At the Point of the Bayonet: A Tale of the Mahratta War Page 4

  Chapter 4: A British Resident.

  As Harry drew rein at the farm Soyera ran out, followed by herbrother and Anundee, with cries of joy at his unexpected return. Itwas nearly fifteen months since she had last seen him; though hehad, when opportunity offered, sent messages to her assuring herthat he was well, and hoped ere long to be able to come over to seeher.

  "I should scarce have known you," she said, "in those fine clothesof yours. You sent word that you were an officer in the Peishwa'sservice; but I hardly thought that you could be so much changed.You have grown a great deal, and are now much taller than Ramdass'ssons."

  The worthy farmer and Anundee were also delighted to see him.

  "How long are you going to stay?" the former asked.

  "Only till tomorrow, at daybreak. I have to ride forward, with allhaste, to Poona; for I have been on a mission for Nana Furnuwees."

  "Surely it is not so important that you cannot stay a few hours,Puntojee?"

  "It is of importance. You may have known that Nana has placed BajeeRao on the musnud, and he has installed himself as his minister;thereby defeating the plans of Balloba and Scindia, who willprobably come along here with their whole force, in a day or two."

  Late that evening, when the others had retired to bed, Soyera andHarry had a long talk together.

  "Have you thought, Harry," she asked, after speaking for some timeabout his doings and position at court, "of joining your peopleagain? There is peace between the Peishwa's court and the English.There is a British Resident at Poona and, as you have now gained acertain rank there, you could go to him with a much better facethan if you had come direct from here, as a peasant. Then it wouldprobably have been supposed that you were an impostor. That youwere English, of course could be seen by your skin; but it mighthave been thought that I had adopted some English child, and wasnow trying to pass it off as the son of an officer."

  "I think, mother, that I had best continue, for some time, as I am.You see I have, at present, nothing in common with the Englishexcept their blood. Were another war to break out between theMahrattas and Bombay, I would at once declare myself to theResident here, and go down to Bombay but, even then, my positionwould be a doubtful one and, unless I were to enlist in their army,I do not see how I should maintain myself.

  "Moreover, you must remember that I have now a deep interest inmatters here. Nana Furnuwees has treated me with much kindness, andplaced his confidence in me. He has many enemies, as I have toldyou. Scindia is about to advance against Poona, and it is probablethat he may succeed in driving Nana into exile, or imprisoning himfor life; and establishing Balloba, or some other person devoted tohis interest, as minister, in which case Scindia would beabsolutely supreme. Nothing would persuade me to desert Nana; whohas, for many years, alone withstood the ambition of Scindia'sparty. I do not say, for a moment, that my aid would be of theslightest use to him but, at any rate, he shall see that I am notungrateful for his kindness; and will be faithful to him in hismisfortunes, as he has been kind to me, when in power."

  "That is right," Soyera said. "The cause of Nana is the cause ofall in this part of the Deccan; for we should be infinitely worseoff, were Scindia to lay hands on us. But there is an alternative,by which you could at once remain faithful to Nana, and prepareyour way for joining the English, when you considered that the timefor doing so had arrived."

  "What is that, Soyera?"

  "You might go to the English Resident, and tell him who you are,and how you have been brought up. Say that, at present, you wish toremain in the service of Nana; who has been a good friend to you,and with whom your sympathies, like those of nearly all thecultivators in the Peishwa's dominions, accord. Say that you hope,when the time comes, to return to your countrymen; and that, in themeantime, you will give him any information in your power as towhat is going on, subject only to your friendship for Nana. Thus,by making yourself useful to the Resident, you may prepare your wayfor joining your countrymen and, at the same time, be able toremain with Nana until either he is victorious over his enemies, orhis cause is really lost."

  "The plan is an excellent one," Harry said, "and I will certainlyadopt it. Undoubtedly, the feeling among the English must be infavour of Bajee Rao and Nana. As Bajee is the son of Rugoba, he istheir natural ally. Moreover, they would object most strongly tosee Scindia become master of the whole Mahratta power; which hewould probably use against them, at the first opportunity. Itwould, as you say, greatly facilitate my obtaining a fair positionamong the English; and I might also be able to do Nana a service.Of course, I have seen the English Resident many times, in thestreets of Poona; and more than once, on special occasions, atMahdoo Rao's court. As it is his business to know something of allconnected with the palace, it is probable that he may have heard ofme; at any rate, it would be easier to explain to him my position,than it would be to go down as a stranger to Bombay--where I shouldbe ignorant as to whom I should first approach, and how to declaremyself--a matter I have very often thought over."

  The next morning the troop started at daybreak and, riding fast,reached Poona by noon. Harry went at once to report what he hadseen to Nana.

  "I received your letter yesterday," the minister said, "and thenews was indeed bad. Purseram Bhow has offered to go out to givebattle to Scindia, but my forces would have no chance: not only isScindia's army much larger, but he has the infantry regimentscommanded by foreign officers, and against these my infantry couldnot prevail. It would be madness to risk fighting, under suchcircumstances. The wheel may turn and, ere long, I may be in aposition to thwart the schemes of Scindia and Balloba."

  Nana had never been conspicuous for personal courage, though hismoral courage, and his ability to meet any storm were unbounded. Hewas now an old man, and dreaded the shock of battle, when thechances appeared to be so much against him. He could not dependupon the support of Bajee, who had already shown himself willing toside with the strongest, and to make terms for himself, without theslightest regard for those who had befriended him.

  "But if your excellency does not think of fighting, what coursewill you pursue?"

  "I shall leave the country, at once," he said. "If I stop here, Iknow that Balloba, who is my personal enemy, will have me put todeath. I only need time to recover from this sudden misfortune, andit would be madness for me to wait here, and to fall into the powerof my enemies.

  "Purseram Bhow is greatly offended, because I will not allow him tofight; but I, who have for so many years done my best to preventcivil war in this country--a war which, however it ended, wouldbreak up the Mahratta power--would not bring its horrors uponPoona. It is against me that Balloba is marching and, if I retire,bloodshed will be altogether averted.

  "Will you accompany me, Puntojee?" he asked almost wistfully.

  "Assuredly I will do so, sir; and I think that I can answer forSufder, who has, I know, a great regard for your excellency. As tomyself, I have little hope that I should escape unharmed, ifBalloba arrive here before I leave. He detected me, even in mydisguise in his camp; and I had a narrow escape, for a party of hiscavalry pursued me, and would probably have caught me had notSufder, with his band, met me, and defeated them with a loss ofhalf their number. You may be sure that Balloba will learn who wasin command, and Sufder's life would be no safer than my own.

  "May I ask when your excellency is going to leave Poona?"

  "Scouts were sent out yesterday, as soon as your letter was readand, directly Scindia's army gets in motion, I shall receive news.When I do, I shall leave. The horses will be saddled in readiness,and I shall be at the edge of the Ghauts by the time Scindiaarrives here. You can tell Sufder to come, at once. He knows thedisposition of the captains of the various troops, and will be ableto tell me who can be depended upon."

  Sufder was indeed outside the palace, having told Harry that hewould wait, until he had learned the result of his interview withNana. Harry briefly related to him his conversation with theminister.

  "I think he is right," he said. "Purse
ram Bhow is a stout fighter,and is as brave as a lion; but Scindia's force would be double thatwhich he could gather, at such a short notice, and Nana does rightnot to risk everything on the chance of a single fight. He is awily old fox, and has got safely through dangers which would havecrushed an ordinary man. You will see that, before long, he will beback again, and reinstated in power.

  "At any rate, I will accompany him. After that thrashing we gaveBalloba's horsemen, my head would not be safe here an hour, afterhis arrival."

  On the road, Harry had informed him of the decision at which he hadarrived, upon Soyera's advice; and Sufder agreed that it wouldcertainly be a wise step. Accordingly, when the latter entered thepalace, Harry went straight to the British Residency. He sent inhis native name to Mr. Malet, and asked for an interview, and wasat once shown in.

  "You wish to speak to me, sir?" the Resident said, in the Mahrattalanguage. "I think I have seen you at Mahdoo Rao's court."

  "I have seen your excellency there," Harry replied, in the samelanguage.

  Then, seeing that the Resident spoke the language with difficulty,he went on, in English:

  "It is a matter chiefly personal to myself."

  The Resident looked at him in surprise, for it was the first timehe had heard a Mahratta speaking English.

  "I am the son of Major Lindsay who, with his wife and escort, wasmurdered by a party of Mahrattas, seventeen years ago, at the timewhen the English army was advancing against Poona. I was saved bythe fidelity of an ayah, who had been in the family for ten years.A cousin of hers was, fortunately, one of the leaders of the partywho attacked the camp and, with his connivance, she carried me offand made her way back to her family, near Jooneer. She stained myskin, as you see, and allowed it to be supposed that she hadmarried in Bombay, and that I was her own child.

  "She has brought me up with the intention of my rejoining mycountrymen, as soon as I became a man; for she did not see how,until then, I could earn my living among strangers. She taught meas much as she knew of the language and religion of the Englishand, when I was twelve, took me down to Bombay and left me, forsome two years and a half, in the house of Mrs. Sankey, a lady whotaught some of the children of officers there. When I left Bombay Iwas able to speak English as well as other English boys of my age.

  "My nurse had, from the earliest time I can remember, encouraged mein taking part in all sports and games; and when I was but eight asoldier, a cousin of hers, began to teach me my first exercise inarms. I continued to work at this until I went down to Bombay and,on my return, spent all my time, for some months, in riding andshooting. After this I was, for a year, with a famous shikaree; andtook part in the killing of many tigers, and other wild beasts.This was fortunate; for when, through this relation of my nurse, Iwas introduced to Nana Furnuwees, and by him to Mahdoo Rao, thelatter was pleased to take a fancy for me, and appointed me to thecharge of the game preserves.

  "At the present moment I have just returned from a mission, indisguise, to Scindia's camp. Nana has shown me great kindness. Myintention is to remain with him, until he has passed through hispresent difficulties, which are very serious. After that, I hope tobe able to go to Bombay, and to obtain a commission in theCompany's service."

  "I remember well the circumstances of the murder of Major Lindsay,and his wife; for I was in Bombay at the time. It was a matter ofdeep regret to us all, for he was greatly liked but, at the time,everyone was excited over the infamous treaty of Wurgaum. Iremember that when a party was sent out, on our receiving the newsof the attack, the bodies of the major and his wife were found, asalso those of his servants and sowars; but it was reported that notrace could be discovered of the infant, or of his ayah. It wasthought possible that they had escaped, and hopes were entertainedthat the woman might have carried off her charge. I have no doubtas to the truth of your story.

  "Is your nurse still alive?"

  "She is, sir, as is also the man who assisted her. His name isSufder, and he commands a troop of the Peishwa's cavalry. Both willtestify, at the right time, to the truth of my statement."

  "I can the more readily believe it," the Resident said, "inasmuchas, in spite of your colour, I can perceive a certain likeness toMajor Lindsay, whom I knew intimately."

  "My intention, in coming to see you now, sir, was to offer tofurnish any information to you, concerning the movements and plansof Nana Furnuwees, so far as such information could do him noharm."

  "I heard that there had been discussions between Nana and PurseramBhow, the latter wishing to give battle to Scindia; but I thinkthat Nana is right in refusing to sanction this for, from all Ihear, Scindia's army is very much the stronger."

  "It is, sir; and I should say that Purseram's army could hardly bedepended upon to fight, under such circumstances."

  "What is Nana going to do?"

  "He is going to retire, as soon as Scindia's army is fairly inmotion."

  "He is in an awkward position," Mr. Malet said, "but he hasreinstated himself, several times, when it seemed that everythingwas lost. I have great respect for his abilities, and he is theonly man who can curb the ambition of Scindia and his ministers.Scindia's entire supremacy would be most unwelcome to us for,indeed, it is only owing to the mutual jealousy of the three greatchiefs of the Mahratta nation, that we have gained successes. Werethe whole power in one hand, we should certainly lose Surat, andprobably Bassein and Salsette, and have to fight hard to holdBombay.

  "I shall be very glad to receive any reports you can supply mewith, for it is next to impossible to obtain anything liketrustworthy information here. We only hear what it is desired thatwe should know, and all these late changes have come as a completesurprise to me; for what news I do obtain is, more often than not,false. Unfortunately, truth is a virtue almost unknown among theMahrattas. They have a perfect genius for intrigue, and consider itperfectly justifiable to deceive not only enemies, but friends.

  "And when do you think of declaring yourself Mr. Lindsay?"

  "I shall remain with Nana, so long as there is the slightest chanceof his success; unless, indeed, the course of affairs should leadto the English intervening in these troubles; then, in case theydeclare against Nana, I should feel it my duty to leave him atonce."

  "I do not think there is any probability of that. Our policy hasbeen to support him, as the Peishwa's minister, against eitherScindia or Holkar. I shall, of course, report your appearance tothe authorities at Bombay; and I am sure there will be adisposition to advance your views, for the sake of your father; andmoreover, your knowledge of the language of the Mahrattas--whichis, of course, perfect, or you could not have maintained yourdeception so long--will of itself be a strong recommendation inyour favour."

  After thanking Mr. Malet for his kindness, Harry returned toSufder's camp, and gave him an account of his interview with theResident.

  "That is satisfactory, indeed, Puntojee. It shows the wisdom of thestep you took. Now, as to our affairs here, I have mentioned thenames of five captains of troops; all of whom can, I think, berelied upon. However, I am now going out to see them, and have onlybeen waiting for your return. Six hundred men is but a small body;but it is a beginning, and I have no doubt that others will joinNana, later on. But I am not sufficiently sure of their sentimentsto open the matter to them, and it is essential that no suspicionof Nana's intention to leave the town should get about. There mightbe a riot in the city and, possibly, some of the captains, who havenot received the promotion which they regard as their due, mighttry to gain Scindia's favour by arresting him."

  On the following day a messenger arrived from Nana, requestingSufder to place himself with his troop, and such other captains ashe could rely upon, on the road a mile west of Poona. He himselfwould leave the town quietly, with a small body of his friends, andjoin them there. Sufder at once sent off five of his men, withorders to the captains whom he had seen on the previous afternoonand, within an hour, six hundred men were gathered at the pointindicated. Half an hour later a party of horsemen were
seen comingalong, and Furnuwees soon rode up, accompanied by several of hisstrongest adherents.

  The officers were gathered at the head of their troops. Nana,drawing rein, said to them:

  "Thanks for your fidelity. I shall not forget it; and hope, whenthe time comes, to reward it as it deserves."

  He motioned to Harry to join him.

  "Scindia's army was to march this morning," he said, "and hishorsemen will be here by tomorrow evening, at latest."

  They rode to Satara, where Nana had arranged to stop until hereceived news, from Purseram Bhow, as to the course of events atPoona; and two days later a messenger rode in, with news thatScindia had arrived near Poona, and had had a friendly interviewwith Bajee Rao. Balloba had seen Purseram, and had pretended greatfriendship for him; but the old soldier was by no means deceived byhis protestations.

  "If we had only to do with Scindia," Nana said, "matters could beeasily arranged; but the young rajah is only a puppet in hisminister's hands."

  Several days passed, and then another letter came from Purseram. Itsaid that Balloba had resolved to oppose Bajee Rao, and to haveboth a minister and a Peishwa of his own nomination; and that heproposed to him that Mahdoo Rao's widow should adopt Chimnajee asher son, that Bajee should be placed in confinement, and that he,Purseram Bhow, should be his minister. He asked Nana's advice as towhat course he should take. He stated that Balloba had said he wasgreatly influenced, in the methods he proposed, by the hope ofrendering them in some degree acceptable to Nana.

  As the latter had only placed Bajee Rao on the musnud as a means ofcheckmating Scindia, he advised Purseram to accept the offer; butpointed out the absolute necessity for his retaining Bajee in hisown custody. Purseram omitted to follow this portion of the advice,and a formal reconciliation took place, by letter, between Ballobaand Nana. The latter was invited to proceed at once to Poona; buton finding that Purseram had allowed Balloba to retain Bajee in hishands, he suspected that the whole was a scheme to entice him intothe power of his enemy, and he therefore made excuses for notgoing.

  Bajee, ignorant of the plot that had been planned, went toScindia's camp to remonstrate against a heavy demand for money, onaccount of the expenses to which Scindia had been put; and to hisastonishment he was, then and there, made a prisoner. Chimnajeepositively refused to become a party to the usurpation of hisbrother's rights; but he was compelled, by threats, to ascend themusnud. On the day after his installation, Purseram Bhow wrote,proposing that Nana should come to Poona to meet Balloba, and toassume the civil administration of the new Peishwa's government;while the command of the troops, and all military arrangements,should remain as they stood.

  In reply, Nana requested that Purseram should send his son, HurryPunt, to settle the preliminaries; but instead of coming as anenvoy, Hurry Punt left Poona with over five thousand chosen horse.This naturally excited Nana's suspicions, which were strengthenedby a letter from Rao Phurkay, who was in command of the Peishwa'shousehold troops, warning him to seek safety without a moment'sdelay.

  Now that he saw that half measures were no longer possible, Nanaceased to be irresolute and, when his fortunes seemed to all men tobe desperate, commenced a series of successful intrigues thatastonished all India. He had quietly increased his force, duringthe weeks of waiting since he had left Poona. He had ample funds,having carried away with him an immense treasure, accumulatedduring his long years of government. There was no time to be lostand, as soon as he received the letter of warning, he left the townof Waee and made for the Concan.

  As soon as he reached the Ghauts, he set the whole of his force toblock the passes, by rolling great stones down into the roads. Inaddition, strong barricades were constructed, and a force of twohundred men left, at each point, to defend them. The infantry hehad recruited he threw into the fort of Raygurh, and added stronglyto its defences.

  Balloba had proposed that Nana should be followed without delay,and offered some of Scindia's best troops for the purpose; butPurseram, acting in accordance with the advice of some of Nana'sfriends, raised an objection. He had now, however, resolved tobreak altogether with the minister, whose timidity at the criticalmoment was considered, by him, as a proof that he could never againbe formidable; and he accordingly gave up Nana's estates toScindia, and took possession of his houses and property in Poona,for his own use. After remaining for a few days, waiting events andsending off many messengers, Nana sent for Harry.

  "I have a mission for you," he said. "It is one that requiresdaring and great intelligence, and I know no one to whom it couldbe better committed than to you. You see that, owing to the turnevents have taken, Bajee Rao and myself are natural allies. We haveboth suffered at the hands of Balloba. He is a prisoner inScindia's camp; though, as I understand, free to move about in it.I privately received a hint that Bajee, himself, recognizes this;but doubtless he believes that I am powerless to help either myselfor him.

  "In this he is mistaken. I have been in communication with Holkar,who is alarmed at the ever-increasing power of Scindia; and he willthrow his whole power into the scale, to aid me. The Rajahs ofBerar and Kolapoore have engaged to aid me, for the same reason;and the Nizam will sign the treaty that was agreed upon between us,some time since. Rao Phurkay has engaged to bring the Peishwa'shousehold troops over, when the signal is given.

  "More than that I have, through Ryajee, a patal, who is an enemy ofBalloba, opened negotiations with Scindia himself; offering him theestates of Purseram Bhow, and the fort of Surrenuggar, withterritory yielding ten lakhs, on condition of his placing Ballobain confinement, re-establishing Bajee Rao on the musnud, andreturning with his troops to his own territory.

  "I have no doubt that, when Bajee Rao hears this, he will be gladenough to throw himself heartily into the cause. I may tell youthat he is apparently a guest, rather than a prisoner; and that hehas a camp of his own, in the centre of that of Scindia; andtherefore, when you have once made your way into his encampment,you will have no difficulty in obtaining a private interview withhim. It is necessary that he should have money, and silver would betoo heavy for you to carry; but I will give you bags containing athousand gold mohurs, which will enable him to begin the work ofprivately raising troops."

  "I will undertake the business, sir. The only person I fear, in thesmallest degree, is Balloba himself. I must disguise myself so thathe will not recognize me."

  Without delay, Harry mounted his horse, placed the two bags ofmoney that had been handed to him in the wallets behind his saddle,exchanged his dress for that of one of Sufder's troopers, and thenstarted for Poona, which he reached the next day. He did not enterthe town; but put up at a cultivator's, two miles distant from it.

  "I want to hire a cart, with two bullocks," he said to the man."Can you furnish one?"

  "As I do not know you, I should require some money paid down, as aguarantee that they will be returned."

  "That I can give you; but I shall leave my horse here, and that isfully worth your waggon and oxen. However, I will leave with you ahundred rupees. I may not keep your waggon many days."

  After it was dark, Harry went to the town and purchased somepaints, and other things, that he required for disguise. Havingused these, he went to the house of the British Resident and, onstating who he was, he was shown in. Mr. Malet did not recognize,in the roughly-dressed countryman, the young officer who had calledupon him before.

  "I am Harry Lindsay and, being in Poona, called upon you to giveyou some information."

  "I recognize you by your voice," the Resident said; "but I fearthat there is nothing of importance that you can tell me; now thatNana Furnuwees is homeless, and Bajee Rao is no longer Peishwa."

  "Nana is not done with, yet, sir."

  "Why, he is a fugitive, with a handful of troops under him."

  "But he has his brains, sir, which are worth more than an army and,believe me, if all goes well, it will not be long before he is backin Poona, as minister to the Peishwa."

  "Minister to Chimnajee?"

&
nbsp; "No, sir, minister to Bajee Rao."

  "I would that it were so," Mr. Malet said, "but since one is afugitive and the other a prisoner, I see no chance, whatever, ofsuch a transformation."

  "I will briefly tell you, sir, what is preparing. Bajee, feelingcertain that he will, ere long, be sent to a fortress, hascommunicated with Nana, imploring him to aid him."

  "If he has turned to Nana for support, he is either mad, or actingas Balloba's tool."

  "On the contrary, sir, I think that his doing so shows that herecognizes Nana's ability; and feels that, ere long, he may becomea useful ally. Already Nana has been at work. Holkar, who naturallyviews with intense jealousy Scindia's entire control of theterritory of the Peishwa, has already agreed to put his whole armyin the field; Rao Phurkay will rebel, with the household troopsand, what is vastly more important, Scindia has embraced Nana'soffer of a large sum of money, and a grant of territory, to arrestBalloba, and to replace Bajee on the musnud. In addition to this,he has won over the Rajah of Berar, has incited the Rajah ofKolapoore to attack the district of Purseram Bhow; and has obtainedthe Nizam's approbation of a treaty, that had already been settledbetween Nana and the Nizam's general, the basis of which is thatBajee is to be re-established, with Nana himself as minister and,on the other hand, the territory formerly seized by the Peishwa tobe restored.

  "My mission here is to inform Bajee Rao of the plans that have beenprepared, and to obtain from him a solemn engagement that Nanashall be reappointed as his minister, on the success of his plans."

  Mr. Malet listened to Harry with increasing astonishment.

  "This is important news, indeed," he said; "marvellous, and of thehighest importance to me. Already I have been asked, by the Councilof Bombay, to give my opinion as to whether it is expedient torender any assistance to Nana Furnuwees. It is, to them, almost asimportant as to Nana that Scindia should not obtain supreme power.I have replied that I could not recommend any such step, for thatNana's cause seemed altogether lost; and that any aid to him wouldbe absolutely useless, and would only serve Scindia with a pretextfor declaring war against us. Of course, what you have told meentirely alters the situation. It will not be necessary for theCouncil to assist Nana, but they can give him fair words and, evenif Balloba should win the day, he will have no ground for accusingus of having aided Nana.

  "It is impossible to overlook the value of your communication, Mr.Lindsay; and I can promise you that you will not find theGovernment of Bombay ungrateful, for it will relieve them of theanxiety which the progress of events here has caused them."

  On leaving the Residency, Harry returned to the farm where he had lefthis horse and, early next morning, put on his disguise again, paintedlines round his eyes, touched some of the hairs of his eyebrows withwhite paint, mixed some white horsehair with the tuft on the top of hishead, and dropped a little juice of a plant resembling belladonna--usedat times, by ladies in the east, to dilate the pupils of their eyes andmake them dark and brilliant--in his eyes.

  Soyera had told him of this herb, when he related to her how Ballobahad detected him by the lightness of his eyes. He was greatly surprisedat the alteration it effected in his appearance, and felt assured thateven Balloba himself would not again recognize him.

  He bought a dozen sacks of grain from the farmer and, placing thesein the bullock cart, started for Scindia's camp. He had, during thenight, buried the gold; for he thought that, until he knew hisground, and could feel certain of entering Bajee Rao's campunquestioned, it would be better that there should be nothing inthe cart, were he searched, to betray him. He carried in his handthe long staff universally used by bullock drivers and, passingthrough Poona, arrived an hour later at the camp, which was pitchedsome three miles from the city.

  As large numbers of carts, with forage and provisions, arriveddaily in the camp for the use of the troops, no attention whateverwas paid to him and, on enquiring for the encampment of BajeeRao--one of whose officers had, he said, purchased the grain, forhis horses and those of his officers and escort--he soon found thespot, which was on somewhat rising ground in the centre of thecamp. It was much larger than he had expected to find it as, beyondbeing prevented from leaving, Bajee had full liberty, and was evenpermitted to have some of his friends round him, and two or threedozen troopers of his household regiment.

  In charge of these was a young officer, who was well known to Harryduring the time of Mahdoo Rao. Seeing him standing in front of atent, Harry stopped the cart opposite to him and, leaving it, wentup to him.

  "Where shall I unload the cart?" he asked.

  "I know nothing about it," the officer said. "Who has ordered it?The supply will be welcome enough, for we are very short offorage."

  Then, changing his tone, Harry said:

  "You do not know me, Nujeef. I am your friend, Puntojee."

  "Impossible!" the other said, incredulously.

  "It is so. I am not here for amusement, as you may guess; but am ona private mission to Bajee Rao. Will you inform him that I am here?I dare not say whom I come from, even to you; but can explainmyself fully to him."

  "I will let him know, certainly, Puntojee; but there is littledoubt that Balloba has his spies here, and it will be necessary toarrange that your meeting shall not be noticed. Do you sit downhere by your cart, as if waiting for orders where to unload it. Iwill go across to Bajee's tent, and see him."

  Nujeef accordingly went over to the rajah's tent, and returned in aquarter of an hour.

  "Bajee will see you," he said. "First unload your grain in thelines of our cavalry, place some in front of your bullocks, andleave them there; then cross to the tent next to Bajee's. It isoccupied by one of his officers, who carries the purse and makespayments. Should you be watched, it would seem that you are onlygoing there to receive the price of the grain. Bajee himself willslip out of the rear of his tent, and enter the next in the sameway. The officer is, at present, absent; so that you can talkwithout anyone having an idea that you and Bajee are together."

  Harry carried out the arrangement and, after leaving his bullocks,made his way to the spot indicated. He found the young rajah hadgone there.

  "And you are Puntojee!" the latter said. "I saw you but a fewtimes, but Rao Phurkay has often mentioned your name, to me, asbeing one who stood high in the confidence of my cousin Mahdoo.Nujeef tells me that you have a private communication to make tome; and indeed, I can well believe that. You would not thusdisguise yourself, unless the business was important."

  "It is, Your Highness. Nana Furnuwees has received your message. Hereciprocates your expressions of friendship, and has sent me hereto let you know that the time is approaching when your deliverancefrom Balloba can be achieved."

  He then delivered the message with which he had been entrusted.Bajee's face became radiant, as he went on.

  "This is news, indeed," he said. "That Phurkay was faithful to me,I knew; but I thought that he was the only friend I had left. TrulyNana Furnuwees is a great man, and I will gladly give theundertaking he asks for; that, in the event of his succeeding inplacing me on the musnud, he shall be my minister, with the sameauthority and power that he had under Mahdoo."

  "I have, at the farmhouse where I am stopping, a thousand goldmohurs, which Nana has sent to enable you to begin yourpreparations; but he urges that you should be extremely carefulfor, as you see by what I have told you, he has ample power tocarry out the plan without any assistance from yourself, and it ismost important that nothing shall be done that can arouse thesuspicions of Balloba, until all is ready for the final stroke. Ihave not brought it with me, today, as I knew not how vigilant theymight be in camp, and it was possible that my sacks of grain mightbe examined. As, however, I passed in without question, I willbring it when I next come, which will be in two days."

  "I suppose there is no objection to my telling Phurkay what isbeing done?"

  "None at all, Your Highness. He has not yet been informed, thoughcommunications have passed between him and Nana. But, although thelatte
r was well convinced of his devotion, he thought it safer thatno one should know the extent of the plot, until all was inreadiness."

  Two days later, Harry made another journey to the camp, and thistime with the bags of money hidden among the grain, in one of thesacks. He saw Bajee Rao, as before, and received from him a paper,with the undertaking required by Nana. The sack containing themoney was put down where Bajee's horses were picketed, and wasthere opened by a confidential servant, who carried the bags intothe tent which was close by.

  As he was leaving the camp, Harry had reason to congratulatehimself on the precautions that he had taken; for he met Balloba,riding along with a number of officers. Harry had, with his changeof costume, assumed the appearance of age. He walked by the side ofthe bullocks, stooping greatly and leaning on his staff; and theminister passed without even glancing at him.

  Harry, on his return, paid the farmer for the hire of his cart. Thelatter was well pleased for, in addition to the money so earned, hehad charged a good price for the two waggon loads of grain. Harrythen put off the peasant's dress, and resumed that of a trooper,and rode back to Raygurh, where he reported to Nana the success ofhis mission.