But did you fly here? It can"t possibly be my message this morning that brought you."
"Lie down like a decent Christian and don"t talk, and I"ll tell you all about it. You don"t seem to realise that you have had a precious narrow escape of sunstroke. Well, you don"t need me to tell you that I have been keeping a vigilant eye on your proceedings for some time, with a shrewd suspicion that the air of the very high circles in which you were moving would not be good for your health. I felt so more than ever when my spies brought me word that Sher Singh was sneaking through my territory, evidently bound for Agpur. I sent him my salaams and a polite invitation to pay me a visit, but he had made himself scarce just in time. Then I thought it well to take the liberty of opening a letter of Antony"s to you, as we agreed I should do in case of emergency, and when I found him cautioning you against any interference in the question of the Agpur succession, and talking of the extraordinary moderation of the claim advanced by the elder son, I decided it was time to move. So I set out to meet you on your way to the frontier, ostensibly to make arrangements for receiving the Rajah properly. This morning the people in the village where we halted for the night were full of the Rajah"s death. As usual, nothing would make them say how they knew of it, but they were firm on the fact, so I saw the plot was thickening. Then, as we rode, we came across your messenger, and it was clear that the fat was in the fire already. I sent him on at once, with letters to my fellows in Darwan, and to try and open Antony"s eyes, and made straight for this _tope_ to intercept you."
"And to save all our lives," said Gerrard. "My dear Bob, how can I thank you?"
"Don"t want to be thanked," growled Charteris. "If you don"t know from your own feelings how I hated doing it, you ought to, that"s all.
Never mind, you"ll do something of the same sort for me one day, and then I shall have the crow over you. And now just give me some idea of the state of affairs. Keep your silly head quiet, can"t you? I didn"t tell you to get up. Well, put your back against the tree, if you _must_ sit up. Who killer c.o.c.k Robin--that is to say, Partab Singh?"
"Either Sher Singh or some emissary of his."
"Not openly, then?"
"No, in the night. The wound was so small that it escaped notice at first. I charged Sher Singh with the murder on suspicion merely. He may not know that the truth has been discovered."
"Never show your teeth unless you can bite," said Charteris sententiously. "What does the opposition party consist of?"
"Little Kharrak Singh and his mother, whom Sher Singh wishes to become suttee."
Charteris whistled. "And which is more important--to bring home the Rajah"s death to Sher Singh, or to save the Rani?"
"For Kharrak Singh"s sake, to save his mother, undoubtedly. But now you are here, I hope to do both."
"We shall see about that. I gather from what you said in your letter last week that you know where to lay hands upon a sum of money sufficient to secure the loyalty of the army?"
"Yes, but to get at it I must be inside the palace enclosure, and even then I shall need your help."
"On the whole, my young friend,"--Charteris"s voice was didactic in the extreme,--"you seem to me to have contrived to surround yourself with the materials for a very pretty row. Be thankful that you have at hand the services of a person of experience and knowledge of the world--myself, sir,"--with a resounding thump on his chest,--"to extricate you from a situation of uncommon difficulty and delicacy for one so young. You place yourself unreservedly in my hands?"
"Not a bit of it!" said Gerrard, struggling up, only to be pressed down again by Charteris"s grip upon his shoulders.
"My dear Hal, you do. There"s no other course open to you. Sher Singh has the big battalions, and though I admire your design of capturing Agpur with no weapons but cool cheek and shaky promises, I have a mean objection to adding my bones to the heap that would be the result. It is eminently a case for negociation, and here is the negociator. You stay where you are, and get ready to ride into Agpur to-night, "pride in your port, defiance in your eye," while I try my blandishments upon that nasty uncertain beggar, Sher Singh."
Gerrard obeyed perforce, for the effort to stand had brought back the feeling of giddiness, and Charteris clanked off among the trees.
Presently Badan Hazari came very quietly, and peered round a trunk to see whether his commander was awake. Gerrard called to him.
"Heaven-born!" said the Granthi, saluting. "I have ventured to disturb the repose of your honour at the request of Komadan Rukn-ud-din."
Gerrard started. "Bring him here," he said. "What is it?"
"They are trying to corrupt the guard, sahib," and Rukn-ud-din confirmed the a.s.sertion. Since the halt, old Sarfaraz Khan had been in and out among the men, making them lavish offers if they would forsake the Rani and come over to the side of Sher Singh.
"What has he offered them?" asked Gerrard.
"The plunder of the _tosha khana_[1] in the palace, sahib."
"And that is all he has to offer, and they must share it with the whole army? Tell them that in Kharrak Singh Rajah"s name I promise them such a reward for their fidelity that they would pa.s.s by the _tosha khana_ with contempt if it were thrown open to them."
The Mohammedan"s eyes glittered. "How shall I make them believe so wonderful a thing, sahib?"
"I cannot speak more particularly here. But you may give them my word it is so."
"The word of the Presence will be amply sufficient." Rukn-ud-din salaamed and withdrew on leave being given, while Badan Hazari lingered to report that the corpse and the women were halted in the courtyard of the tomb, according to his orders, and that the guard, though evidently disturbed in mind by Sher Singh"s overtures, had so far faithfully prevented him and his followers from entering. That they would now remain loyal to the Rani there was no doubt, and Gerrard waited with something more of hopefulness for Charteris"s return. He came at last, and sat down on the rug which had been spread for his friend.
"We shall have to be moving soon," he remarked casually. "The news has reached the city, and the mourners are coming out. The funeral will take place in the morning."
"But you have forgotten--the murder!" gasped Gerrard.
"I have forgotten nothing, but things are settled in the approved diplomatic style, by concessions on both sides. There is just about time to tell you--but of course you understand that you are the moving spirit throughout; I am merely your mouthpiece. Sher Singh consents that there shall be no suttee, and you agree not to interfere with the funeral--in other words, to make no inquiry into the cause of the Rajah"s death."
"In other words, to condone an atrocious crime."
"My dear Hal, what did you propose doing? If you were thinking of laying violent hands on the corpse--but that would be absurd. The Brahmins would tear us to pieces with their bare hands. You know we should defile it and bring indelible disgrace on Kharrak Singh if we even approached too near. A post-mortem? Who do you suggest should perform it? Moraes is about the figure for the job, ain"t he? Show a little common-sense."
"If the thing is so impossible, why should Sher Singh make an important concession to avoid it?"
"Because it would raise nasty rumours if we made the attempt, and getting rid of us would prejudice him with Antony. Remember, you have no evidence. If Partab Singh was murdered, who is going to prove that Sher Singh did it? You secure an important advantage at the cost of giving up the right to make a gigantic fool of yourself."
"But who is to see that Sher Singh keeps his word and does not arrange a suttee?"
"You and I, of course. We attend the funeral, naturally, with all our sowars, to show due honour to the deceased. By the bye, that reminds me, we should be rather an easy prey after firing the volleys. The front rank had better load with ball, and reserve their fire, and only the rear rank fire with blank. In the smoke and noise it won"t be noticed that only half the men have fired, and we shan"t be defenceless if Sher Singh takes it into his head to let the army loose on us."
"But you seem to be allowing Sher Singh to take the lead in all the funeral arrangements, which is exactly the matter in dispute."
"To be sure. There comes in the second concession. We, with the bodyguard and our own men, are to occupy the palace enclosure to-night, and watch over the safety of the corpse and the women, in return for allowing Sher Singh to walk next to young Kharrak Singh in the procession, and guide his hand when he fires the pile. Why that lowering brow? The possession of the palace is all-important to you, ain"t it?"
"Yes, and even more now than when you left me. But to concede Sher Singh"s claim----"
"My good Hal, the man is next heir. If anything happens to the youngster, he must be Rajah, there"s no one else. You may be thankful he don"t claim to mount the _gaddi_ at once. But since he is content to stand aside, and has contrived to gull Antony into taking his part----"
"That"s merely temporary, Bob, believe me. When the Colonel learns the scoundrel"s real character, he will withdraw his support in disgust."
"I"m none so sure of that. Remember his fatal predilection for black sheep. What about his handing over Bala to Tika Singh, after he himself had exhausted all the resources of the English language in finding suitably opprobrious epithets for him? The Bala people hated him, too, whereas I gather that the Agpuris have no particular dislike for Sher Singh."
"Nor to any one that will bribe them," said Gerrard bitterly. "You think Antony will make him Regent, then I."
"It would be in accordance with the usual custom, wouldn"t it? I suppose the next heir wishes to look after his prospective dominions, but I"ll own it always seems to me uncommon hard on the reigning child.
However, for the present, Sher Singh acknowledges the Rani as sole Regent, and consents to refer the difference between you and himself to Antony and the Ranjitgarh Durbar. How could poor old Partab Singh ever have thought of making you Regent? If Antony don"t treat you to a pretty wigging on the score of it, I"ll eat my hat."
"It was a kind of fixed idea of his, though I told him over and over again it was impossible."
"Well, if it had been me, hanged if I wouldn"t have taken the job, as the wigging is bound to come anyhow. A man might do a good deal while the runners were going to Ranjitgarh and back. But as Antony will probably punish your misdeeds by sentencing you to stay on here and keep the peace between the rival Regents, it"s just as well you didn"t make yourself impossible by accepting. Can"t say I envy you the billet."
"I am almost inclined to ask you to shoot me through the head and put me out of my misery," remarked Gerrard.
"Oh, cheer up! We may all be shot down in a heap to-morrow, you know, in spite of my powers of persuasion. But I don"t fancy you will, somehow. Sher Singh asked me very mysteriously whether you knew the secret of the entrance to his father"s private treasury. Not knowing I couldn"t say, but I can be mysterious too, and I told him there were some things that couldn"t be spoken about. He seemed to take that as an affirmative, and I think he felt that to shut you up there to feed on gold was about the only thing that would fit the case. But, by the way, how is it that he leaves the palace to you to-night, if he believes you know the secret?"
"He don"t know it himself. I am the only living creature that does, now, and you are the only living creature that I may reveal it to."
"An honour likely to be a.s.sociated with sudden and painful death--eh?