On the fourth morning we reached Beeder. If not so striking in its
outward appearance as we approached it as Hyderabad, this city was
nevertheless interesting. The summit of a long tableland broke into a
gentle descent, and from it Beeder suddenly opened on our view. The
walls of the town occupied the crest of a high ridge; and over them
one tall minaret, and what appeared another rude unfinished one, of
great height, towered proudly. On the right hand the large white domes
of some tombs peeped out of a grove of mango trees, with which the
hill was clothed from top to bottom; and there was a quiet solemnity
about the approach to the now nearly deserted capital of Dukhun, the
favourite residence of the once proud and powerful Bhamunee kings,
which accorded well with our feelings, and formed a powerful contrast
to the busy city we had just left. Some of our men who had gone on in
advance, had chosen a spot for our encampment near the gate of the city
upon the road we were to take in the morning; but separating from my
party, I rode through the town, which, though now mean in comparison to
what it must have been, was more striking than I had expected to find
it.
I joined the encampment on the other side, which now presented its
usual bustling appearance: some were already cooking their morning
meal by the edge of the well, others were bathing, and all talking and
conversing in that joyous manner which showed their minds were free
from care and full of happiness, at the prospect of a speedier return
to their home than they had anticipated, and well laden with a rich
booty.
"My father, this is a city full of true believers," said I, as I joined
him; "Moolas there must be in plenty, and I pray you to send for one,
that the nika may be performed, and that I may receive Azima at your
hands as my wife."
"I will not oppose it, my son; but, the old Moola, whoever he may be,
will think it strange."
"He may think what he pleases," said I; "but I can no longer live
without her; therefore pray consider the point settled, and send for
him at once."
Accordingly Peer Khan was despatched for the holy person, who duly
arrived: he was received with the greatest courtesy by my father, and
the object for which he was required was explained to him. He expressed
the utmost astonishment; it was a proceeding he had never heard of, for
persons to celebrate a marriage on a journey, and was in every respect
improper and indelicate. When he had exhausted his protestations, my
father replied to him.
"Look you, good Moola," said he, "there is no one who pays more respect
to the forms and usages of our holy faith than I do. Am I not a Syud
of Hindostan? Do I not say the Namaz five times a day, fast in the
Ramzan, and keep every festival enjoined by the law? And unwilling as
I am to do anything which may be thought a breach of the rules of our
faith, yet circumstances which I cannot explain render it imperative
that this ceremony should be performed; and if you refuse, all I can
say is, that there is no want of Moolas in Beeder, and if you do not
perform it, some less scrupulous person must, and earn the reward which
I now offer to you;" and my father laid two ashrufees before him.
"That alters the case materially," said the Moola, pocketing the
money. "Since the ceremony must be performed, in Alla's name let it
take place; it was no doubt fated that it should be so; and you will
therefore find no person in Beeder more willing to read the form of the
Nika than myself. Let me, I pray you, return for my book--I will be
back instantly;" and he departed.
"There," cried my father, "I thought it would be so. No one can
withstand the sight of gold; from the prince on the throne to the
meanest peasant it is the same; its influence is all-powerful. With it
a man may purchase his neighbour's conscience, his neighbour's wife, or
his daughter; with it a man may bribe the venerable Cazee of Cazees,
in any city he pleases, to declare him innocent, had he committed a
hundred murders, forged documents, stolen his neighbour's goods, or
been guilty of every villany under the sun; with it a good man _may_ be
better--but that is rare--a bad man increases his own damnation; for it
any one will lie, cheat, rob, murder, and degrade himself to the level
of a beast; young women will dishonour their lords; old women will be
bribed to assist them. A man who has hoards will practise every knavery
to increase them, yet is never happy; those who have no money hunger
and thirst after it, and are also never happy. Give it to a child to
play with, and by some mysterious instinct he clutches it to his bosom,
and roars if it be taken from him. In short, its influence cannot be
opposed; old and young, rich and poor--all are its slaves. Men's wisdom
is nothing; men's eloquence is nothing; their character nothing; their
rank nothing; but this vile metal, which has no voice, no intellect, no
character, no rank--this rules our destinies on earth as surely and as
potently as Alla himself does in heaven."
"Alla ke Qoodrut!" said I with a sigh; "your words are true, my father,
now that one thinks on them; and we have had a precious specimen in
the sudden change of opinion in the worthy Moola, who asked no further
questions when he saw your gold."
"No!" cried my father; "and if one only had enough, one might rule the
world. Who was Sikundur? By all accounts a petty prince, not half so
powerful as he who rules this country; and yet, when he gained favour
in the sight of the Jins, and afterwards by his magic got dominion over
them, did they not place the treasures heaped up in the bowels of the
earth at his disposal? and who could then stop his career? Is not this
all written in a book, and is it not as true as the Koran?"
"It were heresy to doubt it," said I: "but here comes the subject of
our conversation, with his book under his arm. I will prepare Azima."
I went to her. "Dearest," cried I, seating myself, and passing my arm
round her waist--"dearest, the time is come when, with the blessing of
Alla and my father's sanction, you will be mine for ever, and when the
law shall bind us together, for death alone to separate us. A Moola
has come; and, with your permission, now, even now, the Nika shall be
performed; further delay is idle; and I am consumed with the burnings
of my love."
"So soon, Ameer Ali? oh, not till we reach your home. What will your
father think of my consenting to this wild union?"
"He sanctions it, beloved! 'Twas he who sent for the Moola; 'twas he
who persuaded him to perform the ceremony; and they but await my return
to the tent to read the words which make you mine for ever."
"Alas! I know not," said the fair girl; "I am another's wife--how can
this be done?"
"Forget the hateful marriage," I cried. "Azima, these objections will
kill me. Am I not your slave? are we not now on our way to a distant
land, where he from whom you have fled will never again hear of you?
Ah, do not continue to talk thus, for it seems like a bitter mockery
that you should have fled with me, now to deny yourself to me."
"No no, no!--do not say so, Ameer Ali; you saved me from insult, and
from a miserable death to which I had doomed myself. I am your slave,
not you mine; do as you choose with me; let it be even as you will. I
will follow you till death." And she hid her face in my bosom.
"Then," cried I, "beloved, the preparations are soon made. Call Kulloo,
and let her know all."
The old woman came, and was overjoyed to hear of my proposal. "I had
feared you would not have bound yourself by this tie, Meer Sahib," said
she, "and my mind sorely troubled me on the subject; but now I am easy,
and I will give my precious child to you with joy and confidence; may
you be blessed in her, and see your children's children. Would that I
could proceed with you! but I am old, and my bones and spirit would not
rest easily in a strange land. Your generosity and what I have scraped
together is enough to make me comfortable for life, and when my hour
comes I shall die content."
"Then be quick," said I; "put up a screen, and I will call the Moola;
you can all three of you sit behind it while the ceremony is read."
A cloth was stretched from one side of the tent to the other, and
fastened to the ground: my father, myself, and the Moola sat on one
side, the females on the other. "All is ready, Moolajee," said I;
"begin."
He opened his book and read the usual service in Arabic. I did not
understand a word of it, neither indeed did he; but it was sufficient
that it had been read--the ceremony was complete, and Azima was mine
for ever.
It would have been a pity to have left Beeder without seeing more
of the town and fort, of which I had heard many praises; and in the
evening, therefore, my father, myself and a few others strolled into
the town for the purpose of seeing what we could. First we passed
the old Madressa, a noble mass of ruins; the front was covered with
beautiful enamel from top to bottom, and the immense minaret which
we had seen from a distance in the morning was also covered with the
same. The huge round fragments of another lay scattered about in every
direction, and I could well picture to myself the noble building it
must have been, ere by an unfortunate explosion of gunpowder, when
used as a magazine by Aurungzebe, its front was blown out, one minaret
destroyed, and the whole rent and torn as if by an earthquake.
Passing onwards we arrived at an open space before the ancient and
majestic ruins of the fort. Piles upon piles of old ruined palaces, in
many places built upon the walls themselves, and all nodding to their
fall, while they impressed us with a stronger idea of the magnificence
of their builders than anything we had as yet seen, were a lesson to
humble proud man--to teach him that he too must moulder in the dust as
their founders had done: they had stood for centuries; yet now the owl,
the bat, and the wild pigeon were the only tenants of these splendid
halls, where once beauty had dwelt and had been the adoration of the
brave and glorious.
Where were now the princely state, the pomp of royalty, the gallant
warriors who had of old manned these lofty walls and towers, and so
oft bidden defiance to hosts of invaders?--all were gone,--all was
now lonely and desolate, and the stillness accorded well with the
ruinous appearance of the scene before us. Not however that the walls
were dilapidated or overthrown; _they_ remained as firm and solid
as ever; and here and there the muzzle of a cannon, pointing from a
loophole or rude embrasure, showed that they were still capable of
defence, though, alas! defenders there were none. We thought the place
absolutely deserted, and went on to the gateway. It was massive, and
highly ornamented with enamel work, such as we had seen before in the
old Madressa and the tombs at Golconda.
While we thus stood admiring the outside, a soldier approached us and
asked us our business. "We are strangers, who have put up in the town
for the day," answered my father, "and we could not leave the spot
without looking at the venerable fort of which we have heard so much.
May we be permitted to enter?"
"Certainly," he replied; "persons of your respectable appearance are
always gladly admitted; if you will follow me, I will show you over
the interior, which is worthy your inspection." We followed him, and
passing through two gateways, which were defended by traverses so as
to be impenetrable to invaders, we stopped under the third, and our
conductor said,
"The rooms above this are well worth seeing, if you will ascend."
"Surely," said I, "we would willingly see everything." We ascended
a narrow stair, which at the top opened into a small but beautiful
suite of rooms, profusely adorned with enamel, far surpassing in its
brilliancy of colours and minuteness of design any that we had before
seen on the outside. Sentences of the Koran in white letters on a
brilliant azure ground were all round the cornices, and the ceilings
and walls were covered with flowers of every hue and design, their
colours and the enamel in which they were worked being as fresh and
bright as the day they were first painted.
"These are imperishable," said I to my father; "would that the
buildings which hold them could be so too, to remain to generations yet
unborn a proof of the magnificence and wealth to which they owed their
erection!"
"Ay," said he, "there requires no better proof than these of the
present degeneracy. The monarchs of those times were just and liberal
as well as powerful: the wealth their dominions brought them was freely
expended in beautifying their cities, and raising edifices by which
they might be remembered. Now, with the same dominions, the wealth
they bring is either uselessly hoarded or wastefully expended; now,
no buildings arise as monuments of a dynasty, no armies rejoice in
the presence of a brave and noble sovereign, and, stimulated by his
example, win for him renown at the points of their bright swords. All
now is mean and sordid, from the poor pensioned descendant of Shah Jhan
and Alumgeer to the representative of the once proud Soobahs of the
Dukhun."
"Yes," said our conductor; "what is the use of now calling oneself a
soldier, with scarcely bread to eat? The few of us who are in the fort
wander about the ruins of the noble palaces and the deserted walls, and
our only enemies are the panthers and hyænas, who have taken advantage
of the yearly increasing jungle and desolation, and bid fair to expel
us altogether. But look from the window, sirs; the open ground over
which you came is called the Fatteh Mydan, the plain of victory. Here
the proud monarchs of Beeder, first the Bhamunee and afterwards the
Beereed dynasties, used to sit, while their gallant troops poured
forth from the gates, and amused while they gratified their sovereign
with feats of arms. And yonder," added he, taking us to another
window,--"yonder are their tombs where their mortal remains rest,
though their spirits are in the blessed paradise of our Prophet."
We looked, and the view was as lovely as it was unexpected. We were on
the top of what appeared to be a lofty mountain, so far and so deep
did the noble expanse of valley before us descend. The blue distance
melted into the blue of the heavens, while nearer and nearer to us the
villages and fields became more and more distinct, till, close under
us, they seemed as it were drawn out on a map; and among them stood the
tombs, a cluster of noble-looking edifices, their white domes glaring
in the red light of the declining sun.
"Ay," cried I, "they must have felt that they were kings, while they
gazed admiringly on their gallant soldiers, and looked forth over the
lovely country which they ruled."
"Come," said my father, breaking in upon my reflections, which were
rapidly peopling the open space of the Fatteh Mydan with the troops and
warriors of past ages, and picturing to me their manly games--their
mock-fights--the shouts of the contending parties--while from the spot
whereon I stood, the praises of the king, and acclamations of his
courtiers, were ringing through the arched roofs, and re-echoed by
the multitudes without--"come, it is growing late, and we must soon
return." We again followed our guide, and as we passed over a causeway
which was built across the moat, we had a noble view of its great width
and depth. The bottom was partially covered by stagnant pools, the
remains of the water the monsoon had deposited; for the rainy season
was now past. The fosse was very curiously dug, with a view to defence
having been excavated out of the solid rock to a considerable depth;
three walls had been left standing, with large intervals between each;
and they would certainly oppose a most formidable interruption to an
invader.
We entered the fort by a large gloomy archway, within which some
soldiers were lounging; and from thence traversing a large court-yard,
covered with fragments of ruins and rank brushwood, we emerged into
an open space beyond. Here a scene of still greater desolation
than even the outside presented opened on our view; ruins of all
descriptions--of palaces, stables, offices, baths, magazines for
arms and ammunition--strewed the ground; it was a melancholy sight,
but the whole was evidently far beyond repair, and fast hastening to
destruction. We left the spot, to see the only remaining real curiosity
of the place, an immense cannon, the _sister_, as our guide told us,
of one at Beejapoor. It was on a high bastion, from which there was a
magnificent view of the plain below us, over which the huge fort now
flung its broad, deep shadow, while the distant country was fast fading
into obscurity under the growing darkness of the evening. The herds of
the town, winding up the steep ascent from the plain, alone broke the
impressive silence, as their lowings, the tinkling of their numberless
bells, and the melancholy, yet sweet, notes of the shepherd's rude
pipe, ascended to our lofty station.
But we could stay no longer; we returned by the way we had come; and
though I longed to have roamed over the ruined and deserted palaces,
and explored their recesses, it was too late; dismissing our guide,
therefore, with a small present for his civility, we retraced our steps
to our encampment. From Beeder, Sahib, we had no adventures worth
relating till we reached Ellichpoor, by which town we directed our
route homewards; however, we did not travel by the same road as we had
done in coming down, which would have led us by Mungrool and Oomraotee,
and we had good reasons for avoiding both places; the remembrance of
the fate of the sahoukar would necessarily be fresh in the memory
of the inhabitants of the latter place, and our appearance was too
remarkable to be easily forgotten; so we struck off from Nandair on the
Godavery towards Boorhanpoor, and when we reached Akola, in the Berar
valley, we turned again towards Ellichpoor, and reached it in safety.
You must not think, however, that during this long journey we were
idle; on the contrary, we pursued our avocation with the same spirit
and success with which we had commenced and continued our fortunate
expedition; and no traveller, however humble, who joined our party, or
was decoyed among us, escaped: and by this means, though our booty was
not materially increased, yet we collected sufficient to support us,
without taking aught from the general stock, which was to be divided
when we reached our home.
At Ellichpoor we encamped under some large tamarind trees, close to
the durgah of Rhyman Shah Doolah. It was a quiet, lovely spot. Below
the durgah ran a small river, which had its rise in the neighbouring
mountains; and over its stream the hallowed buildings of the saint,
embowered in thick trees, seemed to be the abode of peace and repose.
Thither Azima and myself, attended by some of our men, went, as soon
as we had rested ourselves a little and changed our road-soiled
garments, to present our offerings at the shrine, and to offer up our
thanksgivings for the continued care and protection of Alla. This done,
I sent her back to our camp, and entered into general conversation
with the Moolas, as was my wont, in order to gather information to
guide us in our enterprises; and from so large a city as Ellichpoor,
I had some hope that we should gain a valuable booty. We conversed
upon many topics of every-day occurrence; at last, one of the Moolas
asked me where I had come from, and whither I was going. I said I
was a horse-dealer, who had been down to Hyderabad with horses from
Hindostan, and was now returning, having disposed of them. "And the men
who accompany you, who are they?" asked the Moola.
"My father, who is a merchant, is one," said I; "besides him, there are
the grooms and attendants who accompanied us, and several travellers
who have joined us from time to time as we journeyed hither."
"Then you are a kafila?" said the Moola.
"Exactly so," said I; "and feeling ourselves to be strong, we are
determined to try the road to Jubbulpoor by Baitool, which, though
unsafe for small bodies, presents no obstacle to our numerous party."
"Certainly not," he replied; "and the road will save you a long
distance which you would have had to travel had you gone round by
Nagpoor; and since you are bent on trying the jungle road, perhaps you
would not have any objection to an increase to your party? and I think
I could get you one."
"Certainly not," said I, "if the travellers are respectable."
"Highly so," said the Moola; "the person of whom I speak is a man of
rank, no less than a Nuwab, who is returning to his nephew, who rules
over Bhopal."
"Ah, I have heard of him, I think," said I; "you do not mean the Nuwab
Subzee Khan, as he is called?"
"The very person, and a fine old soldier he is. It is a pity he is so
addicted to the subzee or bhang, from which, however, he has gained a
name which it is well known has struck terror into his enemies on the
battle-field, and has fairly superseded any other he may have had."
"It is a pity," I said; "for report speaks well of the noble Khan, and
his deeds of arms are known to all who have sojourned in Hindostan: I
shall be right glad to accompany him, for 'tis said also that he is a
rare companion."
"You have heard rightly," said the Moola. "The Nuwab will be here
before sunset, as he always comes to converse with us and drink his
bhang; if you will step over from your encampment when I send to you, I
will introduce you to him."
"Thanks, worthy Moola," said I; "you only need to summon me, and I will
attend your call with pleasure."
I left him soon after. Here was the commencement of an adventure
which promised fairly to eclipse all our former ones; the rank of the
Nuwab, the number of followers he would necessarily have with him,
and the noise there would be made about him when he was missed,--all
contributed to render this as pretty an adventure as a Thug seeking
plunder and fame could desire. I did not mention a word of my hopes
to any one; I was determined to have this matter all to myself, both
in plan and execution. If I succeeded my fame and character were
established for ever, and I could not fail with so many to back me. A
momentary thought flashed across me--that the Nuwab was a man of war,
that he would be armed to the teeth; and who was I, that I could oppose
him? but I dismissed it in an instant as unworthy. My confidence in my
own prowess, both as a Thug and with every weapon, whether on foot or
on horseback, was unbounded; it had never as yet been checked, and I
feared nothing living, I believe, in the form of man.
"Yes, Ameer Ali," said I, "you and all your tribe have ever feared us
Englishmen. You have never yet attacked one of us, nor dared you."
The Thug laughed.--"No, Sahib, you are wrong; we never feared you, but
to attack any of you would have been impossible. When you travel on
horseback you are not worth attacking, for you never carry anything
about your persons. In your tents you are surrounded by a host of
servants, and at night you are always guarded. When you travel post,
we might possibly get a few rupees from your palankeens, but you
are generally armed; you usually carry pistols, and some of us must
undoubtedly fall before we could effect our object; but above all,
there would be such a hue and cry if any of you were missing that it
would be impossible to escape, especially as any property we might take
from you would assuredly lead to our detection."
"Your reasons are weighty," said I laughing; "but I suspect, Ameer Ali,
you do not like the pistols, and that is the reason we have escaped
you: but go on with your story; I have interrupted you."
Well then, Sahib, to continue. I waited very impatiently till towards
evening, when, as I was sitting at the door of my tent, I saw a man
on horseback, attended by a small retinue, among whom, to my great
astonishment, was a young good-looking girl, mounted on a spirited
pony, coming down the road from the city. He passed near our camp, and,
crossing the river, ascended the opposite bank and entered the Durgah.
Was this my new victim? I was not long in suspense: a message soon came
from the Moola requesting my company; and taking my sword and shield
with me, I followed the man who had come to call me.