"Has this slave not always said the Huzoor was as the Salt of the Earth," came the instant rapid reply. "My lord, listen! This is the Hand of Fate. Wise men bow to it. You are here, safe, alone, none know of you. Come with this slave and he will save you ..."
"D--n you, you scoundrel," shouted the Boy blindly, and fumbled for the stirrups.
"Huzoor! that is useless!" came Hoshyari"s voice, quiet now; all entreaty gone. In its place almost command. "You cannot force the barrier. Where we had one man, they have ten."
"I will try," muttered the Boy, doggedly. "I can but try."
"The Huzoor can do better," said Hoshyari. "He can come with me. I know a way."
Even in his excitement the full meaning of this came home to the Boy.
"You know?" he echoed under his breath, "didn"t I always say you were the greatest scoundrel unhung?"
"And the Huzoor is the Salt of the Earth," came the unfailing reply.
The rapid Indian dusk was falling as they made their way on foot to a village which, though almost exactly opposite the barrier, still lay the orthodox half mile from the Hedge, within which, by rule of the Salt Department, no building might be erected. The Boy was now in native dress, for Hoshyari had utilised the interval of time in arranging for the former"s midnight ride of warning.
In reporting on these arrangements, he had given scope to his imagination as to their difficulty. In reality, he had only had to ride up to the barrier, give the pa.s.sword, and enter, to be welcomed as one of the party within. Whether he was at heart one of them, or whether, all things considered, his cleverness had come to the conclusion that it was best for his purpose to fall in with their mood for the time being, is uncertain; but that purpose was clear, namely, to get the Boy out of the danger zone if he could. So he raised no objection to the looting of the Salt Patrol"s bungalow--the little Salt Patrol who, doubtless, had run away into the jungle in the hope of escape, being but a mere boy--but the office must be let alone. There must be no tampering with books and registers, since he, Hoshyari Mull, Srimali Brahman, whose father--G.o.d rest him--had been Prime Minister to a Prince, was accountable for them to the powers that be--be they John Company or the Badshah. Therefore the doors must be locked and the keys given to him. And that Kathyawar mare in the stable was his; so that was an end of it. Whoever laid hands on the beast would rue the deed.
But all this was past: now he had to get the Boy through the Hedge, incredible though it seemed. "The furthermost house in the village is mine, Huzoor," said Hoshyari, gravely. "It is thence that, in disguise, I penetrate the evil designs of the smugglers."
The Boy ground his teeth, and was silent. He knew what he would say; but this was not the time to say it; this was the time to warn his countrymen.
They found the tiny hamlet deserted; as all knew, half India fled before the mutineers.
"It is as well," remarked Hoshyari, hardily, "since they might talk, though none know of the secret save this slave and Suchet Singh, the waiting--house keeper."
But as they came upon what was called the waiting-house, since here salt that arrived without proper papers, or that failed to pay the toll, was held up, they found Suchet Singh the Sikh lying dead at his post. The Boy ground his teeth again. So would he be lying but for his desire not only to die, but to do.
"Look sharp, will you," he said, roughly, to his companion, "we lose time. The moon will be up ere long."
Hoshyari led the way across a yard; an ordinary village house yard with a row of three or four native corn granaries standing against one wall.
These are huge basketwork erections, each taller than a man, in shape not unlike a big pickle bottle, fixed to the ground and carefully plastered over with mud and cow dung.
"They are all full," said Hoshyari, with a curious smile, as he pa.s.sed one; and, sure enough, as he lifted the little sliding door at the bottom, a tiny moraine of wheat fell forward in the half light. But the next instant, with a dexterous twist of his hand, the whole _kothe_ slid round as on a pivot, disclosing a round well-like hole.
"We shall need a light," said Hoshyari in a matter-of-fact tone, and produced a tinder box and a candle from a niche at his feet.
Once again the Boy ground his teeth. So this was the way, was it? and all the time this biggest scoundrel that ever went unhung was discovering miserable back-loads of smuggling! Words had failed him long since; now thought failed him also; he plodded on, his head bent, down the narrow subterranean pa.s.sage that scarcely showed in the flickering candle light.
But here, surely, there was less gloom and more room. He stood upright and glanced above him. A star showed through a tangle of branches.
"We are under the Great Hedge, Huzoor," said Hoshyari, deferentially, in answer to his look. "The pa.s.sage needed air, and we also required to have a store closer at hand." He held up the light, and it fell faintly on rows on rows of sacks of salt ranged round a central s.p.a.ce. "It is quite light here in the daytime, Huzoor," he went on cheerfully.
"Sometimes the sun actually shines in; and the snakes do not fall down now that we have put a net across the opening."
So this was one of the things concealed in the great width of the Hedge. Who would have dreamt of it? Who _could_ have dreamt it?
Something of the comicality of the whole affair was beginning to filter into the Boy"s brain; he caught himself wondering where the pa.s.sage ended--under his bed, maybe!
It was almost as bad. "We are there, Huzoor," said Hoshyari, mounting some steep steps, and then swung a panel blocking the pa.s.sage backwards. It had shelves on it, and books. He heard the turning of a key, he followed his leader, and the next minute stood in the growing light which presages a rising moon, inside the office room, looking stupidly at what lay behind him; only a cupboard in the mud wall where the ledgers were kept.
Dazed as he was, he yet realised partly how it was done. The wall must be thicker than it seemed--twice, three times, perhaps four times as thick--but who would have dreamed! And for the rest? He looked at Hoshyari defiantly--the latter answered in words.
"It was quite easy, Huzoor," he replied, lightly. "We could always replace salt that was taken from the Government storehouse next door with salt from our storehouse yonder. And that paid nothing."
The Boy gave a little gasp. But there was no time for that sort of thing now. The Kathyawar mare was waiting, the moon would be up in ten minutes or so, and he must be beyond sight of the chattering devils he could hear outside before them; but perhaps--yes! perhaps he might be able to come back--to come back and give these fellows their deserts.
"I"ll pay you out yet--you"re the greatest scoundrel unhung," he said, thickly, as Hoshyari held the stirrup for him.
"And the Huzoor is the Salt of the Earth," came the urbane reply.
After that there was silence on the far side of the office for five minutes--for ten minutes. Then, faint and far, only to be heard of an anxious listener, came the sound of a horse"s hoofs as it was let into its stride.
The Huzoor had got through the picket, and if he only remembered instructions, might be considered safe for those fifty miles across country. Hoshyari drew a breath of relief, shut the door, and lay down placidly to sleep, feeling he had done his best. It is true he had sent the Angel of G.o.d on a wild goose chase; for, briefly, the mutineers had gone on straight that morning, only leaving a strong guard at the gate to keep it until the second body of rebels should come in next day.
So by this time, doubtless, the fate of Englishmen--aye, and every Englishwoman, too, on the route to Delhi must have been settled. But the ride would keep the Salt of the Earth out of danger, since it prevented him from doing rash things; which otherwise he was sure to have done; for what was the use of losing one"s life in fighting two to a hundred; still less if it were only one. And these things were on the knees of the G.o.ds. No! there was no use, especially when the store ammunition was in the hands of the enemy and you had expended your pouch full on black buck. The Huzoor was best away. With luck he would only find the cold ashes of outbreak. The hurricane of revolt would have spent itself, for, after all, it was only the soldiers who would mutiny. The rabble in the towns might follow suit; but there was safety yet in the country.
So he fell asleep.
When he woke it was broad daylight. Daylight? Why, it must be nigh on noon. He stepped to the door and looked through the panes. Aye! the sentry in the verandah was eating his bread. And the other detachment had come in. The courtyard was crowded with men. So much the better, for they would only rest during the heat of the day, and go on at sundown. Thus there would be peace before the Salt of the Earth could possibly return--if he did return; but once away from his post he would, most likely, and wisely, make for security to the north.
Meanwhile, it was time for him to think of himself. There was gold in the safe yonder, and it would be folly to leave it to new masters who had no more right to it than he. He went over to it, set the iron door open and began to gather together what he found.
The room was very still, but on the one side came the clamour of the newly-arrived rebels. He gave one last glance at them through the closed door, then slipped into the verandah on the other side. Then he paused before a dusty swaying figure that, throwing up its arms as it saw him, came at him like a wild beast. It was a time for calm--with those men in the courtyard, a time of calm for both!
He stood back a step and said, quietly, "So you have returned--Salt of the Earth."
The Boy seemed for an instant dazed, then a loud, reckless laugh rang out, "Come back! Yes! I"ve come back to kill you, you d--d scoundrel.
I"ve come back as I said I"d come."
"I saved the Huzoor"s life," interrupted Hoshyari, quietly, "and I"ll save it again, if he will not speak so loud; the sentry will hear, and then----"
"Let him hear--I"ll have time to kill you first," went on the Boy, blindly; for all that he lowered his voice; the instinct of belief in Hoshyari"s wisdom was strong.
"The Huzoor would not have time," whispered the latter, blandly. "I am no fool at wrestling, as he knows; and he knows also that I tried to save him."
There was a sudden unexpected appeal in the tone which surprised even the man himself. He could have cried over this Angel of G.o.d who refused to be saved.
The Boy looked at him with dry hot eyes; there were no tears there--he had seen too many horrors for that. And he had ridden all night, all day, till the Kathyawar mare had dropped with him; then he had stumbled on as best he might, intent on revenge. And now the sight of Hoshyari was as the sight of a friend"s face: it brought back the memory of so many jolly times they had had together. And what he said was true: the man had tried to save him.
He had to bolster up his anger. "It--it"s the other thing you"ve got to answer for, you--you thief."
Hoshyari"s eyes gleamed. "Don"t call me that again, Huzoor. I am no thief. I was only--cleverer than other folk."
"I"ll call you it ten times over if I choose. Thief! mean, miserable, petty thief."
There was something more savage in the whispered quarrel than if the two had been shouting at each other, and Hoshyari"s gasp of rage fell on absolute silence, as, breathing hard, they looked at each other.
Then the Boy pa.s.sed his hand wearily over his forehead. "No!" he said.
"I can"t--you"re right--I can"t kill you like a dog--we must fight it out--there are foils or swords somewhere--foils with the b.u.t.tons off--where are they?"