CHAPTER I.

A NOBLE QUEEN:

_A ROMANCE OF INDIAN HISTORY_.

BY

MEADOWS TAYLOR,

C.S.I., M.R.A.S., M.R.I.A., &c.

AUTHOR OF 'SEETA,' 'TARA,' AND OTHER TALES.

'O, never was there queen

So mightily betray'd!'

_Antony and Cleopatra_, act i. sc. iii.

IN THREE VOLUMES.

VOL. II.

LONDON:

C. KEGAN PAUL & CO., 1 PATERNOSTER SQUARE.

1878.

(_The rights of translation and of reproduction are reserved._)

CONTENTS OF THE SECOND VOLUME.

_BOOK II.--continued._

CHAPTER PAGE

VII. FRIENDS IN COUNCIL 1

VIII. THE NIGHT COUNCIL 15

IX. A DAY IN THE PALACE 39

_BOOK III._

I. A RAPID MARCH 61

II. A SUCCESSFUL SURPRISE 81

III. ZUFFOORA-BEE COOKS THE GOVERNOR'S BREAKFAST 97

IV. A NEW HOME 118

V. AMONG FRIENDS 137

VI. A DARING ATTACK 156

VII. THE FIRST ALMS 175

VIII. CASTING OUT DEVILS 192

IX. THE SYUD TAKES TWO DEGREES IN HIS TURREEQUT 211

X. BY THE WAY 233

XI. SAINTLY HONOURS 242

XII. DANGER 256

XIII. DELIVERANCE 271

A NOBLE QUEEN.

BOOK II.--_continued_.

CHAPTER VII.

FRIENDS IN COUNCIL.

At the loud cries of the Mirdhas and silver-stick bearers of "Burkhast,

Durbar Burkhast!" "The durbar is dissolved!" the various masses of

troops filed out of the square before the Hall of Audience in the same

gorgeous array as they had entered. Indeed, the effect was even more

gorgeous, for before the assembly the sun had been slightly veiled with

thin clouds, and had only occasionally shone out with full brightness;

but now the clouds had cleared away, and the sun's rays descended on

the glittering masses with a power which materially enhanced their

splendour. One by one the nobles left the hall, making their humble

obeisances to the Throne, and, joined by their retinues, passed onwards

through the citadel to the gate, and thence to their respective abodes

within and without the citadel. The prospect of immediate service in

the field, too, enhanced the spirit of the many different bodies of

men, and their party or national war cries arose from time to time,

mingled with shouts of "Victory to Abbas Khan!" which, entirely

spontaneous as they were, filled his heart with joy. The Queen again

reminding him that he was to return at the usual hour of council,

attended by the Portuguese priest, left the hall before it was emptied;

and when most of the nobles had gone on, he mounted his horse, and rode

home at a quiet pace.

In truth, his wound was painful, for his shield was somewhat heavy;

and the rapidity and strength of the blows showered on him by the

Abyssinian had required his utmost skill and vigilance to parry. He

had no doubt, therefore, that the Padré's bandages had been strained,

as, indeed, they proved to have been on examination. In the heat of

the encounter, all pain had been forgotten; and it was now great

and increasing, and he longed for relief. But his mind was full of

joyous gratitude, not only for preservation in the ordeal, but for the

establishment of his innocence of cowardice or of treachery; and the

papers found on the Abyssinian might even prove more, since it was

evident, from the addresses on them, that they had belonged to Elias

Khan, and before the night had passed all would be clear.

Thus Abbas Khan rode on through the streets of the fort which led to

his uncle's house, slowly and deliberately, receiving the salutations

of the crowds which filled them with grateful acknowledgments. As the

troops broke up from the durbar, great numbers of them had betaken

themselves to these streets; and the real joy with which they now

greeted the young nobleman, always a favourite, was more real and more

genuine, perhaps, than that evinced before the ordeal. Abbas Khan was

the popular hero of the day: women stretched out their arms from the

housetops and blessed him, and wished him a hundred years of life and

joy; stalwart veterans would not be kept off; and some kissed his feet,

others put portions of his garment to their lips, and with a blessing

turned away. It was almost too much to bear.

At his gate he was met by the whole household, and the usual

ceremonies of welcome were performed ere he crossed the threshold.

Lighted lamps were waved over him, incense was burnt in the name

of the protecting saints, and vows of offerings at their shrines

promised by the venerable Moolla, who was present on behalf of his

aunt. As he dismounted from his horse, he caressed it fondly. As if

he had understood his warning, Sooltan had been steady and perfectly

manageable through the combat, and nothing but his perfect temper, and

the ease and certainty with which he had followed every turn of his

master's wrist or pressure of his knee or heel, could have ensured

victory. As he ascended the steps of the hall of audience all that

were present rose and greeted him; many came forward to embrace

him, and several poets of the city presented addresses in verse, of

a very florid and laudatory description, comparing him to Roostum

and the champions described in the "Shah Nama" with painstaking

fidelity, which, whatever the merits of the composition might be, were

sufficiently tedious. When these were finished, and suitable rewards

ordered, Abbas Khan, fairly wearied out, excused himself to the rest

of the company, and went at once to his aunt, who had already sent

several messages to him to come as quickly as he could; and truly it

was grateful to him to find himself once more encircled by the arms of

one so revered by him and so dear.

"Oh! thou art safe, thou art safe, my son!" she cried, as she clung

sobbing to his neck. "I feared for thee; I wept for thee; I prayed for

thee to the Lord and His saints, and I was heard; and as soon as the

news was brought to me that thou hadst won the combat, I sent Fatehas

to all the mosques and shrines; and to-morrow, Inshalla! I will feed a

thousand poor people in the name of the Imams. And thou art not hurt,

my son?"

"Not hurt, mother; but the old wound needs looking to by the Padré

Sahib: it is sore and stiff. It is he alone that can give me rest and

ease. He is waiting within, and I must go to him; for there are other

matters on which he must be consulted. I will come to thee at the

evening prayers, after which, when I have eaten, I must return to the

Queen for the evening council."

"So soon," she said, "so soon to leave me; and I had hoped to sit and

talk with thee a whole evening! Well, thou must do thy duty to our

Royal mistress; and why should I regret that thou doest it? God forbid.

And she was gracious unto thee, Meeah?"

"Mother, she wept; she could hardly speak as I went up to her; but I

saw that she believed in me, and she was happy. Happy, mother; and

your son was proud, too, when she rose and declared I was to lead the

division that goes to the King's aid. Ah! that was too much honour; may

I be worthy of it!"

"I have no fear, Meeah," replied the old lady. "Go where she sends

thee, and win honour and fame as thine uncle has done; but go now and

get relief."

Abbas Khan found the priest in his own apartment, who, after very

sincere congratulations, helped him to divest himself of the mail shirt

he wore, when he fell to an examination of the wound.

"No doubt, my lord, it is sore and smarting from the weight and strain

of the armour; but it is sound, and there hath been no more bleeding. I

will change all these dressings now, and put on lighter ones, and in a

few days there will be no more danger of relapse."

The new, cool dressings were a delicious relief, and left his arm at

full liberty for action of any kind. Until he reached the King's camp,

he should have no occasion to use it in any but the most ordinary

actions.

"And now, Padré Sahib," continued Abbas Khan, when the operation was

finished, "make yourself ready to come with me to the Palace to-night.

The Queen-Regent desires to see you on a matter of much importance, and

I am ordered to bring you with me."

"Do you know why?" asked d'Almeida. "Nothing in regard to the mission

at Moodgul could have given offence to Her Majesty? I wish we had had

longer notice; Maria might have made some sweetmeats, for an offering,

or some of her work. Yet I remember, she hath an exquisite lace veil,

and it could not be presented to one more worthy."

"The matter is this," replied Abbas Khan. "On the body of the

Abyssinian was found a case of letters. Some of them are in Persian

and Mahrathi, others in your language; at least the writing is in the

Frangi character. No one that she can trust can read it, and assuredly

no one among the Portuguese artisans and gunners could translate the

papers. Do you remember anything which might give a clue to these

letters?"

"I do," he replied. "Was your adversary a very tall, very powerful man,

with hard, black features?"

"He was, Padré; why do you ask?"

"Because, some months ago, soon after Dom Diego came, a man such as I

describe, mounted on a big chestnut horse, and with several attendants,

arrived at Moodgul. They came to me first, but the letter they brought

was addressed to my colleague, and I directed them to him. The man was

so remarkable that, as he rode away, I called Maria to look at him.

There was a renegade Portuguese with that man, who spoke to me in our

language, and interpreted what I said to him."

"Ah! that is valuable, my friend; but you do not know of what passed

between him and Dom Diego?"

"Nothing whatever, my lord. Once only the good Nawab, my friend,

hinted that some intrigue was in progress between my superior and

Eyn-ool-Moolk, but warned me against having any concern in it. But what

could Dom Diego do, even if he has engaged in intrigue?"

"Ah! my friend, you are too simple," returned the young Khan, laughing;

"he could get money; he could promise your nation's troops."

"Those he will never get," interrupted the priest. "Our Government has

declined from the first to mix itself up in the affairs of kingdoms

whom our nation esteems to be heretical. I have heard there have been

many offers by the Emperor Akbar, and others before him, but the policy

of our Government is consistent and friendly to all."

"And yet you are a nation of valiant soldiers. It is strange to see

such without ambition."

"Which might lead to our ruin, my lord. No; wise minds have determined

and guided our course hitherto, and we only defend ourselves when we

are attacked."

"As we know to our cost, Señor Padré; and as they of Ahmednugger found

to theirs in the siege of Ghoul," returned Abbas Khan, laughing. "But

enough now; be ready when I send for you. And your sister is well, and

hath all she needs?"

"All, my lord, and is grateful. She is busy preparing for her school;

and our poor folks are thankful for even the few ministrations we have

afforded them."

"Only be careful, Señor, lest you excite bigotry among mine. Alas!

there is bitterness between Moslim and Nazarene; but you have only to

be careful."

"Yet at Moodgul no one molests us, my lord."

"There are many who would do so if they dared, my friend; but you

are under protection there by order of the State, and here it may be

different. I only say be cautious, and you are as safe here as there."

The priest bowed and retired. What his young friend had said to him

he did not tell to his sister; but some of the castles they had been

building had already been shaken, and caution was at least necessary,

lest they should crumble down altogether.

As the Padré left him, Abbas Khan threw a light sheet over himself, and

slept profoundly. The Lady Fatima stole in several times to see him,

and at last seated herself near him; and, with a light fan, drove away

the flies which would have settled on his face. How proud she was of

her boy. "The Lady Queen is as proud," she said to herself, "I know;

but she could not do this like me. Am I not the happier? for I can

watch him while every mood of his mind leaves its expression on his

features. See, now, there is a frown, and the fingers seem to clutch

something; it is his sword, and he dreams of the combat. And there! now

all is changed, and there is love on the moist lips and in the smiles.

Why dreams he of her? Ah, well! may she be worthy."

So the young man slept, and so his good aunt tended him as she had

done when he was a child. And the time flew rapidly, and the muezzin

from the minaret of the garden mosque began to chant invitation to the

evening prayer, "Allah-hu-Akbar! Allah-hu-Akbar!" and then Abbas Khan

woke, and found his aunt sitting beside him, watching.

"My sleep was sweet," he said, "because thou watchedst over me, mother.

Ah, so sweet! may God reward thee. But I must go to the prayer now."

"There are many who wish to speak with thee, my son," she said; "and

one is very urgent, Runga Naik, a Beydur."

"Bid him wait; he is, indeed, most needful. I will not be long away,

mother, or I will send for him."

Entering the garden by the private door, Abbas Khan performed his

ablutions at the little fountain, whose cool, sparkling water refreshed

him. The garden was refreshing also; and, as he knelt down, a soft

feeling of grateful adoration stole over him. Many of his friends were

assembled there, and their salutations, with the warm grasp of the hand

which accompanied them, were more grateful to him than he had ever

remembered before.

"I will attend ye speedily, friends," he said to them, "but I have some

private affairs to see to first here, and ye must excuse me;" and,

calling to an attendant, he bade him bring in Runga Naik, and seating

himself on the rim of the fountain, awaited his coming alone. Presently

he saw the Beydur chief enter, peering about as though he were in a

thick forest, but, directly he saw his young master, he bounded forward

with a cry of joy, and threw himself at his feet.

"I was not in time, Meeah," he said, as soon as his emotion had

subsided, "to see thee slay that villain. Would I had been! But I could

not travel faster with the prisoners; and it was only at the last stage

that I heard thou hadst reached this the day before, when the Lady

Queen was hunting. What had delayed thee?"

"Only the wound again, friend," said the Khan, laughing. "One day--it

was our second march--my horse, it was one of Osman Beg's, stumbled and

fell with me, the stitches of my wound burst open, and the Padré Sahib

insisted I should not travel till I was well. Notwithstanding his

skill, I could not move for more than a month; but I had good lodging

at Talikota."

"So near to my town; and why did you not send for me, Meeah?"

"I did send; but thou wert gone, they said, to Belgaum, and thou hadst

not returned when I resumed my journey."

"Then you have heard nothing, my lord, of the old Dervish and his

child? Are they with thee?"

"No!" replied Abbas Khan, starting at the question. "Not with me. I

have never even heard of them. By your soul, tell me what you know."

"I had been absent from home, tracing our men who had deserted us at

Kórla, and had three hundred of my best men with me. You were then

in Juldroog, and I heard afterwards you and the Moodgul Padré had

departed. There was one of our Beydur festivals to come on after

that, and I returned home for it, when I was suddenly sent for by the

Dervish, and I delivered Zóra from the palace of Osman Beg, where she

was confined under the charge of two procuresses from Moodgul. Yes,

Burma Naik and Bheema and I did it; and to this day I regret that I did

not slay thy profligate cousin as he slept."

"But, but!" cried Abbas Khan, horrible thoughts rising in his mind,

"she was safe, she had not been dishonoured?"

"Thanks be to the Gods, she was safe, Meeah. There had been an attempt

at a marriage that afternoon; but the stout old Moolla refused to

perform it, and the ceremony was deferred till the morrow. I saw there

was time for me to do what was needed, and we three brought her away,

through the panthers' cave. Who dared to follow us?"

"And then?" cried the Khan, breathlessly and anxiously.

"Only this," continued the simple fellow; "I had a boat ready, and the

old man's property was placed in it as evening fell; and when we three

brought the girl away safely, we crossed the river, and I took them to

Kukeyra, where I have a house, and where I bestowed them safely, with

six hundred of my people there to guard them."

"And they are there now, Runga?"

"No," he replied, "they are not there; and that is what troubles me.

One of the Kukeyra men met me here to-day, and told me that the old

man had grown restless; and though Zóra had entreated him to remain,

yet he had left Kukeyra and gone to our Rajah at Wakin Keyra, who was

protecting him; and that Osman Beg had sent spies across to trace them,

and even attempted to follow with his retainers: but who can cross the

river mother if the Beydurs say nay?"

"Now may God be praised, Runga, for this protection of them! Oh, think,

if that child had come to harm! And it was a foul plot and outrage of

Osman Beg's, for which he shall answer to me as surely as the sun

shines or as the Abyssinian died. But art thou sure it was a forcible

abduction of the child?"

"There is no doubt of that. Jooma and another carried Zóra from the

bastion, as she sat looking at Cháya Bhugwuti; and only that the good

old Moolla refused, Zóra would have been married by Nika, and would

have now been in thy cousin's zenána. Yes, that is true, Meeah; I heard

it from Zóra, and others have told me since."

"He shall answer this before the King and his mother," said Abbas Khan,

fiercely. "Ever treacherous! who can trust him?"

"He has other things to answer for besides this, Meeah," was the reply.

"Look! here are more papers, more letters;" and he took a packet

from his waistband; "and I have secured all Elias Khan's Duftur, and

his scribe. There are plenty of Osman Beg's letters in it--and other

people's too, for the matter of that--quite enough to give him a seat

under the Goruk Imlee trees, and to find the executioner making him a

last salaam."

"Then he should be summoned at once, Runga."

"If you were not to go to your uncle and the King he might be; but as

it is, he had better remain. He thinks he is quite safe; and, indeed,

he is safe, for it is impossible for him to stir; but here he would

intrigue while you are away. He might even learn news of the old

Dervish, and carry off Zóra in spite of us; but now I will send word to

my people, and to the twelve thousand, that her honour is your honour

and mine; and they know what that means. I, Meeah, go to the war with

thee, for the men here who belong to the Rajah are mad to go with us,

and I will not deny them."

"Oh, true friend and brother!" exclaimed the young Khan, with a choking

sensation in his throat, and tears welling up in his eyes; "what can

I render to thee for all this aid, and thy good counsel? Yes, come

with me, Runga; we have fought before together, but none know thee but

me. Now all shall know thee, and thou shalt be honoured and rewarded.

First, let us do our duty to the King, and then," he continued, rising,

"I call the holy saints to witness, our duty will be done to others.

Hast thou eaten food, Runga?"

"No," he said, "not since yesterday; but I have bathed, and am hungry.

Tell them to give me something from thy kitchen, Meeah; and suffer me

to eat here, where I can offend no one, and put my dinner on fresh

plantain leaves. Ah! that will be a luxury, indeed!"

The servants brought to him portions of the savoury food which was

ready in the kitchen, and deposited it on a huge plantain leaf which

he had gathered. They saw him eat as it seemed to them voraciously,

but in truth little food had passed his lips for two days; and when he

had finished, they saw him wrap himself in the sheet which had before

served him as upper covering and waistband, and lying down on the bare

earth fall into a deep sleep.

CHAPTER VIII.

THE NIGHT COUNCIL.

As on the previous evening, Abbas Khan arrived at the entrance

to the council chamber at the usual hour, accompanied by Francis

d'Almeida. They had come in palanquins, for convenience sake; and,

on this occasion, Abbas Khan had dispensed with his inner mail coat

and soldier-like costume, and wore the ordinary Court dress of his

rank--simple white muslin, with a Cashmere shawl; and carried only

a light Court sword in his hand. He felt that there was no danger

now. The priest wore his best cassock and the gown of his order; and,

rejecting the advice of Maria, went in his bare feet, and sandals which

he could easily put off. His dress formed a strange contrast with

the flowing robes of his companion; and the heavy slouched hat made

it even more remarkable in comparison with the turbans of the Palace

attendants. Yet his frank, handsome face, bright fresh colour, silky

moustachios and beard, which, as a missionary, he had allowed to grow,

denoted at once elevated birth and extreme intelligence. Abbas Khan had

given him some general instruction as to his demeanour in approaching

the throne, and the worthy priest appeared by no means flurried or

anxious as to the result. As he knelt down on one knee, doffed his hat

gracefully, and bowed his head as he would have done to his own King,

the Royal lady was satisfied that the priest had seen Courts, and was

well born and bred; and her surprise was not a little enhanced by the

excellent Persian in which he replied to her inquiries after the health

of his sister and himself.

"And you speak Canarese also, I hear?" she said; "and thy sister too?"

"It is the tongue of our people at Moodgul and of our Church there,

which the beneficence of your Royal ancestor, Ibrahim, established," he

replied; "and it is more familiar to our lips than Persian, which we

have seldom need to use. In Canarese, my sister is as good a scholar as

I am, and we are now translating the New Testament, or Unjeel."

"May I be your sacrifice," cried the chief priest, who was in his

accustomed place; "but the Nazarenes have no correct version of the

Unjeel. Did not the Prophet (may his memory be blessed) denounce them?

In chapter----"

"Nay, reverend sir," interposed the Queen, "we are not met for a

religious discussion, but for State affairs; and I pray you to be

silent. Here, in the court of the refuge of the poor, my son, all men

are equal in His and my sight, whatever may be their faith. We leave

that to God, before whom we are all equal. Be seated, sir," continued

the Queen; "we have pressing business to do ere we can enter upon what

thou canst aid us in."

It seemed as if there were no place vacant, except one close to the

chief priest, who evidently did not relish the idea of being touched by

an unbeliever; and he fidgeted in his seat, crowded as much as possible

into his neighbour's, held up his scarf to his mouth, and in every way

expressed his objection to any proximity to the Padré, who in his turn

was much embarrassed. But the Brahmin Minister of Finance, whose heart

had warmed towards the Padré in hearing his own language spoken so

fluently and so well, offered him his own seat, and took that assigned

to Francis d'Almeida. Thus peace was for the present secure, but when

it might be broken by the chief priest's intolerance it was impossible

to declare.

It was a busy scene. Orders for the pay of the troops about to

march had to be signed by the Queen and by the heads of departments

present, to be paid from the treasury next morning; orders also to

district authorities on the road to provide supplies and forage at

each stage, and to have the roads made practicable for the artillery.

Public carriage cattle out at graze had been recalled; but more were

necessary, and Hyat Khan's requisitions were heavy on the city. These,

with the usual revenue and district papers to be signed and made

up, correspondence to be written, and drafts of letters to be read,

occupied a long time, and was watched by the Padré with the utmost

interest; while his neighbour the Brahmin kept up with him a lively

conversation in Canarese. He had heard of the Padré's learning from

other Brahmins, who came periodically for their dues to the Royal city;

and his manner was kind and considerate. At last, as his business was

concluded, and his assistant was tying up his bundle of papers, he

whispered to the Padré--

"I must depart, sir. Sit quietly where you are, and do not stir, unless

the Queen-Mother calls you or sends for you. Above all, beware of the

chief priest; for he would make no scruple of quarrelling with you,

even before the Queen. He barely tolerates our presence, being, as he

calls us, Kaffirs, and is certainly less tolerant of you, a Nazarene.

It would not be wise to cross him."

"Yet if he should revile my Church?"

"I say still, answer him not," returned the other, "nor speak at all,

except the Queen herself bid thee. He is most intolerant, perhaps

dangerous."

"I thank you sincerely for your warning, and I will be very discreet,

you may be sure," was Francis d'Almeida's reply; but he was not the

less determined to bear testimony in the cause of his faith, should

it be needful. Was he not a missionary of Christ, and a soldier of

the Church militant? So he sat quietly, much amused and interested

in the scene passing before him, in the multiplicity of business,

and the ease and regularity with which it was conducted. Abbas Khan

was busy with the details of the force he was to command, giving

instructions to the various leaders of companies and divisions, and

was for the present absorbed in his work, now and then exchanging a

word with the Queen-Mother, and explaining to her what was being done.

Here also he learned more of the political state of the country than

he had ever known before, or was likely to learn elsewhere. Boorhan

Nizam Shah, King of Ahmednugger, who had supported the conspiracy of

Eyn-ool-Moolk, had been defeated by King Ibrahim of Beejapoor and

Humeed Khan. Subsequently his own son Ismail had rebelled, but was

defeated by his father, who, after the battle of Hoomayoonpoor, being

seriously ill, returned to Ahmednugger as his successor, and died

soon afterwards, having nominated as his successor his son Ibrahim,

a fractious and violent youth of sixteen. The Beejapoor army, after

repulsing the attack by King Boorhan, had taken up positions at

Sholapoor and Juldroog, otherwise called Shahdroog, during the rainy

season, and the King was with these troops; but the express received

by the Queen Dowager contained the important news that King Ibrahim of

Ahmednugger was making immense preparations for an immediate invasion

of the Beejapoor territory; and though this might possibly be averted

by negotiations, yet, considering the violence of the young King of

Ahmednugger's character, such a result as was desired did not seem

probable by any means, and troops must be hurried on without delay. The

Padré saw that Abbas Khan had been the best selection possible for the

purpose, on account of his present popularity, ability, and activity;

but the prospect of being left with his sister alone in the great city

was anything but agreeable. He had, however, acquired such entire

confidence in his young friend, that he was sure he would not be left

to the issues of chance, nor unprotected.

At last the long sitting was concluded, and the Queen, rising, excused

herself for a while, and went into an inner chamber for refreshment,

while the courtiers chatted freely among themselves; and d'Almeida now

allowed his eyes to wander over the sides and fretted ceiling of the

beautiful room, to admire its rich Gothic architecture and the elegance

of its proportions and decorations; but there was an absence of light

to show all to advantage, and he thought he might perhaps, through

Abbas Khan, be allowed to see it by day. How he wondered, too, at the

immense blocks of buildings which formed the palace, for all was new to

him; and except the Palace of the Seven Storeys, and the roofs of some

of the edifices which he could see from the roof of the mansion where

he and his sister resided, he knew nothing, all else being hidden by

the high walls and towers of the citadel.

When the Queen re-entered and took her seat, all present rising to

receive her, Hyat Khan, the Kotwal, produced a list of those persons

who had been tracked and apprehended by Runga Naik Beydur, who, he

said, was without, and could give a clear account of them. He was,

certainly, only a Beydur, but might be allowed to stand before the daïs.

"God forbid! God forbid!" cried the chief priest, putting his hands to

his ears, who was evidently brimming over with suppressed fury. "I have

been sitting in this durbar for two reigns of illustrious and pious

Kings, and I never heard of a Beydur being admitted to the presence.

Pah! thooh! an uncircumcised dog--not even a Hindoo--who lives on pig,

and whose breath would taint the air of a whole city. God forbid! God

forbid!"

"And yet he is a good and faithful soldier of the State, and an honest,

God-fearing man," said Abbas Khan, stoutly. "I, for one, do not feel as

if I should be polluted by his presence. What say ye, noble friends?"

and he looked around. "As for our Queen-Mother, ye have already heard

her sentiments; and do we dare to dispute them? One thing is certain,

we shall know nothing of these prisoners unless he explains why they

were apprehended."

"True!" said the chief Kazee; "and to hear evidence is necessary to

attain justice. I care not for pig----"

If there had been any chance of a skirmish between the two learned

authorities, as some hoped who had witnessed such scenes, they were

disappointed; for the Kotwal, at a sign from the Queen, ordered

Runga to be admitted, and as he entered was shown where to make his

obeisance. And he finally stood after his own fashion on one leg,

pressing the sole of the other foot against the calf, and with his

hands joined in supplication.

"You can speak to him, Abbas Khan," said the head Kazee. "Ask him to

tell the Queen who these men are?"

"I represent," humbly returned the Khan, "that I am his commander, and

am interested, beside, in what may transpire. Can the interpretation of

the Padré Sahib be accepted? else some Brahmin might be sent for."

"The Padré's evidence I could not take," returned the Kazee, "it is not

admissible by law; but his interpretation we can accept, my Queen and

my lords, if he swear on the Unjeel. Hast thou the book, O Padré?"

"It is here, my lord," returned d'Almeida, taking a small copy from

his pocket, and removing the clean white handkerchief in which it was

wrapped.

"Place the holy book on thy head, or as thou wilt, and declare that

thou wilt interpret truly," was the Kazee's reply.

"Holy book, indeed!" indignantly snorted the chief priest. "Holy book!

sacred to Satan! Well, times are changed; a Nazarene priest and a

pig-eating Beydur before the Queen, in the Royal palace. What next, I

wonder!"

Francis d'Almeida was burning to reply, but he remembered the words of

his Brahmin friend, and was silent. "I am ready now," he said, simply,

"and I will speak truly."

"Let there be entire silence," cried one of the Court ushers by order

of the Queen, and Runga Naik began his history. We know most of it

already; but the latter portion, relating his rescue of Zóra, his

tracking of the rebel members of Elias Khan's band, the escape of the

Abyssinian after a close pursuit, gave a new interest to the narrative.

Runga himself, though dazed at first by the beauty of the room and the

presence of the Queen, of whom he had heard so much, was now assured;

and the story was told with a simple modesty and confidence which, to

every hearer present, conveyed an assurance of truth and reality. Elias

Khan had endeavoured to tempt him into disloyalty; he had promised him

money and an estate if he would cut off all the Royal outposts on the

north bank of the Krishna. "But I did not do that, mother," he cried

to the Queen in his homely speech, and stretching forth his hands; "my

people have been faithful to Beejapoor since it was a kingdom, and was

I to turn traitor for villains like Eyn-ool-Moolk and Elias? Meeah,

there, and I were old friends, and he was my superior. I went to him as

fast as I could, and three hundred of my people were to follow on foot,

but they were too late; for the day after I reached him was that of the

fight in which he slew Elias, and was well nigh slain himself. I have

heard it whispered he was a coward, but who dare say that now? I could

not bear it, and hunted down most of the men who deserted him, but some

have escaped. Let the Kotwal Sahib tell what they have said to him."

"I humbly represent to the throne," said the Kotwal, "that one and all

have confessed to having been seduced by messengers from Elias Khan,

and humbly beg their lives. They have shed no blood."

"Abbas Khan," said the Queen, in reply, "if it please thee, I give

their lives into thy hands; do with them as it is good unto thee;

unless, indeed, the Kazee demands them for trial."

"They have committed no murder, noble lady, that they should come

before me," returned the Kazee. "If they have offended, it is against

the State, and the State has power over all traitors."

"Then I accept them as our Queen-Mother's gift," said the young Khan,

rising and making three obeisances at the foot of the throne; "Hyat

Khan will help me to arrange about them. I have no fear of them, and

they have been with me in many a fair fight. But we delay, lady; wilt

thou not order the papers to be examined which were found this morning?"

"They are here, my lords," said the Queen, "and first we should hear

those in the Frangi character, and the Padré Sahib can translate them

for us. Approach, sir," she continued to Francis d'Almeida, "sit at the

foot of the throne."

"Touba! Touba!" muttered the Peer Sahib, as the chief priest was

usually designated. "For shame! for shame! an infidel sitting on a step

of the throne! Inshalla!----"

"I advise your reverence to be silent," whispered the Kotwal; "it is

necessary he should do so, and any interruption will not be allowed by

the Queen. You know what she can do if she pleases; and I say let her

alone."

The Peer Sahib made no reply; but it was clearly visible to all, that

what had been said to him had increased his previous ill-humour.

By this time the leather case had been opened by one of the Queens

secretaries, and the contents counted. The letters with the

superscription in Portuguese were then separated from the rest, which

were placed at the Queen's feet. "You will be pleased to read them and

translate them afterwards to Her Majesty. If possible in Persian; if

not, in Canarese, which she understands."

"I will translate them into Persian," was the priest's reply, "for that

is known to all;" and he took up one of the letters and began to read

it. It was of no consequence, however, being from the authorities of

Goa to Elias Khan in reference to several points in regard to transit

duties, of which the secretary made a memorandum on the back. After

several others of trivial import, came one with an elaborate refusal

of the Government of Goa to assist the designs of Eyn-ool-Moolk and

Elias Khan on behalf of Prince Ismail, which it gave the Padré much

satisfaction to expound. He had heard of the refusal of his Government

to countenance the rebellion, but here was ample confirmation under

the signature of the Governor, Don Mathias de Albuqurque, and his

councillors; and threats of denouncing the conspirators to the King of

Beejapoor in case the correspondence was renewed.

Prince Ismail's party, then, appear to have begun an intrigue with Dom

Diego, superior of the Moodgul Mission, imploring his advocacy with

the Viceroy, and offering not only increased powers to the Mission,

but large perquisites to himself; and these terms being recapitulated

from the original Persian letter, Dom Diego's own requests followed,

which the Padré read with astonishment, mingled with terror; for he had

demanded not only the large province of Dharwar as his own perquisite,

but four lakhs of hoons to maintain it and the European troops he

should need. He undertook to obtain presently two thousand Europeans

from Goa, and two thousand more from Portugal as soon as possible,

and with this force and those of the Prince he undertook to deliver

Beejapoor, with all its treasures, into the possession of Eyn-ool-Moolk

and the Prince. It was a cunningly devised scheme, and inside the

letter was found a copy of the Persian reply from Elias Khan on behalf

of his master, Eyn-ool-Moolk, agreeing to the whole, and urging Dom

Diego not to delay, and sending him a thousand hoons as earnest money

by the hands of Yakoob Khan, Abyssinian. Again the correspondence was

continued up to the time when the rebels were attacked by Humeed Khan,

and the death of Eyn-ool-Moolk; and when the translator had finished,

there was a general murmur of approbation and congratulation to the

Queen Dowager on the danger which the State had escaped, and of thanks

for the important services rendered by so able an explanation of the

letters; and the Queen herself was profuse in her acknowledgments,

given with the charming yet dignified manner of which she was so

admirable a mistress.

Little used to such profuse compliments from so exalted a person, the

simple Padré was at first overwhelmed with emotion; but he gradually

took courage, and, rising to his feet, excused himself for ignorance of

Court customs in not having at first presented the only offering he and

his sister had to make, of which he now begged the Queen's acceptance;

and, drawing the small packet of lace from his breast, unfolded the

veil and laid it at her feet. It was at once evident that she was much

gratified as well as surprised at the delicacy and elegance of the

beautiful fabric, and examined the pattern with curious interest. Nor

could she quite credit the Padré's assertion that it was his sister

Maria's own work with her needle only. Having examined it, she passed

it round to those present, but the Peer Sahib would not touch it, and

folded his hands in his robe, as though he might be contaminated.

"We can offer little in return for this priceless work," said the

Queen, when she received the veil; "nevertheless, if you will accept

this"--and she took from a cushion near her a costly Cashmere

shawl--"on behalf of your sister, we shall be gratified." And as she

spoke she handed it to one of the Court ushers, who, with the usual

dexterous flourish, threw it over the shoulders of the Padré, where it

formed a curious contrast with his plain black robe. But he could not

refuse the gift without offence, and again making an obeisance to the

Queen, allowed it to remain.

Meanwhile the secretaries had been separating the Persian

correspondence, and arranging it by names and dates, and the Queen now

desired it to be read. All that related to those who no longer existed

were put aside, but that of Osman Beg contained painful revelations. He

had offered to give up his fort to the rebel troops; he had furnished

them with information in regard to movements of troops from Beejapoor

to the westward, and had advised Elias Khan to attack his cousin's

party, which guarded the main fords of the river, and cut it off before

the floods came, and when the road to the capital would be opened. But

we need not, perhaps, follow a detail which may have been anticipated,

while there was little doubt that the letters he had received from the

leader of the rebel faction were, possibly, still in his possession.

What should be done then? As was usual with her, the Queen left this

point to the determination of the Council, reserving her opinion for

the present, and an animated discussion followed. The treachery of his

cousin in regard to the State, in advising his destruction to Elias

Khan, the treacherous abduction of Zóra, had sunk deep into Abbas

Khan's heart, and declining to be a party in the discussion, he took

his seat near the Padré, who, by this time, had taken his original

place; but he separated the Padré from the irate Peer Sahib, which was,

perhaps, fortunate.

The question most important to be decided was, what to do with Osman

Beg? Was he to be recalled at once, or sent to some distant fortress,

or to Moodgul, for detention? or was he to be brought to the capital,

and imprisoned till the King's pleasure was known? There was no

question that he should be arrested without delay, and his successor,

Meer Kasim Ali, an officer who could be entirely depended upon, was at

once named by several in the council as the fittest person, and Hyat

Khan, the Kotwal, vouched for his leaving the city before dawn. He knew

Juldroog perfectly, and was acquainted with the garrison. There was no

doubt of his surprising Osman Beg, and placing him under detention,

pending further orders; and he was at once sent for, and arrived as

the reading of the correspondence was concluded, and was ushered into

the presence--a fine soldier-like young man, somewhat older than Abbas

Khan, but with equally bold and frank features. He was immediately made

acquainted with the duty assigned to him, and a grateful smile passed

over his features as he felt that his success would involve promotion

to the grade held by Osman Beg, and he received the Royal commission,

putting it to his forehead and eyes, and making a profound reverence.

"And now," said the Queen, "we give our opinion and instructions at

once. We would not have Osman Beg, whose father is honoured among us,

and honoured by the King, imprisoned in a fortress, or sent to Dilawer

Ali Khan, at Moodgul, where intrigue may take place. We would have him

kept in Juldroog, under watchful care, till the King's return, when, in

full durbar, he may plead what he can in extenuation. You will, also,

Meer Sahib, inquire, and report to me, as soon as possible, under what

circumstances the venerable Syud, long known as the Dervish, and his

granddaughter left Juldroog, and where they are at present. Should

their place of residence be known, you are to despatch them to the

presence without delay."

"And," added the Kazee, "with the Royal permission, we ask you to

ascertain from the Kazee and Moollas of the fort whether any ceremony

of marriage, Nika or otherwise, passed between Osman Beg and Zóra-bee,

the granddaughter of the Syud Dervish, and who performed it."

"The Royal orders are on my head and eyes," returned the young man,

"and I am honoured by them. Nothing shall be left undone."

"And your escort?" asked the Queen.

"I have twenty good soldiers of my own, lady," he replied; "and when

one not in favour is to be displaced, a hint is sufficient."

"I would also ask you," continued the Queen, "to ascertain whether one

Dom Diego, the head priest at Moodgul, is still there."

"I think I can answer that question, noble Queen," said the Padré,

joining his hands. "When Abbas Khan was ill from his wound, at the

village near Talikota, I heard that Dom Diego had left Moodgul for

Goa, being succeeded by two humble priests who had taken charge of the

mission; and this was confirmed by some of my flock who came to the

fair at Talikota, who told me they were satisfied with the new comers

until I could return to them."

"And you are a physician, too, sir," cried the Queen, "as well as

a master of languages. Oh, that thou wouldst see the real Queen,

Taj-ool-Nissa, who languishes sorely, and can obtain no relief, though

we have sent even to Beeder for learned men. Will you see her, Padré

Sahib? it is not late even now, and she is still awake."

"Before I entered the Church," replied the Padré, "I studied both

medicine and surgery in my own country and in Spain, from the Moorish

physicians, who are most wise. There I learned somewhat of Arabic also,

which, perhaps, led me to the East; and though I joined the Church as

a humble servant of God, I was not without hope, like many of its

missionaries, I might use my medical skill in its service. Yea, noble

Queen, I am ready to use any humble skill I possess in behalf of the

Royal Queen, your daughter."

"There is no time like the present," returned the Queen; "our nobles

will excuse me while I conduct you to her. Rise, sir, and follow me."

The Peer Sahib could contain himself no longer--

"Astagh-fur-oolla! God forbid! Touba! Touba! Shame! Shame! that I, a

humble priest of Alla and his Prophet, whose name be honoured, should

see this. Touba! Touba! that an infidel should have honour in the

palace of Beejapoor. He a servant of God! He, an eater of pig and

bibber of wine! He, an agent of Satan, a disseminator of the abominable

doctrines which Mahomed Moostafa, Prophet of God, hath cursed! He who

worships images, who----"

It was in vain that Abbas Khan, the Kazee, and others present, strove

to stop this tirade, which, as the priest raised his voice, rose into a

shriek.

"Be silent!" he cried; "hear the words of the Prophet," and he made

a long quotation from the Koran, which we may spare our readers. "I

forbid this! I denounce the lying Feringi! I doom him to hell! I----"

The Queen stood erect on the pile of cushions which had formed her

throne, her slight figure appearing to dilate with excitement and

indignation as she stretched forth her arm and pointed her finger at

the insolent divine--

"Peace!" she cried, "Peer Sahib. This is the first time in my long life

that the piety or the hospitality of this great house was called in

question. Peace! know thy place before the throne, and be silent."

But the Peer heeded not. "It is sorcery! It is sorcery!" he cried. "Was

not she, that woman, accused of sorcery in the time of Kishwar Khan?

Did he not denounce her when he sent her a prisoner to Sattara?"

"This is too much insolence for your Majesty to hear. Pass in, we pray

thee, and leave us to silence him," said the venerable and blind Ekhlas

Khan, who sat nearest to the throne.

"Nay," returned the Queen, "I never fled from man yet, noble Khan, and

I await the Peer's homage and apology;" and she reseated herself with

dignity.

"If I allowed a harsh word to escape me in the heat of argument," said

the Peer, rising and crossing his arms on his breast, "I humbly beg

pardon; but as for that----"

"You have said enough," cried Abbas Khan; "be content The Mother is not

to be trifled with, as you know. See, she speaks."

"I forgive you," she said to the Peer, "because thou art a holy man;

but beware, for thy tongue is apt to transgress the bounds of respect.

And now, my lords, I rise again and take this respectable man of God

with me. I will not long detain ye." Nor did she. The young Queen's

apartments were close to the council chamber, and she was raised and

carried to the archway door, where a screen had been let down, and a

thin pale hand was put forth. D'Almeida feared the worst: there was a

low cough; the pulse was weak and thready, and the girl complained of

want of sleep and thirst. He could not then judge of her case, but he

could alleviate present symptoms.

"Can your Majesty send anyone with me who can be trusted to bring the

medicine? I shall seal it up with my own seal, and it will not be found

disagreeable."

"Certainly," replied the Queen; "I can send one of my own eunuchs, who

is known to Abbas Khan. But you have a messenger whom I desire to see,

that is thy sister Maria. Can she come to this poor sufferer and cheer

her? I will send a palanquin and an escort to-morrow, at noon."

"She shall wait on you with pleasure. Anywhere that she can be of use,

Maria will go, as a point of duty to God and to her order. Yes, I will

send her to-morrow."

"And she speaks Persian?" asked the young Queen, clapping her hands.

"A little," was the reply; "but Canarese better."

"Then we can all speak together, and she shall be my friend. And she is

beautiful?"

"I think her most beautiful, lady; but she is my sister, and it ill

befits me to speak. You will see and judge for yourselves."

"We may now rejoin our companions," said the Queen Regent. "And you

love Abbas Khan?" she continued, inquiringly.

"I do," replied the priest, "as I would a son."

"And have seen no fault in him?"

"None. He is true and gentle, as a brave soldier ought to be. We were

by chance cast together when his wound broke out again, and I could not

leave him till he was fit to travel. He would have died alone."

"And thy sister," asked the Queen, "do they know each other?"

"Not at all, except by hearsay; and she hath never seen or spoken to

him. In the village where Abbas Khan was ill for a month or more we had

a different lodging; and, if abroad, she was always closely veiled.

Since we have been here we lodge with a painter, for whom Maria makes

designs."

"Now may God bless thee for this assurance! I had feared that Maria's

beauty might--might----"

"Nay, lady, she is bound to God by her vow, and he is too honourable

to think of her; but I may tell you, who are as his mother, that from

snatches of his dreams when he raved and occasional remarks, his heart

hath gone out to the child who watched him in his first attack at

Juldroog, Zóra."

"Ah!" cried the Queen, smiling, "it may be so. I saw him start when I

used her name; but keep thy secret, Padré Sahib, as I will keep it, and

we will see to this when he is gone."

"I will be silent," he returned. "Had it not been that my sister hath

the same opinion, and that thou, noble lady, art as his mother, I had

not told thee; but Maria can explain all, better than I can, and I will

bid her make no concealment."

The assembly rose as the Queen entered the council hall, and, as she

seated herself, again took their places. Francis d'Almeida, being

conducted by a eunuch along a side corridor, entered by a curtained

archway lower down, and took his seat as he had done before. Abbas

Khan was completing his business with the Minister of Finance and

various other officers, and the affairs of the sitting seemed well nigh

concluded.

"Let all the officers of the army about to march appear at early durbar

to-morrow," said the Queen. "Inshalla! there need be no delay."

"All is ready, may it please you," returned Abbas Khan. "My intention

was to make a short march to-morrow afternoon, and afterwards to hurry

on as fast as possible to the Royal camp, which lies somewhere between

Sholapoor and Puraindah."

"We shall send to thy shrine at early morning, O Peer Sahib, offerings

to be distributed to the poor, and ask thy prayers for a victory over

the State's enemies. Alas! that they should be our near relatives."

"My prayers and blessing will not avail much, I fear, lady, against

what I have witnessed to-night," returned the Peer Sahib, haughtily and

ungraciously. "Those that ask for them should obey the commands of Alla

and his Prophet; nevertheless, I will submit my poor supplications to

the Searcher of hearts."

It was well, perhaps, that the Royal lady affected not to hear what had

been said, for she merely made an inclination of acknowledgment; and

directing the usual complimentary dismissal gifts to be brought, rose

after they had been distributed, and left the throne.

"Have you been mad to-night, Peer Sahib? Was your afternoon dose of

opium too strong for thee?" asked Hyat Khan, who feared no priest, and

in particular despised the Peer. "It is well she did not order thee to

my humble dwelling."

"Silence!" cried the Peer, furiously. "Begone! and let me pass;" and

gathering up the skirts of his robe, lest they should be polluted by

the touch of anyone, he struggled out of the hall, leaning on his long

staff.

"His jealousy has been aroused by you, Padré Sahib, and he is spiteful;

take my advice and do not cross him again. I will send a guard of my

people to thy lodging, they can both watch and protect."

As d'Almeida made his acknowledgments, Runga Naik, who had been busy

writing in a corner, in a large, sprawling hand, approached the new

Governor of Juldroog, and gave the letter to him.

"Take my advice," he said, "do not attempt to cross by the western

ferry above the fall; turn off the main road at Talikota; make for

Korikul, which belongs to me; ask for one Burma Naik, or, if he be

away, for Kèsama, my wife; give either of them this letter, and they

will give thee men and boats to cross the town ferry to the fort: this

will save thee more than a day's march. Thou wilt be landed privately,

close to the village; and the rest is in thine own hand, with three

hundred of my people to help thee."

"If thou wouldst only go thyself, Runga," said Abbas Khan.

"No, no, Meeah!" was the reply, the tears springing to his eyes; "where

thou goest I follow. If the Meer Sahib follows my advice, he will

secure Osman Beg ere he rises from his bed the day after to-morrow.

The people there will rejoice to be delivered from his insolence

and tyranny. By Krishna! do not send me, I should slay him; and his

life--well, it is in the Lord's hands, worthless as it is. No, not with

thee, Meeah; I must go to my people; I shall meet thee at the early

durbar."

CHAPTER IX.

A DAY IN THE PALACE.

It was late in the night before Francis d'Almeida reached his abode,

but he found his sister awaiting his arrival; and his account of the

events of the evening, after he had made up and despatched by the

Queen's messenger a sealed bottle of medicine for the young Queen, was

in the highest degree interesting to her. Francis had not intended to

tell her of the rudeness of the Mussulman priest, but she told him that

a guard of twelve men had arrived some time before, which had alarmed

the whole household as well as herself. Nor when she had ascertained

that they had been sent for their protection, could she imagine what

danger threatened them; or if there were no danger, were they to be

prisoners in spite of Abbas Khan's assurances? A few words from her

brother soon, however, explained all; and he made light of the Peer

Sahib's rudeness, which he told his sister was only what they must

expect to endure as Christian missionaries.

"We have been spoilt too much," he continued, "by the good old Nawab

of Moodgul and by our friend Abbas Khan; and in a city like this, full

of fanatics and different religious bodies of Mussulmans, we may

hardly expect to escape notice. But we have a good friend in the great

Kotwal, and under the Queen Regent's protection we should have no fear.

You will see her and her daughter-in-law to-morrow, at their special

request, and we shall accompany Abbas Khan to the Palace at an early

hour. I think you may be of use to that poor sufferer, the young Queen,

whom they believe to be under a malignant evil spell; but who is either

weakened by fever, or by some insidious complaint, which I humbly trust

may not be decline, and yet I fear it. I want you to watch, since I may

not see her face; and the eagerness with which she bade me assure her

that you would come proves to me you will be heartily welcomed. Rise

early, therefore, as I shall, and prepare yourself. Take some drawings

and work with you, and I can promise you a happy and interesting day.

You will not see much of the great Queen Regent, perhaps; but after she

has given audience to the officers about to march to-day, she may have

leisure."

Maria had no apprehension. Accustomed as she was to visit the harem of

the Nawab of Moodgul, and to friendly and intimate association with his

wife and children, she felt no embarrassment in visiting another Indian

lady, even though she might be a Queen. Accordingly rising at daylight,

she set aside what she needed to take with her; and her brother having

prepared the medicines he purposed to administer, they partook of an

early breakfast, and were ready when the palanquins sent from the

Palace arrived for them.

More than ordinarily lovely did his sister appear to Francis d'Almeida

that morning. She had selected the finest of her lawn coifs and

kerchiefs to wear, and their exquisite whiteness enhanced the rosy

colour of her complexion, and harmonised with the purity of her fair

neck and arms; while her soft brown hair, in natural ringlets, escaped

from the coif and hung about her shoulders. To anyone who had never

seen a pure European lady, she must, in spite of the sombre robe which

concealed her graceful figure, have appeared a vision of beauty.

Old Donna Silvia, the wife of the painter, took her in her arms as

she prepared to enter the palanquin, and kissed her affectionately

and warmly, and bade her fear naught; and throwing the Queen Regent's

beautiful Cashmere shawl around her head and shoulders, she entered the

palanquin, closed the doors, and proceeded onwards with her old servant

shuffling by her side.

At the gate of Abbas Khan's mansion they joined in his cavalcade,

which, as well from his own retinue as the number of officers by whom

he was accompanied, was of an imposing character. Maria would have

liked to open the doors of her palanquin and look out at the richly

dressed crowd of officers, many of them in glittering mail--at the

magnificent caparisons of their horses, bounding and prancing as they

went, and of the huge elephants which accompanied them, the incessant

clash of whose bells was almost deafening; but modesty forbade it, and

she contented herself with such glimpses as she could obtain through

the small jalousies of the doors which let in light and air. She could

catch passing glances of Abbas Khan, whose noble figure and spirited

charger were remarkable over all by whom he was surrounded, and

inwardly prayed for a blessing on him, and protection in the new scenes

of war into which he was about to plunge. She had not forgotten poor

Zóra, nor her apparently hopeless love. She could discover no trace of

her in the huge city; and far away as she must be, must inevitably,

she thought, be forgotten in the excitement of the young Khan's life.

She had not heard then from her brother the story of Zóra's violent

abduction by Osman Beg, and her strange release by Runga Naik and his

companions.

In this order the cavalcade passed on through the gloomy gate of the

citadel, till their palanquins were put down at the private door of

the female apartments of the Palace. Then, with cries of "Gósha!

Gósha!"--privacy--by the eunuchs, a high screen of cloth was raised,

and the door of Maria's litter was opened by her brother; and entering

the deep archway, she observed the tall figure of Abbas Khan at

the entrance of a wide corridor, beckoning them to advance. At the

curtained archway in front she saw him hold a brief colloquy with one

of the men who guarded it; and the curtain was raised to admit them,

as they entered what the Padré now recognised as the council room of

the previous evening.

Involuntarily Maria started, as, looking up, she cast her eyes around,

and followed the clusters of pillars which led up to the groined and

fretted roof, covered with exquisite arabesque designs in pure white

stucco, the principal lines and rosettes of which were of burnished

gilding. Never could she have imagined so beautiful an apartment from

the plain and almost mean entrance; and her brother, who had only seen

it at night, when partially lighted, was equally charmed and surprised.

"How very beautiful!" she said, in a whisper. "Can all the interior of

the Palace be like this? How exquisitely graceful is the tracery which

covers the panels of the walls, and, mingling with the light clustered

shafts of the corners and centre, leads the eye up to that richly

ornamented ceiling. Would we could linger here, and that I had time to

sketch portions of the designs."

"The Alhambra, which I once saw," returned her brother, "is perhaps

more wonderful, and even more elegant; but this has been designed,

probably, by some Spanish Moor with equal skill; and I hope you will

have many opportunities of making drawings from it; but we must not

tarry now, for the Queen-Mother awaits us;" and, leaving the council

chamber, they entered the corridor by which the Queen had proceeded

the evening before, until Abbas Khan paused before the entrance to

the private apartments, while one of the eunuchs gave notice to the

Queen-Mother of their arrival, and returning immediately bid them

enter. It was an antechamber to the room in which the Royal lady was

awaiting them; and directly they approached her, she rose and greeted

them with evident kindness and interest, bidding them welcome. When

Abbas Khan had made his usual reverence to her, he said--

"I may leave my friends with you, mother, there is no need of me as

interpreter; and it is time I should take my place in the durbar, for

it is filling fast. I will return when your Majesty has dismissed it,

if I am permitted to do so."

"Certainly, my son," she said; "but will not she take off her veil?

We are longing to see the face of one in whom we have so strong an

interest."

"Not before me, mother," returned the Khan, smiling; "but I depart, and

commit them to your care;" and he left the room.

With a modest confusion, Maria now removed the shawl which she had

thrown over her head, and also the embroidered veil by which her

features were concealed, the finely crimped coif of her order, and the

pure lawn handkerchief, being all that remained; but her soft curly

hair had escaped in some degree, and fell over her neck and bosom in

rich tresses, which, now the light touched them, shone like threads of

gold.

"Power of God!" cried the Queen, "was there ever such beauty seen?

Rise, child; let me embrace thee! Wilt thou be to me as a daughter?"

They both rose, and the Queen, stretching forth her arms, enfolded

Maria in a warm embrace, kissing her on the forehead and cheeks. "Sit

down beside me, and do not tremble. If I be a Queen to all, I can be

a mother and a friend to thee. How is it, Padré Sahib, that she is so

lovely? Is this rosy colour real, or is it the custom of ladies of your

country to paint their faces as we hear the Chinese beauties do? Nay,"

she continued, laughing heartily, "I see there is no need to doubt, for

your fair sister's rising colour betrays her, and she blushes."

"She is like our mother," he returned, "who was perhaps more beautiful.

But she is not used to compliments, which confuse her. Besides, she is

vowed to the service of God since her husband's death, and can take no

pride in self-adornment."

"And your mother lives?"

"We trust so," returned the priest; "but she hath other children near

her, who follow worldly callings. We two have devoted ourselves to the

service of the Lord, and are to her as though we were dead."

"And your sister would not marry again, for she might have done so

under your law?" asked the Queen.

"She might have done so to her worldly advantage," returned the Padré,

"for several, both nobles and wealthy, sought her at Goa; but she

preferred the service of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and took her vows

of poverty and relinquishment of the world upon her, joining me in

my humble labours at Moodgul, where we were so happy, till Dom Diego

insulted her, and Dilawer Khan sent us to your protection."

"Ye are brave people," returned the Queen, with a sigh, as it appeared,

of admiration. "And ye desire nothing, and will accept nothing. Is it

not so? Ah! where shall I find such devotion among the priests of our

faith? The higher they are in rank and presumed holiness, the more they

desire--estates, gifts, houses, elephants, money. Have you none like

these in your Church?"

"We have, indeed, lady. We have priests who live like princes, and

who rank as princes; who amass wealth and are greedy of honours. But

we poor friars, and Sisters of Charity, have no part with these great

dignitaries, and are content and happy with what God sends us, though

it be humble food and poor raiment, for are not our souls cheered and

warmed by Him; and care we know not."

"And we honour ye the more for this; and had it been seemly to do so,

we had rebuked the insolent priest who was disrespectful last night.

When my lord the King returneth he shall know of this, and respect

thee, O Padré, as I have already learned to do, in truth. But come,

Maria, I must lead thee to my little Queen Taj-ool-Nissa, and leave ye

together, while I take my place in the great assembly."

"I was about to ask, lady, whether she felt relief from the medicine I

sent last night?"

"Ah! I had forgotten, Padré Sahib; and I fear it is Maria's fault;

or is it that our poor natures too soon forget the highest benefits?

She will tell Maria more than she has told me, I dare say; but her

cough was better this morning, and she rested quietly, and had no evil

dreams, and has eaten well. But come, we must lead thee to her, Maria;

she is sitting in the balcony above the throne, where I must take my

seat presently, and thou wilt see all that passes. Come!" and taking

Maria by the hand, she led her through another antechamber into the

young Queen's presence, bidding her make the same reverential salute to

her that she had done too herself.

Taj-ool-Nissa was a slight girl, about seventeen years old; not so fair

as the Queen Regent, but with an air of good breeding and distinction

that could not be mistaken. Her seat of rich yellow satin cushions

accorded well with her full petticoat and tunic of heavy cloth of gold,

and the filmy brocade scarf of light blue muslin, which, confined

at the waist, passed over her head. Several strings of large pearls

and Venetian sequins hung round her neck, and her wrists and ankles

were ablaze with bracelets and anklets of diamonds. Her features were

decidedly pretty, though the expression seemed vacant. Naturally so,

it was possible, or under the influence of weakness, which was indeed

very visible. The contrast between the girl and the Regent Queen was

most striking; the one loaded with ornaments, yet not remarkable; the

other wearing only pure white muslin, yet with a noble, intellectual

expression which could not be mistaken.

For an instant, while the two ladies embraced each other, Taj-ool-Nissa

did not see Maria except as a black figure taller than either of them;

but when the Queen Regent took her by the hand and presented her, the

expression of wonder and admiration in the young Queen's face was even

more decided than the elder lady's had been.

Maria's expressive, soft blue eyes, her colour, the perfect whiteness

of her skin, her delicate hands and silky hair, were so different from

anything she had ever before seen, that her astonishment was even

ludicrous, for the Queen-Mother laughed heartily, and chid her for

apparent rudeness to a stranger; but this continued only for a moment,

for Maria found herself drawn gently to the young Queen's heart, and

held there.

"I have no one to be a companion to me," she said, the tears rising to

her eyes. "Our beloved mother has too many cares and too much labour to

sit with a weak, ailing girl like me, and you would be as a sister to

me, Maria. And I hear you know so much, and can teach me so much, that

my heart looks to you as it would to a dear sister. Will you be one to

me, and never leave me? See how well I am to-day, owing to your good

brother's medicine; and I slept so pleasantly and did not cough. Oh,

Maria! if he will only make me strong and well ere my lord returns, he

will be rewarded by him gratefully."

"My brother will use all his skill, lady," returned Maria; "but it is

only God who can restore you to health, and we will pray for you, if

Christians may."

"Ye are both devoted to the Lord," she replied with feeling. "Oh! pray

for me, and He will hear; but be seated near me that I may feel and

caress you, and we can look out from the balcony into the great hall

while the durbar is held; for all you will see, warriors and chiefs,

are going to the aid of my lord and King. May God bring him to me

safely!"

"My brother has sent some medicine for you," said Maria; "and if you

will call for the person who is to have charge of it, I will give her

directions."

"It is too precious, Tajoo," which was the familiar appellation of the

young Queen, "to have any keeper but me," said Queen Chand, "and I will

ask your brother, Maria, what to do with it when I return. Till then,

sit here and see what we do, and he can feel Tajoo's pulse, if he will,

meanwhile."

As she passed out they heard her speaking to Francis and a eunuch, who

a moment afterwards summoned them both to the door. Although he could

not see Taj-ool-Nissa, Maria's description of her was sufficient, and

her own assurance that she already felt better was very encouraging.

"She has narrowly escaped the decline which precedes consumption, for

they have been keeping her too low; but as she gains appetite she will

eat freely, and will do well if the Palace doctors and old women will

let her alone."

"What did your brother say?" asked Taj-ool-Nissa, eagerly. And when

Maria had explained it to her, she said, "He need not fear; I will do

faithfully all he directs, and my beloved mother will give the medicine

to me, and I will take it only from her hands. But tell him that I have

always been delicate. I was so at Golconda, of which my dear father

is the King; and he hoped I should be well here, which is a healthier

place. And for a time I was better, and have even been out hunting with

my lord and our mother; but lately I have fallen back again, and I have

mourned in my heart that I should see my dear lord no more. Oh, Maria!

he is so noble and so kind to me; he hath none else to love but me!"

And as she spoke, her large liquid eyes filled, and she laid her head

on Maria's shoulder and sobbed gently, smiling through her tears. That

place seemed to be a refuge to her already. "Hundreds of the ladies

of the city come to visit me, and some pity me, Maria; but there is

no one to whom my heart goes forth but thee. But, hark! the nobut is

beating, and we must take our seats in the balcony." Then, drawing a

warm Cashmere shawl about her head and body, she took her usual place.

They looked out over the wide, lofty hall of audience, which has been

described before. To Maria's perception it was a wondrous sight, both

in regard to the hall itself and its magnificent proportions, and

also as to the level space beyond, now a rich green sward filled with

troops, whose armour and weapons glinted and flashed far more brightly

in the unclouded sunlight than they had done on the day of the ordeal.

The interior of the hall, though in shadow, was brighter by far than on

that occasion; for the sunlight through the noble entrance archway--it

is ninety-two feet in span--reached a considerable distance into the

hall at that comparatively early hour.

All the commanders and officers of the army about to march, attended

by their standard-bearers, had already taken their seats in rank down

the hall, which, as there were no pillars, arches, or other obstruction

to the sight, seemed almost to expand as the crowds of chiefs poured

into it. Then the deep kettledrums of the nobut began to beat; and as

the Queen Regent entered and took her seat upon the throne, all stood

up and bowed themselves before her with profound reverence. Abbas

Khan, who stood near the steps of the throne, as it were, leading the

movement.

"Is it not gorgeous, Maria!" exclaimed her companion, clapping

her hands in joy. "Does not your heart swell at the sight? And

they are all my lord's, and will go and fight for him. Hark to the

shouts, 'Futteh-i-Nubba!' ('Victory to the Prophet!') 'Deen! Deen!'

'Futteh-i-Shah Ibrahim!' Oh, Maria! I feel as though I could go and

fight with them for my dear, my noble lord; and, oh, our mother would

go if she were at liberty, for when her husband was at war she was a

warrior too, and never left his side. But, ah! I have been weak, and my

king would not let me go. And I tell you truly, Maria, my father has as

many soldiers as my lord, but he has no hall like this. Our durbar is

a small place in comparison, but the troops assemble below the black

terrace, and we used to look at them from the terrace of the palace.

When the durbar is over I will take you to the rooms I like best, for

they are higher than these; and if you open the windows you can see the

whole city at your feet. All mine! all mine, Maria! because it is my

lord's."

Thus she prattled on in high spirits, though Maria feared for the

excitement, while the business of the durbar proceeded. One by one, as

the names of the commanders were called, and the amount of their forces

cried out, they presented the hilts of their swords to the Queen Regent

and received her blessing; and many of them, rejoining their men,

marched them forth to the place of assembly. But some remained, and

Abbas Khan was the last to offer his homage and take leave to depart.

As he came up to the steps of the throne the Queen motioned him to

come to her, and with her own hands tied round his right arm a small

light green muslin scarf bordered with silver tissue, in which a coin

had been folded in the name of the Imám Zamin, as she whispered, "Go,

my son; honour and advancement are in thine own hands, and I know thou

wilt not fail me or the King. Go; may Alla keep thee and restore thee

to me as safely as I dismiss thee."

Then, as the Queen rose, the kettledrum sounded again, and Abbas Khan,

stretching out his arm over his head, cried with a loud, manly voice,

"Victory to our Queen-Mother!" which was taken up by those who filled

the hall, and by the thousands without; and in a short time the hall

and plain beyond were empty, except for a solitary court usher, or

other attendant, who, flitting about singly, gave to the vast edifice

an appearance almost of desertion.

As Abbas Khan passed the private entrance he sent word to the Padré to

come to speak with him, and waited in the street for him. "How is the

little Queen?" he asked. "Tell me truly for my lord the King."

"She is very delicate," was the reply; "but I do not fear. If my

directions are fulfilled, she will ultimately recover; and, though she

may never be strong, she will pass an easy, happy life. But if she be

neglected, I fear the worst. My lord, I will see to her as much as

possible myself; and for part of every day Maria will be with her and

direct her."

"And now farewell, my friend," said Abbas Khan, "for I have yet

business at home, and we must assemble at Allapoor before sunset.

Be careful of yourselves, and may Alla keep you. Do not cross the

ill-natured old Peer Sahib; yet do not avoid him, or show any fear of

him, nor, indeed, of anyone, for our noble Queen-Mother is your true

friend and protector. Do not stay long to-day, for she is excited and

wearied, but go every day to her, and take Maria with you; she can do

more for Taj-ool-Nissa's happiness and the King's than she imagines. If

you are at your house soon, come to me once more before I leave; but as

the third watch begins to strike, I must put my foot in the stirrup and

can wait for no one. Maria will often see my aunt at the Palace; let

them be loving friends, as they should be, and may God have you in his

keeping."

"What can I say for your kindness, my lord?" returned the Padré. "Our

humble prayers attend you. Be not too rash if there be war, for a good

leader ought not to expose himself to undue danger. All else I will

remember, and the poor little Queen shall be closely watched. Maria was

once in a similar condition, and I feared for her; but you see how

healthy she is now."

It was no easy matter to get away from the Palace. Taj-ool-Nissa had

taken Maria up to the set of her own private apartments she most

liked to live in. They were under the terraced roof, and were both

lofty and airy, commanding, as she had said, a view over the whole of

the citadel, including the elegant Palace of the Seven Storeys, and

the city, as far as the high ground beyond Tórweh, a wide expanse,

which was filled with noble palaces, terraced roofs, with streets,

mosques, and minarets without number. To the north the huge mass of the

mausoleum of Mahmood Adil Shah towered over all; and beyond the wall

was the broad plain of Allapoor, dotted over with the white tents of

the army.

They were interrupted by the Queen Regent, who appeared weary and

anxious, as she threw herself on a pile of soft cushions and pressed

her temples with her hands. "Alas!" she cried, "alas! and woe that

it falls to-night to despatch our army against my own kinsfolk of

Ahmednugger. Pity me, both of ye, my children! May such necessities as

mine be far from ye. But they are factious and desperate, and would

invade us if they were not checked. Yet I pray they may return within

their boundary before there be blood shed. So grant it, O Lord most

mighty!"

Then she was silent for a while, and seemed to pray; but in a few

moments she looked up more brightly, and rose to a sitting posture. "I

have been taking my instructions from your good brother, Maria, about

Tajoo's medicine, and talking to him about his life, and about the

Dervish of Juldroog, and Zóra. He says you have, or had, a drawing of

her made by yourself. Is it in your book? If it be, let me see it."

Maria feared she had left it behind at her house, but found it in

the portfolio; and as she glanced at it, thought she had never done

anything more correctly. It was a faithful likeness of the girl, with

her sweet lips parted as if to speak; an earnest, glowing face, to

be loved at first sight. She put the drawing into the Queen's hands,

and observed her start visibly. "What a dear, loving face it is!" she

exclaimed.

"Yes, it is all that," returned Maria; "and her heart is the same. I

could show you a letter which reached me only yesterday, which she

has written as she speaks, if your Majesty would like to see it;" and

taking a small case from the pocket of her robe, she placed it in the

Queen's hand. It was that we have already seen.

"It is charming, indeed," she said; "and I think there is a clue in my

mind as to the person remembered."

"Ah!" cried Maria, "I had forgotten that. I ought not----"

The Queen smiled as she interrupted the fair speaker. "Have no

concealment from me, Maria; for he is my son, and I am her truest

friend if she can be found."

"Found!" exclaimed Maria; "why she is at Juldroog, surely?"

"Alas, daughter! man's passion has been busy there also. Osman Beg

offered her violence, but she was rescued by Runga Naik; and her

grandfather and herself are wanderers. Yet she is safe, and we may be

able to recover her. Osman Beg we have removed from his office, pending

the King's arrival and pleasure."

Then Maria remembered the scene of the cataract, and the dead panther

lying beneath the bastion, and Zóra's dread of the libertine Nawab; and

was thankful for her rescue and escape. "He ought to be rewarded, that

brave Runga, for he loves that child, and would give his life for her."

"And he shall be rewarded, Maria; for he is, indeed, a noble fellow,

simple and truthful."

"Who is Zóra?" asked Taj-ool-Nissa; and she looked at the drawing,

which was wonderful in her eyes.

"One who is very dear to Maria, and will, I hope, be dear to thee,

Tajoo; but let Maria go now, for thou shouldst take thy medicine, and

after it thou art ordered rest. I, too, am already weary, and would

sleep awhile before the afternoon sitting."

"And Maria will come to-morrow, mother?"

"Certainly," said the Queen, answering for Maria, who felt as if excuse

would be impossible.

When Abbas Khan returned home he found his aunt cheerful and resigned

to his unavoidable absence. The family astrologer had predicted a

favourable journey, leading to honour; and it was Thursday when the

Rujub-ool-Ghyb pointed to the north, the way he was to go. Other homely

proceedings had removed all doubts. Yet the thought that to stay behind

would have been a disgrace, and the charge of so large a body of troops

would lead to high honour; above all, that her boy would be with his

uncle and his foster-brother, the King, comforted her.

On his own part, he could only commit the Padré and his sister to

her care; and ask her if she heard of the arrival of the Dervish of

Juldroog in the city at any of the shrines to send for him, and offer

him her hospitality till he should return himself, as he trusted

shortly, and perhaps his granddaughter might be with him.

So the dear old lady embraced him, and tied a coin, dedicated to the

Imám Zamin, in a green scarf upon his arm, with a fervent prayer. Her

cheeks were wet with tears, but she had never seen him depart with so

much confidence as now. Then as the Palace gongs sounded the third

watch he mounted his horse and rode out of the courtyard; and the

large nagaras or kettledrums of his household guards beating their

hollow booming notes, they were taken up by those of the force, some of

which through the north or Delhi gate were already in motion along the

Allapoor road.

He had barely departed, when the Padré and his sister reached home,

and sent word to the old lady that they had to deliver a message from

the Palace, and would come, if permitted, through the garden; and a

kind answer being received in reply, they went to her. Maria had not,

as yet, seen the Lady Fatima, and found her just the dear, kindly

person she had imagined, and she was taken to her breast with unfeigned

affection. On Maria mentioning that her brother was without, she

desired a woman-servant to bring him in to her apartment. "I am too old

not to be seen by a man of God," she said, laughing; and as Francis

entered, she rose and saluted him.

"Your sister and I have already dispensed with ceremony," she said,

"and I beg you to dispense with it also Señor Padré. I am a plain,

homely woman, and desire to know one who has rendered such inestimable

service to my son. And his wound is well?"

"Almost," he replied. "I have no fear about it; and he will be careful

now, for it only requires rest."

Then he delivered the Queen's message, that she would bring Maria

with her the next day, which she gladly assented to do; and gradually

leading them to speak of Juldroog and their hosts there, she said

frankly, "Ah! I fear Meeah left his heart there. Can you describe Zóra,

whose name he murmured in his dreams?"

"I can show you a poor likeness of her," replied Maria, taking the

drawing from her portfolio. "This is true, but it is not equal to her

beautiful, innocent face."

"Ya, Alla! thou art merciful," said the old lady. "Such an one I had

dreamed of for him; and I am thankful that such a face lies at his

heart. May she be his in the end. And she loves him, Maria?"

"Nay," she said, modestly, "I cannot say; but her letter, which I may

show to his mother, is, I think, true. Listen, and I will read it. Oh!

that the motherless child could obtain such a protector." Then they

conversed long upon past events, and Francis and his sister returned

late to their home, grateful but wearied by the events of the day. And

till the King's return the intercourse between Donna Maria and the

Royal inmates of the Palace continued to afford deep gratification

to all; while, under the skilful care of the Padré, the young Queen

regained health and strength such as she had not enjoyed for a long

time previously. She had proved an apt scholar in ornamental work, had

made progress in drawing, and in reading Persian under the instruction

of the old teacher who had taught her husband the King. Her former

lassitude, weariness, and petulance had disappeared, and, instead, her

bright, simple, ingenuous nature promised to be the foundation of a

happy and useful life.

END OF BOOK II.

BOOK III.

CHAPTER I.

A RAPID MARCH.

The new Governor of Juldroog was a bold, active young officer, by no

means likely to delay in assuming charge of the first considerable

office with which he had been entrusted. Taking with him ten picked men

of his own retainers, on whom he could thoroughly depend, and relying

on the effects of the Queen's commission upon the present garrison of

the fort, he left Beejapoor not long after midnight; for, accustomed

to move anywhere at the shortest notice, he had little else to do

than order his men to be ready, to give a few simple directions in

his house, and to warn his scribe and secretary, Jewun Rao, an active

young Brahmin, skilled in writing both Persian and Mahratta. All this

was soon accomplished, and before the day broke the little party, with

their lightly-loaded baggage ponies, were some miles on their road

southwards, travelling at a steady pace, as befitted persons who could

not risk failure by too great haste. They avoided, too, the larger

villages and small towns; and, as all knew the country perfectly, they

had no difficulty in following the nearest routes without guides.

The day was cool and overcast, with a fresh breeze blowing from the

south-west, which rendered travelling pleasant; and as there had been

no rain for some days, the roads and the country in general were quite

dry, and easy to traverse. About noon the party halted under a grove

of mango trees, by which a small stream ran, and preparations were

made for a good meal, which, indeed, was needed, and welcome to every

one, for half the journey was already accomplished; and after taking

a little rest they again mounted and pushed on. Here and there, as

they passed near villages, the bastions were manned by matchlock men;

but the Royal flag, which the Governor used as his standard, was too

well known to be disputed, and as the evening closed in, they found

themselves on the borders of the Beydur territory, only a few miles

from their final destination, Runga Naik's town of Korikul. Now a doubt

arose as to whether it would be most advisable to halt where they were

for the night, or to proceed; but, all things considered, and to give

rest to their horses, they determined to stay where they were.

The Patell, or head officer, who chanced to be a Mussulman, and the

other authorities being summoned in the Queen's name, came, humbly

offering forage and shelter and such food as the place afforded, while

the Moolla conducted them to the humble mosque, and bade them welcome.

The hospitality of an Indian village is generally very sincere when

those who need it belong to the ruling Government of the country, and

come in a peaceful cause; and the new Governor of Juldroog was no bully

to extort what he could obtain by conciliatory request. Comparatively

soon, therefore, a sheep was slain, and converted into savoury kabobs,

with the accompaniment of an excellent pilao, to which our friends, we

need hardly say, did ample justice, for their first meal of the day had

only been a very light and unsubstantial one. After it was over the

Patell was summoned, and questioned as to the nearest road to Korikul,

which none of the party had seen.

"Korikul!" exclaimed the Patell, in amazement; "that is not your way

to Moodgul, if you are going there! Runga Naik's people are not used

to the sight of soldiers of the Queen, and are likely to give you a

rough reception, Meer Sahib. Of course I can give you a guide if you

wish one, and my own son shall attend you, who is well known there; but

still I advise you to avoid the place, and go by the high road, where

there are good boats at the ferry, for the river is not fordable yet."

"But we have business with Runga's people; and with this," and he drew

the chieftain's letter from his breast, "we shall, I hope, have no

trouble."

"It is, indeed, Runga Naik's writing," said the Kurnum, or village

scribe, "and sealed by his seal, and addressed to his wife, Késama,

and to Burma Naik, who is in charge of the place; but for all that it

depends upon your business there, Sahib, what sort of a reception you

get; and the Patell's son, whom they know, will be able to explain all

you need. Or shall I come myself?"

"If I can only get speech of them, I will explain my own business,"

said the Governor; "and it is private, so that I have to tell it

myself. Settle among yourselves who had best accompany me, and be ready

before daylight; for as soon as the horses have had rest we ought to

proceed, and there will be plenty of light from the moon."

"Yes, you should leave this soon after the second watch of the night,"

returned the Kurnum; "and while you sleep we will settle who is to go.

There will be no trouble, Meer Sahib. You do not want any of them."

"Not I," was the reply. "Runga and three hundred of his men march

to-morrow with the army, and I am to tell this, and something else,

which is, as I said, private. Now let me sleep, Rao Sahib, for I am

somewhat stiff and tired."

"It is time to get up, Meer Sahib," said the Kurnum, some hours later,

shaking the shoulders of the sleeper. "I am ready myself, and the

Patell, who will not trust his son, is ready also. He and his wife are

seeing to a light meal which you had as well eat before you start, and

your men and servants are taking theirs. So get up, sir; your horses

are already saddled."

"How I have slept, to be sure!" said the Meer Sahib, yawning; "and I

could have lain there till daylight; but I shall be ready directly;"

and a servant entering with a vessel, poured water over his hands and

feet, while the whole ablution was quickly completed, and the slight

breakfast was a savoury and unexpected pleasure. Then the stout old

Patell came ready equipped for travel, apologising for his early

disturbance of his guest. "But the road is long and very stony," he

said, "and I go with you because I know Burma well, better than the

Kurnum, for he hates Brahmins in general, and, if he happens to be in a

bad humour, will open the gate to no one. If he thought you wanted him

or any of his people to account for anything, your first welcome would

be a shower of matchlock balls which would empty some of your saddles."

"I am heartily obliged to you, my friend," replied the Meer Sahib. "By

all means take the matter into your own hand. With any one but a Syud,

as you are, I should be suspicious; but I can depend upon you. Now I

am ready, Bismilla! let us proceed;" and with an echo of the cry from

his men, the party set out at as quick a pace as the narrow path would

allow.

At first it led through fields; but when they ceased, a short thorny

jungle began, while so narrow was the path that only one person

could proceed at a time. This thorny tract was in fact the frontier

of the Beydur district, and was kept as unbroken as possible to

keep out enemies or marauders, as also parties of the clan who might

be returning pursued from freebooting expeditions in the adjacent

countries. Every path that led into the open country beyond was made

or left as crooked as possible, constantly breaking into other smaller

ones, which, unless the right one were known, led into wilder spots, or

ceased altogether.

They were tracks, too, that could easily be defended upon any

emergency. Sometimes small breast-works, like low walls of rough

stones, crossed the road, which could be held against a large number

by a few men; and, again, similar breast-works occupied the crests

or sides of low rocky hills, or isolated piles of granite rock. At

night the tracks, the thorny bushes, and rude fortifications seemed

more formidable than they really were at daylight; and the dim moon,

partially overcast with clouds, made every object indistinct and

mysterious after a strange fashion.

The young leader saw at once that, without a very competent guide, he

and his men might have wandered through these ever-varying tracks and

jungles, which continued for several miles, without a hope of finding

their way to their destination; and it was fortunate, indeed, that he

had chanced to find a friendly village and a hospitable Patell of his

own faith whom the Beydurs of Korikul could trust.

"We could never have found our way, Sheykhjee," said the Governor,

"without you or without torches, and I am grateful to you."

"You would not have discovered it with them, Meer Sahib," returned his

companion. "If torches had been seen gliding about in this jungle you

would have found yourselves beset speedily and helplessly. There would

have been no parleying with you; but, instead, you would have been in

the power of my not over scrupulous friends. It is, indeed, a mercy

that you did not attempt it. But see, the last small pass brought us

out of the jungle and the rocks; and we are now in the open country,

which, as you will see, is fertile and well cultivated; for the Naik

of Wakin-Keyra is careful of his people. Now we can push on faster,

Meer Sahib; and we shall be at the gates of Korikul by daylight, or

soon after; shall we not, Ramana?" he asked of his horn-blower, who was

walking beside his master's palfrey, holding on by the crupper.

"Sooner, perhaps," said the man; "and you need not arrive before the

gates are opened for the day."

So they proceeded, answering challenges from village towns and bastions

by a few notes on the Patell's horn, which seemed to be understood,

for they were not molested. Gradually the chill wind which precedes

dawn blew over the face of the country, and moaned through the trees

they were just clearing. Packs of jackals began their last howlings

before they went to rest, and others took up their cries, which

seemed to extend far and wide. Lapwings and plovers had roused with

the last watch of the night, and piped or wailed to each other as they

took their early flights; or, roused by the travellers, flew up into

the air, and, caught by the wind, flew screaming to leeward. The moon

was fast sinking into a belt of dark grey clouds near the horizon,

while the eastern sky showed a perceptibly brighter tint which spread

gradually over that region, though, as yet, there was none of the

colour of dawn. Then, on the banks of a small stream, the Patell called

a halt, waist cloths were spread, and the early prayer said by all the

Mussulmans of the party; and, after it, hookahs went round with many

a jest and laugh of good companionship. As the cocks began to crow

and the dogs to bark in a village not far off, they mounted again and

pursued their way.

As daylight increased, it would have been difficult, perhaps

impossible, for the young leader of the party to have made his way

through the country without his guide, for at every village men armed

with long Beydur matchlocks manned the bastions and gate-towers of the

villages, as well as the central place of refuge, which, in appearance

and size closely resembling a Martello tower, commanded the village

and adjacent approaches. Drums were beaten, the village horn-blowers

blew quivering blasts upon their instruments, and men shrieked and

yelled in that peculiar manner which, when Beydurs are excited, is not

pleasant to hear; but a few notes from the guide's horn seemed to have

the invariable effect of quieting the commotion, and in most instances

parties of the village guards ran out to hold a brief colloquy with

the old Patell and his companions, only to be assured of peaceable

intentions and the Queen's service. The Governor saw that all the

villages, neatly built of the laminar limestone of this part, and

covered with thinner portions like slate, were evidently prosperous

and thickly inhabited; and that their lands were well cultivated and

bore heavy crops of grain and pulse, while the people were comfortably

clad and cattle were abundant. If the Beydurs were vicious and robbers

without their boundaries, as they had the reputation of being, they

were, at least, quiet and industrious within; watchful and prepared to

resist any irruption of marauders from without.

The sun was just rising when the old Patell, who was leading, stopped

and pointed out smoke, which appeared above a grove of tamarind trees

at a little distance; and as they gained the summit of a slight rising

ground, the town of Korikul lay just before them. In the centre was

a castle, with walls about fifty feet high, and towers well built of

stone, from the highest of which floated the standard of Runga Naik,

being a large green field with a white border, and a figure of Hunooman

(the Monkey God) and patron saints of the Beydurs displayed on it;

while similar flags were flying from the gate towers and bastions. Some

neat buildings in the upper part of the castle, cleanly whitewashed,

were evidently the dwelling places of the family; and below was a large

open courtyard, which led into other yards--all surrounded with stone

walls, with bastions at intervals--and containing large stacks of grain

and forage. The entrance to the outer gate of the castle was intricate,

leading through a succession of narrow traverses between bastion

loopholes for musketry. Before modern artillery such a place could not

be held for an hour; but at the period of this chronicle the Castle

of Korikul was a strong place, and could be defended by a thousand or

more stout Beydurs, many of whom lived in the town and others in the

villages around, who held lands for their services--all forming part of

the numerous militia of the province, which was twelve thousand strong.

The space around the outer walls of the castle, and between them and

the inner wall--which was also of stone, and protected by circular

bastions--was filled with narrow irregular streets, and stone houses

roofed with slate, tiles, or thatch, as it pleased the owners. One

street--broader than any other, and leading from the gate to the

castle, or palace as it was called--was pointed out by the Patell

as the Bazar, in which there were shops of cloth merchants, money

dealers, braziers, and grain and flour dealers. Beyond the inner walls

was a large populous suburb of weavers, each house having its yards

for dressing yarn for the loom; while, mingled with them, were dyers'

yards, where white yarn was dyed of various colours to suit the

manufacturers. A small stream ran past the town, the bed of which was

already crowded by bathers, washers of yarn, cattle drinking before

they went to graze, or standing and lowing in the shallow pools.

Altogether, with the fine tamarind and mango trees around, the low

rugged hills covered with brushwood, stretching into the distance, the

scene was cheerful, prosperous, and peaceful; and a softened beauty

seemed to pervade all the landscape.

Such was the thriving town of Korikul at the period we write of. But

it is sadly different now. The outer walls and bastions as well as the

inner ones, are broken down in many places, part of the castle has

fallen in, and the whole is in a ruinous condition. The town is full

of heaps of stones and earth which once formed substantial houses, and

the Petta, or weavers' suburb, has almost disappeared. The chief, a

descendant of Runga Naik, no longer resides in the ancient castle, but

in one of the outlying buildings, which may have been that inhabited

by Burma. He retains his ancestral lands, and the Beydur militia on

the frontier are under his charge; but heavy oppressions and exactions

drove most of the families of weavers from the town; their places have

not been filled, and though some of the old stock remain, the amount of

manufacture is not a tithe of what it used to be. As to the Beydurs,

they have no forays now, no expeditions into more peaceful lands to

boast of, or wealth of spoil. They are reduced to the condition of

quiet husbandmen and farmers, retaining, however, their pride of race,

kept up by recitations by their bards of the deeds of their ancestors.

From the rough character of the country beyond the town, and, indeed,

surrounding it on two sides, it was evident that the open cultivated

tract did not extend further; and this, we may observe, resulted from

the change from the trap and limestone formation to the rugged granite

hills, and strange piles of rocks, which continued to the ravine of the

cataract and to Juldroog, about eight miles beyond, to the south.

As the strange party stood for a few minutes on the summit of the

ridge, it was evident that they were observed by the watchmen in the

castle towers, for drums were beaten, horns blown, and a general

stampede of people and cattle ensued from the river bed and fields

around. Then some matchlock shots were fired, and a ball from a heavy

wall gun or field-piece which stood upon one of the castle bastions,

which went whizzing over their heads at a high elevation.

"That was not meant for us, Meer Sahib," said the Patell, laughing,

"but only as a warning. These poor Beydurs have many enemies, and they

need to look out carefully against surprises. Blow, Krishna," he said

to the horn-blower beside him; "let us see if that satisfies them."

This time the blast was much longer and more elaborate, and ended with

a wonderful flourish, which did the performer much credit; and almost

immediately was answered by exactly the same blast from the tower of

the castle. "That is Krishnya's horn, and his master is with him. I see

the old man," said the horn-blower "and it was a friendly blast."

"Who, then, are the Mussulman soldiers with him, and what has he to do

with the King's men?" said the head watchman. "Go and tell Burma Naik

or the lady, while I go to the gate and inquire. It seems something

uncommon."

The lady Keysama had been long astir. She was an active, homely woman,

with a decidedly uncertain temper, amenable to none but her husband,

whom she feared as well as respected, and loved, in her own way, very

faithfully. In her Runga Naik had absolute confidence, for fear was

unknown to her; and had there been occasion at any time, she would

have defended the castle while one stone remained on another. The lady

was a practical and active housewife, too; and, on the churning day,

when ghee was to be made, and Brahmins feasted, and the whole house

must be absolutely pure, it was not likely that fresh plastering the

floors with liquid mud would be neglected. This was a duty which the

lazy hussies, who were her slaves, could not be trusted with; and

accordingly the town trumpeter found her overlooking the work, with her

sáré tucked in above her knees, and a chubby child sitting astride on

her hip, in the long front verandah of the entrance to the castle.

"What hast thou been blowing thy horn so much for, Bheema, disturbing

everybody? If thou wantest to blow, couldst thou not have gone into thy

fields and scared away the birds?"

"But, lady, some people are at the gate and demand entrance in the name

of the Queen Chand."

"Tell them to go away. If they don't go, wake Burma Naik, and tell him

to fire on them. Be off, and do not interrupt me! Ah! dost thou dare

to look up at my girls, Bheema," she continued, aiming a blow at him

with the long bamboo staff on which she was leaning. "Away with thee,

impudent, and do what I tell thee."

"Unless Burma comes to her, I might as well talk to a stone," the man

muttered to himself, as he turned away; "and Burma is asleep after the

feast on wild hog he had last night. I hope Arjóona has awoke him, for

I dare not."

That had apparently been effected some time, for as the horn-blower

entered the outer court of Burma's house, he saw him sitting in his

usual place. He was tying a checked handkerchief round his head,

loosely and very much awry; his face was bloated, greasy, and swollen;

his eyes red, and with evident signs that his potations had been

long and deep the night before. He was yawning, and spluttering

out Canarese oaths at every interval, and was, indeed, by no means

pleasant to behold. We have seen him before, a stout, active soldier,

assisting little Zóra to escape; but now he was in a different mood,

and of different aspect. The vermilion marks on his forehead, nose,

cheekbones, and eyebrows, were blurred and partly rubbed off; his hair

was dishevelled, and hung about him in unkempt locks; and the scowl

on his face bespoke impatience of anything he might have to hear, and

vexation that his sleep had been broken.

"The King's soldiers," he said, contemptuously, "what do they want?

What brings the King's soldiers here? What induced that meddlesome old

Patell, Sheykh Abdoolla, to show them the way? By the Gods! he shall

answer for it; let him look to his cattle pens. What does he say? what

does he want?"

"He will not tell me," replied the man, "nor the Chitnees, who is

talking to him from the bastion by the gate. He says the jemadar of

the Royal troops has an order from the Queen, and a letter from Runga

Naik to our lady; but he will give up neither except to you and to her

together."

"Some requisition for forage, or grain, or money, I suppose," returned

Burma, with a sneer; "for the Queen does not write to us except to make

a demand. Why did you not tell me this first, and they would have been

gone before now with a shower of balls flying after them."

"But," urged the man, putting up his hands in supplication, "what about

the master's letter? There may be some order in it."

"If there were," retorted Burma, "he would have sent some of the men

with it, not the Queen's jemadar. It is no letter of his, but only a

decoy. Go, tell the men to give them warning, and if they don't depart,

to fire on them."

Thus it seemed very probable that no message would be delivered, and

the Queen's party and their guide driven away; but the last spokesman

to Burma Naik was pertinacious, and insisted that Runga's letter should

be received, even from the Mussulman leader.

"Suppose there is anything important in it, and you turned it away. I

do not think you would be very safe, master, if my lord knew of it,

though you are Burma Naik."

"Humph!" grunted Burma, "there is something in that; and what does the

lady say?"

"She will have nothing to do with it, and you are to act as you please.

If there is anything addressed to her, you can come and tell her."

"How many want to enter? And how many are there in all?"

"Ten men and their leader, with old Sheykhjee and his Kurnum, and some

grooms and baggage ponies, and a Brahmin."

"Sons of vile mothers!" exclaimed Burma, as he aimed a blow at the

horn-blower. "Could ye not have told me this before? By your long face

one would have thought there had been five hundred of the King's horse.

Go! Admit the leader, his grooms and scribe, old Sheykhjee and the

Kurnum. We shall soon get to the bottom of all. Tell the rest to remain

without."

All this had taken much time, and the Meer Sahib's patience was well

nigh exhausted; but the old Patell kept him quiet. "Burma Naik was

drunk last night, I suspect," he said, "and was not easy to wake, nor

in good humour when awakened. Be patient, and we shall soon know."

Nor, indeed, was it long before the horn-blower and his companion

arrived; and, speaking from the wicket of the gate, saluted the Meer

Sahib and the Patell, and informed them they had permission to advance

and present the letter. The ponderous gate was then opened, and, the

Patell leading, both entered the outer enclosure, and rode up the Bazar.

The residence of Burma formed part of the entrance to the outer court

of the castle, for he was a near relative, and entitled to dwell in

the vicinity of the lord of Korikul. So they were ushered in. They

found Burma Naik more presentable than he had been--now washed, and

with plain but decent clothes. His usual seat had an embroidered cloth

spread over it, cushions were placed for others, and his sword and

shield laid out before him. As they approached he rose and saluted

them with an awkward but courteous gesture, and bid them be seated,

apologising for the precautions he was obliged to take against

marauding parties, which came upon all sorts of pretences. "And where

are the letters?" he asked. "They say there are some from the Queen,

and from my cousin Runga Naik, to me and the lady Keysama. Pray

deliver them. This, indeed, is from the Queen," he continued, observing

the Royal seal, and he put the letter to his head and eyes; "and it is

addressed to the lady Keysama in Persian, which I cannot read, and in

Canarese, which I can read, by Runga Naik himself. There is no doubt

now; may I open that addressed to me?"

"Certainly," returned the Meer Sahib; "you will then see what is to be

done, for Runga Naik wrote it before me with his own hand."

"Sure enough, it is his own seal and superscription," said Burma,

opening the cover, while, unfolding the letter, his eyes ran rapidly

over the contents. "Will I help, O Meer Sahib!" he cried, the whole

of his face brightening with excitement. "Ah, sirs, it is a welcome

service to perform; and you, too, are my lord now," and he rose and

saluted him. "Under Runga Naik's order, this place and all that are in

it are at your disposal. I grieve only that there was any semblance of

rudeness shown to you. I will send for your companions, and ye are all

to be the lady Keysama's guests as long as ye stay, yet ye ought not to

delay."

"We are ready to go on now, sir," said the Meer Sahib, "if it be

advisable."

"Not yet," returned Burma; "the boats have to be prepared, and some

men who are the oarsmen summoned. We require two more boats than are

now at the ford; but they will be all ready by the evening. Meanwhile

rest yourselves and take food; to-morrow we shall break our fast in the

fort, and you, sir, will be its Governor, instead of that false traitor

and tyrant, Osman Beg. What sayest thou to that, O Sheykhjee? Dost thou

not rejoice to hear it?"

"I do, I do, with thanks to the Almighty," said the Patell, "who has

heard the prayers of his servants. If it were only for his violence to

my poor old friend's granddaughter, who should have been sacred in his

eyes, he deserves death. Would I could go with ye."

"Thou wilt soon hear," replied Burma; "and if thou wilt remain till

to-morrow, when we are quiet, come to us. Thou hast done good service

in leading my lord hither direct, for if he had wandered to the upper

ford, Osman Beg would have heard of it, and filled the fort with loose

characters, of whom there are always enough and to spare. To do him

justice, the Nawab can fight, and we should have had much more trouble

than we shall have."

"I will come down to Jumálpoor early to-morrow," was the old Patell's

reply, "and so make no delay. You had better fire a gun at daylight,

that will be enough for me; and perhaps when my lord writes to the

durbar he will mention the little service I was able to render."

"That I will, my friend," said the Meer Sahib; "but come now to the

mosque, and you shall tell me about Osman Beg, and what he has done."

"Certainly," returned the Patell, "I have some business in the fair

to-day, but that does not fall till late; come, and take my blessing,

and prayer for the success of thy good work."

The lady Keysama did not appear. She could not admit strangers, aliens

in faith, while the holy ceremonies were going on, but she sent her

thanks for her husband's letter, and garlands of flowers with her

blessings and prayers for success.

In the afternoon the whole party again set out, guided now by Burma

Naik, who took with him fifty additional men, and skirting the rugged

granite hills which border the Dóne, they reached the hamlet of

Jumalpoor, about two miles from the great river's bank, opposite to the

town end of the island fort, as night closed in. Then they heard that

the boats were being dragged up from below, and would be at the ferry

before midnight.