The Great Mogul Part 28

"I pray to the saints, if ever we see England again, thy mother may tell thee when to hold thy tongue," cried Walter wrathfully, whereat Roger whistled another bar of "Elsie Marley," and winked portentously at a gnarled and wizened village head-man, who cowered in his blanket close to their fire. The old fellow wondered dully what all these comings and goings of great folk betokened, but the giant's humor pleased him greatly. It was propitious to be thus noticed by a lord of the earth.

Thenceforth, their days and nights provided an uneventful record of quiet travel. They reached Allahabad next day, and the local _Kotwal_ was minded to give them some trouble. He was cowed instantly when Walter exhibited Akbar's order to the Treasurer, which he had forgotten to hand to Ibrahim with the receipt. Nevertheless, being now well versed in the ways of Indian officials, he marveled at the man's hectoring manners, since this city, situated at the confluence of the Ganges and the Jumna, was one of the chief resting-places for merchants pa.s.sing between the Mogul capital and the Hughli delta. Even at that date the Bay of Bengal was becoming noted as the site of important trading stations. It was pa.s.sing strange that the civil head of Allahabad should be so impolitic.

No restrictions were placed on his movements, however, and the incident scarce demanded further thought. Indeed, the _Kotwal_ deigned to help him by ordering his men to belabor the curious crowds which hampered progress through the bazaar, for the fame of Sainton's stature spread like wild-fire, and numbers of mild-eyed Hindus came to gaze at him.

Here, they were able to test the value of Nur Mahal's gift. Deeming it wise to replenish their small stock of ready money, eked out as it was by a sum which she had entrusted to Jai Singh for the expenses of the escort, they sold four small diamonds in the bazaar. The gems brought a thousand rupees, after some bargaining, so it was evident, even to non-experts, that the two hundred stones in the little cedar cabinet, some being very large and pure, must be worth even more than the price estimated.

With the money thus obtained they purchased three roomy, flat-bottomed boats, s.p.a.cious enough to house the whole party, man and horse. a.s.sured that there would be no difficulty in securing food and fodder on the long river voyage they did not burthen their craft with a bulk of stores. Nevertheless, their preparations, though simple, consumed several days, for, to the native of India, _Kal_ (to-morrow) is as precious a word as Manana to the Spaniard.

At last, after a weary delay, towards which Mowbray strongly suspected the _Kotwal_ contributed indirectly, the huge, osier-woven sails of their buggalows were hoisted, and the unwieldy caravels lumbered slowly down stream. Owing to the ever-changing channel, the numerous sand-banks, the occasional barriers of half sunken trees and other debris, they could only move during the hours of daylight. At night they tied up near some village, where young goats, eggs, poultry, milk, and grain were obtainable. At times, the people were so poor that even these primary commodities ran short, but, on the whole, they fared well. A week's quiet voyaging did wonders for their horses. The hardy country-breds became sleek and fat. When taken ash.o.r.e for exercise they would plunge and caper for sheer liveliness. One evening, after they had pa.s.sed Benares, some such ebullition on the part of the powerful stallion which carried Sainton during the march from Agra caused his master to growl:--

"It seems a daft thing to me, Walter, to ferry these ill-mannered brutes so far. They are in good condition now. Why not sell them at the next big town, and let Jai Singh purchase others for his return up country?"

"I have been thinking of that same plan," agreed his friend. "Let us consult Jai Singh, and hear what he says."

But the shrewd old Rajput opposed the suggestion. He pleaded that no such cattle could be bought in Lower Bengal, and that they themselves would be glad of good mounts when they quitted the river to ride into Calcutta. The argument prevailed, though his real intent was to sell the animals as soon as their backs were turned and procure wretched tats for himself and his comrades, thereby netting a very handsome profit.

In life, it is ever the trivial things that count. A straw would have swayed them to barter the horses at Dinapore. Had they done so this history would have changed its course.

It was their custom to pa.s.s through populous places without stopping.

Seen from the banks, they attracted little attention, which suited their purpose better than to leave behind them a trial of surmise and gossip.

The dull villagers they encountered had no ideas beyond the state of the crops and the prospect of an early monsoon. Hence, they slipped quietly, if slowly, over a very long stretch of their journey to the sea without any important event breaking the monotony of peaceful nights and restful days.

The pranks which fortune had played them in the past might have warned them that this idyllic existence could not continue. But the fickle jade gave them no portent. Little did they realize that stern times were come again when one evening, whilst strolling ash.o.r.e on a high bank and idly watching the Rajputs watering the horses, a man, black as a negro, but dressed in semi-European costume, suddenly appeared from a clump of trees crowning the promontory carved from the land by a bend of the stream at that point.

Half running, half staggering, he made towards them. As he came nearer, they perceived that he was in desperate plight. His garments were blood-stained; his gait and aspect told of abject fear; his eyes glistened like those of a hunted fawn; and, sinister token, his hands were weighted with heavy gyves of a fashion usually intended for the legs of prisoners.

"Gad!" cried Roger, staring at the apparition, "this chuck minds me of that image of Satan who greeted us on board Sir Thomas Roe's ship. Yet, an he be the devil himself, some one hath bound him!"

The poor wretch reached them, fell panting at their feet, and gasped in Portuguese:--

"Save me! Save me, for the love of G.o.d, if ye are Christians!"

Their long voyage with Captain Garcia had taught them sufficient of the _lingua franca_ of the high seas at that period to understand his frantic appeal. Walter stooped and patted his shoulder encouragingly. He found it hard to arrange a sentence in the man's language, but he managed to say:--

"Have no fear. We are English."

Then it occurred to him that one who wandered in such fashion through the wilds of India must surely know Hindustani, so he continued:--

"There are none here to harm you. Why are you chained? Of whom are you so afraid?"

The man, a Portuguese half-caste, who, like many of his cla.s.s, more resembled an African than an Indian, save in respect to his smooth, blue-black hair, seemed to be too dazed to do other than pour out trembling demands for succor. Roger, thinking deeds served better than words, to rea.s.sure him, lifted the heavy links which connected the fetters on his wrists.

"Mayhap," he said, "if thy hands are freed thy tongue may loosen itself."

With that, he tore apart the rivets binding the chain to the bracelets.

Two mighty tugs, and the chain lay on the ground. But this exhibition of strength merely stupefied the captive. Surprise made him dumb. It was not until they led him to the boats and gave him some food, which he ate ravenously, that they were able to extract an intelligible story from him.

With many a vow to the Mother of Mercy and all the chief saints in the calendar, the fugitive, a youth of twenty, who said his name was Antonio da Silva, told them how Abdul Aziz, a fanatical Musalman of high position in Bengal, had treacherously attacked the Portuguese colony at Hughli. There was a fight, in which many were killed, but the mult.i.tude of a.s.sailants, no less than the wholly unexpected nature of the a.s.sault, sufficed to carry the town by storm. After looting the stores, Abdul Aziz paraded the survivors, offered degrading terms to those of both s.e.xes who would become Mahomedans, and, when only three men and one woman yielded, out of some two hundred prisoners, despatched the whole company, strongly guarded, to the northern capital.

Hearing this story, which so curiously bore out the accuracy of Nur Mahal's information, the two Englishmen looked at each other.

"Now we know why she bade us take the river," said Roger. "Had we gone by road we had encountered these unfortunates."

"We are much beholden to her," said Mowbray. "But how and when did you contrive to escape?" he went on, filling Antonio's empty plate again.

"Yesterday, at the close of a weary march--"

"Yesterday! Is the convoy so close, then?"

Da Silva pointed to the west.

"The party is not more than five miles distant over there," he said. "It chanced last night that there was some confusion owing to the advance guard having gone beyond the agreed camping-ground. We prisoners were hurried back in the dark. Pa.s.sing through a wood, and scarce able to walk owing to fatigue and the weight of my fetters, I stumbled over a rock and fell into a hollow. I lay there, expecting to be roused with a lance-thrust, but careless what fate awaited me. Mater Misericordia! the black dogs heeded me not. When I discovered that I had not been missed, hope gave me new strength. I rose, and went rapidly along the road in front, thinking that search would not be made far in that direction, whereas any attempt to reach the south road would lead to my capture. At dawn, utterly spent though I was, I turned into the cultivated land, knowing that in time I should gain the river's bank. I kept on until the presence of villagers caused me to hide in the tope of trees whence I first saw you. I dared not reveal myself to the natives, because they would conduct me back to the column, being fearful lest the soldiers should pillage them for concealing me. So I lay close all day, without so much as a drink of water, until the good G.o.d sent your lordships towards my hiding-place. Then I felt that I was safe."

There was a spice of humor in the tragedy of his story. He called Indian Mahomedans "black," and alluded to the inhabitants of Upper Bengal as "natives" with all the a.s.surance of the whitest white who ever entered the country. But the Englishmen were more concerned in the character of his news than in his way of imparting it. While such a gang as the swashbucklers of Abdul Aziz infested the neighborhood, it behooved them to keep watch and ward until the marauders were far removed. Moreover, the magnitude of the affair was alarming. If the Hughli district were overrun, the other stations at Calcutta and lower down the river would be difficult of access. Da Silva, in reply to further questions, said that the sacking of the Portuguese colony took place nearly a month since, so Jahangir must have despatched his murderous order soon after he came to the throne. Were his couriers carrying a similar mandate to the west coast? Would the Christian posts at Surat, Ahmedabad and Bombay also be given to the flames?

Certainly, here was a dilemma. Yet their only course, precarious though it might be, was to guard against sudden attack, keep to the river, and endeavor at all hazards to reach the sea.

Ere night fell, Jai Singh and a sowar made an extensive reconnaissance on horseback beyond the perimeter of the village. They returned, to report that many fires were lit in the locality described by the half-caste.

By this time, da Silva's confidence was somewhat restored, and he bethought himself of the miserable lot of his fellow captives.

"Ah!" he sighed, "what would I not give to help them. Think of that gracious lady, the Countess di Cabota, being subjected to such indignities! Though she looks young enough, she is very stout, and she suffers greatly from the vagaries of the mule on which she is strapped.

And then, the good priests! I can see them now, patiently enduring contumely and insult, and answering each blow with a prayer."

"A Countess!" said Mowbray. "How came a lady of rank to be in an Indian station?"

"They say she was jealous of her husband, who was a very handsome man, and when he was named Governor of the Portuguese possessions in the East Indies she insisted on coming with him. But he died of a fever, and she was about to go home when the attack took place."

"Are there many women among the prisoners?"

"About forty, your lordship, but some are converts. Perhaps twenty, all told, are Europeans like myself."

Walter repressed the temptation to laugh.

"It is a grave matter," he said, "and Portugal should avenge it heavily.

While the names are fresh in your mind tell me all you can remember. I shall set them down for the information of the first Portuguese official I encounter."

The roll progressed until da Silva reached the ecclesiastics.

"First, let me think of the Franciscans. Who, that knew him, would not weep for good Fra Pietro!"

"Fra Pietro!"

There was many a "Brother Peter" in the Franciscan order, yet the words smote Mowbray's ears with a sudden menace of disaster.

"Tell me of this Fra Pietro," he said. "What manner of man is he?"

Da Silva, glib of tongue now, told of a monk who was sent to India nearly three years ago. It was rumored that he had been guilty of a breach of discipline, or had, in some manner, displeased the authorities at Lisbon, though what his error none knew, since there never was saint who walked the earth more humble and devout than Fra Pietro. Yes, Antonio was sure the excellent father spoke English, because he conversed, in their own language, with the sailors on board an English ship which once came up the Hughli river. Surely his lordship must have met Fra Pietro, seeing that he described the friar so accurately. He was, indeed, very thin and pallid, with large brown eyes that seemed to be ever contemplating the happiness of heaven!