Admiral de la Vallée, who seemed to be half asleep in his armchair,
said in a voice which sounded like an old woman's:
"I had a very singular little love adventure once; would you like to
hear it?"
He spoke from the depths of his great armchair, with that everlasting
dry, wrinkled smile on his lips, that Voltairian smile which made people
take him for a terrible sceptic.
I
"I was thirty years of age and a first lieutenant in the navy, when I
was intrusted with an astronomical expedition to Central India. The
English Government provided me with all the necessary means for carrying
out my enterprise, and I was soon busied with a few followers in that
vast, strange, surprising country.
"It would take me twenty volumes to relate that journey. I went through
wonderfully magnificent regions, was received by strangely handsome
princes, and was entertained with incredible magnificence. For two months
it seemed to me as if I were walking in a poem, that I was going about in
a fairy kingdom, on the back of imaginary elephants. In the midst of wild
forests I discovered extraordinary ruins, delicate and chiseled like
jewels, fine as lace and enormous as mountains, those fabulous, divine
monuments which are so graceful that one falls in love with their form as
with a woman, feeling a physical and sensual pleasure in looking at them.
As Victor Hugo says, 'Whilst wide-awake, I was walking in a dream.'
"Toward the end of my journey I reached Ganhara, which was formerly one
of the most prosperous towns in Central India, but is now much decayed.
It is governed by a wealthy, arbitrary, violent, generous, and cruel
prince. His name is Rajah Maddan, a true Oriental potentate, delicate and
barbarous, affable and sanguinary, combining feminine grace with pitiless
ferocity.
"The city lies at the bottom of a valley, on the banks of a little lake
surrounded by pagodas, which bathe their walls in the water. At a distance
the city looks like a white spot, which grows larger as one approaches it,
and by degrees you discover the domes and spires, the slender and graceful
summits of Indian monuments.
"At about an hour's distance from the gates, I met a superbly
caparisoned elephant, surrounded by a guard of honour which the sovereign
had sent me, and I was conducted to the palace with great ceremony.
"I should have liked to have taken the time to put on my gala uniform,
but royal impatience would not permit me to do it. He was anxious to make
my acquaintance, to know what he might expect from me.
"I was ushered into a great hall surrounded by galleries, in the midst
of bronze-coloured soldiers in splendid uniforms, while all about were
standing men dressed in striking robes, studded with precious stones.
"On a bench like our garden benches, without a back; I saw a shining
mass, a kind of setting sun reposing; it was the rajah who was waiting
for me, motionless, in a robe of the purest canary colour. He had some ten
or fifteen million francs' worth of diamonds on him, and by itself, on his
forehead, glistened the famous star of Delhi, which has always belonged to
the illustrious dynasty of the Pariharas of Mundore, from whom my host was
descended.
"He was a man of about five-and-twenty, who seemed to have some negro
blood in his veins, although he belonged to the purest Hindoo race. He
had large, almost motionless, rather vague eyes, fat lips, a curly beard,
low forehead, and dazzling sharp white teeth, which he frequently showed
with a mechanical smile. He got up and gave me his hand in the English
fashion, and then made me sit down beside him on a bench which was so high
that my feet hardly touched the ground, and on which I was very
uncomfortable.
"He immediately proposed a tiger hunt for the next day; war and hunting
were his chief occupations, and he could hardly understand how one could
care for anything else. He was evidently fully persuaded that I had only
come all that distance to amuse him a little, and to be the companion of
his pleasures.
"As I stood greatly in need of his assistance, I tried to flatter his
tastes, and he was so pleased with me that he immediately wished to show
me how his trained boxers fought, and led the way into a kind of arena
situated within the palace.
"At his command two naked men appeared, their hands covered with steel
claws. They immediately began to attack each other, trying to strike one
another with these sharp weapons, which left long cuts, from which the
blood flowed freely down their dark skins.
"It lasted for a long time, till their bodies were a mass of wounds,
and the combatants were tearing each other's flesh with these pointed
blades. One of them had his jaw smashed, while the ear of the other
was split into three pieces.
"The prince looked on with ferocious pleasure, uttered grunts of
delight, and imitated all their movements with careless gestures, crying
out constantly:
"'Strike, strike hard!'
"One fell down unconscious and had to be carried out of the arena,
covered with blood, while the rajah uttered a sigh of regret because it
was over so soon.
"He turned to me to know my opinion; I was indignant, but I
congratulated him loudly. He then gave orders that I was to be conducted
to Couch-Mahal (the palace of pleasure), where I was to be lodged.
"This palace, this jewel, was situated at the extremity of the royal
park, and one of its walls was built into the sacred lake of Vihara. It
was square, its four sides showing rows of galleries with colonnades
of most beautiful workmanship. At each angle there were light, lofty, or
low towers, standing either singly or in pairs: no two were alike, and
they looked like flowers growing out of that graceful plant of Oriental
architecture. All were surmounted by fantastic roofs, like coquettish
ladies' caps.
"In the middle of the edifice a large dome raised its round cupola, like
a woman's bosom, up to a lovely slender belfry open to the sky.
"The whole building was covered with sculpture from top to bottom,
with exquisite arabesques which delighted the eye, motionless processions
of delicate figures whose attitudes and gestures in stone told the story
of Indian manners and customs.
"The rooms were lighted by windows with dentelated arches, looking on
to the gardens. On the marble floor were designs of graceful bouquets in
onyx, lapis-lazuli, and agate.
"I had scarcely had time to finish my toilette when Haribadada, a court
dignitary who was specially charged to communicate between the prince and
me, announced his sovereign's visit.
"The saffron-coloured rajah appeared, again shook hands with me, and
began to tell me a thousand different things, constantly asking me for my
opinion, which I had great difficulty in giving him. Then he wished to
show me the ruins of the former palace at the other extremity of the
gardens.
"It was a real forest of stones inhabited by a large tribe of apes. On
our approach the males began to run along the walls, making the most
hideous faces at us, while the females ran away, carrying off their young
in their arms. The rajah shouted with laughter and pinched my shoulder to
draw my attention, and to testify his own delight, and sat down in the
midst of the ruins, while around us, squatting on the top of the walls,
perching on every eminence, a number of animals with white whiskers put
out their tongues and shook their fists at us.
"When he had seen enough of this, the yellow rajah rose and began to
walk sedately on, keeping me always at his side, happy at having shown me
such things on the very day of my arrival, and reminding me that a grand
tiger hunt was to take place the next day, in my honour.
"I was present at it, at a second, a third, at ten, twenty in
succession. We hunted all the animals which the country produces in turn:
the panther, the bear, elephant, antelope, the hippopotamus, and the
crocodile--half the beasts in creation I should say. I was disgusted at
seeing so much blood flow, and tired of this monotonous pleasure.
"At length the prince's ardour abated and, at my urgent request, he
left me a little leisure for work, contenting himself by loading me with
costly presents. He sent me jewels, magnificent stuffs, and well-broken
animals of all sorts, which Haribadada presented to me with apparently
as grave respect as if I had been the sun himself, although he heartily
despised me at the bottom of his heart.
"Every day a procession of servants brought me, in covered dishes, a
portion of each course that was served at the royal table. Every day he
seemed to take an extreme pleasure in getting up some new entertainment
for me--dances by the bayaderes, jugglers, reviews of the troops, and I
was obliged to pretend to be most delighted with it, so as not to hurt
his feelings when he wished to show me his wonderful country in all its
charm and splendour.
"As soon as I was left alone for a few moments I either worked or went
to see the monkeys, whose company pleased me a great deal better than that
of their royal master.
"One evening, however, on coming back from a walk, I found Haribadada
outside the gate of my palace. He told me in mysterious tones that a gift
from the king was waiting for me in my abode, and he said that his master
begged me to excuse him for not having sooner thought of offering me that
of which I had been deprived for such a long time.
"After these obscure remarks the ambassador bowed and withdrew.
"When I went in I saw six little girls standing against the wall,
motionless, side-by-side, like smelts on a skewer. The eldest was perhaps
ten and the youngest eight years old. For the first moment I could not
understand why this girls' school had taken up its abode in my rooms;
then, however, I divined the prince's delicate attention: he had made
me a present of a harem, and had chosen it very young from an excess of
generosity. There, the more unripe the fruit is, in the higher estimation
it is held.
"For some time I remained confused, embarrassed, and ashamed in the
presence of these children, who looked at me with great grave eyes which
seemed already to divine what I might want of them.
"I did not know what to say to them; I felt inclined to send them back;
but I could not return the presents of a prince; it would have been a
mortal insult. I was obliged, therefore, to install this troop of children
in my palace.
"They stood motionless, looking at me, waiting for my orders, trying
to read my thoughts in my eyes. Confound such a present! How absurdly it
was in my way. At last, thinking that I must be looking rather ridiculous,
I asked the eldest her name.
"'Châli,' she replied.
"This little creature, with her beautiful skin, which was lightly
yellow, like old ivory, was a marvel, a perfect statue, with her face and
its long and severe lines.
"I then asked, in order to see what she would reply, and also, perhaps,
to embarrass her:
"'What have you come here for?'
"She replied in her soft, harmonious voice: 'I have come to do whatever
my Lord wishes.' She was evidently quite resigned.
"I put the same question to the youngest, who answered immediately in
her shrill voice:
"'I am here to do whatever you ask me, my master.'
"This one was like a little mouse, and was very taking, just as they
all were, so I took her in my arms and kissed her. The others made a
movement to go away, thinking, no doubt, that I had made my choice; but
I ordered them to stay, and sitting down in the Indian fashion, I made
them all sit round me and began to tell them fairy-tales, for I spoke
their language tolerably well.
"They listened very attentively, and trembled, wringing their hands in
agony. Poor little things, they were not thinking any longer of the reason
why they were sent to me.
"When I had finished my story, I called Latchmân, my confidential
servant, and made him bring sweetmeats and cakes, of which they ate enough
to make themselves ill. Then, as I began to find the adventure rather
funny, I organized games to amuse my wives.
"One of these diversions had an enormous success. I made a bridge of my
legs and the six children ran underneath, the smallest beginning and the
tallest always knocking against them a little, because she did not stoop
enough. It made them shout with laughter, and these young voices sounding
through the low vaults of my sumptuous palace seemed to wake it up and to
people it with childlike gaiety and life.
"Next I took great interest in seeing to the sleeping apartments of my
innocent concubines, and in the end I saw them safely locked up under the
surveillance of four female servants, whom the prince had sent me at the
same time in order to take care of my sultanas.
"For a week I took the greatest pleasure in acting the part of a father
toward these living dolls. We had capital games of hide-and-seek and
puss-in-the-corner, which gave them the greatest pleasure. Every day I
taught them a new game, to their intense delight.
"My house now seemed to be one class room, and my little friends,
dressed in beautiful silk stuffs, and in materials embroidered with gold
and silver, ran up and down the long galleries and the quiet rooms feebly
lighted by the day coming in through the arched windows, like little human
animals.
"Then one evening, I know not how, the eldest, who was called Châli, and
who looked like an old ivory statuette, really became my wife. She was
an adorable little creature, timid and gentle, who soon got to love me
ardently and whom I loved strongly with some degree of shame, with
hesitation as if afraid of European morality, with reserve and scruples,
and yet with passionate tenderness. I cherished her as if I had been her
father and I caressed her like a lover."
Excuse me ladies, I am going a little bit too far.
"The others continued to play in the palace like a lot of happy
kittens, but Châli never left me except when I went to the prince.
"We passed delicious hours together in the ruins of the old castle,
among the monkeys, who had become our friends.
"She used to lie on my knees, and remain there, turning all sorts of
things over in her little sphinx's head, or perhaps not thinking of
anything, retaining that beautiful, charming, hereditary pose of that
noble and dreamy people, the hieratic pose of the sacred statues.
"In a large brass dish I had one day brought provisions, cakes, fruits.
The apes came nearer and nearer, followed by their young ones, who were
more timid; at last they sat down round us in a circle, without daring to
come any nearer, waiting for me to distribute my delicacies. Then, almost
invariably, a male more daring than the rest would come to me with
outstretched hand, like a beggar, and I would give him something, which he
would take to his wife. All the others immediately began to utter furious
cries, cries of rage and jealousy; and I could not make the terrible
racket cease except by throwing each one his share.
"As I was very comfortable in the ruins I had my instruments brought
there, so that I might be able to work. As soon, however, as they saw the
copper fittings on my scientific instruments, the monkeys, no doubt taking
them for some deadly engines, fled on all sides, uttering the most
piercing cries.
"I often spent my evenings with Châli on one of the outside galleries
that looked on to the lake of Vihara. One night in silence we were looking
at the bright moon gliding over the sky, throwing a mantle of trembling
silver over the water, and, on the further shore, upon the row of small
pagodas like carved mushrooms with their stalks in the water. Taking the
thoughtful face of my little mistress between my hands, I printed a long,
soft kiss on her polished brow, on her great eyes, which were full of the
secret of that ancient and fabulous land, and on her calm lips which
opened to my caress. I felt a confused, powerful, above all a poetical,
sensation, the sensation that I possessed a whole race in this little
girl, that mysterious race from which all the others seem to have taken
their origin.
"The prince, however, continued to load me with presents. One day he
sent me a very unexpected object, which excited a passionate admiration in
Châli. It was merely one of those cardboard boxes covered with shells
stuck on outside. In France it would have been worth forty cents, at the
most. But there it was a jewel beyond price, and no doubt was the first
that had found its way into the kingdom. I put it on a table and left it
there, wondering at the value which was set upon this trumpery article out
of a bazaar.
"But Châli never got tired of looking at it, of admiring it
ecstatically. From time to time she would say to me, 'May I touch it?' And
when I had given her permission she raised the lid, closed it again with
the greatest precaution, touched the shells very gently, and the contact
seemed to give her real physical pleasure.
"However, I had finished my scientific work, and it was time for me to
return. I was a long time in making up my mind, held by my tenderness for
my little friend, but at last I was obliged to fix the day of my
departure.
"The prince got up fresh hunting excursions and fresh wrestling
matches, and after a fortnight of these pleasures I declared that I could
stay no longer, and he gave me my liberty.
"My farewell from Châli was heartrending. She wept, lying beside me,
with her head on my breast, shaken with sobs. I did not know how to
console her; my kisses were no good.
"All at once an idea struck me, and getting up I went and got the
shell-box, and putting it into her hands, I said, ‘That is for you; it is
yours.'
"Then I saw her smile at first. Her whole face was lighted up with
internal joy, with that profound joy which comes when impossible dreams
are suddenly realized, and she embraced me ardently.
"All the same, she wept bitterly when I bade her a last farewell.
"I gave fatherly kisses and cakes to all the rest of my wives, and then
I left for home."