given no decided answer; not
from any real hesitation, for he saw how enormous would be the
advantage, to himself, of such an alliance; but in order to
increase Scindia's ardour by pretended opposition, and so to secure
the best terms possible for himself. The reason he gave would
appear natural to any Mahratta of good blood, as none of these
would have given a daughter of their house to one who, however high
in rank, had ancestors belonging to a low caste.
Upon the way, Bajee, who was aware of Scindia's wishes, and was
most anxious to obtain his goodwill, urged Ghatgay to give him his
daughter in marriage and, after much pretended hesitation, the
latter agreed to do so--on condition that Bajee would authorize him
to promise Scindia a large sum of money, as soon as he again
ascended the musnud; and that he would get the prince to appoint
him his prime minister, which post would be vacant at the overthrow
of Balloba. This being arranged, Bajee Rao pretended that he was
seriously ill; and Ghatgay therefore halted, with his escort, on
the banks of the Paira.
Taking with him his disguise as a countryman, Harry, as soon as he
learned that Ghatgay had started with Bajee, mounted and followed
him; and travelled, at some little distance in rear of the party,
until they halted. Then he went to the house of a cultivator, left
his horse there, and exchanged his dress as fighting man for that
of a countryman.
There was no occasion for him, now, to disguise his age or darken
his eyes and, as before, he hired a cart, bought some grain for
forage, some sacks of rice and other things, and boldly entered
Ghatgay's camp. As the prices he asked were low, Ghatgay purchased
the whole contents of his cart. When this was cleared, Harry left
his cattle and wandered about, saying that he and the animals
needed an hour's rest.
Presently he passed Bajee Rao, who was standing listlessly at the
door of a tent.
"I am Puntojee," Harry said, as he passed. "I followed you with the
horse, that I might help you to escape."
"Stay and talk to me here," the young prince said. "It will seem
that I am only passing my time in asking you questions about the
country."
"I wanted to ascertain the road by which you will travel, after
crossing the river. I have money with me, and will endeavour to
raise a force of forty or fifty men; with which to make a sudden
attack upon your camp, after nightfall. I will bring a good horse
with me. If you will run out when you hear the uproar, I will ride
up with the spare horse. You will leap on to its back, and we can
gallop off."
"You are a brave fellow, Puntojee, and I thank you heartily for
your offer; but, happily, I stand in no need of it. I have gained
Ghatgay over, and he will linger here until we hear that Balloba
has been arrested, and that Nana Furnuwees is approaching Poona.
Believe me, I shall never forget your offer, or the fidelity that
has prompted it; and when I am established as Peishwa you shall, if
it pleases you, have any post at court you may desire."
"I thank you much, Prince; but I am an officer of Nana, and know
that, in acting as I have done, I am acting in his interest, as
well as yours. I am glad that the necessity for making an attack
upon the camp is obviated. I might have had considerable trouble in
raising a sufficient force for such a purpose, for even the most
reckless would hesitate to fall on one of Scindia's officers; and
in the next place, although I doubt not that I should have been
able to carry you off, Ghatgay would, as soon as he had beaten off
the attacking party, have set out in pursuit, and raised the whole
country, and the difficulty of reaching the Western Ghauts would
have been immense.
"I hope to see Your Highness at Poona."
So saying, he strolled carelessly back to the bullock cart, waited
till the animals had finished their feed, and then drove off again;
returned the cart to its owner, and started again for Poona.
On his arrival there, he went to the Residency and informed Mr.
Malet that Bajee had gained over the officer who was escorting him,
and was ready to come back to Poona, as soon as the blow was
struck.
"It will be struck soon," Mr. Malet said. "All is in readiness. I
sent your report on to the Council, urging that, as it seemed
likely that Bajee Rao would soon be on the musnud, they should
express their readiness to recognize him. I received a despatch
only yesterday, saying that they perfectly agreed with me, and had
already sent off a messenger to Nana stating their willingness to
recognize Bajee as lawful heir to the late Peishwa.
"Things are working well. The Nizam's general has been ordered to
watch Purseram Bhow, who is raising troops for the purpose of
aiding in crushing Bajee's supporters. Holkar and Scindia's troops
also are in readiness to move and, after the fete of the Dussera,
the regular battalions in the Peishwa's service, commanded by Mr.
Boyd, will march to the Neera bridge, and a brigade of Scindia's
regulars will move against Raygurh.
"It is evident that neither Balloba nor Purseram has the slightest
suspicion of what is going on, or they would never have despatched
troops from here. I certainly have felt very uneasy, since Bajee
was carried away; for he is a necessary figure, and should be here
as soon as Nana arrives, otherwise there would be no recognized
head. It would have been hopeless to try to deliver him, once
imprisoned in one of the strong fortresses in Scindia's dominions;
and the latter could have made any terms for himself that he chose
to dictate.
"Your news has relieved me of this anxiety, and I think it probable
that everything will now be managed without bloodshed; and that we
may, for a time, have peace here."
The next morning, Harry rode off and rejoined Nana, who thanked him
warmly for the manner in which he had carried out his mission, and
especially for his offer to attempt to rescue Bajee from his
captors.
"It would have been the greatest misfortune," he said, "had he been
carried far away. I should have been obliged to recognize his
brother Chimnajee; and Scindia, having Bajee in his hands, would
have kept up a constant pressure, and might probably have marched
to Poona to restore him; which he would certainly have succeeded in
doing, for the feeling of the population would have been all in
favour of the lawful heir.
"As a token of my satisfaction, here is an order upon my treasurer
for fifty thousand rupees."
All being ready, Scindia, on the 27th of October, suddenly arrested
Balloba; and sent a body of his troops, with those of the Nizam's
general, for the purpose of seizing Purseram Bhow. The latter,
receiving news of what had happened in good time, and taking with
him Chimnajee, fled to a fortress; but was quickly pursued, and
obliged to surrender. Bajee Rao was brought back to Beema, eighteen
miles from Poona. His brother Amrud, and Rao Phurkay, were also
released.
Nana joined his army at the Salpee Ghaut, and Scindia's infantry,
under Mr. Boyd, marched for the capital; which Nana refused to
enter, however, until he had received a formal declaration, from
Bajee, that he intended no treachery against him. This pledge was
given; and a treaty was, at the same time, entered into by the
Nizam and Scindia, both agreeing to establish Bajee Rao on the
musnud, and reinstate Nana as his prime minister. These matters
being settled, Nana returned to Poona, from which he had been
absent for nearly a year, and resumed the duties of prime minister.
A fortnight later, Bajee Rao was solemnly invested as Peishwa. One
of his first acts was to send for Harry, to whom he gave a robe of
honour, and thirty thousand rupees in money, in token of his
gratitude for the risk he had run in communicating with him, and
for his daring proposal to rescue him from the hands of his escort.
On the day after Nana's re-entry into the capital, Harry received a
note from Mr. Malet, asking him to call.
"I expect Colonel Palmer to relieve me of my duties here, in the
course of a day or two. I need scarcely say I shall be glad to be
released from a work which is surrounded with infinite difficulty,
and which constantly upsets all human calculations. Nana is in
power again; but another turn of the wheel may take place, at any
moment, and he may again be an exile, or possibly a prisoner.
"It seems to me that it would be well for you to accompany me to
Bombay. The remembrance of your services will be fresh, and they
cannot but be recognized by the Council. That body is frequently
changed and, in two or three years' time, there will be fresh men,
who will know nothing of what has happened now, and be indisposed
to rake up old reports and letters, or to reward past services;
especially as the whole position here may have altered, half a
dozen times, before that."
"I will gladly do so, sir, and thank you very heartily for your
kindness. I will ride over to Jooneer, tomorrow, and bring my old
nurse down with me; and I have no doubt Sufder will be willing to
accompany us. He has rendered good services to Nana; and the latter
will, I am sure, grant him leave of absence for as long as may be
necessary."
"I think it would certainly be best to take them both down, if
possible. They could make affidavits, in Bombay, that would place
it beyond doubt that you are Major Lindsay's son. It is morally
certain that there are relatives of your father and mother still
living, in England. I do not say that you require any assistance
from them; but when you return home, as everyone does, two or three
times, in the course of his Indian service, it would be pleasant to
find friends there; and it would be well that your position should
be established beyond all question."
"I will gladly go down with you," Soyera said, when Harry laid the
matter before her. "I am happy and contented here, but should be glad
to see Bombay again. It was my home for ten years. I am very glad you
have made up your mind to go, for it is time that you should take your
place among your countrymen; and the recommendation of the Resident
at the court of Poona is as good a one as you could wish for.
"I should say that you had better give up, at once, staining your
skin. I can see that you have not used the dye for some days, and
it would be as well to recover your proper colour, before Mr. Malet
introduces you to the Council at Bombay."
"I will ride down to the town," Harry said, "and engage a gharry [a
native carriage] to carry you to Poona. When we get there, I shall
learn what route Mr. Malet will take, and how fast he will travel;
and shall then see which will be the best for you--to go down in a
gharry, or to be carried in a dhoolie [a palanquin]."
"But all this will cost money, Harry."
"I am well provided with funds," Harry said, "for the Nana and
Bajee Rao have both made me handsome presents for the services I
rendered them. There is, therefore, no reason why we should not
travel in comfort."
They arrived at Poona two days later; and Harry--having ascertained
that the new Resident would not arrive until the next day, and that
he would probably wish Mr. Malet to defer his departure for at
least two days, in order to give him his experience of the factions
and intrigues there, and of the character of all those who were
likely to influence events--rode to see Nana, who had not yet
returned to Poona.
"I have come, your excellency," he said, "to tell you that it is my
wish to retire from the public service."
The minister looked greatly surprised.
"Why, Puntojee," he said, "this sounds like madness. Young as you
are, you have secured powerful protectors, both in the Peishwa and
myself; and you may hope to reach a high office in the state, as
you grow older.
"I do not know, though," he went on, speaking to himself rather
than to the lad, "that high office is a thing to be desired. It
means being mixed up in intrigues of all kinds, being the object of
jealousy and hatred, and running a terrible risk of ruin at every
change in the government here."
Then he turned again to Harry.
"And what are you thinking of doing?"
"I will speak frankly to your highness. I am not a Mahratta, as you
and everyone else suppose. I am the son of English parents."
And he then went on to give an account of the killing of his father
and mother, and of how he was saved by Soyera, and brought up as
her son; until such times as he might, with advantage, go down to
Bombay. Nana listened with great interest.
"It is a strange tale," he said, when Harry brought the story to a
conclusion, "and explains things which have, at times, surprised
me. In the first place, the colour of your eyes always struck me as
peculiar. Then your figure is not that of my countrymen. There are
many as tall as you; but they have not your width of shoulders, and
strong build. Lastly, I have wondered how a young Mahratta should
be endowed with so much energy and readiness, be willing to take
heavy responsibilities on his shoulders, and to be so full of
resource.
"Now that you have told me your story, I think you are right to go
down and join your own people. Everything is disturbed, and nothing
is certain from day to day here. I was a fugitive but a short time
ago and, ere long, I may again be an exile.
"Moreover, no one can tell what may happen to him. Your people are
quarrelling with Tippoo, as they quarrelled with his father, Hyder;
and I think that, before long, it is possible they will overthrow
him, and take possession of his territory.
"Were the various powers of India united, this could not be so; but
the English will always find some ready to enter into an alliance
with them, and will so enlarge their dominions. The Mahrattas may
laugh at the idea of their being overthrown, by such small armies
as those the English generals command; but our constant
dissensions, and the mutual jealousy between Holkar, Scindia, the
Peishwa, the Rajah of Berar, and others, will prevent our ever
acting together. It may be that we shall be conquered piecemeal.
"I have watched, very closely, all that has taken place in southern
India and in Bengal. I have seen a handful of traders gradually
swallowing up the native powers, and it seems to me that it may
well be that, in time, they may become the masters of all India.
Were I to say as much to any of our princes, they would scoff at my
prediction; but it has been my business to learn what was passing
elsewhere, and I have agents at Madras and Calcutta, and their
reports are ever that the power of the English is increasing. A few
years ago, it seemed that the French were going to carry all before
them; but they, like our native princes, have gone down before the
English; who seem, moreover, to get on better than the French with
the natives, and to win their respect and liking.
"Well, young sir, I shall be sorry to lose you; because while I, and
with good reason, was seldom able to trust, and to give my absolute
confidence to any of those around me, I have always felt that I could
wholly rely on you. During the past year I have seen much of you, and
have freely told my plans to you, as I have done to no others; and
have chosen you for missions that I could not, with safety, have
entrusted to any of my own followers, knowing that Scindia or Holkar
would be ready to pay great sums for these secrets. None except Bajee,
to whom I sent you with particulars, were aware of the extent of my
plans, or that I was in communication with more than one of the rajahs.
"You have played your part marvellously well, for I should not have
deemed it possible that one of your race could live so long among
us, without exciting any suspicion. While you remain in Bombay, I
hope that you will act as my confidential agent. I do not ask you
to divulge any secrets you may learn, relating to projects
connected with the Deccan; but I should like to be informed as to
the course of affairs, generally. Of course, my dealings with the
Council there must be carried on through the English Resident; but
there is much information respecting the views of the Council with
regard to Tippoo, the Nizam, and Bengal, that will be valuable for
me to know."
"I could not so act, your excellency, without permission from the
Council; but I should imagine that they would not be averse to such
an arrangement, especially as, perhaps, you would give me private
information as to the state of parties, here, such as you would not
care to tell their Resident."
"Certainly I would do so. They change their Residents so frequently
that it would be impossible for new men to really understand the
situation; which you, with your intimate knowledge of Poona, could
readily grasp. Of course the arrangement could only be temporary,
as my own position is so uncertain and, in any case, my life cannot
now be a long one.
"I should propose that your salary, as my private agent, be a
thousand rupees a month."
"I thank you much, sir; and if I stay at Bombay, and obtain the
permission of the Council to correspond with you, I will readily
undertake the part. They can have little objection to the
arrangement, as doubtless you have agents in Bombay, already."
"Certainly I have, but these are natives, and necessarily can only
send me the rumours current in the bazaars, or known generally to
the public; and their news is, for the most part, worthless."
"I have another favour to request," Harry said; "namely, that you
will give leave of absence to Sufder, in order that he may
accompany me to Bombay. He and my old nurse could, alone,
substantiate my birth and identity; and it would be necessary for
them to give their evidence before some legal authority."
"That I will readily do. Sufder is honest and faithful, and I can
rely upon him, absolutely, for anything in his sphere of duty; and
have, only today, appointed him to the command of two hundred men;
but although he has a hand ready to strike, he has no brain capable
of planning. Had it not been so, I should before this have raised
him to a higher position. When he returns from Bombay, I will grant
him the revenues of a village, of which he shall be the patal [a
mayor]; so that, in his old age, he will be able to live in
comfort."
On leaving the minister, Harry went to Sufder's camp.
"'So you are back again, Puntojee?"
"Yes, and have brought Soyera down with me."
"I have great news to tell you," the soldier went on.
"It will not be news to me, Sufder. I know that your command has
been doubled, and that you will now be the captain of two hundred
men; but I can tell you much more than that. You are to accompany
me down to Bombay, the day after tomorrow, so as to give evidence
about my birth; and furthermore, Nana will, on your return, bestow
upon you the jagheer [revenue] of a village district; so that, as
he says, when you grow too old for service, you will be able to
live comfortably."
"That is good news indeed--better even than that I am to have the
command of two hundred men, for in truth I am beginning to be weary
of service. I am now nearly fifty, and I feel myself growing stiff.
Nothing would please me more than to be the patal of a village
community, of which I hold the jagheer. However, so long as Nana
lives and retains power I shall remain a soldier; but at his death
I shall serve no other master, and shall take to country life
again.
"Does Nana know that you are English?"
"Yes, I have told him my story. I was obliged to give my reasons
for resigning and, as Nana has the support of the Government of
Bombay, there was no risk in my doing so.
"How long will it be before I get quite rid of this colour,
Sufder?"
"That I cannot say. I should think that in a fortnight the greater
part of it will have faded out, but maybe Soyera knows of something
that will remove it more rapidly."
Soyera, when asked, said that she knew of nothing that would remove
the dye at once; but that if he washed his hands and face, two or
three times a day, with a strong lye made from the ashes of a plant
that grows everywhere on the plain, it would help to get rid of it.
"I will go out, tomorrow morning, and fetch some in."
When she had made the lye, and mixed it with oil, it made a very
strong soap.
"How do you mean to dress, to go down, Harry?"
"I have no choice; but even if I had, I should ride out of here in
my best court suit, and change it for English clothes when we got
down the Ghauts. I may have to come up here again, for aught I
know; and it is better, therefore, that no one should know that I
am English."
Mr. Malet, however, solved the difficulty; for when, in the
evening, Harry went to enquire about the time that they would
start, he said:
"I had been thinking of offering you a suit to ride down in but,
unfortunately, my clothes would be a great deal too small for you.
However, I think that, after all, it is best you should go down as
you are. In the first place, you would not show to advantage in
English clothes, in which you would feel tight and uncomfortable,
at first; and in the second place, I think that it is perhaps as
well that the Council should see you as you are, then they would
the better understand how you have been able to pass as a Mahratta,
all these years.
"I will introduce you, now, to Colonel Palmer. It is important that
he should know you, for possibly you may be sent up here on some
mission or other--for which, having the favour of Nana, you would
be specially fitted."
Accordingly, the next morning they started early. Soyera had
prepared the liquid soap, but as it was decided that he should go
in native dress, Harry thought it as well not to use it, especially
as the dye was gradually wearing off. The party consisted of Mr.
Malet, Sufder, and Harry; with an escort of ten cavalrymen,
belonging to one of the native regiments. The mission clerk had
been transferred to Colonel Palmer, as his knowledge of affairs
would be useful to the newcomer. Soyera was carried in a dhoolie,
and followed close behind the troopers.
That evening they descended the Ghauts into the Concan and encamped
there and, on the following day, rode into Bombay; where Mr. Malet
took them to an hotel, principally used by natives of rank visiting
Bombay.
"You had best stay here, till I send for you," he said, to Harry.
"I shall see some of the Council tonight. No doubt there will be a
formal meeting, tomorrow, to ask my opinion about the probability
of the present state of things continuing at Poona. I shall, of
course, tell them your story; and they will likely request you to
go, at once, to see them; therefore, do not leave the hotel until
you hear from me."
Sufder had not previously visited Bombay, and the next morning
early he went out, with Soyera as his guide, to inspect the
European part of the town. He was much struck with the appearance
of neatness and order in the fort, and the solidity of the
buildings.
"It is a strong place, assuredly," he said to Harry, on his return.
"In the first place, it would be necessary for a force attacking it
to cross over the narrow isthmus, and causeway, uniting the island
with the land; and that would be impossible, in face of a force
provided with artillery guarding it. Then, if they succeeded in
winning that, they would have to make their way through the native
town to get on to the maidan; and this would be defended by the
guns from all the batteries and, in addition to the artillery on
land, it might be swept by guns on board ship. Truly, those who
talked about driving the English into the sea cannot have known
anything of the strength of the position.
"As to carrying it by assault, it could not be done; nor could the
garrison be starved out, since they could always obtain supplies of
all sorts by sea. And yet, except at the causeway, the place has no
natural strength. The Mahrattas acted unwisely, indeed, when they
allowed the English to settle here."
"They could not foresee the future, Sufder. Now, doubtless, they
are sorry; but if in the future the British become masters of
India, the Mahrattas will have no reason to regret having given
them a foothold. Wherever their powers extend, the natives are far
better off than they were under the rule of their own princes. Were
the British masters, there would be no more wars, no more
jealousies, and no more intrigues; the peasants would till their
fields in peace, and the men who now take to soldiering would find
more peaceful modes of earning a living."
"But you do not think, surely, Harry,"--for after leaving Poona, he
had been told to call him so--"that the English can ever become
masters of India? They conquered the Carnatic, but even there they
were not safe from the forays of Hyder Ali. Mysore bars their way
farther north. Then there is the Nizam to be dealt with, and then
Berar and the Mahrattas; then comes Rajputana, and beyond are the
Sikhs, and the fierce chiefs of Scinde. It is true that the English
have beaten the peoples of lower Bengal, but these have always been
looked down upon, and despised as cowardly and effeminate, by the
fighting men of all India.
"Besides, how few are the white soldiers! They say, too, that the
French have promised Tippoo to send a big army, to help to drive
the English into the sea."
"The French have quite work enough, at home," Harry said. "It is
true that they have got into Egypt, but they are shut up there by
our fleets. Moreover, even were they to cross over into Arabia, how
could they march across a dry and almost waterless country, for a
thousand or two of miles? When they arrived in Scinde they would
find all the fighting men of the province, and the Sikhs, opposed
to them; and they would never be able to fight their way down to
Mysore. The thing is absurd."
The conversation was interrupted by the arrival of a messenger,
from the Government House, with a request that Mr. Lindsay should
at once attend there. Harry's horse, which had been saddled in
readiness, was brought round; for it would have seemed strange for
a Mahratta, whose dress showed that he held a good position, to go
on foot. Sufder rode by his side, Soyera following on foot.
Dismounting at the Government House, he threw the reins to one of
the lads, who were waiting in readiness to hold the horses of
officers coming to see the Governor. On Harry mentioning his name,
the native doorkeeper said:
"I have orders for you to be taken, at once, to the Council
chamber, sahib, on your arrival here."
The Governor, with four members of the Council and Mr. Malet, were
seated at a long table. Mr. Malet rose and said:
"This is Mr. Lindsay, gentlemen."
"Truly, sir, it would be difficult to recognize you as a fellow
countryman, in that garb," the Governor said; "though your colour
is somewhat less dark than that of a Mahratta."
"Since I left Poona I have ceased to dye, sir; as to my dress, this
will be the last time I shall wear it, unless I should be called
upon to go to Poona again."
"Your story is a most singular one," the Governor said, "but Mr.
Malet assures us that you are the son of Major Lindsay, and has
been telling us how you escaped the massacre at the camp, and how
your ayah has brought you up."
"She has come down with me, sir. I thought that her testimony would
be necessary; and I have also brought down her cousin, who was
present at the foray in which my father and mother were killed. My
account will be confirmed by their statements."
"You do credit to Mahratta food and training, Mr. Lindsay; but Mr.
Malet has mentioned to me that, at one time, you were employed as a
shikaree, to keep down the tigers which were doing havoc among the
villagers near the top of the Ghauts. He has also informed us of
the very valuable service you rendered, by informing him of Nana
Furnuwees' measures for regaining power, and replacing Bajee Rao on
the musnud--intelligence which saved us a great expenditure of
money in preparing to support him; with the certainty that, by
doing so, we might excite the enmity of Scindia. He tells us, also,
why you continued so long in the Deccan, instead of coming down
here; and I think you acted very wisely.
"We have mentioned your services, in that matter, in our reports to
the Board of Directors; and have said that, partly as a recognition
of this, and partly because you are the son of an English officer,
who was killed in their service, we should at once give you an
appointment, subject to their approval.
"Now, sir, which would you prefer, the civil or military branch?"
"I should much prefer the military," Harry answered, without
hesitation; "unless indeed, sir, you think my services would be
more useful in the civil."
"If we were at Calcutta or Madras, there would be more scope for
you in the civil service; but as we hold, at present, little
territory beyond this island, there are therefore but few
appointments affording an opportunity for the display of the
intelligence which you certainly possess; but, should circumstances
alter, you might, owing to your knowledge of the country and its
language, be told off for civil work, in which the emoluments are
very much higher than in the military branch of the service.
"You will at once be gazetted to the 3rd Native Cavalry, and do
duty with the regiment, until your services are required elsewhere.
Fresh disturbances may break out at Poona and, in that case, you
might be attached as assistant to Colonel Palmer.
"Do you think you would be known again?"
"I think it would be very unlikely, sir. When my skin has recovered
its proper colour, and I am dressed in uniform, I feel sure no one
would recognize me as having been an officer in the Peishwa's
court."
"Very well, sir. Then you will see your name in the gazette,
tomorrow. You will, within a day or so, report yourself to the
officer commanding the regiment.
"I may say that it would be well if your nurse, and the man who
came down with you, were to draw up statements concerning your
birth, and swear to them at the High Court. These might be valuable
to you, in the future."
After expressing his thanks to the Governor and Council, Harry went
out, and rode back to the hotel with Sufder.