Entering another small court, in which there was a stone porch formed
of pillars connected by arches, supporting a dome in the shape of half
an octagon, projecting from a side-wall, which served as a private
place of audience--Fazil passed through a farther door into one of the
large exterior courts of the mansion, which contained an open hall
composed of a triple row of pointed arches covering a large space.
Generally, it was filled with the better classes of horse-soldiers;
Silladars, or cavaliers who rode their own horses and sat there when
not on duty; also by the officers and men of the young Khan's own
guard: and occasionally was used by his father when were held great
ceremonies, festivals, or rejoicings in the house.
On the three other sides of the court were arches or cloisters,
slightly raised from the ground, in which lounged or slept soldiers of
all classes, on duty or otherwise, generally collected into groups,
playing at chess, or pacheese, or cards, singing, or telling stories.
Just then, however, most were idle; for the lamps, which stood in
niches in the centre of each arch, had not been lighted. The large hall
was nearly empty; but in one corner a group of Karkoons, or clerks, sat
with a large brass lamp in the midst of them, occupied with accounts,
and making fair copies of letters to be despatched by that night's post.
All the men assembled here were strictly the retainers of the house;
for the guard of troops belonging to the King had another post in a
different court, and were comparatively few in number. Afzool Khan's
household force, or Päègah, as it was called, was supported out of
royal estates, granted or assigned for the purpose. It belonged
strictly to the royal service, but the men looked to their own lord for
employment and maintenance, followed him to the field, and were for
the most part hereditary retainers, with no claim upon, or expectation
from, royal favour. Such was the condition and constitution of the
greater portion of native armies at the period of our tale, and such it
continues to be in native states where troops are maintained.
Fazil Khan was the idol of his men, both Moslems and Hindus. His
martial exercises had begun early, and he had proved an apt scholar.
Any of the men who particularly excelled in the use of a particular
weapon had, in turn, the young noble for his pupil; and in all field
accomplishments necessary to the soldier and gentleman of those
days, the young Khan was well skilled. No doubt these, and his daily
systematic exercises, had developed a frame always strongly knit; and
his broad deep chest, round muscular arms, and thin flanks, amply
testified strength and activity.
On horseback with the Mahratta spear or matchlock, it was no hyperbole
to say that, at full gallop, he could pick up a tent-peg driven into
the ground with the former, or shatter one at a fair distance with
a bullet from the other. Such martial accomplishments never fail to
gain the respect and attachment of an inferior soldiery; and when
to these were added a disposition open and cheerful, somewhat hasty
perhaps at times, but in reality generous and affectionate,--a hearty
frank manner, which few could resist, and a countenance, not strictly
handsome, but which expressed all this and even more,--it will not be
thought strange, that the young Khan should have become a universal
favourite with his retainers, and the especial darling and idol of a
few.
Chief, perhaps, among the latter, was Bulwunt Rao Bhóslay, who held
rank in the Päègah as Duffadar, or leader of a small "duffa," or
subdivision of men. He was a Mahratta of good, nay, originally noble
family--a Silladar, or cavalier who maintained not only his own horse
but five others, with which, mounted by dependants of his own, he had
originally visited the capital and joined the service of Afzool Khan.
Him, had the young Khan selected as his especial instructor in the use
of the sword; for at the annual festivals and games before the King's
palace, Bulwunt Rao's feats of slicing betel-nut on the ground, cutting
a lime in two on the palm of a man's hand, or a ripe guava on his head,
were unrivalled; and their yearly repetition was looked for by the
people with great interest, and always rewarded by hearty acclamations.
Bulwunt Rao was worthy of his young lord's confidence. Daring and
resolute, he had already led Fazil Khan into the midst of some sharp
cavalry affairs with the Moghuls, and brought him forth safe, while
he himself had been wounded several times in protecting him from
sword-cuts. Wily, yet full of energy, if there were any necessity
for action, open and frank in his manner, he had early won his young
lord's affectionate regard, which he very heartily returned, while he
rejoiced, with all a soldier's pride, to see him growing up as manly
and true of heart as his boyhood had promised.
Fazil's arrival among those assembled--so suddenly, and at an hour when
he usually withdrew to the zenana and his studies--caused no little
excitement among the men, and they eagerly crowded round him for the
news which he might have to tell them.
"What tidings hast thou for us, Meah Sahib?" cried a fine bearded
fellow of his own tribe of Pathans, also a favourite. "May thy prestige
increase! but there should be something by thy look,--a march against
those zenana dogs of Moghuls, or a fray over the border against
Golconda."
"A hunt of Moghuls!" echoed several. "What better sport, Meah? There
are some pickings of Delhi gold to be got in their waist-bands and
pockets."
"And what has my lord for his servants to perform?" asked Bulwunt Rao,
now advancing with his usual easy yet deferential manner. "Speak but
the word, and we are in our saddles directly. Shall I order the Nagara
to be beaten, and cry to horse!"
"Not so, Bulwunt," said the young man, taking him aside; "what I have
to say is for your ear alone. Come into the private court and listen."
"For me alone, Meah?" returned Bulwunt Rao, laughing. "What brawl have
you fallen into? whom have you slain to-day, sir?"
"Let us all follow if ye are going out," cried several others; "don't
leave us behind."
"We have had nothing to do for a month," added one.
"And our swords have lost their edges, Meah," shouted several.
"Peace, all of ye," exclaimed the young Khan; "let no one follow us.
This is no fighting matter. Am I wont to plunge into street brawls,
Bulwunt Rao?"
"We were none of us with you, my lord, to-day," cried several, "and it
is not safe for you to be alone in the streets in these times."
"I had others of the King's, and was quite safe," returned Fazil; "but
come, Bulwunt, if you are fit to listen to me; I only fear that ganja
pipe of yours is at fault, and your brain is hardly clear. If not, I
had as well hold my tongue; yet I had rather trust you, old friend," he
continued seriously, "than any other."
Fazil's altered tone and manner had their effect upon his companion.
"Wait for a moment, Meah," he said, "I will join you instantly;" and so
saying, he ran quickly back to the spot where he had left his carpet,
seized a brass vessel of cool water, poured some into his hand and
dashed it upon his face, then swallowed several rapid and deep gulps,
and returned. "Now, I am fit to listen to the words of the holy Krishna
himself if he were on earth; therefore speak on, Meah Sahib, and behold
your servant ready to think for you, or to fight for you, as you
please!"
"Ay, there is some soberness about you now, Bulwunt," said the young
man; "less redness about the eyes, and they are looking straight out
of your head, instead of rolling about in it. Now, can I trust you not
to prate of this matter before the people yonder, or over the ganja
pipe----"
"Nay, Meah, be merciful, and pardon me for once," said Bulwunt, closing
his hands and putting them up to his forehead; "the ganja has grown on
me, but not to the discredit of my faithfulness, Meah; and when I smoke
I never talk. Now, say on, I will be silent as death."
Fazil proceeded some paces through the court without replying to his
retainer, and tried the garden door, but it was fastened inside. "We
must be content here," he said. "Go, shut the door, we shall at least
be safe from interruption."
"In the name of all the gods, Meah," said Bulwunt Rao, as he returned
and sat down on the step of the porch beside Fazil, "what hast thou to
say to me? Why all this need of caution? Has the Wuzeer revolted, or
what?"
"Silence," returned Fazil, "hear me. In one word, you are a
Mahratta--is Tannajee Maloosray known to you?"
The question seemed for an instant to stun the faculties of the hearer.
He passed his hand dreamily across his forehead and eyes, and, pausing,
seemed to gasp. Fazil thought it might be a sudden dizziness--the
consequence of the strong narcotic he had been smoking--and was about
to ask him, when Bulwunt Rao spoke.
"Tannajee Maloosray! Meah? Do I know Maloosray? Ay, truly, Khan; as the
wild dog and the wolf, as the wild boar and the tiger know each other,
so do I know Tannajee Maloosray. The destroyer of my house, the usurper
of my possessions, the plunderer of my ancestral wealth. Yes, there is
a feud between us which can be washed out only by blood. Listen, Meah,"
continued Bulwunt Rao, and he got up and walked rapidly to and fro:
"hast thou time to hear a short story about Tannajee?"
"Yes, speak on. I am listening."
"I was a youth," continued Bulwunt, "younger than you are by several
years, when Maloosray aimed his blow at my family. My father was dead;
had he lived, Tannajee dared not have done it. My uncle, Govind Rao,
was a timid man, looking only to the farms and to money-making while he
lived. At last he died also. But he left another brother, Ramdeo, whom
we loved much, and he took care of us all. My younger brother, Seeta
Ram--why speak of him, Meah? he would have been as beautiful as thou
art--and some of the women and myself, all lived together in the old
house. They came at midnight, Tannajee and a band of his Mawullees. I
do not remember much, Meah; but look here;" and he took off his turban
and showed a deep scar on his shaved head. "That is what I fell from,
under a blow of his sword. I don't think," he continued dreamily, "that
I have been quite right in my brain since, but it does not matter.
"Next morning there were seven stark corpses in the house, and great
pools of blood. My uncle, my grandmother, two servants--how can I say
it?--yes, my mother and my little brother, and my mother's sister, who
was a widow. One blow of a sword had killed my brother and my mother.
He was in her arms, and had clung to her. Enough; who could have done
this but Maloosray? There is not a sword in all Maharástra which could
have struck such a blow as that was--but Maloosray's.
"When I recovered consciousness in the morning, the women that
remained, and some servants, were wailing over the dead, but they were
barely alive from terror. Neighbours however came in, and some of our
tenants and servants, and the place was cleaned up. In the evening
there were seven piles made near the river for the seven corpses, and
they were burned. My wound had been sewn up by the barber, and I was
carried to perform the last ceremonies, and I then swore upon their
ashes to revenge them, and I will yet do it. Now, by thy father's salt,
tell me what thou knowest of that villain Maloosray, and how his name
comes into thy mouth?"
"And was nothing done for justice, Bulwunt? Was justice dead in that
country?" asked Fazil, deeply interested.
"Justice!" echoed Bulwunt Rao, "justice! Ah, Meah, what can the poor do
for justice? All the wealth of the house had been plundered. Maloosray
had brought a hundred of his brethren in that Duróra, and he had
promised them the plunder. His object was my life, but the gods spared
it, and I came here to serve the King, till--till Tannajee is dead, or
till I kill him, Meah! That is the only justice I want: that, and the
land he took from me. I thought to tell thee all some day, and now I
have said it; but, by thy soul, tell me how Maloosray's name is known
to thee, and why?"
"Should you know him again, Bulwunt, if you saw him?" asked Fazil.
"Know him, Meah--among a thousand--among a thousand. It is years since
we met; but, before that quarrel with my father about the land, he
came to us often, for he was my mother's relative. He hunted large game
on our hills, when I went with him, and I was a great favourite of
his. Most of the sword-play I know, he taught me. Know him? Yes. That
night I, a stripling, crossed swords with him. I had wounded one of his
men, and he heard the cry. He had been seeking for me. What could I
do, Meah, a weak boy, among a crowd of screaming women? Yet I crossed
swords with him; and there are few alive who would dare to do so.
Forget him? No, I should know him among a thousand. His eyes, Meah, his
eyes! Hast thou seen them?"
"Nay, I have not seen them yet, Bulwunt; but I think I know where he is
to be found," returned Fazil.
"Here, Meah? in Beejapoor? Tannajee Maloosray in the city?"
"Yes, here. You are always rambling about the city at night, and know
all the mudud khanas; canst thou guide me to one Rama's shop--Rama of
Ashtee? It is in the great kullal's bazar, and near a Hindu temple."
"I know it, Meah; I know it well. Rama sells the best ganja in
Beejapoor. Yes, I can take you there, but not in those clothes."
"Not now. Let the night wear on a little; they will not be there till
just before midnight," replied Fazil; "and we have to watch the temple,
too. Is there one near Rama's, with trees about it? Some people meet
there first, and then go to Rama's."
"Yes, Meah, there is the temple of Dévi, in the plain beyond, among the
tamarind trees; a lonely place it is, and Byragees put up there. Yes, I
know it."
"Then I am right," continued Fazil, "for I saw it myself to-day. Now,
as Maloosray is desperate, should we not take some picked men with us?
There is Raheem Khan, and----"
"Men?--to take Maloosray?" cried Bulwunt. "O Meah, you are simple to
think it. Maloosray will have twenty, aye fifty, spies out, and old
Rama is chief of them. One soldier a coss off, and Tannajee would be
warned. But why go, Meah?" he continued, after a pause. "I will take my
own men and bring him. O," cried Bulwunt, speaking through his teeth
and to himself, "for one good chance and a fair field with him now!"
"No, Bulwunt, I must go; it is the King's business," returned Fazil;
"besides Persian may be spoken, and you do not understand it."
"Persian, my lord? then this is a Moghul affair?"
"I cannot say, friend," returned Fazil; "all I have discovered is, that
Maloosray will be in the temple, or in the mudud khana, and a 'Lalla.'
There is no good, I am sure, at the bottom of it, and we must find out
what it is. We know the Moghul emissaries are busy, and it is important
to check their plots."
"And Sivaji Bhóslay's also, Meah, they bode no good; for my people
write to me that he and Tannajee have leagued together, and----; in
short, they write foolish things, sir."
"Bhóslay? that is your family name, Bulwunt," said Fazil, musing.
"Yes," he replied, "and we are of the same house; but he is rich
and I am poor. And now people tell wonderful things of him; how the
Mother--that is, Bhowani, speaks in him sometimes, and he prophesies
great events. One thing is certain, Meah, Sivaji Bhóslay is no friend
to Beejapoor, nor to any Mussulman; and if Maloosray has come here for
him, it is with some object which is worth the risk to discover."
"Then they are friends?" asked Fazil.
"Ay, Meah, as thou and I, and nearer still. Maloosray believes Sivaji
to be an incarnation of the gods, and would give his life for him. So,
too, many another; and the people have begun to write ballads about
him, which are sung in Beejapoor even sometimes, and they set one's
blood dancing. No wonder the people of the wild valleys love them; wild
places, Meah, which ye know little of as yet."
"Yes, it is worth the risk to find out what is doing. One thread
of those dark intrigues in my hand and I am not my father's son if
I do not discover more," replied Fazil; "but you said we should be
disguised."
The Mahratta thought for a moment. "What sayest thou, Meah, to becoming
a Hindu for the time? I could paint the marks on thy forehead. Nay,"
he continued, as he saw the young man shrink from the idea, "they will
only be very temporary 'abominations,' as the old Khan calls them, and
water will remove them when we return."
"Good," returned Fazil. "I will suffer 'the abominations' in the cause
of the Shah and the faith. And, now, begone. I will come to thee here,
after the evening meal, and we can dress unobserved. But swear on my
neck, Bulwunt, no more ganja to-night."
"No, no, Meah," returned the man, laughing, and touching his young
lord's neck and feet; "I swear I will not touch it. We both need cool
heads for this work, and I will not fail you."
"Then go," added Fazil. "I will send Goolab to you when I am ready."