On the following evening, Dick appeared in the room where the others
were sitting, in the dress Rajbullub had got for him, and which was
similar to that of other peasants. The boys had already been told that
he was shortly going on a journey, and that it would be necessary for
him to travel in disguise, but had been warned that it was a matter
that was not to be spoken of, to anyone. The early respect, that
Dick's strength and activity had inspired them with, had been much
shaken when they discovered that he was unable either to ride or
shoot; but their father's narrative of his adventures, when scouting
with Surajah, had completely reinstated him in their high opinion.
When he entered, however, they burst out laughing. The two ladies
could not help smiling, and Dick was not long before he joined in the
laugh against himself. He had felt uncomfortable enough when he
started, in an almost similar dress, with Surajah, although there was
then no one to criticise his appearance. But now, in the presence of
his mother and aunt, he felt strangely uncomfortable.
"Never mind, Dick," his uncle said, encouragingly. "The boys would
feel just as uncomfortable as you do now, if they were dressed up in
European fashion. Now, while we are talking, make your first attempt
at sitting on your heels."
Dick squatted down until his knees nearly touched his chest, and a
moment later lost his balance and toppled over, amid a roar of
laughter. Next time, he balanced himself more carefully.
"That is right, Dick. You will get accustomed to it, in time. But you
must see, already, that there is a good deal more to be done than you
thought of, before you can pass as a native. Remember, you must not
only be able to balance yourself while sitting still, but must be able
to use your hands--for cooking purposes, for example; for eating; or
for doing anything there may be to do--not only without losing your
balance, but without showing that you are balancing yourself."
"It is much more difficult than I thought, Uncle. Of course, I have
always seen the natives squatting like this, but it seemed so natural
that it never struck me it was difficult at all. I say, it is
beginning to hurt already. My shin bones are aching horribly."
"Yes; that is where the strain comes, my boy. But you have got to
stick to it, until your muscles there, which have never been called
into play in this way before, get accustomed to the work."
"I understand that, Uncle. It was just the same with my arms, when I
began to climb. But I can't stand this any longer. I can no more get
up than I can fly;" and Dick rolled over on to his side.
Again and again he tried, after a short rest between each trial. As he
gave it up, and limped stiffly to the divan, he said:
"I feel as if some one had been kicking me on the shins, until he had
nearly broken them, Mother. I have been kicked pretty badly several
times, in fights by rough fellows at home in Shadwell, but it never
hurt like this;" and he rubbed his aching legs ruefully.
"Well, Uncle, I am very much obliged to you for putting me up to
practising this position. It seemed to me that it would be quite a
simple thing, to walk along quietly, and to move my arms about as they
do; but I never thought of this.
"I wonder, Mother, you never told me that, above all things, I should
have to learn to squat on my heels for any time. It would not have
been so difficult to learn it, five or six years ago, when I was not
anything like so heavy as I am now."
"It never once occurred to me, Dick. I wish it had. I thought I had
foreseen every difficulty, but it never once came into my mind that,
in order to pass as a native, you must be able to sit like one."
"Ah, well, I shall learn in time, Mother," Dick replied cheerfully.
"Every exercise is hard at first, but one soon gets accustomed to it."
Dick threw himself with his usual energy into his new work. Although
of a morning, when he first woke, his shins caused him the most acute
pain, he always spent half an hour in practice. Afterwards he would
sit for some time, allowing the water from the tap at the side of the
bath to flow upon the aching muscles. Then he would dress and, as soon
as breakfast was over, go for a run in the garden. At first it was but
a shamble, but gradually the terrible stiffness would wear off, and he
would return to the house comparatively well.
Of an evening the practice was longer, and was kept up until the
aching pain became unendurable. At the end of four or five days, he
was scarcely able to walk at all, but after that time matters
improved, and three weeks later he could preserve the attitude for
half an hour at a time.
In other respects, his training had gone on uninterruptedly every day.
He went out into the town, accompanied sometimes by Rajbullub,
sometimes by Surajah, in the disguises of either a peasant, a soldier,
or a trader; and learnt to walk, and carry himself, in accordance with
his dress. Before putting on these disguises, he painted himself with
a solution that could easily be washed off, on his return to the
palace, where he now always wore a European dress.
"You cannot be too careful," the Rajah said. "There are, of course,
Mohammedans here; and, for aught we know, some may act as agents or
spies of Tippoo, just as the English have agents and spies in Mysore.
Were one of them to send word that you had taken to Indian attire, and
that it was believed that you were about to undertake some mission or
other, it would add considerably to your difficulties and dangers. As
it is, no one outside our own circle ever sees you about with me or
the boys, except in your European dress, and Rajbullub tells me that,
in no single instance while you have been in disguise, has any
suspicion been excited, or question asked by the people of various
classes with whom you and he converse in the streets."
Another month passed, and by this time Dick could, without any great
fatigue, squat on his heels for an hour at a time. As the date for his
departure drew near, his mother became more and more nervous and
anxious.
"I shall never forgive myself, if you do not come back," she said one
day, when they were alone. "I cannot but feel that I have been
selfish, and that really, on the strength of a conviction which most
people would laugh at as whimsical and absurd, I am risking the
substance for a shadow, and am imperilling the life of my only boy,
upon the faint chance that he may find my husband. I know that even
your uncle, although he has always been most kind about it, and
assisted in every way in his power, has but little belief in the
success of your search; although, as he sees how bent I am upon it, he
says nothing that might dash my hopes.
"If evil comes of it, Dick, I shall never forgive myself. I shall feel
that I have sacrificed you to a sort of hallucination."
"I can only say, Mother," Dick replied, "that I came out here, and
entered into your plans, only because I had the most implicit faith
that you were right. I should now continue it on my own account, even
if tomorrow you should be taken from me. Of course, I see plainly
enough that the chances are greatly against my ever hearing anything
of Father; but from what has taken place during the campaign, I have
seen that there must be many British captives still hidden away among
the hill forts, and it is quite possible he may be among them. I do
not even say that it is probable, but the chances are not so very
greatly against it; and even if I thought they were smaller--much
smaller than I believe them to be--I should still consider it my duty
to go up and try and find him. So, even if it should happen that I
never come back again, you will not have yourself to blame, for it is
not you that are sending me, but I who am going of my free will; and
indeed, I feel it so much my duty that, even were you to turn round
now and ask me to stay, I should still think it right to undertake
this mission.
"But indeed, Mother, I see no great danger in it; in fact, scarcely
any danger at all--at any rate, unless I find Father. If I do so,
there might certainly be risk in attempting to get him away; but this,
if I am lucky enough in discovering him, will not weigh with me for an
instant. If I do not find him, it seems to me that the risk is a mere
nothing. Surajah and I will wander about, enlisting in the garrisons
of forts. Then, if we find there are no prisoners there, we shall take
an early opportunity of getting away. In some places, no doubt, I
shall be able to learn from men of the garrison whether there are
prisoners, without being forced to enter at all; for although in the
great forts, like Savandroog and Outradroog, it is considered so
important the defences should be kept secret, that none of the
garrison are allowed to leave until they are discharged as too old for
service, there is no occasion for the same precaution in the case of
less important places. Thus, you see, we shall simply have to wander
about, keeping our eyes and ears open, and finding out, either from
the peasants or the soldiers themselves, whether there are any
prisoners there."
"I wish I could go with you, Dick. I used to think that, when the work
of searching for your father had begun, I could wait patiently for the
result; but instead of that, I find myself even more anxious and more
nervous than I was at Shadwell."
"I can quite understand, Mother, that it is very much more trying
work, sitting here waiting, than it is to be actively engaged. The
only thing is, that you must promise me not to trouble more than you
can help; for if I think of you as sitting here fretting about me, I
shall worry infinitely more than I otherwise should over any
difficulties we may have to encounter. You must remember that I shall
have Surajah with me. He is a capital companion, and will always be
able to advise me upon native business. He is as plucky as a fellow
can be, and I can trust him to do anything, just as I would myself."
The preparations for departure now began in earnest. There was some
discussion as to the arms that were to be taken, but at last it was
decided that, with safety, they could carry nothing beyond a
matchlock, a pistol, and a sword each.
Great pains were taken in the selection of the matchlocks. In the
armoury were several weapons of high finish, with silver mountings,
that had belonged to the Rajah's father and grandfather. These were
tried against each other, and the two that were proved to be the most
accurate were chosen. Dick found, indeed, that at distances up to a
hundred yards, they were quite equal to the English rifle he had
brought out. The silver mountings were taken off, and then the pieces
differed in no way, in appearance, from those in general use among the
peasantry.
The pistols were chosen with equal care. The swords were of finely
tempered steel, the blades being removed from their jewelled handles,
for which were substituted rough handles of ordinary metal.
Ten gold pieces were sewn up underneath the iron bands encircling the
leathern scabbard, as many under the bosses of their shields, and five
pieces in the soles of each of their shoes. In their waist sashes, the
ordinary receptacle of money, each carried a small bag with native
silver coins.
At last all was ready and, an hour before daybreak, Dick took a
cheerful farewell of his mother, and a hearty one of his uncle, and,
with Surajah, passed through the town and struck up into the hills.
Each carried a bag slung over his shoulder, well filled with
provisions, a small water bottle, and, hung upon his matchlock, a
change of clothing. In the folds of his turban, Dick had a packet of
the powder used for making dye, so that he could, at any time, renew
the brown shade, when it began to fade out.
For a time but few words were spoken. Dick knew that, although his
mother had borne up bravely till the last, she would break down as
soon as he left her; and the thought that he might never see her again
weighed heavily upon him. Surajah, on the contrary, was filled with
elation at the prospect of adventures and dangers, and he was silent
simply because he felt that, for the present, his young lord was in no
humour for speech.
As soon as the sun rose, Dick shook off his depression. They were now
a considerable distance up the hillside. There was no path, for the
people of Tripataly had no occasion to visit Mysore, and still less
desire for a visit from the Mysoreans. Periodically, raids were made
upon the villages and plains by marauders from the hills, but these
were mostly by the passes through the ghauts, thirty or forty miles
left or right from the little state which, nestling at the foot of the
hills, for the most part escaped these visitations--which, now that
the British had become possessed of the territories and the hills,
had, it was hoped, finally ceased. Nevertheless, the people were
always prepared for such visits. Every cultivator had a pit in which
he stored his harvest, except so much as was needed for his immediate
wants. The pit was lined with mats, others were laid over the grain.
Two feet of soil was then placed over the mats and, after the ground
had been ploughed, there was no indication of the existence of the
hiding place.
The town itself was surrounded by a wall, of sufficient strength to
withstand the attacks of any parties of marauders; and the custom of
keeping a man on a watch tower was still maintained. At the foot of
the tower stood a heavy gun, whose discharge would at once warn the
peasants for miles round of an enemy, calling those near to hasten to
the shelter of the town, while the men of the villages at a distance
could hurry, with their wives and families, to hiding places among the
hills.
Dick and Surajah had no need of a path, for they were well acquainted
with the ground, and had often wandered up, nearly to the crest of the
hills, in pursuit of game. An hour before noon, they took their seats
under a rock that shaded them from the sun's rays and, sitting down,
partook of a hearty meal. There was no occasion for haste, and they
prepared for rest until the heat of the day was passed.
"We are fairly off now, Surajah," Dick said, as he stretched himself
out comfortably. "I have been thinking of this almost as long as I can
remember, and can hardly believe that it has come to pass."
"I have thought of it but a short time, my lord."
"No, no, Surajah," Dick interrupted. "You know it was arranged that,
from the first, you were to call me Purseram, for unless you get
accustomed to it, you will be calling me 'my lord' in the hearing of
others."
"I had forgotten," Surajah replied with a smile, and then went on. "It
is but a short time since I was sure I was going with you, but I have
ever hoped that the time would come when, instead of the dull work of
drilling men and placing them on guard, I might have the opportunity
of taking part in war and adventure, and indeed had thought of asking
my lord, your uncle, to permit me to go away for a while in one of the
Company's regiments, and there to learn my business. Since the English
have become masters, and there is no longer war between rajah and
rajah, as there used to be in olden times, this is the only way that a
man of spirit can gain distinction. But this adventure is far better,
for there will be much danger, and need for caution as well as
courage."
Dick nodded.
"More for caution and coolness than for courage, I think, Surajah. It
will only be in case we find my father, or if any grave suspicion
falls on us, that there will be need for courage. Once well into
Mysore, I see but little chance of suspicion falling upon us. We have
agreed that we will first make for Seringapatam, avoiding as much as
possible all places on the way where inquiries whence we come may be
made of us. Once in the city, we shall be safe from such questions,
and can travel thence where we will; and it will be hard if we do not,
when there, manage to learn the places at which any prisoners there
may be are most likely to be kept.
"Besides, my father is as likely to be there as anywhere, for Tippoo
may, since our army marched away, have ordered all prisoners to be
brought down from the hill forts to Seringapatam."
When the sun had lost its power, they proceeded on their way again.
Their start had been timed so that, for the first week, they would
have moonlight; and would, therefore, be able to travel at night until
they arrived at Seringapatam. It was considered that it was only
necessary to do this for the first two or three nights as, after that,
the tale that they were coming from a village near the frontier, and
were on their way to join Tippoo's army, would seem natural enough to
any villagers who might question them.
They continued their course until nearly midnight, by which time they
were both completely fatigued, and, choosing a spot sheltered by
bushes, lay down to sleep. It took another two days before they were
clear of the broken country, and the greater portion of this part of
the journey they performed in daylight. Occasionally they saw, in the
distance, the small forts which guarded every road to the plateau. To
these they always gave a very wide berth, as although, according to
the terms of peace, they should all have been evacuated, they might
still be occupied by parties of Tippoo's troops.
Indeed, all the news that had arrived, since the army left,
represented Tippoo as making every effort to strengthen his army and
fortresses, and to prepare for a renewal of the war.
Several times they saw bears, which abounded among the ghauts, and
once beheld two tigers crossing a nullah. They had, however, other
matters to think of, and neither the flesh nor the skins of the bears
would have been of any use to them. The work was severe, and they were
glad when at last they reached the level country. In some of the upper
valleys, opening on to this, they had seen small villages. Near one of
these they had slept, and as in the morning they saw that the
inhabitants were Hindoos, they fearlessly went out and talked with
them, in order to gain some information as to the position of the
forts, and to learn whether any bodies of Tippoo's troops were likely
to be met with.
They found the people altogether ignorant on these matters. They were
simple peasants. Their whole thoughts were given to tilling their
land, and bringing in sufficient to live upon, and to satisfy the
demands of the tax gatherers when they visited them. They had little
communication with other villages, and knew nothing of what was
passing outside their own. They evinced no curiosity whatever
concerning their visitors, who bought from them some cakes of ground
ragee, which formed the chief article of their food.
The country through which they passed, on emerging from the hills, was
largely covered with bush and jungle, and was very thinly populated.
It was an almost unbroken flat, save that here and there isolated
masses of rock rose above it. These were extremely steep and
inaccessible, and on their summits were the hill forts that formed so
prominent a feature in the warfare of both Mysore and the Nizam's
dominions to the north. These forts were, for the most part,
considered absolutely impregnable, but the last war with the British
had proved that they were not so, as several of the strongest had been
captured, with comparatively slight loss.
Whenever they passed within a few miles of one of these hill
fortresses, Dick looked at it with anxious eyes; for there, for aught
he knew, his father might be languishing.
After two days' walking across the plain, they felt that there was no
longer any necessity for concealment, except that it would be as well
to avoid an encounter with any troops. Although, therefore, they
avoided the principal roads, they kept along beaten paths, and did not
hesitate to enter villages to buy food.
They no longer saw caste marks on the foreheads of the inhabitants.
The Hindoos had been compelled by force to abandon their religion, all
who refused to do so being put to death at once. Dick and Surajah
found that their dialect differed much more from that of the country
below the ghauts than they had expected and, although they had no
difficulty in conversing with the peasants, they found that their idea
that they would be able to pass as natives of one of these villages
was an altogether erroneous one.
"This will never do, Surajah," Dick said, as they left one of the
villages. "We shall have to alter our story somehow, for the first
person we meet, in Seringapatam, will see that we are not natives of
Mysore. We must give out that we come from some village far down on
the ghauts--one of those which have been handed over to the English by
the new treaty. You know the country well enough there to be able to
answer any questions that may be asked. We must say that, desiring to
be soldiers, and hating the English raj, we have crossed the hills to
take service of some sort in Mysore. This will be natural enough: and
of course there are many Mohammedans down in the plains, especially
among the villages on the ghauts."
"I think that would be best, Purseram."
"There is one comfort," Dick went on. "It is evident that Tippoo is
hated by all the Hindoos. He has forced them to change their religion,
and we need have no fear of being betrayed by any of them, except from
pressure, or from a desire to win Tippoo's goodwill."
"Yes, that might be the case with those who are fairly well off, but
would scarcely be so among the poorer classes. Besides, even they,
were we living among them, would have no reason for suspecting our
story. There seems no doubt, from what they say, that Tippoo is
preparing for war again, and I think that we shall do well, as soon as
we enter the city, to change our attire, or we might be forced into
joining the army, which would be the last thing we want. What I should
desire, above all things, is to get service of some kind in the
Palace."
After six days' travel, they saw the walls of Seringapatam. Dick had
made many inquiries, at the last halting place, as to the position of
the fords on that side of the town; and learned that only those
leading to the fort were guarded. The ford opposite the town was
freely open to traffic, and could be crossed without question by
country people, although a watch was kept to see that none of the very
numerous prisoners escaped by it.
It was here, therefore, that they crossed the river, the water being
little more than knee deep. No questions were asked by the guard as
they passed, their appearance differing in no way from that of the
peasants of the neighbourhood.
After a quarter of a mile's walk they entered the town. It was open,
and undefended by a wall. The streets were wide, and laid out at right
angles. The shops, however, were poor, for the slightest appearance of
wealth sufficed to excite the cupidity of Tippoo or his agents, and
the possessor would be exposed to exorbitant demands, which, if not
complied with, would have entailed first torture and then death.
The streets, however, presented a busy appearance. They were thronged
with soldiers. Battalions of recruits passed along, and it was evident
that Tippoo was doing all in his power to raise the strength of his
army to its former level. They wandered about for some time, and at
last, in a small street, Dick went up to an old man whose face pleased
him. He was standing at the door of his house.
"We desire to find a room where we can lodge for a time," he said.
"Can you direct us where we can obtain one?"
"You are not soldiers?" the old man asked.
"No. We desire to earn our living, but have not yet decided whether to
join the army."
"You are from the plains?" the native said sharply, in their own
dialect.
"That is so," Dick replied.
"And yet you are Mohammedans?"
"Every one is Mohammedan here."
"Ah! Because it is the choice of 'death or Mohammed.' How comes it
that two young men should voluntarily leave their homes to enter this
tiger's den? You look honest youths. How come you here?"
"I trust that we are honest," Dick said. "We have assuredly not
ventured here without a reason, and that reason is a good one; but
this is not a city where one talks of such matters to a stranger in
the street, even though his face tells one that he can be trusted with
a secret."
The old man was silent for a minute; then he said:
"Come in, my sons. You can, as you say, trust me. I have a room that
you can occupy."
They followed him into the house, and he led them into a small room at
the back. It was poorly furnished, but was scrupulously clean. A pan
of lighted charcoal stood in one corner, and over this a pot of rice
was boiling.
"I bid you welcome," he said gravely.
And as the salutation was not one in use by the Mohammedans, Dick saw
that his idea that the old man was a Hindoo, who had been forced to
abjure his religion, was a correct one. The old man motioned to them
to take their seats on the divan.
"I do not ask for your confidence," he said, "but if you choose to
give it to me, it will be sacred, and it may be that, poor as I am, I
am able to aid you. I will tell you at once that I am a native of
Conjeveram and, of course, a Hindoo. I was settled as a trader at
Mysore, the old capital. But when, four years ago, the tyrant
destroyed that town, I, with over a hundred thousand of our religion,
was forced to adopt Mohammedanism. I was of high caste and, like many
others, would have preferred death to yielding, had it not been that I
had a young daughter; and for her sake I lived, and moved here from
Mysore.
"I gained nothing by my sin. I was one of the wealthiest traders in
the whole city, and I had been here but a month when Tippoo's soldiers
burst in one day. My daughter was carried off to the Tiger's harem,
and I was threatened with torture, unless I divulged the hiding place
of my money.
"It was useless to resist. My wealth was now worthless to me, and
without hesitation I complied with their demands; and all I had was
seized, save one small hoard, which was enough to keep me thus to the
end of my days. My wants are few: a handful of rice or grain a day,
and I am satisfied. I should have put an end to my life, were it not
that, according to our religion, the suicide is accursed; and,
moreover, I would fain live to see the vengeance that must some day
fall upon the tyrant.
"After what I have said, it is for you to decide whether you think I
can be trusted with your secret, for I am sure it is for no slight
reason that you have come to this accursed city."
Dick felt that he could safely speak, and that he would find in this
native a very valuable ally. He therefore told his story without
concealment. Except that an exclamation of surprise broke from his
lips, when Dick said that he was English, the old man listened without
a remark until he had finished.
"Your tale is indeed a strange one," he said, when he had heard the
story. "I had looked for something out of the ordinary, but assuredly
for nothing so strange as this. Truly you English are a wonderful
people. It is marvellous that one should come, all the way from beyond
the black water, to seek for a father lost so many years ago. Methinks
that a blessing will surely alight upon such filial piety, and that
you will find your father yet alive.
"Were it not for that, I should deem your search a useless one.
Thousands of Englishmen have been massacred during the last ten years.
Hundreds have died of disease and suffering. Many have been poisoned.
Many officers have also been murdered, some of them here, but more in
the hill forts; for it was there they were generally sent, when their
deaths were determined upon.
"Still, he may live. There are men who have been here as many years,
and who yet survive."
"Then this is where the main body of the prisoners were kept?" Dick
asked.
"Yes. All were brought here, native and English. Tens of thousands of
boys and youths, swept up by Tippoo's armies from the Malabar coast
and the Carnatic, were brought up here and formed into battalions, and
these English prisoners were forced to drill them. It was but a poor
drill. I have seen them drilling their recruits at Conjeveram, and the
difference between the quick sharp order there, and the listless
command here, was great indeed. Consequently, the Englishmen were
punished by being heavily ironed, and kept at starvation point for the
slackness with which they obeyed the tyrant's orders. Sometimes they
were set to sweep the streets, sometimes they were beaten till they
well nigh expired under the lash. Often would they have died of
hunger, were it not that Tippoo's own troops took pity on them, and
supplied them from their store.
"Some of the boys, drummer boys, or ship's boys, or little ship's
officers, were kept in the Palace and trained as singers and dancers
for Tippoo's amusement. Very many of the white prisoners were handed
over to Tippoo by Admiral Sufferin. Though how a Christian could have
brought himself to hand over Christians to this tiger, I cannot
imagine.
"Others were captured in forays, and there were, till lately, many
survivors of the force that surrendered in Hyder's time. There are
certainly some in other towns, for it was the policy of Hyder, as it
is of Tippoo, always to break up parties of prisoners. Many were sent
to Bangalore, some to Burrampore, and very many to the fort of
Chillembroom; but I heard that nearly all these died of famine and
disease very quickly.
"While Tippoo at times considers himself strong enough to fight the
English, and is said to aim at the conquest of all southern India, he
has yet a fear of Englishmen, and he thus separates his captives,
lest, if they were together, they should plot against him and bring
about a rising. He knows that all the old Hindoo population are
against him, and that even among the Mohammedans he is very unpopular.
The Chelah battalions, who numbered twelve or fourteen thousand, made
up entirely of those he has dragged from their homes in districts
devastated by him, would assuredly have joined against him, were there
a prospect of success, just as they seized the opportunity to desert
six months ago, when the English attacked the camp across the river.
"Now, if you will tell me in what way I can best serve you, I will do
so. In the first place, sturdy young peasants are wanted for the army,
and assuredly you will not be here many days before you will find
yourselves in the ranks, whether you like it or not; for Tippoo is in
no way particular how he gets recruits."