"Now, Mother, let us talk over our plans," Dick said as, after dinner,
they seated themselves in two chairs in the veranda, at some little
distance from the other guests at the hotel. "How are we going to
begin?"
"In the first place, Dick, we shall tomorrow send out a messenger to
Tripataly, to tell my brother of our arrival here."
"How far is it, Mother?"
"It is about a hundred and twenty miles, in a straight line, I think;
but a good bit farther than that, by the way we shall go."
"How shall we travel, Mother?"
"I will make some inquiries tomorrow, but I think that the pleasantest
way will be to drive from here to Conjeveram. I think that is about
forty miles. There we can take a native boat, and go up the river
Palar, past Arcot and Vellore, to Vaniambaddy. From there it is only
about fifteen miles to Tripataly.
"I shall tell my brother the way I propose going. Of course, if he
thinks any other way will be better, we shall go by that."
"Are we going to travel as we are, Mother, or in native dress?"
"That is a point that I have been thinking over, Dick. I will wait,
and ask my brother which he thinks will be the best. When out there I
always dressed as a native, and never put on English clothes, except
at Madras. I used to come down here two or three times every year,
with my mother, and generally stayed for a fortnight or three weeks.
During that time, we always dressed in English fashion, as by so doing
we could live at the hotel, and take our meals at public tables
without exciting comment. My mother knew several families here, and
liked getting back to English ways, occasionally.
"Of course, I shall dress in Indian fashion while I stay at my
brother's, so it is only the question of how we shall journey there,
and I think I should prefer going as we are. We shall excite no
special observation, travelling as English, as it will only be
supposed that we are on our way to pay a visit to some of our
officers, at Arcot. At Conjeveram, which is a large place, there is
sure to be a hotel of some sort or other, for it is on the main road
from Madras south. On the way up, by water, we shall of course sleep
on board, and we shall go direct from the boat to Tripataly.
"However, we need not decide until we get an answer to my letter, for
it will take a very short time to get the necessary dresses for us
both. I think it most likely that my brother will send down one of his
officers to meet us, or possibly may come down himself.
"You heard what they were all talking about, at dinner, Dick?"
"Yes, Mother, it was something about Tippoo attacking the Rajah of
Travancore, but I did not pay much attention to it. I was looking at
the servants, in their curious dresses."
"It is very important, Dick, and will probably change all our plans.
Travancore is in alliance with us, and every one thinks that Tippoo's
attack on it will end in our being engaged in war with him. I was
talking to the officer who sat next to me, and he told me that, if
there had been a capable man at the head of government here, war would
have been declared as soon as the Sultan moved against Travancore. Now
that General Meadows had been appointed governor and commander-in-chief,
there was no doubt, he said, that an army would move against Tippoo in a
very short time--that it was already being collected, and that a force
was marching down here from Bengal.
"So you see, my boy, if this war really breaks out, the English may
march to Seringapatam, and compel Tippoo to give up all the captives
he has in his hands."
"That would be splendid, Mother."
"At any rate, Dick, as long as there is a hope of your father being
rescued, in that way, our plans must be put aside."
"Well, Mother, that will be better, in some respects; for of course,
if Father is not rescued by our army, I can try afterwards as we
arranged. It would be an advantage, in one way, as I should then be
quite accustomed to the country, and more fit to make my way about."
A week later, an old officer arrived from Tripataly.
"Ah, Rajbullub," Mrs. Holland exclaimed, as he came up with a deep
salaam; "I am, indeed, glad to see you again. I knew you were alive,
for my brother mentioned you when he wrote last year."
Rajbullub was evidently greatly pleased at the recognition.
"I think I should have known you, lady," he said; "but eighteen years
makes more changes in the young than in the old. Truly I am glad to
see you again. There was great joy among us, who knew you as a child,
when the Rajah told us that you were here. He has sent me on to say
that he will arrive, tomorrow. I am to see to his apartments, and to
have all in readiness. He intends to stay here, some days, before
returning to Tripataly."
"Will he come to this hotel?"
"No, lady, he will take the house he always has, when he is here. It
is kept for the use of our princes, when they come down to Madras. He
bade me say that he hopes you will remain here, for that none of the
rooms could be got ready, at such a short notice.
"He has not written, for he hates writing, which is a thing that he
has small occasion for. I was to tell you that his heart rejoiced, at
the thought of seeing you again, and that his love for you is as warm
as it was when you were a boy and girl together."
"This is my son, Rajbullub. He has often heard me speak of you."
"Yes, indeed," Dick said, warmly. "I heard how you saved her from
being bitten by a cobra, when she was a little girl."
"Ah! The young lord speaks our tongue," Rajbullub said, with great
pleasure. "We wondered whether you would have taught it to him. If it
had not been that you always wrote to my lord in our language, we
should have thought that you, yourself, would surely have forgotten
it, after dwelling so long among the white sahibs."
"No, we always speak it when together, Rajbullub. I thought that he
might, some day, come out here, and that he would find it very useful;
and I, too, have been looking forward to returning, for a time, to the
home where I was born."
There were many questions to ask about her brother, his wife and two
sons. They were younger than Dick, for Mrs. Holland was three years
senior to the Rajah.
At last, she said, "I will not detain you longer, Rajbullub. I know
that you will have a great deal to do, to get ready for my brother's
coming. At what time will he arrive?"
"He hopes to be here by ten in the morning, before the heat of the day
sets in."
"I shall, of course, be there to meet him."
"So he hoped, lady. He said that he would have come straight here,
first, but he thought it would be more pleasant for you to meet him in
privacy."
"Assuredly it would," she agreed.
"I will bring a carriage for you, here, at nine o'clock; and take you
and my young lord to the Rajah's house."
At the appointed time, a handsome carriage and pair drove up to the
door of the hotel, and in ten minutes Mrs. Holland and Dick alighted
in the courtyard of a large house. Four native servants were at the
door, and the old officer led the way to a spacious room. This was
carpeted with handsome rugs. Soft cushions were piled on the divan,
running round the room, the divan itself being covered with velvet and
silk rugs. Looking glasses were ranged upon the walls; a handsome
chandelier hung from the roof; draperies of gauze, lightly embroidered
with gold, hung across the windows.
"Why, Rajbullub, you have done wonders--that is, if the house was
unfurnished, yesterday."
"It is simple," the Hindoo said. "My lord your brother, like other
rajahs who use the house when they come down here, has a room
upstairs; in which are kept, locked up, everything required for
furnishing the rooms he uses. Four of his servants came down here,
with me. We had but to call in sweepers, to clear the house from dust
and wash down the marble floors, and then everything was put into its
place. The cook, who also came down, has hired assistants, and all
will be ready for my lord, when he arrives."
In half an hour, one of the servants ran in, and announced that the
Rajah was in the courtyard. There was a great trampling of hoofs, and
a minute later he ascended the stairs, and was met by his sister and
Dick at the door of the room.
Mrs. Holland had attired herself handsomely, not so much for the sake
of her brother, but that, as his sister, those with him would expect
to see in her an English lady of position; and Dick thought that he
had never seen her looking so well as when, in a dress of rich
brocade, and with a flush of pleasure and expectation on her cheeks,
she advanced to the door. She was still but a little over thirty-three
years old, and although the long years of anxiety and sorrow had left
their traces on her face, the rest and quiet of the sea voyage had
done much to restore the fulness of her cheeks, and to soften the
outline of her figure.
The Rajah, a young and handsome-looking man of thirty, ascended the
stairs with an eagerness and speed that were somewhat at variance with
Dick's preconceived ideas of the stateliness of an Eastern prince.
"My sister Margaret!" he exclaimed, in English, and embraced her with
a warmth that showed that his affection for her was unimpaired by the
years that had passed since he last saw her.
Then he stood with his hands on her shoulders, looking earnestly at
her.
"I know you again," he said. "You are changed, but I can recall your
face well. You are welcome, Margaret, most welcome.
"And this is my nephew?" he went on, turning to Dick, and holding out
both his hands to him. "You are taller than I expected--well nigh as
tall as I am. You are like your mother and my mother; and you are bold
and active and strong, she writes me. My boys are longing to see you,
and you will be most welcome at Tripataly.
"I have almost forgotten my English, Margaret "--and, indeed, he spoke
with some difficulty, evidently choosing his words--"I should quite
have forgotten it, had not I often had occasion to speak it with
English officers. I see, by your letters, that you have not forgotten
our tongue."
"Not in the least, Mortiz. I have, for years, spoken nothing else with
Dick, and he speaks it as well as I do."
"That is good," the Rajah replied, in his own tongue, and in a tone of
relief. "I was wondering how he would get on with us.
"Now, let us sit down. We have so much to tell each other, and,
moreover, I am ravenous for breakfast, as I have ridden forty miles
since sunrise."
Breakfast was speedily served, the Rajah eating in English fashion.
"I cling to some of our mother's ways, you see, Margaret. As I have
grown older, I have become more English than I was. Naturally, as a
boy of thirteen, as I was when you last saw me, I listened to the talk
of those around me, and was guided by their opinions a good deal.
Among them, there was a feeling of regret that our father had married
an English woman; and I, of course, was ever trying my hardest to show
that in riding, or the chase, or in exercises of any kind, I was as
worthy to be the son of an Indian rajah as if I had no white blood in
my veins.
"As I grew up, I became wiser. I saw how great the English were, how
steadily they extended their dominions, and how vastly better off were
our people, under their sway, than they were in the days when every
rajah made war against his neighbour, and the land never had rest.
Then I grew proud of my English blood, and although I am, to my
people, Rajah of Tripataly, a native prince and lord of their
destinies, keeping up the same state as my father, and ruling them in
native fashion, in my inner house I have adopted many English ways.
"My wife has no rival in the zenana. I encourage her to go about, as
our mother did, to look after the affairs of the house, to sit at
table with me, and to be my companion, and not a mere plaything. I am
sure, Margaret, your stay with us will do her much good, and she will
learn a great deal from you."
"You have heard no news since you last wrote, Mortiz?"
A slight cloud passed across the Rajah's animated face.
"None, Margaret. We have little news from beyond the mountains. Tippoo
hates us, who are the friends of the English, as much as he hates the
English themselves, so there is little communication between Mysore
and the possessions of the Nabob of Arcot. We will talk, later on, of
the plans you wrote of in your last letter to me."
"You do not think that they are hopeless, Mortiz?" Mrs. Holland asked,
anxiously.
"I would not say that they are hopeless," he said gently, "although it
seems to me that, after all these years, the chances are slight,
indeed, that your husband can be alive; and the peril and danger of
the enterprise that, so far as I understood you, you intend your son
to undertake, would be terrible, indeed."
"We see that, Mortiz. Dick and I have talked it over, a thousand
times. But so long as there is but a shadow of a chance of his finding
his father, he is ready to undertake the search. He is a boy in years,
but he has been trained for the undertaking, and will, when the trial
comes, bear himself as well as a man."
"Well, Margaret, I shall have plenty of opportunities for forming my
own judgment; because, of course, he will stay with us a long time
before he starts on the quest, and it will be better to say no more of
this, now.
"Now, tell me about London. Is it so much a greater city than Madras?"
Mrs. Holland sighed. She saw, by his manner, that he was wholly
opposed to her plan, and although she was quite prepared for
opposition, she could not help feeling disappointed. However, she
perceived that, as he said, it would be better to drop the subject for
a time; and she accordingly put it aside, and answered his questions.
"Madras is large--that is, it spreads over a wide extent; but if it
were packed with houses, as closely as they could stand, it would not
approach London in the number of its population."
"How is it that the English do not send more troops out here,
Margaret?"
"Because they can raise troops here, and English soldiers cannot stand
the heat as well as those born to it. Moreover, you must remember
that, at present, England is at war, not only with France and half
Europe, but also with America. She is also obliged to keep an army in
Ireland, which is greatly disaffected. With all this on her hands, she
cannot send a large army so far across the seas, especially when her
force here is sufficient for all that can be required of it."
"That is true," he said. "It is wonderful what they have done out
here, with such small forces. But they will have harder work, before
they conquer all India--as I believe they will do--than they have yet
encountered. In spite of Tippoo's vauntings, they will have Mysore
before many years are over. The Sultan seems to have forgotten the
lesson they taught him, six or seven years back. But the next time
will be the last, and Tippoo, tiger as he is, will meet the fate he
seems bent on provoking.
"But beyond Mysore lies the Mahratta country, and the Mahrattis alone
can put thirty thousand horsemen into the field. They are not like the
people of Bengal, who have ever fallen, with scarce an attempt at
resistance, under the yoke of one tyrant after another. The Mahrattis
are a nation of warriors. They are plunderers, if you will, but they
are brave and fearless soldiers, and might, had they been united, have
had all India under their feet before the coming of the English. That
chance has slipped from them. But when we--I say 'we' you see,
Margaret--meet them, it will be a desperate struggle, indeed."
"We shall thrash them, Uncle," Dick broke in. "You will see that we
shall beat them thoroughly."
The Rajah smiled at Dick's impetuosity.
"So you think English soldiers cannot be beaten, eh?"
"Well, Uncle, somehow they never do get beaten. I don't know how it
is. I suppose that it is just obstinacy. Look how we thrashed the
French here, and they were just as well drilled as our soldiers, and
there were twice as many of them."
The Rajah nodded.
"One secret of our success, Dick, is that the English get on better
with the natives here than the French do--I don't know why, except
what I have heard from people who went through the war. They say that
the French always seemed to look down on the natives, and treated even
powerful allies with a sort of haughtiness that irritated them, and
made them ready to change sides at the first opportunity; while the
British treated them pleasantly, so that there was a real friendship
between them."
Dick, finding that the conversation now turned to the time when his
mother and uncle were girl and boy together, left them and went
downstairs. He found some twenty horses ranged in the courtyard, while
their riders were sitting in the shade, several of them being engaged
in cooking. These were the escort who had ridden with the Rajah from
Tripataly--for no Indian prince would think of making a journey,
unless accompanied by a numerous retinue.
Scarcely had he entered the yard than Rajbullub came up, with the
officer in command of the escort, a fine-looking specimen of a Hindoo
soldier. He salaamed, as Rajbullub presented him to Dick. The lad
addressed him at once in his own tongue, and they were soon talking
freely together. The officer was surprised at finding that his lord's
nephew, from beyond the sea, was able to speak the language like a
native.
First, Dick asked the nature of the country, and the places at which
they would halt on their way. Then he inquired what force the Rajah
could put into the field, and was somewhat disappointed to hear that
he kept up but a hundred horsemen, including those who served as an
escort.
"You see, Sahib, there is no occasion for soldiers. Now that the
whites are the masters, they do the fighting for us. When the Rajah's
father was a young man, he could put two thousand men under arms, and
he joined at the siege of Trichinopoly with twelve hundred. But now
there is no longer need for an army. There is no one to fight. Some of
the young men grumble, but the old ones rejoice at the change.
Formerly, they had to go to the plough with their spears and their
swords beside them, because they never knew when marauders from the
hills might sweep down; besides, when there was war, they might be
called away for weeks, while the crops were wasting upon the ground.
"As to the younger men who grumble, I say to them, 'If you are tired
of a peaceful life, go and enlist in a Company's regiment;' and every
year some of them do so.
"In other ways, the change is good. Now that the Rajah has no longer
to keep up an army, he is not obliged to squeeze the cultivators.
Therefore, they pay but a light rent for their lands, and the Rajah is
far better off than his father was; so that, on all sides, there is
content and prosperity. But, even now, the fear of Mysore has not
quite died out."
"My position, Margaret," the Rajah said, after Dick had left the room,
"is a very precarious one. When Hyder Ali marched down here, eight
years ago, he swept the whole country, from the foot of the hills to
the sea coast. My father would have been glad to stand neutral, but
was, of course, bound to go with the English, as the Nabob of Arcot,
his nominal sovereign, went with them. His sympathies were, of course,
with your people; but most of the chiefs were, at heart, in favour of
Hyder. It was not that they loved him, or preferred the rule of Mysore
to that of Madras. But at that time Madras was governed by imbeciles.
Its Council was composed entirely of timid and irresolute men. It was
clear to all that, before any force capable of withstanding him could
be put in the field, the whole country, beyond reach of the guns of
the forts at Madras, would be at the mercy of Hyder.
"What that mercy was, had been shown elsewhere. Whole populations had
been either massacred, or carried off as slaves. Therefore, when the
storm was clearly about to burst, almost all of them sent secret
messages to Hyder, to assure him that their sympathies were with him,
and that they would gladly hail him as ruler of the Carnatic.
"My father was in no way inclined to take such a step. His marriage
with an English woman, the white blood in my veins, and his long-known
partiality for the English, would have marked him for certain
destruction; and, as soon as he received news that Hyder's troops were
in movement, he rode with me to Madras. At that time, his force was
comparatively large, and he took three hundred men down with us. He
had allowed all who preferred it to remain behind; and some four
hundred stayed to look after their families. Most of the population
took to the hills and, as Hyder's forces were too much occupied to
spend time in scouring the ghauts in search of fugitives, when there
was so much loot and so many captives ready to their hands on the
plains, the fugitives for the most part remained there in safety. The
palace was burnt, the town sacked and partly destroyed, and some
fifteen hundred of our people, who had remained in their homes, killed
or carried off.
"My father did some service with our horse, and I fought by his side.
We were with Colonel Baillie's force when it was destroyed, after for
two days resisting the whole of Hyder All's army. Being mounted, we
escaped, and reached Madras in safety, after losing half our number.
But all that I can tell you about, some other day.
"When peace was made and Hyder retired, we returned home, rebuilt the
palace, and restored the town. But if Tippoo follows his father's
example, and sweeps down from the hills, there will be nothing for it
but to fly again. Tippoo commanded one of the divisions of Hyder's
army, last time, and showed much skill and energy; and has, since he
came to the throne, been a scourge to his neighbours in the north. So
far as I can see, Madras will be found as unprepared as it was last
time; and although the chiefs of Vellore, Arcot, Conjeveram, and other
places may be better disposed towards the English than they were
before--for the Carnatic had a terrible lesson last time--they will
not dare to lift a finger against him, until they see a large British
force assembled.
"So you see, sister, your position will be a very precarious one at
Tripataly; and it is likely that, at any time, we may be obliged to
seek refuge here. The trouble may come soon, or it may not come for a
year; but, sooner or later, I regard it as certain that Tippoo will
strive to obtain what his father failed to gain--the mastership of the
Carnatic. Indeed, he makes no secret of his intention to become lord
of the whole of southern India. The Nizam, his neighbour in the north,
fears his power, and could offer but a feeble resistance, were Tippoo
once master of the south and west coast. The Mahrattis can always be
bought over, especially if there is a prospect of plunder. He relies,
too, upon aid from France; for although the French, since the capture
of Pondicherry, have themselves lost all chance of obtaining India,
they would gladly aid in any enterprise that would bring about the
fall of English predominance here.
"There are, too, considerable bodies of French troops in the pay of
the Nizam, and these would, at any rate, force their master to remain
neutral in a struggle between the English and Tippoo.
"However, it will be quite unnecessary that you should resume our
garb, or that Dick should dress in the same fashion. Did I intend to
remain at Tripataly, I should not wish to draw the attention of my
neighbours to the fact that I had English relations resident with me.
Of course, every one knows that I am half English myself, but that is
an old story now. They would, however, be reminded of it, and Tippoo
would hear of it, and would use it as a pretext for attacking and
plundering us. But, as I have decided to come down here, there is no
reason why you should not dress in European fashion."
"We would remain here, brother," Mrs. Holland said, "rather than bring
danger upon you. Dick could learn the ways of the country here, as
well as with you, and could start on his search without going to
Tripataly."
"Not at all, Margaret. Whether you are with me or not, I shall have to
leave Tripataly when Tippoo advances, and your presence will not in
any way affect my plans. My wife and sons must travel with me, and one
woman and boy, more or less, will make no difference. At present, this
scheme of yours seems to me to border on madness. But we need not
discuss that now. I shall, at any rate, be very glad to have you both
with me. The English side of me has been altogether in the background,
since you went away; and though I keep up many of the customs our
mother introduced, I have almost forgotten the tongue, though I force
myself to speak it, sometimes, with my boys, as I am sure that, in the
long run, the English will become the sole masters of southern India,
and it will be a great advantage to them to speak the language.
"However, I have many other things to see about, and the companionship
of Dick will benefit them greatly. You know what it always is out
here. The sons of a rajah are spoilt, early, by every one giving way
to them, and their being allowed to do just as they like. Naturally,
they get into habits of indolence and self indulgence, and never have
occasion to exert themselves, or to obtain the strength and activity
that make our mother's countrymen irresistible in battle. They have
been taught to shoot and to ride, but they know little else, and I am
sure it will do them an immense deal of good to have Dick with them,
for a time.
"If nothing comes of this search for your husband, I hope you will
take up your residence, permanently, at Tripataly. You have nothing to
go back to England for, and Dick, with his knowledge of both
languages, should be able to find good employment in the Company's
service."
"Thank you greatly, brother. If, as you say, my quest should come to
nothing, I would gladly settle down in my old home. Dick's
inclinations, at present, turn to the sea, but I have no doubt that
what you say is true, and that there may be far more advantageous
openings for him out here. However, that is a matter for us to talk
over, in the future."
The Rajah stayed four days at Madras. Every morning the carriage came
at nine o'clock to fetch Mrs. Holland, who spent several hours with
her brother, and was then driven back to the hotel, while Dick
wandered about with Rajbullub through the native town, asking
questions innumerable, observing closely the different costumes and
turbans, and learning to know, at once, the district, trade, or caste,
from the colour or fashion of the turban, and other little signs.
The shops were an endless source of amusement to him, and he somewhat
surprised his companion by his desire to learn the names of all the
little articles and trinkets, even of the various kinds of grain.
Dick, in fact, was continuing his preparations for his work. He knew
that ignorance of any trifling detail which would, as a matter of
course, be known to every native, would excite more surprise and
suspicion than would be caused by a serious blunder in other matters;
and he wrote down, in a notebook, every scrap of information he
obtained, so as to learn it by heart at his leisure.
Rajbullub was much surprised at the lad's interest in all these little
matters, which, as it seemed to him, were not worth a thought on the
part of his lord's nephew.
"You will never have to buy these things, Sahib," he said. "Why should
you trouble about them?"
"I am going to be over here some time, Rajbullub, and it is just as
well to learn as much as one can. If I were to stroll into the market
in Tripataly, and had a fancy to buy any trifle, the country people
would laugh in my face, were I ignorant of its name."
His companion shook his head.
"They would not expect any white sahib to know such things," he said.
"If he wants to buy anything, the white sahib points to it and asks,
'How much?' Then, whether it is a brass iota, or a silver trinket, or
a file, or a bunch of fruit, the native says a price four times as
much as he would ask anyone else. Then the sahib offers him half, and
after protesting many times that the sum is impossible, the dealer
accepts it, and both parties are well satisfied.
"If you have seen anything that you want to buy, sahib, tell me, and I
will go and get it for you. Then you will not be cheated."
The start for Tripataly was made at daybreak. Dick and his mother
drove, in an open carriage that had been hired for the journey. The
Rajah rode beside it, or cantered on ahead. His escort followed the
vehicle. The luggage had been sent off, two days before, by cart.
The country as far as Arcot was flat, but everything was interesting
to Dick; and when they arrived at the city, where they were to stop
for the night at the house the Rajah had occupied on his way down, he
sallied out, as soon as their meal was over, to inspect the fort and
walls. He had, during his outward voyage, eagerly studied the history
of Clive's military exploits, and the campaigns by which that portion
of India had been wrested from the French; and he was eager to visit
the fort, whose memorable defence, by Clive, had first turned the
scale in favour of the British. These had previously been regarded, by
the natives, as a far less warlike people than the French, who were
expected to drive them, in a very short time, out of the country.
Rajbullub was able to point out to him every spot associated with the
stirring events of that time.
"'Tis forty-six years back, and I was but a boy of twelve; but six
years later I was here, for our rajah was on the side of the English,
although Tripataly was, and is now, under the Nabob of Arcot. But my
lord had many causes of complaint against him, and when he declared
for the French, our lord, who was not then a rajah, although chief of
a considerable district, threw in his lot with the English; and, when
they triumphed, was appointed rajah by them, and Tripataly was made
almost wholly independent of the Nabob of Arcot. At one time a force
of our men was here, with four companies of white troops, when it was
thought that Dupleix was likely to march against us; and I was with
that force, and so learned all about the fighting here."
The next day the party arrived, late in the evening, at Tripataly. A
large number of men, with torches, received them in front of the
palace; and, on entering, Mrs. Holland was warmly received by the
Rajah's wife, who carried her off at once to her apartments, which she
did not leave afterwards, as she was greatly fatigued by the two long
days of travel.
Dick, on the contrary, although he had dozed in the carriage for the
last two or three hours of the journey, woke up thoroughly as they
neared Tripataly. As soon as they entered the house, the Rajah called
his two sons, handsome, dark-faced lads of twelve and thirteen.
"This is your cousin, boys," he said. "You must look after him, and
see that he has everything he wants, and make his stay as pleasant as
you can."
Although a little awed by the, to them, tall figure, they evinced
neither shyness or awkwardness, but, advancing to Dick, held out their
hands one after the other, with grave courtesy. Their faces both
brightened, as he said in their own language:
"I hope we shall be great friends, cousins. I am older and bigger than
you are, but everything is new and strange to me, and I shall have to
depend upon you to teach me everything."
"We did not think that you would be able to talk to us," the elder,
whose name was Doast Assud, said, smiling. "We have been wondering how
we should make you understand. Many of the white officers, who come
here sometimes, speak our language, but none of them as well as you
do."
"You see, they only learn it after they come out here, while I learnt
it from my mother, who has talked to me in it since I was quite a
little boy; so it comes as naturally to me as to you."
In a few minutes, supper was announced. The two boys sat down with
their father and Dick, and the meal was served in English fashion.
Dick had already become accustomed to the white-robed servants, at the
hotel at Madras, and everything seemed to him pleasant and home-like.
"Tomorrow, Dick," his uncle said, "you must have your first lesson in
riding."
The two boys looked up in surprise. They had been accustomed to horses
from their earliest remembrance, and it seemed to them incredible that
their tall cousin should require to be taught. Dick smiled at their
look of astonishment.
"It is not, with us in England, as it is here," he said. "Boys who
live in the country learn to ride, but in London, which is a very
great town, with nothing but houses for miles and miles everywhere,
few people keep horses to ride. The streets are so crowded, with
vehicles of all sorts, and with people on foot, that it is no pleasure
to ride in them, and everyone who can afford it goes about in a
carriage. Those who cannot, go in hired vehicles, or on foot. You
would hardly see a person on horseback once in a week."
"I do not like walking," Doast said gravely.
"Well, you see, you have no occasion to walk, as you always have your
horses. Besides, the weather here is very hot. But in England it is
colder, and walking is a pleasure. I have walked over twenty miles a
day, many times, not because I had to do it, but as a day's pleasure
with a friend."
"Can you shoot, cousin?"
"No," Dick laughed. "There is nothing to shoot at. There are no wild
beasts in England, and no game birds anywhere near London."
Dick saw, at once, that he had descended many steps in his cousins'
estimation.
"Then what can you find to do?" the younger boy asked.
"Oh, there is plenty to do," Dick said. "In the first place, there is
school. That takes the best part of the day. Then there are all sorts
of games. Then I used to take lessons in sword exercise, and did all
sorts of things to improve my muscles, and to make me strong. Then, on
holidays, three or four of us would go for a long walk, and sometimes
we went out on the river in a boat; and every morning, early, we used
to go for a swim. Oh, I can tell you, there was plenty to do, and I
was busy from morning till night. But I want very much to learn to
shoot, both with gun and pistol, as well as to ride."
"We have got English guns and pistols," Doast said. "We will lend them
to you. We have a place where we practise.
"Our father says everyone ought to be able to shoot--don't you,
Father?"
The Rajah nodded.
"Everyone out here ought to, Doast, because, you see, every man here
may be called upon to fight, and everyone carries arms. But it is
different in England. Nobody fights there, except those who go into
the army, and nobody carries weapons."
"What! Not swords, pistols, and daggers, Father?" Doast exclaimed, in
surprise; for to him it seemed that arms were as necessary a part of
attire as a turban, and much more necessary than shoes. "But, when
people are attacked by marauders, or two chiefs quarrel with each
other, what can they do if they have no arms?"
"There are no marauders, and no chiefs," Dick laughed. "In the old
times, hundreds of years ago, there were nobles who could call out all
their tenants and retainers to fight their battles, and in those days
people carried swords, as they do here. There are nobles still, but
they have no longer any power to call out anyone, and if they quarrel
they have to go before a court for the matter to be decided, just as
everyone else does."
This seemed, to Doast, a very unsatisfactory state of things, and he
looked to his father for an explanation.
"It is as your cousin says, Doast. You have been down with me to
Madras, and you have seen that, except the officers in the army, none
of the Europeans carry arms. It is the same in England. England is a
great island, and as they have many ships of war, no enemy can land
there. There is one king over the whole country, and there are written
laws by which everyone, high and low alike, are governed. So you see,
no one has to carry arms. All disputes are settled by the law, and
there is peace everywhere; for as nothing would be settled by
fighting, and the law would punish any one, however much in the right
he might be, who fought, there is no occasion at all for weapons. It
is a good plan, for you see no one, however rich, can tyrannise over
others; and were the greatest noble to kill the poorest peasant, the
law would hang him, just the same as it would hang a peasant who
killed a lord.
"And now, boys, you had better be off to bed. Your cousin has had a
long day of it, and I have no doubt he will be glad to do so. Tomorrow
we will begin to teach him to ride and to shoot, and I have no doubt
that he will be ready, in return, to teach you a great deal about his
country."
The boys got up. But Doast paused to ask his father one last question.
"But how is it, Father, if the English never carry weapons, and never
fight, that they are such brave soldiers? For have they not conquered
all our princes and rajahs, and have even beaten Tippoo Sahib, and
made him give them much of his country?"
"The answer would be a great deal too long to be given tonight, Doast.
You had better ask your cousin about it, in the morning."