Barlow knew this as a devilish arraignment of himself, for he had felt a strong attraction. He said nothing; but he was aware of a feeling of repulsion toward Elizabeth; her harshness, on so slight a provocation, suggested vindictiveness--a narrow exaction.
Nana Sahib was filled with delight--his evil soul revelled in this discord. Then and there, if he could have managed it, he would have suggested to the Captain that he would arrange for the Gulab to meet him--might even have her sent to his bungalow. But he had the waiting subtlety of a tiger that crouches by a pool for hours waiting for a kill; so, somewhat reluctantly, he let the opportunity pa.s.s. While he considered Barlow to be an Englishman possessed of rather slow perception, he knew that the Captain had a quixotic sense of honour, and possibly such a proposal might destroy his influence.
And Bootea went back to the camp with Ajeet, suffused to silence by the strange thing that had happened, the strange infatuation--for it was that--that had so suddenly filled her heart for the handsome sahib whose soft, brave eyes had looked through hers into her very soul.
CHAPTER VI
Nana Sahib had a.s.sumed a gracious manner toward Ajeet Singh when Bootea had been brought to the _nautch_. He had bestowed a handsome gift upon the Chief, ten gold _mohrs_; and for Bootea there had been the gift of a ruby, also ten gold _mohrs_.
This munificence,--for Hunsa and Sookdee declared it to be a rare extravagance,--was not so much as reward for Bootea"s _nautch_ as a desire on the part of the astute Prince to prepare for the greater service required.
The Dewan also was very gracious to Ajeet over his compliance; but, at the same time, declared that an order had been pa.s.sed by Baptiste that if the Bagrees would not obey the command to go after Amir Khan he would not pay them a thousand rupees a day out of the treasury. He put all this very affably; raised his two fat hands toward heaven declaring that he was helpless in the matter--Baptiste was the commander, and he was but a dewan. With a curious furtive look in his ox-eyes he advised Ajeet to consult with Hunsa over a method of obtaining money for the decoits. He would not commit himself as to making a decoity, for when they had seized upon the Chief for the crime Ajeet could not then say that the Dewan had instigated it; there would be only Hunsa"s word for this, and, of course, he would deny that the Minister was the father of the scheme.
And in the camp Hunsa and Sookdee were clamouring at Ajeet to undertake a decoity for they were all in need, and to be idle was not their way of life.
Hunsa went the length of telling Ajeet that the Dewan would even send them word where a decoity of much loot could be made and in a safe way, too, for the Dewan would take care that neither sepoys nor police would be in the way.
And then one day there came to the Bagree camp a mysterious message. A yogi, his hair matted with filth till it stood twisted and writhed on his head like the serpent tresses of Medusa, his lean skeleton ash-daubed body clothed in yellow, on his forehead the crescent of Eklinga, in his hand a pair of clanking iron tongs, crawled wearily to the tents where were the decoits, and bleared out of blood-shot blobs of faded brown at Ajeet Singh.
He had a message for the Chief from the G.o.d Bhyroo who galloped at night on a black horse, and the message had to do with the decoits, for if they were successful they could make offering to the priests at the temple of Bhowanee, for in her service decoity was an honourable occupation and of great antiquity.
Hunsa and Sookdee had come to sit on their heels, and as they listened they knew that the wily old Dewan had sent the _yogi_ so that it could not be said that he, the Minister, had told them this thing.
A rich jewel merchant of Delhi was then at Poona on his way to the Nizam"s court. He had a wealth of jewels--pearls the size of a bird"s egg, emeralds the size of a betel nut, and diamonds that were like stars. This was true for the merchant had paid the duty as he pa.s.sed the border into Mahrattaland.
Ajeet gave the yogi two rupees for food, though, viewing the animated skeleton, it seemed a touch of irony.
Then the jamadars considered the message so deeply wrapped in mysticism. Hunsa unhesitatingly declared that the yogi was a messenger from the Dewan, and if they did not take advantage of it they would perhaps have to fare forth on lean stomachs and in disgrace--perhaps would be beaten by the Mahratta sepoys--undoubtedly they would.
Sookdee backed up the jamadar.
"Very well," declared Ajeet, "we will go on this mission. But remember this, Hunsa, that if there is treachery, if we are cast into the hands of the Dewan, I swear by Bhowanee that I will have your life."
"Treachery!" It was the snarl of an enraged animal, and Hunsa sprang to his feet. He whirled, and facing Sookdee, said: "Let Bhowanee decide who is traitor--let Ajeet and me take the ordeal."
"That is but fair," Sookdee declared. "The ordeal of the heated cannon ball will surely burn the hand of the traitor if there is one," and he looked at Ajeet; and though suspicious that this was still another trap, Ajeet without cowardice could not decline.
"I will take the ordeal," he declared.
"We will take the ordeal to-night," Hunsa said; "and we should prepare with haste the method of the decoity, for the merchant may pa.s.s, and we must take the road in a proper disguise. There is the village to be decided upon where he will rest in his journey, and many things."
Even Ajeet was forced to acquiesce in this.
Boastfully Hunsa declared: "The ordeal will prove that I am thinking only of our success. This method of livelihood has been our profession for generations, and yet when we are in the protection of the powerful Dewan Ajeet says I am a traitor to our salt."
For an hour they discussed the best manner of sallying forth in a way that would leave them unsuspected of robbing. One of their favourite methods was adopted; to go in a party of twenty or thirty as mendicants and bearers of the bones of relatives to the waters of the sacred Ganges. No doubt the yogi would accompany them as their priest, especially if well paid for the service.
The plot was elaborated on, or rather adapted from past expeditions.
Ajeet would be represented as a petty raja, with his retinue of servants and his guard. The Gulab Begum would be convincing as a princess, the wife of the raja. The wife of Sookdee could be a lady-in-waiting.
As a respectable strong party of holy men, and a prince, they would gain the confidence of the merchant, even of the _patil_ of the village where he would rest for a night.
They would send spies into Poona to obtain knowledge of the jewel merchant"s movements. The spies, two men who were happy in the art of ingratiating themselves into the good graces of prospective victims, would attach themselves to the merchant"s party, and at night slip away and join the robber band so that they might judge where he would camp next night; at some village that would be a day"s march.
When questioned, the _yogi_ told them where they would find the merchant; he was stopping with a friend in Poona. So the two set off, and the Bagrees prepared for their journey.
For the ordeal a cannon ball was needed and a blacksmith to heat it.
And as Hunsa had been the father of the scheme, Sookdee declared that he must procure these from the Mahratta camp.
Hunsa agreed to this.
The Bagrees were encamped to one side of the Mahratta troops in a small jungle of _dhak_ and slim-growing bamboos that afforded them privacy.
In negotiating for the loan of a blacksmith Hunsa had impressed upon a sergeant his sincerity by the gift of two rupees; and two rupees more to the blacksmith made it certain that the heating of the cannon ball would not make the test unfair to Hunsa.
A peac.o.c.k perched high in the feathery top of a giant _sal_ tree was crying "miaow, miaow!" to the dipping sun when, in the centre of the Bagree camp the blacksmith, sitting on his haunches in front of a charcoal fire in which nested the iron cannon ball, fanned the flames with his pair of goat-skin hand-bellows.
Lots were cast as to which of the two would take the ordeal first, and it fell to Ajeet. First seven paces were marked off, and Ajeet was told that he must not run, but take the seven steps as in a walk, carrying the hot iron on a pipal leaf on his palm.
"This food of the cannon is now hot," the blacksmith declared, dropping his bellows and grasping a pair of iron tongs.
As Sookdee placed a broad pipal leaf upon the jamadar"s palm, Ajeet repeated in a firm voice: "I take the ordeal. If I am guilty, Maha Kali, may the sign of thy judgment appear upon my flesh!"
"We are ready," Sookdee declared, and the waiting blacksmith swung the instrument of justice from its heat in the glowing charcoal to the outstretched hand of the jamadar.
Hunsa"s hungry eyes glowed in pleased viciousness, for the blacksmith had indeed heated the metal; the green pipal leaf squirmed beneath its heat like a worm, as Ajeet Singh, with the military stride of a soldier, took the seven paces.
Then dropping the thing of torture he extended his slim small hand to Sookdee for inspection.
Hunsa"s villainy had worked out. A white rime, like a h.o.a.r frost, fretting the deep red of the scorched skin, that was as delicate as that on a woman"s palm.
Sookdee muttered a pitying cry, and Hunsa declared boastfully: "When men have evil in their hearts it is known to Bhowanee; behold her sign!"
But Ajeet laughed, saying: "Let Hunsa have the iron; he, too, will know of its heat."
"Put it again in the fire," declared Sookdee, "for it is an ordeal in which only the guilty is punished; but the ball must be of the same heat."
And once more the shot was returned to the charcoal.
Gulab Begum pushed her way rapidly to where the jamadars stood; but Sookdee objected, saying: "When men appeal to Bhowanee it is not proper that women should be of the ceremony; it will indeed anger our mother G.o.ddess."
"Thou art a fool, Sookdee," Bootea declared. "The hand of your chief is in pain though he shows it not in his face. Shall a brave man suffer because you are without feeling!"
She turned to the Chief. "Here I have cocoanut oil and a bandage of soft muslin. Hold to me your hand, Ajeet."
"It is not needed, Gulab, star-flower," the Chief declared proudly.