Among the men whom I had brought with me from Jhalone was one by name
Hidayut Khan. I had never seen him before, but he was slightly known to
Peer Khan, as having served with him, and was represented to be an able
Thug. Of the extent of his accomplishments I was ignorant, as he never
had any hand in the destruction of those who died in the Pindharee
camp; for I preferred allowing my own men, upon whom I could depend, to
do the work. But Hidayut Khan was certainly a capital horseman, a good
hand with his sword and spear, and an active, enterprising fellow as a
Pindharee. I have said we never employed him as a Bhuttote, nor even
as a Shumshea; why I can hardly say, yet so it was; he acted always as
a scout, and kept watch at the door of the tent while our work went on
within. Many days after the death of Ghuffoor Khan, indeed when we had
again reached the Nagpoor territory, and when a few days' march would
have brought us to Nemawur, Peer Khan, Motee, and one or two others
came to me one evening after it was dark, with faces full of concern
and alarm.
"For the sake of Bhowanee," cried I, "what is the matter? why are ye
thus agitated? Speak, brothers, and say the worst; are we discovered?"
"Alas, I fear treachery," said Motee. "For some time past we have
suspected Hidayut Khan, who has absented himself from us of late in
an extraordinary manner, to have disclosed what we are to a person
in Cheetoo's confidence. We have dogged them several times about the
camp, have detected them in earnest conversation, and this night we too
greatly fear he is even now in the durbar. What can be done?"
"We must fly at once," said I. "Now that you mention the name of
Hidayut Khan, I too have my suspicions: are the horses saddled?"
"They are," said Peer Khan, "they are always so."
"Good," said I; "then there is no fear. Yet I should like much to
satisfy myself of the fact of our being suspected,--ay, and by Alla! I
will ascertain it at once."
"Ah, do not!" cried they; "for the sake of Bhowanee, do not throw
yourself into peril; what can be gained by it? Our horses are ready;
let us mount them; leave the tent where it is, and fly."
Would to Alla that I had followed this wise counsel! matters would
not have turned out as they did; but I was possessed by the idea; a
headstrong man is never to be restrained, and I would hear nothing
they had to say. "Is there not _one_ among you," cried I, "who will
accompany me? The night is dark, and we can reach Cheetoo's tent
unobserved; we will lie down with our ears to the kanât, and hear what
passes: if the worst comes, if we really are denounced, we shall have
ample time to fly before they can get from the inside."
"I will," cried Peer Khan; but no one else stirred; they were all
paralysed by fear, and were incapable of action.
"That is spoken like yourself, brother," cried I; "thou hast a gallant
soul. Now do ye all prepare the horses for instant flight; let their
tether-ropes be loosened, and the bridles put in their mouths; do not
move them from their places, and no one will suspect us: and come,"
cried I to Peer Khan, "there is not a moment to be lost."
We stole out of the tent, and stealthily crept along towards Cheetoo's,
which was fortunately at no great distance. No one was about it; but
we could see from the outside that, by the side of a dim lamp, three
persons were engaged in earnest conversation. We lay down of the edge
of the kanât, and my ears eagerly drank in the words which fell on them.
"Ajaib!" said a voice, which I knew at once to be Cheetoo's, "and so he
murdered the Khan? you said _he_ did it."
"May I be your sacrifice," said Hidayut Khan (I knew his voice, too,
immediately), "he did; I cannot say I saw him die with my own eyes,
but they made him drunk, and they buried him, and Ameer Ali himself
destroyed the noble horse."
"I do not doubt it," said Cheetoo, with a sigh; "I have done his memory
foul wrong in thinking him ungrateful:--and the others?"
"They were men of scarcely any note," said the informer, "nor do I
know the names of all: one only I remember, for they had hard work to
despatch him; he was a strong man, by name Hubeeb Oola, and belonged to
my lord's own pagah."
"I knew him well," said Cheetoo: "he was a worthy man and a brave one;
and Ameer Ali slew him?"
"He did, Nuwab, with his own hands; and Motee and Peer Khan held him,
or he could not have done it. This was only three nights ago, when I
would fain have denounced them, but I feared no one would believe me;
and as I knew Ameer Ali was in your favour, I thought no one would have
listened to an accusation against him."
"Nor would I, by Alla!" cried Cheetoo, rising up and striking his
forehead in extreme agitation (I had made a hole in the cloth with the
point of my dagger, and could see all distinctly). "I would never have
believed your tale, but that circumstances so strongly bear out what
you have said. Who could have believed, that Ameer Ali, the kind, the
benevolent--, one who opposed every scheme of violence, and protested
against our ravages till I was ashamed of them myself,--who could have
thought _him_ a Thug?"
"But it is the truth, Nuwab," said the vile wretch; "when you have
seized them, you will find ample evidence of what I tell you: the sword
of Ghuffoor Khan is at this moment girded to the side of Peer Khan, who
threw away his own."
"That will be conclusive indeed," said Cheetoo. "But how came you to
join them?"
"I was at my village, near Jhalone," said Hidayut Khan; "I had formerly
known Peeroo (as we call Peer Khan), and he asked me to join him and
his jemadar, and to follow the Pindharees. I never suspected them to be
Thugs,--who could, when Ameer Ali and his father were high in favour
with the Rajah? and it was not till the Khan's death that they began
their horrible work."
"Well," said Cheetoo, "you have laid the plan; the sooner you put it
into execution the better. You have prepared the horsemen, have you
not?" said he to the other man, whose face I knew.
"I have," he replied; "they are standing by their horses, all ready for
the signal to set on--fifty good fellows; none of the Thugs will escape
us."
"Ya Alla!" cried "Cheetoo; "how will he look on me? and how can I bring
myself to order the punishment he deserves? Ah, Ameer Ali, how thou
hast deceived me! how could any one read deceit in that honest face of
thine!"
"Go," said he to Hidayut Khan and the others; "bring them to me without
delay. I will not forget thy reward: thou hast for the saddle of Peer
Khan."
"No more! no more!" cried the villain; "'tis all I want."
"Ay," said Peer Khan to me in a whisper, "but he has not got it yet,
and he is a cunning fellow if he does get it. Come, Meer Sahib, we must
be off--they are moving."
I was almost fascinated to the spot. I could have lain there and
listened to the discourse; but the peril was too imminent, too deadly
for a moment's delay. I got up, and sneaking along, we saw the two
figures cross the threshold of the tent, and with hurried steps direct
their course to a part of the camp where the pagah was, and which was
close to our tent.
Fear lent us speed; we flew to our tent, and for a few moments were
engaged in tying up some valuables we had brought out for division;
having done this, we hurried to our horses. Some of the men were
already in their saddles; I leaped on my spirited animal, and drew my
sword, ready for the worst. I wished all to move off in a body, for as
yet there was no alarm,--but I was deceived; we were surrounded! The
instant we were in motion a body of horse dashed at us, and we were at
once engaged in a conflict for life or death. What happened I know not;
I cut down the only man who was opposed to me; Peer Khan was equally
fortunate. I received a slight wound from another, which I little
heeded; we urged our horses to their utmost speed, and the darkness
favoured our escape.
I soon found, as I slackened my pace a little, that some of my men were
with me. We had agreed to take a northerly direction, and rendezvous
near a small village which could be seen from the camp; and by this
precaution those who had escaped were soon collected together. We were
not pursued, though we heard the shouts of the Pindharees, as they
hallooed to each other in and about their camp, and the shots from
their matchlocks; and we afterwards heard they had grievously wounded
many of each other in mistake. I almost dreaded to call over the names
of those who stood around me, for I could not see their faces, and no
one spoke a word to his companion.
We waited for a considerable time,--for an hour or more. Gradually
the noise and shouting in the Pindharee camp died away, and by the
straggling watch-fires alone could one have told that a mighty army was
encamped there. Now and then the shrill neigh of a horse was borne to
us upon the night wind, and when it ceased there was again a melancholy
silence. The little village too was deserted; part of it had been
burned, and the embers of the houses still emitted sparks, now and then
sending up a flame, as portions of dry grass of the thatched huts which
had escaped became ignited. Further delay was useless; I therefore
broke the silence, which was painful to all.
"How many are there of us, Peer Khan?" I asked, in a low tone.
"Eleven," said he; "the rest I fear have fallen."
"I pray Alla they have; better far to fall by a sword-cut or a
spear-thrust, than to be exposed to torture; but who are absent?--is
Motee here?"
"Alas! no, Meer Sahib. Motee I saw struck down. I made a cut at the
Pindharee who wounded him, but the darkness deceived me: I missed him."
"And who else are absent?" said I, stifling my grief, for Motee had
been as a brother to me; "let those who are here tell their names."
They did so. Ghous Khan was away, and Nuzzur Ali and Ramdeen Singh,
three of our best men; Motee was a fourth; Hidayut Khan, the traitor,
was a fifth, and all our attendants and grooms.
"'Tis no use staying here," said I; "we must make the best of our way
to Jhalone; there we will wait the usual time, and if none return, the
ceremonies for the dead must be performed for them. None of ye will
grudge your share of the booty we have (blessed be Bhowanee!) brought
away with us, to their wives and families; swear this unto me, ye that
are willing."
"We swear!" cried the whole, almost with one voice.
"I am satisfied," said I; "now let us proceed. We must turn off the
main road when it is light; we all know the paths through the jungles,
and by them we will travel, till we are safely beyond Hussingabad:
beyond that I fear not."
"Proceed," cried Peer Khan; "we follow you."
And we rode on in silence, with heavy hearts. We travelled thus for
many days. Through the country we passed, we represented ourselves, as
long as the Nagpoor territory lasted, to be servants of the government
on a secret mission; and though we were often suspected and questioned,
yet by my address I brought my band clear out of all the difficulties;
and our hearts bounded with joy when at length we arrived on the banks
of the noble Nurbudda, and dashing our steeds into the ford, soon left
its waters between us and our enemies.
Inured as we were to the fatigues of long and severe marches, and
our horses also, not a day passed but fifteen or twenty coss were
travelled, and at this rate we were not long in reaching our home.
Blessed be Alla! we did reach it, and glad was my heart once again to
see the groves of Jhalone after my weary pilgrimage. No notice had we
been able to give of our approach, and I alighted at the door of my
own house unattended and alone, covered with dust, and worn by fatigue
and exposure to the fierce heat of the sun, and as much changed by
anxiety for the fate of my poor comrades as though ten additional
years had gone over my head, instead of only a few weeks. My servants
scarcely knew me; but when I was recognised, the glad tidings of my
return flew from mouth to mouth. I waited not even to quench my raging
thirst before I was again in the embrace of Azima, my own loved one,
and peril was once more forgotten.
We assembled in the evening; and as the pockets of our saddles were
one by one unripped, and their contents heaped on the floor before us,
a glorious pile indeed met our view, of lumps of gold and silver, the
produce of the jewels we had seized, which we had melted down as we got
them. There were a few strings of pearls, one of which I laid aside for
the Rajah; and the whole was then weighed, valued, and distributed.
Those whom we supposed to be dead were not forgotten; their shares were
laid aside, and afterwards delivered to their families.
I now again enjoyed peace and rest; all idea of joining Cheetoo, or
any other of the Pindharee leaders, was out of the question; for
though I might have done so under an assumed name, yet the chance of
being recognised would have been too great, and I was rich enough for
the present. Cheetoo too had reached the summit of his fame and his
prosperity; his plans were all frustrated by the rash and sudden rise
of the Mahratta powers. All they could do was of no avail against the
skill and bravery of the Europeans; one by one they were conquered;
and Cheetoo, though he might have profited by the generosity of his
enemies, and accepted a large estate which he was offered by them,
could not curb his restless spirit. A few of his men followed his
fortunes, but his standard was in vain raised for fresh adherents.
These even deserted him one by one; his prospects were blasted; he
became a miserable fugitive; and pursued from haunt to haunt, from
fastness to fastness, he at last perished miserably by a tiger, in the
dense jungles about the fort of Asseer Ghur. Peace be to his memory! he
was a great man, and a skilful and brave leader; and whatever crimes
he may have committed in his wild career as a Pindharee chieftain, his
dreadful death has been some atonement for them.
I pass over two more years. Why should I fatigue you, Sahib, with a
relation of daily occurrences, monotonous in themselves, and presenting
to my memory not one incident worthy of remark. I will again lead you
to the road, and to further adventures.
But Ameer Ali, said I, did you never hear aught of Motee and your other
companions who were seized by Cheetoo?
I had forgotten them, Sahib; theirs was a sad fate, as you shall hear.
One evening, about three months after my return home, as I was sitting
in the Dewan Khana of my house, surrounded by some friends, an
attendant brought me word that a man was without, closely wrapped in a
sheet, who desired to speak with me. "He will not enter," said he; "and
says that you will know him when you see him."
I took up my sword and followed him. It was dusk, and I did not
recognise the features of the person who had sent for me; indeed he was
so closely muffled that I could hardly see them. "What is your purpose,
friend?" I asked, as the man did not speak, but motioned with his arms
under his cloth for my attendant to go away. I bid him begone.
"Jemadar," cried the figure when we were alone, "do you not know me?"
"The voice," said I, "is familiar to mine ears; step into the light
that I may see your face."
"No, no!" said the man, in a hollow voice, "I cannot bear the light;
mutilated and disgraced as I am, the darkness scarcely hides my shame:
I am Ghous Khan."
"Ghous Khan!" I cried, in amazement; "he is dead, he perished at----"
"It is even so," said the man with a melancholy voice; "Ghous Khan is
before you; to prove it, send for a light and look at me."
I brought one myself and held it to his face. I was indeed shocked.
Ghous Khan _was_ before me, but oh how changed! His features were worn
and sunken, the brightness of his eyes was dimmed, his beard was matted
and uncombed, and a few dirty rags covered his head; but what above all
shocked me was, that his nose had been cut off close to his face, and
the skin of his cheeks and mouth had been drawn together by the healed
wound, so that it was tight over them, and imparted to his features a
ghastly expression.
"My poor friend!" I exclaimed, embracing him; "how is this? how have
you been reduced to this condition? Speak, for the love of Alla! and
tell me what you have suffered."
"The disfigurement of my face is not all, Meer Sahib," said he,
throwing off the dirty, ragged sheet which covered him. "Behold these!"
and the poor fellow held up to my view the stumps of his arms; his
hands had both been cut off between the wrist and the elbow, and the
wounds were scarcely healed. Having done this, he sunk down on the
floor in an agony of grief and shame.
I raised him up, and comforted him as well as I could. I ordered a bath
for him, and clean apparel, had his wounds dressed by a skilful barber;
and, after seeing him eat, or rather fed with a hearty meal, I left him
to his repose. I need not tell you, now that one of my lost companions
had arrived, how I longed to hear the fate of the rest. That night I
was sleepless and restless: but the next day, closeted with me in a
private room apart from observation, he gave me the following account
of his adventures and sufferings; adventures indeed there were few, but
sufferings many.
"You of course remember, Meer Sahib," said he, "that fatal night when,
just as we were on the point of making off with our booty, we were
attacked. The darkness favoured your escape; but on the first onset
of the Pindharee horsemen I received a severe spear wound in the
back, which threw me from my horse. I was seized by the Pindharees,
bound hand and foot, and carried to the tent of Cheetoo, where there
was now a large concourse of people assembled. The wound in my back
was staunched and bound up, and in a few moments afterwards other
Pindharees entered, bearing Motee-ram, who was desperately wounded in
the head, and the two others, Nuzzur Ali and Ramdeen Singh, who were
untouched. Hidayut Khan was there--the villain and traitor! and his
triumphant glance quailed under mine when I fixed my eyes on him and
would not withdraw them.
"Silence was ordered, and Cheetoo demanded with a loud voice of Hidayut
Khan, whether he knew any of the persons before him.
"'I do, Nuwab,' said the wretch; and he named us one by one, and
pointed us out.
"'And what have you to say against them?' asked the chief.
"'I accuse them of being Thugs,' said he; 'I accuse them of
murder, of the murder of Ghuffoor Khan, and of fourteen other good
Pindharees,--they dare not deny it.'
"'Let their jemadar, as he is called,' said Cheetoo, 'if he can speak,
answer to this.' But poor Motee's spirit was fast departing, he was
senseless, and never spoke afterwards.
"'I will reply,' said I; 'I say it is a lie, a base lie; I defy that
man to bring proofs. Have we not served well in your camp, oh Nuwab?
have we not ever been foremost in danger, and more merciful than all
the rest of these murdering villains?'
"'Strike him on the mouth with a shoe! cut him down for his insolence!'
cried several.
"'Silence!' again exclaimed Cheetoo; 'the first man who disturbs this
inquiry, by Alla, I will behead him.'
"'Go on,' he continued, addressing me; 'what more have you to say?'
"'Nothing, Nuwab; I rely on your justice.'
"'Justice thou shalt have; but tell me why your chief has fled.'
"This confused me a little, but after a moment's thought I replied
stoutly,--
"'Look you, Nuwab, I am a plain soldier, and cannot please your ear
with fine words. My leader has fled, it is true, but not from guilt.
That black-hearted villain, Hidayut Khan, wanted more than his share of
plunder on many occasions, and was refused it. He separated from us; we
dogged him about the camp, and detected him in close conversation with
a man who is known to be in your favour. This excited our suspicion.
This evening we watched him to your tent; I gave the information to
our jemadar; he and Peer Khan stole towards it; they lay down outside
and heard his vile accusations of murder, and had only time to fly
and mount their horses. We were not all prepared, and have fallen into
your hands. Of what use would it have been for him to have braved your
presence? the disgrace alone, to such a man as he is, would have been
insupportable,--he would have destroyed himself. I know no more; do
with us as you please.'
"Cheetoo seemed struck with what I had said, and mused for a moment.
'The proofs of their guilt!' cried he to Hidayut Khan; 'the proofs!
bring them, or it will be worse for thee.'
"'Let their swords be brought,' said he; 'Peer Khan has made off with
that of Ghuffoor Khan, but that man (pointing to Ramdeen) has one which
was the property of a Pindharee who was murdered two nights ago; and
other articles may be discovered in the linings of their saddles.'
"'Show me the swords,' cried a Pindharee in the crowd; 'my brother
disappeared two nights ago, and I have sought him in vain since.'
"They were brought. Ah! Meer Sahib, how can I tell you that Ramdeen
Singh's was instantly recognised by the Pindharee, who vehemently
demanded our blood from Cheetoo?
"'This is conclusive against you,' said Cheetoo; 'what can you say?'
"Ramdeen muttered a few words in exculpation, but they were unheeded.
"'I beg further to represent, Peer-o-Moorshid,' cried Hidayut Khan,
'that if you have any further doubts of what I have declared to be the
fact, I am ready to accompany any men you may choose to select; I will
guide them to the spot where that man's unfortunate brother lies in
his unblessed grave; and not only him will I disinter, but march after
march beyond that one will I dig up, at one place one body, at another
two, until we come to where Ghuffoor Khan and his unfortunate Saees
lie, both in the same hole.'
"Cheetoo shuddered. 'It is too true,' said he. 'Alas! my brave men have
fallen by the base hands of these stranglers--men who ought to have
purchased their martyrdom by death on the battle-field. Where are the
saddles and their contents? Let them be produced.'
"This was worse and worse. Nuzzur Ali's saddle, you may remember, was
old and worn, and he had taken that of the Pindharee we last killed.
The brother knew it and wept over it. In the lining was all the plunder
he had got, just as we had received it; and around my own waist was the
man's humeana, with which I had replaced my own; it had his name on it
written in Persian, which I had not observed. It was enough,--we were
convicted; I repeated the Belief, and gave myself up to death.
"Yet I once more uplifted my voice. 'Nuwab!' I exclaimed, 'it is of no
use to contend further with destiny; were we a thousand times innocent,
this array of facts against us would convict us. I now conceal not that
we are Thugs--followers of the blessed Bhowanee, who will receive us
into Paradise. We shall die by your command, but why should that vile
wretch live?--he who, for a greedy demand of more than his share, which
he knew he could not receive according to our laws, has denounced us,
has broken his oath, and been unfaithful to the salt he has eaten? Is
he not a Thug? has he not joined me and a hundred others in our work
ever since he was a boy? He cannot deny it; look at him,--look at his
cowardly features convulsed by terror,--_they_ show that what I say is
true. If he had been, as he says he is, an honest man, why did he not
cause us to be seized when we were in the act of murder--upon the very
bodies? He might have done so, for the deeds, except that of Ghuffoor
Khan, were committed in the first watch of the night, when the camp was
awake, and every one engaged in his own business. Why did he not then
denounce us? he would have been believed. But no! he wanted half of the
plunder of that man's brother; it was denied him, as similar requests
had been before, and he has become a thing for men to spit at. If we
die, he should not be spared, because he is a Thug as we are, because
he is a traitor and a coward!'
"'Liar!' cried Hidayut Khan, scarcely able to speak between rage and
fear; 'Liar! I defy thee to say I ever strangled a person.'
"'No,' said I to Cheetoo, 'he was too great a coward--he dared not! and
my lord may have remarked that he used the slang term to express his
meaning in the last words he uttered.'
"'Vile wretch!' cried Cheetoo to him, 'thou art worse than they--they
are brave and undaunted, thou art a coward; thy head shall be struck
from thy body.'
"His cries for pardon, for life, were horrible; he besought, he
threatened; but of what avail was it? He was dragged to the doorway of
the tent, a Pindharee stepped behind him, and, while he still pleaded
for mercy, his head was struck from his shoulders and rolled forwards.
"'Are you not dismayed?' cried Cheetoo to us; 'yours will follow.'
"'No!' cried we, one and all; 'death must come sooner or later,--and
ours is now; we fear not.'
"'They fear it not,' said he to another chieftain; 'death would be
welcome to them; but their punishment shall be worse--they shall linger
out a miserable existence. Ho!' cried he to his Furashes, 'cut off
these villains' noses and hands, and bring them to me.'
"It was done, Meer Sahib! I alone have lived to tell it: our noses
were cut off--next our hands. The bleeding stumps were thrust into
boiling oil, and we were driven from the camp, there and then to
perish, as they thought we should, in the wild jungles. And the other
two did perish; we had no one to bind up our wounds; those of Nuzzur
Ali and Ramdeen broke out bleeding several days afterwards, and they
died within two days of each other. So long as we were together, we
supported ourselves by begging in the villages, representing ourselves
to be villagers from a distant country whom the Pindharees had brought
thus far and mutilated, and we procured enough to satisfy the cravings
of hunger; but we could get no one to dress our wounds, which were
inflamed by the scorching heat of the weather; and, as I said, the two
died. Motee we never saw, but he must have died also, for the wound in
his head had cut through the brain, and he never spoke. His was a happy
fate compared to ours!
"I have wandered from place to place, proceeding a few coss a day. I
have been fed, and my blessings are on those who gave me food for the
sake of the Prophet. What I have suffered I cannot describe; but I am
now with you again, and your kindness has obliterated it all from my
memory. I will live and die with you, if you will grant enough to feed
your faithful slave, who will now be only a burthen to you."
I was deeply affected at his story. I took the poor fellow under
my care, and his wounds were healed, but he never held up his head
afterwards. He died before the year was ended, I believe of shame and a
sense of his helpless condition.