"That gives you a general idea, Dick, of the war with Tippoo. I saw
little of the events after the battle of Porto Novo, as my father was
taken ill soon after, and died at Madras. Seeing that there was no
probability, whatever, of the English driving Hyder back, until they
had much larger forces and a much better system of management, I
remained in Madras until peace was made; then I came back here,
rebuilt the palace, and have since been occupied in trying to restore
the prosperity of my poor people.
"It is, I feel, a useless task, for it is certain that, ere long, the
English will again be engaged with Mysore; and if they are, it is
well-nigh certain that Tippoo's hordes will again sweep down from the
hills, and carry ruin and desolation everywhere.
"He would, as Hyder had, have the advantage on his side at the
beginning of the war. He has a score of passes to choose from, and can
descend on to the plain by any one he may select. And, even were there
a force here capable of giving battle to the whole Mysorean army, it
could not watch all the passes, as to do so the army would have to be
broken up into a dozen commands. Tippoo will therefore again be able
to ravage the plains, for weeks, perhaps, before the English can force
him to give battle.
"But there is no army, at present, in existence of sufficient strength
to meet him. The Madras force would have to wait until reinforcements
arrived from Calcutta. It was bad before, but it will be worse, now.
Hyder, no doubt, slaughtered many, but he was not cruel by nature. He
carried off enormous quantities of people, with their flocks and
herds, but he did this to enrich Mysore with their labour, and did not
treat them with unnecessary cruelty.
"Tippoo, on the other hand, is a human tiger. He delights in torturing
his victims, and slays his prisoners from pure love of bloodshed. He
is proud of the title of 'Tiger.' His footstool is a tiger's head, and
the uniforms of his infantry are a sort of imitation of a tiger's
stripes. He has military talent, and showed great judgment in command
of his division--indeed, most of the successes gained during the last
war were his work. Since then, he has laboured incessantly to improve
his army. Numbers of regiments have been raised, composed of the
captives carried off from here and from the west coast. They are
drilled, in European fashion, by the English captives he still holds
in his hands."
"But why, Uncle, instead of giving time to Tippoo to come down here,
should we not march up the passes, and compel him to keep his army up
there to defend Seringapatam?"
"Because, Dick, in the first place, there is not an army strong enough
to do so; but even were there a force of fifty thousand men at Madras,
they could not take the offensive in time. An English army cannot move
without a great train to carry ammunition, stores and provisions; and
to get such a train together would be the work of months. As I have
been telling you, during the three years the last war lasted, the
Madras authorities were never able to collect such a train, and the
consequence was that their army was unable to go more than two or
three days' march from the city.
"On the other hand, Tippoo could, any day, order that three days'
supply of rice or grain should be served out to each soldier, and
could set out on his march the following morning; as, from the moment
he reached the plains, his cavalry would have the whole of the
resources of the country at their mercy."
"I see, Uncle. Then, if war broke out, you would at once go to Madras
again?"
"There would be nothing else to do, Dick. I should send everything of
value down there, as soon as I saw that war was inevitable. The
traders here have already begun to prepare. The shops are half empty,
for they have not replaced goods they have sold, and a very few hours
would suffice for everything worth taking to be cleared out of the
town. The country round here is comparatively uninhabited, and but a
small portion of it tilled, so great was the number carried off by
Hyder. Next time they will take to the hills at once, and I believe
that many have already stored up grain in hiding places there. This
time it may be hoped that a few weeks, or months at most, may see
Tippoo driven back, and for that time the peasants can manage to exist
in the hills. No doubt the richer sort, who have large flocks of
goats, and many cattle, will, as soon as danger threatens, drive them
down to Madras, where they are sure to fetch good prices for the use
of the army.
"I have already told all men who have bullock carts and teams, that
they can, if forced to leave home, earn a good living by taking
service in the English transport train. I hope, therefore, that the
results will not be so disastrous as before. The town may be burnt
down again, but unless they blow up my palace, they can do little harm
to it. When I rebuilt it, seeing the possibility of another war, I
would not have any wood whatever used in its construction. Therefore,
when the hangings are taken down, and the furniture from these rooms
cleared out, there will be nothing to burn, and they are not likely to
waste powder in blowing it up.
"As to the town, I warned the people who returned that it might be
again destroyed before long, and therefore there has been no solid
building. The houses have all been lightly run up with wood, which is
plentiful enough in the hills, and no great harm, therefore, will be
done if it is again burnt down. The pagoda and palace are the only
stone buildings in it. They did some harm to the former, last time, by
firing shot at it for a day or two; and, as you can see for yourself,
no attempt has since been made to repair it, and I do not suppose they
will trouble to damage it further.
"So you see, Dick, we are prepared for the worst."
"Will you fight again, as you did last time, Uncle?"
"I do not know, Dick. I show my loyalty to the English rule by
repairing to the capital; but my force is too small to render much
service. You see, my revenues have greatly diminished, and I cannot
afford to keep up so large a force as my father could. Fortunately,
his savings had been considerable, and from these I was able to build
this palace, and to succour my people, and have still enough to keep
up my establishment here, without pressing the cultivators of the soil
for taxes. This year is the first that I have drawn any revenue from
that source; but, at any rate, I am not disposed to keep up a force
which, while it would be insufficient to be of any great value in a
war like this, would be a heavy tax on my purse."
"Even the force you have must be that, Uncle."
"Not so much as you would think, Dick, with your English notions. The
pay here is very small--so small that it would seem to you impossible
for a man to live on it; and yet, many of these men have wives and
families. All of them have patches of land that they cultivate; only
twenty, who are changed once a month, being kept on duty. They are
necessary; for I should have but little respect from my people, and
less still from other rajahs, did I not have sentries at the gates,
and a guard ready to turn out in honour of any visitor who might
arrive; to say nothing of an escort, of half a dozen men, when I ride
through the country. Of course, all can be called out whenever I want
them, as, for example, when I rode to Madras to meet you. The men
think themselves well off upon the pay of three rupees a month, as
they are practically only on duty two months each year, and have the
rest of the time to cultivate their fields. Therefore, with the pay of
the officers, my troop only costs me about four hundred rupees a
month, which is, you know, equivalent to forty English pounds; so that
you cannot call it an expensive army, even if it is kept for show
rather than use."
"No, indeed, Uncle! It seems ridiculous that a troop of a hundred men
can be kept up, for five hundred pounds a year."
"Of course, the men have some little privileges, Dick. They pay no
rent or taxes for their lands. This is a great thing for them, and
really costs me nothing, as there is so much land lying uncultivated.
Then, when too old for service, they have a pension of two rupees a
month for life, and on that, and what little land they can cultivate,
they are comparatively comfortable."
"Well, it does not seem to me, Uncle, that soldiering is a good trade
in this country."
"I don't know that it is a good trade, in the money way, anywhere.
After all, the pay out here is quite as high, in comparison with the
ordinary rate of earning of a peasant, as it is in England. It is
never the pay that tempts soldiers. Among young men there are always
great numbers who prefer the life to that of a peasant, working
steadily from daylight to dark, and I don't know that I altogether
blame them."
"Then you think, Uncle, there is no doubt whatever that there will be
war?"
"Not a shadow of doubt, Dick--indeed, it may be said to have begun
already; and, like the last, it is largely due to the incapacity of
the government of Madras."
"I have just received a message from Arcot," the Rajah said, two
months later, "and I must go over and see the Nabob."
"I thought," Mrs. Holland said, "that Tripataly was no longer subject
to him. I understood that our father was made independent of Arcot?"
"No, Margaret, not exactly that. The Nabob had involved himself in
very heavy debts, during the great struggle. The Company had done
something to help him, but were unable to take all his debts on their
shoulders; and indeed, there was no reason why they should have done
so, for although during most of the war he was their ally, he was
fighting on his own behalf, and not on theirs.
"In the war with Hyder it was different. He was then quite under
English influence, and, indeed, could scarcely be termed independent.
And as he suffered terribly--his lands were wasted, his towns
besieged, and his people driven off into slavery--the Company are at
present engaged in negotiations for assisting him to pay his debts,
which are very heavy.
"It was before you left, when the Nabob was much pressed for money,
and had at that time no claim on the Company, that our father bought
of him a perpetual commutation of tribute, taxes, and other monies and
subsidies payable by Tripataly; thus I am no longer tributary to
Arcot. Nevertheless, this forms a portion of the Nabob's territories,
and I cannot act as if I were an independent prince.
"I could not make a treaty with Mysore on my own account, and it is
clear that neither Arcot nor the English could allow me to do so, for
in that case Mysore could erect fortresses here, and could use
Tripataly as an advanced post on the plain. Therefore, I am still
subject to the Nabob, and could be called upon for military service by
him. Indeed, that is one of the reasons why, even if I could afford
it, I should not care to keep up a force of any strength. As it is, my
troop is too small to be worth summoning. The Nabob has remonstrated
with me more than once, but since the war with Hyder I have had a good
excuse, namely, that the population has so decreased that my lands lie
untilled, and it would be impossible for me to raise a larger force. I
have, however, agreed that, in case of a fresh war, I will raise an
additional hundred cavalry.
"I expect it is in relation to this that he has sent for me to Arcot.
We know that the English are bound, by their treaty with Travancore,
to declare war. They ought, in honour, to have done it long ago, but
they were unprepared. Now that they are nearly ready, they may do so
at any time, and indeed the Nabob may have learned that fighting has
begun.
"The lookout is bad. The government of Madras is just as weak and as
short sighted as it was during Hyder's war. There is but one comfort,
and that is that Lord Cornwallis, at Calcutta, has far greater power
than his predecessors; and as he is an experienced soldier, and is
said to be an energetic man, he may bring up reinforcements from
Calcutta without loss of time, and also set the troops of Bombay in
motion. I expect that, as before, things will go badly at first; but
hope that, this time, we shall end by giving Mysore so heavy a lesson
that she will be powerless for mischief, in future."
"And release all the captives," Mrs. Holland exclaimed, clasping her
hands.
"I sincerely trust so, Margaret," her brother said gravely; "but,
after what happened last time, we must not be sanguine. Scattered
about as they may be, in the scores of little hill forts that dot the
whole country, we can, unhappily, never be sure that all are
delivered, when we have only the word of a treacherous tyrant like
Tippoo. We know that, last time, he kept back hundreds of prisoners,
among whom, as we may hope, was your husband; and it may be that,
however completely he may be defeated, he may yet retain some of them,
knowing full well it is impossible that all these hill forts and their
dungeons can be searched. However, doubtless if an English army
marches to Seringapatam, many will be recovered, though we have reason
to fear that many will, as before, be murdered before our arrival."
When the Rajah returned from Arcot, on the following day, he brought
back the news that General Meadows had moved to the frontier at
Caroor, fifty miles beyond Trichinopoly, and that the war was really
about to begin.
"You know," he said, "how matters stand, up to now. Tippoo, after
making peace with the Nizam and the Mahrattis, with whom he had been
engaged in hostilities for some time, turned his attention to the
western coast, where Coorg and Malabar had risen in rebellion. After,
as usual, perpetrating horrible atrocities, and after sending a large
proportion of the population as slaves to Mysore, he marched against
Travancore. Now, Travancore was specially mentioned, in the treaty of
Mangalore, as one of the allies of the English, with whom Tippoo bound
himself not to make war; and had he not been prepared to fight the
English, he would not have attacked their ally. The excuse for
attacking Travancore was that some of the fugitives, from Coorg and
Malabar, had taken refuge there.
"Seeing that Tippoo was bent upon hostilities, Lord Cornwallis and his
council at Calcutta directed, as I learnt from an official at Madras,
the authorities there to begin at once to make preparations for war.
Instead of doing so, Mr. Holland, the governor, gave the Rajah the
shameful and cowardly advice to withdraw his protection from the
fugitives. The Rajah refused to comply with such counsel, and after
some months spent in negotiations, Tippoo attacked the wall that runs
along the northern frontier of Travancore.
"That was about six months ago. Yes, it was on the 28th of
December--so it is just six months. His troops, fourteen thousand
strong, made their way without difficulty through a breach, but they
were suddenly attacked by a small body of Travancore men. A panic
seized them. They rushed back to the breach, and in the wild struggle
to pass through it, no less than two thousand were either killed or
crushed to death.
"It was nearly three months before Tippoo renewed his attack. The
lines were weak, and his army so strong that resistance was
impossible. A breach, three-quarters of a mile in length, was made in
the wall, and marching through this, he devastated Travancore from end
to end.
"His unaccountable delay, before assaulting the position, has been of
great advantage to us. Had he attacked us at once, instead of wasting
his time before Travancore, he would have found the Carnatic as
defenceless and as completely at his mercy as Hyder did. He would
still have done so, had it depended upon Madras, but as the
authorities here did nothing, Lord Cornwallis took the matter into his
own hands. He was about to come here himself, when General Meadows,
formerly Governor of Bombay, arrived, invested by the Company with the
offices of both governor and of commander-in-chief.
"He landed here late in February, and at once set to work to prepare
for war. Lord Cornwallis sent, from Calcutta, a large amount of money,
stores, and ammunition, and a battalion of artillerymen. The Sepoys
objected to travel by sea, as their caste rules forbade them to do so,
and he therefore sent off six battalions of infantry by land, and the
Nabob tells me they are expected to arrive in four or five weeks'
time. The Nabob of Arcot and the Rajah of Tanjore, both of whom are
very heavily in debt to the government, are ordered, during the
continuance of the war, to place their revenues at its disposal, a
liberal allowance being made to them both for their personal expenses.
"Tippoo is still in Travancore--at least, he was there ten days ago,
and has been endeavouring to negotiate. The Nabob tells me he believes
that the object of General Meadows, in advancing from Trichinopoly to
Caroor, is to push on to Coimbatoor, where he will, if he arrives
before Tippoo, cut him off from his return to his capital; and as
Meadows has a force of fifteen thousand men, he ought to be able to
crush the tyrant at a blow.
"I fear, however, there is little chance of this. The Mysore troops
move with great rapidity, and as soon as Tippoo hears that the English
army is marching towards Caroor, he is sure to take the alarm, and by
this time has probably passed Coimbatoor on his way back. With all his
faults, Tippoo is a good general, and the Nabob's opinion--and I quite
agree with him--is that, as soon as he regains the table land of
Mysore, he will take advantage of the English army being far away to
the south, and will pour down through the passes into this part of the
Carnatic, which is at present absolutely defenceless. This being the
case, I shall at once get ready to leave for Madras, and shall move as
soon as I learn, for certain, that Tippoo has slipped past the
English.
"The Nabob has called upon me to join him with my little body of
cavalry, and as soon as the news comes that Tippoo is descending the
passes, I shall either join him or the English army. That will be a
matter to decide afterwards."
"You will take me with you, of course, Uncle?" Dick asked eagerly.
"Certainly, Dick. If you are old enough to undertake the really
perilous adventure of going up in disguise to Mysore, you are
certainly old enough to ride with me. Besides, we may hope that, this
time, the war is not going to be as one-sided as it was the last time,
and that we may end by reaching Seringapatam; in which case we may
rescue your father, if he is still alive, very much more easily than
it could be managed in the way you propose."
The news that the English army had marched to Caroor, and that there
was no force left to prevent the Mysoreans from pouring down from the
hills, spread quickly; and when Dick went out with the two boys into
the town, groups of people were talking earnestly in the streets. Some
of them came up, and asked respectfully if there was any later news.
"Nothing later than you have heard," Dick said.
"The Rajah is not going away yet, Sahib?"
"No; he will not leave unless he hears that Tippoo has returned, with
his army, to Seringapatam. Then he will go at once, for the sultan
might come down through the passes at any moment, and can get here a
fortnight before the English army can return from Caroor."
"Yes; it will be no use waiting here to be eaten up, Sahib. Do you
think Conjeveram would be safe? Because it is easy to go down there by
boat."
"I should think so. Hyder could not take it last time, and the English
army is much stronger than it was then. Besides, there will be six
thousand men arriving from Bengal, in a month's time, so I should
think there is no fear of Conjeveram being taken."
"It is little trouble getting there," the trader said, "but it is a
long journey to Madras. We could go down with our families and goods
in two days, in a boat; but there would not be boats enough for all,
and it will be best, therefore, that some should go at once, for if
all wait until there is news that Tippoo is coming, many will not be
able to get away in time."
"No, not in boats," Dick agreed; "but in three days a bullock cart
would get you there."
Next day, several of the shops containing the most valuable goods were
shut up; and, day by day, the number remaining open grew smaller.
"It is as I expected," the Rajah said, one morning, as he came into
the room where the family was sitting. "A messenger has just come in
from the Nabob, with the news that sickness broke out among the army,
as soon as they arrived at Caroor, and in twenty-four hours a thousand
men were in hospital. This delayed the movement, and when they arrived
at Coimbatoor they were too late. Tippoo and his army had already
passed, moving by forced marches back to Mysore.
"Finish your packing, ladies. We will start at daybreak tomorrow
morning. I secured three boats, four days ago, and have been holding
them in readiness. Rajbullub will go in charge of you. There is not
the least fear of Tippoo being here for another fortnight, at the
earliest.
"I shall ride with the troop. Dick and the boys will go with me. We
shall meet you at Conjeveram. I have already arranged with some of our
people, who have gone on in their bullock carts, with their
belongings, and will unload them there, to be in readiness to take our
goods on to Madras, so there will be no delay in getting forward."
By nightfall, the apartments were completely dismantled. The furniture
was all stowed away, in a vault which the Rajah had had constructed
for the purpose, when the palace was rebuilt. Access was obtained to
it through the floor in one of the private apartments. The floor was
of tessellated marble, but some ten squares of it lifted up in a mass,
forming together a trapdoor, from which steps led down into the vault.
When the block was lowered again, the fit was so accurate that, after
sweeping a little dust over the joint, the opening was quite
imperceptible to any one not aware of the hiding place. The cushions
of the divans were taken down here, as well as the furniture, and all
the less valuable carpets, rugs and hangings, while the costlier
articles were rolled up into bales, for transport.
The silver cups and other valuables were packed in boxes, and were,
during the night, carried by coolies down to the boats, over which a
guard was placed until morning. Provisions for the journey down the
river were also placed on board. The palace was astir long before
daybreak. The cushions that had been slept on during the night were
carried down to the boats, the boxes of wearing apparel closed and
fastened, and a hasty meal was taken.
The sun was just rising when they started. One boat had been fitted up
with a bower of green boughs, for the use of the two ladies and their
four attendants. The other two carried the baggage.
After seeing them push off, the Rajah, his sons, and Dick returned to
the palace. Here for a couple of hours he held a sort of audience, and
gave his advice to the townspeople and others who came, in
considerable numbers, to consult with him. When this was done they
went into the courtyard, where all was ready for their departure.
The troop had, during the past week, been raised to two hundred men,
many of the young cultivators coming eagerly forward, as soon as they
heard that the Rajah was going to increase his troop, being anxious to
take a share in the adventures that might be looked for, and to avenge
the sufferings that had been inflicted on their friends by Hyder's
marauders. They were a somewhat motley troop, but this mattered
little, as uniformity was unknown among the forces of the native
princes.
The majority were stout young fellows. All provided their own horses
and arms, and although the former lacked the weight and bone of
English cavalry horses, they were capable of performing long journeys,
and of existing on rations on which an English horse would starve.
All were well armed, for any deficiency had been made up from the
Rajah's store, and from this a large number of guns had, three days
before, been distributed among such of the ryots as intended to take
to the hills on the approach of the enemy. Ammunition had also been
distributed among them. Every man in the troop carried a shield and
tulwar, and on his back was slung a musket or spear; and there were
few without pistols in their girdles.
They rode halfway to Conjeveram, and stopped for the night at a
village--the men sleeping in the open air, while the Rajah, his sons,
and Dick, were entertained by the chief man of the place. The next
afternoon they rode into Conjeveram, where, just at sunset, the boats
also arrived.
The troop encamped outside the town, while the Rajah and his party
occupied some rooms that had been secured beforehand for them. In the
morning, the ladies proceeded in a native carriage; with the troop, an
officer and ten men following, in charge of the bullock carts
containing the baggage.
On reaching Madras, they encamped on the Maidan--a large, open space
used as a drill ground for the troops garrisoned there--and the Rajah
and his party established themselves in the house occupied by him on
the occasion of his last visit. The next day, the Rajah went to the
Government House, and had an interview with the deputy governor.
"I think," the latter said, after some conversation, "that your troop
of cavalry will be of little use to the Nabob. If Tippoo comes down
from the hills, he will not be able to take the field against him, and
will need all his forces to defend Arcot, Vellore, and his smaller
forts, and cavalry would be of no real use to him. Your troop would be
of much greater utility to the battalions from Bengal, when they
arrive. They will be here in three weeks or so, and as soon as they
come, I will attach you to them. I will write to the Nabob, saying
that you were about to join him, but that, in the interest of the
general defence, I have thought it better, at present, to attach you
to the Bengal contingent. You see, they will be entirely new to the
country, and it will be a great advantage to them to have a troop like
yours, many of whom are well acquainted with the roads and general
geography of the country. Your speaking English, too, will add to your
usefulness."
"I have a nephew with me who speaks English perfectly, and also
Hindustani," the Rajah said. "He is a smart young fellow, and I have
no doubt that the officer in command would be able to make him very
useful. He is eager to be of service. His father, who was an
Englishman, was wrecked some years ago on the west coast, and sent up
a prisoner to Mysore. He was not one of those handed over at the time
of the peace, but whether he has been murdered, or is still a prisoner
in Tippoo's hands, we do not know. My sister came out with the boy,
three or four months ago, to endeavour to obtain some news of him."
"I will make a note of it, Rajah. I have no doubt that he will be of
great use to Colonel Cockerell."
In the last week in July, the Rajah moved with his troop to
Conjeveram, and on the 1st of August the Bengal forces arrived there.
They were joined, at once, by three regiments of Europeans, one of
native cavalry, and a strong force of artillery, raising their numbers
to nine thousand, five hundred men.
Colonel Kelly took command of the force, and begged the Rajah to
advance with his horsemen, at once, to the foot of the ghauts, to
break it up into half troops, and to capture or destroy any small
parties of horse Tippoo might send down, by any of the passes, to
reconnoitre the country and ascertain the movements and strength of
the British forces. He was also to endeavour to obtain as much
information as he could of what was going on in Mysore, and to
ascertain whether Tippoo was still with his army, watching General
Meadows in the west; or was moving, as if with the intention of taking
advantage of the main force of the English being away south, to
descend into the Carnatic.
The order was a very acceptable one to the Rajah. His troop made a
good appearance enough, when in company with those of the Nabob of
Arcot, but he could not but feel that they looked a motley body by the
side of the trained native and European troops; and he was frequently
angered by hearing the jeering comments of English soldiers to each
other, when he rode past them with his troop; and had not a little
astonished the speakers, more than once, by turning round on his
horse, and abusing them hotly in their own language.
He was, therefore, glad to be off. For such work, his men were far
better fitted than were even the native cavalry in the Company's
service. They were stout, active fellows, accustomed to the hills, and
speaking the dialect used by the shepherds and villagers among the
ghauts.
Proceeding northward through Vellore, he there divided his force into
four bodies. He himself, with fifty men, took up a position at the
mouth of the pass of Amboor. Another fifty were sent to the pass of
Moognee, to the west of Chittoor, under the command of Anwar, the
captain of the troop. The rest were distributed among the minor
passes.
Dick remained with his uncle, who established himself in a village,
seven miles up the pass. He was well satisfied with the arrangement,
for he was anxious to learn to go about among the hills as a spy, and
was much more likely to get leave from his uncle to do so, than he
would have been from any of the officers of the troop, who would not
have ventured to allow the Rajah's nephew to run into danger.
In the second place, his especial friend among the officers, a youth
named Surajah, son of Rajbullub, was with the detachment. Surajah had
been especially picked out, by the Rajah, as Dick's companion. He
generally joined him in his rides, and they had often gone on shooting
excursions among the hills. He was about three years Dick's senior,
but in point of height there was but little difference between them.
Every day half the troop, under an officer, rode up the pass until
within a mile of the fort near the summit, garrisoned by Mysorean
troops. They were able to obtain but little information, for the
villages towards the upper end of the pass were all deserted and in
ruins, the inhabitants never having ventured back since Hyder's
invasion.
The Rajah was vexed at being able to learn nothing of what was passing
on the plateau, and was therefore more disposed than he might
otherwise have been to listen to Dick's proposal.
"Don't you think, Uncle," the latter said one evening, "that I might
try to learn something by going up with Surajah alone? We could strike
off into the hills, as if on a shooting expedition, just as we used to
do from Tripataly, except that I should stain my face and hands. The
people in the villages on the top of the ghauts are, every one says,
simple and quiet. They have no love for Tippoo or Mysore, but are
content to pay their taxes, and to work quietly in their fields. There
will be little fear of our being interfered with by them."
"You might find a party of Tippoo's troops in one of the villages,
Dick, and get into trouble."
"I don't see why we should, Uncle. Of course, we should not go up
dressed as we are, but as shikarees, and when we went into a village,
should begin by asking whether the people are troubled with any tigers
in the neighbourhood. You see, I specially came out here to go into
Mysore in disguise, and I should be getting a little practice in this
way, besides obtaining news for you."
"I am certainly anxious to get news, Dick. So far, I have had nothing
to send down, except that the reports, from all the passes, agree in
saying that they have learned nothing of any movement on the part of
Tippoo, and that no spies have come down the passes, or any armed
party whatever. This is good, so far as it goes, but it only shows
that the other passes are, like this, entirely deserted. Therefore, we
really know nothing whatever. Even at this moment, Tippoo may have
fifty thousand men gathered on the crest of the hills, ready to pour
down tomorrow through one of the passes; and therefore, as I do not
think you would be running any great danger, I consent to your going
with Surajah on a scouting expedition, on foot, among the hills. As
you say, you must, of course, disguise yourselves as peasants. You had
better, in addition to your guns, each take a brace of pistols, and so
armed, even if any of the villagers were inclined to be hostile, they
would not care about interfering with you."
"Thank you, Uncle. When would you expect us back, if we start tomorrow
morning?"
"That must be entirely in your hands, Dick. You would hardly climb the
ghauts and light upon a village in one day, and it might be necessary
to go farther, before you could obtain any news. It is a broken
country, with much jungle for some distance beyond the hills, and the
villages lying off the roads will have but little communication with
each other, and might know nothing, whatever, of what was happening in
the cultivated plains beyond. At any rate, you must not go into any
villages on the roads leading to the heads of the passes; for there
are forts everywhere, and you would be certain to find parties of
troops stationed in them.
"Even before war broke out, I know that this was the case, as they
were stationed there to prevent any captives, native or European,
escaping from Mysore. You must, therefore, strictly avoid all the main
roads, even though it may be necessary to proceed much farther before
you can get news. I should think, if we say three days going and as
many returning, it will be as little as we can count upon; and I shall
not begin to feel at all uneasy, if you do not reappear for a week. It
is of no use your returning without some information as to what is
going on in Mysore; and it would be folly to throw away your work and
trouble, when, in another day or two, you might get the news you want.
I shall, therefore, leave it entirely to your discretion."
Greatly pleased at having succeeded beyond his expectations, Dick at
once sought out Surajah. The latter was very gratified, when he heard
that he was to accompany the young Sahib on such an expedition, and at
once set about the necessary preparations. There was no difficulty in
obtaining, in the village, the clothes required for their disguises;
and one of the sheep intended for the following day's rations was
killed, and a leg boiled.
"If we take, in addition to this, ten pounds of flour, a gourd of
ghee, and a little pan for frying the cakes in, we shall be able to
get on, without having to buy food, for four or five days; and of
course, when we are once among the villages, we shall have no
difficulty in getting more. You had better cut the meat off the bone,
and divide it in two portions; and divide the flour, too; then we can
each carry our share."
"I will willingly carry it all, Sahib."
"Not at all, Surajah. We will each take our fair share. You see, we
shall have a gun, pistols, ammunition, and a tulwar; and that, with
seven or eight pounds of food each, and our water bottles, will be
quite enough to carry up the ghauts. The only thing we want now is
some stain."
"I will get something that will do, and bring it with me in the
morning, Sahib. It won't take you a minute to put on. I will come for
you at the first gleam of daylight."
Dick returned to the cottage he occupied with his uncle, and told him
what preparations they had made for their journey; and they sat
talking over the details for another hour. The Rajah's last words, as
they lay down for the night, were:
"Don't forget to take a blanket, each. You will want it for sleeping
in the open, which you will probably have to do several times,
although you may occasionally be able to find shelter in a village."
By the time the sun rose, the next morning, they were well upon their
way. They had a good deal of toilsome climbing, but by nightfall had
surmounted the most difficult portions of the ascent, and encamped,
when it became dark, in a small wood. Here they lighted a fire, cooked
some cakes of flour, and, with these and the cold meat, made a hearty
meal. They had, during the day, halted twice; and had breakfasted and
lunched off some bread, of which they had brought sufficient for the
day's journey.
"I suppose there is no occasion to watch, Surajah?"
"I don't know, Sahib. I do not think it will be safe for us both to
sleep. There are, as you know, many tigers among these hills; and
though they would not approach us, as long as the fire is burning
brightly, they might steal up and carry one of us off, when the fire
gets low. I will, therefore, watch."
"I certainly should not let you do that, without taking my turn," Dick
said; "and I feel so tired with the day's work, that I do not think I
could keep awake for ten minutes. It would be better to sleep in a
tree than that."
"You would not get much sleep in a tree, Sahib. I have done it once or
twice, when I have been hunting in a tiger-infested neighbourhood; but
I got scarcely any sleep, and was so stiff, in the morning, that I
could hardly walk. I would rather sit up all night, and keep up a good
fire, than do that."
Dick thought for a minute or two, and then got up and walked about
under the trees, keeping his eyes fixed upon the branches overhead.
"This will do," he said at last. "Come here, Surajah. There! Do you
see those two branches, coming out in the same direction? At one
point, they are but five or six feet apart. We might fasten our
blankets side by side, with the help of the straps of our water
bottles and the slings of the guns; so as to make what are called, on
board a ship, hammocks, and lie there perfectly safe and comfortable."
Surajah nodded.
"I have a coil of leather thong, Sahib. I thought that it might be
useful, if we wanted to bind a prisoner, or for any other purpose, so
I stuffed it into my waist sash."
"That is good. Let us lose no time, for I am quite ready for sleep. I
will climb up first."
In ten minutes, the blankets were securely fastened side by side,
between the branches. Surajah descended, threw another armful of wood
on to the fire, placed their meat in the crutch of a bough, six feet
above the ground, and then climbed the tree again. Thus, they were
soon lying, side by side, in their blankets. These bagged rather
inconveniently under their weight, but they were too tired to mind
trifles, and were very soon fast asleep.
Dick did not wake until Surajah called him. It was already broad
daylight. His companion had slipped down quietly, stirred up the
embers of the fire, thrown on more wood, and cooked some chupatties
before waking him.
"It is too bad, Surajah," Dick said, as he looked down; "you ought to
have woke me. I will unfasten these blankets before I get down. It
will save time after breakfast."
Half an hour later, they were again on their way, and shortly came
upon a boy herding some goats. He looked doubtfully at them, but,
seeing that they were not Mysorean soldiers, he did not attempt to
fly.
"How far is it to the next village, lad?" Surajah asked; "and which is
the way? We are shikarees. Are there any tigers about?"
"Plenty of them," the boy said. "I drive the goats to a strong, high
stockade every evening; and would not come out, before the sun rose,
for all the money they say the sultan has.
"Make for that tree, and close to it you will see a spring. Follow
that down. It will take you to the village."
After walking for six hours, they came to the village. It was a place
of some little size, but there were few people about. Women came to
the doors to look at Surajah and Dick as they came along.
"Where are you from?" an old man asked, as he came out from his
cottage.
"From down the mountain side. Tigers are getting scarce there, and we
thought we would come over and see what we could do, here."
"Here there are many tigers," the old man said. "For the last twenty
years, the wars have taken most of our young men away. Some are forced
to go against their will; for when the order comes, to the head man of
the village, that the sultan requires so many soldiers, he is forced
to pick out those best fitted for service. Others go of their own free
will, thinking soldiering easier work than tilling the fields, besides
the chance of getting rich booty. So there are but few shikarees, and
the tigers multiply and are a curse to us.
"We are but poor people, but if you choose to stay here for a time, we
will pay something for every tiger you kill; and we will send round to
the other villages, within ten miles, and doubtless every one of them
will contribute, so that you might get enough to pay you for your
exertions."
"We will think of it," Surajah replied. "We did not intend to stop in
one village, but proposed to travel about in the jungle-covered
district; and wherever we hear complaints of a tiger committing
depredations, we will stop and do our best to kill the evil beast. We
mean, first, to find out where they are most troublesome, and then we
shall work back again. We hear that the sultan gives good prices, for
those taken alive."
"I have heard so," the old man said, "but none have been caught alive
here, or by anyone in the villages round. The sultan generally gets
them from the royal forests, where none are allowed to shoot, save
with his permission. Sometimes, when there is a lack of them there,
his hunters come into these districts, and catch them in pitfalls, and
have nets and ropes with which the tigers are bound and taken away."
A little crowd had, by this time, collected round them; and the women,
when they heard that the strangers were shikarees, who had come up
with the intention of killing tigers, brought them bowls of milk,
cakes and other presents.
"I suppose, now that the sultan is away at war," Dick said, "his
hunters do not come here for tigers?"
"We know nothing of his wars," a woman said. "They take our sons from
us, and we do not see them again. We did hear a report that he had
gone, with an army, to conquer Travancore. But why he should want to
do it, none of us can make out. His dominions are as wide as the heart
of man can require. It is strange that he cannot rest contented, but,
like his father, should be always taking our sons away to fight.
However, these things are beyond the understanding of poor people like
us; but we can't help thinking that it would be better if he were to
send his armies to destroy all the tigers. If he would do that, we
should not grudge the sums we have to pay, when the tax gatherers come
round."
After pausing for an hour in the village, they continued on their way.
Two or three other small collections of huts were passed, but it was
not until the evening of the next day that they issued from the
jungle-covered country, onto the cultivated plain. At none of the
places they had passed was there anything known, as to Tippoo or his
army, but they were told that there were parties of troops, in all the
villages along the edge of the plain, as well as in the passes.
"We must be careful now, Surajah," Dick said, as, after a long day's
march, they sat down to rest, at a distance of half a mile from a
large village. "Our tale, that we are shikarees, will not do here. Had
that really been our object, we should have stopped at the first place
we came to, and, at any rate, we should not have come beyond the
jungle. We might still say that we are shikarees, but that tigers had
become scarce on the other side of the hills, and, hearing a talk that
Tippoo and the English are going to war with each other, we made up
our minds to go to Seringapatam, and enlist in his army."
"That would do very well," Surajah agreed. "They would have no reason
for doubting us, and even if the officer here were to suggest that we
should enlist under him, we could do so, as there would be no
difficulty in slipping away, and making off into the jungle again."
They waited until the sun set, and then walked on into the village.
They had scarcely entered, when two armed men stopped them, and
questioned them whence they came.
Surajah repeated the story they had agreed upon, and the men appeared
quite satisfied.
"You will be just in time," one said. "We have news that the sultan
has just moved, with his army, to Seringapatam. Officers came here,
only yesterday, to buy up cattle and grain. These are to be retained
here, until orders are received where they are to be sent, so I should
say that he is coming this way, and will be going down the passes, as
Hyder did.
"We shall be very glad, for I suppose we shall join, as he passes
along. It has been dull work here, and we are looking forward to
gaining our share of the loot. It would be just as well for you to
join us here now, as to go on to Seringapatam."
"It would save us a long tramp," Surajah agreed. "We will think it
over, and maybe we will have a talk with your officer, tomorrow
morning."
They sauntered along with the men, talking as they went, and so
escaped being questioned by other soldiers. Presently, they made the
excuse that they wanted, to buy some flour and ghee before the shops
were closed; and, with a friendly nod to the two soldiers, stopped
before the stall of a peasant who had, on a little stand in front of
him, a large jar of ghee. Having purchased some, they went a little
farther, and laid in a fresh supply of flour.
"Things are very dear," Surajah remarked.
"There is very little left in the village," the man said. "All the
flour was bought up yesterday, for the sultan's army, which, they say,
is coming in this direction; and I have only got what you see here. It
has been pounded, by my wife and some other women, since morning."
"That is good enough," Dick said, as they walked away. "Our work is
done, Surajah, and it is not likely that we should learn anything
more, if we were to stop here for a week. Let us turn down between
these houses, and make our way round behind. We might be questioned
again, by a fresh party of soldiers, if we were to go along the
street."
They kept along on the outskirts of the village, regained the road by
which they had come, and walked on until they reached the edge of the
jungle. Going a short distance among the trees, they collected some
sticks, lit a fire, and sat down to cook their meal.
At the last village or two, they had heard but little of tigers, and
now agreed that they could safely lie down, and that it would not be
necessary for them to rig up their blankets as hammocks, as they had
done on the first two nights.