CONCLUSION.
By the time Abbas Khan could reach the room to which the body of the
murdered Queen had been taken, it had been laid out with the usual
formalities. He could have done nothing there, and it was necessary
for him to satisfy himself that no deep-laid treachery or disaffection
was at work. And of these there appeared no traces. All the leaders of
Dekhany parties came forward and made their salutations, as usual, and
the men crowded round him with professions of attachment and devotion,
which left no cause for doubt that the dreadful act that had been
committed was one of sudden frenzy, enacted by the eunuch, whom he had
long suspected, though undefinably, of sinister designs. He was a man
in whom the Queen had reposed as great confidence as in himself; and to
breathe idle suspicion to her would have been only to excite suspicion
of himself, and he had not attempted to do so; but since the flight
of Nihung Khan, the eunuch's manner had been changed, and the former
unreserved confidence that had existed no longer continued at heart,
though outwardly the two men were apparently as cordial as ever.
Satisfied that all was tranquil, and that the fort and garrison had
subsided into their usual calm, Abbas Khan returned to the palace, and
reverently visited the remains of his beloved mistress and mother, for
he had always looked on her in the place of one; and as such, and his
Queen, paid her reverence. Outside, in the hall of audience, and in
the ante-chamber of the room in which she lay, were Moollas, reading
and chanting the stated portions of the Korán. Incense was burning,
and its smoke hung about the clustered pillars, niches, and fretted
ceilings; and within, the women and eunuchs of the household were
wailing, moaning, and occasionally breaking into passionate cries and
adjurations. Zóra and the young mother of the boy King were sitting at
the head of the Queen, with their faces covered, and heads bowed down,
wailing like the rest; and as Zóra looked up, her husband saw her face
and eyes swollen with weeping, and full of unutterable woe. She could
not speak, and longed to throw herself into his arms. But that was not
the place for such an action, and she remained kneeling.
Nor could Abbas Khan say more than the usual salutation to the dead.
"Peace be with thee, and the blessing of the Lord," and burst into an
almost uncontrollable passion of weeping. All the majesty, all the
heroism, all the benevolence, all the political ability of the noble
woman lying there, in the last sleep of death, surged up to his memory,
mingled with tender thoughts of her loving kindness, her bearing with
all his waywardness from boyhood; and now a traitors sword had closed
that noble life, without a warning or a suspicion.
The Queen's face was not changed, except to wear the expression of
a glorious death. A soft smile, as if of peace in the last supreme
moment, lingered on her lips; and though her poor slight body was
covered with wounds, the face had escaped mutilation, and had become
more beautiful, if possible, in death than in life. Who could forget
it? and long they gazed and watched. Who ever would forget it? Zóra
would fain have had him stay, for she needed comfort; but with a few
soothing words he said, "I must not sleep to-night, darling; but watch,
too, over ye all, as is my duty. It may be that the enemy may be
unquiet, and the people need all my vigilance." Then he took up his boy
and kissed him, and blessed them both.
At the earliest dawn he was with the mourners again, and what remained
of the Noble Queen was reverently taken up and carried to a little
private cemetery in an angle of the fort, and there laid in the earth.
Abbas Khan had sent a flag of truce to the Moghul trenches to say
that unshotted guns would be fired for the Queen; and the salvoes of
artillery which mingled with the chants of the Moollas and the wailings
of the people, who crowded every point from which the last procession
could be seen, were not noticed; while during the day a letter of
condolence, in the name of the young King, was sent by the Prince
Daniel, an act of unexpected courtesy.
We cannot linger on the sadness that fell over all. Under such
circumstances a public calamity has greater effect than at any other;
and sadly were the noble lady's cheering smile and hearty words of
encouragement missed by all to whom they had become familiar. What
was Abbas Khan to do? Who was to undertake the Regency on behalf of
the young King? Zóra entreated her husband not to do so. Then, too,
Ahmednugger was severed, and she longed for a peaceful existence at
Beejapoor. Her life had been one of continual alarm, danger, treachery,
and war, and still danger most imminent surrounded them; and yet she
could not counsel flight.
The suspense was not of long duration, and after consultation with the
officers of the fort, it had been determined to send a flag of truce
into the Royal camp--not to write--to ascertain what terms would be
given for the surrender of the fort, and the conveyance of the young
King to Joonair. But the proposal was never made. Encouraged by the
death of the Queen, and convinced that the garrison had lost heart,
Khan Khanan redoubled his exertions, and though the great mine was
disabled, yet those in the counterscarp and under the ramparts, five in
all, were ready, and were loaded during that day and the next.
On the day following, masses of the Moghul troops were seen from the
cavalier to be marching upon the fort, and taking up new positions
during the morning. It seemed as though new ground was to be broken to
the east and north; or a feint made to cover some operation outside.
A few shots were fired at them, but they were too distant to have any
effect. The movement was, however, a feint, and a successful one,
for under cover of it the enemy had lodged a heavy mass of infantry
as a storming party in the trenches, and soon after midday, at the
hottest period, the mines in the counterscarp and rampart were fired
simultaneously; and the effect was so sudden and so unlooked for, that
the enemy made his way into the ditch and up the breach, now a wide and
easy one, without much loss and without check, and a scene of massacre
ensued which we have no need to describe.
Abbas Khan had been sitting on the rampart, watching with several of
his men, when the mine nearest them was sprung, hurling the guard of
one of the smaller bastions into the air, when he felt himself struck
with a large piece of stone, and remembered no more. Some of his men
took him up at once, and led by the faithful Yasin, carried him to his
apartments in the palace, and laid him down. But he still breathed, and
Zóra, who knelt by him, could see no blood; and through the terror of
assault, and the shouts and shrieks of the combat at the breach, she
continued to bathe his face and hands with water, and to rouse him to
consciousness. But nearer and nearer grew the tumult, spreading on all
sides; and, expecting momentary death, she knelt with her boy beside
his father's body and said the last prayers of the dying. While she
was thus employed a Rajpoot officer of rank, accompanied by a crowd
of men, rushed in pell-mell with uplifted swords, but their commander
restrained them; and Zóra, seeing his action, fell at his feet,
beseeching her husband's life.
"My name is Bénee Singh," he said, "and I have led the assault. To me
and my Rajpoots is committed the charge of all the treasure of the fort
and the command of the palace, and we have orders to spare those we
find and to protect the young King. Direct us to him, and I will leave
some men to guard you and yours. Do not fear, you are safe; and we bear
no enmity to wounded and helpless men. See to him, Hurpul Singh," he
continued to a sub-officer; "let him not be disturbed, or the lady; and
keep people out--perhaps he is dying."
But Abbas Khan was not dying. He had only been struck senseless by
the blow of the stone; and after a while, to the infinite joy and
thankfulness of his wife, he opened his eyes, and would have stretched
out his arms to her, but one--his left--was powerless.
"What has happened, Zóra?" he said. "Why am I here? And who are these
men?"
"Be still," she said, gently. "Thou art safe, and the child is safe;
but the fort is taken by the mines. Dost thou not hear the tumult
without?"
"And I was not with them to strike a blow in our defence! O cruel
fate!" And he tried to raise his arm again, but it fell back.
"Be content, my lord," said the man called Hurpul, "It was your luck
the first time, it is ours now; and we have won. Even now the gates
are wide open, and masses of men are entering. Presently the Prince
and Khan Khanan will come, and a salute will be fired. But is thy arm
broken? Let me see. No," he continued, "it is sound, but the bruise
is a bad one; and thou art as helpless as a child. Thank God for thy
life as thy lady doth. Get her to make a fomentation of meem leaves and
turmeric and thou wilt be relieved. When the Khan Khanan comes I will
bring him hither."
Zóra hid herself when the great general came in soon afterwards, and
spoke kindly to her husband. "I have not forgotten thee, Abbas Khan.
From the time the treaty was executed I have wished thou wert among us,
as friends of Beejapoor, rather than these faithless, fickle murderers;
and thou might be so yet. Thou hast held the command here?"
"Yes, my lord," returned the Khan, "since Nihung Khan, the Abyssinian,
fled. After his defeat by you I have had to do my duty."
"Well, I cannot stay, sir, now, but will come to you hereafter. I have
ordered apartments for you and your household in the palace, close to
the city, where you will be removed this evening, and promise that all
your private property shall be sent after you. The eunuchs will, no
doubt, know what it is."
That evening, in closed palanquins, Abbas Khan and his wife, the
boy King and his mother, were removed to the convenient and elegant
structure we have mentioned, which has been converted now into an
English residence. The cool, pure, untainted air, and the pleasant
shady garden, soon effected Abbas Khan's recovery from the dangerous
and painful contusions he had received, and all he now desired and
besought from the Prince and his general, who came frequently to
converse with him, was permission to depart with his effects to
Beejapoor. Both the Prince and Khan Khanan had been greatly struck
by his ability and intelligence, and would fain have had him enter
the Moghul army, and assume a high command, but he respectfully
declined the honour. His estates in Beejapoor, with Zóra's, were very
considerable. The Queen had much enriched him, and all the contents
of his private treasury in the fort had been scrupulously made over
to him. He had afforded all the information possible as regarded the
State affairs, and he and Zóra had visited the humble grave of their
beloved mistress to perform some necessary ceremonies there; but Zóra
could never enter the palace; from her mind the visions of blood and
slaughter it brought back would require many years to efface.
So, when a suitable opportunity offered, Abbas Khan and his family,
accompanied by all his retainers who had escaped the siege, set out
for Beejapoor, travelling by the route by which they had come, past
Nuldroog and Almella, where they were welcomed with joy. We may
imagine, too, with what hearty rejoicing his uncle and the Lady Fatima
welcomed their long absent ones, and with what profuse entertainments
the little Meeah, now a sturdy little fellow, was inducted into the
general heirship of the house. But Abbas Khan's most impressive
reception was from his King, who, grateful for his devotion to Queen
Chand, received him in a grand durbar, and raised him to the highest
rank of nobility, and conferred upon him other substantial proofs of
his gratitude. Not long afterwards, Dilawar Khan, Viceroy of Moodgul,
whose health had failed, gave up his viceroyalty and military command,
and, to his wife's infinite delight, Abbas Khan accepted both with
gratitude.
Before Abbas Khan had been allowed to leave Ahmednugger, the boy King,
Bahadur Nizam Shah, with his mother and other female relatives, had
been taken away as prisoners, and were confined in the fortress of
Gwalior. All the treasures and regalia of the kingdom were confiscated
and removed thither with him. Thenceforth the greatest portion of the
kingdom was annexed to the Moghul empire; but for some years after,
the remainder, up to the frontiers of Golconda and Beejapoor, was ruled
over by Mullek Umber, on behalf of a descendant of the Royal family,
who was crowned under the title of Moortuza Nizam Shah, but the family
finally became extinct about the year 1607.
The Bishop and Maria were miserable until they heard the real facts of
the capture of Ahmednugger. The Queen's murder had been repeated with
endless exaggeration, and Abbas Khan was said to have perished with
her, or in the last assault; while of Zóra nothing was known, but it
was believed she had been carried away into captivity. Still they had
hope, and Mullek Umber bid them hope, and despatched a trusty messenger
to the city, who soon found out Abbas Khan and his wife, and brought
letters from them. "We are safe," Zóra wrote to Maria, "and are going
to Beejapoor. You must come too, and live together again." But the
country was hardly safe yet for travelling, and they were detained till
Mullek Umber could send them to Nuldroog by the way they had come. At
Beejapoor they found that Abbas Khan and Zóra were already established
at Moodgul, and after a short stay at the capital, they proceeded to
their destination. The Bishop had applied to the King for a letter to
Goa, in relation to the wealth of Dom Diego, and it was satisfactory
to the worthy man that the affair had been arranged by the banker, and
that the Church was the richer by several lakhs of rupees.
How thankful and how happy they all were. Nor was it long before Maria
and Zóra revisited the scene of their first meeting. The old house
was cleaned out for them and purified, and their first excursion from
Moodgul was to that well-remembered place. Even the Lady Keysama was
not above meeting the Lady Zóra Khanum, and they talked over bygone
events with interest. As to Runga Naik and Burma, they were beside
themselves with joy; insisting that the ladies should see the cataract
from the palace at the top of the fort; that Zóra should revisit the
fearful scene of her abduction and escape; and she pointed out, with
eyes swimming in tears, where she had been confined, and how delivered.
"Your slave only regretted that he did not go in and slay that vile
ruffian in his sleep," said Burma Naik; "but the Lord reserved him for
your hand, Meeah, and we rejoice that he died at your feet like a dog."
This, however, was a subject which the Khan rarely alluded to, and the
Beydur saw that it had better be avoided.
They revisited the place many a time afterwards, but on the first day,
neither too full to be frightful, or too empty to be meagre, the noble
cataract was in its full beauty; and they descended from the palace
by the small path by which Zóra had been carried by Jooma, the slave,
and sat down on the gun in the bastion, as they had done before. In
the distance the giant fall sparkled with rainbows, and the spray at
times was full of golden light, which, from the evening sun, spread
itself over the rugged sides of the ravine, over the feathery foliage
which clothed the crags, and the plashing water which fretted against
the rocks at their feet far below. While the little Meeah, in his
father's arms, pulled handfuls of flowers from the creepers which hung
everywhere around, Zóra and Maria sat hand in hand without speaking;
and perhaps their hearts were too full for aught else than loving and
reverent memories of the past. Nor was the place ever left unvisited by
Zóra in after days, when the little mosque was repaired, and prayers
were said by an old Syud whom she placed in it; and she came there with
her children on the sacred anniversaries of her grandfather's death.
But he is forgotten now; and of the "Peer," who receives a traditional
anniversary worship to this day, no name has been preserved. We may
be sure that on these anniversaries no more delightful subjects for
stories for the children arose, than their mother's accounts of her
early perils and escapes. Once little Meeah said, looking earnestly in
her face, "Mother, how didst thou escape from all these troubles?" And
Zóra answered, gently, "I trusted in the Lord, my child."
Reader, who hast followed us in the course of this old world tale, we
need hardly tell you that all are forgotten now; and there are traces
of none except the two Beydurs, whose descendants still inhabit Korikul
and Kukeyra, and are unchanged from what they used to be in the times
of which I have written. For the rest, Beejapoor is a magnificent ruin,
but Ahmednugger flourishes as an English station and cantonment, and
the stout old fort is in perfect preservation. In both, and in the
country round, nay, in all Dekhan, the memory of Chand Beebee, who
defended the fort, and was murdered by her ungrateful people, and her
heroic deeds and devotion in the battle of the "Standard of the Veil,"
are still sung and recited as the fittest memorials of
"A NOBLE QUEEN."
NOTE.
There are no records traceable at Moodgul of the worthy Bishop and
his devoted sister, but they are believed to have remained there
some years, and to have eventually returned to Portugal. But the
small Christian Churches so strangely preserved under the continuous
Mussulman Governments of the Dekhan still survive, and are steadfast
to their faith. They are still as they existed at the period of this
tale--Moodgul and Raichore, with their dependencies, Chittapoor on the
Bheema, and Aurungabad, and they are ministered to by priests under the
jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Goa.
GLOSSARY.
Adalut, _Court of justice._
Ajaib! _Wonderful!_
Ajuba! _Extraordinary!_
Akhbar, _News letter._
Alla dilaya te leonga! _If God give, I will take!_
"Alla hu Akhbar!" _"God is victorious!"_
Amán! _Mercy!_
Ameen, ameen!_ Amen, amen!_
Astagh-fur-oolla! _God forbid!_
Azán, _Evening prayer._
Bairagees, _Hindoo mendicants._
Beebee, _Lady._
Beydur, _Tribe of aborigines._
Bhylmees, _Tribe of Mussulmans._
Birianees, _A kind of Pilao._
Bismilla! _In the name of God!_
"Burkhat, Durbar Burkhat," _"The Durbar is dismissed."_
Chabootra, _Earthen platform used for assemblies._
Chaoree, _Village place of assembly._
Chaya Mata, _The nymph of the fall._
Chistee, _The designation of a tribe of Fakeers._
Chitnees, _Correspondence clerk._
Corus, _Anniversary._
Cucheri, _Office for public business._
Daad! daad! _Complaint! complaint!_
Dacoits, _Gang robbers._
Dall, _Split pulse._
Darogah, _Superintendent._
Deen-deen! _For the faith! for the faith!_
Dohai! _Cry for justice._
Doputta, _Scarf._
Duffadar, _Inferior officer._
Duftur, _Record Office._
Durbar, _Court._
Durora, _Gang robbery._
Fatehas, _Thank-offerings._
Feringhi, _European._
Furashes, _Sweepers and tent pitchers._
Futteh Mydan, _The Plain of Victory._
Futteh-i-Nubber, _Victory to the Prophet._
Geesoo Duráz, _"Long Locks"_--title of saint at Kulburgab.
Ghee, _Boiled butter._
Gopal swami, _Appellation of the god Krishna._
Goruk Imlee, _Adansonia._
Gosha, _Privacy._
Hai-hai! _Alas, alas!_
Hakeem, _Physician._
Harem, _Women's apartments._
Hari Ból, _Hindoo war-cry._
Hoons, _A gold coin._
Howdahs, _Seat on elephant._
Humeenas, _Thin bag of leather worn at the waist._
Huzrut, _Prince._
Imáms, _Religious officers._
Inshalla! _Please God._
Jamahs, _Loose trousers._
Jemadár, _Native officer._
Jerreeds, _A game played on horseback with javelins._
Jey mata! _Victory to the Mother!_
Julaybees, _Kind of sweetmeat._
Kabob, _Meat roasted._
Karámat, _Miracle._
Kazee, _Mohamedan law officer._
Khan, _Title of respect._
Khanum, _Wife of Khan._
Khedive, _Head of sect of Mussulmans._
Khoda Hafiz, _God protect you!_
Kibleh, _Point of attraction._
Kicheri, _Dish of rice and pulse._
Killadar, _Governor of fort._
Kooroo Kshetra, _The great battle between the solar and lunar races,
described in Mahabarut._
Kotwal, _Town magistrate._
Kullunders, _Tribe of Fakeers._
Kumkhob, _Cloth of Gold._
Kurnum, _Village accountant._
Kussal, _Butcher._
Lakh, _A hundred thousand._
Loongee, _Man's waist cloth._
Luddoos, _Kind of sweetmeat._
Mahabarut, _Sacred epic of the Hindoos._
Máma, _Confidential female attendant._
Mawallees, _A Mahratta tribe._
Masháek, _Religious devotee._
Mashalla! _Praise to God!_
Meeah, _Familiar title of eldest son among Mussulmans._
Mirdha, _Court usher._
Mohurrum, _Mahomedan festival._
Mohurs, _Gold coin._
Momins, _Weavers._
Monsoon, _Rainy season._
Moolla, _Religious teacher._
Moonshee, _Secretary._
"Moonskir and Nakar," _"The Angels of death."_
Moorsheed, _A disciple._
Muezzin, _Caller to prayer._
Mufti, _Law officer._
Mundan-ool-Ghyb, _Spirit supposed to protect travellers._
Mynas, _Starlings._
Nagáras, _Large kettledrums._
Naik, _Head of Beydur tribe._
Nalkee, _Sedan chair._
Nawab, _Lord._
"Neem," _"Melia ardizarachta."_
Nika, _Marriage of the second order._
Nobut, _Band of music attached to persons of high rank._
Nuzzur, _Offering._
Owleas, _A saint._
Palkee, _Litter._
Pán, _Betel leaf._
Patell, _Head officer of village._
Peer, _Saint._
Peer-i-Dustugeer, _Respectful address to a saint._
Peshkar, _Minister of Finance._
Pice, _Copper coin._
Pilao, _Savoury dish of meat and rice._
Pooja, _Hindoo worship._
Puleeta, _A lamp charm._
Punah, _Protection._
Putwari, _Village accountant._
Rámáyan, _Hindoo epic poem._
Ranee, _Hindoo princess._
Roostum, _One of the heroes of the Shah Nama._
Rujub-ool-Ghyb, _A spirit supposed to watch over travellers._
Rumzan, _Mussulman fast._
Salaam aliekoom! _Salutation of peace._
Sari, _Woman's garment._
Séndhee, _Fermented palm juice._
Shabash! _Well done!_
Shah, _King._
Shookr, shookr! _Thanks, thanks!_
Shoolka, _Scones._
Shubgusht, _A marriage procession by night._
Shytan, _The Devil._
Siah Chuttree, _Tribe of Mussulmans_--called "black umbrellas."
Soosi, _A kind of cotton cloth._
Synd, _A division of Mussulmans._
Syndanee, _Female Synd._
Swami, _Title of Hindoo religious princes._
Touba! touba! _Shame! shame!_
Tukeea, _Abode of a Fakeer._
Turreequt, _Path to salvation._
Ul-humd-ul-illa! _Praise be to God!_
Unjeel, _The New Testament._
Vakeels, _Agents._
Wallee, _Saint._
Ya, Alla, Kureem! _O Lord, most merciful._
Ya Kureem! _O merciful!_
Zemindars, _Land owners._
Zenana, _Women's private apartments._
Zools, _Portions of the Korán._
THE END.
_Spottiswoode & Co., Printers, New-street Square, London._
Transcriber's Notes
Obvious errors of punctuation and diacritics repaired.
Hyphen removed: "goodwill" (p. 82), "handwriting" (p. 96),
"kettledrums" (pp. 179, 197), "midday" (p. 27), "noonday" (p. 29),
"overcharged" (p. 7), "sally ports" (p. 252), "sandbags" (p. 194).
Hyphen added: "to-night" (p. 275).
"D'Almeida" changed to "d'Almeida".
P. 80: "Dom Matthias de Abuquerque" changed to "Dom Matthias de
Albuquerque".
P. 220: "Mogul" changed to "Moghul" (the Moghul Government).
P. 228: "A" added (A kind of cotton cloth).