Another week passed, and by the end of that time, Dick was perfectly
assured that his father was not at Seringapatam. It was then a
question which of the hill forts to try first. Pertaub had already
procured for them an assortment of goods and dresses, suitable for
travelling merchants, and the purchase of these things had drawn
heavily on their stock of money; although several of the traders, on
receiving a hint from Pertaub of the purpose for which the goods were
required, had given many articles without charge; while for the
majority of the goods Dick gave an order on his mother, who had told
him that he could draw up to five hundred pounds.
On the day before they were about to start, their plans were
interrupted by the issue of a proclamation, saying that sports with
wild beasts would take place on the following day; and they agreed
that, as one day would make no difference, they would stop to see
them, especially as Tippoo himself would be present. Hitherto,
although they had several times seen him being carried in his
palanquin, they had had no opportunity of observing him closely, as he
was always surrounded by his guards.
The sports were held in a great square in the fort. A strong network
was erected in a semicircle, of which the Palace formed the base.
Behind the network, the spectators ranged themselves. Tippoo occupied
a window in the Palace, looking down into the square. There were
always a number of wild beasts in Seringapatam, available for these
purposes, as a regular supply of tigers, leopards, and wild elephants
was caught and sent in every month. Six of the largest tigers were
always kept, in cages, in the courtyard in front of the Palace; and to
these were thrown state criminals, or officials who had offended the
tyrant, and were devoured by them.
In his younger days, Tippoo had been very fond of the chase, but he
was now too fat and heavy, and seldom ventured on horseback.
Dick and Surajah, who had arrived early, had placed themselves at the
corner, where the network touched the Palace. Some thirty yards in
front of them, a balcony projected. It was enclosed by a thick lattice
work. From behind this, the ladies of Tippoo's harem viewed the
sports.
These began with a contest of fighting rams. The animals were placed
some fifty yards apart. As soon as they saw each other, both showed
extreme anger, uttering notes of defiance. Then they began to move
towards each other, at first slowly, but increasing in speed until,
when within a few yards of one another, each took a spring, meeting in
mid air, forehead to forehead, with a crash that could be heard far
away. Both fell back, and stood for a moment shaking their heads, as
if half stupefied with the blow. Then they backed two steps, and
hurled themselves at each other again. After this had been repeated
once or twice, they locked forehead to forehead, and each strove to
push the other back.
For some time the struggle continued on equal terms. Then the weaker
began to give way, and was pushed back, step by step, until its
strength failed altogether, and it was pushed over on to the ground,
when the attendants at once interfered and separated them.
Some thirty pairs of rams fought, the affair being, to Dick, extremely
monotonous. The natives, however, took great interest in the contests,
wagering freely on the issues, shouting loudly to the combatants, and
raising triumphant cries when one was adjudged victor.
Then elephants were brought in; but the struggle between these was
even tamer than between the rams. They pushed each other with their
foreheads until one gave way, when the other would follow it, beating
it with its trunk, and occasionally shoving it.
When this sport was over, two parties of men entered the arena, amid a
shout of satisfaction from the crowd. After prostrating themselves
before Tippoo, they took up their ground facing each other. Each man
had, on his right hand, four steel claws fixed to the knuckles.
Approaching each other cautiously they threw, with their left hands,
the garlands of flowers they wore round their necks, into the faces of
their opponents, trying to take advantage of the moment to strike a
blow, or to obtain a grip. Each blow laid open the flesh as by a
tiger's claws. The great object was to gain a grip, no matter where,
which would completely disable the opponent, and render him incapable
of defending himself. When this was done, the combat between that pair
came to an end.
After the ghetties, as these men were named, had retired, a buffalo
was matched against a tiger. The latter was averse to the contest, but
upon some firecrackers being thrown close behind him, he sprang at the
buffalo, who had been watching him warily. As the tiger launched
itself into the air, the buffalo lowered its head, received it on its
sharp horns, and threw it a distance of ten yards away. No efforts
could goad the wounded tiger to continue the fray, so it and the
buffalo were taken out, and two others brought in.
The second tiger was a much more powerful beast than its predecessor,
and was, indeed, larger than any of those in the cages of the Palace.
It had been captured four days before, and was full of fight. It
walked round the buffalo three or four times, and then, with the speed
of lightning, sprang upon it, breaking its neck with a single blow
from its powerful forepaw. Six buffaloes in succession were brought
in, and were killed, one after the other, by the tiger.
Satisfied with what it had done, the tiger paid no attention to the
seventh animal, but walked round and round the arena, looking for a
means of escape. Then, drawing back, it made a short rush and sprang
at the net, which was fourteen feet high. Strong as were the poles
that supported the net, it nearly gave way under the impact. The tiger
hung, ten feet above the ground, until some of the guards outside ran
up, discharging their muskets into the air, when it recommenced its
promenade round the foot of the net, roaring and snarling with anger.
As it neared the Palace, it stopped and uttered a roar of defiance at
those at the windows. Then, apparently, something moving behind the
lattice work caught its eye. It moved towards it, crouching, and then,
with a tremendous spring, launched itself against it.
The balcony was ten feet from the ground, but the tiger's spring took
it clear of this. The woodwork gave way like paper, and the tiger
burst through. A shout of dismay arose from the multitude, but high
above this sounded the screams of the women.
"Quick, Surajah!" Dick cried, and, drawing his keen dagger, he cut
through the network and dashed through, followed by his companion.
"Stand here," he cried, as they arrived below the balcony. "Steady!
Put your hands against the wall."
Then he sprang on to Surajah's back, and thence to his shoulder.
Drawing his pistols, he put one between his teeth, grasping the other
in his right hand.
"Steady, Surajah," he said. "I am going to stand on your head."
He stepped on to his companion's turban, put his left arm on the
balcony, and raised himself by it, until his arms were above its
level. The tiger was standing with its paw upon a prostrate figure,
growling savagely, but evidently confused and somewhat dismayed at the
piercing screams from the women, most of whom had thrown themselves
down on the cushions of the divan.
Dick stretched his right hand forward, took a steady aim, and fired. A
sharp snarl showed that the shot had taken effect. He dropped the
pistol, snatched the other from his mouth, waited for a moment until
he could make out the tiger, fired again, and at once dropped to the
ground, just as a great body flashed from the window above him.
He and Surajah had both had their matchlocks slung over their
shoulders, and before the tiger could recover from its spring, they
levelled and fired. The tiger rolled over, but regained its feet and
made towards them. One of the bullets had, however, struck it on the
shoulder and disabled the leg. Its movements were therefore
comparatively slow, and they had time to leap aside. Surajah
discharged his pistol into its ear, while Dick brought down his keen
sword, with all his strength, upon its neck; and the tiger rolled
over, dead.
A mighty shout rose from the crowd.
"We had better be off," Dick said, "or we shall have all sorts of
questions to answer."
They slipped through the hole in the net again, but were so surrounded
by people, cheering and applauding them, that they could not extricate
themselves; and a minute later some soldiers ran up, pushed through
the crowd to them, and surrounded them.
"The sultan requires your presence," they said; and as resistance was
out of the question, Dick and Surajah at once accompanied them to the
entrance of the Palace.
They were led through several large halls, until they entered the room
where Tippoo was standing. He had just left the women's apartment,
where he had hurried to ascertain what damage had been done by the
tiger. Dick and his companion salaamed to the ground, in accordance
with the custom of the country.
"You are brave fellows," the sultan said graciously, "and all the
braver that you risked death, not only from the tiger, but for daring
to look upon my women, unveiled."
"I saw nothing, your Highness," Dick said humbly, "save the tiger.
That he was standing over a fallen figure I noticed. As soon as my eye
fell on him I fired at once, and the second time as soon as the smoke
cleared so that I could catch a glimpse of him."
"I pardon you that," Tippoo said; "and in faith you have rendered me
good service, for had it not been for your interference, he might have
worked havoc in my harem, and that before a single one of my officers
or men had recovered his senses;" and he looked angrily round at the
officers standing near him.
"How comes it that you were so quick in thought and execution?" he
asked Surajah, as the elder of the two.
"My brother and myself have done much hunting among the hills, your
Highness, and have learned that, in fighting a tiger, one needs to be
quick as well as fearless."
"Whence come you?" Tippoo asked. "By your tongue, you are strangers."
Surajah gave the account that they had agreed upon, as to their
birthplace, but he was quick-witted enough to see that it would not be
safe to say they were in the service of the Rajah of Bhor, as
inquiries might be made; and he therefore said:
"We came hither to take service either with your Royal Highness, or
with one of your rajahs, but have as yet found no opportunity of doing
so."
"It is well," Tippoo said. "Henceforth you are officers in my service.
Apartments shall be assigned to you, in the Palace.
"Here is the first token of my satisfaction;" and he took out a heavy
purse from his girdle, and handed it to Surajah. "You are free to go
now. I will, later on, consider what duties shall be assigned to you.
When you return, report yourselves to Fazli Ali, my chamberlain;" and
he indicated a white-bearded official, among the group standing beside
him.
Salaaming deeply again, they left the apartments. Not a word was
spoken, until they were outside the precincts of the Palace.
"This makes a sudden change in our plans," Dick said. "Whether for
better or worse, I cannot say yet."
"I was right in not saying we were in the service of the Rajah of
Bhor, was I not? I thought that Tippoo would offer to take us into his
service, and he might have caused a letter to be sent to the Rajah,
saying that he had done so."
"Yes, you were quite right, Surajah. I had thought of that myself, and
was on thorns when you were telling your story, and felt not a little
relieved when you changed the tale. I think that it has turned out for
the best. As officers of the Palace, we may be able to obtain some
information as to what Christian captives there are, and the prisons
where they are confined."
"Still more," Surajah said; "when we get to be known as being his
officers, we might present ourselves boldly at any of the hill
fortresses, as sent there with some orders."
"You are right," Dick said. "I had not thought of that. Indeed, we
might even produce orders to inspect the prisoners, in order to render
an account to Tippoo of their state and fitness for service; and might
even show an order for my father to be handed over to us, if we should
find him. This is splendid, and I am sure I cannot be too grateful to
that tiger, for popping into the harem. He has done more for us, in a
few minutes, than we could have achieved in a year.
"Well, Surajah, if my father is alive, I think now that we have every
chance of rescuing him."
As they walked through the streets, many of those who had been present
at the sports recognised them as the heroes in the stirring episode
there, and, judging they would gain a high place in Tippoo's favour,
came up to them and congratulated them on their bravery, and made
offers of service. They replied civilly to all who accosted them, but
were glad when they turned off to the quiet quarter where Pertaub
lived. The Hindoo was surprised, indeed, when they told him what had
happened, and that they were already officers in the Palace, and might
consider themselves as standing high in Tippoo's favour.
"It is wonderful," he said, when they brought their story to a
conclusion. "Surely Providence must have favoured your pious object.
Such good fortune would never have occurred to you, had it not been
that it was destined you should find your father still alive. But if
good fortune befalls you, it is because you deserve it. That you
should face a great tiger without hesitation, and slay him, shows how
firm your courage is; and the quickness was still more to be admired.
No doubt there are many others there who, to gain the favour of the
sultan, would have risked their lives; but you alone of them were
quick enough to carry it out."
"We were nearest to the spot, Pertaub. Had we been among the crowd
farther back, we could have done nothing."
"Let praise be given where it is due," Surajah said. "I had nothing to
do with the affair. I saw the tiger bound through the window, and
heard screams, and stood frozen with horror. I did not even see my
lord cut through the net. I knew nothing, until he seized me by the
arm and pulled me after him; and it was not until he sprang upon my
back, and then upon my shoulders, that I knew what he was going to do.
I simply aided in despatching the tiger when he sprang, wounded, down
into the courtyard."
"And yet you are a hunter and a soldier," Pertaub said. "This is how
it is that the English have become lords of so wide a territory. They
are quick. While we hesitate, and spend great time in making up our
minds to do anything, they decide and act in a moment. They are always
ready, we are always slow. They see the point where a blow has to be
struck, they make straight to it and strike.
"The English sahib is very young, and yet to him comes, in a moment,
what is the best thing to be done. He does not stop to think of the
danger. While all others stand in consternation, he acts, and slays
the tiger before one of them has so much as moved from his place.
"But indeed, as you say Tippoo himself told you, your danger was not
only from the tiger. The tyrant must, indeed, have been alarmed for
the safety of his harem, when he forgave you what, in the eyes of a
Mohammedan, is the greatest offence you can commit.
"This will, of course, change all of your plans."
"For the present, at any rate. It may be that, later on, we shall
still find occasion for our disguises, as possibly we may fall into
disfavour, and have to assume them to make our escape. We may, as
Tippoo's officers, manage to obtain entrance into one or two of the
hill fortresses, but unless absolutely sent by him, that is the utmost
we could hope for; for were we missing, messengers would be sent all
over the country to order our arrest, and in that case we should have
to take to some disguise.
"The first thing, now, is to procure our dresses. How much is there in
that purse, Surajah? It seems pretty heavy."
Surajah poured the gold out on the table.
"There are fifty tomauns. That will be more than enough to clothe you
handsomely," the Hindoo said.
"Much more than enough, I should think, Pertaub."
"Tippoo likes those round him to be well dressed. It is not only a
proof of his generosity, but he likes to make a brave show on great
occasions, and nothing pleases him more than to be told that neither
the Nizam, nor any other Indian prince, can surpass him in the
magnificence of his Court. Therefore, the better dressed you are, the
more he will be satisfied, for it will seem to him that you appreciate
the honour of being officers of the Palace, and that you have laid out
his present to the best advantage, and have not a mind to hoard any of
it.
"I will take the matter in hand for you. You will need two suits; one
for Court ceremonies, and the other for ordinary wear in the Palace."
"I shall be very much obliged to you, Pertaub, for indeed I have no
idea what ought to be got. Had we better present ourselves at the
Palace this evening, or tomorrow morning?"
"This evening, certainly. Did he take it into his head to inquire
whether you were in the Palace, and found that you were not, it might
alter his humour towards you altogether. He is changeable in his
moods. The favourite of one day may be in disgrace, and ordered to
execution, the next. You will soon feel that it is as if you were in a
real tiger's den, and that the animal may at any moment spring upon
you.
"Take with you the clothes you now wear, and those in which you came,
so that at any moment, if you see a storm gathering, you can slip on a
disguise, and leave the Palace unobserved. In that case hasten here,
and you can then dress yourselves as merchants."
"The worst of it is, Pertaub, that our faces will soon become known to
so many in the Palace that they would be recognised, whatever our
dress."
"A little paint, and some false hair, and a somewhat darker stain to
your skin, would alter you so that those who know you best would pass
you without suspicion. I trust that no such misfortune will befall,
but I will keep everything in readiness to effect a transformation,
should it be required.
"Now I will go out at once, to get the clothes."
In two hours he returned, followed by a boy carrying the goods he had
purchased; and in a few minutes, Dick and his companion were arrayed
in Court dresses. The turbans were pure white, and the tunic was of
dark, rich stuff, thickly woven with gold thread. A short cloak or
mantle, secured at the neck by a gold chain, three or four inches in
length, hung from the back; but could, if necessary, be drawn round
the shoulders. A baldric, embroidered with gold, crossed the chest,
and from this hung a sword with an ivory handle.
The waist sash was of blue and gold in Dick's case, purple and gold in
that of Surajah. Silver-mounted pistols and daggers were stuck into
the sashes. The dresses were precisely alike, except that they
differed in colour. The trousers were white.
Surajah was greatly delighted with his dress. Dick laughed.
"Of course, it comes naturally to you," he said, "but I feel as if I
were dressed up for a masquerade."
The other suits were similar in style, but the tunics were of
richly-figured damask, instead of cloth of gold.
Half an hour later they started for the Palace, a coolie carrying a
box containing their second suits, and the simple dresses they had
worn on their arrival. Dick could not help smiling, at the manner in
which the people in the streets obsequiously made way for them.
"I shall be very glad," he said, as they traversed the space that
divided the town from the fort, "when we have got over the next day or
two, and have settled down a bit. It all seems so uncertain, and I
have not the most remote idea of what our duties are likely to be.
Hitherto, we have always had some definite plan of action, and had
only ourselves to depend upon. Now, everything seems doubtful and
uncertain. However, I suppose we shall soon settle down; and we have
the satisfaction of knowing that, if things do not turn out well, we
can go off to our good friend Pertaub, and get out of the place
altogether."
On arriving at the Palace, they inquired for the chamberlain.
"He is expecting you, my lord," one of the attendants said, coming
forward. "I will lead you first to the room that is prepared for you,
and then take you to Fazli Ali."
The room was a commodious one, and the richness of the covering of the
divan, and the handsome rugs spread on the floor, were satisfactory
signs that the chamberlain considered them prime favourites of the
sultan. Having seen the box placed in a corner, and paid the coolie,
they followed the attendant along some spacious corridors and
passages, until they entered a room where Fazli Ali was seated on a
divan. The attendant let the curtains that covered the door drop
behind them, as they entered.
They salaamed to the chamberlain, who looked at them approvingly, and
motioned to them to take their seats on the divan beside him.
"I see," he said kindly, "that you possess good judgment, as well as
courage and quickness. The former qualities have won you a place here,
but judgment will be needed to keep it. You have laid out your money
well, as the sultan loves to see all in the Palace well attired; and
quiet also, and discreet in behaviour."
"Can you give us any idea what our duties will be?" Surajah asked, as
Dick had requested him always to be the spokesman, if possible.
The chamberlain shook his head.
"That will be for the sultan himself to decide. For a time, probably,
you will have little to do but to attend at the hours when he gives
public audiences. You will, doubtless, occasionally carry his orders
to officers in command of troops, at distant places, and will form
part of his retinue when he goes beyond the Palace. When he sees that
you are worthy of his favour, prompt in carrying out his orders, and
in all respects trustworthy, he will in time assign special duties to
you; but this will depend upon yourselves.
"As one who admires the courage and promptness that you showed today,
and who wishes you well, I would warn you that it is best, when the
sultan has had matters to trouble him, and may blame somewhat
unjustly, not to seek to excuse yourselves. It is bad to thwart him,
when he is roused. You can rely upon me to stand your friend and, when
the storm has blown over, to represent the matter to him in a
favourable light. The sultan desires to be just, and in his calm
moments assuredly is so; but when there is a cloud before his eyes,
there is no saying upon whom his displeasure may fall.
"At present, however, there is little chance of your falling into
disgrace, for he is greatly impressed with the service you have
rendered him, and especially by the promptness with which you carried
it out. After you had gone he spoke very strongly about it, and said
that he would he were possessed of a hundred officers, capable of such
a deed. He would, in that case, have little fear of any of the foes of
his kingdom.
"It is fortunate that you came here this afternoon. It is well-nigh
certain that he will ask for you presently, and though he could hardly
blame you, had you required until tomorrow to complete your
preparations, your promptitude will gratify him; and he will, I am
sure, be still more pleased at seeing that you have so well laid out
his gift. He gave you no orders on the subject, and had you appeared
in the dresses you wore this morning, he would, doubtless, have
instructed me to provide you with more suitable attire. The fact that
you have so laid out the money will show that you have an
understanding of the honour of being appointed to the Palace, and a
proper sense of fitness. The sultan himself dresses plainly and, save
for a priceless gem in his turban, and another in his sword hilt,
there is nothing in his attire to lead a stranger to guess at his
rank. But while he does this himself, he expects that all others in
the Palace should do justice to his generosity.
"And now, you had best return to your room, and remain there until
sent for. If he does not think of it himself, I shall, if opportunity
occurs, inform him that you have already arrived."
They had some difficulty in finding their way back to their room, and
had, indeed, to ask directions of attendants they met before they
discovered it. A native was squatting at the door. He rose and
salaamed deeply, as they came up.
"Your slave is appointed to be your attendant, my lords," he said.
"Your servant's name is Ibrahim."
"Good," Surajah said, as he passed him and entered the room. "Now,
Ibrahim, tell us about the ways of the Palace, for of these we are
altogether ignorant. In the first place, about food. Do we provide
ourselves, or how is it?"
"All in the Palace are fed from the sultan's kitchen. At each meal,
every officer has so many dishes, according to his rank. These vary
from three to twelve. In the early morning, I shall bring you bread
and fruit and sherbet; at ten o'clock is the first meal; and at seven
there is supper. At one o'clock the kitchens are open, and I can fetch
you a dish of pillau, kabobs, a chicken, or any other refreshment that
you may desire. At present, I have no orders as to how many dishes
your Excellencies will receive, at the two meals."
"We shall not be particular about that," Surajah said. "It is evident
we shall fare well, at any rate."
"I am told to inform you, my lords, that the sultan has ordered two
horses to be placed at your service. A ghorrawalla has been appointed
to take charge of them. His name is Serfojee. If you ask for him at
the stable, you will be directed to him, and he will show you the
horses.
"In an hour supper will be served, but this evening I shall only be
able to bring you three dishes each. Such is always the rule, until
the sultan's pleasure has been declared."
Ibrahim then proceeded to light two lamps, hanging from the ceiling,
for it was now getting dusk; and then, finding that his masters had no
further need of his services, he retired.
"So far, so good, Surajah. We are certainly in clover, as far as
comfort is concerned, and the only drawback to the situation is
Tippoo's uncertain temper. However, we must try our best to satisfy
him. We have every reason to stand well with him, and if he sees that
we are really anxious to please him, we ought to be able to avoid
falling into disgrace, even when he is in his worst moods."
Their attendant presently brought up the six portions of food, and
they enjoyed their meal heartily. Each had an ample portion of a
pillau of rice and chicken, a plate of stew, which Dick thought was
composed of game of some kind, and a confection in which honey was the
predominating flavour. With this they drank water, deliciously cooled
by being hung up in porous jars.
Surajah ate his food with the dexterity of long habit, but Dick had
not yet learned to make his bread fulfil the functions of spoon and
fork, for at his uncle's table European methods of eating were
adopted.
Half an hour after they had finished, an officer presented himself at
the door, and said that he was ordered to conduct them to the sultan.
Tippoo had supped in the harem, and was now seated on a divan, in a
room of no great size, but richly hung with heavy silken curtains, and
carpeted with the richest rugs. Two or three of his chief officers
were seated beside him. Seven or eight others were standing on either
side of the room. A heavy glass chandelier, of European manufacture,
hung from the richly carved ceiling, and the fifty candles in it
lighted up the room.
The chamberlain met them at the door, and advanced with them towards
Tippoo.
"Great Sultan," he said, "these are the young men whom it has pleased
your Highness to appoint officers in the Palace."
The two lads salaamed until their turbans touched the ground.
"Truly they are comely youths," Tippoo said, "and one would scarcely
deem them capable of performing such a feat as that they accomplished
this morning.
"Well, my slayers of tigers, you have found everything fitly
provided?"
"Far more so than our deeds merit, your Highness," Surajah replied.
"We have found everything that heart could desire, and only hope for
an opportunity to show ourselves worthy of your favours."
"You have done that beforehand," Tippoo said graciously, "and I am
glad to see, by your attire, that you are conscious that, as my
officers, it is fitting you should make a worthy appearance. It shows
that you have been well brought up, and are not ignorant of what is
right and proper.
"At present, you will receive orders from Fazli Ali, and will act as
assistant chamberlains, until I decide in what way your services can
be made most useful.
"Now, follow me. There are others who wish to see you."
Rising, Tippoo led the way through a door with double hangings, into a
room considerably larger than that which they had just left. The
chandeliers, at the end of the room where they stood, were all
lighted, while the other end was in comparative darkness.
Leaving them standing alone, Tippoo walked towards the other end, and
clapped his hands. Immediately, a number of closely veiled figures
entered, completely filling the end of the room.
"These are the young men," Tippoo said to them. "It is the one on the
right to whom it is chiefly due that the tiger did not commit havoc
among you. It was he who climbed up the balcony, and fired twice at
the beast. You owe your lives to him and his companion, for among all
my officers and guards there was not one who was quick-witted enough
to move as much as a finger."
There was a faint murmur of surprise, among the veiled figures, at the
youth of their preserver.
"Hold your heads fully up," Tippoo went on, for Dick and his
companion, after making a deep salaam, had stood with bent heads and
with eyes fixed upon the ground.
Then two of the attendants, girls of thirteen or fourteen years old,
came forward from behind the others, each bearing a casket.
"These are presented to you, with my permission, by the ladies whose
lives you saved," Tippoo said; "and should you at any time have a
favour to ask, or even should you fall under my displeasure, you can
rely upon their good offices in your behalf."
There was another low murmur from the other end of the hall. Then
Tippoo clapped his hands, and the women moved out, as noiselessly as
they had entered.
"You can retire now," Tippoo said, as he moved towards the door into
the other room. "Be faithful, be discreet, and your fortune is
assured."
He pointed to another door, and then rejoined his councillors.
Dick and his companion stood in an attitude of deep respect, until the
hanging had fallen behind the sultan, and then went out by the door he
had pointed to, and made their way back to their own room.
"Truly, Surajah, fortune is favouring us mightily. This morning, we
walked the streets in fear of being questioned and arrested. This
evening we are officers of the Palace, favoured by Tippoo, and under
the protection of the harem.
"I wonder what the ladies have given us."
They opened the caskets, which were of considerable size. As they
examined the contents, exclamations of surprise broke from them. Each
contained some thirty or forty little parcels, done up in paper; and
on these being opened, they were found to contain trinkets and jewels
of all kinds. Some were very costly and valuable. All were handsome.
It was evident that every one of the ladies who had been in the room,
when the tiger burst in, had contributed a token of her gratitude.
Many of the more valuable gems had been evidently taken from their
settings, as if the donors did not care that jewels they had worn
should be exposed to view. One parcel contained twenty superb pearls,
another a magnificent diamond and ten rubies, and so on, down to the
more humble gifts--although these were valuable--of those of lower
rank.
Dick's presents were much more costly than those of his companion, and
as soon as this was seen to be the case, Dick proposed that they
should all be put together, and divided equally. This, however,
Surajah would not hear of.
"The whole thing is due to you," he said. "It would never have
occurred to me to interfere at all. I had no part in the matter,
beyond aiding to kill a wounded tiger, and it was no more than I have
done, many times, among our hills, and thought nothing of. These
jewels are vastly more than I deserve, for my share in the affair. I
do not know much about the value of gems, but they must be worth a
large sum, and nothing will induce me to take any of those that you
have so well earned."
"I wonder whether Tippoo knows what they have given us," Dick said,
after in vain trying to alter his companion's decision.
"I don't suppose he troubled himself about it," Surajah replied. "No
doubt he was asked for permission for each to make a present to us.
The jewels in the harem must be of enormous value, as, for the last
fifteen years, Tippoo has been gathering spoil from all southern
India, having swept the land right up to the gates of Madras. They say
that his treasures are fabulous, and no doubt the ladies of his harem
have shared largely in the spoils. The question is, what had we best
do with these caskets? We know that, in the course of our adventures,
it may very well happen that we shall be closely searched, and it
would never do to risk having such valuables found upon us."
"No; I should say that we had best bury them somewhere. Some of these
merchants here may be honest enough for us to leave the jewels in
their care, without anxiety; but as they themselves may, at any
moment, be seized and compelled to give up their last penny, these
things would be no safer with them than with us.
"As to Pertaub, I have absolute faith in him, but he himself is liable
to be seized at any moment. However, I should say we had better
consult him. If we were to bury them, say, under the floor of his
house, we might leave them there for a time. If we saw any chance of
this place being, someday, captured by our people, we could wait till
then for their recovery. But the war may not be renewed for years.
Possibly Pertaub may be able to arrange to send them down, only
entrusting a portion at a time to a messenger, so that, if he got into
trouble, we should only lose what he had upon him.
"We will put the caskets into our box, and lock it up for the present,
and take them down to Pertaub tomorrow evening, after it gets dark. It
will be as well to get them off our minds, as soon as possible, for
although just at present we are in high favour, there is no saying how
long it may last, or when it may be necessary for us to move."