ilifornia 
 
 lonal 
 
 ility
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES 
 
 ■S/^ L-
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 VOL. I.
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN; 
 
 A TALE Of 
 
 THE MYSORE WAR. 
 
 BV 
 
 CAPTAIN MEADOWS TAYLOR. 
 
 AUTHOR OF " CONrESSIONS OF A THUG.'' 
 
 IN THREE VOLUMES. 
 VOL. L 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET. 
 
 1840.
 
 PRINTED BY RICHARD AND JOHN E. TAYLOK. 
 RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET.
 
 PR 
 
 v^ 1 
 
 TO 
 
 ' WILLIAM NEWNHAM, ESQ. 
 
 MY BEST AND EARLIEST FRIEND IN INDIA, 
 THESE VOLUMES 
 
 DEDICATED. 
 
 1361SG7
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 T. HE favourable reception -which the '' Con- 
 fessions of a Thug" have met with from the 
 Pubhc of England, has induced me to attempt 
 a delineation of some scenes in the life of 
 India's most celebrated character of latter times 
 — Tippoo Sultaun. 
 
 Whfle the events of the tale are in strict 
 accordance with the history of the period, the 
 scenery of the country is described from per- 
 sonal knowledge of its character; and there 
 is scarcely a spot mentioned in these volumes 
 so far as India is concerned, of which the 
 realitv does not exist. 
 
 To that gorgeous land I am about to depart,
 
 Vlll PREFACE, 
 
 whence, if life and health are spared to me, I 
 shall hope that I may be able, either through 
 the medium of fictitious narrative or other- 
 wise, to add my mite to the knowledge respect- 
 ing those millions who own the sway of the 
 people of England. 
 
 December 1, 1340.
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Towards the close of a day of intense heat, 
 about the middle of the month of June, 17S8, 
 a party consisting of many persons might be 
 seen straggling over the plain which extends 
 southwards from the Fort of Adoni, and which 
 almost entirely consists of the black alluvial 
 deposit familiarly known in India under the 
 name of " cotton soil." 
 
 The leader was a man perhaps about fifty 
 years of age ; he rode a powerful Dekhan horse 
 
 VOL. I. B
 
 2 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 of great spirit, but whose usual fiery comport- 
 ment was tamed by the severe exertion he had 
 undergone, from the miry roads through which 
 he had travelled the greater part of the day. 
 Indeed he began to show evident symptoms of 
 weariness, and extricated himself from every 
 succeeding muddy hollow — and they were very 
 frequent — with less power. His handsome 
 housings too were soiled with dirt ; and the 
 figure of his rider, which merits some descrip- 
 tion, was splashed from head to foot. 
 
 It has been already stated that he was a man 
 of advanced age. His face, which was wrapped 
 up, as well as his head, in thick folds of muslin, 
 in order to protect them from the scorching 
 heat of the sun, showed a dark complexion 
 much pitted with the smallpox ; but his eyes 
 were very large, and of that intense black which 
 is but rarely seen even among the natives of 
 India, and which appeared to flash Avith a sud- 
 den light when any stumble of his gallant 
 horse provoked an impatient jerk of the bridle, 
 and a volley of curses upon the mud and the 
 road, if such it could be called. His dress was 
 of cloth-of-gold, — a suit which had been once
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUX. O 
 
 magnificent, but which, soiled and tarnished as 
 it was, he had chosen perhaps to wear as a mark 
 of his rank, and thus to ensure respect from the 
 people of the country, which might have been 
 denied to money alone. It was open at the 
 breast, and under the shirt of muslin worn 
 within the alkhaluk, or upper garment, a broad 
 rough chest could be seen, — a fair earnest of the 
 power of him we describe. 
 
 A handsome shawl was girded around his 
 waist, and his somewhat loose trowsers were 
 thrust into a pair of yellow leather boots, which 
 appeared to be of Persian workmanship. Over 
 his shoulder was a gold belt which supported a 
 sword ; but this in reality was confined to the 
 waist by the shawl we have mentioned, and ap- 
 peared more for ornament than use. A bright 
 steel axe A^dth a steel handle hung at his sad- 
 dle-bow on the right hand; and the butt-end 
 of a pistol, much enriched with chased silver, 
 peeped forth on the left, among the fringe 
 of the velvet covering of the soft saddle upon 
 which he rode. A richly ornamented shield 
 was bound to his back by a soft leather strap 
 passing^ over his chest ; and the shield itself, 
 
 B 2
 
 4 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 which hung low, rested between his back and 
 the cantle of the saddle, and partly served as a 
 support. 
 
 In truth, soiled and bespattered as he was, 
 Abdool Rhyman Khan was a striking figure in 
 those broad plains, and in his own person ap- 
 peared a sufficient protection to those who fol- 
 lowed him. But he was not the only armed 
 person of the party. Six or seven horsemen 
 immediately followed him, — his own retainers ; 
 not mounted so Avell nor dressed so expensively 
 as the Khan himself, but still men of gallant 
 bearing; and the party, could they have kept 
 together, would have presented a very martial 
 and imposing appearance. 
 
 At some distance behind the horsemen was 
 a palankeen, apparently heavily laden ; for the 
 bearers, though there were as many as sixteen, 
 changed very frequently, and could but ill 
 struggle through the muddy road into which 
 at every step they sunk deeply; nor did the 
 cheering exclamations of those who were not 
 vmder the poles of the palankeen appear to have 
 much effect in quickening the pace of those who 
 carried it; and it was very evident that they were
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. O 
 
 nearly exhausted, and not fit to travel much 
 further. 
 
 In the rear of all was a string of five camels, 
 which required the constant attention of the 
 drivers to prevent their slipping and falling 
 under their burdens ; and with these were a 
 number of persons, some on foot carrying loads, 
 and a few mounted on ponies, who were the 
 servants of the Khan, and were urging on 
 the beasts, and those laden with the cooking 
 utensils, as rapidly as it was possible to proceed 
 in the now fast-closing darkness. Behind all 
 were two led horses of much beauty, whose 
 attendant grooms conducted them through the 
 firmest parts of the road. 
 
 "Alia! Alia!" cried one of those mounted 
 on a stout pony, — he was in fact the cook of the 
 Khan, — "that I, Zoolficar, should ever have been 
 seduced to leave the noble city of Hyderabad, 
 and to travel this unsainted road at such a time 
 of year ! Ai Moula Ali," he continued, in- 
 voking his patron saint, "deliver us speedily 
 from this darkness ! grant that no rain may fall 
 upon this already impassable road 1 1 should 
 never survive a night in this jungle. What
 
 6 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 say youj Daood Khan — are we ever to reach 
 the munzil*? are we ever to be released from 
 this jehanum, where we are enduring torment 
 before our time ? Speak, O respectable man ! 
 thou saidst thou knew^st the country." 
 
 " So I do, O coward ! What is the use of 
 filling* our ears with these fretful complaints? 
 Hath not the munificence of the Khan provided 
 thee with a stout beast, which, with the blessing 
 of the Prophet, will carry thee quickly to thy 
 journey's end ? Was it not the Khan's pleasure 
 to pass Adoni, where we might, have rested 
 comfortably for the night ? and are we who eat 
 his salt to grumble at what he does, when we 
 saw that the Khanum f Sahib (may her name 
 be honoured !) was willing to travel on ? Peace, 
 then ! for it is hard to attend to thy prating and 
 pick one's way among these cursed thorns." 
 
 " Well, I am silent," replied the other ; " but 
 my mind misgives me that we never reach the 
 munzil, and shall be obliged to put up in one 
 of these wretched villages, where the kafir in- 
 habitants never kill meat; and we shall have 
 
 * Stage. 
 
 t Feminine of Khan ; as Begum, feminine of Beg.
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 7 
 
 to eat diy bread, or perhaps dry rice, which is 
 worse, after this fatigue." 
 
 ^^Ah, thou art no soldier, Zoolfoo,'' cried 
 another fellow who Mas walking beside him, 
 '^ or thou wouldst not talk thus. How wouldst 
 thou like to have nothing for two days, and then 
 perhaps a stale crust or a handful of cold rice, 
 and be glad to thank the Provider of good for 
 that, — how wouldst thou ? '* 
 
 " No more, I pray thee, good Nasur ! " cried 
 the cook, visions of starvation apparently over- 
 powering him, — " no more, I beseech thee ! Me- 
 thinks thy words have ah'eady had a bad effect 
 on the lower part of my stomach, and that it 
 begins to reproach me for a lack of its usual 
 sustenance. I tell thee, man, I can put to my- 
 self no idea of starvation at all. I was never 
 able to keep the Rumzan (for which I pray to 
 be pardoned), and am obliged to pay heavily 
 every year for some one to keep it for me, — may 
 grace abound to him ! I pray Alia and the Pro- 
 phet, that the Khan may strike off somewhere 
 in search of a roof for the night." 
 
 The Khan had stopped : the increasing dark- 
 ness, or rather gloom, — for there was still some-
 
 8 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 what of daylight remaining, and the sun had 
 not long set, — the muttering of thunder, and the 
 more and more vivid flashes of lightning pro- 
 ceeding from an intensely black and heavy cloud 
 which occupied the whole of the horizon before 
 him, were enough to cause anxiety as to his 
 proceeding further or not. 
 
 A hard or tolerably firm road would have 
 relieved this, but the track upon which they 
 journeyed became almost worse as he pro- 
 ceeded; and the man he had sent on some 
 little way in advance, to observe the best pas- 
 sage for the horses, appeared to be guiding his 
 with increased difficulty. 
 
 " I was an ass, and the son of an ass, to leave 
 Adoni,'' muttered the Khan ; "but it is of no use 
 to regret this now : — what had better be done 
 is the question. My poor Motee," he conti- 
 nued, addressing his horse, " thou too art worn 
 out, and none of thy old fire left in thee. How, 
 my son, wouldst thou carry me yet further ? " 
 and he patted his neck. 
 
 The noble beast appeared to understand him, 
 for he repUed to the caress by a low whinny, 
 which he followed up by a loud neigh, and
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. V 
 
 looked, as he neighed, far and wide over the 
 plain. 
 
 "Ay, thou see'st nothing, Motee ; true it is, 
 there is no village in sight : yet surely one can- 
 not be far off, where, if they will admit us, we 
 may get food and shelter. What thinkest thou, 
 Ibrahim," he continued, addressing one of his 
 retainers, " are we near any habitation ? " 
 
 " Peer O Moorshid," replied the man, " I 
 know not ; I never travelled this road before, 
 except once many years ago, and then I was 
 with the army ; we did not think much of the 
 road then." 
 
 " True, friend," answered the Khan, "■ but 
 now we have need to think. By the soul of 
 Mohamed, the cloud beyond us threatens much, 
 and I fear for the Khanum ; she is ill used to 
 such travelling as this, but she is a soldier's 
 wife now, and I must teach her to bear rough 
 work." 
 
 " The Palkee will be with us presently, and 
 I doubt not the bearers well know the country, 
 Khodawund," said another of the horsemen. 
 
 " True, I had not thought of them ; perhaps 
 when it arrives, it would be advisable to stop a 
 
 jj 5
 
 10 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 little to take breath, and then again set for- 
 ward/' 
 
 A few moments brought the bearers and their 
 burden to where the Khan stood; and a few 
 hurried questions were put to them by him as 
 to the distance to the next village, the road, and 
 the accommodation they were likely to find for 
 so large a party. ,.;■•* 
 
 " Huzrut ! " said the Naik of the bearers, 
 " you have but little choice ; we did not think 
 the road would have been so bad as this, or we 
 would never have left the town or allowed you 
 to proceed ; but here we are, and we must help 
 to extricate you from the difficulty into which 
 we have brought you. To return is impossible ; 
 there is no village at which you could rest, as 
 you know. Before us are two ; one not far off, 
 over yonder rising ground — my lord can even 
 see the trees, — and another beyond that, about 
 a coss and a half ; to which, if the lady can bear 
 the journey, we will take her, as there is a good 
 bazaar and every accommodation. My lord will 
 reward us with a sheep if we carry her safely?" 
 
 " Surely, surely,'' said the Khan, '^ ye shall 
 have two ; and we will travel a short stage to- 
 
 #
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 11 
 
 moiTow, as ye must be tired. So what say you, 
 my soul?" he cried to the inmate of the palan- 
 keen ; " you have the choice of a comfortable 
 supper and a diy lodging, or no supper and 
 perhaps no roof over your head ; you see what 
 it is to follow the fortunes of a soldier." 
 
 " Let no thought of me trouble you," replied 
 a low and sweet voice from the palankeen ; " let 
 the bearers and yourself decide, I am content 
 anywhere." 
 
 '^ How say you then, Gopal ? " 
 
 " Let us smoke a pipe all round, and we 
 will caiTy you to the large village," replied the 
 Naik. 
 
 " 'T is well, — do not be long about it; I doubt 
 not we shall be all the better for a short rest." 
 
 Fire was quickly kindled ; every one dis- 
 mounted from his beast, and all collected into 
 groups. Tobacco was soon found, the hookas 
 lighted, and the gurgUng sound of half a dozen 
 of them arose among the party. 
 
 A smoke of tobacco in this manner gives al- 
 most new hfe to a native of India. The trouble 
 of the journey or the work is for awhile for- 
 gotten ; and, after a fresh girding up of the loins.
 
 12 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 and invocation of the Prophet or their patron 
 goddess (as the parties may be Hindoo or Mo- 
 hamedan), the undertaking is resumed with 
 fresh spirit. After a short pause, the whole 
 party was again in motion. 
 
 No one had however observed the extremely 
 threatening appearance of the sky. The cloud, 
 which had been still, now began to rise gently; — 
 a few small clouds were seen as it were to break 
 away from the mass and scurry along the face 
 of the heavens, apparently close to their heads, 
 and far below the larger ones which hung 
 heavily above them. These were followed very 
 quickly by others : the lightning increased in 
 vividness at every flash ; and what was at first 
 confined to the cloud which has been mentioned, 
 now spread itself gradually all over the heavens : 
 behind — above — around — became one blaze of 
 light, as it were at a signal given by a rocket 
 thrown up from behind the cloud before them. 
 In spite of appearances, however, they hurried 
 on. 
 
 " It will be a wild night," observed the Khan, 
 replacing and binding tighter the musHn about 
 his head and face.
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 13 
 
 As he spoke he pointed to the horizon, where 
 was seen a dull reddish cloud. To an unprac- 
 tised eye it looked like one of the dusky evening 
 clouds ; but on closer and more attentive ob- 
 servation, it was clearly seen to rise, and at the 
 same time to be extending right and left very 
 rapidly. 
 
 " I beg to represent,^' said Daood Khan, who 
 had come from behind, " that there is a group 
 of trees yonder not far from the road, and, if my 
 memory senses me well, there should be an old 
 hut in it; will my lord go thither?" 
 
 " It is well spoken, Daood," said his master, 
 « lead on." 
 
 There was no wind — not a breath — but all 
 was quite still ; not even a cricket or grasshopper 
 chirped among the grass : it seemed as though 
 nature could scarcely breathe, so intense was the 
 closeness. 
 
 " Alia ! Alia ! I shall choke if there is no 
 wind," said the fat cook, fanning himself with 
 the end of a handkerchief. 
 
 " You will have enough presently," said 
 Nasur. 
 
 " Inshalla ! " exclaimed one of the camel-
 
 14 TIPPOO SULTAUX. 
 
 drivers, " the Toofans * of the Carnatic are cele- 
 brated." 
 
 " Alas ! " sighed the cook, and wished him- 
 self anywhere but in the Carnatic. 
 
 At last a low moaning was heard, — a distant 
 sound, as if of rushing water. The rack above 
 them redoubled its pace, and went fearfully fast : 
 every instant increased the blackness on each 
 side and behind. They could no longer see 
 any separate clouds above, but one dense brown 
 black ropy mass, hurrying onward, impelled by 
 the mighty wind. Soon nothing was visible but 
 a bright line all round the horizon, except in 
 front, where the wall of red dust, which proved 
 that the previous rains had not extended far be- 
 yond where they were, every moment grew higher 
 and higher, and came nearer and nearer. 
 
 They increased their speed, to gain the trees, 
 which were discernible a quarter of a mile be- 
 fore them. " Once there," said the Khan, " we 
 can make some shelter for ourselves with the 
 walls of the tents passed round the trees." 
 
 No one replied to him; each was thinking 
 of the storm, and what would happen when it 
 
 * Storms.
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. *15 
 
 came. The horses even felt the oppression, 
 and snorted violently at intervals, as though 
 they wished to throw it off. 
 
 At last, a few leaves flew up in the air : and 
 some lapwings, which had been nestling under 
 the stones by the way-side, rose and made a 
 long flight to leeward with loud screamings, as 
 though to avoid the wind. 
 
 One little whirlwind succeeded to another; 
 small quantities of leaves and dry grass were 
 everywhere seen flying along near the ground 
 over the plain. The body of dust approached 
 nearer, and seemed to swallow up everything 
 in it. They anxiously watched its progress, 
 in the hope that it would lessen in fury ere it 
 approached them, for they could see the trees 
 through the gloom against the bright line of 
 the horizon, apparently at a great distance, dis- 
 appearing one by one. 
 
 Meanwhile the roaring increased ; the roar of 
 the wind and that of the thunder were fearfully 
 mingled together. Amidst this there arose a 
 shrill scream from the palankeen; the fair in- 
 mate had no longer been able to bear the evident 
 approach of the tempest.
 
 16 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 The Khan was at her side in a moment. 
 " Cheer thee^ my rose ! " he cried ; " a little fur- 
 ther and we shall reach a friendly grove of trees. 
 The road is harder now, so exert yourselves," 
 he continued to the bearers ; " five rupees, if 
 you reach the trees ere the wind is uponus \" 
 
 The men redoubled their pace, but in vain ; 
 they still wanted half the quarter of the mile 
 when the storm burst. With one fearful flash 
 of lightning, so as almost to bhnd them, and to 
 cause the whole to stagger backward, a blast 
 met them, which if they had withstood they had 
 been more than men. The palankeen rocked 
 to and fro, tottered under their failing support, 
 and fell at last heavily to the ground. There 
 was no mischief done, but it was impossible to 
 proceed further; they must abide the storm 
 where they stood in the open plain. 
 
 And now it came in pitiless earnest. As if 
 the whole power of the winds of heaven had 
 been collected and poured forth bodily upon 
 one spot, and that Avhere they stood, — so did it 
 appear to them ; while the dust, increasing in 
 volume every instant, was so choking that no 
 one dared to open his mouth to speak a word.
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUX. 17 
 
 The horses and camels instinctively turned their 
 backs to the wind, and stood motionless ; and 
 the men at last, forcing the camels to sit down, 
 crouched behind them to obtain some kind of 
 shelter from the raging storm. 
 
 Thus they remained for some time ; at last a 
 drop of rain fell, — another, and another. They 
 could not see it coming amidst the dust, and it 
 was Aipon them ere they were aware of it : — 
 they were drenched in an instant. Now indeed 
 began a strife of elements. The thunder roared 
 without ceasing one moment : there was no 
 thunder for any particular flash, — it was a con- 
 tinued flare, a continued roar. The wind, the 
 rain, and the thunder made a fearful din, and 
 even the stout heart of the Khan sunk within 
 him. "It cannot last," he said; — but it did. 
 The country appeared at last like a lake shown 
 irregularly by the blue flare of the lightning. 
 
 Two hours, or nearly so, did they endure all 
 this : the tempest moderated at length, and 
 they proceeded. It was now quite dark. 
 
 " Where is Ibrahim ? " asked one suddenly. 
 
 "Ay, where is he?" said another. Several 
 shouted his name ; but there was no reply.
 
 18 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 " Ibrahim !" cried the Khan, "what of him ? 
 He must be gone to the trees ; go, one of ye, 
 and call him if he be there." 
 
 The man diverged from the road, and was 
 soon lost in the darkness ; but in a short time 
 an exclamation of surprise or of terror, they 
 could not say which, came clearly towards them. 
 The Khan stopped. In another instant the 
 man had rejoined them. 
 
 "Alia! Alia!" cried he, gasping for breath, 
 " come and see." 
 
 "See what?" shouted the Khan. 
 
 "Ibrahim!" M^as his only reply, and they 
 followed him rapidly. 
 
 They could hardly distinguish what it was 
 that the man pointed out ; but what appeared 
 like a heap at first in the darkness, soon resolved 
 itself into the form of a man and horse. The 
 Khan dismounted and approached; he called 
 to him by name, but there was no answer. He 
 felt the body, — it was quite dead; horse and 
 man had fallen beneath the stroke of the light- 
 ning. 
 
 " We can do nothing now," said the Khan. 
 " Alas ! that so good a man, and one who has
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 19 
 
 SO often fought beside me, should have thus 
 fallen ! Praise be to Alia, what an escape we 
 have had!'* 
 
 " It was his destinjV said another, — " who 
 could have averted it?" 
 
 And they rode on, but slowly, for the road 
 was undistinguishable from the ground on each 
 side, except where a hedge of thorns had been 
 placed to fence in some field. Here those who 
 were on foot fared very badly, for the thorns 
 which had fallen, or had been broken off from 
 branches, had mixed with the mud and sorely 
 hurt their naked feet. The rain continued to 
 pour in torrents ; and the incessant flare of 
 the lightning, which revealed the track, every 
 no^f and then seemed to sweep the ground 
 before them, nearly blinding both horse and 
 man : it showed at times for an instant the 
 struggles both were making in the now deeper 
 mire. 
 
 They reached the smaller village at last ; there 
 were only three or four miserable houses, and 
 in the state they were there was but Httle in- 
 ducement to remain in want of food and shelter 
 till the morning; so taking with them, much
 
 20 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 against his inclination, one of the villagers as a 
 guide whom they could understand, as he was 
 a Mohamedan, and some rags soaked with oil 
 tied on the end of a stick to serve as a torch, 
 they once more set forward. 
 
 They had now scarcely three miles to travel, 
 but these seemed interminable. The rude 
 torch could not withstand the deluge of rain 
 which poured upon it, and after a struggle 
 for life it went out. There remained only the 
 light of the lightning. The guide however was 
 of use ; now threatened, now encouraged by the 
 Khan, he showed where the firmest footing was 
 to be obtained, and piloted the little cavalcade 
 through the almost sea of mud and water, in a 
 manner which showed them that they w6uld 
 have fared but ill without his aid. 
 
 At last, O welcome sight ! a light was seen to 
 glimmer for awhile amidst the gloom; it dis- 
 appeared, twinkled again, appeared to flit at a 
 little distance, and was seen no more. 
 
 "What was that, Rahdaree* ?" asked the Khan ; 
 " one would think it was some wild spirit's lamp 
 abroad on this unblessed night." 
 
 * Guide.
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 21 
 
 cc 
 
 It is the village, noble sir/' said the man 
 simply ; " we have no evil spirits here." 
 
 "Ul-humd-ul-illa! we are near our home then; 
 it cannot be far now." 
 
 " Not a cannon-shot ; we have a small river 
 to cross, and then we reach the village." 
 
 "A river !" 
 
 *' Yes, noble Khan, a small one ; there is no 
 water to signify." 
 
 But the Khan's mind misgave him. '^ It 
 must be full," he said to himself, "after this 
 rain ; how can it be otherwise ? every hollovV 
 we have passed has become a roaring stream ; 
 but we shall see. Ya, Moula Ali !" he ex- 
 claimed aloud, " I vow a gift to all the priests 
 of thy shrine, if thou wilt protect me and mine 
 through this night." 
 
 They had not gone much further before the 
 dull sound of the river was heard but too 
 plainly, even above the wind and the thunder, 
 which now roared only at intervals. One and 
 all were fairly terrified ; and that there should 
 be such an end to their really manful struggles 
 through the tempest, disheartened them : but 
 no one spoke till they arrived at the brink.
 
 22 TIPPOO SULTAUN, 
 
 where through the gloom could be seen a muddy 
 toiTent rushing along with fearful rapidity. 
 
 " It is not deep," said the guide ; " it is ford- 
 able." 
 
 " Dog of a kafir ! " cried the Khan, " thou 
 hast deceived us, to get us away from thy mise- 
 rable village. By Alia ! thou deservest to be 
 put to death for this inhospitality." 
 
 " My life is in your hands, O Khan ! " re- 
 turned the man ; " behold, to prove my words, 
 I will venture in if any one wiU accompany me ; 
 alone it is useless to attempt it. Will no one 
 go with me?" 
 
 But one and all hesitated ; the gloom, the 
 uncertainty and the dread of death ahke pre- 
 vailed. 
 
 " Cowards !" exclaimed the Khan, " dare ye 
 not do for him whose salt you eat that which 
 this poor fellow is ready to undertake because I 
 only reproached him with inhospitality ? Cow- 
 ards and faithless ! ye are worse than women.^' 
 " I am no woman or coward," said Daood 
 Khan doggedly. " Come," he added to the guide, 
 as thou art ready to go, give me thy hand and 
 step in, in the name of the Most Merciful ! " 
 
 a
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 23 
 
 '^ Bismilla ! Daood^ thou hast a stout heart — 
 I will remember thee for this. Step on, in the 
 name of Alia and the twelve Imaums ! Halloo 
 when thou art on the other side." 
 
 They entered the water carefully, holding 
 tightly each other's hand, and each planting 
 his foot firmly ere he ventured to withdraw the 
 other. The torrent was frightfully rapid, and it 
 required all the power of two very strong men 
 to bear up against it ; but at length the shal- 
 lower water was gained, and a joyful shout from 
 the other side told to the Khan and his expect- 
 ant party that the passage had been made in 
 safety. 
 
 " Now make haste and get a torch, and bring 
 some people with you," shouted the Khan ; 
 '* meanwhile we will make preparations for 
 crossing." 
 
 Not much time elapsed before a few persons 
 were seen approaching the river's bank from 
 the village, bearing several torches, which in 
 despite of the wind and the rain, being all fed 
 with oil, blazed brightly, and cast their light 
 far and wide. , 
 
 The Khan had been endeavouring to persuade
 
 24 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 his wife to trust herself to his horse, instead of 
 to the palankeen, in crossing the river ; and 
 after some representation of its superior safety, 
 he had succeeded. She was standing by him 
 closely veiled, when the torches appeared on the 
 other side. 
 
 What she saw however of the stream, as re- 
 vealed fully by the light, caused an instant 
 change in her resolution : she was ten'ified by 
 the waters'; — and indeed they were very awful 
 to look on, as the muddy boiling mass hurried 
 past, appearing, as was the case, to increase in 
 volume every moment. 
 
 " There is no time to lose," shouted the vil- 
 lagers, observing there was irresolution among 
 the party ; ^Hhe water is rising fast, — it will soon 
 be impassable." 
 
 " The horse, the horse, my soul \" cried the 
 Khan in despair ; " the bearers will never carry 
 you through that torrent." 
 
 " I dare not, I should faint in the midst ; 
 even now my heart is sick within me, and my 
 eyes fail me, as I look on the waters," replied 
 the lady. 
 
 " Khodawund ! " said the Naik of the bearers.
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 25 
 
 " trust her to us ; on our lives, she reaches the 
 other side safely/' 
 
 " Be it so then, Gopal ; I trust thee and thy 
 party ; only land her safely, and thou shalt be 
 well rewarded." 
 
 The lady again entered the palankeen ; both 
 doors were opened in case of danger. The 
 stoutest of the bearers were selected, and the 
 Naik put himself at the head. " Jey, Bhowa- 
 nee ! " cried one and all, and they entered the 
 raging waters. 
 
 « Shabash ! Shabash ! Wah-wah ! Wah- 
 wah \" resounded from the villagers, and from 
 the Khan's attendants, as the gallant fellows 
 bore up stoutly against the torrent. Oil was 
 poured upon the torches, and the river blazed 
 under the light. The Khan was close behind 
 on his gallant horse, which, snorting and uneasy, 
 was very difficult to guide. There was not a 
 heart on either bank that did not beat w'ith al- 
 most fearful anxiety, for the water appeared to 
 reach the palankeen, and it required the exer- 
 tions of all the men to keep it and those who 
 carried it steady. 
 
 " Kuburdar ! kuburdar* I a little to the 
 
 * Take care ! take care ! 
 VOL. I. C
 
 26 TIPrOO SULTAUN. 
 
 right ! — now to the left ! — well done ! well 
 done ! " were the cries which animated and 
 cheered them ; and the passage was accom- 
 plished aU but a few yards, when the water 
 suddenly deepened, — the leading bearers sank 
 almost up to their chests. Trials were made 
 on either side, but the water was deeper than 
 Avhere they stood ; the eddy had scooped out the 
 hollow since Daood had crossed. 
 
 "Have a care, my sons!" cried the Naik, whose 
 clear voice was heard far above the din. " Raise 
 the palankeen on your shoulders. Gently ! first 
 you in front, — now those behind ! Shabash ! 
 now let every man look to his footing, and Jey 
 Kalee!" 
 
 They advanced as they shouted the invoca- 
 tion ; but careful as they were, who could see 
 beneath those muddy waters? There was a 
 stone — a large one — on which the leading 
 bearer placed his foot. It was steady when he 
 first tried it ; but as he withdrew the other, it 
 rolled over beneath his weight and what he 
 bore : he tottered, stumbled, made a desperate 
 
 i 
 * Take care ! take care !
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 27 
 
 effort to recover himself, but in vain; he fell 
 headlong into the current. 
 
 The palankeen could not be supported, and 
 but one wild piercing shriek was heard from 
 the wife of the Khan as it plunged into the 
 water. 
 
 "Ya, Alia! Alia!" cried the Khan in his 
 agony— for he had seen all — " she is lost to me 
 for ever !" And throwing himself from his 
 horse, encumbered as he was, he would have 
 been drowned, but for one of the bearers, who 
 supported him to the brink, and, assisted by 
 the rest who immediately recovered the palan- 
 keen, bore him rapidly to the village. 
 
 c2
 
 28 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 The confusion which ensued is indescribable. 
 The few persons on the bank of the river rushed 
 hither and thither without any definite object ; 
 and screams from some women, who had fol- 
 lowed the men from the village out of curiosity, 
 rent the air, and added to the wildness of the 
 scene. 
 
 On a sudden an exclamation broke from a 
 youth who stood not far off : and before they 
 could turn to see what had occasioned it, he had 
 darted from the spot and precipitated himself 
 into the waters. 
 
 Cries of " He will be lost ! he will be lost ! " 
 flew from mouth to mouth ; and a dozen tur- 
 bans were unwound and thrown to him from 
 the brink, as he still struggled with the current.
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 29 
 
 supporting the slight and inanimate form of her 
 who was supposed to have been swept down 
 the stream at first. 
 
 Without waiting for a moment to answer the 
 numberless queries which were showered upon 
 him by the spectators, or to ascertain whether 
 the senseless form he bore had life in it or not, 
 he hastily covered the features from view ; and, 
 declining the assistance of some old crones who 
 thronged around him, he pressed through them 
 and hurried with the utmost rapidity to his 
 home. 
 
 Those who partly carried and partly sup- 
 ported the Khan himself, conducted him to the 
 chowTie or public apartment for travellers ; and 
 seating him upon such carpets and piUows as 
 could most readily be found, they proceeded to 
 divest him of his wet garments, arms, and boots, 
 with an officious zeal, which, in spite of the 
 protestations of his servant Daood, all persisted 
 in exerting. The Khan suffered aU patiently, 
 apparently with almost unconsciousness, only 
 at times uttering low moans and interjections, 
 which showed his thoughts to be absorbed in 
 the fate of her he deemed lost for ever. Gradu-
 
 30 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 ally, however, the kind attentions of his ser- 
 vant, whose sobs could not be repressed as he 
 bent over him in his attempts to remove his inner 
 vest, which the others had hesitated to touch, 
 recalled his wandering senses 5 and, staring 
 wildly about him, he demanded to know where 
 he was. Instantly, however, a fresh recollection 
 of the scene which had passed flashed into his 
 mind, and all the words he could find utterance 
 for were an incoherent demand of Daood if the 
 Khanum had been found. 
 
 "Alas, Peer O Moorshid!" was the reply, 
 " your slave saw nothing ; he assisted my lord 
 here and " 
 
 " Was she not instantly rescued ? What were 
 all of ye doing that she ever passed from your 
 sight ? " exclaimed the Khan. ^' Holy Alia ! 
 give her back to me or I shall go mad," he 
 continued, starting up and rushing from the 
 spot into the air, followed by his attendant and 
 a few of the others who lingered about. 
 
 Distractedly the Khan hurried to the river- 
 side, and in the misery of despair began to 
 search for the body of his wife. He ran from 
 place to place, shouting her name ; he looked
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUX. 31 
 
 everywhere for any trace of her remains, while 
 his faithful attendant in vain besought him to 
 withdraw from the spot, for that further search 
 was unavailing. His words were unheeded : 
 all the Khan saw, through the almost inky 
 darkness, was the faint glimmer of the wild 
 waters huiTying past him ; and the only sounds 
 he heard were their dull and sullen roar, above 
 which arose the shouts of his servants on the 
 other side, and at intervals a shrill neigh from 
 one of the horses. Two or three persons only 
 remained about the river-side, and these seemed 
 unacquainted with what had occurred ; all who 
 had seen it had dispersed when the young man 
 bore off the insensible girl he had rescued. 
 After some time of fruitless search the Khan 
 silently reUnquished it, and sadly and slowly 
 turned towards the village. 
 
 Meanwhile the young man we have men- 
 tioned carried the lady with the utmost speed 
 he was able to his own home, a respectable 
 house situated on the other side of the village 
 from where the Khan was : without ceremony he 
 entered the zenana, still bearing her in his arms, 
 to the astonishment of an elderly dame, his
 
 32 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 mother, and several other women, servants and 
 others who happened to be there, and to whom 
 the news of the disaster was being brought 
 piecemeal, as first one and then another hur- 
 ried in with parts of the story. 
 
 " Holy Prophet ! what hast thou brought, 
 Kasim Ali?" cried his mother; — "a woman! 
 By your soul say how is this, — where didst thou 
 get her ? — wet, too !" 
 
 " 'T is the Khan's wife, and she is dead ! " 
 cried many at once. 
 
 " I care not what she is," cried the young 
 man ; " by the blessing of AUa I saw her and 
 brought her out of the water ; she is still warm, 
 and perhaps not dead; see what ye can do 
 speedily to recover her. She is as beautiful 
 
 as a Peri, and but no matter, ye can do 
 
 nothing while I am here, so I leave you." 
 
 Whatever Kasim's thoughts might have been, 
 he had sense enough not to give them utterance; 
 and, leaving the fair creature to their care, he 
 again hurried forth, to see whether he could 
 render further assistance to the unfortunate 
 travellers. 
 
 Left among the women of the house, the
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 33 
 
 Khan^s wife became an object of the deepest 
 interest to these really kind people. Her wet 
 clothes were removed ; cloths were heated and 
 appHed to her body ; she was rubbed and 
 kneaded all over; the wet was wTung from 
 her hair ; and after awhile they had the satis- 
 faction of hearing a gentle sigh escape her, — 
 another and another at intervals, 
 
 " Holy Alia !" cried one of the women at last, 
 " she has opened her eyes." 
 
 The light was apparently too much for them, 
 for she shut them again and relapsed into stu- 
 por ; but the respiration continued, and the 
 alarm that she had died ceased to exist. Gra- 
 dually, very gradually, she regained conscious- 
 ness ; and ere many hours had elapsed she 
 was in a deep sleep, freed from all anxiety 
 regarding her lord, whom on her first recovery 
 she had presumed was lost. 
 
 The Khan and Daood had scarcely again 
 reached the chowrie, when a large body of men 
 with torches, shouting joyfully, approached it. 
 Daood's heart leaped to his mouth. " She 
 cannot have been saved!" he cried, as he ad- 
 vanced to meet them. 
 
 c 5
 
 34 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 " Ul-humd-ul-illa ! " cried a dozen voices, 
 *• she has, and is in the Patel's* house." 
 
 Without any ceremony they broke in upon 
 the unfortunate Khan, who sat, or rather lay, 
 absorbed in his grief. Alone, the memory of 
 his wife had come vi\'idly over him ; and when 
 he raised his head, on their intrusion, his wet 
 cheek very plainly told that his manly sorrow 
 had found vent. 
 
 " Ul-humd-ul-illa ! " cried Daood, panting for 
 breath. 
 
 " Ul-humd-ul-illa ! " echoed Kasim. 
 
 " Do not mock me, I pray you,'^ said the 
 Khan sadly, " for grief is devouring my heart, 
 and I am sad even to tears. And yet your faces 
 have joy in them, — speak ! she cannot live ! that 
 would be too much to hope. Speak, and tell 
 truth!" 
 
 " Weep not, noble Khan," said Kasim ; " she 
 lives, by the blessing of Alia, — she is safe in my 
 own mother's apartments; and such rude care 
 as we can give her, or such accommodation as 
 our poor house affords, she shall have." 
 
 The Khan started to his feet. '' Thou dost 
 * Tlie chief or magistrate of a village.
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 35 
 
 not mock me then, youth ? Ya Alia ! I did not 
 deserve this ! Who saved her ? By the soul of 
 the Prophet, any recompense in the power of 
 Abdool Rhyman, even to half his wealth, shall 
 be his who rescued her \" 
 
 " He stands before thee, O Khan ! " cried 
 Daood, who had recovered his speech ; " it was 
 that brave fellow who rushed into the water and 
 rescued her, even while my lord was being car- 
 ried hither/' 
 
 In an instant rank and power were forgotten, 
 and the Khan, impelled by his emotion, ere 
 Kasim could prevent him, had folded him in a 
 sincere and grateful embrace. Nay, he would 
 have fallen at his feet, but the young Kasim dis- 
 engaging himself prevented it and drew back. 
 
 " Not so, protector of the poor ! " he cried ; 
 " your slave has but done what any man would 
 do in a like case. Kasim Ali Patel would 
 have disgraced himself had he turned from that 
 helpless being as she lay in such peril on the 
 bank." 
 
 The Khan was struck with admiration of the 
 young man, who with excited looks and proud 
 yet tempered bearing drew himself up as he
 
 36 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 uttered the last words ; and indeed the young 
 Patel was a noble figure to look on. 
 
 He had not attempted to change his clothes 
 since his rescue of the lady, but had thrown off 
 his upper garment ; he was therefore naked to 
 the waistj and his body was only partially co- 
 vered by the dark blanket he had cast over his 
 shoulders. His tall and muscular frame was 
 fully developed ; and the broad chest, long and 
 full arms, and narrow waist, showed the power 
 which existed to be called into exertion when 
 opportunity required. Nor was his counte- 
 nance less worthy of remark. Although he had 
 hardly attained manhood, yet the down on 
 his upper lip and chin, which was darkening 
 fast, proved that perhaps twenty years had 
 passed over him, and added not a little to his 
 manly appearance. His dark expressive eyes, 
 which glistened proudly as the Khan regarded 
 him, a high aquihne nose, large nostrils ex- 
 panding from the excitement he had been in, 
 exquisitely white and regular teeth, and, added 
 to all, a fair skin — far fairer than the generality 
 of his countrymen could boast, — showed that 
 he was perhaps of gentle blood, which indeed
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 3? 
 
 his courteous manner would have inclined most 
 observers to determine. 
 
 " Thou art a noble fellow, youth ! " cried the 
 Khan, " and I would again meet thee as a 
 brother ; embrace me therefore, for by the soul 
 of my father I could love thee as one. But tell 
 me, — you saved her? — how? — and is she safe 
 in your house ? " 
 
 A few words explained all : the eddy in its 
 force had cast the lady upon a bank below, 
 almost immediately after her immersion, and 
 fortunately with her head above the water. 
 Had she not been terrified by the shock so as 
 to lose her consciousness, she would have been 
 able to drag herself upon the dry land, though 
 she could not have got to shore, as part of the 
 river flowed round the bank on which she had 
 been cast. Thus she had continued in very 
 imminent danger until rescued; for any wave 
 or slight rise of the water must have canied 
 her down the stream ; and who in that dark- 
 ness and confusion would ever again have seen 
 her? 
 
 Gradually therefore the Khan was brought 
 to comprehend the whole matter; and, as it
 
 38 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 ought, his thankfulness towards the young 
 Kasim increased at every explanation. It is not 
 to be supposed, however, that he was the 
 less anxious about her who had been saved ; he 
 had been with some difficulty restrained from 
 at once proceeding to the Patel's house, and 
 desisted only when Daood and his companion 
 declared that such a proceeding would be 
 attended with risk to the lady. She too had 
 been assured that he was safe, they said ; and in 
 this comforting certainty, overcome by fatigue 
 and excitement, she had fallen asleep. 
 
 " But that is no reason why my lord should 
 not come to my poor abode," said Kasim ; " this 
 open room is ill suited to so damp a night, and 
 my lord has been wet." 
 
 " I need but little pressing," he replied, and 
 rose to accompany him. 
 
 Arrived at the house, which, though only a 
 large cabin, was yet of superior extent and com- 
 fort of appearance to the rest in the village, the 
 Khan found that every preparation the inmates 
 had in their power had been made for him. A 
 carpet was spread, and upon it was laid a com- 
 fortable cotton mattress ; this was covered with
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 39 
 
 a clean fine sheet, and some very luxurious 
 pillows placed against the wall invited him to 
 repose. 
 
 Fatigue rapidly asserted its mastery over even 
 the Khan's iron frame. He had been assured 
 by Kasim's mother that his lady slept sweetly, 
 and, an ample repast concluded, he attempted 
 for a time to converse with the young Patel, 
 but without much success. 
 
 The young man took in truth but httle 
 interest in the replies. The Khan himself was 
 abstracted; sleep gradually overpowered him, 
 and he sunk down upon the bedding in total 
 unconsciousness after a short time. 
 
 After seeing him covered, so as to prevent the 
 cold and damp coming to him, the young Patel 
 left him to the care of Daood, and withdrew. 
 His own bedding was in an inner room of the 
 house, near to the apartments of the women, 
 and his mother heard him gently pass to it, and 
 joined him ere he had lain down. 
 
 " My blessing on thee, my brave boy ! " cried 
 the old lady, melting into tears at the mingled 
 thoughts of ^^hat might have been her son's 
 danger, and his gallant conduct; "my blessing
 
 40 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 and the blessing of Alia on thee for this ! thou 
 art thy father's son indeed, and would that he 
 were alive to have greeted thee as I do I " 
 
 " It is of no use regretting the dead now, mo- 
 ther : what I did I am glad of, — and yet I could 
 not have done otherwise ; though I thought of 
 thee, mother, when I cast myself into the raging 
 waters : thou wouldst have mourned if Alia had 
 not rescued me and her. — But tell me," he con- 
 tinued, to avert the old lady's exclamations at 
 the very thought of his death, " tell me, by your 
 soul, — say, m ho is she ? she is fair as a Peri, fair 
 as a Houri of the blessed Paradise ; tell me if 
 thou knowest whether she is his wife, or — or — " 
 His daughter, thou wouldst say, my son." 
 Ay, why not ? " 
 
 " I understand thy thoughts, but they must 
 pass away from thee. She is no daughter of his. 
 She hath but newly used the missee*; she must 
 be his wife. Hast thou not asked the servants ? " 
 
 "I have not, mother; but art thou sure of 
 this?" 
 , " I am." 
 
 * A powder which women apply to their teeth only after 
 marriage. 

 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 41 
 
 "Then a bright vision has faded from my 
 eyes/' said Kasim despondingly : " the bright- 
 est vision I have yet seen in my young life. It 
 seemed to be the will of Alia that she should 
 be mine ; for she had been lost to the worid 
 and to him, only that I saved her ! " 
 
 "Forbid such thoughts/' said his mother 
 quietly, for she knew the fiery yet gentle spirit 
 of the young man, and how easily she might 
 offend where she only intended kindness. " She 
 can be nothing to thee, Kasim." 
 
 "Her fate is with mine, mother: from the 
 moment I was impelled to rescue her from the 
 waters, I felt that my life was connected with 
 hers. I knew not, as she lay on the sand-bank, 
 that she was beautiful or young ; and I could 
 not have hesitated, had there been a thousand 
 devils in my path, or the raging waters of the 
 Toombuddra." 
 
 " Alas ! my son/' she replied, " these are but 
 the fantasies of a young spirit. It was thy ge- 
 nerous nature, believe me, which impelled thee 
 to rescue her, not thy destiny." 
 
 But the young man only sighed ; and after 
 awhile, finding that her words had but little
 
 42 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 power to remove the feelings which the events 
 of the night had excited, she blessed him and 
 retired to her repose. 
 
 Left to himself, Kasim in vain tried to 
 court sleep to his eyehds. Do what he would, 
 think of what he M-ould, lie how he would, — 
 the scene of the Khan's advance across the 
 flood, — the waters hurrying by, — the rough 
 eddies caused by the resistance to it made by 
 the bearers, upon which the light of the torches 
 rested and flashed, — their excited cries, w'hich 
 rung in his ears, — their every step which seemed 
 before his eyes, — till the last, when all fell, — 
 and then that one wild shriek ! Again the 
 despairing shout of the Khan, and the eager 
 assistance rendered to him when he cast him- 
 self into the river, — the hurried search for the 
 body, and the exertions of the bearers to raise 
 the palankeen in hopes that it might be in it, — 
 their despair when it was not, — the renewed 
 search, for some moments unsuccessful, — then 
 the glimpse of her lying on the bank, and his 
 own efforts, — all were vi\'id, so vivid that he 
 seemed to enact over again the part he had 
 performed, and again to bear the Hfeless yet
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 43 
 
 warm and beautiful body to his home with 
 desperate speed. 
 
 " I saw she was beautiful, O how beautiful \" 
 he said ; " I felt how exquisite her form. I saw 
 her youthful countenance, — hardly fifteen can 
 she be, — and she the bride of that old man ! 
 Monstrous ! But it is my destiny : who can 
 overcome that ? Prince and noble, the beggar 
 and the proud, all have their destiny ; this will 
 be mine, and I must follow it. Ya Alia, that it 
 may be a kind one ! " 
 
 He lay long musing thus : at last there was 
 a noise as though of talking in his mother's 
 apartment. He heard a strange voice — it must 
 be the lady's : he arose, crept gently to the 
 door of the room, and listened. He was right : 
 her pure, girl-like and silvery tones came upon 
 his ears like music ; he drank in eveiy word 
 with eagerness, — he hardly breathed, lest he 
 should lose a sound. 
 
 He heard her tell her little history ; how she 
 had been sought in marriage by many, since 
 he to whom she was betrothed in childhood 
 had died : how her parents had refused her to 
 many, until the Khan, whose family were neigh-
 
 44 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 bours, and who had returned from Mysore a 
 man of wealth and rank, hearing of her beauty 
 had sought her in marriage. Then she related 
 how grandly it had been celebrated ; how much 
 money he had spent; what processions there 
 had been through the noble city of Hyderabad ; 
 what rich clothes and jewels he had given her ; 
 and how he was now taking her with him to 
 his new country, where he was a soldier of 
 rank, and served the great Tippoo. All this 
 she described very vividly ; and with the light- 
 heartedness and vivacity of girlhood, but at the 
 end of all she sighed. 
 
 " For all the rank and pomp, she is un- 
 happy," thought Kasim. 
 
 Then he heard his mother say, " But thou 
 sighest, Khanum, and yet hast all that ever thy 
 most sanguine fancy could have wished for." 
 
 " Ay, mother," was the reply, " I sigh some- 
 times. I have left my home, my mother, sisters, 
 father, and many friends, and I go whither I 
 know no one, — no, not one. I have new friends 
 to make, new thoughts to entertain, new coun- 
 tries to see ; and can you wonder that I should 
 sigh for the past, or indeed for the future ?"
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 45 
 
 ^' Alia bless thee ! " said the old lady ; and 
 Kasim heard that she had blessed her, and had 
 taken the evil from her by passing her hands 
 over her head, and cracking the joints of her 
 fingers against her own temples. 
 
 " Thou wilt be happy," continued his mother ; 
 " thou art hght-hearted for thine own peace, — 
 thou art very, very beautiful, and thy lord will 
 love thee : thou wilt have (may Alia grant many 
 to thee !) children, of beauty like unto thine 
 own ; and therefore do not sigh, but think thou 
 hast a bright destiny, which indeed is evident. 
 Thy lord is young and loves thee, — that I am 
 assured of, for I have spoken -with him." 
 
 "With him, mother?'' 
 
 " Ay, with him ; he came a little while ago 
 to the screen to ask after thee, and spoke 
 tenderly : young, wealthy, and a soldier too, 
 ah ! thou art fortunate, my daughter." 
 
 " But he is not young, mother," she said art- 
 lessly. Kasim Mas sure there was regret in the 
 tone. 
 
 " Why then, well," said the old lady, « thou 
 wilt look up to him with reverence, and as every 
 woman should do to her lord. But enough now ;
 
 46 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 thou hast eaten, so now sleep again. May Alia 
 give thee sweet rest and a fortunate waking!" 
 Kasim heard no more, though he listened. 
 His mother busied herself in ari'anging her 
 carpet, and then all was still. He thought for 
 awhile, and his spirit was not easy within him : 
 he arose, passed through the outer chamber, 
 where the Khan still slept, and his servants 
 around him, and opening the door very gently 
 passed on into the open air.
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUX. 47 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 It was now midnight, and the storm had 
 passed away. In the bright heavens, studded 
 with stars, through which the glorious moon 
 ghded, almost obliterating them by her lustre, 
 there existed no sign of the tempest by which 
 it had so lately been overcast. The violent 
 wind had completely lulled, if indeed we ex- 
 cept the gentlest breath, which was hardly 
 enough to stir lazily here and there the leaves 
 of an enormous Peepul-tree that occupied an 
 open space in front of the Patel's house, and 
 which else appeared sleeping in the soft light ; 
 while on every wet leaf the rays of the moon 
 rested, causing them to glisten like silver 
 against the skJ^ The tree cast a still shadow- 
 beyond, partly underneath which the servants
 
 48 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 of the Khan and the bearers of the palankeen 
 all lay confusedly, — so many inanimate forms, 
 wrapped in their white sheets, and reposing 
 upon such straw or other material as they had 
 been able to collect, to protect them from the 
 damp ground. 
 
 In the broad light, the camels of the Khan 
 were sitting in a circle around a heap of fodder, 
 into which every now and then they thrust 
 their noses, selecting such morsels as they 
 chose from the heap ; while the tiny bell which 
 hung around the neck of each tinkled gently, 
 scarcely disturbing the stillness which reigned 
 around. Beyond, the moonlight rested upon 
 the white dome and minarets of the small vil- 
 lage mosque, which appeared above the roofs 
 of the houses ; and the Hindoo temple also 
 caught a share of her beams, revealing its 
 curious pyramidical form at some distance, 
 among a small grove of acacia trees. Far away 
 in the east, the cloud which had passed over 
 still showed itself, — its top glistening brightly 
 against the deep blue of the sky: while 
 from it issued frequent flickerings of light- 
 ning, which played about it for an instant and
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 49 
 
 disappeared ; and a low and very distant mut- 
 tering of thunder succeeded, showing that the 
 tempest was still proceeding on its threatening 
 yet fertilizing course. The cloud and the di- 
 stance aU seemed in one, for the light of the 
 moon did not appear to illuminate much be- 
 yond Kasim's immediate vicinity. 
 
 He stood for a moment, and gazed around, 
 and into the sky at the glorious orb. She 
 looked so mild, so peaceful, riding in silence ; 
 whilst all around was so mellowed and softened 
 by the blessed hght, that, in spite of his ha- 
 bitual indifference to such scenes — an indiffer- 
 ence common to all his countrymen — he could 
 not help feeling that his heart was softened 
 too. 
 
 The natives of India are perhaps heedless of 
 natural beauties, but if there be any to which 
 they are not indifferent, it is those of the 
 glorious moonlights which are seen in the 
 East, so unlike those of any other country. 
 There, at almost every season, but particularly 
 in the warmest, it is impossible for nature to 
 supply anything more worthy of exquisite 
 enjoyment than the moonlight nights j there 
 
 VOL. I. D
 
 50 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 is something so soft, so dreamy, in the bright 
 but silvery light, so refreshing, from the intense 
 glare of the sun during the day, — so inviting 
 to quiet contemplation, or to the enjoyment of 
 society, with whomsoever it may chance to 
 be, — that it is no wonder if the majority of 
 Asiatics, both Mahomedans and Hindoos, 
 should love it beyond the day, or appreciate 
 more keenly the beauties it reveals. There, 
 too, moonlight in those seasons has no draw- 
 backs, no dangers ; there are no dews to harm, 
 nor cold to chill ; and if there be a time when 
 one can enjoy warmth without oppression, light 
 without glare, and both in moderation, it is at 
 the time of full moon in most months of the 
 year in India. 
 
 After regarding with some feelings of envy 
 perhaps the sleeping groups, Kasim saimtered 
 leisurely towards the river's bank, his limbs 
 mechanically obeying the action of his 
 thoughts. The stream was still swollen and 
 muddy, but it had subsided greatly, and the 
 bank upon which the lady had been thrown 
 was now no longer an island. Kasim walked 
 there. " It was here," he said, " that she lay :
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 51 
 
 another moment, perhaps, and she would have 
 been swept away into eternity ! I should have 
 felt for the Khan, but I should have been more 
 at rest in my heart than I am now." 
 
 Kasim Ali, or Meer Kasim AH, as he was 
 also called, for he was a Syud, was the only son 
 
 of the Patel of ; indeed the ^ly child, 
 
 for his sisters had died while they were very 
 young. His father was of an old and highly 
 respectable family of long descent, which had 
 won renown under the Mahomedan sovereigns 
 of Bejapoor in their wars with the infidels of the 
 Carnatic, and had been rewarded for their ser- 
 vices by the hereditary Patelship or chief ma- 
 gistracy, and possession of one or two villages, 
 with a certain per-centage upon the collections 
 of the district in which they were situated. 
 They had also been presented with some grants 
 of land to a considerable extent, and the family 
 had been of importance and wealth far superior 
 to what it was at the period of our history. 
 The troublous times between the end of the 
 Bejapoor dynasty and the subsequent struggles 
 of the Mahratta powers, the Nizam, and Hyder 
 Ali, for the districts in which their possessions 
 
 D 2
 
 52 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 lay, had alienated many of them, and caused 
 them to pass into other and stronger hands. 
 
 The family however was still respectable, 
 and held a good rank among those of the sur- 
 rounding country. Syud Noor-ud-deen, the 
 ather of Kasim, was much respected, and 
 had at one time served under the banner of 
 Nizam Ali in his wars against the Mahratta 
 powers, and had been instrumental in guard- 
 ing the south-western frontiers of his king- 
 dom against their incursions. 
 
 But his death, which had occurred some 
 years before the time of which we are speak- 
 ing, had still more reduced the consequence of 
 the family ; and his widow and only son could 
 not be expected to retain that influence which 
 had resulted partly from the station and partly 
 from the unexceptionable conduct of the old 
 Patel. 
 
 Still there were many who looked forward to 
 the rapid rise of the young man, and to the 
 hope that he would in those stirring times 
 speedily retrieve the fortunes of the house. 
 On the one hand were the Mahrattas, restless^ 
 greedy of conquest ; among whom a man who
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 53 
 
 had any address, and could collect a few horse- 
 men together, was one day an adventurer 
 whom no one knew, — another, a leader and 
 commander of five hundred horse. On the 
 other was the Nizam^ whose armies, ill paid 
 and ill conducted, were generally worsted in 
 all engagements; but who still struggled on 
 against his enemies, and in whose sendee titles 
 were readily to be won, sometimes, but rarely, 
 accompanied by more substantial benefits. 
 Again, in the south, the magnificent power of 
 Hyder Ali had sprung out of the ancient and 
 dilapidated kingdom of Mysore, and bid fair, 
 under his successor Tippoo, to equal or to sur- 
 pass the others. 
 
 As Kasim Ah grew to manhood, his noble 
 appearance, his great strength, skill in all mar- 
 tial exercises and accomphshments, his respect- ' 
 able acquirements as a Persian scholar, and 
 his known bravery, — for he had distinguished 
 himself greatly in several encounters with the 
 marauders and thieves of the district, — had 
 caused a good deal of speculation among the 
 families of the country as to whose side he 
 would espouse of the three Powers we have 
 mentioned.
 
 54 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 Nor was he. in any haste to quit his village : 
 naturally of a quiet, contemplative turn of 
 mind, fond of reading and study, he had gra- 
 dually filled his imagination Avith romantic tales, 
 which, while they assisted to develope his sus- 
 ceptible temperament, also induced a supersti- 
 tious reliance upon destiny, in which he even 
 exceeded the prevailing belief of his sect. 
 
 His mother, who read his feelings, had re- 
 peatedly besought him to allow her to negotiate 
 for the hand of many of the daughters of fa- 
 milies of his own rank in the neighbourhood, 
 and even extended her inquiries to those of the 
 many partly decayed noble families of Adoni ; 
 but no one that she could hear of, however 
 beautiful by description or high by birth or 
 lineage, had any charms in the eyes of the 
 young Kasim, who always declared he chose 
 to remain free and unshackled, to make his 
 choice wherever his destiny should, as he said, 
 guide him. 
 
 It is not wonderful, then, that upon one thus 
 mentally constituted, and whose imagination 
 waited as it were an exciting cause, the events 
 of the night should have had effects such as 
 have been noted : — but we have digressed.
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 55 
 
 " Ay," thought Kasim, " her beauty is won- 
 drous, — even as I saw it here by the light of 
 the torches, as I wrung the wet from her long 
 silky hair, and when, lifeless as she appeared, 
 I laid her down by my mother, — it was very 
 wondrous. What then to see her eyes open — 
 her lips move — to hear her speak — to see her 
 breathe, to see her move ! and what to sit 
 with her, beneath the light of a moon like 
 this, and to know that she could only live for 
 and love but one ! to lie beside her on some 
 shady terrace — to hear no sound but her voice 
 — to drink in her words like the waters of the 
 blessed well of Paradise — to worship her on 
 the very knees of my heart ! This," cried the 
 enthusiast, ^Hhis would be Heaven before its 
 time, — this, one of the seventy Houris, whom 
 the Prophet (may his name be honoured!) has 
 promised to the lot of every true believer who 
 doeth his law. But I have no hope — none ! 
 What if the Khan be old, he is yet her lord, 
 her lawful lord; and shall the son of Noor-ud- 
 deen, that light of the Faith and brave among 
 the brave, shall he disgrace his name by trea- 
 chery to him upon whom he hath exercised
 
 56 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 hospitality? No, by Alia, no!" cried the 
 young man aloud, " I will not ; better that I 
 should perish than hold such thoughts ; but, 
 Alia help me ! I am weak indeed/' 
 
 And thus arguing with himself, exerting the 
 better principle, which ever had been strong 
 within him, Kasim returned to the house, 
 entered it as gently as he had quitted it, and 
 unknown to any one reached his chamber; 
 there, soothed by his ramble in the calm air 
 and the tone of his later reflections, he sank 
 at last into slumber. 
 
 But his dreams were disturbed, as often 
 follows exciting causes; and visions, now happy 
 now perplexing, of the fair inmate of his house 
 flitted across his mind while he slept ; they 
 were indefinite shadows perhaps, but he did 
 not wake so calmly in the morning as he had 
 gone to rest ; and his heart was neither so light, 
 nor his spirit so free of care, as before. Never- 
 theless he repeated the morning prayer with 
 fervour, and commended himself to the blessed 
 Alia, to work out his destiny as best he 
 pleased. 
 
 It was late ere the Khan rose, for fatigue
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 5f 
 
 had oppressed him, and he had slept heavily. 
 It was reported to his anxious inquiries that 
 the lady had arisen, bathed, and was well; 
 nor could the Khan's impatience to behold 
 once more one who was really dear to him be 
 longer delayed. The apartment where his wife 
 rested was made private, and in a few moments 
 he was in her presence. 
 
 How thankful was he to see her well — nay, 
 with hardly a trace of any suffering upon her ! 
 Her eyes were as bright, her smile as sunny 
 and beautiful, as they had ever been. Her 
 hair, which she had washed in the bath, and 
 which was not yet dry, hung over her should- 
 ers and back in luxuriant masses; and if its 
 quantity, and the manner in which it was dis- 
 posed accidentally about her face, caused her 
 fair skin to seem paler than usual, it only height- 
 ened the interest her appearance excited. 
 
 " Alia bless thee !" said the Khan, much 
 moved, as he seated himself by her, — for she 
 had risen upon his entrance, — " Alia bless 
 thee ! it is more to Abdool llhyman to see thee 
 thus, than to have the empire of Hind at his 
 feet. And thou art well ?" 
 
 D 5
 
 58 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 " Well indeed, my lord, — thanks to him w ho 
 protected me in the tempest,^' she said, looking 
 up devoutly; "and thanks too to her who, 
 since I was brought hither, has not ceased to 
 tend me as a daughter." 
 
 "Ay, fairest," said her lord, "what do we 
 not owe to the inmates of this house, and in- 
 deed to all this village ! without their aid we 
 had been lost." 
 
 " I have an indistinct remembrance of some 
 danger," said the lady ; " I think I recollect 
 the palankeen entering the waters, and their 
 frightful appearance, and that I shut my eyes ; 
 and I think too," she added after a pause, and 
 passing her hand across her eyes, "that it 
 seemed to shp, and I shrieked; and then I 
 knew nothing of what followed, till I awoke 
 all wet, and the women were rubbing me and 
 taking my clothes off. And then I remember 
 waking again, and speaking to the kind lady 
 who had so watched me ; and I think I asked 
 her how I had been brought here ; but she 
 made light of it, would not let me speak iliuch, 
 and so I went to sleep again, for I was weary. 
 They said too thou wert well? — yet," she con-
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 59 
 
 tinued after a pause, " something tells me that 
 all was not right, that there was danger. But 
 my memory is very confused — very." 
 
 " No wonder, my pearl, my rose ! " cried the 
 Khan ; " and how I bless that good lady for 
 keeping the truth from thee ! as thou wert 
 then, the remembrance of it might have been 
 fatal. And so thou dost not know that thou 
 wert nearly lost to me for ever, — that I had 
 seen thee plunged beneath that roaring flood, 
 and little hoped ever to have been greeted by 
 that sweet smile again ?'^ 
 
 "Alas, no !" said the lady shuddering; "and 
 was I indeed in such peril? who then saved 
 me ? — it was thou surely, my noble lord ! and I 
 have been hitherto unmindful of it," she cried, 
 bowing her head to his feet ; " how insensible 
 must thou not have thought me \" 
 
 a 
 
 Not so, beloved, not so,'^ was the eager 
 reply of the Khan as he raised her up ; "I 
 had not that happiness. I cast myself, it is 
 true, into the waters after thee when the bear- 
 ers fell, but it was useless. I should have 
 been lost, encumbered as I was with my arms, 
 only for the bearers who saved me. No;^ 
 even as Alia sends visitations of evil, so does
 
 60 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 he most frequently in his wisdom find a path 
 of extrication from them ; there was a youth — 
 a noble fellow, a very Roostum, and by Alia a 
 Mejnoon in countenance, — who saw the acci- 
 dent. His quick eye sav/ thy lifeless form cast 
 up by the boiling water, and he rescued thee at 
 the peril of his own life, — a valuable one too, 
 fairest, for he is the son of a widow, the only 
 son, and the head of the family, — in a word the 
 son of her who has tended thee so gently — " 
 
 ■' Holy Prophet!" exclaimed the lady, ''was 
 I in this peril, and so rescued ? At the peril of 
 his own Hfe too, — and he a widow^s son, thou 
 saidst? What if he had been lost?" And she 
 fell to musing silently. 
 
 Gradually however (for the Khan did not 
 hazard a reply) her bosom heaved: a tear 
 welled over one of her eyelids, and fell upon 
 her hand unnoticed, — another, and another. 
 The Khan let them have their course. " They 
 will soothe her better than my words," he 
 thought, and thought truly. 
 
 After awhile she spoke again; it was ab- 
 ruptly, and showed her thoughts had been 
 with her deliverer. 
 
 "Thou wilt reward him, noble Khan," she
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 61 
 
 said ; " mine is but a poor life, 't is true, but 
 of some worth in thy sight, I know, — and of 
 much in that of those I have left behind. 
 ^ly mother ! it would have been a sore blow 
 to thee to have heard of thy rose's death so 
 soon after parting." 
 
 "Reward him, Ameena!" cried the Khan, 
 "ay, with half my wealth, would he take it; 
 but he is of proud blood and a long ancestry, 
 though he is but a Patel, and such an offer 
 would be an insult. Think — thou art quick- 
 witted, and speak thy thought freely .'' 
 
 " He would not take money?" thou saidst. 
 
 " No, no, — I dare not offer it." 
 
 "Jewels perhaps, for his mother, — he may 
 have all mine ; thou knowest there are some 
 of value." 
 
 " He would set no value upon them ; to him 
 they are of no use, for he is not married." 
 
 "Not married! and so beautiful!" she said, 
 musing aloud. 
 
 " Nor to his mother," continued the Khan, 
 who had not heard her exclamation, — "she 
 is an old woman. No, jewels would not do, 
 though they are better than money."
 
 62 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 " Horses, arms, — they might gratify him, if 
 he is a soldier." 
 
 "Ay, that is better, for he is a soldier from 
 head to heel. But of what use would they be 
 to him without service in which to exercise 
 them ? Here there are no enemies but plun- 
 derers now and then ; but — I have it now," 
 he continued joyfully after a pause, — "service ! 
 ay, that is his best reward, — to that I can help 
 him. By the Prophet, I was a fool not to have 
 thought of this sooner. He will be a rare ad- 
 dition to Tippoo's Pagha. I am much mis- 
 taken, too, in a few months, if he have an 
 opportunity (and, by the blessing of the Pro- 
 phet, it is seldom wanting against either the 
 English or Hindoo kafirs), if he do not win 
 himself not only renown, but a command per- 
 haps like my own. Tippoo Sultaun is no re- 
 specter of persons." 
 
 *' Ay, my noble lord, such an offer would be 
 worthy of thy generosity and his acceptance,^' 
 was the lady^s reply: "and he could easily 
 follow us to the city." 
 
 " And why not accompany us ? I for one 
 should be glad of his society, for he is a scho-
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 63 
 
 lar as well as a soldierj and that is more than 
 I am. Besides one of my men fell last night, 
 and his place is vacant." 
 
 " Fell ! was drowned ? " she exclaimed. 
 " No, my pearl, his hour was come ; he fell 
 by the hand of Alia, struck by lightning." 
 
 " Ay, it was very fearful," she said shudder- 
 ing, " I remember that ; — who fell, didst thou 
 say ? " 
 
 « Ibrahim." 
 
 " Alas ! it was he that twice saved thy life." 
 " It was; but this was his destiny thou know- 
 est : it had been written, and who could have 
 averted it ? What sayest thou, shall I offer the 
 Patelthe place?" 
 
 *' Not Ibrahim's, since thou askest me," she 
 said ; " as he is of gentle blood, ask him to ac- 
 company thee; or say, 'Come to Abdool Rhy- 
 man at Seringapatam, the leader of a thousand 
 horse,' — which thou wilt. Say thou wilt give 
 him service in thine own risala, and hear his 
 determination." 
 
 " Well spoken, my rose!" said the blunt sol- 
 dier; "verily I owe him the price of thy glorious 
 beauty and thy love, both of which were lost
 
 64 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 to me, but for him, for ever. So Alia keep 
 thee ! I will not disturb thee again till evening, 
 and advise thee to rest thyself from all thy 
 many fatigues and alarms — Alia Hafiz \" 
 
 "A very Roostum ! a Mejnoon in counte- 
 nance,^' thought the fair creature, as, shutting 
 her eyes, she threw herself back against the 
 pillows ; " a noble fellow, my lord called him, 
 and a scholar, — how many perfections ! A 
 widow's son, — very dear to her he must be, — 
 she w-ill not part with him/' 
 
 Again there was another train of thought. 
 " He must have seen my face, — holy Prophet! I 
 w as not able to conceal that ; he carried me too 
 in his arms, and I was insensible ; what if my 
 dress was disordered?" and she blushed un- 
 consciously, and drew it instinctively around 
 her. " And he must have seen me too in the 
 broad light when he entered this room : what 
 could he have thought of me ? they say I am 
 beautiful." And a look she unthinkingly cast 
 upon a small mirror, which, set in a ring, she 
 wore upon her thumb, appeared to confirm the 
 thought, for a gentle smile passed over her 
 countenance for an instant. " What could he
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 65 
 
 have thought of me?" she added. But her 
 speculations as to his thoughts by some un- 
 accountable means to her appeared to disturb 
 her own; and, after much unsatisfactory rea- 
 soning, she fell into a half dose, a dreamy 
 state, when the scenes of the night before — the 
 storm — the danger — the waters — and her own 
 rescue, flitted before her fancy ; and perhaps 
 it is not strange, that in them a figure which 
 she beheved to be a likeness of the young 
 Patel occupied a prominent and not a dis- 
 agreeable situation.
 
 66 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 It was now evening ; the gentle breeze which 
 came over the mimosa-grove loaded the air with 
 the rich perfume of the blossoms. Cattle, re- 
 turning from the distant pastures, lowed as they 
 approached the village ; and a noisy herd of 
 goats, driven by a few half-naked boys, kept 
 up an incessant bleating. Far in the west the 
 sun had set in brilliancy; and a few light and 
 exquisitely tinted clouds floated away towards 
 the rocky range of the Adoni fortress, whose 
 rugged outlines could be seen sharply defined 
 against the sky. There were many beauties 
 there, but they only remained to the living. 
 
 The grave of the Khan^s retainer had been 
 filled in, and the long narrow mound raised on 
 the top : one by one, those who had attended
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 67 
 
 the funeral turned away and retired ; but the 
 Khan and Kasim, anxious to pay the last 
 marks of respect to the deceased, staid till all 
 had been smoothed down, and the place swept. 
 Garlands of flowers were strewn upon the grave, 
 — they left the dead to its corruption, and re- 
 turned home. 
 
 But among soldiers, especially Asiatics, — 
 whose behef in fatality, Avhile it leads them to 
 be often reckless of hfe, yet when a stroke 
 of sorrow comes teaches them resignation — 
 death makes perhaps but little impression, 
 unless any one near or dear is stricken down. 
 The Khan and his host, having partaken of the 
 hearty meal supphed by the Patel, and most 
 exquisitely cooked by the stout functionary we 
 have before alluded to, and having each been 
 supplied with that soother of many mortal ills 
 a good hooka, had already almost forgotten 
 the ceremony they had assisted in, and were 
 well disposed to become excellent friends, and 
 to detail to each other passages in their lives, 
 which they would for ever have remained igno- 
 rant of but for the fortuitous circumstances in 
 which they had been placed.
 
 68 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 And it was after a recital of his own deeds^ 
 which, however modestly given, could not 
 fail of having impressed Kasim with a high 
 sense of his gallant conduct, that the Khan 
 said, "My brother, I was an adventurer, as 
 you might be ; young and active, hairbrained 
 perhaps, and ready for any exciting employ- 
 ment, with only my arms and an indifferent 
 horse, I entered the service of Hyder Ali. You 
 see me now the commander of a thousand 
 horse, having won a reputation at the sword's 
 point second to none in his gallant army. Why 
 shouldst thou not have the same fate, — thou 
 who hast personal attractions, greater power, 
 and scholai'ship to aid thee — all of infinite value 
 to an adventurer? What sayest thou then, 
 \vilt thou save him whom I serve, — Tippoo, the 
 lion of war, the upholder of the Faith ? Speak, 
 O Patel, for I love thee, and can help thee in 
 this matter." 
 
 " My lord draws a bright picture to dazzle 
 mine understanding," he answered ; " I have 
 di-eamed of such things, of attaining to giddy 
 eminences even of rank and power ; but they 
 are no more, I well know, than the false visions
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 69 
 
 of youth, the brighter and more alluring as they 
 are the more deceptive and unattainable." 
 
 " By my beard, by your salt, I say no ! " 
 cried the Khan ; " I have said nothing but what 
 is a matter of every-day occurrence in the 
 army. What was Ryder's origin? — lower, 
 infinitely lower than thine own. Thy an- 
 cestry was noble, — his can but be traced back 
 a few generations, beginning with a Punjabee 
 Fakeer, and descending (not much improved 
 i' faith) to his father Hyder, whose mother 
 was only the daughter of a cloth-weaver of 
 Allund, somewhere by Koolburgah. It is 
 destiny, young man, destiny which will guide 
 thee — destiny which, on thy high and broad 
 forehead, shines as brightly as if thy future 
 history were already written there in letters of 
 gold." 
 
 "My lord's words are enticing, very en- 
 ticing," said the youth, " and ever have I felt 
 that the inactive hfe I am leading was a shame 
 on me in these times ; but I like not the ser- 
 vice of the Nizam, and the Mahrattas are in- 
 fidels ; I would not shame my faith by con- 
 sorting with them."
 
 70 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 " Bravely spoken ! hadst thou come to 
 Tippoo Sultaun mounted and armed as thou 
 shouldst be, — even alone and unbefriended as I 
 did to his father, — he would have enrolled thee 
 upon handsome pay at once in his own Pagha*. 
 With me, thou wilt have the benefit of a friend ; 
 and I swear to thee upon this my beard, and thy 
 salt," cried the Khan generously, " I will be a 
 friend and a brother to thee, even as thou has^ 
 been one to me, and her who is as dear to me 
 as my own life's blood. I owe this to thee for 
 her life, — for the risk of thine own, when we 
 were nothing to thee, by Alia, but as the dust 
 of the earth, — I owe it for thine hospitality ; I 
 desire thee for a companion and a friend ; and, 
 above all, my spirit is vexed to see one like 
 thee hiding here in his village, and marring his 
 own destiny by sloth and inaction. Dost thou 
 think that service will come to seek thee, if thou 
 dost not seek it ? " 
 
 The young man felt the spirit-stirring ad- 
 dress of the rough but kind soldier deeply, 
 but he still hesitated : the Khan tried to guess 
 his thoughts. 
 
 * Household troops.
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 71 
 
 "Dost thou think," he said, "that I have 
 sweet words at my command wherewith to 
 entice thee? Ay, that is my mistake, and I 
 have spoken too freely to one who has never 
 yet known contradiction nor received advice." 
 
 " Not so, not so, noble Khan, almost my 
 father!" cried Kasim; "I beseech thee not to 
 think mc thus haughty or impatient. By your 
 beard, I am not — I thought but of my mother 
 — of the suddenness of this — of ray own — " 
 
 " Poverty, perhaps," said the Khan; "do not 
 be ashamed to own it. Thou woiddst go to ser- 
 vice as a cavalier, as thou art, gallantly armed 
 and mounted, — is it not so ?" 
 
 " It is : I would not serve on foot, nor have 
 I money to buy a horse such as I would ride 
 into battle." 
 
 "Right! thou art right, by the Prophet, 
 but let not this trouble thee. We spoke of 
 thee this morning: we dare not offer thee 
 money — nay, be not impatient — we dare not 
 offer thee jewels, else both were thine. We 
 could offer thee honourable service; and, if 
 thou wilt accept it, as my brother thou art en- 
 titled to look to me thine elder, thou knowest,
 
 72 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 for such matters as thou needest. With me 
 are two horses, the best of the Dekhan blood, 
 beside mine own Motee : him thou canst not 
 have : but either of the others, or both, are 
 thine ; and if they do not suit thee, there are 
 others at the city where thou shalt be free 
 to choose. See, I have conquered all thy 
 scruples." 
 
 The young man was much affected, and the 
 Khan's kindness fairly brought the tears to 
 his eyes. " Such service as I can do thee, O 
 generous being," he exclaimed, " I vow here 
 under mine own roof and by the head of my 
 mother, — I will follow thee to the death. Such 
 honourable service as I would alone have ever 
 accepted is in my power, and I accept it with 
 gratitude to thee and thine, whom the Prophet 
 shield with his choicest care!" 
 
 " It were well that your an'angements were 
 quickly concluded, for I cannot wait beyond 
 tomorrow," said the Khan. 
 
 " It will be ample for my slender prepara- 
 tions," replied the youth. "I will break thi 
 to my mother now." 
 
 " You do right, Meer Sahib ; I honour thee
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 73 
 
 for thy consideration; and I too will to the 
 Khanum : she will be glad to hear that her 
 deliverer and her lord are now friends and 
 brothers in service." 
 
 Kasim sought his mother ; she was with 
 her guest as he passed the door of the inner 
 chamber ; so he desired a girl who was without 
 to inform his mother he desired to speak with 
 her in his own apartment. 
 
 There was not much to tell her, and yet he 
 knew that it would grieve the old lady. "But 
 I cannot continue thus," he thought aloud; 
 " the fortunes of our house have fallen, and the 
 Khan's words bear conviction with them. I 
 can retrieve them, — I may perhaps retrieve 
 them I should rather say; and, after all, she 
 will rejoice to hear of me, and the fortune and 
 rank I shall, by the blessing of Alia, speedily 
 M'in ; and then — " but here his thoughts be- 
 came quite inexpressible, even to himself; for 
 there rushed suddenly before his imagination 
 such a tide of processions, soldiery, elephants, 
 wars, camps, as almost bewildered him ; while 
 here and there a figure mingled with all, which, 
 had he been closely questioned, he must have 
 
 VOL. I. E
 
 74 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 admitted was that of the fair Ameena. But 
 his mother interrupted what we will say he 
 was striving to put from him, by entering and 
 standing before him. 
 
 "Thou didst send for me, my son/' she 
 said ; " what news hast thou to tell ? Was the 
 Khan pleased with the Zeafut * ? was the meat 
 well cooked? By the Prophet, he hath a 
 glorious cook ; what dishes he sent into the 
 Khanum, of which we have been partaking ! 
 By thine eyes, I have not tasted such since — 
 since — " 
 
 But while the old lady was trying to remem- 
 ber when she had last eaten of such savoury 
 messes as she spoke of, her son gently inter- 
 rupted her, and said gravely, as he rose and 
 seated her in his own place, " Mother, I have 
 much to tell thee, so collect thy thoughts and 
 listen." 
 
 She was attentive in a moment, and eagerly 
 looked for what he should say, — with not a little 
 apprehension perhaps, for there was sadness, 
 nay even a quivering, perceptible in the tone 
 with which he spoke. 
 
 * Entertainment.
 
 TIPPOO SUL.TAUN. 7^ 
 
 Her grief was uncontrollable at first : — yet he 
 gradually unfolded all his hopes— his previous 
 determination to enter service when he could 
 with honour — his desires for an active life — 
 and his great chances of speedy advancement 
 under the patronage of his friend; — and he 
 laid them before his mother with a natural elo- 
 quence, under which her first sudden shock of 
 grief fast yielded. Kasim saw his opportunity, 
 and continued, — 
 
 " So much as thou lovest me, mother, wilt 
 thou not have pride when I wi'ite to thee that 
 I command men, that I have fought with the 
 infidel Enghsh, that I have been rewarded, that 
 I am honoured ? Wilt thou not feel, and then 
 say, — ' If I had prevented him, there would 
 have been none of this.' And doth it not 
 behove eveiy believer now to draw his sword 
 in defence of the faith ? Look around : — the 
 Enghsh are masters of Bengal and Oude ; they 
 hold Mahamed Mi of the Carnatic and him of 
 Oude in a base thraldom ; — they thirst for con- 
 quest, and are as brave as they are cunning ; — 
 the Mahrattas have taken Hindostan and the 
 Dekhan, and are eveiy day making encroach- 
 
 E 2
 
 76 TIPPOO SULTAUX. 
 
 ments upon Nizam All's power, which totters 
 upon an insecure foundation ; — and do not the 
 eyes of every true believer turn to Tippoo, a 
 man who has raised himself to be a monarch ? 
 I say, mother, I believe it to be my destiny to 
 follow his fortunes : I have long thought so, 
 and have eagerly watched the time when I 
 should be able to join him. It has come, and 
 dost thou love thy son so little, as to stand in 
 the May of fame, honour, wealth, everything 
 that is dear to me as a man, and as thy 
 son?'' 
 
 The old lady could not reply : but she 
 arose and cast herself upon the manly breast 
 of her son, and though she sobbed bitterly 
 and long, yet at last she told him in accents 
 broken by her emotion she was convinced that 
 he was acting wisely, and that her prayers night 
 and day would be for his welfare. 
 
 And her mind once being reconciled to the 
 thought of parting with him, she made every 
 preparation with alacrity. Such few garments 
 as were necessary, and were the best among 
 his not over-abundant stock, were put aside 
 and looked over ; and one or two showy hand-
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 77 
 
 kerchiefs and scarfs which she possessed, -with 
 deep gold borders to them, were added to his 
 wardrobe. "I shall not want them," she said; 
 " I am old, and ought not to think of finery." 
 
 Nor did Kasim neglect his own affairs ; 
 having made the communication to his mo- 
 ther, he at once sought the Kurnum, or ac- 
 countant of the village, and disclosed his in- 
 tentions to that worthy functionary. Though 
 somewhat surprised at his sudden decision, he 
 did not wonder at its being made ; and, as he 
 was a rich man, he liberally tendered a loan of 
 money to enable Kasim to live respectably, 
 until such time as he should receive pay from 
 his new master. He dispatched a messenger 
 for his uncle, his mother's brother, who arrived 
 at night ; and early the next morning he had 
 concluded every arrangement for the manage- 
 ment of his little property and the care of his 
 mother. 
 
 These matters being arranged to his satis- 
 faction, Kasim sought the Khan, with a light 
 heart and sincere pleasure upon his counte- 
 nance. He found him busied inspecting his 
 horses, and greeted him heartily.
 
 78 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 "Well/' asked the Khan, "how fared you 
 with the lady your mother after you left me ? " 
 
 "Well, excellently well," was the reply; 
 " she made some opposition at first, but was 
 reasonable in the end." 
 
 " Good ! then I have no blame on my head," 
 he said laughing ; " but tell me, when shalt 
 thou be prepared ? " 
 
 " Now, Khan Sahib, even now am I ready ; 
 speak the word, and I attend you at once." 
 
 " Why then delay, Kasim? Bismilla! let us go 
 at once ; the Khanum is well, and if thy good 
 mother can but give us a plain kicheree* we 
 will set off soon ; the day is cloudy and there 
 will be no heat." 
 
 " I will go bid her prepare it : and when I 
 have put on some travelhng garment better 
 than this, Khan Sahib, and got out my arms, 
 as soon as thou wilt we may be in our saddles. 
 I am already impatient to see the road." 
 
 The meal was soon despatched by master 
 
 and servant, — the camels loaded, — the horses 
 
 saddled. No one saw the farewell Kasim took 
 
 of his mother; but it was observed that his 
 
 * Rice and pulse boiled together.
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 79 
 
 cheek was wet when he came out of his house 
 accoutred and armed, — a noble figure indeed, 
 and one which drew forth an exclamation of 
 surprise and gratification from the Khan.
 
 so TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 And in truth, accoutred as he was, and dressed 
 in better clothes than he had hitherto worn, 
 Meer Kasim Ali was one on whom the eye of 
 man could not rest for a moment without ad- 
 miration, nor that of woman m ithout love. He 
 wore a dark purple silk vest, bordered round 
 the throat and openings at the chest with broad 
 gold lace and handsome gold pointed buttons ; a 
 crimson waistband with a deep gold border was 
 around his loins, in which were stuck several 
 daggers of various forms and very beautifully 
 chased silver handles ; and on his shoulder was 
 a broad gold belt or baldric, somewhat tarnished 
 it is true, but still handsome. This supported 
 a long sword, with a half basket hilt inlaid with 
 gold and Uned with crimson velvet ; the scab-
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUX. 81 
 
 bai'd was of the same, ornamented and protected 
 at the end by a deep and richly chased ferule. 
 At his back was a shield much covered with 
 gilding and brass bosses. 
 
 " By Alia and the twelve Imaums," cried the 
 Khan, "thou art worthy to look on, and a jewel 
 of price in the eye of an old soldier. But there 
 are the steeds, — take thy choice ; the chestnut is 
 called Yacoot* ; he is hot, but a gallant beast, 
 and perfect in his paces. The other I call 
 Hyder, after him who was my first master ; he 
 is steadier perhaps, and not so active : say, 
 which wilt thou have?^^ 
 
 " I think, with your permission, Khan Sabib, 
 I will mount Yacoot ;" and so saying, he ap- 
 proached him and bounded into the saddle. 
 
 "Alia, what a seat !" cried the Khan in an 
 extasy of admiration, after Kasim had mounted, 
 and the horse had made several wonderful 
 bounds : " he does not move, — no, not a hair's 
 breadth ! even I should have been disturbed 
 by that. Inshalla ! he is a good horseman. 
 Enough, Mecr Sahib," he cried, " enough now ; 
 Yacoot is a young beast and a fiery devil, but 
 
 • Ruby.
 
 82 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 I think after all he will suit thee better than the 
 other/^ 
 
 " I think Yacoot and I shall be very good 
 friends when we know each other better," said 
 Kasim ; " but see, the Khanum waits, and the 
 bearers are ready. Put the palankeen close up 
 to the door that it may be the more conve- 
 nient," he added to them. 
 
 They obeyed ; and in a few moments a figure 
 enveloped from head to foot, but M'hose tink- 
 ling anklets were delicious music in the ears 
 of Kasim, emerged from the threshold of the 
 house, and instantly entered the palankeen. 
 Another followed, and busied herself for a few 
 moments in arranging the interior of the 
 vehicle. This was Kasim's mothej*, whose 
 heart, almost too full for utterance, had much 
 difficulty in mustering w^ords sufficient to bid 
 her lovely guest farewell. 
 
 " May Alia keep you !" said the ola lady, 
 blinded by her tears; "you are young, and 
 proud, and beautiful, but you will sometimes 
 think perhaps of the old Patelne. Remember 
 all I have told you of my son; and that as 
 the Khan is a father to him, so you are his
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 83 
 
 mother: — ye have now the care of him, not I. 
 May Alia keep thee ! for my old eyes can hardly 
 hope to see thee again ;" and she blessed her. 
 
 " Willingly, mother," she replied ; " all that 
 constant solicitude for his welfare can effect, I 
 will do ; and while I have life I Mill remember 
 thee, thy care and kindness. Alia Hafiz I do 
 you too remember Ameena." 
 
 The old lady had no reply to give ; she shut 
 the door of the palankeen with trembling hands, 
 — and the bearers, understanding the signal, 
 advanced, raised it to their shoulders, and bore 
 it rapidly forward. 
 
 " Come," cried the Khan, who had mounted ; 
 " delay not, Kasim." 
 
 " Not a moment, — a few last words with my 
 mother, and I follow thee." 
 
 She was standing at the door ; he rode up to 
 her and stooped down from the horse gently, 
 "Thy blessing, mother, again," he said, — " thj'- 
 last blessing on thy son." 
 
 She gave it ; and hastily searching for a rupee, 
 she drew a handkerchief from her bosom, and 
 folding it in it, tied it around his arm. " My 
 blessing, the blessing of the holy Alia and of
 
 84 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 the Imaum Zamin be upon thee, my son ! May 
 thy footsteps lead thee into happiness, — may 
 thy destiny be great. May I again see my 
 son ere I die, that mine eyes may greet him as 
 a warrior, and one that has won fame.'^ 
 
 " I thank thee, mother ; but saidst thou 
 aught to her of me ?" 
 
 ^' I told her much of thee and of thy temper 
 from thy youth up : it appeared to interest her, 
 and she hath promised to befriend thee." 
 
 " Enough, dear mother ! remember my last 
 words, — to have the trees I planted looked to 
 and carefully tended, and the tomb protected. 
 Inshalla ! I will return to see them grown up, 
 and again be reminded of the spot where I 
 saved her life." 
 
 And so saying, and not trusting himself to 
 speak to many who would have crowded around 
 him for a last word, the young man turned his 
 horse, and, striking his heels sharply into its 
 flank, the noble animal bounding forward bore 
 him away after his future companions, followed 
 by the blessings and dim and streaming eyes of 
 most who were assembled around the door of 
 his mother's home.
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 85 
 
 The old lady heeded not that her veil had 
 dropped from her face ; there was but one ob- 
 ject which occupied her vision of the many that 
 were before her eyes, and that was the martial 
 figure of her son as it rapidly disappeared before 
 her. She lost sight of him as he passed the 
 gate of the village : again she saw him beyond. 
 There was a slight ascent, up which the party, 
 now united, were rapidly advancing : he reached 
 them. She saw him exchange greeting with 
 the Khan, as he checked his bounding steed, 
 fall in by his side, apparently in familial' con- 
 verse, and for a short time more the whole 
 were brightly before her, as a gleam of sunhght 
 shone forth, glancing brightly from their spear- 
 heads and the bosses on their shields, and upon 
 the gay colours of their dresses. A bright omen 
 she thought it was of the future. But they 
 had now attained the summit. Kasim and the 
 Khan disappeared gradually behind it ; then 
 the attendants — the palankeen — the servants — 
 the camels, — one by one were lost to her gaze. 
 Suddenly the place was void; she shook the 
 bhnding stream from her eyes, and looked again 
 — but there was no one there ; her son and his
 
 86 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 companions had passed away, — she thought for 
 ever. Then only, she perceived that she was 
 unveiled, and hastily retreating into her now^ 
 lonely and cheerless abode, for the while gave 
 herself up to that violent grief which she had 
 been ill able to repress as he left her. 
 
 '^Ay, now thou lookest like a gentleman, as 
 thou art in very truth," said the Khan, after 
 they had ridden some miles. ** What sayest 
 thou, Meer Sahib, hast thou been instructed in 
 the use of the arms thou wearest ? Canst thou 
 do thy qusrut* — use a mugdoorf — play with 
 a sword and shield ? and what sort of a marks- 
 man art thou?^' 
 
 " As a marksman. Khan, I have pretty good 
 practice at the deer which roam our plains and 
 devastate our corn-fields ; as to the rest, thou 
 knowest I am but a village youth." 
 
 " Modestly spoken, Meer Sahib. Now take 
 Dilawur Ali^s matchlock, and kill me one of 
 those deer yonder ; " and he pointed to a herd 
 which was quietly browsing at some distance : 
 *' Me will put it on a camel, and it will be a 
 supper for us.^' 
 
 * Gymnastic exercises. \ A heavy club.
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 87 
 
 "I will try. Khan Sahib," returned Kasim 
 joyfully and eagerly ; " only stay here, and dis- 
 mount if you will, lest they should see you; 
 and if I can get within shot, thou shalt have 
 the deer." 
 
 " Give him thy gun then,^' said the Khan to 
 his retainer ; " is it properly charged?" 
 
 The palankeen was put down, and all waited 
 the issue with much interest and anxiety. 
 
 The Khan went to the palankeen. " Look 
 out, my rose," he said ; " I have dared the Patel 
 to shoot a deer, and he is gone to do it. Look, 
 see how he creeps onward, like a cat or a pan- 
 ther." 
 
 The lady looked out. It was very exciting 
 to her to see the motions of the young man ; 
 and, if it may be beheved, she actually put up a 
 mental prayer for his success. " Ya Alia, give 
 him a steady hand!" she said inwardly, and 
 looked the more. 
 
 " He will be near them soon," said the Khan, 
 shading his eyes with his hands ; " there is a 
 nulla yonder whicli will afford him cover ; canst 
 thou see ? Mashalla ! this is better than shoot- 
 ing one oneself."
 
 88 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 «i 
 
 They have seen him ! " cried the lady, as one 
 of the deer which had been lying down got up 
 and gazed wai'ily about. " They will be off ere 
 he can get within shot/' 
 
 " Not so, by your eyes ! " cried the Khan ; 
 "he has crouched down. See ! raise thyself a 
 little higher ; look at him crawling." 
 
 Kasim's progress was slow, and had he been 
 alone he would have given up the pursuit ; but 
 he knew the Khan was observing him, perhaps 
 Ameena. It was enough, — he crept stealthily 
 on. 
 
 "He will never get near them," said the fat 
 cook. " Who is he — a village Patel — that he 
 should shoot ? Ay, now, at my city we have the 
 real shooting ; there, over the plains of Surroo 
 Nuggur, thousands of antelopes are bounding 
 with no one to molest them, except Nizam Ali, 
 who goes out with the nobles and shoots a 
 hundred sometimes in a day. I Avas once 
 there, and killed " 
 
 " With thy knife, O Zoolfoo, and roasted it 
 afterwards I suppose," said Nasur : " don't tell 
 us lies ; thou knowest thou never hadst a gun 
 in thy hand since thou wast born.' 
 
 )}
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 89 
 
 " That is another lie," retorted Zoolfoo. " By 
 the beard of Moula Ali, if I was yonder I would 
 have fired long ago : we shall have no venison 
 for supper I see plainly enough. See how he 
 is crawling on the ground as a frog would, — 
 can't he walk upright hke a man?" 
 
 " He knows well enough what he is doing, 
 you father of owls," was the reply. " Inshalla ! 
 we shall all eat venison tonight, and thou wilt 
 have to cook us kabobs and cun-ies." 
 
 " Venison and methee-ke-bajee make a good 
 curry," mused the cook ; " and kabobs are also 
 good, dried in the sun and seasoned." 
 
 " Look ! he is going to shoot," cried the 
 Khan ; " which will it be ? I wager thee a new 
 dooputta* he does not kill." 
 
 " Kubool ! I agree," said the lady ; " he will 
 kill by the blessing of Alia, — I feel sure he will." 
 
 But Kasim's gun went down, 
 
 " He is too far off yet," she said : and he was. 
 He saw a mound at a little distance, from him, 
 and tried to reach it, crawling on as before. - 
 
 But the deer saw him. He observed their 
 alarm, and lay motionless. They all got up and 
 
 * Scarf.
 
 90 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 looked : — he did not move. The buck trotted 
 forward a few paces, saw what it was, and ere 
 the young man coukl get his gun to his shoulder 
 as he lay, he had turned. 
 
 " I told you so," cried the Khan ; " they are 
 oif, and I have won." 
 
 " There is yet a chance," said Ameena 
 anxiously. 
 
 " I said he would not kill," said the cook ; 
 " we shall have no venison." 
 
 They were all wrong. Kasim saw there was 
 no chance unless he rose and fired; so he 
 rose instantly. The deer regarded him for an 
 instant, turned as with one motion, and fled 
 bounding away. 
 
 " There is yet a chance," cried Ameena again, 
 as she saw the gun jDointed. " Holy Alia ! he 
 has won my wager ! " she added, clapping her 
 hands. 
 
 He had, and won it well. As the herd 
 bounded on, he waited till the buck was clear 
 of the rest. He fired ; and springing high into 
 the air it rolled forward on the ground ; and while 
 it yet struggled, Kasim had drawn his knife 
 across the throat, pronouncing the formula.
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUX. 91 
 
 « Shookr Alia !" cried the cook, " it is Hulal* 
 at any rate." 
 
 "Shabash!" exclaimed the Khan, "he has 
 done it : — he is as good as his word, — he is a 
 rare marksman. So thou hast won thy wager, 
 Pearee t/' he added. " Well, I vow to thee a 
 Benares dooputta : thou shalt have one in me- 
 mory of the event." 
 
 She would not, however, have forgotten it 
 without. 
 
 " Go, some of ye," continued the Khan, " and 
 take the lightest laden of the camels, for the 
 Syud is beckoning to us : bring the game hither 
 speedily." 
 
 The deer was soon brought, and laid near the 
 palankeen, where the Khan stood. The bright 
 eye was already glazed and suffused with blood. 
 
 " Ay, now thou canst see it," he said to the 
 lady, who, closely veiled, yet had apertures for 
 her eyes through which she could obsene dis- 
 tinctly. " Is it not a noble beast? — fat, too, by 
 the Prophet ! It was a good shot at that di- 
 stance.'^ 
 
 " It was partly accident. Khan Sahib," re- 
 plied Kasim. 
 
 * Lawful to be eaten. f Beloved.
 
 92 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 " Not so, by your beard, not so, Patel ; it was 
 no chance. I should be very sorry to stand for 
 thee to shoot at even further than it was." 
 
 " I should be very sorry to shoot at my lord, 
 or any one but an enemy,'' he returned, " seeing 
 that I rarely miss my mark whether on foot or 
 on horseback." 
 
 " I believe thee," returned the Khan ; " but 
 where is that lazy cook ? " he cried, after he had 
 mounted. 
 
 " Hazir* !" cried Zoolfoo, urging on his pony 
 from behind as fast as he could, for it shied at 
 everything it saw. " Your slave is coming," he 
 shouted, as the Khan grew impatient. And at 
 last, joining his hands together, he was in his 
 presence. 
 
 " Kya Hookum?" he asked, "what orders 
 has my lord for his slave ? " 
 
 " See that there is a good curry this evening ; 
 and if thou canst get methee, put it in ; — dost 
 thou hear?" 
 
 " My lord and the Meer Sahib shall say they 
 have never eaten such," said the functionary 
 joyfully ! " Inshalla ! it will be one fit for 
 the Huzoor himself." 
 
 * Present.
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 93 
 
 He fell back. « I thought," he said, " how 
 it would be, — venison and methee ; yes, I had 
 thought as much : my lord has a good taste." 
 And the idea of methee and venison comforted 
 him for the rest of the day's journey. 
 
 And now the party rode on merrily, though 
 not fast. The Khan became more and more 
 pleased with his new fi'iend every hour that 
 they rode together. Kasim's stores of learning 
 were not extensive ; but so far as he possessed 
 knowledge of books he unfolded it to the 
 Khan. He recited pieces of Hafiz, — passages 
 fi'om the Shah Namah, of which he had read 
 selections. He repeated tales from the Ikhlak-i- 
 Hindee, from the Bostan, and ghuzuls* from the 
 earher Oordoo poets ; until the Khan, who had 
 never thought of these accompHshments him- 
 self, and who knew none who possessed them, 
 was fairly astonished. 
 
 But after a few hours' ride they were near the 
 village they were to rest at. " If thou knowest 
 any one in it," said the Khan, « we shall be able 
 to get a good place for the night." 
 
 * Songs.
 
 94 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 " I know the Patel well, Khan Sahib ; he 
 was my father's friend. I will gallop on, and 
 secure such a place as may be fitting for you 
 and the Khanum to rest in." 
 
 When they arrived, they found the Patel with 
 Kasim Ali ready to receive them at the door of 
 a neat but small mosque which was in the vil- 
 lage. A few tent walls were placed across the 
 open part, to screen them from the weather 
 and the public gaze, — then carpets spread; and 
 soon some were resting themselves, while others 
 wandered into the bazars or were employed in 
 various offices for the Khan. Particularly the 
 cook, who, after sending for a village butcher 
 to skin and cut up the deer, selected some 
 prime parts of the meat, which he proceeded 
 to dress after the following fashion, and which 
 we cordially recommend to all uninitiated. 
 
 The meat was cut into small pieces, and each 
 piece covered with the ingredients for seasoning 
 the dish, which had been ground with water to 
 the consistence of paste. Then some butter 
 and onions were put into a pan, and the onions 
 fried till they were brown. Into this was placed
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 95 
 
 the meat, some salt, and sour curds or butter- 
 milk : then it was suffered to simmer gently, 
 while Zoolfoo every now and then stirred it 
 with great assiduity. When it was partly done, 
 the vegetables were added; and in a short time 
 most savoury steams succeeded, saluting the 
 hungry noses of a few lean and half-starved 
 village dogs ; these, attracted by the savour, 
 prowled about with watering chops in the vi- 
 cinity of the fireplace, much cursed by the 
 cook, and frequently pelted with stones as they 
 ventured a Httle nearer. Many kites were 
 wheehng and screaming overhead, and a good 
 many crows sat upon the nearest stones, — upon 
 the wall and other slight elevations, — appa- 
 rently, by their constant chattering and croak- 
 ings, speculating upon their probable share. 
 
 "May your mothers and sisters be destroy- 
 ed!" cried the cook, at length fairly perplexed 
 between the dogs, the kites, and the crows, each 
 of which Matched the slightest inattention in 
 order to attempt to carry off an3i;hing they 
 could see : " may they be destroyed and dis- 
 honoured ! Ya Alia ! " he continued in excla- 
 mation, as he saw a dog coolly seize hold of and
 
 98 TIPPOO SULTAUX. 
 
 run away with part of the leg of the deer, " Ya 
 Alia ! that is Jumal Khan's portion ; — drop it, 
 you base-born ! — drop it, you son of a vile mo- 
 ther \" and he flung a stone after the delinquent, 
 which had happily effect on his hinder portion, 
 and made him limp off on three legs, howhng, 
 and without his booty. " Ha ! I hit you, did 
 I? that wiU teach you to steal \" and he picked 
 up the meat. 
 
 " But, holy Prophet, I am ruined !" he again 
 exclaimed. And indeed it was provoking enough 
 to see several kites in succession making stoops 
 at the little board upon which he had been 
 cutting up the meat for the kabob; at every 
 stoop carrj^ing off large pieces, which, holding 
 in their talons, they fairly ate as they sailed 
 over him, screaming apparently in exultation. 
 
 " Holy Prophet ! that I should have eaten 
 such dirt at the hands of these animals. Ho ! 
 Meer Sahib ! " he continued to Kasim who ap- 
 proached, " wilt thou keep watch here while I 
 cook the dinner ? for if thou dost not there will 
 be none left ; one brute had earned off this leg 
 which I have just rescued, and while I was about 
 that, the kites ate up the kabob."
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 97 
 
 The Syud could not help laughing at the 
 worthy functionary's distress. 
 
 " Well, as there is no one near, Zoolfoo, I 
 will sit here ;'' and he seated himself upon a log 
 of wood not far from him. "Now we will see if 
 any of these sons of unchaste mothers will come 
 near thee : thou deserv^est this for what thou 
 art doing for us there, which smelleth well." 
 
 " It is a dish for a prince, Meer Sahib," said 
 the cook, giving the contents of the pot an 
 affectionate stir. " I say it is a dish for the 
 Huzoor, and such an one as I have often cooked 
 for his zenana." 
 
 " Then thou wast in the kitchen of Nizam 
 AU?" 
 
 " Even so, Meer Sahib ; there is plenty to eat, 
 but little pay ; so I left the Huzoor to follow 
 the fortunes of the Khan, — may his prosperity 
 increase ! " 
 
 " Ay, he is a noble fellow, Zoolfoo, and a 
 generous one ; — see what he hath done for me 
 already." 
 
 " Thou didst enough for him," said the cook 
 drily. " Knowest thou that the Khanum is a 
 bride, and that she is only fourteen or fifteen, 
 and as beautiful as the moon at the full ? " 
 
 VOL. I. F
 
 58 TIPPOO SULTAUX, 
 
 "Is she?" said Kasim carelessly. 
 
 "Is she!" retorted the cook; "I saw her 
 three months ago, for she was a neighbour of 
 mine. I have known her for years, but that 
 she does not knoM'." 
 
 " Indeed ! that is very extraordinary," said 
 Kasim absently. 
 
 " Not at all/' replied the cook ; " my sister 
 was servant in their house for some years, — 
 nay, is there still. She told me all about this 
 marriage ; it was very splendid." 
 
 " Indeed ! " said Kasim again. 
 
 " Ay, truly ; and the maiden was very loth to 
 be married to one so old. But she was of age 
 to be married, and her parents did not like to 
 refuse when such a man as Abdool Rhyman 
 offered for her — Khan they call him, but he 
 was only the son of a soldier of the Huzoor's — 
 quite a poor man. They say — indeed Nasur 
 told me — that he has two other wives at Se- 
 ringapatam, but he has no child." 
 
 " That is very odd," said Kasim. 
 
 " Very," returned the cook. But their con- 
 versation was suddenly interrupted by one of 
 the men, whoa pproached, and relieved Kasim 
 of his watch.
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUX. 99 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 They rested in the town of Bellary the next 
 day; and as there was an alarm of parties of 
 Mahratta horse being abroad, though they 
 could hear of no one having suffered from 
 them, the Khan, on account of the baggage he 
 had with him, determined on travelling the 
 eastern road by Nundidroog ; from thence he 
 could reach the city, either by Bangalore, or 
 the western road, as best suited him. But no 
 enemy appeared, though several alarms were 
 given by the people. 
 
 At one place, however, after some days' tra- 
 vel, they heard that a party of horse had passed 
 the day before ; and at the stage after, they 
 kept a watch all night, — with some need in 
 
 F 2
 
 100 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 fact, for a marauding party of great strength 
 were undoubtedly in their vicinity, as was 
 plainly to be seen by the conflagration of a 
 small village at some coss distant, which could 
 easily be distinguished from the town wherein 
 they rested for the night. 
 
 " Tliis looks like danger," said the Khan, as 
 from the tower in the middle of the village he and 
 Kasim looked forth over the wide plain ; — "the 
 rascals yonder are at their old work. Strange, 
 that there are none of our horse hereabouts to 
 check them, and indeed I marvel that the rogues 
 dare venture so far into Tippoo's country.^' 
 
 " If it were day we could see their number," 
 replied Kasim ; " as it is, we must take heart, — 
 Inshalla ! our destiny is not so bad as to cause 
 us to eat dirt at the hands of those thieves." 
 
 " If I were alone, Kasim, I tell thee I would 
 now put myself at the head of ye all, and we 
 would reconnoitre that village; perhaps it may 
 only have been a chance fire after all." 
 
 But soon after, one or two persons mounted 
 upon ponies arrived, bringing the news that 
 their village had been attacked in the evening ; 
 aiid that, after the robbers had taken all they
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 101 
 
 could, they had set fire to several houses and 
 gone off in a southerly direction, — it was sup- 
 posed towards Gootee. 
 
 " Our very road I" said the Khan ; " but let 
 us not fear : we had better travel on slowly, for 
 it is probable that they have hastened on, and 
 long ere this are beyond the pass. In that case 
 there is but little fear of our overtaking them." 
 
 " I will stand by you and the Khanum to 
 the death," said Kasim, " and that thou well 
 knowest. They said there were not more than 
 fifty fellows, and I dare say their fears exagge- 
 rated them one half at least. But if I mig-ht 
 suggest anything, I would bring to your con- 
 sideration the propriety of hiring a few young 
 fellows from this village ; they will be able to 
 protect the baggage, and at least assist us 
 should there be any danger." 
 
 " A good thought, Kasim ; see thou to it 
 when the dawn breaks — nay now, if thou canst 
 find any. I will remain here and watch." 
 
 Kasim descended the tower, and at the foot 
 found some of the very men he wanted ; they 
 were half-naked figures, sitting around the 
 fire they had kindled : their heavy matchlocks
 
 102 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 leaned against the wall, and their waists were 
 girded round with poAvder-horns, small pouches 
 tilled with balls, and other matters necessary for 
 their use. There Mere two or three armed with 
 swords and shields, and the whole group had 
 a wild and picturesque appearance, as the fire, 
 upon which they had thrown some straw at the 
 young man's approach, blazed up, illuminating 
 the foot of the tower and the houses near it, 
 and causing the shadows of the men to dance 
 about in distorted figures. Two or three were 
 sitting upon their haras, between whom a coarse 
 hooka went its round, and was every now and 
 then replenished ; whilst the rest stood warm- 
 ing themselves over the blaze, or lounged about 
 at no great distance. 
 
 " Salaam Aliekoom !" said Kasim, as he ap- 
 proached them ; " say, which among you is the 
 chief?" 
 
 "Aliekoom salaam '."returned one, advancing: 
 " I am the Naik of these worthy men, say what 
 you want; command us, — we are your servants. 
 What see ye from the tower ? " 
 
 " Nothing but the blazing village," said 
 Kasim. •
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 103 
 
 '' The fellows have not left a roof-tree stand- 
 ing, they say," rejoined the Naik ; " but the 
 place was not defended, for the young men 
 were all absent ; and it is supposed the Mah- 
 rattas had news of this before they attacked it, 
 — they are arrant cowards." 
 
 ^^ You have found them so then ? " 
 
 " We have, — we have twice beaten them oil' 
 during the last few days, and killed one or two 
 of them." 
 
 " Mashalla ! thou ait a sharp fellow, — what 
 do they call thee ? " 
 
 " Nursingha is my name ; I am the nephew 
 ofthePatel." 
 
 *' Good, — then what sayest thou, Nursingha, 
 to accompanying our party for a few days, until 
 we are well past the hills, or indeed to Bala- 
 poor ; thou shalt have a rui)ee a day and thy 
 food, and six of thy men half, if thou wilt." 
 
 *' What say you, brothers ? " cried Nursingha 
 to the rest ; " what say you to the stranger's 
 offer? they seem men of substance, and they 
 are the Government servants, — we can hardly 
 refuse." 
 
 *• What are we to do ? " asked one.
 
 104 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 " Fight, if there is necessity," said Kasim, — 
 " canst thou do that ? " 
 
 " There is not a better shot in the Carnatic 
 than Lingoo yonder," said the Naik. 
 
 "He may shoot well and not fight well," re- 
 turned Kasim. 
 
 " I never feared Moosulman or Mahratta 
 yet,^^ said Lingoo. 
 
 " Crowed like a good cock !" cried Kasim, 
 " but thou art on thine own dunghill." 
 
 " I have fought with Hyder Ali many a time ', 
 and he who has done that may call himself 
 a soldier," retorted Lingoo. 
 
 *'' Well, so much the better; but say, what will 
 ye do ? here are ten or twelve, — half that num- 
 ber is enough to protect the village, especially 
 as the Mahrattas are gone on, — will ye come?" 
 
 " Pay us half our due here first," said the 
 man, " and we are ready — six of us ; have I said 
 well, brethren?" 
 
 " Ay, that is it," cried several. " How know 
 we that the gentlemen would not take us on, and 
 send us back empty-handed, as the last did?" 
 
 '* By Alia, that was shameful !" cried Kasim ; 
 " fear not, ye shall have half your money. 
 
 ))
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 105 
 
 " Kasim, O Kasim AH ! '^ cried a voice from 
 the top of the tower, interrupting him,— it was 
 the Khan's, and he spoke hurriedly, — " Kasim, 
 come up quickly \" r."- 
 
 " Holy Prophet, what can it be P*'^ said Ka- 
 sim, turning to the tower, followed by several 
 of the men. They were soon at the summit. 
 
 "What see you yonder?" asked the Khan, 
 pointing to a light which was apparently not 
 very far off. 
 
 " It is only a watchfire in the fields of the 
 next village," said the Naik. But as he spoke 
 there broke forth a blaze of brilliant light, which 
 at once shot up to the heavens, illuminating 
 a few clouds that were floating gently along, 
 apparently near the earth. 
 
 " That is no watchfire," ci'ied Kasim, as 
 it increased in volume every moment ; " it is 
 either a house which has accidentally caught 
 fire, or the Mahrattas are there. Watch, all of 
 ye ; if there are horsemen, the light will soon 
 show them." 
 
 " There again ! " exclaimed several at once, 
 as a bright flame burst out from another cor- 
 ner of the village, and was followed by others, 
 
 F 5
 
 106 TIPPOO SULTAL'X, 
 
 in various directions. " It must be the Mah- 
 rattas, and yet none are seen ! " 
 
 " They are among the houses," said the 
 Khan ; " they ^vill not come out till they are 
 obliged." 
 
 He was right ; for while all were ■v^•atching 
 anxiously the progress of the flames, which they 
 could see. spreading from house to house, there 
 rushed forth in a tumultuous manner from the 
 opposite side a body of perhaps twenty horse- 
 men, whose long spears, the points of which 
 every instant flashed through the gloom, proved 
 them to be the Mahratta party. 
 
 " Base sons of dogs ! " cried the Khan ; 
 " cowards, and sons of impure mothers ! — 
 to attack defenceless people in that way — to 
 burn their houses over their heads at night ! Oh 
 for a score of my own risala, — ay, for as many 
 more as we are now, and those rogues should 
 pay dearly for this ! " 
 
 "Who will follow KasimAU?" cried the 
 young man. " By the soul of the Prophet, we 
 are no thieves, and our hearts are strong. I say 
 one of us is a match for two of those cowards : 
 who will follow me?"
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 107 
 
 « 1 1 " — « and I !" — " and I !" cried several ; 
 and turned to follow the young man, who had 
 his foot on the steps ready to descend. 
 
 " Stop, I command you !" cried the Khan ; 
 " this is no time to risk anything : look yon- 
 der, — you thought there were but twenty; if 
 there is one, there are more than lifty/' 
 
 They looked again, and beheld a fearful sight. 
 The now blazing village was upon a gentle slope, 
 hardly a mile from them ; the light caused the 
 gloom of night to appear absolute darkness. 
 In the midst of this there was one glowing 
 spot, upon which every eye rested in intense 
 anxiety. Around the ill-fated village was an 
 open space, upon which bright ground were the 
 dark figures of the Mahratta horsemen in con- 
 stant motion ; while the black forms of persons 
 on foot — evidently the miserable inhabitants, in 
 vain striving to escape, — became, as they seve- 
 rally appeared, objects of fearful interest. Now 
 many wovdd i*ush from among the houses, pur- 
 sued by the horsemen ; several would disappear 
 in the gloom, and they supposed had escaped ; 
 whilst others but too plainly fell, either by the 
 spear-thrusts or under the sword-cuts of the
 
 108 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 horsemen. They could even see the flash of the 
 sword when the weapon descended ; and some- 
 times a faint shriek, which was heard at an 
 interval of time after a thrust or blow had been 
 seen, plainly proved that it had been successful. 
 
 " By Alia, this is hard to bear ! " exclaimed 
 Kasim ; " to see those poor creatures butchered 
 in cold blood, and yet have no means of striking 
 a blow in their defence !" 
 
 " It would be impossible for us to do any 
 good," said the Khan ; " suppose they were to 
 come on here after they had finished yonder. 
 I see nothing to prevent them." 
 
 " Inshalla! Khan, they will come; but what 
 thinkest thou, Nursingha?" 
 
 " They ow'e us a grudge, and may make the 
 attempt. Nay, it is more than probable, for they 
 are stronger than ever, and they cannot reckon 
 on your being here." 
 
 " We had as well be fully prepared," said the 
 Khan ; " have ye any jinjalls * ?" 
 
 " The Patel has two," said a man. 
 
 " Run then and bring them here, — also what 
 powder ye can find ; bring the Patel himself 
 * Heavy wall-pieces on swivels.
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 109 
 
 too, and alarm the village. Kasim," he conti- 
 nued, " wait thou here ; there is an apartment 
 in the tower, — thither I will bring the Khanum, 
 and what valuables we have with us. I do not 
 fear danger, but w^e had better be prepared." 
 
 In a short time the Khan returned, conduct- 
 ing his wife ; she was veiled from head to foot, 
 and Kasim heard them distinctly speaking as 
 they were coming up the stairs. 
 
 "Not there, not there \" said the lady; " alone, 
 and in that dark place, I should give way to 
 fears ; let me ascend, I pray thee, — I am a sol- 
 dier's daughtei-, and can bear to look on what 
 men and soldiers can do." 
 
 " No, no, my life, my soul ! " returned the 
 Khan, " it is not fit for thee ; if they should fire 
 upon us, there will be danger ; besides there 
 are many men, — thou wouldst not like it ; re- 
 member too I am near thee, and once the village 
 is alarmed thou wilt have many companions." 
 
 " I am not afraid," she said ; " I had rather 
 be with men than women at such a time." 
 
 " Well, well, Ameena, rest thou here now at 
 all events; should there be need thou canst join 
 us hereafter."
 
 110 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 The Khan a moment afterwards was on the 
 top of the tower. 
 
 " Seest thou aught more, Kasim ? " he asked. 
 
 " Nothing, — the village continues to bum, 
 and the men are there ; but either the people 
 have escaped, or they are dead, for none come 
 out now." 
 
 " Sound the alarm ! " cried the Khan to some 
 men below, who, bearing a large tambourine 
 drum and a brass horn, had assembled ready 
 for the signal. " If the horsemen hear it, it 
 will tell them we are on the alert." 
 
 The deep tone of the drum and the shrill and 
 wild quivering notes of the horn soon ai'oused 
 the villagers from their sleep, and numbers 
 were seen fljang to the tower for refuge, behev- 
 ing the Mahrattas were truly upon the skirts 
 of the village. The Patel was among the rest, 
 accompanied by his family ; he was soon upon 
 the tower, and was roughly saluted by the 
 Khan. 
 
 " Thou art a worthy man for a Patel \" cried 
 he ; "but for me, thy village might have shared 
 the fate of that one yonder. Look, base-born \ 
 shouldst thou like to see it burning as that is ?
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. Ill 
 
 Why wert thou not here to watch, O unfortu- 
 nate?" 
 
 "I — I did not know — /' stammered the 
 Patel. 
 
 " Not know ! well at any rate thou knowest 
 now ; but as thou art here, do something for 
 thyself, in Alla's name. Where is thy gun, 
 thy sword ? " 
 
 " I can only use a gun, noble sir ; and that 
 perhaps to some purpose. Run, Paproo," he 
 said to a man near him; "bring my gun 
 hither. Now we are awake, the Khan shall 
 see, if there is occasion, that we can fight as 
 well as sleep." 
 
 " I had as well go down," said Kasim, " and 
 prepare the men below : the women and chil- 
 dren can get into the tower ; those whom it 
 will not contain must remain at the foot in 
 these houses : it will be hard if any harm 
 reaches them there." 
 
 In a short time all was arranged : the wo- 
 men and children, whose cries had been dis- 
 tracting, were in places of safety, and as quiet 
 as the neighbourhood of the Mahratta horse, 
 the sudden alarm, and the natural discordance
 
 112 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 of their own language (the Canarese) would 
 allow them ; and on the summit of the tower 
 about twenty men, for whom there was ample 
 room, were posted, all well armed with match- 
 locks. The two jinjalls were loaded, a good 
 many men were stationed around the foot of 
 the tower, and all were ready to give whatever 
 should come a very warm reception. 
 
 The fire of the village burned lower and 
 lower, and at last became only a dull red glow, 
 with occasionally a burst of sparks. While 
 they speculated upon the route of the horse- 
 men, who had disappeared, a few of the wretch- 
 ed inhabitants of the village which had been 
 destroyed came running to the foot of the 
 tower. 
 
 " Defend yourselves ! defend yourselves ! " 
 they cried with loud voices ; " the Mahrattas 
 are upon you — they will be here immediatelyj! ^' 
 
 " Admit one of them," said the Khan ; ^' let 
 us question him." 
 
 The man said he had passed the horsemen, 
 who were trying to get across a small rivulet, 
 the bed of which was deep mud ; they had not 
 been able to find the ford, and were searching
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 113 
 
 for it ; but they knew of the village, were 
 elated with success, and determined to attack 
 it. 
 
 " They shall have something for their trou- 
 ble then/' said the Khan ; " they know not 
 that Abdool Rhyman Khan is here, and they 
 will buy a lesson : let them come, in the name 
 of the Most Merciful!" 
 
 " Away, some of ye !" cried the Patel to 
 those below ; " watch at the outskirts ! and, 
 hark ye, they will come by the north side, — 
 there is an old house there, close to the 
 gate, — when they are near, fire the thatch ; as 
 it burns, we shall be able to see and mark 
 them." 
 
 "I thank thee for that," said Kasim; "now 
 let all be as silent as possible. Listen for 
 every sound, — we shall hear their horses' feet." 
 
 There was not a word spoken. Even the 
 women were still, and the children ; now and 
 then only the wail of an infant would be heard 
 from below. All looked with straining eyes 
 towards the north side, and the best marksmen 
 were placed there under the direction of Ka- 
 sim.
 
 
 114 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 "Thou art pretty sure of one/' said the 
 Khan to him ; " I wish I could shoot as well 
 as thou." 
 
 " A steady hand and aim, Khan Sahib ; — do 
 not hurry ; if not the man, at least thou canst 
 hit the horse. Inshalla ! we shall have some 
 sport." 
 
 "I had better take one of the jinjalls; the 
 Feringhees (may they be accursed!) have sorely 
 plagued us often by firing a cannon full of balls 
 at us ; so give me a few I pray. I will ram 
 them down into the piece, and it will be less 
 liable to miss than a single bullet." 
 
 " Mashalla ! a wise thought," said Kasim, 
 handing him some balls ; and a scattered fire 
 of praises ran from mouth to mouth at the 
 Khan's ingenuity : " we shall now see whether 
 Ave are to eat dirt or not." 
 
 They were now all silent for awhile. 
 
 "Hark!" said Kasim at length; "what is 
 that?" 
 
 They all listened more attentively ; the vil- 
 lage dogs — first one, then all — barked and 
 howled fearfully. 
 
 '' . They come ! " cried the Khan ; " I have
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 115 
 
 been too long with bodies of horse not to know 
 the tramp." 
 
 " Now every man look to his aim ! " cried 
 Kasim cheerfully ; " half of ye only fire. And 
 you below, fire if you see them." 
 
 Almost as he spoke, they saw the hght ; at 
 first they were uncertain whether the spies had 
 fired the old house or not — it burned so gently ; 
 but By degrees the flame crept along the outside 
 and round the edges ; then it disappeared un- 
 der the thatch, and again blazed up a little. 
 The noise increased, though they could see no 
 one in the gloom, but they could hear very 
 distinctly. 
 
 " If one of those owls would but pull away 
 a little of the old roof, it would blaze up," said 
 the Patel. " By Crishna, look ! they have 
 even guessed my thoughts. Look, noble 
 Khan!" 
 
 They saw one of the scouts advance from 
 under the cover of some of the houses, and pull 
 violently at one of the projecting rude rafters ; 
 and instantly the flame appear beneath. 
 
 "Another pull, good fellow, and thou hast 
 earned five rupees !" cried the Khan in an ex-
 
 116 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 tasy, as he held the butt of the wall-piece ; 
 " another pull, and we shall have a blaze like 
 day." 
 
 It seemed as if the fellow had heard the 
 Khan's exclamation, for he tugged in very de- 
 speration ; they heard the roof crack ; at last it 
 fell in ; and the sudden blaze, illuminating all 
 around vividly, fell on the wild yet picturesque 
 group which was rapidly advancing over the 
 open space before the village. 
 
 I
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. l\ 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 The Mahratta horsemen clid not perceive the 
 snare which had been laid for them : they con- 
 cluded that the fire was accidental, (and op- 
 portune, since it showed them the way to their 
 plunder,) and on they came at a fast gallop, — 
 fifty perhaps : wild figures they would have 
 been deemed at any time, — how much more so, 
 when, brandishing their long spears, and with 
 loud shouts, they dashed forward! The light 
 shone broad on their muffled faces and on the 
 gay red housings of their saddles, and glanced 
 from their spear-points and other weapons. 
 
 " Hurree Bol ! " cried the leader to his 
 men, turning round on his saddle, and waving 
 his sword, ^\hich all could see was dim with 
 blood. 
 
 " Huri'ee ! Hurree Bol !" arose the cry from
 
 118 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 fifty hoarse voices, which mingled with the 
 quick tramphng of the horses. 
 
 " Now !" cried the Khan. 
 
 " Wait one instant, for the sake of Alia ! — let 
 them come up," exclaimed Kasim. 
 
 They were close to the burning hut, when 
 Kasim, whose matchlock had been steadily 
 aimed, resting upon the parapet, fired. The 
 leader reeled back in his saddle, waved his 
 sword wildly in the air, and fell. 
 
 " Bismilla-ir-ruhman-ir — V shouted the Khan ; 
 the rest of the invocation being lost in the 
 loud report of the cannon. With it were the 
 flashes and reports of a dozen other match- 
 locks ; and as the smoke cleared away, they 
 could plainly see four of the men on the ground 
 struggling, and two or three others apparently 
 badly hit supporting themselves in their sad- 
 dles. 
 
 " Give me another gun, another gun ! " cried 
 Kasim ; " there is no time to load. Another 
 gun, I say ! Will no one hand me one ? " he 
 continued, vainly endeavouring to load his own 
 quickly. 
 
 "Do you not hear?" exclaimed a female
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 119 
 
 voice near him ; and as he turned to look, he 
 saw a figure snatch one from a villager, and 
 hand it to him : as she did so, her veil dropped 
 — it was Ameena ! 
 
 " Come on, ye base-born !" cried the Khan, 
 who was pointing the remaining jinjall at the 
 group, which, staggered by their loss, had 
 halted for a moment. " Come on, ye sons of 
 dogs,— come on ye kafirs and idol-worshipers, — 
 Come and taste of death from the hands of true 
 believers ! Ha ! do ye hesitate ? then ye shall 
 have it again, by Alia !" and he fired. " Look 
 you, Meer Sahib," he cried in exultation ; 
 " two are down — another ! by the Prophet, well 
 shot!" 
 
 " Here is another gun, Meer Sahib," said 
 the same sweet voice; and the lady handed 
 him one. 
 
 " What thou here, my pearl ! Shabash ! thou 
 shouldst have shot too if thou couldst hit. So, 
 thou wouldst not remain below ; no wonder, 
 with those screaming women : and thou art 
 welcome here too, if thou darest to look on, 
 and see those murdering villains go down like 
 sparrows. — Another, by Alia ! See, the dog fairly
 
 120 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 rolls over and over ! Why do ye not come, O 
 valiant eaters of dirt ? by your souls, come on, 
 — we have more for ye \" 
 
 " They have had enough I think, Khan," 
 said Kasim ; " they are drawing off." 
 
 And they were indeed. The plundering 
 band, unprovided with matchlocks, could make 
 little impression on a village so well defended, 
 and hastily turned about their horses; those 
 who had remained below were informed of this 
 by the Patel, who had descended ; and, led by 
 him, quickly advanced to the edge of the village, 
 from whence they could fire without exposing 
 themselves. 
 
 " Who will strike a blow with Kasim Patel ?" 
 cried the youth, who was not now to be con- 
 trolled. " Come, who will? — there are the horses 
 saddled below." 
 
 In vain was it that the Khan held him for 
 an instant, and he heard the voice of gentle 
 entreaty from the lady : he hurried down the 
 steps, followed by several of the Khan^s men, 
 and throwing themselves on their horses they 
 dashed after the fugitives. 
 
 They soon cleared the village, and what fol-
 
 TIPPOO SUL.TAUN. 121 
 
 lowed was intensely watched by the Khan and 
 Ameena. 
 
 " Holy Alia, protect the youth \" ejaculated 
 the lady. 
 
 "Ameen!" cried the Khan; "look! he i 
 upon them now, and Dilawur-Ali, Moedeen, 
 and Fazel after him. See — one goes down be- 
 neath that cut !" for they saw the sword of 
 Kasim flash in the light. " He is by another ; 
 the fellow cuts at him. Well parried, by the 
 Prophet ! now give it him ! A curse on 
 the darkness," he continued after a pause, 
 as, shading his eyes with his hand, he endea- 
 voured to pierce the thick gloom. " Canst 
 thou see, Ameena?" 
 
 " No, my lord. I lost him as you did, — Alia 
 be his shield !" 
 
 " To be sure he is ; — what could those cow- 
 ards do against such an arm and such a heart ? 
 I tell thee, girl, we had eaten dirt but for him." 
 
 Ameena sighed ; she remembered the ex- 
 cited cries of the young man and his flashing 
 eyes, as she handed him the gun. *' He is a 
 brave youth," she said. 
 
 A few scattered shots here and there, v/hich 
 
 VOL. I. G
 
 122 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 were further and further removed every mo- 
 ment, showed that the marauders were retreat- 
 ing, and soon the men began to return one by 
 one ; in a few minutes they saw Kasim Ali and 
 his companions approaching quietly, which as- 
 sured them there was no more danger, and that 
 the party had retired beyond the hmits of safe 
 pursuit. 
 
 " Come down and meet them, fairest," said 
 the Khan ; " they who have fought so well for 
 us deserve a warm welcome." 
 
 As Kasim and his companions rode up, they 
 were greeted with hearty congratulations on 
 their success, and all crowded round him so 
 thickly, that he had much ado to force his way 
 to where the Khan stood. But he reached 
 him after some little elbowing and good-hu- 
 moured remonstrance ; and just at that moment, 
 a torch which had been lighted was raised 
 .above the heads of the crowd ; it disclosed his 
 figure, apparently covered with blood. 
 
 " Holy Alia, he is wounded !" exclaimed the 
 lady ; " he will bleed to death ! " and she 
 moved as though she would have advanced. 
 
 " Tut, tut, foolish one ! " cried the Khan,
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 123 
 
 holding her back ; " it ought to be gladness to 
 thee to see the blood of thine enemies and 
 mine; — thou art not hurt, Kasim?" 
 
 " A trifle, I believe, Khan, — a slight wound 
 on my chest from one of the rascals, which 
 hath bled somewhat and stained my clothes ; 
 but he paid dearly for the blood he drew." 
 
 " I'll warrant he did ; and as for thy wound 
 we miist see to it. I have some skill in such 
 matters, and perhaps the Khanum Avill be able 
 to find an old sheet or something to tie it up. 
 So sit down here; and do thou, Ameena, search 
 for some rags. Well, so thou canst give an 
 account of some of them, Kasim ? " 
 
 " Of two, Khan Sahib ; one fellow I cut 
 down as we started, — he is living I think, — 
 the other fought better." 
 
 " And is dead for his pains ; well, I do not 
 begrudge thee this cut, it will do thee no harm. 
 See, here is the Khanum with the rags, — 
 never mind her, this is no time for ceremony 
 with such as thou. Ho ! Daood, Zoolficar, 
 some water here ! and do you, Kasim, take off 
 that vest, we shall soon see what has happened. 
 
 G 2
 
 124 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 A trifle, a trifle, after all. Alia be praised!" 
 he continued, when the garment was removed, 
 and the broad and muscular chest of the young 
 man exposed to view ; " a few days will heal it 
 up." 
 
 But Ameena thought otherwise ; she had 
 heard of wounds, but this was the first she 
 had seen ; and a gash which, though not deep, 
 extended half across the chest of the young 
 man, was in her eyes a more serious matter 
 than her lord appeared to think. She felt very 
 faint and sick as she looked upon it, but ral- 
 lied on perceiving that Kasim considered it a 
 trifle, as indeed it was, and readily assisted to 
 bind it up. 
 
 She was very near him, and it was exquisite 
 pleasure to feel her gentle touch upon his 
 shoulder, as she assisted to hold the bandages 
 which the Khan passed round his chest; he 
 fancied too that once her glance had met his, 
 and he could not help trying to catch it 
 again : he succeeded at last, through the veil. 
 Her lustrous dark eyes flashed very brightly ; 
 he could not see their expression, but it was
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 125 
 
 certain to him that they had sought his own 
 and met them. 
 
 "We want still another handkerchief, or 
 something, to tie over all," said the Khan when 
 he had finished; "hast thou one, Ameena?" 
 
 " I have — here it is," she replied ; ungirding 
 one from around her waist. " The Meer Sahib 
 is welcome to it." 
 
 " I owe a thousand obligations," returned 
 Kasim ; " if I were your brother you could not 
 have done more for me : how unworthy am I 
 to receive such attention, — I who am but your 
 sen^ant !" 
 
 "Do not say so," cried both at once ; "thou 
 art far more than this to us.^' 
 
 "Ah!" thought Kasim, "I am but a moth 
 playing around a lamp, tempted by bright and 
 dazzling light, and hardly as yet warned. I 
 am a fool to think on her ; but can I ever for- 
 get her face as she stood yonder and cheered 
 me by her presence ? — the second time I have 
 seen it, but perhaps not the last." The Khan 
 roused him from his reverie. 
 
 " Lie down," he said ; " there Mill be the 
 less flow of blood."
 
 126 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 Kasim obeyed readily ; for the same fair 
 hands that had helped to bind his wound had 
 also spread a soft mattress for him, and placed 
 a pillow for his head. Perhaps the loss of 
 blood had affected him a little, for in a few mo- 
 ments he felt drowsy and gradually fell asleep ; 
 and Ameena sate watching him at a little di- 
 stance, for the Khan had gone to see what had 
 been done with the bodies of those who had 
 fallen. 
 
 But, as is often the case after violent excite- 
 ment, his sleep, though at first heavy and pro- 
 found, did not long continue thus. Perhaps 
 too the wound pained him, for he was restless 
 and moved impatiently from side to side. 
 
 The Khan was long absent, and Ameena 
 still kept her watch ; she might have with- 
 drawn, yet there was something so exciting and 
 novel to her in her position — it was a source of 
 such quiet delight to her to watch the features 
 of him who had saved her life, and now had 
 been wounded in her defence, — and she was so 
 thickly veiled that he could not see her even 
 were he awake — that she remained. 
 
 Rapidly her mind brought before her the
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 127 
 
 events of the last few days. Her own young 
 life in the world had hardly begun, and yet 
 more dangers had been present to her than 
 she had ever pictured to herself, rife as her 
 imagination had been upon the subject when 
 she left her home. She had been already res- 
 cued from death, now perhaps from violence ; 
 and he who had been the sole instrument of 
 her protection in the one case, and who had 
 fought under her own eyes in the second, lay 
 before her. She had hardly heard him speak, 
 yet she thought she could remember every 
 word he had spoken ; and then came vividly to 
 her remembrance the glance, the earnest hur- 
 ried glance, which told her would have dwelt 
 longer had it dared. And as she remembered 
 this, her heart fluttered under sensations very 
 new and almost painful to her ; she could not 
 define them, — but involuntarily she drew 
 nearer to the sleeping youth and watched the 
 more. 
 
 She saw his brow contracted as if with pain ; 
 and, as he every now and then stirred and the 
 light fell on his features, she could observe his 
 lips move as though he spoke, but she could
 
 128 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 not catch a word. For a few minutes it was 
 thus, but at last he spoke interruptedly; it 
 was of war, of the fight he had lately been en- 
 gaged in ; and she could distinguish a few 
 words, defiance to the marauders, encourage- 
 ment to the men around. Then there was 
 another pause, and he slept peacefully, even as 
 a child. "May he rest safely, O Alia!" she 
 said. 
 
 But again he dreamed ; sounds escaped 
 him, — low mutterings which were undistin- 
 guishable ; she bent her ear even closer ; — she 
 could not hear aught for awhile that she un- 
 derstood, but at length there was one word 
 which made her very soul bound within her, 
 and caused in the moment a feeling of choking 
 and oppression in her throat almost unbear- 
 able, — "Ameena!^^ it was repeated twice di- 
 stinctly, yet very softly. 
 
 " Holy Alia ! he knows my name !" she said 
 mentally ; " he thinks of me, — I am present to 
 his sleeping fancies amidst war and turmoil 
 which still pursue him. How could he have 
 heard my name ? " 
 
 But the voice of the Khan was heard at
 
 TIPPOO StJLTAUN. 129 
 
 some little distance, and interrupted her chain 
 of questions. " He must not find me here," 
 she thought, rising hastily, and gently stealing 
 from the spot into the place which had been 
 screened off for her occupation. Indeed for 
 the last few moments hidden thoughts had 
 suddenly sprung forth, and she could hardly 
 unconcernedly, beside the sleeping youth, him 
 who now sought her. 
 
 The Khan passed Kasim. " He sleeps well," 
 he said to Daood, who was with him ; " hath 
 any one watched by him ? " 
 
 " No one, Khodawund : the men were all 
 Avith my lord." 
 
 " That was ill ; one of ye should have re- 
 mained ; where is that idle cook ? he hath no 
 need of rest; let him sit up here, if he can keep 
 his eyes open ; and do ye all take what sleep 
 ye can, for we shall start, Inshalla ! ere noon 
 
 tomorrow." 
 
 "You are to remain with Kasim Sahib,''' 
 said Daood to the cook, rousing him, " and not 
 to stir till morning breaks, or he aAvakes,— dost 
 thou hear?" 
 
 " I do, good Daood ; but methinks thou 
 
 G 5
 
 )> 
 
 130 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 mightest sit with me too, seeing that it is near 
 morning. By thy beard, I Uke not being alone. 
 
 " O coward ! thou art not alone ; see, thou 
 hast the hero of the night lying beside thee, — 
 one who has slain some men since he last ate ; 
 M'hereas thou hast not even slain a fowl. I 
 tell thee there is no danger : yonder is my 
 bedding, — I shall not be far off if thou want- 
 est me." 
 
 Soon all was silent around, even the village 
 dogs had ceased to bark ; the clamour of wo- 
 men and of cr}4ng frightened children had 
 subsided ; and, except the Avatchfires in several 
 parts, which threw up their strong red glare 
 against the sky, around which most of the vil- 
 lagers were assembled in groups, nothing in- 
 dicated that any conflict or alarm had taken 
 place. Scattered about, the Khan^s attendants 
 and servants lay wrapped in their sheets in 
 deep sleep. The horses even, apparently se- 
 cure of rest, had lain doAvn, and all was still, 
 except one of the horses which had been cap- 
 tured, which every now and then sent up a 
 shrill neigh that sounded far and near in the 
 stillness of the night. But above, on the tower.
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 131 
 
 the Patel and several of his best men still kept 
 watch. 
 
 Kasim slept still restlessly, and often sighed 
 and muttered in his sleep. " His thoughts are 
 with the battle/' thought Zoolficar ; " they say 
 it was a brave sight to see the Mahrattas go 
 down one by one before his aim ; he shot them 
 as he would deer in the jungle, — may their mo- 
 thers be polluted ! Alia ! Alia ! guide us safely 
 now ; this is the third alarm we have had in 
 this accursed country; — but hark ! What was 
 that he said? — Ameena ! again Ameena! — the 
 Khanum, — why should he dream of her ? Poor 
 youth, he would have been a fitter mate for 
 her than that man of camps and battles. But it 
 may not be of her he dreams, — perhaps he has 
 some one he loves of the same name. Ay, it 
 is very likely ; so dream on, Meer Sahib, may 
 thy slumbers be lighter 1" 
 
 But they were not ; after little more than an 
 hour's restless slumber, he awoke, and found 
 the worthy functionary by his side. 
 
 " How ! thou here, Zoolfoo ! art thou not 
 sleepy ? " 
 
 It was my lord's order that I should watch 
 
 i(
 
 132 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 you, noble sir, and I only obey it. Methinks 
 you have rested but indifferently, for your sleep 
 has been disturbed, and you have been speak- 
 
 ing/' 
 
 " Ah well, I have but few secrets," he said 
 gaily, ^'so I fear not for the words; and in 
 truth this cut is rather painful, and too tightly 
 bandaged. See if thou canst find a barber, 
 Zoolfoo ; I will have these straps undone.'' 
 
 " If my lord will trust me," replied Zoolfoo, 
 " I will ease his pain. Ere I was a cook I was 
 a barber ; and Hyderabad is not an indifferent 
 place to learn how to dress wounds. Ma- 
 shalla ! our young men are rare hands at street 
 brawls." 
 
 " Well, do thy best, — at this hour it will be 
 hard to find any one." 
 
 Zoolfoo was as good as his word. In a 
 short time the bandages were arranged more 
 easily, as the bleeding had stopped in a great 
 measure, and Kasim found himself refreshed 
 by the change. A hooka too was not to be 
 despised, and this Zoolfoo soon brought from 
 among his stores. 
 
 Gradually Kasim led him to talk of his city.
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 133 
 
 of his home, of his family ; he earnestly wished 
 to know more particulars of the Khanum, of 
 her early life, and her ill-assorted marriage. 
 Zoolfoo mentioned his sister. 
 
 " Ay, her who thou saidst was servant in 
 the Khanum^s family." 
 
 " The same : she w^as the Khanum's nurse 
 for awhile, and she is very fond of her." 
 
 " Why did she not bring her then ?" 
 
 " She wished to come, but the Khan said 
 she would be a trouble on the road, and he left 
 her behind ; but — " 
 
 "Perhaps the Khanum did not wish it?" 
 
 " Not wish it ? Sir, she was grieved to part 
 with her, for she had tended her from her 
 birth, and loved her as her own daughter." 
 
 " Then you have often heard of her?" 
 
 " I have, a thousand times. My sister was 
 her own attendant, and never quitted her till 
 the hour of her departure." 
 
 " Know you then how she came to marry 
 the Khan? you said once before that he was 
 of no family." 
 
 " I will tell you," said the cook. " Her 
 father is a Munsubdar*, of Nizam AU's court 
 
 • A nobleman who holds an office in a native court.
 
 134 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 nominally he has good pay, and one or two 
 villages to support his rank ; but he was ex- 
 pensive in his youth, for he was a gay man, 
 and perhaps not over scrupulous. Gradually 
 the difficulties of the Government caused a 
 the salaries of the officers to fall into arrears. 
 Then came with that a train of distresses ; the 
 elephant was sold, some jewels pledged, — then 
 some horses went, and their servants were 
 discharged. There were heavy mortgages 
 made upon the villages, and other difficulties 
 occurred; the interest accumulated, and the 
 creditors grew very clamorous ; some more 
 jewels were sold, and they were quieted for 
 awhile ; but lately they were in distress, I 
 heard, — indeed my sister told me her pay and 
 that of other servants had been reduced, and 
 that the family denied themselves many lux- 
 uries to which they had been accustomed. 
 This daughter, Ameena, was marriageable, and 
 her great beauty was known ; they had many 
 offers for her, but they looked high ; they 
 thought the Huzoor* himself might ask for 
 her, and that the fortunes of the house might 
 rise ; and while this was going on, the Khan 
 
 * Prince.
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUX. 135 
 
 Sahib, who had his emissaries abroad to look 
 out for a beautiful wife, heard of her. He 
 offered himself immediately ; his low birth was 
 not thought of, for he had great wealth and be- 
 stowed it hberally, and finally the man'iage 
 took place A^ith much pomp. The poor child 
 was dazzled; and you see her here, Meer Sahib, 
 exposed to all the vicissitudes of travelling in 
 unsettled times, — one day drowned, — another, 
 attacked by those villainous Mahrattas, — whom 
 your worship has freed us of, — when, rose as she 
 is, she never ought to have left the zenan- 
 khana of a youthful and valiant lord." 
 
 Kasim sighed involuntarily. " It was a base 
 thing," he said, "to sell one so fair and 
 young." 
 
 " It was, Meer Sahib, — you have rightly 
 called it a sale ; for the Khan had to pay off 
 a heavy mortgage upon two of the villages, 
 which has restored the family to affluence : 
 however the thing is done now, and there is 
 no helping it. I pity the poor Khanum how- 
 ever, for she has to face two old wives, who 
 will not thank the Khan for bringing one so 
 young and beautiful to his house."
 
 136 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 "You should keep a watch over her your- 
 self^ Zoolfoo." 
 
 " I will, so may Alia give me power ! " he 
 said earnestly ; " she does not know me as yet, 
 but I will soon contrive to let her know, and 
 thus I may be able to serve her at a pinch." 
 
 *^And remember, I am ever ready to aid 
 you," said the young man ; " I have saved her 
 life once, and, by the blessing of Alia, no harm 
 shall come to so fair a creature while I have 
 power to help her." 
 
 Just then the morning, which had been long 
 in breaking, showed pretty plainly ; and Kasim 
 arose, and performing his ablutions, cried with 
 a loud voice the Azan, or call to prayers. This 
 too roused the Khan, and, joined by several 
 others, they repeated, as indeed was their wont, 
 their prayers together. 
 
 " I am as stout as ever. Khan Sahib, I 
 thank you," answered Kasim in reply to the 
 many inquiries of the former ; " the wound 
 pained me a trifle, and your good Zoolficar, who 
 is very expert, loosened the bandages for me ; 
 since then it has been quite easy. But how 
 say you — march or halt, which shall it be ? "
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 137 
 
 " Let us take counsel of the Patel, he seems 
 a decent fellow/' returned the Khan, "and 
 abide by his advice, — he knows the country." 
 
 He was summoned, and the result of the 
 consultation was advice to them to depart im- 
 mediately. " I am disinterested, noble sirs," 
 he said ; " for if othei^wise, my own fears would 
 prompt me to make you stay by me ; but after 
 your conduct last night, I put myself and my 
 village out of consideration." 
 
 "And the men, Meer Sahib?" 
 
 " I had half engaged them yesterday, when 
 the alarm was given ; how say you, Patel, can 
 we have them ? " 
 
 " Surely, surely ! half of those I have shall 
 accompany you; for I fear no further moles- 
 tation." 
 
 They were summoned, and at once expressed 
 their readiness to go ; after this, the prepara- 
 tions were soon completed, a hasty meal of 
 kicheree* was cooked and eaten, and, girding 
 up their loins carefully — seeing that their arms 
 were properly loaded — making every prepara- 
 tion for defence, if necessary, — the party as- 
 sembled to start. 
 
 • Rice and pulse boiled together.
 
 138 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 Nine of the Mahrattas had fallen in the 
 attack ; of these, two lived, desperately 
 wounded; five horses had been secured, two 
 had been killed, and the remainder had been 
 carried off by the horsemen. 
 
 These horses the Khan appropriated to his 
 own use, and generously gave what plunder 
 was found upon them and on the bodies to be 
 divided among the sufferers of the village they 
 had seen burned, directing the Patel to ac- 
 count for the sum. He had in vain attempted 
 to press it upon Kasim. 
 
 Now, therefore, our travellers are once more 
 upon the wide plains, moving warily and close 
 together: altogether they are twelve good horse- 
 men, and, with the six or seven villagers, armed 
 with long matchlocks, and the grooms mounted 
 on the ponies which the servants had ridden, 
 present a very formidable appearance; while the 
 dry gravelly road allows them to push forward 
 at a good pace without interruption. 
 
 The road from Bellary to the Mysore coun- 
 try appears flat, but in reality is not so ; the 
 land rises in long and gentle undulations some 
 thousand feet in the course of about one hundred 
 miles, — that is,from the town of Bellary to where
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 139 
 
 it enters a rugged pass between some mountains, 
 one side of which is formed by the rough and 
 stony back of the fort of Pencondah. As 
 the traveller advances from Bellary, he sees 
 these undulations, each of many miles perhaps 
 in length ; and when arrived at the top of one, 
 expecting to descend, he finds another spread 
 out before him, perhaps of equal length, the 
 summit of which he must reach in like man- 
 ner. The difference this causes in the climate 
 is most remarkable ; a few days' travel pro- 
 duces an entire revolution ; and from the 
 steaming heat of the Carnatic, at Bellary and 
 above it, the traveller as he proceeds south- 
 wards breathes a purer, cooler, and more genial 
 atmosphere. 
 
 The heat which had existed where we began 
 our narrative, and which rendered travelling 
 irksome, had now given place to coolness, which 
 even at near midday made them glad to Avrap 
 shawls or other warm garments around them ; 
 and thus, while it invigorated man and beast, 
 enabled them to push on rapidly without fatigue. 
 They had travelled for two days without 
 alarm, and were within an easy distance of the 
 entrance of the pass, when, on arriving at the
 
 140 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 top of one of the summits we have mentioned, 
 
 they saw with some alarm a body of horse 
 
 before them, scattered, and apparently on the 
 
 same track as themselves. 
 
 " It is the Mahrattas ! " cried the Khan. 
 
 " True," said Kasim ; " but I fear them not 
 
 now — we are too strong; see, the rogues 
 
 turn!" 
 
 " They do," said the Khan ; " but never 
 
 fear, let us spread out a little on each side; 
 
 they think us some small party, whom they 
 
 can plunder with impunity." The little ma- 
 noeuvre was done, and had an instant effect. 
 
 The Mahratta horsemen, who were coming 
 down about a mile distant at a gallop, sud- 
 denly halted, held a hurried consultation for 
 awhile, and then struck off to the right, down 
 a road which led to the westward, and, having 
 gone a good distance, quite out of shot, again 
 halted. 
 
 '^They are wary fellows," said Kasim, "and 
 have profited by our former lesson ; but as we 
 pass them we will fire a shot or two : that will 
 teach them their distance, or I am mistaken.'' 
 It was done, and had the desired effect ; 
 the horsemen moved further away, though they
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 141 
 
 travelled in a parallel line. Shots were, how- 
 ever, discharged from time to time ; and the 
 whole party, including the lady, were amused 
 at theirconsternation, as they scattered at every 
 discharge. 
 
 Gradually, as they neared the pass, the 
 Mahrattas dropped behind ; and after they had 
 entered the rocky valley, the first turn shut 
 them from their view altogether. 
 
 ^' Now we are properly on our own ground," 
 said the Khan, " and soon we shall see one of 
 the frontier posts; there we shall be secure 
 from all alarms, and from thence to the city 
 there is no fear." 
 
 As he said, after a short travel further, they 
 approached a strong village, well garrisoned ; 
 and here, after their many perils and escapes, 
 they rested safely for three days ere they pur- 
 sued their journey ; indeed Kasim^s wound 
 needed rest. 
 
 The information the Khan gave was acted 
 upon, and a party of horse scoured the coun- 
 try in every direction, but without success ; the 
 marauders had made their escape, and were no 
 more seen.
 
 142 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Leaving for the present the Khan and his 
 companions to pursue their way to Seringapa- 
 tam, we claim the usual privilege of writers to 
 transport our readers where, and as suddenly, as 
 we please, and 
 
 " To take up our wings and be off to the west." 
 
 To the perfect understanding of the events con- 
 nected with this veritable histoiy, therefore, we 
 feel ourselves obliged to retrogade a few years, 
 and to leave the glowing climate of the East 
 for awhile, to breathe in idea the colder, yet 
 more congenial air of England. 
 
 It was on the evening then of a wet and 
 sleety day of December, 1785, that a large
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 143 
 
 and merry family group sat around a cheerful 
 fire in the comfortable drawing-room of the 
 
 rectory of Alston, in shire. It consisted 
 
 of the rector, his lady, and two sons, one of 
 whom, Edward, had returned from college for 
 the vacation, and who was a youth of perhaps 
 eighteen years of age : his brother Charles was 
 somewhat younger, of that awkward period of 
 life, between school and college, which is not 
 often productive of much gratification to the 
 possessor, and which all desire to see changed, — 
 fond mothers, perhaps, again to childhood, — 
 fathers, to manhood, — and sisters, to anything 
 more agreeable and ornamental than the awk- 
 wardness and mauvaise honte peculiarly attend- 
 ant upon that epoch in life. 
 
 There were three girls, one between Edward 
 and Charles, and another some years younger ; 
 a third, as yet a child. AnyAvhere, any indi- 
 vidual of the family would have been very re- 
 markable for good looks ; but here, when all 
 were assembled together, they were a sight 
 round that cheerful blazing fire which caused 
 the eye of the mother to glisten with some- 
 thing like a tear of pleasure as she looked
 
 144 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 around the circle, and the heart of the father 
 to swell with proud satisfaction. 
 
 Mr. Compton, the rector, the second son of 
 a baronet of the county, had early been de- 
 stined to the church. In addition to a very 
 handsome private fortune bequeathed to him 
 by his father, the rich living of Alston had 
 been secured to him while he was at college, 
 and he had succeeded to it as soon as he was 
 of age to be ordained. He had married early 
 in life the sister of an old friend and college 
 chum, also a baronet of a neighbouring county, 
 and the union had proved one of continued 
 happiness. With an ample fortune, gentle and 
 refined tastes and pursuits, — an excellent musi- 
 cian, a tolerable painter, a good classic, and 
 with literary abilities above an ordinary stand- 
 ard, — Mr. Compton had resources within him- 
 self which ensured him a placid and equable 
 enjoyment of life. A sincere and pious man, 
 his ministry was a blessing to his numerous 
 parishioners ; and his society, where so much 
 intelligence and accompHshment prevailed, was 
 eagerly sought for by all the families of the 
 county neighbourhood.
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 145 
 
 With no remarkable strength of character, 
 Mrs. Compton was yet an admirable woman ; 
 she was possessed of but few accomplishments, 
 but then those were not the days when youth 
 was crammed with knowledge; she had however 
 a fair share for a lady of that period. Perhaps 
 her talent for music had partly attracted the 
 notice, and helped, with her amiable disposi- 
 tion and great personal charms, to win the ad- 
 miration, and eventually to secure the affections 
 of her husband. In her career as a mother, 
 she had been kind and loving, even beyond a 
 mother^s usual fondness; and if at times her 
 excess of affection had overpowered the sense of 
 her duty in checking the foibles of her children, 
 yet she had so gentle and admirable a monitor 
 at h^ side, one whose advice and example 
 she esteemed the most precious blessings 
 vouchsafed to her, that she had been en- 
 abled not only to bring up her children in 
 perfect obedience to her, and in strict moral 
 and religious principles, but in that complete 
 harmony of intercourse among themselves, 
 the result of judicious training and pure ex- 
 ample. 
 
 VOL. I. H
 
 146 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 In truth so completely united a family, 
 though perhaps not of rare occurrence, is not 
 so often to be seen as might be desirable to 
 society; and the young Comptons were noted 
 through the neighbourhood for their extreme 
 good-breeding, and for the devoted affection 
 they bore one another. 
 
 Happy indeed as we know the family to have 
 been, — as it must needs have been from its con- 
 stitution, — it had suffered already one stroke of 
 sorrow, which, mingling as it ever will in all the 
 affairs of life, and with those who apparently are 
 farthest removed from its influence, had come 
 in a shape and at a time but little expected by 
 any. 
 
 Their eldest son, Herbert, was a high-spirited 
 yet fine-tempered youth. He w as destined by 
 his father for the church, in the offices of which 
 he himself felt such satisfaction, that no em- 
 ployment or pursuit in life, he thought, could 
 equal the gratification afforded by them. Her- 
 bert, however, had from the first shown an un- 
 conquerable repugnance to the sacred calling. 
 It had been proposed to him on his leaving 
 school, preparatory to his entering on his col-
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 147 
 
 lege course ; and though he had gone through 
 one or two terms at Oxford with credit^ yet he 
 continued to implore his father so strongly not 
 to persist in destining him to this profession, 
 that at last ISIr. Compton yielded, and the plan 
 was abandoned. 
 
 Nor was Mrs. Compton surprised to hear a 
 declaration made with much fear and hesitation, 
 that a militaiy life of all others was that in 
 which he felt assured he should succeed best, 
 as it was most consonant to his high spirit and 
 daring character. 
 
 Much entreaty was used — kind, gentle, lo^dng 
 entreaty — by both his parents, especially his 
 mother, to whom it was an agonizing thought 
 that her first-born, her boy of whom she was 
 so proud, should embrace a profession which 
 would expose him to Other than tht ordinary 
 dangers of life. All was however (tf no avail ; 
 and at the age of eighteen, or thereabouts, his 
 father, whose family influence Avas great, Avas 
 enabled to purchase for him a commission in a 
 regiment of the line. 
 
 There was at that time no immediate cause 
 to suppose that the regiment would be called 
 
 II 2
 
 148 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 out on active service ; and as that to which he 
 had been appointed was after a short time 
 quartered in their own neighbourhood, they 
 had the gratification of seeing Herbert happy, 
 fond of his corps and his duties, beloved by his 
 brother officers, and studying all the details of 
 science connected with his new profession; and 
 indeed his noble appearance in his uniform, and 
 his now gay cheerful disposition — so different 
 from what his deportment had been while in 
 uncertainty about himself and his future career, 
 — in a great degree reconciled his parents to the 
 change in their plans for his life. 
 
 Promotion, if the means were at hand, was 
 no difficult matter to obtain in those days ; and 
 Mr. Compton, by the advice of a relative, a 
 general officer who had assisted him in obtain- 
 ing the commission in the first instance, had 
 purchased Herbert on as far as a company, and 
 was waiting for a favourable opportunity for 
 exchanging him into a cavalry regiment. But 
 while the negotiations for purchase were pro- 
 ceeding, sudden orders arrived for the regiment 
 to proceed on foreign service, — to India in fact, 
 where the increased possessions of the East
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 149 
 
 India Company required additional protec- 
 tion. 
 
 This news was a thunderbolt to the family^ 
 coming as it did so unexpectedly. It might 
 have been foreseen and thought of; but it had 
 not, for Herbert was with them, and that was 
 enough ; and any idea of his leaving them, 
 if distantly contemplated, had never been 
 allowed to dwell in their hearts. It was in 
 vain that Mrs. Compton besought Herbert, 
 in the agony of her maternal affection, to re- 
 sign, to exchange, to ask for leave of absence, 
 to carry into effect the negotiations which had 
 been pending. 
 
 The young man loved his mother with an 
 intensity of affection, but he saw also that to 
 yield to its dictates in this instance would be 
 to forfeit his honour and the obligations of his 
 duty. Mr. Compton forbore to urge him at 
 all ; his fine feelings at once told him that the 
 young man was right ; and though it was a 
 sore trial to part with one so dear, to relinquish 
 him to the chances of hard service in so di- 
 stant and then unknown a land, yet he did not 
 murmur; and in many a secret prayer in his
 
 150 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 closet, and daily in his family worship, com- 
 mended him, as a father's affection only can 
 prompt prayer for a child, to the protection of 
 that merciful Providence which had as yet be- 
 stowed on him and his unnumbered blessings. 
 
 But there was yet another on whom this un- 
 looked-for blow fell even more heavily than on 
 those we have mentioned. Amy Hay ward, the 
 only daughter of a gentleman of fortune, whose 
 estate joined the fields and extensive lawns and 
 grounds which formed the glebe of the rectory, 
 had from the earliest times she could remem- 
 ber been the companion and playmate of all the 
 Comptons. Her two brothers had shared the 
 intiniacy with her, and whenever the boys were 
 all at their respective homes, there was a daily 
 intercourse kept up between them, — daily meet- 
 ings, rambles in Beechwood Park, fishing in 
 the brawling trout-stream which ran through it, 
 nutting in its noble woods, and a thousand 
 other joyous amusements peculiar to a happy 
 country childhood. 
 
 We say country childhood, for we feel that 
 there is the widest difference between that and 
 a childhood spent in a town. With the former
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 151 
 
 there is a store of remembrances of gentle plea- 
 sm*es, of those natural delights which are so 
 inseparable to boyhood or girlhood, — when the 
 first gushes of the deep-seated springs of feel- 
 ing are expanded among the beauties of natural 
 scenes, in themselves peaceful, and speaking 
 quiet to the heart, ever too prone to excitement 
 when full vent is given to joyous spirits ; — 
 where eveiy occupation is fraught with delights, 
 which, if the faintest remembrance remains in 
 after life, are treasured up as the purest per- 
 haps of all the pleasurable impressions the 
 heart has ever known. 
 
 How different is the town boy ! he is a man 
 before his time ; and in that one word how much 
 meaning is there ! How much less innocence — 
 how many cares ! his amusements lack the ease 
 of hilarity and freedom ; he sees the dull mono- 
 tonous streets teeming with spectacles of vice 
 or misery, — the endless form of busy man ever 
 before him, instead of bright skies, the green 
 recesses of the woods, the fresh balmy air, the 
 thousand exquisite creations of nature, ever 
 appealing to his best sympathies. A city can 
 teach him little that can remain to benefit his
 
 152 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 understanding, or invigorate its keenest and 
 most delicious enjoyment, a complete appre- 
 ciation of nature in all her forms ; but, on the 
 contrary, it may induce a callousness, which too 
 often grows upon him in after hfe, and causes 
 those simple pleasures to be despised or un- 
 noticed, in which after all, perhaps, are con- 
 tained the germs of the purest enjoyment. 
 
 Amy was a few years younger than Herbert ; 
 beautiful as a child, that beauty had grown up 
 with her, and appeared to increase. But her 
 features were not regular, nor could she pro- 
 perly be called handsome; and yet if large, 
 lustrous, loving eyes, a fair and bright com- 
 plexion, and long and light brown curling hair, 
 with a small figure, in which roundness, acti- 
 vity, and extreme grace were combined, can be 
 called beauty, she possessed it eminently. Her 
 face too, which was ever varying in expression 
 and lighted up with intelligence, was a fair 
 index to her mind, — full of affection and keen 
 perception of beauty. If Herbert had not the 
 latter quality so enthusiastically as she had, he 
 at least had sufficient with cultivation to make 
 him a tolerable draughtsman ; and Beechwood
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 153 
 
 Park contained so many natural charms, that, 
 as they grew up, there was scarcely a point of 
 blue and distant landscape, rocky brawling 
 stream, or quiet glade, which they had not 
 sketched in company. 
 
 We have said they had been inseparable 
 from childhood — ay, from the earliest times ; 
 though the young Comptons and Haywards 
 joined in all their pastimes, yet Herbert had 
 ever a quiet stroll with Amy. Her garden, her 
 greenhouse, her rabbits, her fowls, her gold and 
 silver fish, — all were of as much interest to 
 him for her sake as to herself. And so it had 
 continued : childish cares and pastimes had 
 given place to more matured amusements and 
 pursuits, and the intercourse of the elders of 
 the families continued to be so hai'monious, 
 that no interruption had ever occurred to their 
 constant society. 
 
 If Herbert or Amy had been questioned 
 upon the subject, they could hardly have said 
 that as yet they loved ; but it would be un- 
 natural to su[)pose that, knowing and appreci- 
 ating each other as they did, they should not 
 have loved, and that ardently. The fire had 
 
 H 5
 
 154 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 been kindled long ago, and slumbered only for 
 a passing breath of excitement to fan it into a 
 bright and enduring flame. 
 
 It was, then, on the day which followed a 
 night of intense anguish to all — that on which 
 no longer any opposition had been made to 
 Herbert's departure, and they were beginning 
 to bear to talk of it with some calmness — 
 that Mr. Compton said to his lady, as they 
 sat after breakfast, " You had better write this 
 sad news to the Hay wards, my love ; they have 
 always felt such an interest in Herbert's welfare, 
 that they ought to hear this from ourselves, be- 
 fore it is carried theix by the servants, and per- 
 haps broken abruptly to them.'' 
 
 " I will be the bearer of the news myself,'^ 
 said Herbert, starting up ; " no one ought to 
 tell it but me ; and it would distress you, dear 
 mother, to write of it ; besides, I promised to 
 go over to Amy, either yesterday or today, to 
 sketch with her, as she wants to see the new 
 style I have learned." 
 
 *^ Thank you, my kind darhng," she replied ; 
 " you have indeed saved me the necessity of in- 
 flicting a pang on them, and one on myself too.
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 155 
 
 And you must screw up your courage to the 
 sticking-place when you mention it to Amy," 
 she added almost gaily, with some emphasis 
 on the name : " poor child, she will grieve to 
 hear it indeed ! " 
 
 " Yes, she will be sorry, very sorry, I know," 
 said Herbert ; *^ but it can't be helped now, and 
 I must put as good a face as I can upon the 
 matter to them all. I will be as gay as I can,^^ 
 he said, taking up his hat and opening the 
 door, " and will not be long away." 
 
 Poor fellow ! the last Avords were tremulous 
 enough for a gay captain to utter, and his 
 mother and father thought so too. 
 
 "It will be very unexpected to them," he 
 said after a painful pause. 
 
 " Very indeed, dearest," was the only reply 
 she could make, for her tears were flowing 
 silently and fast.
 
 156 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 For the convenience of the families, a gravel 
 walk had been made through the rectory fields 
 1^0 the little river which divided them from the 
 park. Across this, Mr. Hayward had thrown 
 a very elegant rustic bridge, the joint design of 
 Amy and Herbert, to replace a rude yet pic- 
 turesque one formed of planks with side-rails, 
 which had existed previously. 
 
 Over this, Herbert rapidly passed onwards 
 into the park ; and avoiding the walk, which had 
 been carried by a considerable detour through 
 some beautiful glades, struck at once across 
 the sward, in a direct line for the house. 
 
 At any other time, the extreme beauty of the 
 day, and of the park under its influence, would 
 not have failed to attract the attention of the 
 young man, and to have caused him to stop
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUX. 15/ 
 
 more than once, to admire for the hundredth 
 time some noble avenues of beech and oak — 
 some picturesquely-grouped herd of deer or 
 flock of sheep — or some exquisite effect of light 
 and shade as the soft floating clouds transiently 
 caused it. He would perhaps have sauntered 
 gently ; but now he hurried on, wrapt in his 
 own reflections, and they were not of the most 
 agreeable or intelligible kind. The flocks of 
 sheep as he passed, fled startled at his quick 
 approach, while the deer raised themselves 
 from their recumbent postures and gazed won- 
 deringly at him, whom they almost knew\ 
 
 "By Heaven!" he exclaimed, as he reached 
 the hall-door and rang for admittance, " I 
 hardly know what I am come about, or what 
 to say. But it must be done, — so I will let 
 things take their chance. I can invent no plan 
 of proceeding which will spare them pain or 
 myself either. No, — better leave it to the 
 force of circumstances." 
 
 " Is any one at home, Edward ? " he said to 
 the footman who answered the bell. 
 
 " Yes, sir. Master and Miss Amy are in the 
 study."
 
 158 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 "Thank you;" and he passed on with a 
 beating heart. 
 
 "Well, noble captain, what news?" "Ah, 
 I am so glad you are come, Herbert, I want 
 you so much," were the greetings of the father 
 and daughter, in their hearty, unformal, and 
 affectionate manner. "Mamma tried to per- 
 suade me to go out with her to pay a visit to the 
 Somervilles," continued Amy, "but I v/ould 
 not, for I felt somehow or other that you would 
 come, and, as I said, I want you. You have 
 been such a truant of late, that I was really be- 
 ginning to be half angry with you. So ponder 
 well on the escape you have made of my wrath 
 by this opportvine appearance." 
 
 Herbert said something about his duties, only 
 half intelhgible to himself. 
 
 " Yes," continued the light-hearted gii*l, 
 " those duties are horrid things ; ever since you 
 have been a soldier, we have seen nothing of 
 vou at all, and I am very much disposed to be 
 very angry with your colonel and all your regi- 
 ment for not giving you perpetual leave of 
 absence. I declare I have no companion now, 
 for you know the boys are both at college. He
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 159 
 
 is very naughty not to come oftener, — is he 
 notj Papa?^' 
 
 " Perhaps Herbert is right, my love, in not 
 humouring so giddy a girl as yourself. But 
 here he is now, so make the most of him, for 
 there may be another week or fortnight of duty 
 which he has come to tell you of." 
 
 How near he had guessed the truth, — un- 
 consciously — only so far short of its sad reahty ! 
 
 Herbei't winced. " I am sure if I had but 
 known that I was wanted, I would have come," 
 he said hesitatingly; ^'but the truth is, I have 
 been occupied both at home and at the bar- 
 racks for the last few days by some business 
 which I could not leave." 
 
 " Well, your being here proves that to be all 
 over, and so you are not to think of going away 
 today," said Amy. '' I want you to help me 
 with a drawing I am doing for Lady Somer- 
 ville ; and as she is a great connoisseur, it must 
 be as good as our united heads and fingers 
 can make it ; and before we sit down to that, 
 I wish you to run down to the river with me, 
 and sketch a group of rocks, hazel-bushes, and 
 reeds, which I want for the foreground of my 
 pictmre. Now, no excuses, Herbert, though
 
 160 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 you look as if you were going to begin some, — 
 I will not hear them. Wait here with papa, till 
 I put on my bonnet and get my sketch-book. 
 
 " Now, don't let him go, I pray you, papa," 
 she continued, looking back from the door she 
 had just opened, " for I shall not be five 
 minutes away." 
 
 " You hear your doom, Herbert," said Mr. 
 Hayward gaily ; " so come, sit down ; tell me 
 all about your regiment, and how this ex- 
 change of yours prospers. A dashing young 
 fellow like you ought to be in the cavalry, and 
 I hope to hear of your soon exchanging the 
 scarlet for the blue." 
 
 ^' That is all off, I am sorry to say, sir," re- 
 plied Herbert. 
 
 " Off ! what do you mean ? Surely your 
 father told me that he had lodged the money 
 for the exchange, and that the matter had only 
 to pass through the forms of the War Office." 
 
 " So he had ; but an event has happened 
 which has put an end to all our hopes ujjon 
 the subject." 
 
 " What, is the man dead ? " 
 
 "No, sir, he is well enough, but — " and 
 Herbert hesitated.
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 161 
 
 " But what, Herbert ? If there is anything 
 that I can do, — you know there can be no 
 ceremony between us." 
 
 "No, no, sir, I well know that; and — " 
 
 " Why what is the matter with the boy ? " 
 cried Mr. Hay ward, observing that Herbert 
 seemed to be struggling with some strong emo- 
 tion ; " has anything happened ? " 
 
 " You may as well know it at once," replied 
 Herbert, mastering his feehngs. " I am come 
 on purpose to tell it to you, lest you should 
 hear it in some out of the way manner. My 
 regiment is ordered abroad, and I am to go of 
 
 course." 
 
 " Well, I am glad to hear it," said Mr. Hay- 
 ward ; " you will have a pleasant continental 
 frolic, and see something of the world; — and 
 sorry too, since we shall lose you for a time." 
 
 "But our destination is not the continent, 
 but India," said Herbert sadly. 
 
 "Good God ! you don't mean that," exclaimed 
 Mr. Hayward, rising. " Pardon me, my dear 
 boy, that I should have spoken lightly on a sub- 
 ject which is so distressing. India ! that indeed 
 is a sad word : can nothing be done to prevent 
 this ? cannot you exchange ? cannot- 
 
 3)
 
 162 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 "I would not if I were able^ dear sir," said 
 Herbert. " 1 feel this to be my duty, — I could 
 not in any honour leave the regiment at such a 
 time, without a suspicion of the basest motives 
 being attached to my character." 
 
 "Tut, tut, Herbert ! the thing is done every 
 day, so let not that distress or prevent you." 
 
 Herbert shook his head. 
 
 " I say it is, I could tell you a dozen in- 
 stances." 
 
 " Perhaps you might, where the only enemy 
 was the climate ; but our possessions in the 
 East are menaced, and the service will be active. 
 I learned this when the news came to the regi- 
 ment ; and as none of the officers have attempted 
 an exchange, except one or two whose charac- 
 ters ai'e not high, I feel that I cannot." 
 
 "And you are right, Herbert," said Mr. 
 Hayward, after a pause, " you are right. God 
 help your parents! your poor mother — this will 
 be a sad blow to her!" and he paused, as a tear 
 glistened in his eyes. 
 
 "' It was at first, certainly, sir ; but they are 
 already more composed, and are beginning to 
 bear to talk of it." 
 
 " And how soon are you to go ? The Go-
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 163 
 
 vernment 'v^"ill give you some time^ surely, for 
 preparation. " 
 
 '* Very little, I am sorry to say. We march 
 for Dover on Monday, and sail, we hear, in ten 
 days or a fortnight." 
 
 " Monday ! Bless me, and today is Thurs- 
 day ; this is the worst news of all. Poor Amy, 
 what will she say ? " 
 
 "Yes, sir," said Herbert, "I want your ad- 
 vice, whether to mention it to her myself or not. 
 I cannot refuse to accompany her now, — in- 
 deed, you saw she M-ould take no denial. I will 
 do exactly as you please." 
 
 " Why, it is an unpleasant matter to any of 
 us to think or speak of, and I really do not 
 know what to say. But as you are the person 
 concerned, and can give her every information 
 yourself," continued Mr. Hay ward, after a 
 pause, "perhaps you had better talk it over 
 with her. Break it as gently as you can, how- 
 ever, for it would be useless to deny to you 
 that she will be very sorry to hear it." 
 
 "Come, Herbert!" cried Amy, opening the 
 door ; " I have been longer away than I thought. 
 Come, here are books and paper, and my stool 
 for you to carry, so make haste."
 
 164 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 "You will be discreet with her, Herbert," 
 said Mr. Hayward gently, giving his hand. 
 
 Herbert could only press it in acknowledge- 
 ment. In a moment afterwards they were gone. 
 
 Mr. Hayward turned to the window invo- 
 luntarily, to watch them as they descended 
 the gentle slope of the lawn. There was a 
 vague thought in his mind that they had better 
 not have gone ; but as he could find no reason 
 for the idea, he dismissed it. He was a be- 
 nevolent, simple-hearted man ; he had had 
 neither the necessity nor the inclination to study 
 character, and could not at once estimate the 
 effect such a communication as his daughter 
 was about to receive would have upon her; nor 
 did it at once strike him that the long and in- 
 timate association she had held with Herbert 
 could have produced any tenderer feeling than 
 she had ever expressed or appeared to enter- 
 tain. Her mother, had she been there, might 
 have judged differently ; but, as Mr. Hajrvvard 
 soliloquized, as their retreating figures were lost 
 to his view behind a low shrubbery, " Matters 
 must take their own course now ; it is too late 
 to recall them." 
 
 Onwards they went ; leaving the broad walk
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 165 
 
 which led by the side of the lawn and shrub- 
 beries, they at once struck across the park, 
 down one of the noble glades of beech-trees 
 from whence the place took its name. The day 
 was bright and warm, — one of those blessed 
 days of June, when all nature seems to put for- 
 ward her choicest productions for the gratifi- 
 cation and admiration of man, — when cowshp 
 and daisy, buttercup and wild anemone, with a 
 thousand other flowers of lowly pretensions yet 
 of exquisite beauty, have opened their bright 
 blossoms to the sunlight, and are wooing it in 
 silent thankfulness. 
 
 The verdant carpet beneath them was full of 
 these, glowing in their freshest bloom ; the 
 sheep and lambs, dotted here and there upon 
 every slope, lazily cropped the short, soft her- 
 bage ; and the tinkling of their bells and the 
 faint bleating of the lambs, now distant, now 
 near, mingled with the hum of the many bees 
 which busily drew their loads of sweets, roam- 
 ing from flower to flower. Butterflies of many 
 hues, their gorgeous wings glai-ing in the bright 
 light, fluttered swiftly along, coquetting as it 
 were with the flowers, and enjoying in their full 
 vigour the sunny brightness of their short lives.
 
 166 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 There was no wind, and yet a freshness in 
 the air which tempered the heat of the sun ; 
 the beech-trees, with their shining leaves, ap- 
 peared sleeping in the sunlight, and as if rest- 
 ing, during the short period there might be al- 
 lowed them, from their almost ceaseless waving. 
 Far around them the park stretched away into 
 broad glades, some ended by woods, others 
 presenting peeps of blue and dim distance ; 
 while through all there was a vapour floating, 
 sufficient only to take off the harshness from 
 every outline, whether of tree or distance, and 
 to blend the whole harmoniously into that soft 
 dreamy appearance, so exquisite and so sooth- 
 ing to behold. 
 
 " How lovely the park is today, Herbert ! " 
 said Amy, " is it not ? Methinks every step 
 we take presents a new picture which ought 
 to be drawn. Look now at that group of 
 sheep and deer almost intermixed ; the deer 
 have chosen the fern which is partly under that 
 magnificent beech, the sheep are aU among 
 them, and their young lambs enjoying their 
 merry gambols ; the light is falling in that 
 beautiful chequered manner which I strive in 
 vain to represent ; and yet how great are the
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 167 
 
 masses, how perfect the unstudied composition, 
 how exquisite the colour ! The brightest and 
 warmest green, spangled with flowers, is be- 
 fore us ; this is broken by the shadows : beyond 
 the tree there is a delicious grey, melting im- 
 perceptibly into the most tender blue. Is it 
 not a picture now, Herbert?" 
 
 . '^ A lovely one indeed. Amy ; a study worthy 
 of Berghem or Cuyp. What exquisite percep- 
 tions of nature must they have had ! their pic- 
 tures and those of many of the same class, how 
 simple ! and yet painted with the most con- 
 summate art and nicest finish. Scarcely a 
 flower escapes them, yet there is not one too 
 many represented, nor one in any way interfer- 
 ing with the harmony of then- colouring. I often 
 long for such power ; for we only can appre- 
 ciate their skill and genius, by our own awk- 
 ward attempts to imitate them. Indeed, vrhen 
 I look on the works of any of these great mas- 
 ters, my own appear so contemptible in my 
 eyes, that I am tempted to forswear the gentle 
 craft altogether." 
 
 " Indeed, you are to do no such thing, Her- 
 bert, but help me to sketch, and to blunder
 
 168 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 on through many a drawing yet. I have no 
 idea of being put out of conceit of my own 
 performancesj for which I have a high respect, 
 I assure you. But come, if we stay loitering 
 by every old beech-tree and group of sheep 
 or deer, I shall get no sketch done in time 
 for you to copy on my drawing, and shall be 
 obliged perhaps to listen to some terrible ex- 
 cuses of duty or business. So come, we have 
 yet a good way to walk." 
 
 Beguiling the way, little more than a quarter 
 of a mile, by gentle converse upon familiar, 
 yet to them interesting subjects, they reached 
 the busy, murmuring river, — now steahng 
 quietly under a bank, — now chafed in its pas- 
 sage over a few stones, — here eddying past a 
 rock and covered with white foam, — there 
 widening out into a little pool, partly natural, 
 partly artificial, the glassy surface of which was 
 broken into circles by the rapid rising of the 
 trout, which eagerly leaped after the flies that 
 sported upon it. 
 
 There was a small pathway beside the 
 stream which had been the work of all the boys 
 some years ago ; in some places it wound
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUX. 169 
 
 through thickets of alder and hazel, Avhich met 
 above it, forming a green alcove impervious 
 to the sun ; again, under some mossy bank or 
 wide-spreading ash, where a rustic seat had 
 been erected. Further as it advanced, it led 
 round a projecting bank to a little open bay 
 surrounded by rocks, one of which jutted out 
 boldly into the stream that brawled noisily 
 past it ; and the open space, once a level spot 
 of greensward, had been laid out irregularly 
 in a little garden, which now bloomed with 
 many sweet and beautiful floMcrs, of kinds 
 despised perhaps nowadays, but not the less 
 lovely for all that. Tall hollyhocks there were, 
 and roses ; and honeysuckles had been trained 
 up against the rocks, with jessamine, clematis 
 and other creepers, which poured forth their 
 fragrance on the air. 
 
 Manv a time had the little circles of Beech- 
 wood and Alston united here, and many a 
 joyous pic-nic and dance had occupied hours 
 which could never be forgotten by any. 
 
 It was a lovely spot indeed ; the rocky bank 
 around the little circle was, as we have said, 
 covered with creepers ; festoons of ivy hung from 
 
 VOL, I. I
 
 170 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 abo^ e, and over all nodded some ash or other 
 forest-treeS;, mingled with underwood and fern. 
 On the opposite side of the river, worn away 
 by the water which had run past it for count- 
 less years, the bank was high and steep, covered 
 with ivy and drooping fern ; all sorts of little 
 peering wild-flowers lurked among its recesses, 
 with mosses m hose colours glistened like eme- 
 rald and gold ; above it grew two or three 
 noble ashes and beeches, whose feathery foliage 
 descended in minute and graceful sprays down 
 to the bank, and waved with every breath of 
 wind. 
 
 A tiny summer-house, or hermitage as they 
 had called it, made of pine-logs and thatched 
 with heath, stood in the corner formed by the 
 projection round which they were passing ; and 
 thither they directed their steps, for it com- 
 manded a view of the whole of the little am- 
 phitheatre, the rock, the river, and the bank 
 beyond. Though there was a kind of garden, 
 yet there was nothing artificial in its appear- 
 ance ; the few flowers looked almost like the 
 spontaneous growth of the spot, and did not 
 interfere with the perfectly wild yet beautiful
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN'. l7l 
 
 character of the scene, which otherwise was 
 as nature in one of her bountiful moods had 
 fashioned and left it, — a nook wherein man 
 might worship her the more devoutly. The 
 whole glowed under the bright beams of the 
 noonday sun, and there was not a breath of 
 wind to disturb the complete serenity and 
 dreamy effect of the place. 
 
 " Now sit down here, Herbert," said Amy, 
 " and begin yonder by that ivy. You are to 
 draw me all the jutting rock, the water eddying 
 round it, the reeds here by the brink, and give 
 me a bit of distance beyond ; and I do not 
 think," she added with enthusiasm, " that the 
 world could show a lovelier spot today than our 
 little hermitage. I only wish I could grasp it 
 all, and put it upon my paper as I see it : do 
 not you often feel so ? " 
 
 " Indeed I do. Amy, and am vexed at my 
 own clumsy attempts to imitate nature ; but I 
 will do my best for you today. I may not 
 soon again have such an opportunity." 
 
 ^' You mean there will not be such another 
 delicious day, Herbert; but I do not despair 
 now of the weather." 
 
 I 2
 
 172 TIPPOO SULTAUX. 
 
 Herbert was silent ; he had thought his re- 
 mark might have led to the subject he did not 
 know how to break. He looked at his com- 
 panion, and he felt how hard it would be ta 
 leave one so beautiful, nay so loved as she was. 
 He had never spoken to her of love ; but now 
 the hour approached when he was to leave 
 her, and there were feelings within him strug- 
 gling for expression which he could ill restrain; 
 his thoughts oppressed him, and though he 
 continued to sketch he was silent. 
 
 '' You are very dull and absent today, Her- 
 bert," she said at length, as she continued look- 
 ing over his shoulder ; " but you are dra^v- 
 ing that foliage and the old rock very nicely, 
 so I must not scold you ;" and again she con- 
 tinued to converse. She tried many topics, 
 she spoke eloquently and feelingly of her 
 boundless love of nature, she told him what 
 she had been reading, asked him a thousand 
 questions about his duties, his regiment, his 
 companions, — all of \\hich he answered me- 
 chanically ; for his heart was too busy for him 
 to heed the replies his tongue gave. 
 
 " Upon my Avord, I do not know what to
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. l73 
 
 make of you today, Herbert/' she cried laugh- 
 ing, as he had giveu some absurd reply to one 
 of her questions or sallies which was not in. 
 any way relative to it. " You draw most 
 meritoriously, and better than ever I saw you 
 before, but my words fall on heedless ears ; for 
 I am sure you have neither heard or under- 
 stood a word of what I have been saying this 
 hour past. Now make haste, — a few touches 
 %yill finish that, and you can add figures 
 afterwards if you like. I am sure you are un- 
 well. If you are so, I insist on your giving up 
 the drawing." 
 
 ^' I shall nev'er again have such an opportu- 
 nity, dear Amy," he said ; " not at least for a 
 long time, so I had better do all I can now." 
 There was much sadness in his tone. 
 
 " What do you mean by that ? this is the 
 second time I have heard you say it," she re- 
 plied anxiously ; " you surely cannot be going 
 to leave us again ; the regiment has only been 
 here two months, and — tell me, I beseech you, 
 Herbert," she continued as he looked up from 
 the drawing, and distress w'as very visible upon 
 his countenance ; " tell me what you have to 
 say. Why do you look so sad?"
 
 174 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 "Because^ dear Amy, I have news which 
 will pain you, — that is, I think it will, — for we 
 have ever been so linked together: you have 
 guessed the truth,— I am indeed to leave, — and 
 that so soon that my own brain is confused by 
 the sudden orders we have received." 
 
 She turned as pale as death, and her lips 
 quivered; all the misery and danger she had 
 ever heard of foreign service rushed at once 
 overwhelmingly into her thoughts. She tried 
 to speak, but could not. 
 
 " It must be told sooner or later," he 
 thought, laying dow-n the sketch and drawing 
 towards her ; he continued, though with much 
 difficulty in preser\'ing his composure, — 
 
 " The regiment is ordered upon service. 
 Amy, and after many thoughts I find I have 
 no alternative but to accompany it. We 
 march for Dover in a few days ; the transports 
 we hear will meet us there ; and after we have 
 embarked, the convoy fleet for India will join 
 us at Portsmouth or Plymouth." 
 
 ^' For India ! " were the only words the poor 
 girl could utter, as she sunk helpless and faint- 
 ing upon the seat.
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUX. 175 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 "Amy, dear Amy \" cried the young man, ago- 
 nized by her bitter sobs, which ceased not, 
 though he had raised her up, and supporting 
 her hardly sensible form strove to console her, 
 but in vain. " Amy, speak to me ! one word, 
 only one word, and you will be better : call me 
 by my name — anything — only do not look so 
 utterly wretched, nor sob so bitterly. God 
 knows I have enough to bear in leaving you 
 so suddenly, but this misery is worst of all. 
 Dear Amy, look up ! say that you will try to 
 conquer this, and I shall have the less to re- 
 proach myself with for having told you of so 
 much.'"* But she spoke not; she could not utter 
 one word for the choking sensation in her
 
 176 TIPPOO SULTAUX. 
 
 throat. She passed her hand over it often, tried 
 in vain to swallow, and gasped in the attempt. 
 
 "Good God, you are ill!" exclaimed Her- 
 bert hurriedly ; ^* what can be done ? what can I 
 get ? My own Amy ! — dearest, dearest ! — do not 
 look so." But his entreaties were of no avail 
 against her overpowering grief ; she had strug- 
 gled with the hysterical feeling till she could no 
 longer oppose it, and yielded to its influence. 
 
 Distracted, Herbert knew not what to do. 
 Aid there Avas none nearer than the house, and 
 he could not leave her, — he dared not. He 
 raised her gently, and bore her like a child to 
 the river's brink. He unloosed her bonnet, 
 and sprinkled water on her face ; it revived 
 her ; and after some time and difficulty he suc- 
 ceeded in making her drink a little from his 
 closed hands. 
 
 She recovered gradually, but lay sobbing still 
 bitterly upon the grass, weakened and exhausted 
 by the violence of her emotions. Herbert 
 continued to hang over her in the greatest 
 anxiety, and to implore her to speak in the 
 tenderest epithets. He had not discovered how 
 dear she was to him till he had heard his
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 177 
 
 fate ; and he had tried to argue himself out of 
 the belief, but without avail. His high sense 
 of honour then came to his aid, and he thought 
 that it would be wrong to declare such feelings 
 to her when he might never return ; and fer- 
 vently as he loved her, he could have spared 
 her the bitterness of that lingering hope which, 
 is so akin to despair. 
 
 But in those moments he had forgotten all ; 
 thoughts of the past and for the future, all 
 centred in intense affection for the helpless 
 being before him^ whose artless mind had not 
 attempted any disguise of her devoted love for 
 her companion of so many years. 
 
 At last she recovered sufficiently to raise her- 
 self up ; and this, the first sign of consciousness 
 she had given, was rapture to Herbert. He 
 bent down to her, and attempted to lift her to 
 her feet. She was passive in his hands, even 
 as a weak child ; and partly supporting, partly 
 carrying her, he led her to the hermitage. 
 There he seated her on the rustic l)ench, and 
 kneeling down beside her, \\hile one arm was 
 passed round her, — for she could not have sat 
 alone without support, — he poured forth with 
 
 i5
 
 J'J8 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 the impetuosity and tenderness of his disposi- 
 tion his vows of love, and his entreaties for 
 some token that he had not angered her by 
 his abruptness. 
 
 ''' But one word^ my Amy ! but one word, 
 dearest ! — one word, that in those far distant 
 lands I may feed on it in my heart, while your 
 beautiful face is present to my imagination. 
 Dearest, we have loved each other with more 
 than children's love from infancy; we have 
 never expressed it, but now the trial has come, 
 and you will not be the one to deny yours at 
 such a time. Oh ! Amy, speak to me one word 
 to assure me that I may call you mine for ever." 
 
 Much more he said, and more passionately, 
 but her hand was not withdrawn from his, nor 
 did she remove herself from him. A tear at 
 last forced its way from her closed eyelids, for 
 she dared not to open them. Soon others fol- 
 lowed ; they fell hot and fast upon his hand for 
 a little while ; and at length, as she strove to 
 speak, but could not, she was no longer able to 
 control her emotion, and she fell upon his neck 
 and wept aloud. 
 
 The young man strained her to his heart.
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. l79 
 
 and as he wiped the fast-falling tears from her 
 eyes, he pom-ed such consolation as he could 
 find words to utter into her perturbed heart. 
 She did not question his love, — she had no 
 doubt of that ; but there was one aU-engrossing 
 thought — his absence — beneath which even her 
 light and joyous spirit quailed ; and while it 
 caused her to shiver in very apprehension of 
 perils which her thoughts could not define, she 
 clung the closer to him, and strove to shut out 
 the evils with which her mental visions were 
 overcast. 
 
 The trying test of coming absence, of dangers 
 to be braved, hardships to be endured, had at 
 once broken doN\Ti all barriers of formality, and 
 opened to them the state of each other's affec- 
 tions in that perfect confidence, that pure reli- 
 ance, — the gentle growth of years it is true, — 
 but which had at once expanded without a 
 check, and would endure for ever. 
 
 Who can tell the exquisite pleasure of such 
 a first embrace ? pure love, such as theirs, had 
 little of the dross of passion in it. The know- 
 ledge that years must elapse ere they could 
 meet again, the silent dread that it might never
 
 180 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 be, put a thought of possession far from them ; 
 and in the perfect purity and ecstasy of feehng of 
 those moments, — in the indulgence of thoughts, 
 new, yet so inexpressibly sweet to them, — it 
 is no wonder in that sequestered and lovely 
 spot, that hours should have passed, and time 
 should have been unheeded ; nor was it until 
 the lengthened shadows warned them of the 
 decline of the day, that they could speak of 
 parting or of the object of their visit. 
 
 The sketch had lain on the ground unheeded. 
 Amy took it up. " It will be to me the silent 
 witness of what has this day happened," she 
 said, " and the dearest treasure I possess, 
 Herbert, when you are gone from me. Now 
 one little favour I beg, that you will sketch 
 in ourselves, — me, as I lay fainting on the 
 bank yonder, and you as you bent over me; 
 for I think it was there and then I first 
 heard you say you loved me, Herbert. To 
 me it will be a comfort and a solace till you 
 return, and then we will come here together, 
 and you shall see that not a shrub or flower 
 has been altered. Four years you said, dearest! 
 they will soon pass, and I confess I have
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 181 
 
 hope beyond what I thought I should ever 
 have possessed. Four years ! methinks in an- 
 ticipation they are ah'eady gone, and we sit 
 here, — you a bronzed soldier with a thousand 
 tales for me to hear, and I will sit at your feet 
 and listen, your unchanged and unchangeable 
 Amv." 
 
 Herbert regarded her with intense admira- 
 tion, for her sadness had passed away ; and 
 though tears trembled in her bi'ight eyes with 
 eveiy word she spoke, there was a joyous tone 
 in her voice and in her expression ; and his 
 spirit caught that hope from hers which, under 
 other circumstances, would have been denied 
 him. 
 
 " Willingly, most willingly, dearest," he said, 
 taking the drawing from her ; and in a few mo- 
 ments he had sketched in the figures ; — she, 
 raising herself up, had recovered consciousness, 
 and he, bending anxiously over her, had im- 
 plored her to speak to him. There was such 
 force and tenderness in the attitudes that it 
 told the simple story at a glance. 
 
 " It is too plain, Herbert," she said half re- 
 proachfully ; " I shall not dare to show any one
 
 182 TIPPO SULTAUN. 
 
 your boldest and by far most beautiful sketch ; 
 nay, you are even making a likeness of me, which 
 is too bad; but I need not fear, for no one shall 
 ever see it but myself. My last look shall be 
 of it at night, and with that my last thought 
 shall be with you. Now that is enough : I 
 will not have another touch, lest you spoil it ; 
 give it me, let me carry it home, and miser-like 
 lock it up from every one but myself." 
 
 " You may have it if you will, dearest, but 
 I must beg it for tonight at least. I will make 
 a small sketch from it, and will bring it over 
 early tomon'ow." 
 
 " It is only upon your promise not to keep it 
 longer than tomorrow morning, that you may 
 have it, Herbert. I am nearly incUned to make 
 you stay at Beechwood to copy it, lest any- 
 thing should befall it ; but I am not selfish 
 enough to detain you from those who love you 
 as dearly as I do." 
 
 Slowly they retraced their steps through 
 every bowery path and open glade ; the blos- 
 soms of the lime and horse-chestnut filled the 
 air with luscious sweetness, and their broad 
 shadows were flung wide over the richly-co-
 
 TIPPOO SUL.TAUN. 183 
 
 loured sward. They wandered on, hardly 
 heeding the luxuriant beauty of the landscape, 
 with their arms twined round each other, while 
 they spoke in those gentle murmuring tones, 
 which, though low, w^ere yet distinct, and of 
 which every word w'as striven to be remem- 
 bered for years afterwards. 
 
 " My father must know all," said Amy, 
 as they approached the house ; " we have no- 
 thing to fear from him, and therefore nothing 
 to conceal; but I dare not speak, Herbert, so — " 
 
 '* I do not flinch from the trial, dearest," was 
 his reply. " If you can bear it, I would rather 
 you Avere present, but — " 
 
 *' No, no, no ! I could not bear it, Her- 
 bert," replied the blushing girl ; ^^ and I had 
 better not be present I know, for we should 
 both lose courage. No, you must tell all to 
 papa and leave me to my own solitude for 
 awhile, for indeed I require it. And now^ here 
 we are at home ; I need not say — for you know 
 papa almost as well as I do — conceal nothing, 
 for we have nothing to conceal." 
 
 She ran lightly on through the hall, and up 
 the broad staircase. Herbert followed her beau-
 
 184 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 tiful figure till he could see it no longer; then 
 listened till he heard the door of her chamber 
 close after her. " She has gone to pray for 
 herself and ts\q" he thought, and thought truly. 
 The study-door was before him ; his heart beat 
 very fast, and his hand almost trembled as he 
 placed it upon the handle ; but his resolution 
 was made in an instant, and he passed in. 
 
 Mr. Hayward laid down the book he had been 
 reading, and took the spectacles from his nose, 
 as Herbert entered. " You are a pretty pair of 
 truants," he said cheerfully ; " an hour or two 
 indeed ! mIiv 'tis just six o'clock ! and where 
 is Amy ? " 
 
 " She is gone to her room, sir, for a short 
 time ; she said she would not be long absent." 
 
 "And what have you been about? come, let 
 me see. You know I am a great admirer of 
 your spirited sketches, Herbert; so hand me 
 your day's work, M'hich ought to be an elabo- 
 rate affair, considering the time you have been 
 about it." And he replaced his spectacles. 
 
 Herbert blushed crimson; he felt his face 
 glowing painfully : he had forgotten the roll of 
 paper, which he had kept in his hand, and he
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUX. 185 
 
 could not deny that it was the sketch Mr. Hay- 
 ward wished to see. He hesitated a Httle, grew 
 somewhat indecisive in his speech ; and, as the 
 old gentleman was beginning to suspect the 
 truth, Herbert had told all, and stood before 
 him glowing with manly emotion and proud 
 feehngs of rectitude. There was nothing to 
 conceal, Amy had said, so he concealed no- 
 thing. He told him how he had intended 
 not to have spoken to her ; but how, overcome 
 by the anguish of seeing her so prostrated by 
 grief, he had revealed to her all his feelings, 
 even at the risk of her displeasure. " Amy 
 loves me, sir," he continued proudly ; " nor 
 does she seek to deny it. We have too long 
 shared each othei-'s thoughts for any reserve 
 to exist between us ; and to you we fearlessly 
 commit ourselves, in frank confession of our 
 fault, if we have committed any." 
 
 Mr. Hayward only mused for a moment ; he 
 loved Herbert too well, and had known him 
 too long, to hesitate. " May God bless you 
 both, my dear boy !" he cried, rising from his 
 chair, and extending his arms to embrace the 
 young man. " May God bless you ! If there
 
 186 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 had not been this dreadful absence to contem- 
 plate, I should have counted this one of the 
 happiest moments of my life; as it is, I am 
 thankful that Amy is loved by such an one as 
 you, Herbert; but where is she? I can remain 
 no longer without seeing you together." He 
 rang the bell. 
 
 " Tell Miss Hayward that I want her here as 
 soon as possible,'^ said the old gentleman to 
 the servant. 
 
 A few minutes only elapsed, during which 
 neither spoke. At last her light footstep was 
 heard on the stairs : descending slowly it passed 
 over the hall so lightly that even Herbert's 
 ear could hardly detect it ; he fancied it hesi- 
 tated at the door, and he flew to open it ; and the 
 smile of joy — of triumph — which met her hur- 
 ried glance, served in some measure to assure 
 her ; her father stood with open arms, and hps 
 quivering with emotion. " God bless you ! 
 God bless you !" was all he could utter, as she 
 rushed into them, and, sobbing, hid her burn- 
 ing face in his bosom; nor did she venture 
 to withdraw it for long, nor he to disturb her ; 
 the gush of joy which welled from his heart.
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 187 
 
 as he strained her to it, was too pure to relin- 
 quish easily. 
 
 ** If I have been wrong, dear father, forgive 
 me y was all she was able to utter, after a si- 
 lence of some moments. 
 
 " Nay, I have nothing to forgive, my sweet 
 pet," he said ; " I had looked for this happi- 
 ness only as a consummation of my dearest 
 wishes, and it is now as imexpected as grateful. 
 But I will keep you no longer, Herbert," he 
 said to him, '' nor must Amy either, for there 
 are others who have stronger claims upon you 
 than we have, and I dare not detain you from 
 them. I wish however, and Amy will second 
 the wish I know, that you would come over 
 tomoiTow as early as you can, and give us a 
 quiet day and evening together ; it will be as 
 much a source of gratification to you to dwell 
 on when you are away, as it will be to us ; — so 
 say, will you come ? " 
 
 At any time the invitation would have been 
 welcome, but now the imploring looks of the 
 fair girl were arguments which could not be 
 resisted. 
 
 " I will be with you as early as I can," Her-
 
 188 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 bert replied, " as soon as I can complete a 
 task I have here, and I -viill not leave you 
 till night; so for the present fare v^- ell, and I 
 beg you to procure me the forgiveness, and I 
 will add the blessing, of her whom I hope to 
 call a second mother." 
 
 " You need have no doubts," said Mr. Hay- 
 ward ; '' you have nothing to apprehend, but, 
 on the contrary, I can assure you that this sub- 
 ject will be one of great delight to her ; so once 
 more, God bless you !" 
 
 Amy followed him to the hall-door, apparently 
 to shut it after him, but she passed out with him, 
 after a moment's coquetting with the handle. 
 ^'^ You will not fail, dear Herbert ? I could not 
 bear disappointment now," she said to him, her 
 eyes filling and sparkling like violets with dew- 
 drops hanging in them. 
 
 '' Not for worlds would I give you one mo- 
 ment's pain, dearest ; fear not, I shall be with 
 you soon after noon tomorrow. Good bye, and 
 God bless you ! " 
 
 Perhaps it was that they had approached 
 very nigh each other as they spoke, and he 
 oould not resist the tempting opportunity, or
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUX. 189 
 
 perhaps, — but it is of no use to speculate, — 
 certain it is that he drew her to him gently, 
 and imprinted one fervent kiss on her lips : she 
 did not chide him, but felt the more cheerful 
 aftei'wards that she had received it. 
 
 Herbert hurried home, and instantly sought 
 his parents; he told them all, nor concealed 
 from them one thought by which he had been 
 actuated, nor one struggle against his love which 
 he had failed to overcome. They were both 
 much affected, for indeed it was a solemn thing 
 to contemplate the plighting of their son's 
 faith with Amy, on the eve of such a separa- 
 tion. Yet they were gratified ; and in their 
 prayers that night, and ever afterwards, they 
 commended the beloved pair to the guardian- 
 ship and protection of Him whom they wor- 
 shiped in spirit and in truth.
 
 190 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 The morrow came — a bright and joyous day, on 
 which the spirit of beauty and of love revelled 
 in every natural creation, and was abroad over 
 the whole earth, — a day of dreamy, voluptuous 
 repose, when one feels only fitted to hold silent 
 converse with nature in intense admiration of 
 the glorious perfection of her works. 
 
 The sun was almost overpoweringly bright, 
 and the world abroad rejoiced in his beams. 
 Man everywhere should have rejoiced too ; yet 
 there were some hearts \vhich his effulgence 
 could not iUumine, which his cheering influ- 
 ence could not enliven. The breakfast -table 
 at the Rectory was a silent one, where here- 
 tofore all had been joyous and cheerful; for 
 it was useless to struggle against the grief
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 191 
 
 which pervaded the whole family. Mr. Comp- 
 ton and Herbert strove the most manfuUy and 
 with best success to cheer the rest and them- 
 selves, but Mrs. Compton dared not look at 
 any one ; and she sat silently, with quivering 
 lips, and eyes filled with tears, of which she 
 was unconscious, except as those drops, start- 
 ing from the pure fountain of a mother's love, 
 ran down upon her cheek, and were hastily 
 brushed away. Her eyes were now fixed upon 
 vacancy, and again wandered to her son, and 
 were withdrawn only when it became agony to 
 repress the emotion she felt. 
 
 Who can fathom the depth of a mother's love 
 for such a son, one on whom she had doated, 
 even to weakness, from his birth? We dare not 
 attempt to depict it, nor can it be expressed; 
 but it has been felt by millions, and will con- 
 tinue to be so while the tenderest and hohest 
 feelings of love are continued as blessings to 
 us. 
 
 Herbert fulfilled his appointment faithfully: 
 ere he had passed the little bridge many paces, 
 the maiden met him, for she had long sat and 
 watched for him ; and they strolled on, away
 
 192 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 through the most sequestered glades of the park, 
 resting at whiles on hillocks of thyme and 
 mossy banks, which courted occupation as they 
 wandered by. Time flew lightly, and in that 
 perfect bliss which can be only known once, — 
 so pure are the sensations, that the heart does 
 not hope to feel them again ; and which, if 
 once enjoyed, remain indelibly impressed upon 
 it for ever. 
 
 They wandered on ; they had no thought for 
 anything around them, no eyes to behold beau- 
 ties, except in the luxury of their own thoughts. 
 Their minds were like stringed instruments in 
 perfect unison, — each touch by the one was re- 
 sponded to by the other with harmony. They 
 spoke of the future with confidence, with that 
 pure hope only known to the young who have 
 never felt the agony of hope deferred. There 
 was no cloud now over their .bright future. 
 Four years ! to look back on it was nothing ; they 
 could remember the occurrences of four years 
 ago as though they were yesterday, and those 
 to come they thought would pass as fast. 
 
 He spoke to her of the gorgeous East, of the 
 temples, the palaces, the almost fairy-land he was
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 193 
 
 to see, and they pictured to themselves a land 
 so brio-ht and fair that thev longed to roam 
 over it in company. He promised her letters, 
 — not cold formal ones written at a sitting, but 
 daily records of his thoughts, and minute de- 
 scriptions of the varied scenes he should pass 
 through. He promised sketches too, by every 
 opportunity, of everything about him, — of his 
 tent, his room, even of his table where he 
 should sit and hold conversations with her in 
 writing, as well as of the scenery and magni- 
 ficent remains of the country. 
 
 And in this exquisite converse all care for 
 the time had passed away from them ; for 
 though the feeling of parting did often float 
 through their minds, yet it would have been 
 hard had it been allowed to damp the buoy- 
 ancy of two such naturally cheerful hearts as 
 theirs ; and they entered the drawing-room of 
 Beechwood together, glowing with such plea- 
 sure, and with such joyous expressions upon 
 their faces, that Mrs. Hayward, who had been 
 long waiting for them, and had expected a far 
 different scene, was affected with joy instead of 
 sorrow ; and though the result was much the 
 
 VOL. I. K
 
 194 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 same, yet her equanimity was soon restored, 
 and the hearty blessing and greeting she gave 
 the pair, as they advanced to receive it, gi'atified 
 her benevolent and loving heart. 
 
 Herbert staid with them till the night was 
 far spent 5 there was perfect confidence and 
 perfect love among the party ; and if these are 
 seldom vouchsafed together in life's pilgrimage, 
 they make the period of that intercourse so 
 marked in its purity of character that it is the 
 better appreciated and the longer remembered. 
 
 But sadness came at length, — the dreaded 
 day of departure di'ew nigh; — the Sabbath, Her- 
 bert's last day with his parents, was held sacred 
 by both families ; and as they had now a common 
 interest in him who was about to leave, they 
 passed it together at the Rectory. There is little - 
 pleasure in dwelling upon a scene so sad, — in 
 depicting the sorrow of those who were assem- 
 bled. Mr. and Mrs. Hayward did the utmost 
 their land hearts could suggest to comfort 
 their friends, and in some measure succeeded; 
 but the time passed heavily, the conversation, 
 however it was directed, only tended to the same 
 point, — but that was too painful a one to be
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 195 
 
 discussed freely, and was only alluded to with 
 difficulty. Mrs. Compton tried in vain to sit 
 out the evening in the drawing-room, and at 
 length was obUo;ed to retire to her own cham- 
 ber, where she was followed and tended by her 
 friend and Amy with true affection. 
 
 Poor Amy ! she had a hard part to bear. To 
 conceal her own miserable feehngs, in order that 
 she might not be an additional weight upon the 
 ah'eady oppressed spirits of others, was a task 
 she was barely equal to ; yet she strove, and 
 stro\'e well to master her grief, and to all ap- 
 pearance hers was the only light heart of the 
 party. Herbert had promised to accompany 
 her home through the park, so that she would 
 be spared the misery of bidding him farewell 
 before others, even though they might be her 
 own parents, and this also consoled her. 
 
 In their evening worship Mr. Compton took 
 occasion to allude to Herbert's departure ; his 
 prayer was beautiful and simple, and in fervent 
 supphcation he earnestly commended him to 
 the Almighty's care and protection. The bitter 
 sobs of Mrs. Compton could throughout be 
 heard above his own tremulous voice, but he 
 
 k2
 
 196 TIPPCO SULTAUN. 
 
 persevered manfully, and all of that assembly 
 arose more calm and more^ reconciled to what 
 was now inevitable. 
 
 Mr. Hayward's carriage was soon afterwards 
 at the door ; it was announced in the drawing- 
 room, and he and Mrs. Hay ward arose to de- 
 part. They were both deeply affected ; as may 
 well be imagined Herbert was so too, and 
 spoke with difhculty ; but they blessed him, and 
 gave him their fervent washes for success, and a 
 safe return within the time he had appointed, 
 as warmly as if he had been one of their own 
 children. 
 
 " I have only one last favour to beg, dear 
 Mrs. Hayward," he said, as he handed her into 
 the carriage, " that you will allow Amy to walk 
 home under my escort ; I shall feel very thank- 
 ful, if you will consent." 
 
 " I will not refuse you, Herbert," she said: 
 **be gentle to her, for she loves you very deeply; 
 never disappoint her in writing, for I am well 
 convinced your letters will be her life while 
 you are away. I will endeavour to make every 
 allowance for the delay Avhich needs must 
 occur in the transmission of letters from such
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUX. 197 
 
 a distance ; but still you must be punctual and 
 regular. Remember, these are my last and 
 only commands upon you ; take Amy with you 
 now, but do not keep her out late, for the dews 
 are heavy, and may hurt you both. Now God 
 bless you ! " 
 
 " jNIy letters shall be my best answers to 
 your commands," said Herbert ; " believe me, I 
 shall not miss a single opportunity of sending 
 many to you all, for you will never be absent 
 from my thoughts. The time will soon pass, 
 and I hope and trust we shall all again be re- 
 united in this dear spot : — till then good bye I 
 good bye ! " 
 
 " Mrs. Hay ward says I may escort Amy 
 home through the park, sir," said Herbert to 
 Mr. Hayward, who was following ; " we shall 
 hardly lose our way in this beautiful moonlight, 
 and I hope you have no objection." 
 
 " Not if you promise you will not be late, 
 Herbert; but I leave her to your own discre- 
 tion; I have not the heart to part you tonight; 
 so farewell, my brave boy ! I trust we shall see 
 you back soon a colonel at least ; you will not 
 forget to write punctually, as well for our sake 
 as for Amy's."
 
 198 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 " I have already promised Mrs. Hayward 
 that,"- said Herbert^ " and most faithfully will I 
 fiilfil it/^ 
 
 " Then I will say no more, but again farewell, 
 and God bless you ! " 
 
 He wrung Herbert's hand warmly, and with 
 cordial sincerity, and stepping into the carriage, 
 it drove rapidly away. 
 
 " Now, dearest," said Herbert, " at least we 
 iiave a few moments which we can call our 
 own, — moments to be the food of years ; when 
 every word, however trivial, that one has ut- 
 tered, will be to the other the most precious in 
 the stock of our hearts' remembrances. Come, 
 let us stroll gently on." 
 
 She took his arm, and they wandered onw ards 
 towards the Park. The moon was nigh the full, 
 and her bright orb shed a mellow hght on all 
 ai'ound. A few fleecy clouds floated near her 
 in the deep blue heaven, but not enough to dim 
 her lustre, and her beams illuminated while 
 they softened every object in the well-known 
 pathway. 
 
 The perfect silence which reigned around them, 
 only broken at intervals by the faint tinkling of 
 the sheep-bells here and there, or the feeble bleat
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 199 
 
 of a iamb, was soothing to them j and the wide 
 glades of the park, seen dimly in the distance, 
 appeared to melt away into air, more like the 
 momentary visions of dreams than the realities 
 they had been accustomed to for years. They 
 had much to say to each other ; for they were 
 young, ardent, confiding, — loving with the in- 
 tenseness of a first and sincere attachment, the 
 gentle growth of years ; yet theirs was not the lan- 
 guage of passion, but those sobered, chastened, 
 and now sorrowful feehngs, which were the re- 
 sult at once of their long attachment and their 
 dread of parting; and they lingered on, nor 
 knew how swiftly time was flying, and that their 
 sad farewell must be spoken at last. They 
 walked up to the house several times, and 
 thought to leave each other ; but always some 
 new word was spoken, some train of thought 
 aroused, which carried them away again, for- 
 getful of their promises not to delay. 
 
 Nor could Amy's buoyant heart support her 
 to the last as it had done through the day, — in- 
 deed through the last few days ; bitter were her 
 sobs as she clung to the manly form of him 
 she loved, — bitter and more violent, as the clock
 
 200 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 of the out-offices sti-uck an hour — she did not, 
 could not count it, — wliich seemed to be a last 
 warning to her to leave him; she almost longed 
 to do so, and yet had not the power ; nor could 
 Herbert bring himself to utter the wish for her 
 to go. 
 
 They stood before the hall-door, irreso- 
 lute, as the clock struck; and gently, in as 
 soothing words as he could frame his thoughts 
 to utterance, he reminded her of his promise to 
 her mother and of her strict injunctions. " It 
 was only from my promise that we have enjoyed 
 these exquisite moments," he said, " and I 
 would not vex her. Amy." But still they lin- 
 gered; she was helpless as a child, her tears 
 fell very fast, and convulsive sobs shook her 
 sadly. Herbert supported her with one arm, 
 while he wiped away her tears, and kissed 
 the beautiful face which, upturned to his, had 
 lost its cheerful expression, and now wore one 
 of such mental anguish as had never before 
 visited it, that he almost reproached himself 
 for having caused it. It required all his self- 
 possession to restrain a violent outbreak of pas- 
 sionate emotion ; for his heart was full even to
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 201 
 
 bursting, and could he have shed tears, he 
 thought it would have relieved him, but they 
 were denied him. They could speak but little; 
 all he could utter were words of consolation, 
 which, repeated again and again almost unin- 
 telligibly, fell on heedless ears, for the misery 
 of her mind repelled them. But it could not 
 last ; sooner or later he must leave her, and he 
 felt that every moment was causing her addi- 
 tional pain, while no immediate alleviation could 
 follow. 
 
 He drew her gently towards the door ; she 
 understood his meaning, and acquiesced, by 
 making no resistance ; they ascended the steps 
 together ; the door had been left unfastened on 
 purpose to receive her, and he felt this deli- 
 cate mark of kindness in her parents deeply ; it 
 seemed even to comfort Amy that she should 
 be able to reach her chamber unobserved. 
 
 " Go and pray for me, as you pray for your- 
 self, dearest ! it will soothe you more than my 
 words or feeble consolations," he said, as open- 
 ing the door he led her within it ; '* soon I 
 will join my prayers to yours, and ascending 
 together to Him ■s\ho is alone able to grant 
 
 K 5
 
 202 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 them, they Avill bring us that peace which 
 indeed passes understanding. Go ! may He 
 who looks down from yonder bright and 
 glorious heaven upon us, bless you for ever, 
 my angel, and keep you in safety !" 
 
 He could not add more, nor did she dare 
 to reply, though some indistinct murmurs 
 escaped her ; he clasped her to his heart in one 
 ardent embrace; kissed her forehead — her eyes 
 — her lips in passionate fervour; and then 
 disengaging her from him, — for she did not, 
 could not oppose it, — he led her softly within 
 the hall ; and not dai'ing to hazard a second 
 glance upon her, he gently closed the door, 
 and with an almost bursting heart rushed 
 from the house. 
 
 He did not go far thus. Nature, who will 
 not be denied vent for such bitter feelings as 
 his were, and which had been so long and so 
 ill repressed, demanded relief; and overcome 
 by emotion, his temples throbbing as though 
 they would burst, with a choking sensation 
 in his throat, which caused him to breathe 
 with difficulty, he threw himself upon a rustic 
 seat by the side of the walk. For awhile the
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 203 
 
 agony he suffered was almost insupportable, 
 but afterwards a passionate burst of tears, w hich 
 he could not check or repress, came to his re- 
 hef. He leaned his head upon his hand and 
 sobbed bitterly for many minutes ; but he arose 
 at last, in some degree soothed by the effort 
 nature had made to relieve the sorrow which 
 had well nigh overpowered him. 
 
 Herbert left his home the next morning 
 amidst the unrestrained and bitter grief of all. 
 All his mother's previous resolutions failed her; 
 for awhile she refused to be comforted ; dread, 
 that he was going from her for ever, oppressed 
 her with a weight which she could not throw 
 off by the most strenuous mental exertions. 
 Mr. Compton strove to console her, and Her- 
 bert was as cheerful as he could be under the 
 circumstances. But it was all of no use ; deep 
 affection would find its vent, and no wonder, 
 when all had been so knit together in the ties 
 of love as that family. 
 
 But after breakfast, which they had vainly 
 tried to eat, and the viands which had been 
 provided remained untastcd upon the table, 
 the carriage was announced. To each of his
 
 204 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 brothers and his younger sisters Herbert bade 
 a tender farewell, promising them all sorts of 
 presents and drawings from eastern climates ; 
 but who shall paint his last moments with his 
 dear and honoured mother ? it would be pro- 
 fanation of such feelings to attempt their deli- 
 neation — they can be felt only, never described. 
 Mute with sorrow, Mrs. Compton could not 
 speak to him, as he folded her in a last embrace; 
 and as he tore himself from her, and hurried to 
 the carriage, she tottered to the window, and 
 supporting herself by the side panel, with eyes 
 dim with weeping and now almost blinded by 
 her tears, she watched him as long as sight of 
 him was spared her. She saw him throw him- 
 self into the carriage — his father attending him 
 to it — the door shut — the orders given to pro- 
 ceed; but ere the postilion could urge his 
 horses forward, she had sunk senseless upon 
 the ground. 
 
 The regiment marched that day towards 
 Dover, where his father joined Herbert in a 
 few days. Here they were detained only as 
 long as was sufficient to provide the requisite 
 necessaries to the regiment for a hot climate.
 
 TIPPOO SUL.TAUX. 205 
 
 and the duties of furnishing these to his 
 men kept Herbert continually employed. He 
 had some idea at one time of returning home, 
 even for a day or two, but the remembrance of 
 the pangs which both his mother and Amy had 
 suffered was too fresh in his mind to allow of 
 his indulging in so selfish and indeed useless a 
 gratification. He had his father with him, 
 whose presence was not only a solace, but who 
 pi'evented, as much as was in his power, Her- 
 bert's giving way to the grief which at times he 
 could not repress, and which endured in despite 
 of him. 
 
 At length the day arrived for the embarka- 
 tion, and a gallant but painful sight it was to 
 see so many brave fellow s leaving their native 
 land, their homes, their parents, children, and 
 other perhaps dearer ties, — prepared to shed 
 their blood in their country's cause, — to brave 
 the perils of an unknown land and danger- 
 ous climate for her sake. Yet, as the regi- 
 ment moved towards the pier from the barracks 
 in open column, headed by their band, playing 
 the most lively marches, to which the firm and 
 measured tread of the men formed a noble ac-
 
 206 TIPPOO SUL.TAUN. 
 
 companimentj there could not be seen a sorrow- 
 ful face among the whole; for their colours 
 were unfurled, and floated proudly to the breeze ; 
 and as each man's eye rested upon those em- 
 blems of their national honour which he had 
 sworn to guard, it glistened with that unde- 
 finable sensation of glowing pride w hich soldiers 
 only know, and feel most deeply on an occa- 
 sion like this. 
 
 The regiment was attended by all the other 
 officers of the garrison, and the inhabitants of 
 the town, and was loudly cheered as they passed 
 along. The boats waited beside the pier: each 
 division was marched in an orderly manner 
 into its respective boats, and at a signal given 
 the oars were dipped at once, and the whole 
 mimic fleet stretched at their utmost speed 
 towards the ships, which lay at some distance 
 from the shore. 
 
 Three hearty English cheers followed them, 
 led regularly by an officer of distinction, who 
 stood upon a capstan for the purpose; while the 
 band of his corps, which was stationed upon 
 the pier, played the slow march of the depart- 
 ing regiment with admirable expression. The
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 207 
 
 three cheers were as heartily returned from the 
 boats, and the gallant corps sped quickly on to 
 their vessels. 
 
 Mr. Compton accompanied his son on boai'd, 
 and staid as long as it was possible. The an- 
 chors of the fleet were a-peak, their topsails 
 loosed, when they arrived on board ; and when 
 the men were somewhat settled, and order re- 
 stored, the signal Mas made for sailing; soon 
 the anchors were at the cat-heads, the topsails 
 sheeted home, and the vast fabrics began their 
 march over the deep, to be continued through 
 storm or calm to the end. But as sail after 
 sail was set, the vessels began to move the 
 faster, until it was no longer possible to re- 
 tain the boat which was towing astern, in 
 which he was to return ; he was aware that 
 every indulgence had been shown him in having 
 been allowed to remain so long, and he could 
 make no opposition to its being ordered along- 
 side. 
 
 " May He who alone is able to protect you, 
 Herbert," he said, as he wrung his hand, " keep 
 you in health ! You go, I am well aware, to 
 many dangers, but I leave you in confident
 
 208 TIPPOO SULTAUX. 
 
 hope that we may meet again ; and my most 
 fei'vent supphcations shall ever be for you. Be 
 careful of yourself; you are strong, activej tem- 
 perate, — blessings which you cannot prize too 
 highly. And now embrace me, my dear boy — 
 I dare speak no more." 
 
 He left the deck : Herbert watched him down 
 the side safely into the boat ; the rope was cast 
 off, and in another instant it was dancing in the 
 wake of the vessel astern ; the boatmen set 
 their sail, and soon the tiny bark was dancing 
 merrily along over the waters. Herbert gazed 
 till it became a speck, and then disappeared ; 
 but Mr. Compton saw the tall vessels, which 
 had spread every sail to court a gentle and 
 favourable Avind, longer, and he watched the 
 last faint glitter of their white canvas with 
 straining eyes and an aching heart, till he could 
 see them no longer upon the blue horizon. 
 
 5|% ?l^ ^^ 5]^ 5K 
 
 We mvist now return to a point in ovu' nar- 
 rative from which we have very widely di- 
 gressed, in order to put our readers in posses- 
 sion of what we have detailed of the history of
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUX. 209 
 
 Herbert Compton ; and we will return to the 
 happy party which was assembled round the 
 cheerful fire at Alston Rectory. 
 
 Besides the family, Amy was there; and, since 
 the events we have detailed, she was often at 
 Alston for days together : she was bright and 
 joyous as ever, indeed much improved in per- 
 sonal appearance. Little more than a year had 
 elapsed since Herbert had left them, but the 
 letters he had written had been so regularly re- 
 ceived, that the miserable apprehensions which 
 all had indulged on his departure were com- 
 pletely dispelled; they knew that he was happy, 
 and enjoyed excellent health, that he had formed 
 pleasant friendships, and liked the country, 
 which he described with eloquence. Still, as he 
 had gone on service soon after his arrival, they 
 were anxious,, and looked eagerly for news. 
 
 " Come, let us have a glee, girls," said Mr. 
 Compton, after a game of foi'feits had been 
 played with all its pleasant noisy fun, which 
 seems now to have abandoned us ; " come, we 
 must have some music. Get you to the harpsi- 
 chord. Amy, and I will help out my own bass, 
 with my violoncello."
 
 210 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 " What shall Ave sing, sir ? " answered Amy 
 gaily, going at once to the instrument ; " here 
 are all kinds, — comic, lively, and grave. Ah ! I 
 have hit at once upon Herbert's favourite, — 
 ' When winds breathe soft.' '' 
 
 '' Very good ; yovi could not have anything 
 better ; and we all know that your heart will be 
 in your song : — but, let us see." 
 
 The parts were soon arranged ; Amy led the 
 glee, the delicious harmony of which appeared 
 to float in the air above their heads, so perfectly 
 was it sung by voices, excellent in themselves, 
 and attuned by constant practice. Others fol- 
 lowed ; for as they had begun with glees, so 
 they agreed to continue. 
 
 At last, after a pause, Mr. Compton, patting 
 her cheek, said, — " Well, you have sung so well. 
 Amy, that I think I shall have a letter for my 
 pet tonight." 
 
 " A letter ! — for me ? Ah, sir, from whom ? 
 not from Herbert?" 
 
 " Indeed I hope so, my darling," added Mrs. 
 Compton ; " you know we were disappointed 
 by the last packet, and Mr. Compton heard 
 yesterday from his London agent, saying that a
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 211 
 
 Bombay vessel had arrived with letters, and 
 that he would forward ours the next day.'^ 
 
 " I am so happy ! dear, dear Mrs. Compton," 
 cried the joyful girl, throwing her arms around 
 her, and kissing her, " I feel so very happy ! 
 And when will the letters come?" 
 
 " I expect the boy every moment with the 
 bag," she rephed ; " he should have been here 
 before this; but perhaps the post is late at 
 today, on account of the weather." 
 
 " Then we shall have a dehghtful evening, in- 
 deed," said Amy; " shall we not, boys and girls ? 
 Herbert's letters to all of you shall be read 
 first, and then I AviU read just such scraps of 
 mine as I please. You know how I love to 
 tyrannize over you, and tempt you with a great 
 deal that vou must not see." 
 
 " Well, here is the bag ! " cried Edward, 
 taking it from the servant, who just then en- 
 tered. "Now we shall see !" and he opened it. 
 " What only one ? — that is a disappointment ! 
 It is for you, father." 
 
 " Ah, from my agents 1 see ; perhaps the 
 letters have not been delivered; but we shall 
 hear all about it." They crowded round him.
 
 212 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 but poor Amy's heart sunk within her; she 
 almost sickened lest there should be no news 
 of Herbert. 
 
 " Dear Sir/' read Mr. Compton, " we are 
 sorry to inform you that there m ere no letters 
 for you or for Miss Hayward, per Ocean from 
 Bombay, and we are sorry to add that the 
 general news is not so favourable as we could 
 wish — " 
 
 " Look to Amy ! look to Amy ! " cried Mrs. 
 ComptoUj suddenly and anxiously. 
 
 It was indeed necessary, — for she had fainted. 
 It was long ere she recovered ; she had natu- 
 rally a powerful mind, but it had been suddenly, 
 perhaps unadvisedly, excited ; and when such 
 disappointment ensued, she had not been able 
 to bear up against it, the more so, as this w^as 
 the second she had experienced within a short 
 time, and there was no doubt from the pre- 
 vious public information, that severe fighting 
 had been apprehended, in which Herbert's 
 regiment must take a part. 
 
 In vain was it that Mr. and Mrs. Hayward 
 tried to console her, — they had felt the dis- 
 appointment as keenly as Amy ; for the time.
 
 TIPPOO SUL.TAUN. 213 
 
 therefore, all were sad, and the evening Avhich 
 had begun so cheerfully, was concluded in pain- 
 ful and almost silent apprehension ; nor did 
 the accounts which appeared in the newspapers 
 some days afterwards, convey to them any alle- 
 viation of their fears.
 
 214 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 It is now necessary to revisit Abdool Rhyman 
 Khan and his party, whom we left at a small 
 village in the pass leading behind Pencondah, 
 and in their company to travel awhile through 
 those districts which lay between them and the 
 city whither they were bound. 
 
 There were no dangers now in their path, no 
 attacks from Mahrattas to be apprehended, nor 
 was there the irksome heat which oppressed 
 and wearied them before. A few showers had 
 already fallen, the earth had put on its verdant 
 covering, and travelling was now a pleasure 
 more than a fatigue. The Khan had intended 
 proceeding by easy stages, but the news he had 
 heard of rumours of fresh wars, of the personal 
 activity of Tippoo among the army, which was 
 always the forerunner of some campaign, made
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUX. 215 
 
 him more than usually soKcitous to press for- 
 ward. 
 
 So on the fifth day they were at Balapoor ; 
 and leaving the lady to the care of the servants 
 to rest for awhile, the Khan, accompanied by 
 Kasim, rode forward to the town and fort of 
 Nundidroog, where he knew some of his own 
 men were stationed. 
 
 " Do you see that pile of rocks yonder?" 
 said the Khan to Kasim, as they rode along. 
 ' '^ I do ; why do you ask ? " 
 
 " Because/' he replied, " that is a place well 
 worth seeing, and one which was a rare fa- 
 vourite of Hyder All's, — may his memory be 
 honoured \" 
 
 " Why ? had he a summer-house there ? 
 
 '' Yes, there is a sort of house there, to be 
 sure," returned the Khan laughing ; " but not 
 one of pleasure, I should think. Many a poor 
 ^vretch has been in it, who would have given 
 the wealth of the world, had he possessed it, to 
 have got out again." 
 
 " It is a prison then ? " 
 
 " It is, and one from which but few return 
 aUve."
 
 216 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 " How so ? you do not mean to say that they 
 are murdered ? " 
 
 " I mean to tell you plainly, that you had 
 better not get Into it ; few of our people have 
 ever been sent there, for it is reserved for the 
 kafir English — may their tribe be accursed ! — 
 and a few of them are now and then thrown 
 from the top, to terrify the rest into submission 
 to the Sultaun's Avill, and to become a feast for 
 the kites and crows. Look! I suppose some 
 of them have been cast over lately, for there are 
 vultures wheeling in the air overhead, and 
 making stoops as if they would ahght." 
 
 Kasim shuddered ; he thought it a base death 
 for any one to die, to be thrown from thence, — 
 to reach tlie bottom haply alive ! — and to be 
 left to struggle there maimed and helpless, — to 
 linger till death came, accelerated perhaps by 
 the jackals or vultures. 
 
 " Have you ever seen this, Khan?" asked 
 Kasim. 
 
 '' Never, but I know those who have: the 
 office of executioner is no enviable one to a 
 soldier ; and he who has this post, though as 
 arrant a coward as can well be in the field, yet
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 2l7 
 
 can stand by and see brave men hurled over 
 these rocks; for, to do them justice, the En- 
 gUsh are brave as Hons and their courage can- 
 not be quelled: we learned that at Peram- 
 baukum, to our cost." 
 
 " Ay, I have heard of that. Report states 
 it to have been a good battle." 
 
 " Mashalla ! you may say so ; and, blessed 
 be. Alia! the arms of the true believers were 
 victorious over the mfidels ; yet they fought 
 well, and, though a handful of men, defied our 
 utmost attacks and continued charges." 
 " Then you were there, Ali Khan ? " 
 "Yes, — I was then in the Pagha, — the Royal 
 Guard ; and I was desired by Hyder (peace be 
 on his name !) to protect Tippoo Sahib, who led 
 the charges. He fought like a tiger as he is, 
 and many of the infidels tasted of death at 
 his hand ; but one of them, as we charged 
 and overthrew their last square, made a thrust 
 with his bayonet at the young prince, which,— 
 praise to Mahomed ! — I parried ; and in return, 
 caused him to taste of death. The young man 
 never forgot that deed, and some others I was 
 
 VOL. I. L
 
 218 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 fortunate enough to perform before him, and 
 I am what I am." 
 
 " Then, hke those of his rank, he does not 
 forget benefits ?" 
 
 " Never : he is faithful to those he loves, but 
 a bitter foe to those who provoke him. Above 
 all, the English are his detestation; he sees 
 their restless love of intrigue and power; he 
 knows how they have sown dissensions in Ben- 
 gal, and wrested many fair provinces from the 
 sway of the true believers ; he fears their abi- 
 lities and knowledge of the arts of war ; and 
 though he has some French in his service, yet 
 he can see plainly enough that they have not 
 the powers of the others either to contrive or 
 to execute. Above all, he fears the prophecy 
 about him by a holy man whom he consulted, 
 which no doubt you have heard." 
 " No, indeed, I have not." 
 " Not heard that ? Ajaib ! it is very strange ; 
 but how could you, after all. Know then, that 
 as he sat one day in one of the innermost apart- 
 ments of the palace in the garden of the Deria 
 Doulut, — where no one could by any possibility
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 219 
 
 have access to him, and where he was engaged 
 in study, — there was heard a voice conversing 
 with him, and his was gradually raised till it 
 became .furious, as, Inshalla ! it often does, to 
 the terror of his enemies." 
 
 " Taajoob ! " exclaimed Kasim, ^Svho was it ? " 
 
 "Willa alum! (God knows)," replied the 
 Khan. "But listen : it is said the Mushaek* — 
 for so he appeared to be — cried to him with a 
 loud voice, and bade him beware of the English 
 Feringhees, for they were plotting against him j 
 and that though the day was far distant, yet 
 danger threatened him from them which could 
 not be avoided. Then some say that the being 
 (may Alia forgive me if he hears it !) upbraided 
 the Sultaun with many errors of faith, and with 
 being given to idolatry in private, and with 
 doing magic, to the hurt of his own soul ; an 
 it was this which made him so angry." 
 
 '' And who was it after all ? " 
 
 " Alia knows !" said the Khan mysteriously ; 
 
 " Alia knows ! Some people say it was a Fa- 
 
 keer named Shah Yoonoos, who had wandered 
 
 in unknown to anybody, and had reached the 
 
 * Holy man. 
 
 L 2
 
 220 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 Sultaun's chamber ; but others say it was one 
 of the spirits of the air (over whom it is known 
 he has power) who had taken that form to visit 
 him by day. But Alia only knows the truth, 
 after all. Certain it is, however, that he does 
 perform rites which I, as a humble and pious 
 Mahomedan, would object to." 
 
 " Did no one try to seize the intruder?" 
 "Many, so it is said; but he passed forth 
 from among them all, and has not been seen 
 
 since." 
 
 (C 
 
 Most extraordinary, certainly ! I marvel 
 not now. Khan, that he should be so suspi- 
 cious of the English. I for one long to have 
 a blow with them, and to see how they fight." 
 
 " Inshalla ! the opportunity will not be long 
 wanting ; you will have it ere you have been 
 long with us. But among our people here we 
 shall learn something, for they have always the 
 quickest information from the capital." 
 
 Shortly afterwards they rode into the outer 
 court of the Temple of Nundi, at the town 
 under the fort of Nundidroog, and the scene 
 which presented itself to the eyes of Kasim was 
 as novel as it was interesting.
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 221 
 
 The court was a large square, contained in a 
 sort of piazza formed by a colonnade of huge 
 square blocks of granite placed in three rows, 
 about twelve feet asunder, each piece proba- 
 bly sixteen feet in height ; across these at the 
 top, to form a roof, were transverse pieces of 
 equal length. The spaces between the pillars 
 thus placed, formed excellent stalls for horses, 
 and the enormous area was thus converted into 
 one huge stable, — where of old the Brahmin 
 priests had wandered, dispensing charitable aid 
 to the wretched, or instructing those who 
 thirsted for knowledge. 
 
 In the centre were a few gay tents, and many 
 camels were sitting and standing around them ; 
 several elephants too were busied with huge 
 piles of leafy branches before them, selecting 
 the tenderest morsels, and brushing away flies 
 with others. Around were groups of men, — 
 some lying under a rude screen, formed of three 
 spears tied together, with a cloth thrown over 
 them ; others lounging and swaggering about, 
 gaily dressed, and armed to the teeth ; many 
 were gathered into knots, and, either sitting 
 upon spread carpets or standing together, were
 
 222 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 occupied in smoking, or listening to some iti- 
 nerant musicians or story-tellers. In various 
 parts were little booths, where coarse confec- 
 tionary was sold ; and many a portly-bellied 
 group of money-changers, with their keen and 
 shrewd eyes, were sitting on the ground, naked 
 to the waist, with heaps of courees and pice* 
 spread before them. There were women selling 
 fruit out of baskets and sacks, others hawking 
 about sour curds ; with a thousand other busy, 
 bustling occupations going on with vigour, for 
 which the pi'esence of the cavalry found full em- 
 ployment. 
 
 Before them, and above the piazzas, appeared 
 the richly ornamented and curious high pyra- 
 midical roofs of the temples, and their massive 
 and decorated gateway ; and above all frowned 
 the bare rock of the fort, — a naked mass of 
 about eight hundred feet perpendicular, arising 
 from a rugged and woody slope of an equal 
 height. The walls around the summit, which 
 were built upon the very giddy verge, were brist- 
 ling with cannon, and the numbers of men about 
 showed that it possessed many defenders. 
 
 * Copper coin.
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 223 
 
 All these objects, assisted by the bright 
 colours of the costumes, the caparisons of the 
 horses, camels and elephants, some of \vhich 
 were already equipped for travel, formed a pic- 
 ture which, glo\ving under the slanting beams 
 of an afternoon sun, caused the young man's 
 heart to bound with dehght as they entered 
 the large square and rode onwards among the 
 motley crowd. 
 
 "What think you of my fine fellows, 
 Kasim?" said the Khan, as they passed various 
 groups of stout, soldier-like men. " Inshalla ! 
 they are worth looking at." 
 
 " Ul-humd-ul-illa ! they most truly are," re- 
 phed the young man, who was, to say the truth, 
 somewhat bewildered by the excitement of the 
 scene. " And do you really command all these, 
 O Khan?" 
 
 " Most of them I dare say are my youths, 
 Kasira ; but I have no doubt some of the garri- 
 son of the fort are here also, and it would be 
 difficult to distinguish them. But these arc 
 not all ; Mashalla ! and praise to the Sultaun's 
 bounty, we have as many more at least — nay, 
 three times as many— at the city. But there is
 
 224 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 surely more activity than usual going on, and 
 this looks marvellously like the preparations 
 for a march ; so let us press on to the tent 
 yonder, for there shall we find Hubeeb Oolla 
 Khan, or Shekh Jaffur Sahib, my Jemadars, 
 who will answer my queries. I marvel none of 
 my rogues have yet found me out." 
 
 " Why they can hardly see your face. Khan," 
 said Kasim ; " and I dare say they little expect 
 you to drop as it were from the clouds thus 
 suddenly among them." 
 
 " Perhaps not ; but here we are at the tent : 
 dismount, and let us enter together." 
 
 As he spoke, the Khan alighted, and unfold- 
 ing the muslin scarf which had been tied about 
 his face, he was instantly recognised by a 
 number of the men who were lounging about in 
 front of it, and who now crowded round him 
 with congratulations. 
 
 " The Khan Sahib is come ! " shouted several 
 to their companions. 
 
 "My lord's footsteps are welcome!" cried 
 those who were nearest. " Inshalla ! victory 
 waits upon them." 
 
 " It is a fortunate hour that has brought
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 225 
 
 him," cried another, who pressed forward, and 
 bowed before him. "What are my lord's 
 wishes ? let him order his slave Dilawur Ali to 
 perform them." 
 
 " Ha! art thou there, friend?" said the Khan. 
 ^'Well, since thou wishest for employment, go 
 on, and tell the Jemadar Sahib that I am here. 
 Which of the officers is with you ? " 
 
 *• Jaffur Sahib, Khodawund ! he will have 
 rare news for my lordj" and he departed. 
 
 "This looks like a march," said the Khan 
 to another : " say, is it so ?" 
 
 " It is, protector of the poor ! but we know 
 but little of the true cause as yet, though many 
 rumours are afloat ; the most prevalent is — " 
 
 But here he was interrupted by the Jemadar 
 himself, who had hurried from his tent, and 
 now advanced towards them. The two leaders 
 embraced cordially. 
 
 " Ul-humd-ul-illa ! you are welcome. Khan 
 Sahib," said Jaffiir; " but do not remain here : 
 come, I pray you, to your servant's tent, and 
 rest after your journey." 
 
 He went in, and was soon seated upon the 
 soft cushions of the Jemadar's musnud. Kasim 
 
 l5
 
 226 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 followed, but, uncertain how to act, he continued 
 standing, until he was desired by the Khan to 
 be seated near him. This, together with the 
 Khan's marked attention to the young man, 
 appeared rather to disconcert the Jemadar, who 
 regarded the new-comer with some suspicion, 
 and Kasim could not help imagining with some 
 dislike. I shall have an enemy in this man, 
 thought Kasim for an instant ; but again, he 
 reflected that he had nothing to fear, and soon 
 ceased to regard the furtive looks of the Jema- 
 dar, which were cast upon him from time to 
 time, as the Khan appealed to him in support 
 of his opinions or remarks during the conversa- 
 tion, which naturally turned upon the move- 
 ments of the corps of cavalry he commanded. 
 
 It was true that the corps was about to move : 
 all the outposts, except a few of those imme- 
 diately upon the Mahratta frontier, had been 
 called in, and had joined within the past day or 
 two; and the morrow had been fixed for the 
 departure of the whole from Nundidroog to- 
 wards the capital. For the reason of this 
 many rumours were in circulation : the Jemadar 
 said that a sudden rupture with the English
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 227 
 
 was one ; that there was only to be a muster of 
 the cavalry was another; and after that was 
 finished the Sultaun intended to go a-hunting 
 into the forest bordering upon Coorg. But 
 there was a third, which had been confirmed 
 by news that day received from the city, that 
 some very angry messages had passed between 
 the Rajah of Travancore and the Suhaun, and 
 that both had ordered musters of their forces. 
 This the Jemadar thought the most hkely of 
 all, as he knew there had been negotiations 
 pending between the Sultaun and the Rajah 
 relative to some forts which had been taken 
 possession of in a manner that did not ap- 
 pear warrantable by the latter. 
 
 For the present, the Khan and Kasim were 
 the guests of the Jemadar ; and having partaken 
 of refreshment, they set out to procure a rest- 
 ing-place for the night, or one where they should 
 be able to have their tents pitched. 
 
 As they went forth, many were the heai'ty 
 greetings which saluted the Khan ; every vete- 
 ran especially, whose bronzed and furrowed 
 face showed that the scorching heats of sum- 
 mer had for many a year passed over him in
 
 228 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 constant and active employment, — and many a 
 man, whose deeply-scarred face or breast gave 
 a sure proof of often-tried courage, — met him 
 ^^^th that hearty familiarity, and yet scrupulous 
 deference, which, while it yielded nothing to the 
 man, yet showed submission to authority and 
 high respect for rank. All were unanimous 
 in rejoicing that the Khan had returned, in 
 such terms as, while it gratified Kasim to think 
 he had become the friend and companion of 
 one so honoured and beloved, caused him also 
 to suspect that the Jemadar JafFur Sahib was 
 not much liked among them. 
 
 Nor indeed was he. Sprung from the low- 
 est rank of the people, he possessed ferocity of 
 character, which had early attracted the notice 
 of the Sidtaun, and he had risen rapidly to 
 the station he held. He had also been a ready 
 instrument in his hand to effect any cruelty he 
 willed ; and if war was to be carried into any 
 district where Mahomedanism had not ad- 
 vanced, and forcible conversions of the inha- 
 bitants were to be made, or if any of the un- 
 offending people were to be hung because they 
 would not become converts, Jaffur Sahib was
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 229 
 
 generally selected, — as well from his address as 
 a soldier, as from his unscrupulous character, — 
 from among the others of the same stamp who 
 abounded about the person of the Sultaun. He 
 was born at Arcot, and inherited all the narrow- 
 prejudice and extreme bigotry peculiar to his 
 townsmen, and hated all English with a malig- 
 nity, in which perhaps he was only excelled 
 through all that host by the Sultaun hiinself. 
 
 The presence of Kasim, in such intimate 
 association with his commander, immediately 
 became a soui'ce of vexation to him ; and as 
 suddenly as he had seen him, he had conceived 
 a violent aversion to him. He saw gener- 
 ous courage, honesty, and faithfulness written 
 upon the brow- of the young man; and as 
 none of these found any place in his own 
 heart, so did he at once dishke the fancied 
 possessor of them ; for he knew the Khan's 
 generous nature, and how easily all the autho- 
 rity he had by incessant intrigues possessed 
 himself of, might be reduced in a moment by- 
 one who, after becoming acquainted with the 
 details of the service, could not fail of observing 
 that many abuses existed under his fostering 
 care. The Khan had not mentioned Kasim
 
 230 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 to him, nor could he divine in what capacity 
 
 he attended upon his person, and he burned 
 
 with curiosity to discover. When the Khan 
 
 was gone, therefore, he addressed himself to 
 
 his chief Sontaburdar, or bearer of a silver 
 
 club, whose name was Madar Sahib, — a man 
 
 who had followed his fortunes, and often shared 
 
 whatever spoil was wrung from the unfortunate 
 
 whom they could get into their power. There 
 
 was something too in his retainei-^s face which 
 
 seemed to expect the question; and at the slight 
 
 turn of his master towards him, who had been 
 
 musing " with the finger of deliberation placed 
 
 between the teeth of vexation,^' he folded his 
 
 hands and bent himself to listen. They were 
 
 alone, for every one else had followed the 
 
 Khan when he went out. 
 
 " The curses of the Sheitan upon the old 
 fool," he said ; " could not he have kept away 
 for a day longer? I tell thee, Madar, this ap- 
 pearance of his is not only a thousand rupees 
 out of my pocket, but the loss to me of all the 
 honour, credit, and influence which a short 
 campaign would have given. I say a curse on 
 him/' 
 
 " Ameen ! " said his servant ; " my lord's 
 
 ^
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 231 
 
 star is unfortunate today ; but Inshalla ! it w-ill 
 brighten." 
 
 " And then that smooth-faced boy that he 
 has brought with him," he continued, not 
 heeding the other's remark ; — " I ^11 waiTant, 
 his prime favourite. Knowest thou aught of 
 him?" 
 
 " Nothing, Khodawund ; but I can inquire." 
 
 "Do. so, — see what hath brought them to- 
 gether. Perhaps he is the brother of this new 
 wife he has married — the old dotard ! if so, 
 we may soon expect to get our leave to depart, 
 Madar, for the old Khan will use his utmost 
 influence to secure a good place near himself 
 for his pet." 
 
 " AUa forbid ! my lord has no cause to think 
 so as yet ; but I go, and will soon bring the 
 
 information. 
 
 }} 
 
 While this colloquy was going on, the Khan 
 and Kasim had gone forward to seek for a 
 place of temporary refuge; and after examining 
 many parts of the broken cloisters, all of which 
 afforded but indifferent shelter, Dilawur Ali, 
 who had been looking about, suddenly re- 
 turned.
 
 232 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 "I have found a place, O Khan/' he cried; 
 " come and see : it is clean, and if we had any 
 kanats*, we could make it comfortable enough 
 for a night's lodging." 
 
 They followed him onwards to the end of 
 the large square ; and entering through a small 
 doorway, found themselves in a square court, in 
 the centre of which was a cistern of water, 
 which could be approached by easy steps for 
 the convenience of bathers. There was a deep 
 cloister all round, supported upon carved 
 pillars of wood, which afforded ample accom- 
 modation for the Khan's party. It was the 
 upper part of the outside, however, which at- 
 tracted their attention and admiration ; and in- 
 deed the exquisite design and ornaments of the 
 screen would merit a description at our hands, 
 if anything so intricate could be described so 
 as to give any idea of the building ; but it con- 
 sisted of a regular number of highly orna- 
 mented niches in the most florid Hindoo style, 
 each niche containing some many-armed image 
 of Hindoo veneration, male or female, in gro- 
 tesque attitudes. The whole was of pure white 
 * Tent walls.
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUX. 233 
 
 stucco, and contrasted brightly with the dark 
 green of some noble tamarind-trees which 
 nodded over it, their light featheiy sprays 
 mingling with the innumerable angles and pin- 
 nacles of the architecture. Above these rose 
 the tall summits of the temples, and again the 
 naked grey mass of the huge granite rock 
 frowned over all, appearing to overhang the 
 scene. 
 
 "Ay, this will do right Avell," cried the 
 Khan ; " we have not been in such comfortable 
 quarters for many days. The camels will soon 
 be here, and then a place can be screened off 
 and made private. Often as I have been at 
 the fort, I never discovered this quiet spot be- 
 fore : truly the kafir who built it had wisdom ; 
 and for once, (may the Prophet pardon me !) I 
 honour one of the accursed race. What sayest 
 thou, Kasim?" 
 
 " I doubt not that forgiveness will be easily 
 granted for an offence so slight, Khan Sahib. 
 I confess that I for one have many friends 
 among the unbelievers ; and, though I hate 
 their idolatry, yet I cannot help loving their 
 gentle dispositions, and admiring their genius,
 
 234 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 which after all is the gift of Alia to them as 
 much as to us." 
 
 " You must not give vent to such opinions 
 as those, Kasim," replied the Khan; "must 
 he, Dilawur Ali? for at the city there is nought 
 breathed but destruction of the infidels of all 
 denominations ; and if thou wouldst not make 
 enemies, thou must chime in with the prevail- 
 ing humour, or keep thy thoughts to thyself." 
 
 " Good advice, noble Khan," said Dilawur 
 Ah; "there are quick ears enough to hear, 
 and ready tongues enough to convey to the 
 Sultaun (may his prosperity increase !) Avhatever 
 malice or spite may dictate to bad hearts ; and 
 we need not go very far from this place to find 
 many. Thou must pardon this freedom of 
 speech," he continued to the young man; "but 
 I am an old soldier, and the Khan Sahib can 
 tell you that I have fought beside him, and I 
 have often known a young man ruined by in- 
 discretions of which he was not aware." 
 
 '^ I thank you much for your speech," 
 said Kasim, " and desire your friendship. In- 
 shalla ! we shall know each other well ere 
 long."
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUX. 235 
 
 li 
 
 Inshalla ! " replied the other ; " when the 
 Khan Sahib is settled here for the night safely, 
 if you will come to my tent, 1 will give you 
 such information regarding this our service, — 
 for 1 presume you have joined it, — as may be 
 of use to you hereafter." 
 
 "Ay, go to him, Kasim," said the Khan ; 
 " Dilawur Ali is a Syud, a worthy man, and re- 
 ligious too, — in all respects fit for thy company. 
 From him thou wilt learn many things which I 
 could not tell thee, and which will not be lost 
 upon thee." 
 
 As they spoke, the palankeen of the Khan 
 was seen approaching, — the bearers with some 
 difficulty threading their ^^ay through the 
 crowd. Kasim ran to meet it, and conduct it 
 to the spot where the Khan was ; and for the 
 first time for many days, nay since the attack 
 upon the village, he caught a glimpse of the 
 fair inmate ; for the doors were slightly open 
 as it approached ; and though, as a good Mus- 
 sulman ought to do, he Avould have turned 
 away his head from any other, yet he could not 
 resist the opportunity of looking through the 
 crevice ; and he thought that, if perchance her
 
 236 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 eye should rest on his, a moment^s glance 
 would satisfy him, and would assure him that 
 he was not forgotten. 
 
 The bearers were about to make a wrong 
 turn as they came up, and Kasim called loudly 
 to them. Ameena heard his voice; and the 
 temptation to steal a passing glance at him 
 (who we must own had been more in her 
 thoughts than her lord might have liked could 
 he have seen them,) caused her to withdraw 
 from her face the end of her garment with 
 which she had covered it for an instant, that 
 she might see the better ; she would not have 
 done so perhaps, could she have guessed that 
 he was looking for her. But as it happened, 
 some obstruction in the way of the bearers 
 obliged them to stop so close to him, that the 
 palankeen brushed his person, and they could 
 have spoken — so near were they. Their eyes 
 met once more ; his in admiration which he 
 could not conceal, hers in confusion which im- 
 pelled her instantly to cover her face, but not 
 before she had seen that the scarf she had 
 given him to bind up his wound still occupied 
 a prominent place upon his breast. "He has
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 237 
 
 not thrown it away," she said to herself. She 
 httle knew how he valued it. 
 
 Her palankeen was carried on through the 
 door into the place we have described. The 
 others had departed, and she was alone with 
 her lord, who, bidding her his usual hearty and 
 kind welcome, opened the doors wide, and dis- 
 played to her the view which had surprised 
 and delighted the others previously; and she 
 broke out into a burst of girlish admiration at 
 a sight she so little expected when her palan- 
 keen entered the gloomy doorway.
 
 238 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Madab waited for awhile, until he saw that 
 the Khan's servants had arrived ; when, taking 
 his silver stick of office Avith him, he sought 
 their little separate encampment, which, busy 
 as it had seemed elsewhere, was now swallowed 
 up in the mass that occupied the space around 
 them. He lurked about the busy and tired 
 men for some time, not hazarding a remark to 
 any one, lest he should meet with a sharp re- 
 pulse, which indeed was to be expected; seeing 
 that after a long march, men who must provide 
 and cook their dinners, have much more to do 
 than to hold conversations with prying in- 
 quirers. 
 
 At last, seeing Daood, the Khan's attendant, 
 busy preparing his master's hooka, he advanced
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 239 
 
 towards him, and seated himself upon his hams 
 close to him. 
 
 " Salaam Aliekoom, brother ! " said he. 
 
 " Salaam ! " was the only reply Daood chose 
 to give. 
 
 " Mashalla ! the Khan has returned in good 
 health." 
 
 " Shooki' Khoda ! he has." 
 
 " Inshalla ! he will long continue so." 
 
 "Inshalla!" 
 
 '^ And so he has mamed a young wife ! 
 Well, the Khan is a powerful man, — a youth, 
 yet." 
 
 " Inshalla, brother ! " and Daood continued 
 his employment most assiduously, humming 
 a popular tune. 
 
 " The brother of the Khanum is a fine-look- 
 ing youth — may his prosperity increase !" 
 
 Daood looked at the speaker with no amica- 
 ble eyes. " Who, in the name of the Sheitan, 
 art thou, oh unlucky man ? How darest thou, 
 even in thy speech, to allude to the Khanum, 
 and what mean these questions ? Go ! stay 
 not here, or it may be that some of our folks 
 may lay a stick over thee ; and haply myself, if
 
 240 TIPPOO SULTAUX. 
 
 thou stayest much longer. Go, I tell thee ; or 
 thou mayst chance to eat dirt." 
 
 Madar saw plainly enough there was little 
 to be gained by conversation Math Daood, 
 so he left him ; and after awhile tried a 
 groom who was busy with one of the Khan's 
 horses. 
 
 With him he was more successful, and soon 
 he learned the history of the young man and 
 the events which had occurred during their 
 march from Hyderabad. Stored with these, he 
 was preparing to depart, when he was roughly 
 accosted by Kasim and Dilawur Ali, who had 
 observed him in conversation with the groom ; 
 for Dilawur Ali well knew the character of the 
 man to be of the worst kind, and that the in- 
 quiries he was making were to gratify the cu- 
 riosity of his master, or perhaps to serve worse 
 purposes. 
 
 Dilawur Ah was an officer who commanded 
 a DufFa or division of the corps, and a man of 
 some authority ; so he cared little, now that his 
 commander had arrived, either for the man or 
 his master. For he was secure in the Khan^s 
 favour, and well knew that the Jemadar dared
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 241 
 
 not complain to him, even should his servant 
 receive ill usage, or at any rate hard words. 
 So he cried out lustily, " Ho ! Madar Sa- 
 hib, what seekest thou among the newly-ar- 
 rived servants of the Khan ? By the soul of the 
 Prophet, thine appearance is like a bird of ill- 
 omen, — hke the first vulture to a dying sheep. 
 What has he been asking of thee?" he said to 
 the groom ; " speak, and fear not." 
 
 " May I be yotu* sacrifice," replied the man; 
 " he did but ask about the Patel Sahib yon- 
 der," for so Kasim continued to be called 
 among them. 
 
 " And what Mouldst thou know about me, 
 O base-born ! " cried Kasim ; " what am I to 
 thee or to thy master?" 
 
 " Nothing, nothing, noble sir ; only my 
 master (may his prosperity increase !) bid me 
 ask, in order that he might know something of 
 one whose appearance is so like that of a youth 
 brave in war ; and he saw too that your wor- 
 ship had been wounded, and naturally wished 
 to know whether the Khan Sahib {may his 
 name be exalted!) had been in any danger on 
 the way down, which may Alia avert 1" 
 
 VOL. I. M
 
 242 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 '' Thy Avords are smooth for once," said 
 Dilawur Ali, " and well calculated to disarm 
 suspicion ; but I know thee well, Madar Sa- 
 hib, and thy master too, and I warn thee of 
 both, Kasim. In the present case there may 
 be no harm meant, and perhaps it is unjust 
 to accuse or to suspect thee ; but thou hadst 
 as well take the hint, for Inshalla ! we are 
 neither fathers of owls or jackasses, and can 
 see and hear as far as other people : dost thou 
 understand ? " 
 
 " I will tell thee more plainly, Madar Sahib,'' 
 said the young Patel, — whose blood was fired 
 by the thought that any one should be so soon 
 prying into his affairs in the camp — " that if 
 ever I catch thee about this encampment of 
 ours, or tampering with any of my lord the 
 Khan's servants, I will break every bone in 
 thy skin : dost thou hear ? " 
 
 My lord 1" began the fellow. 
 
 Nay, no more," continued Kasim, " or I 
 may be tempted to give way to wrath ; begone, 
 in the name of the devils on whose errand thou 
 camest. I like thee not, by Alia ! thy face is 
 like an executioner's, — a feUow who would give 

 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 243 
 
 a brave man a cup of poison, or stab him from 
 behind with a knife, and boast he had done 
 some valiant deed/^ 
 
 Some others who were standing by caught 
 the words of the young man, and laughed 
 loudly at the truth which he had so unwittingly 
 told; and their taunts, added to the pre^dous 
 ones he had been obliged to hear, caused Madar 
 to slink off as fast as possible, followed by the 
 jeers and abuse of those who had joined in the 
 laugh against him. 
 
 *' He is off like a maimed cur ! " cried one. 
 " You have eaten dirt ! " cried another : " Alia 
 give thee a good digestion of it, and appetite 
 for more the next time thou comest !" 
 
 *' Let us seize him and cut off his beard and 
 mustachios ! — such an impotent coward and 
 prying rascal is not w orthy to wear the emblems 
 of manhood — let him be shaven like an eunuch!" 
 cried a masculine \-irago, the wife of a camel- 
 driver, setting her arms a-kimbo, who thought 
 it a fair opportunity to join in. " Return, O 
 Madar Sahib, that I may spit on thy beard ! " 
 
 Madar did not apparently choose to accept 
 this polite invitation, for he thought it possible 
 
 M 2
 
 244 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 that the first threat might be attemptedj and 
 the shout of laughter which followed the latter 
 part of the speech caused him to quicken his 
 pace considerably ; and only once looking be- 
 hind him, to throw a glance of hate towards 
 those by whom he had been menaced, he pur- 
 sued his way, and was soon lost in the crowd. 
 
 " There goes a spiteful heart," said Kasim ; 
 "didst thou see the look he cast behind him?^' 
 
 " Ay, brother," replied Dilawur Ah ; " thou 
 hast said truly, he has a spiteful heart, and I 
 could tell thee many a tale of his iniquity ; but 
 I am half sorry that we did not speak him 
 fair." 
 
 " I am not : I would rather have an open 
 enemy than one under the garb of civility or 
 friendship." 
 
 " The scoundrel will tell all he has heard, 
 and as much more as he can invent, to the 
 Jemadar yonder." 
 
 " And w^hat of that?" said Kasim; " what 
 have I to fear?" 
 
 " This is no place to speak of him," said his 
 friend ; " come to my tent, I will tell thee much 
 of him.''
 
 TIPPOO SUL.TAUN. 245 
 
 And truly the account the worthy Syud gave 
 of the Jemadar was not calculated in any way 
 to allay fear, if any had existed in Kasim's 
 heart ; for it was one of deceit, of villany often 
 successful, of constant intrigue, and of cruel 
 revenge ; but the young man's fearless spirit 
 only made light of these, which might have 
 disquieted a more experienced person ; and he 
 asked gaily, " But what makest thee think 
 that he bears me any enmity ? we have as yet 
 hardly seen each other." 
 
 " I know it from his vile face, Kasim. While 
 the Khan often spoke to thee kindly in his 
 presence, his eyes wandered to thee with a bad 
 expression, and they no sooner left thee than 
 he and that Sontaburdar of his exchanged fur- 
 tive glances. I was watching them, — for I saw 
 at once he woidd be jealous of thee." 
 
 " He may do his worst," said Kasim, " I care 
 not." But in spite of this expression his heart 
 was not quite so fi'ce of care about what had 
 happened as it had been before he had heard 
 Dilawur Ali's stories. 
 
 Madar returned, burning with spiteful and 
 revengeful feelings, and with much excitement
 
 246 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 visible in his countenance, he rushed into his 
 master's presence and flung his turban on the 
 ground, while he gnashed his teeth in rage. 
 
 " What news hast thou, Madar? What has 
 been done to thee ? speak, good man. What 
 has happened ? " 
 
 " Judge if I have not cause to be revenged, 
 Khodawund : I am less than a dog ; and may 
 my grave be unblessed if I do not avenge the 
 insults I have suffered both for myself and you, 
 O my lord!'' 
 
 " Why, what has happened?" 
 
 ^' I tell you, you have been reviled by that 
 son of perdition Dilawur Ali, and the boy whom 
 that old fool the Khan has brought with him. 
 Hear, Jemadar Sahib, what they said; — they 
 said they would — Inshalla ! " and Madar twist- 
 ed up his mustachios fiercely as he spoke, — 
 "defile your beard, and throw dirt on it, — they 
 called you a coward and less than man. They 
 said they did not value you a broken couree ; 
 and they threatened to beat me, to break every 
 bone in my skin ; and set up a vile woman, one 
 without shame, with an uncovered face, to abuse 
 me in vile terms, to call me an eunuch, and to
 
 TIPPOO SUL.TAUN. 24'J 
 
 threaten to shave my beard and mustachios ; 
 and this before a thousand others, loochas and 
 shodas* like themselves. But I will be re- 
 venged. Ya Alia! ya Hoosein I yaHyder!" 
 he cried, as he took up his turban which he 
 had thrown down in his passion, and began to 
 tie it awry upon his head. " I will be re- 
 venged I *' 
 
 " They said this ? — Ah, Kumbukht \" — cried 
 the Jemadar, who had heard out his servant's 
 tale with some difficulty, — " they said it, — and 
 thou hadst ears to hear it ? Alia ! AUa ! am I 
 a sheep or a cow to bear this? — I who am, 
 Inshalla ! a tiger, an eater of men's hearts, — 
 before whom men's livers turn to water, — that 
 I should be obliged to devour such abomina- 
 tion ! What ho ! Furashes ! any one without 
 there ! go, bring Dilawur Ali, Duffadar, and — 
 But no," he said mentally, checking the tor- 
 rent of passion ; " it cannot be so. I have no 
 authority now to punish, and they would 
 defy me ; the Khan would take fire in a mo- 
 ment if he heard I had been inquiring into the 
 station of this proud youth, — whom, Inshalla ! 
 I will yet humble." 
 
 * Dissolute vagabonds.
 
 248 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 " Go/' he continued to the servants, who had 
 suddenly entered the tent ; " when I want you 
 I will call again ; at present I would be alone 
 with Madar. 
 
 " And so thou heardest all this abuse of me, 
 and ate dirt thyself, and had not the heart to 
 say a word or strike a blow in return ! I could 
 spit on thee, coward ! " 
 
 " May I be your sacrifice, Khodawund, I 
 was helpless ; what could I have done in that 
 crowd ? had I only returned a word, the wo- 
 man whom they set up would have poured 
 filthy abuse on me." 
 
 " They shall rue the day that they uttered 
 the words thou hast repeated ; Madar, they 
 shall wish their tongues had never said them, 
 and that their hearts had eaten them, ere they 
 had birth : Ul-humd-ul-illa ! I have yet power, 
 and can crush that butterfly, whose gay bear- 
 ing is only for a season, — but not yet — not 
 yet. 
 
 " And who is this proud fool ? " he continued 
 after a pause to Madar, who had been drinking 
 in every word of his master's soliloquy with 
 greedy ears, and rejoicing in the hope of speedy 
 revenge. " Who saidst thou he is ? "
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 249 
 
 '' A Patel, noble sir, — a miserable Patel of 
 a village, Alia knoAvs ^Yhere, — a man whose mo- 
 ther, Inshalla ! is vile." 
 
 " I care not for his mother, — who is he ? 
 and how comes he with the Khan ? tell me, or 
 I will beat thee with my shoe." 
 
 " My lord, — Khodawund ! — be not angry, 
 but listen : he is the Patel of a village where the 
 Khan and his young wife were nearly drowned j 
 he saved the lady, and he fought afterwards 
 against some Mahrattas when they attacked the 
 village where the Khan was resting for the 
 night, and was wounded in his defence." 
 
 " And this is all, Madar?" 
 
 " It is, protector of the poor ! it is all ; they 
 say the Patel is a Roostum, — a hero, — a man 
 who killed fourteen Mahrattas with his own. 
 hand, who — " 
 
 " Bah ! " cried Jaffur impatiently, " and thou 
 art a fool to believe them;" and he fell to 
 musing. " He must have seen her face," he 
 said at length aloud. 
 
 " He must," echoed his attendant; " they say 
 he carried her in his arms from the river." 
 
 " Khoob ! and what said they of her beauty ? '* 
 
 M 5
 
 250 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 " That she is as fair as the full moon in the 
 night of Shub-i-Barat." 
 
 " Khoob ! and he has seen her again, I doubt 
 not, since then.'^ 
 
 " Willa alum ! " said Madar, raising his 
 thumbs to his ears. " How should your slave 
 know ? but it is likely, — people cannot conceal 
 their faces when they are travelling." 
 
 " No, nor, Inshalla ! wish to do so ; but we 
 shall see, — take care that you mention not 
 abroad what occurred this evening, — they will 
 forget it." 
 
 " But my lord will not ! " 
 
 " I never forget an insult till I have had 
 its exchange, and that thou well knowest, 
 Madar. Begone ! make it known without that 
 I may now be visited. We will consider of this 
 matter." 
 
 But we must return to the Khan, whose ac- 
 tive furashes had encircled several of the pillars 
 of the cloisters with high tent-walls, swept out 
 the inclosures thus made, spread the carpets, 
 and converted what was before open arches and 
 naked walls and floors into a comfortable apart- 
 ment,'perfectly secure from observation. Ameena
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 251 
 
 took possession of it and was soon joined by 
 her lord, -who in truth was in nowise sony after 
 the fatigues of the day to enjoy first a good 
 dinner, and afterwards the luxury of a soft cot- 
 ton mattress, and to have his limbs gently 
 kneaded by the tiny hands of his fair wife, while 
 she amused him with a fairy-tale, or one of 
 those stories of intrigue and love which are so 
 common among the Easterns. 
 
 The cool air of the Mysore country had appa- 
 rently invigorated her, and the languor which the 
 heat and the fatigue of constant travelling had 
 caused in the Carnatic had entirely disappeared, 
 and given place to her usual lively and joyous 
 expression. She had thrown a deep orange- 
 coloured shawl, with a very richly-worked bor- 
 der, around her to protect her from the night 
 breeze, that blew chilly over the tent-walls, 
 which did not reach to the roof of the building 
 they were in, and it fell in heavy folds around 
 her, appearing to make her light figure almost 
 more slender from the contrast. She was in- 
 expressively lovely, as she now bent playfully 
 over the Khan, employed in her novel vocation, 
 and again desisting began afresh some other
 
 252 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 story wherewith to beguile the time till the 
 hour of repose amved. 
 
 " Alia bless thee, Ameena ! " said the Khan, 
 after one of her lively sallies, when her face had 
 brightened, and her eyes sparkled at some point 
 of her tale — " Alia bless thee ! thou art truly 
 lovely to night : the Prophet (may his name be 
 honoured !) could have seen no brighter Houris 
 in Paradise (when the will of Alia called him 
 there) than thou art." 
 
 " I am my lord's slave," said the lady, " and 
 to please him is my sole endeavour day and 
 night. Happy is my heart when it tells me I 
 have succeeded, — how much more when 1 am 
 honoured with such a remark from thine own 
 lips, O my lord! And as to my beauty," — and 
 here she threw a glance into the little mirror 
 she wore upon her thumb, — " my lord surely 
 flatters me ; he must have seen far fairer faces 
 than mine." 
 
 ^' Never, never, by the Prophet ! " cried the 
 Khan, with energy ; " never, I swear by thine 
 own eyes, never. I have but one regret, Ameena, 
 and that cannot be mended or altered now." 
 
 Ameena's heart suddenly failed her, for Ka-
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUX. 253 
 
 sim came to her remembrance, and she thought 
 for an instant that he might suspect. 
 
 " Regret ! uhat dost thou regret?" she asked 
 hesitatingly. " Anything that thy poor slave 
 hath done ? anything — " 
 
 " Nothing, fairest, on thy part ; it was for 
 myself." 
 
 Her heart was suddenly relieved of a load, — 
 ^^For thyself?" she said gaily; "what dost thou 
 regret. Khan Sahib?" 
 
 '' That I am not twenty years younger, for 
 thy sake, Ameena," he said with much feehng. 
 " Methinks now, to see these grey hairs and 
 this grey beard," and he touched them as he 
 spoke, " so near thy soft and waving tresses, 
 1 seem more like a father to thee than a hus- 
 band : and vet thou art mine, Ameena. I would 
 thou wert older, fair one ! " 
 
 " And if 1 were, I should not be so fair," she 
 said artlessly. 
 
 " I care not, so that we had grown old to- 
 gether ; at least I should have seen thy beauty, 
 and the remembrance of it would have been 
 with me." 
 
 Ameena sighed; her thoughts wandered to
 
 254 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 Kasim's noble figure and youthful yet express- 
 ive countenance ; in spite of herself and almost 
 unconsciously she drew her hand across her 
 eyes, as if to shut something ideal from her sight. 
 
 The Khan heard her sigh ; he would rather 
 not have heard it, though his own remark he 
 knew had provoked it. " I have said the truth, 
 Ameena, and thou wouldst rather I were a 
 younger man," he said, looking at her intently. 
 " But what matter ? these idle words ,do but 
 pain thee. It is our destiny, sweet one, and 
 we must work it out together." 
 
 '^ Ay, it is our destiny," she said. 
 
 "The will of Alia!" continued the Khan, 
 looking up devoutly, ^* which hath joined two 
 beings together so unsuited in age, but not in 
 temper I think, Ameena. Thou art not as 
 others, wilful and perverse, — heavy burdens — 
 hard to carry — and from which there is no de- 
 liverance ; but a sweet and lovely flower which 
 a monarch might Avear in his heart and be proud 
 of. So thou truly art to Rhyman Khan, and 
 ever wilt be, even though enemies should come 
 between us." 
 
 *' Enemies ! my lord," she said with surprise
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 255 
 
 in her tone ; " I never had an enemy, even in 
 my own home : and I am here with thee in a 
 strange land, where I know no one who could 
 be mine enemy ? '' 
 
 " May Alia put them far from thee, fairest!" 
 he replied affectionately ; " and yet sometimes I 
 fear that thou mayest have to encounter en- 
 mity." 
 
 " I have heard it said by my honoured fa- 
 ther, Khan, that as the blessed Prophet had 
 many enemies, and as the martyrs Hassan and 
 Hoosein came to their sad deaths by them, 
 it is the lot of all to have some one inimical ; 
 but he meant men, whose occupations and 
 cares call them into the world, — not women, 
 like me, who, knowing no one but my servants, 
 cannot make enemies of them if I am kind." 
 
 " But I mean those who would be jealous of 
 thy beauty, and seek thus to injure thee, — from 
 these I alone fear," replied her husband. 
 
 " I fear not. Khan," she said, simply and 
 confidently, " neither for thee nor myself. I 
 cannot think that thou couldst ever give thy 
 Ameena cause for jealousy, or any one else 
 cause of jealousy of her. Alia help me ! I 
 should die if such could be — "
 
 256 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 " Nay, there thou shalt be safe," he said, 
 interrupting her ; " for never, never shalt thou 
 have cause to say of Rhyman Khan that he was 
 false to thee. I am a soldier, and one whose 
 honour has known neither stain nor spot ; and 
 yet—" 
 
 He had stopped suddenly and appeared to 
 think; and, while he thought, suddenly an idea 
 flashed into her mind, — could she have already 
 a rival ? She could not bear it to rest there for 
 an instant, ere she threw it off in words. 
 
 " Speak, O Khan!" she cried, "thou hast 
 none but me who claims thy love ? thou hast 
 not belied thyself to one w4io has here none to 
 protect her? — no father, — no mother, — none but 
 thee! Oh, my lord! — thou canst not have de- 
 ceived the child who trusted thee and never 
 asked of thee aught ? " She was very excited. 
 
 " I have not deceived thee, Ameena ; but I 
 have not told thee all my history, — I have not 
 told thee as yet what sooner or later thou 
 must know. I have not told thee how^ that for 
 years I pined for the love of woman, such pure 
 child-like love as thine, and found nought after 
 a short intercourse but bitter words and a con- 
 stant seeking after wealth which I had not to
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 257 
 
 bestow, — how I have had to bear constant up- 
 braiding from those out of whose famihes I 
 chose them, because I would not spend my 
 substance upon wasteful parents, — upon sons 
 whose very existence was a disgrace to them. 
 Hadst thou known this, Ameena, thou wouldst 
 not marvel that I sought one like thee in a di- 
 stant land, — one who, removed from every tie, 
 and witii no one to sow dissension between us, 
 should learn to love and trust Rhyman Khan as, 
 Inshalla ! he ought to be loved and trusted." 
 
 She knew not how to reply ; on the one hand 
 the concealment of other ties which the Khan 
 had kept secret so long and now revealed so 
 unexpectedly, and the undefined dread of the 
 hate of rivals, smote her to the very heart ; on 
 the other, her attention was powerfully arrested 
 by the bold truthfulness of his disclosure ; she 
 was affected by the picture of desolation he 
 had drawn of his own state, and his disap- 
 pointments, and she was soothed to think that 
 all he had sought for years was centred in her. 
 She was silent, — she could not speak under 
 such conflicting thoughts. 
 
 " Thou hast not told me all," she said at
 
 258 TIPPOO SULTAUX. 
 
 length ; " thou hast not said how many — " 
 she could not finish the sentence. 
 
 " There are two, dearest Ameena, — two, on 
 each of whom I fixed hopes which have been 
 broken in many ways. I have never had a 
 child to bless me ; and where love should have 
 been, and mildness like thine to compensate 
 for such a disappointment, rancour has come 
 and ill temper, and with them despah' to me, 
 — hopelessness of that quiet peace which my 
 mind seeks when war and its perils and ex- 
 citements are past. When disappointment 
 came with the first, I thought a second might 
 perchance be more to me than she had been : 
 Ulas ! I soon was undeceived, and bitterly too, 
 Ameena. But after all, who can say there are 
 no flowers to be pulled in the rugged pathways 
 of their lives ? had this not happened, I should 
 never have kno\vn thee, my rose, — never have 
 seen that look of pity which thy beauteous eyes 
 wear now ! It is from these I fear thou wilt 
 have to bear some jealousies, some enmity ; and 
 canst thou brave somewhat for the love of Rhy- 
 man Khan ? Continue to be to me as thou art 
 now, and my wealth, my power, nay my life-
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 259 
 
 blood itself, are tliinej as freely as thou carest 
 to use them. Now thou knowest all, and a 
 heavy weight is gone from my heart, which 
 had long abode there. Speak, — art thou con- 
 tent ? " 
 
 " I would I had known this earlier,^^ she 
 said sadly, after awhile ; " but as it is, I am 
 thankful to hear it even now. My lord knows 
 well that I am but a child, and no match for 
 the intrigues of those who are more versed in 
 the world's wisdom. I feel that it has saddened 
 and sobered me ; and where I had hoped in my 
 bright fancy to roam as I hsted in the garden 
 of thy love, unchecked and unheeded by any 
 one but thyself, I must cover myself with the 
 veil of discretion and deliberation, and take 
 heed to my steps lest I fall into the snares 
 which jealousy will not fail to place for me.'' 
 
 " Alia forbid ! " cried the Khan fervently ; 
 " thou hast no cause to fear them." 
 
 " I know not," she replied ; " but I can 
 scarcely hope that there may be friendship be- 
 tween me and those whom you describe ; there 
 may be a show for awhile, but the end will be 
 bitterness."
 
 260 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 And the poor girl wept ; for she had sud- 
 denly been disturbed upon her height of se- 
 curity, or at all events of unmolested occupation, 
 and even in a few minutes she could not help 
 expecting some rude collision which would per- 
 haps cast her down headlong. And her own 
 peaceful home, — its freedom from care, its 
 loving affection, its harmless pleasures, — rose 
 so vividly to her mind, that she could not 
 help for the time regretting bitterly that she 
 had left it, to endure such a prospect as ap- 
 peared to open before her. Nor did the Khan 
 disturb, except by a caress or a well-timed 
 word of cheerful hope, the thoughts which he 
 knew must be passing in her heart, but to 
 which he could not respond in a manner to 
 make her forget them on the instant ; they must 
 have their vent, he thought, and thought wisely. 
 She lay down and wept, till sleep gradually 
 asserted its master}^ over her wearied form and 
 rudely-excited thoughts. 
 
 '^ She shall never come to harm, so help me 
 Alia and his holy prophet!" said the Khan 
 mentally, as he bent over her and gently drew 
 some covering upon her without disturbing
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 261 
 
 her ; " she shall never know harm or evil, as long 
 as the arm or power of Rhyman Khan can shield 
 her ! She still sobs," he said, as every now and 
 then a sob broke softly from her, like to that 
 from a child who has cried itself to sleep, and 
 her bosom heaved under the oppression. " I 
 would to Alia I had not caused her this pain ! 
 and yet it was inevitable. Their jealousy and 
 malice will be great I know, and their power is 
 great, but, Inshalla ! there will be no fear of 
 their machinations, and I will soon teach her 
 to despise them ; they too m ill cease to use 
 them when they see them of no avail and un- 
 heeded."
 
 262 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 The day after, the Khan's Risala halted at 
 Bangalore, from whence it was ordered to 
 escort some treasure, mihtary stores, and 
 many English prisoners to the capital. 
 
 The Khan having now taken the command, 
 he was enabled to employ Kasim in many 
 useful offices, both as a scribe and in the 
 execution of his orders ; and he was delighted 
 to find in him one whom he could trust, and 
 whose advice was often of use in matters that 
 perplexed his own uninventive mind. And 
 although he held no situation as yet in the 
 Government service, nor was enrolled in the 
 regiment, yet he gradually became looked up 
 to, even during the few days he had been with 
 it, by the subordinate officers, who naturally
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 263 
 
 wished to cuny favour with one so much in 
 association with their chief; accordingly Ka- 
 sim was courted by almost all, — feasted and 
 made much of. Some, indeed, regarded him 
 with jealousy, at the head of whom was the 
 person we have already named, JafFiir Sahib ; 
 and as their opinions became known to one 
 another, they gradually formed a party, which, 
 though its numbers were smaU, made up for 
 that deficiency in bitter dishke. 
 
 The most prominent of these, besides Jaffur 
 Sahib himself, was Naser-oo-deen, the chief ac- 
 coimtant and secretary of the regiment, — one 
 of those con-upt and wily scoundrels so often 
 to be found in the persons of those who have 
 been educated in the daily obsei*vance of 
 schemes and fraud : for his father had filled 
 a high situation as moonshee or secretary near 
 the person of Hyder Ali ; and it is impossible 
 for any one to fill a similar place in any native 
 court, without having daily opportunities of 
 improvement in the arts of intrigue, falsehood, 
 and corruption. He M^as also a constant asso- 
 ciate of Jaffur Sahib ; and in many a plan for 
 cheating the Government by false musters of
 
 264 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 men, and extra charges for grain and forage, 
 they had been nearly associated, — indeed, had 
 divided the spoil between them. 
 
 Naser-oo-deen had also been the agent for 
 the supply of forage and other necessaries to a 
 large number of the Khan's horses which were 
 in the Risala ; and as he seldom looked after 
 these accounts himself, there had been a very 
 handsome profit to be gained from them by the 
 subordinates. It was probable that upon the 
 first ground therefore — that is, so far as the 
 regiment was concerned — Kasim and the 
 Moonshee would never have come in contact 
 with each other; but they were not long in 
 doing so when the private interests of the 
 Khan were in question. 
 
 For want of occupation Kasim had solicited 
 some employment from the Khan, who had 
 desired him to look after his own horses, and 
 to examine the accounts the Moonshee should 
 furnish of their expenditure ; and for this office 
 Kasim was well fitted, not only from his know- 
 ledge of \^Titing, but from his experience as a 
 Patel of the prices of grain and forage. The 
 accounts had used to be daily submitted to the
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 265 
 
 Khan, and during his absence they had accu- 
 mulated to a large amount. Occupied in other 
 duties and affairs, the Khan could not afford 
 time to hear them read, and gave them over 
 for examination to his young friend, who, in 
 the careful scrutiny he made of them, and his 
 readiness in comprehending their intricate na- 
 ture, convinced the Moonshee that he had to 
 deal with a person of no ordinary exactitude 
 and ability. 
 
 Kasim, in his inspection of the documents, 
 had much occasion to suspect that the rates 
 and quantities charged were far greater than 
 the truth ; but he did not dare at first to make 
 any accusation against a man of the Moon- 
 shee's apparent probity and respectability. He 
 had seen enough, however, to put him on his 
 guard for the future, and there was soon ample 
 reason to confirm his suspicions that all was 
 not as fair as the accounts showed. While 
 they were at Bangalore he made a daily me- 
 morandum of the prices of grain in the several 
 bazaars, and inquiries also of the men who rode 
 the Khan's horses in the regiment, and of the 
 grooms also, as to the quantities used ; and on 
 
 VOL. I. N
 
 266 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 comparing them with the memorandums fur- 
 nished to him by the Moonshee, the deceit was 
 too flagrant to pass unnoticed. Accordingly 
 he sought that worthy, and, without any ac- 
 cusation, ventured to point out some inaccura- 
 cies, as he supposed they must be, in the ac- 
 counts, as compared with the market rates. 
 These the Moonshee tried to support with all 
 the effrontery he was able to muster for some 
 time ; but Kasim was steady, and in the end 
 triumphed. It was, however, an offence which 
 rankled deeply in the Moonshee's mind, and in 
 an evening converse with his friend the Je- 
 madar he alluded to the matter in no very 
 amiable humour. 
 
 " Things have come to a pretty pass since 
 the Khan has brought that boy with him !" 
 said he indignantly to the Jemadar when they 
 were alone. 
 
 "How? has he interfered with you, as 
 he appears to wish to do with every one 
 else?" 
 
 "To be sure he has— it seems he can read; 
 and the old fool, without thinking about it, 
 gave him all my accounts of the Pagha to
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 267 
 
 look over, instead of signing and passing them 
 at once." 
 
 " And he discovered — " 
 
 "No, nothing in them. Alia be praised! 
 so that there is a good round sum to divide 
 between us ; but he evidently suspected the 
 rates of grain, which, beHeve me. Jemadar, you 
 put too high/' 
 
 " Not a whit, not a whit, since we have got 
 the money." 
 
 " But I say it was, for it led the young 
 prying feUow to ask the prices of grain in the 
 bazaars, and of forage too ; and, as it seems he is 
 a Patel, he knows more about the matter than 
 we do ourselves ; so when I gave him the ac- 
 counts today, he showed me a memorandum 
 of every day's nerrikh*, and began comparing 
 it as simply as possible with the account and 
 showing the difference. By the Prophet ! I 
 could have struck him for his pretence of in- 
 genuousness, and his seeming unconsciousness 
 that he was detecting me. I tried to bully 
 him. Jemadar Sahib, and said I had eaten the 
 Khan's salt longer than he had, and was not 
 * Rate of prices. 
 N 2
 
 268 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 to be suspected by a boy ; but it would not do ; 
 he told me not to be angry, that he might be 
 mistaken, and that he would show the accounts 
 to the Khan if I liked; but this you know 
 would not have answered my pui-pose, for the 
 old fellow would have fired up in a moment." 
 
 " And what did you do ? you surely did not 
 alter them?" 
 
 "Why what else could I do, Jemadar? 
 I at last pretended to see the mistake and 
 make fresh accounts." 
 
 " In other words, O cowardly fool ! you ate 
 dirt; you allowed him to obtain a mastery 
 over you which you will never regain. You 
 call yourself a Moonshee ! — a man of letters ! 
 Shame on you, I say, to allow yourself to be 
 dictated to by a boy! Had I a beard like yours 
 I would cut it off for verj^ shame." 
 " But, Jemadar — " he interposed. 
 "I tell thee I can hear nothing; I know 
 this will not end here,— the fellow's prying 
 should have been stopped at once; and his 
 suspicions will never rest, beheve me, till he 
 has found out the whole ; and at any rate we 
 shall lose money."
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 269 
 
 « We shall, certainly." 
 
 « How much?" 
 
 " Two hundred rupees, I dare say." 
 
 " Alia ! Alia ! so much ! and the worst is that 
 our trade is stopped." 
 
 " I fear so ; how can it be otherwise, as he 
 observes the rates ? " 
 
 *^ Could you get him to take the accounts 
 himself, Moonshee Sahib, we might find him 
 out ourselves overcharging in a few days, and 
 so they would fall back to us, and he would be 
 ruined." 
 
 '^ Alia knows ! " sighed the Moonshee ; ** at 
 any rate it is worth trying ; I will see to it. I 
 am only afraid your turn will come next." 
 
 " I '11 tell you what, Naser, the thought is 
 not to be borne. What 1 lose my monthly 
 gains, ^Yithout which this service is nothing to 
 me ! — Inshalla ! no. If there is a Kasim Ali 
 Patel, there is at least a Shekh Jaffur Jemadar, 
 I tell thee, man, I was not born to eat dirt at 
 his hands, but he at mine ; and if I cannot see 
 into the depths of futurity like the Sultaun, (may 
 his name be honoured !) yet I can see far enough 
 to behold this boy's disgrace at my hands. Dost
 
 270 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 thou hear — at my hands ? thou shouldst know 
 by this time that I rarely fail of my purpose." 
 
 "May Alia grant it!" said the Moonshee 
 piously. 
 
 " I tell thee/' he continued, " I hated him 
 from the first, because I found he would stand 
 between me and the Khan. He abused me in 
 hearing of all the camp ; those words have 
 gone forth among the men, and as I look in 
 their faces I fancy that the remembrance of 
 them comes into their heart, and that they 
 exult over me. I tell thee this is not to be 
 borne, and I will have an exchange for it, or 
 I will see why : dost thou understand ?" 
 
 "I do." 
 
 '' And thou must aid me." 
 
 ^^ Surely, — with my pen, with my advice, 
 my — " 
 
 '^ Bah ! thy advice, — who asked for it ? who 
 ■^ants that of a fool who could not defend his 
 own papers ? when I have occasion for thee in 
 this matter I will tell thee, and see that thou 
 doest it ; and — " 
 
 '^My lord is not angry with his poor ser- 
 vant?" said the Moonshee cringingly.
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 271 
 
 " I have good cause to be so, but must eat 
 my vexation for the present. Go ! you have 
 your dismissal." He mused for awhile after 
 the Moonshee had left him, and then called 
 to Madar, who waited without. 
 
 " Have you discovered anything more about 
 the Khan^s wife, Madar ? " he asked. 
 
 " Nothing, my lord, except that she is very 
 beautiful." 
 
 " That you said before : nothing between her 
 andthe Patel?" 
 
 " Nothing, except that he had seen her." 
 
 " That too you told me : does he see her 
 now?" 
 
 " Willa Alum* !" was the reply. 
 
 " It would be as well for us if he did." 
 
 *' Shall your slave try to effect it?" 
 
 "I have been thinking of it, Madar; you 
 might contrive something. I tell thee I hate 
 that boy more and more ; it is only this mo- 
 ment that I have heard from Naser-oo-deen 
 Moonshee that his accounts have been sus- 
 pected by him." 
 
 " Does the Khan know of it ?" 
 * God knows !
 
 272 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 t: 
 
 No, not as yet ; but there is no security 
 for us, and there is no saying what may hap- 
 pen, for this boy holds a sword over us.'^ 
 
 " I understand, — my lord will trust me; and 
 depend on it that, sooner or later, I find a way 
 of helping him to revenge these insults." 
 
 It was thus to screen their own iniquity, of 
 w^hich they were conscious, that these schemes 
 were being undertaken against the peace of 
 two individuals who had never harmed any of 
 the plotters ; and in the course of our history 
 we shall follow them to their conclusions. 
 
 The consciousness of his own evil practices 
 and corruption, as regarded the public service, 
 made the Jemadar jealous of any one who should 
 usurp the place he had held with the Khan ; 
 not because the Khan liked him, but because, 
 being indolent by nature, and unacquainted 
 with the details of the private economy of his 
 Risalas, the Khan w*as glad enough to find 
 that any one would undertake that for him, 
 which he could not bring his mind to take any 
 interest in, or indeed to understand. And if 
 Kasim had succeeded in detecting the Moon- 
 shee, what might not he have to fear, whose
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 273 
 
 peculations were even of a more daring nature, 
 and extended to the men, the horses, and the 
 establishment of the corps ! The Jemadar 
 brooded over these thoughts incessantly ; and 
 his avaricious and miserly spirit could as ill 
 brook the idea of pecuniary loss, as his proud 
 and revengeful heart the prospect of disgrace, 
 and the insult he had been told by his emis- 
 sary that he had ah'eady received. 
 
 After a few days' halt at Bangalore, for the 
 purpose of preparing carriages for the removal 
 of the English prisoners to the capital, and the 
 collection of some of the revenue of the district, 
 which was also to be escorted thither, the morn- 
 ing arrived on which they were to set out, 
 and each corps was drawn up in front of the 
 Mysore gate of the fortress ; while the Khan, 
 attended by Kasim and some others, rode Into 
 it in order to receive the prisoners, and the 
 Khan his last orders from the Governor. 
 
 While he was employed in his audience, 
 Kasim rode hither and thither, observino* 
 with delight the impregnable strength of the 
 fortress, — the cannon, the arms and appear- 
 ance of the disciplined garrison, and the few 
 
 N 5
 
 274 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 French soldiers and officers who were lounging 
 about. He had never before seen a Euro- 
 pean ; and their appearance, their tight-fitting 
 and ungraceful dress, inspired him with no 
 very exalted idea of their prowess. 
 
 " Can these be the men/' he thought, " to 
 whom the Sultaun trusts, instead of to the brave 
 hearts and sturdy arms of the men of Islam ! 
 but so I am told, and I am to see more at the 
 capital. Well, it is strange that they should 
 have the talents for such contrivances in war, 
 as never enter into our hearts : our only defence 
 is a strong arm and a good sword and shield ; 
 and if we had not to fight against the English 
 kafirs, we should not require these French, 
 who after all are only infidels too. But here 
 come the prisoners I suppose," he added, as a 
 few soldiers, horse and foot, with drawn swords, 
 advanced from behind an adjacent wall ; " the 
 brave kafirs, as all call them, and hate them 
 because they are so brave ; I confess I do not, 
 and only because they are the Sultaun's ene- 
 mies, and infidels into the bargain." 
 
 His curiosity was raised to the highest pitch 
 to see these unhappy men, who, in defiance of
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 275 
 
 the treaty of 1784, were kept in the fortresses 
 of the country without a hope of dehverance, 
 and cut off from any chance of communication 
 with their countrymen on the coast. Among 
 the few with whom Kasim had associated, " the 
 Enghsh"' were the continued subject of con- 
 versation ; their reHgion, their manners, and 
 their persons were ridiculed and held up to 
 scorn by all, but their bravery none could deny; 
 and that man held himself far exalted above 
 his fellows, who had entered into personal com- 
 bat with or slain one of them. Many were 
 the tales then in circulation, — some exaggera- 
 tions of reality, others stern scenes of hard 
 fighting, — which even figurative language failed 
 to exalt above their due estimation. 
 
 In company with the Khan, with Dilawur 
 Ali and with others, Kasim had heard many 
 of these relations; and indeed, whenever he 
 listened in the camp, either to itinerant story- 
 tellers, or to those gathered around a watch- 
 fire, the English were alike the theme of exe- 
 cration for their religion and their falsehood, 
 or on rare occasions praised for their devoted 
 bravery. No wonder then was it that he
 
 276 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 watched for their coming with very eager 
 anxiety : figuring to himself what they might 
 be, he thought to have seen them a martial- 
 looking people, and that in their persons he 
 should realise his own ideas of what a warrior 
 ought to be, — tall and finely formed, haughty 
 in appearance, with an eye of fire and an arm 
 of iron. 
 
 One by one the prisoners came before him, 
 some of them heavil}'^ chained, others free ; but 
 all men on whose faces the rigour of captivity 
 had set its seal. Melancholy and pale, many 
 of them wasted by sickness, and by mental and 
 bodily sufferings, they were shadows of what 
 they had been ; their clothes hung in rags 
 about them, and, though not dirty, they were 
 of a colour which proved that they them- 
 selves had washed them from time to time ; a 
 f€W of them had worn-out uniform coats upon 
 them, whose stained and discoloured appear- 
 ance fitted well with the wretched condition 
 of their wearers. Their step was slow and 
 weak, and those who wore fetters with diffi- 
 culty moved at all ; none of them spoke, but 
 many of them gazed around upon the walls.
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 277 
 
 and looked up into the bright heavens, and 
 smiled, as though they were glad that motion 
 and air were once more allowed to refresh 
 their cramped and emaciated limbs and weary- 
 spirits. 
 
 In spite of his previous determination to 
 hate them with the same spirit as that of his 
 companions, Kasim felt he could not ; there 
 would, in spite of his efforts to repress it, arise 
 a feeling of pity, that men whom he doubted 
 not were as brave as the race was represented 
 to be, should exhibit so sorrowful an appear- 
 ance, — one which told a forcible tale of un- 
 alleviated misery. Following those on foot 
 were several in small doolies, whose emaciated 
 and ghastly looks told of their sickness and 
 unfitness for removal. 
 
 He had expected a feeling of triumph to arise 
 in his heart as he should behold the infidel 
 English captives ; but there was something so 
 touching in the appearance of the melancholy 
 procession, that he felt none ; he could much 
 rather have wept as he looked on it, than 
 joined in any expression of ill-will towards 
 the prisoners.
 
 278 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 As they advanced, a few boys who were near 
 hooted the captives, and abused them in ob- 
 scene language. This they did not appear to 
 deign to notice ; at last one boy, more bold 
 than the rest, took up a stone, and accompany- 
 ing it with a savage oath, flung it against the 
 prisoner nearest to him, and, having struck 
 him, was greeted with a loud shout of joy by 
 his companions. 
 
 Almost ere he was aware of his own inten- 
 tion, and impelled by the wanton insult upon 
 one so helpless, Kasim violently lirged his 
 horse across the open space up to the boy, — 
 who, having been successful in his first fling, 
 had picked up another stone with a similar 
 intention, — and struck him severely several 
 times with the whip he had in his hand. 
 Screaming with pain, the boy ran off to a di- 
 stance ; and his associates, terrified at the 
 punishment their companion had received, dis- 
 persed at once. 
 
 Kasim could not resist speaking to the pri- 
 soner on whose behalf he had acted ; and riding 
 up to him, he hoped, not knowing whether he 
 should be understood, that he was not hurt,
 
 TIPPOO SUL.TAUN. 279 
 
 adding, that he had punished the young mis- 
 creant who had thrown the stone. 
 
 The voice was one of kindness, and it was 
 long since one Hke it had sounded in the young 
 Enghshman's ears. 
 
 '* I am not hurt/' he said, in good Hindo- 
 stanee ; " and if I had been, an act of kindness 
 such as yours would have amply repaid me for 
 receiving it. Gallant soldier ! you, it would seem, 
 have not been taught as your countrymen to 
 hate the English. Do not, however, speak to 
 me : an act of courtesy to one of us may chance 
 to bring disgrace upon you, and I would not 
 have you receive that return for your kindness. 
 May God protect you ! " 
 
 They passed on, and Kasim remained in the 
 same spot, gazing after him ; his tall figure and 
 proud air, his pale but handsome face and 
 deeply-expressive blue eyes, — such as Kasim 
 had never seen before, — his fluent speech and 
 manly tone, — above all, his last words, ^' May 
 God protect you !" affected him powerfully. 
 
 "God protect you !" he repeated; "he believes 
 then in Alia ; how can he be an infidel ? He 
 said, 'Alia Hafiz !' and he spoke like a Mus- 
 sulman ; why should he be hated ? I will see
 
 280 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 him again. By Alia ! such a man is worth 
 knowing, and I may be able to befriend him ; 
 surely he is a man of rank." 
 
 But here his surmises were put an end to 
 by Dilawur Ali, who, riding up to him, bade 
 him accompany him, for the Khan was ready 
 to proceed. 
 
 " Then you saw the kafirs, — may their end be 
 perdition ! " said the rough soldier. 
 
 " I did, brother," returned Kasim ; '' miser- 
 able enough they look, and as if they could 
 hardly move ; how are they to travel ? " 
 
 ^* There are covered carts for some, Meer 
 Sahib, for they cannot bear the sun, — doolies for 
 others who are weak ; and one or two, who are 
 officers I hear, are to be allowed an elephant, 
 — but we shall see." And they rode rapidly 
 through the gate of the fort. 
 
 ^' I thought he was an officer," exclaimed 
 Kasim ; '' I thought he was more than one of 
 the lower rank ;" as the Englishman with whom 
 he had spoken was desired to mount an ele- 
 phant which bore a handsome umbara*. 
 Why ? what know you of him ? " 
 
 * A kind of howdah. 
 
 ei
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 281 
 
 " Nothing ; but I spoke a few -words to him, 
 and it struck me that he was a man of breed- 
 ing and rank." 
 
 " You had better beware, Kasim," said his 
 companion ; " acts may be misinterpreted, and 
 men like you never want enemies to assist 
 others in thinking ill of them." 
 
 " Thank you for your advice," said Kasim ; 
 "but I have done or said nothing that I am 
 ashamed of." Kasim afterwards mentioned 
 what he had done to the Khan, who could not 
 help praising the young soldier's action. 
 
 " By the Prophet, well done ! " he cried, as 
 Kasim related the incident ; "I am glad the 
 young Haram-zada was soundly whipped ; he 
 will know how to throw stones another time. I 
 have fought against the Feringhees, and hate 
 them ; and yet, in such a case, I think I should 
 have acted as thou didst, Kasim. Hast thou 
 spoken to the Feringhee since ?" 
 
 " No : Dila^vur Ali seemed to think I had 
 done wrong even in addressing him at all ; but 
 I should like much to speak with him ; they 
 say he is a Sirdar of rank." 
 
 " I hear he has accepted the Sultaun's offer of 
 
 l».
 
 282 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 pardon, and that he will serve in the army ; so 
 at least the Governor of the fort hoped, but 
 we shall see. I doubt it, for the Feringhees 
 are very obstinate, and Tippoo has gained over 
 none as yet by fair means." 
 
 ^' Then there are some in the army ?" 
 " A few only Avho have been honoured with 
 the rite of Islam ; but they are of the lowest 
 grade, and he does not trust them. Go you 
 then, when we have pitched the camp, and ask 
 this Feringhee whether he will serve with us 
 under the banner of the lion of the Faith."
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 283 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Kasim hardly need be desired to do this ; he 
 longed to have some amicable conversation with 
 one who had already excited such interest in his 
 heart, and, as soon as possible after his few 
 duties were discharged, he went to the tents 
 which had been pitched for the English, and 
 sought out his acquaintance. They met with 
 pleasure ; on Kasim's part, with the result of the 
 interest he had felt, — on the other's, with joy 
 that among so many enemies there was one 
 from whom he had received kindness, and who 
 now again sought him. 
 
 " I httle thought to have seen you again," 
 said the officer (for so in truth he was), " and 
 this visit is a proof to me that we are nor 
 enemies.''
 
 284 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 cc 
 
 No, certainly," said Kasim ; " I have uo 
 enmity towards you." 
 
 " Perhaps then you can inform me and my 
 poor comrades why we are being removed to 
 the capital ; to us it is inexplicable." 
 
 *' You are to enter the service of the Sultaun, 
 we hear," replied Kasim ; and from the flush of 
 indignation which rose in the other's pallid face, 
 he could see how that idea was spurned by him. 
 
 " Never ! " he cried, " never ! and the Sul- 
 taun knows this full well ; months, nay years 
 ago, he offered the alternative between this 
 and death, and we spurned it with contempt. 
 He will try us again, and receive the same 
 answer ; and then perhaps he may relieve us by 
 death from this imprisonment, which is worse." 
 
 " Then it has been severe ? " 
 
 " What ! are you in the Sultaun's service, and 
 know not of our condition ? " 
 
 " I am not in his service," said Kasim ; 
 " chance threw me into the society of the officer 
 with whom I travel to the city. I may enter 
 it there, which my friend Avishes me to do, if it 
 can be effected advantageously." 
 
 Do not enter it, I beseech you," cried the 
 
 ((
 
 _ TIPPOO SULTAUN. 285 
 
 Englishman -with sudden enthusiasm; "with 
 so tender and gallant a heart, thou couldst 
 not serve one who is a tiger in nature, one 
 whose glory it is to be savage and merciless as 
 his namesake. Rather fly from hence; bear 
 these letters from me to Madras, — they will 
 ensure thee reward — service — anything thou 
 choosest to ask ; take them, and the blessing of 
 Heaven go with thee ! thou wilt have succoured 
 the unfortunate, and given news of their exist- 
 ence to many who have long ago mourned us 
 as dead." 
 
 " Feringhee ! " said Kasira earnestly, " thy 
 gallant bearing has won my regard, and my 
 friendly feeling will ever be towards thee ; but 
 I abhor thy race, and long for the time when 
 I shall strike a blow against them in fair and 
 open field. I enter the service of the Sultaun 
 at the city, whither we go ; and this is answer 
 enough to thy request ; ask me not, therefore, 
 to do what I should be ashamed of a week 
 hence. I will speak to my commander about 
 thy letters, and doubt not they will be for- 
 warded." 
 
 " The only gleam of hope wliich has broken
 
 286 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 on me for years has again faded from my 
 si^t/' said the young officer with deep melan- 
 choly. " I well know that no letters will be 
 forwarded from me. If thy master, or he who 
 will be so, has denied my existence, and broken 
 his solemn treaties in my detention, and that 
 of the other poor fellows who are with me, 
 thinkest thou he will allow me to \\Tite word 
 that I am here ? " 
 
 " And is it so?" said Kasim ; " I beheve thee; 
 thine enemies even say that the English never 
 lie. If it be possible to forward thy letters, I 
 will do it, and ask thee for them ; and now 
 farewell ! If Kasim Ali Patel can ever help thee, 
 ask for him when thou art in trouble or dan- 
 ger ; if he is near thee, he ^yill do his utmost 
 in thy behalf;'^ so saying, Kasim left him, and 
 returned to the Khan. 
 
 " I thought it would be as thou hast related," 
 
 '■o 
 
 said he to Kasim, as the latter detailed the 
 conversation ; " such a man is neither to be 
 bribed nor threatened. Even their bitterest 
 enemies must say of these unbelievers that 
 they are faithfiil to death. May Alia help him ! 
 for I fear the Sultaun's displeasure at this.
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 287 
 
 his last rejection of rank and service, may- 
 be fatal to him and to the rest ; men's deter- 
 minations, however, do not hold out always 
 with the fear of death before their eyes, — but we 
 shall see. Whatever is written in his destiny 
 he must accomplish." 
 
 " Ameen ! " said Kasim : " I pray it may be fa- 
 vourable, for I honour him though he is a kafir." 
 
 On the fifth day afterwards they approached 
 the city ; Kasim, w-ith dehght that his journey 
 was ended, and that he should enter on his ser- 
 vice without delay, — the Khan, with mingled 
 feehngs of joy at returning to his master and 
 his old companions in arms, and of vexation at 
 the thoughts of his two wives, and the recep- 
 tion Ameena was sure to meet with from them. 
 This, in truth, was a source of the most lively 
 uneasiness to him, for he could not but see 
 that, say what he would to comfort her, the 
 spirit of Ameena had considerably drooped 
 since the night at Nundidroog, when he told 
 her of their existence. Still he hoped the best ; 
 and he said to himself, " If they cannot agree, 
 I shall only have to get a separate house, and 
 live away from them.' 
 
 j>
 
 288 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 " Behold the'city ! " cried many an one of those 
 who led the force, as, on reaching the brow of 
 a slight eminence, the broad valley of the river 
 Cavery burst upon them ; in the centre of 
 which, though still some miles distant, ap- 
 peared Seringapatam, amidst groves of trees, 
 and surrounded by richly-cultivated lands, 
 watered by the river. Not much of the fort, 
 or the buildings within it, could be seen; but 
 the tall minarets of a large mosque, two enor- 
 mous Hindoo pagodas and some other smaller 
 ones, and the white-terraced roofs of the pa- 
 laces, appeared above the trees ; and as they 
 approached nearer, the walls and defences of 
 the fort could be distinguished from th» ground 
 upon which it was built. 
 
 Passing several redoubts which commanded 
 the road, they reached the river, and fording 
 its uneven and rocky channel with some diffi- 
 culty, they continued on towards the fort itselfj 
 whose long lines of rampart, high walls, bas- 
 tions, and cavaliers, from which cannon peeped 
 in every direction, filled Kasim with astonish- 
 ment and delight. 
 
 As they rode onwards through the bazaar of
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 289 
 
 the outer town, they saw at the end of the street 
 a cavalcade approaching, evidently that of a 
 person of rank. A number of spearmen pre- 
 ceded it, running very fast, and shouting the 
 titles of a person who was advancing at a 
 canter, followed by a brilliant group, clad in 
 gorgeous apparel, cloth-of-gold, and the finest 
 muslins, and many in chain-armour, which glit- 
 tered brightly in the sun. 
 
 Ere Kasim could ask who it was, the cortege 
 was near the head of his corps, which drew off 
 to one side to allow it to pass. As the company 
 advanced, the Khan dashed his heels into the 
 flanks of his charger, and flew to meet it : Kasim 
 saw him halt suddenly, and present the hilt of 
 his sword to one who, from his appearance and 
 the humility of the Khan's attitude, he felt 
 assured could be no other than the Sultaun. 
 
 Just then one of those bulls which the belief 
 of the Hindoos teaches them are incarnations 
 of divinity, and which roam at large in every 
 bazaar, happened to cross the road lazily be- 
 fore the royal party. The attendant spearmen 
 strove to drive it on ; but not accustomed to 
 being interfered with so rudely, it resisted their 
 
 VOL. I. o
 
 290 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 shouts and blows with the butt-end of their 
 spears, and menaced them with its horns. There 
 ensued some httle noise, and Kasim, who was 
 watching the Sultaun, saw him observe it. 
 
 "A spear, a spear !" he heard him cry ; and as 
 one of the attendants handed him one, he ex- 
 claimed to his suite, ^^Now, friends, for a hunt! 
 Yonder fellow menaces us, by the Prophet ! 
 Who will strike a blow for Islam, and help me 
 to destroy this pet of the idolators? — may their 
 mothers be defiled ! Follow me !." And so say- 
 ing, he urged his noble horse onwards. 
 
 The bull seeing himself pursued, turned for 
 an instant with the intention of flight, but it 
 was too late ; as it turned, the spear of the Sul- 
 taun was buried in its side, and it staggered on, 
 the blood pouring in torrents from the gaping 
 wound, while it bellowed with pain. One or 
 two of the attendants followed his example ; and 
 the Sultaun continued to plunge his weapon 
 into the unresisting animal as fast as he could 
 draw it out, until at last it fell, groaning heavily, 
 having only run a few yards. 
 
 " Shabash, shabash ! (Well done, well done !) 
 who could have done that but the Sultaun ? In-
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 291 
 
 shalla ! he is the \ictoiious — he is the slayer of 
 man and beast ! — ^he is the brave in war, and 
 the skilM in hunting !" cried all the attendants 
 and courtiers. But there were many others near, 
 who vented their hate in silent yet bitter curses, 
 — Brahmins, to whom the slaughter of the sa- 
 cred animal was impiety not to be surpassed. 
 
 " Ha !" cried the Sultaun, looking upon the 
 grovip, one of whom had disgust plainly marked 
 upon his countenance, "ha! thou dost not like 
 this. By the soul of Mahomed we will make 
 thee like it ! Seize me that fellow, Furashes 1" 
 he cried fiercely, " and smear his face with the 
 bull's blood ; that will teach him to look with 
 an evil eye on his monarch's amusements." 
 
 The order was obeyed literally ; and, ere the 
 man knew what was said, he was seized by a 
 number of the powerful attendants ; his face 
 was smeared with the warm blood, and some of 
 it forced into his mouth. 
 
 "Enough!" cried the Sultaun, leaning back 
 in his saddle as he watched the scene, and laugh- 
 ing immoderately pointed to the really ludi- 
 crous but disgusting appearance of the Brah- 
 min, who, covered with blood and dirt, was 
 
 o2
 
 292 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 vainly striving to sputter forth the abomination 
 "which had been forced into his mouth, and to 
 wipe the blood from his face. " Enough ! bring 
 him before us. Now make a lane in front, and 
 give me a spear. Away with thee !" he cried to 
 the Brahmin, " I will give thee a fair start ; but 
 if I overtake thee before yonder turning, thou 
 art a dead man, by Alia \" 
 
 The man turned at once, and fled with the 
 utmost speed that terror could lend him ; the 
 Sultaun waited awhile, then shouted his fa- 
 vourite cry of " Alia yar !" and, followed by 
 his attendants, darted at full sj)eed after the 
 fugitive. The Brahmin, however, escaped 
 down the narrow turning, and the brilliant 
 party rode on, laughing heartily at their amuse- 
 ment. 
 
 Kasim watched all he saw with disgust ; for, 
 though a Mohamedan, and a sincere one, he had 
 never heard of a sacred bull being destroyed ; 
 and there was something so wanton and cruel 
 in the act of its destruction, that it involuntarily 
 brought to his memory the words of the young 
 Englishman, and his character of the Sultaun. 
 But he had not time for much reflection, for the
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUX. 293 
 
 corps was once more in motion, and he became 
 absorbed in admiration and -wonder at all he saw 
 — the extent and wealth of the bazaars — the 
 crowds of people — the numbers of soldiers of 
 gallant bearing — the elephants moving to and 
 fro — and beyond all the Fort, the interior of 
 which he now longed to see ; but the Khan 
 turned off to the left, having passed the town, 
 and after riding a short distance they entered 
 the camp without the walls, and halted within 
 its precincts. 
 
 Leaving Kasim with his tents, which had ar- 
 rived, and were being pitched for the accom- 
 modation of Ameena, the Khan, accompanied 
 only by his servant Daood, rode into the Fort, 
 to his own house, in order to break the news of 
 his marriage to his wives, and to prepare them 
 for their new associate. " There is sure to be 
 a storm," he said, " and it may as well burst 
 upon me at once." 
 
 Alighting therefore at the door, where he was 
 welcomed affectionately by his servants, the 
 news quickly spread through the house that 
 the Khan was come. He only delayed while 
 he washed his feet and face, to cleanse them 
 from the dust of the road, as well as to refresh
 
 294 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 himself a little ere he passed on into the 
 zenana. 
 
 The two ladies, who had expected his arrival, 
 and who had employed a person abroad to in- 
 form them of it, were sitting on a musnud smo- 
 king at one end of the room, with their backs 
 to the door. As he entered, the gurgling of 
 their hookas became doubly loud ; a few slave 
 girls were standing about the apartment, who 
 made low salaams as he approached them ; but 
 the ladies neither rose nor took the shghtest 
 notice of him. 
 
 The Khan was surprised at seeing them to- 
 gether, as when he had left them they were 
 bitter enemies, and he stopped suddenly in his 
 approach. It was evident at once to him that 
 they had heard of his marriage, and made com- 
 mon cause against him : he was justly enraged 
 at this, and at the want of respect, nay insult, 
 with which they now received him. 
 
 " Kummoo-bee ! Hoormut-bee ! " he cried ; 
 *^ women ! do ye not see me ? Where is your re- 
 spect ? How dare ye to sit as I approach ? Am 
 I a man, or am I less than a dog, that ye take 
 no more notice of me than if I were a stone ? 
 Speak, ye ill-conditioned \"
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 295 
 
 " Ill-conditioned ! " cried Kummoo-bee, who, 
 though the youngest wife, was the worst-tem- 
 pered, and who led the reply — "ill-conditioned ! 
 Alia, Alia ! a man who has no shame — a man 
 .who is perjured — a man who is less than a man 
 — a poor, pitiful, un blest coward ! Yes," she 
 exclaimed, her voice rising with her passion as 
 she proceeded, '' a namurd ! a fellow who has 
 not the spirit of a flea, to dare to come into the 
 presence of women who, Inshalla ! are daugh- 
 ters of men of family ! — to dare to approach us, 
 and tell us that he has come, and brought with 
 him a vile woman — an unchaste — " 
 
 *^ Hold ! " cried the Khan, roused to fury as 
 the words fell on his ear, advancing and seizing 
 a slipper which was on the ground ; " dare to 
 say that again, and I will beat thee !" 
 
 " Yes, beat us, beat us ! " cried both breath- 
 lessly at once ; " beat us, and our cup of shame 
 will be full. Beat us, and you will do a valiant 
 deed, and one that your new mistress will ap- 
 prove of," cried Hoormut. 
 
 "Alia, Alia! an old man, one with white 
 hairs, to bring a new mistress to his wives' 
 house ! Shame, shame ! " vociferated Kummoo.
 
 296 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 " I tell thee, women, she is my wife ! " roared 
 the Khan. " Ye will receive her as such this 
 evening ; and cool your tempers in the mean- 
 while, or by Alia and the apostle I swear that 
 I will send ye both to your relations, and they 
 may keep ye or not, as they pleage, for I will 
 not; so bethink ye what ye do; this is my house, 
 and, Inshalla! I will be its master:" and so 
 saying, and not waiting to hear any reply, he 
 left the apartment.
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUX. 297 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 It was early In the fifth month after Herbert 
 Compton had seen the shores of his native land 
 grow dim in his aching sight, that the bold 
 western coast of the peninsula of India met 
 the earnest and watchful gaze of all who were 
 assembled upon the deck of the noble vessel 
 which bore them over the blue and sparkling 
 sea. 
 
 All that day, before a fresh and lively breeze, 
 the ship had cai*eered onwards to her haven, 
 dashing from her bows the white and hissing 
 foam, which spread itself around her, and 
 mingled in her wake ; while, startled from their 
 gambols in the deep, many a shoal of sprightly 
 
 o 5
 
 298 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 flying-fish, rising from under the very bows, 
 would take a long flight to leeward, and disap- 
 pear within the limpid breast of their mother 
 ocean. 
 
 Above, the sky was blue, and without a cloud 
 to dim its brightness ; and that pureness gave 
 to the sea an intensity of colour which is un- 
 known save where those cloudless skies exist. 
 The fresh wind had curled the sea into graceful 
 wavesi, which threw their white crests upwards 
 to the sky as they broke, in seeming play- 
 fulness, or rejoicing in their gladness. Away 
 through the glassy depths darted the gaudy 
 dolphin and merry porpesse — now chasing each 
 other with many an eager bound — now in a 
 shoal together leaping far above the crystal 
 billows, or appearing to reach the summits of 
 the lucid waves, and, as they broke, sinking 
 down to rest for an instant among their spark- 
 ling foam, only to renew the sport in endless 
 variety upon others. 
 
 Scattered.around them was the fleet — some ves- 
 sels near, others far distant ; some nearly buried 
 under the load of canvas which was stretched
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 299 
 
 to court the wind — others, under a less quan- 
 tity, gracefully surmounting every wave, and 
 at times showing their brightly-coppered sides 
 amongst the white foam in which they were 
 encircled. They were like living beings, urging 
 their way over the bright ocean; for at that 
 distance no human form could be distinctly 
 descried upon their decks, and their rapid pro- 
 gress seemed to be an act of their own gigantic 
 power. 
 
 " Land ! land on the lee bow ! " was the 
 joyful cry heard towards noon from the main- 
 top-gallant cross-trees. " Land ! " was re- 
 echoed by all on deck, and each turned to con- 
 gratulate his fellow-voyagers upon the happy 
 news. Even as they looked, a wreath of white 
 smoke burst from the side of the leading frigate, 
 and mingled with the blue wave ; while, with 
 the report which followed, the joj-ful and long- 
 iooked-for signal of land flew to the mast-head, 
 and was repeated by the fleet far and near. 
 
 Now every gaze was turned from the deck, 
 and men looked with straining eyes to pierce 
 the haze of the horizon, as if the land lay still 
 above it; and soon there appeared a darker
 
 300 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 blue outline of rugged form visible : for a 
 M"hile_, to an unpractised eye, it was only that 
 of a mist or distant cloud ; but it became gra- 
 dually firmer and more decided, and ere an 
 hour had elapsed there was no doubt that it 
 was the land of their destination — the land in 
 which many were to die — many to suffer priva- 
 tion and hardship, in war, in captivity, in 
 weary sickness — from which few were destined 
 to return, except with ruined health, bronzed 
 features, and altered tempers from those which 
 in youth and ardent hope they now bore with 
 them. 
 
 Few, however, had thoughts of the future : 
 the day was bright and joyful, and, as they 
 n eared the shore, it appeared to smile a welcome 
 upon them. The naked precipices of the Ghcits 
 reared themselves out of the dark and endless 
 forests which the brilliant sun and soft Avarm 
 atmosphere softened with tender tints ; and as 
 many a one longed to roam far away among 
 those recesses, little thought they hoAv there 
 lurked the demon of deadly fever, who would 
 have smitten them with death had they ventured 
 to intrude upon his solitary domain — solitary.
 
 TtPPOO SULTAUN. 301 
 
 except to the w ild elephant, the bison, the bear, 
 and the serpent, which roamed unmolested 
 everywhere, and shared it with him. 
 
 As they neared the coast, many a white sail 
 of picturesque form could be seen gliding along 
 it ; others, issuing from little harbours and 
 creeks, whose shores were clothed with groves of 
 tall palm-trees, which all had heard of, but none 
 as yet had seen. As the fleet was descried from 
 the shore, little boats shot out, spreading their 
 wide sails, and, as they neared the ships, be- 
 came objects of intense interest. They would 
 now first see a native of that noble land — a 
 Hindoo, one who worshiped idols, whose faith 
 and manners had been undisturbed for ages ; 
 while in the West had spread new faiths, new- 
 systems, where everything was daily advancing 
 in civilization. Fearlessly did the tiny boat 
 advance upon the ship, giving a signal for a 
 rope ; and as it was thrown, one of its dark- 
 skinned crew leaped into the chains, and was 
 on deck in an instant — an object of wonder and 
 admiration to those who for the first time be- 
 held him. Tall and finely formed, his figure 
 was a model of symmetry — his eyes large and
 
 302 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 lustrous — his features regular and amiable in 
 expression — his body naked, except a white 
 cloth around his loins, and a small cap upon 
 his head, quilted in curious patterns. 
 
 He had brought fish, he said to those who, 
 from having made a few voyages, had picked 
 up some few words of his native tongue ; and 
 had a few plantains, some eggs and butter, 
 vegetables ot the country, and sour curds, — all 
 dehcious luxuries to those who had long been 
 confined to the usual shipboard fare, with dry 
 biscuit. Soon his stock was disposed of, and 
 descending the side, the rope was cast off, and 
 once more his little barque danced over the 
 sparkling waves towards the shore. 
 
 They were yet far from Bombay ; and as 
 evening approached, the signal-gun and requi- 
 site flags warned the fleet to take in sail and 
 stand out to some distance from the shore. 
 
 The sun went down in glory. As he de- 
 scended, a few hght clouds formed about him, 
 and the wind dropped to a gentle whispering 
 breeze, but just enough to fill the sails, and the 
 fleet glided onwards in quietness. 
 
 As the sun sank, the heavens became one
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 303 
 
 mass of gold, almost too brilliant to look upon; 
 and the clouds, tinged with reddish tints, could 
 only be distinguished by the dazzhng colours 
 of their edges. At last it disappeared into a 
 sea of waving, restless, molten gold; and as 
 the waters gradually and lingeringly gave up 
 their brightness, and the beams of Hght faded 
 from the sails of the ships, the heavens became 
 a mass of most gorgeous colours — crimson, 
 and gold, and pm-ple, fading into dim greenish 
 yellows and tender violet tints on each side ; 
 which, as the >mind strove to remember them 
 for ever, and the eye to fix them there, but 
 appeared for awhile, then faded away, and were 
 no more seen. 
 
 Gradually but swiftly night clothed all ob- 
 jects in gloom, and the horizon and sky ap- 
 peared to blend into one ; except in the west, 
 where, so long as light remained, its restless 
 and every-varying form showed against the last 
 lingering light of day. For awhile all watched 
 the beauty of the heavens, spangled with 
 brightly-gleaming stars, and fanned by a gen- 
 tle and cool wind, which, blowing from the 
 shore, brought with it, they fancied, perfumes
 
 304 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 of flowers such as those with which they could 
 imagine nature in her profusion had decked the 
 land of which they had had a transient, yet 
 exquisite glimpse. Then, one by one, they 
 dropped the cheerful converse into which they 
 had fallen in groups, and, as the night advanced, 
 sunk into gentle slumbers, rocked by the easy 
 motion of their vessel, — to dream of the glories 
 which the coming morrow pictured to their 
 excited imaginations ; or of a home, humble 
 perhaps, but endeared by a thousand remem- 
 brances of love, of parental affection, of wander- 
 ings in cool and shady places, beside streams 
 whose murmurings sounded gently in their ears. 
 
 Herbert's were thus. A feverish vision of 
 palaces amidst gardens, where the graceful 
 palm-tree and acacia waved over fountains 
 which played unceasingly, and threw up a soft 
 and almost noiseless spray into the air, and 
 where he wandered amidst forms clad in such 
 oriental garbs as his fancy supplied, gorgeous, 
 and dazzling with gold and gems — gradually 
 faded from him, and was succeeded by one of 
 peaceful delight. 
 
 He seemed to wander once more with Amy,
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN'. 305 
 
 amidst the green and mossy glades of Beech- 
 wood : again the well-known path beside the 
 stream was threaded, — his arm was around her, 
 and the familiar converse they had held somided 
 in his ears, — reply and question, even as they 
 had uttered them together. He had drawn her 
 closer and closer to him as they proceeded, and, 
 as he strained her to his heart in one long and 
 ardent embrace, he thought the murmur of the 
 stream was louder, and he awoke : — it was only 
 the ceaseless plash of the waters against the ves- 
 sel's side, which came audibly to him through 
 his open port-hole, and which at once dis- 
 pelled the illusion. 
 
 But he composed himself again, to endeavour 
 to recall the fleeting vision, to hear again the 
 words of ideal converse, to hold in thrilling em- 
 brace the loved form which only then had been 
 present with him. Vain and futile effort ! and 
 strange power of dreams, which enables us 
 often to hold communings with those beloved — 
 though thousands of miles intervene. How 
 strongly does the mind in such moments sup- 
 ply the thoughts and words of tAvo, amid scenes 
 sometimes familiar, more often ideal, and yet
 
 306 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 palpable in sleep, but dissipated by waking 
 fancy, and often leaving no traces of their exist- 
 ence upon the memory but a confused phan- 
 tasy, which imagination strives to embody in 
 vain ! 
 
 Herbert lay restless for awhile, and failing of 
 his purpose, he roused himself, looked out over 
 the waters which glistened faintly under the rays 
 of a waning moon ; and feeling the air to be fresh, 
 as though it were near the dawn, he arose, 
 dressed himself, and went on deck, in order to 
 watch for the first break of morning over the 
 land they we^e approaching. 
 
 The scattered ships had approached each other 
 during the night, and stood on under easy sail; 
 dreamy they looked, — even as giant spectres 
 walking over the deep. There were some from 
 whose white sails the moon's faint light was 
 reflected, and which glistened under her beams. 
 Others, dark and deeply in shadow, showing 
 no token of the busy life which existed within, or 
 the watchful cai'e which guided them onwards. 
 
 Gradually a faint gleam shot up into the 
 eastern sky, a paler colour than the deep blue 
 which had previously existed ; it increased, and
 
 TIPPOO SUL.TAUN. 307 
 
 tlie lustre of the stars was dimmed. Soon, as 
 all gazed to welcome it, a blush of pink suc- 
 ceeded ; and as the day sprang into existence, 
 the frigate's signal-gun boomed over the quiet 
 sea. The joyous day grew into being rapidly : 
 hues of golden, of crimson, flashed upwards, 
 and spread themselves over the sky, revealing 
 by degrees the long and broken line of moun- 
 tains, which, in parts obscured by the mists 
 floating upon them, and again clear and sharp 
 against the brilliant sky, continued as far as the 
 eye could reach from north to south. Light 
 mists covered the coast and the foot of the 
 mountains, and concealed both from their long- 
 ing gaze ; but as the sun arose in dazzling bril- 
 liancy, and the red blush of his morning beams 
 rested upon the ships, the sea, the mountain 
 peaks and naked precipices, the clouds seemed 
 gradually to rise fi'om their slumber, until, 
 broken by his power, they floated upwards 
 slowly, as if nature was purposely lifting her 
 veil from the scene and revealing her beauties 
 by degrees. 
 
 They were soon at the entrance of the har- 
 bour of Bombay. The islands which guard it
 
 308 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 rose like fairy creations from the breast of 
 ocean, wooded and smiling under the light of 
 the sun. Away to their right were the noble 
 range of Ghats, — their peaked and broken 
 summits presenting forms strange to eyes 
 used only to the green and swelling emi- 
 nences of verdant England; the grounds be- 
 low them were covered with everlasting forests, 
 and the shore lined by groves of palms, from 
 among which peeped many a white temple with 
 conical roof, or mosque with slender minarets. 
 Before them stretched out the magnificent har- 
 bour, studded with bold and lofty islands, 
 among which the mysterious Elephanta and 
 gloomy Carinjah reared their giant forms 
 and wooded sides, bounded by the town and 
 fort of Bombay, which arose from the w-ater's 
 edge, and whose white and ten'aced houses and 
 noble fortifications gleamed brightly in the sun- 
 light. 
 
 Many a tall ship lay there, resting from her 
 travel over the deep, and craft of every descrip- 
 tion shot here and there over the waters. An 
 Arab doAV, with her high and pointed stern, 
 the pavilion upon it gaily painted — her decks
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 309 
 
 crowded with men clad in the loose robes and 
 heavy turbans of Arabia, and her huge square 
 sail set to catch the breeze — sailed near them. 
 Many gaily- painted Pattamars, with their la- 
 teen sails as white as snow, mingled with the 
 fleet ; while others of smaller size could be seen 
 stretching across the harbour from the Mah- 
 ratta continent, bearing their dail}^ supplies of 
 market produce for the populous town. 
 
 It was a scene of novel yet exquisite beauty; 
 and, lighted up by the powerful beams of an 
 eastern sun, could not fail of making a lasting 
 impression upon those who, after their weary 
 voyage, saw their eastern home burst upon them 
 in such splendour; nor was there one of all 
 the numerous host contained in those vessels 
 who could look upon it without feelings of 
 mingled emotion. 
 
 From the General who commanded, — who, 
 remembering the brilliant career wljich others 
 had run, hoped in the coming wars to win 
 fame and \^■ealth, — to the lowest private, whose 
 imagination revelled in fancied scenes of ex- 
 citement far removed from his ordinary dull rou- 
 tine of duty, or of dissipation, which the cold
 
 310 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 climate of England could not afford, — all were 
 excited far beyond their usual wont ; and ex- 
 clamations of surprise, of wonder, or of grati- 
 fication, as things new or beautiful or strange 
 passed under their observation, arose from the 
 various groups upon the deck. 
 
 Herbert Compton had left England with- 
 out contracting a particular friendship for any 
 of his brother officers ; his close connexion 
 and constant intercourse with his own family, 
 and latterly his attachment, had prevented this ; 
 but he had not the less observed a cheerful 
 and fi'iendly intercourse with all. He was 
 pained however to see how, during the voyage, 
 and the constant and unrestricted intercourse 
 of which the space of a vessel was naturally 
 productive, many of them showed tempers and 
 dispositions which debarred him from joining 
 in such intimate association as their absence 
 from home and residence in a foreign land 
 ought to have engendered. 
 
 He was grieved to see also, how some gave 
 themselves up to intemperance, as if to drown 
 in wine the memoiy of things they should have 
 held most dear ; — how others betook them-
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 311 
 
 selves to cards or dice, to pass away the mo- 
 notonous hours of their long voyage ; — how 
 these and other \aces had already changed 
 many whom he had at first been inclined to 
 esteem sincerely, and forced him to contract 
 gradually the association which he fain would 
 have had intimate and general. 
 
 But there were nevertheless two with whom, 
 though his intercourse had been shght at first, 
 yet it had steadily progressed, and who re- 
 turned his advances towards a sincere and unre- 
 served friendship with corresponding warmth. 
 One, Philip Dalton, was his equal in rank and 
 slightly his senior in age, and in the regiment. 
 The other, Charles Balfour, his ensign, a youth 
 even younger than himself, a fair and sprightly 
 fellow, whose joyous spirit nothing could daunt, 
 and over whom cai'e had not as yet flung even 
 a shadow of her sobering mantle. 
 
 Dalton was grave and rehgious, it might be 
 even tinctured with superstition, at least with 
 a beHef in destiny ; and while his spirit recoiled 
 at once from those thoughtless or vicious com- 
 panions by whom he was surrounded, whom he 
 shunned the more as he perceived the uncon-
 
 312 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 trolled license they were prepared to give to 
 their passions upon landing, and whose only 
 conversation consisted in the prospects of in- 
 dulgence which were opening upon them, — he 
 soon grew into intimate association with Her- 
 bert, as well from a similarity of tastes and 
 disgust of the others' wild revelry, as from see- 
 ing at once that he possessed a deep religious 
 feeling, and gave expression to his sincere 
 thoughts upon the subject, when it was openly 
 ridiculed or sneered at among the others. 
 
 The three were standing in a group by them- 
 selves, and Herbert's busy and skilful pencil 
 was rapidly sketching outlines of the moun- 
 tains and views of the harbour as they succes- 
 sively presented themselves, with the new and 
 curious forms of the boats and vessels around 
 them. 
 
 " I envy you that talent, Herbert," said Dal- 
 ton; " how valuable it would be to me, who feel 
 that I shall so lack occupation that the time 
 will often hang heavy on my hands ; and how 
 gratifying to those we love to send them even 
 scraps of scenes in which we live and move ! " 
 " Nay, Philip, you have never tried to use
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 313 
 
 your pencil ; I would have given you fifty les- 
 sons while we have been on board, but you 
 have never expressed the wish. Here is Charles, 
 who is already a tolerable proficient, and who 
 sketches with most meritorious perseverance." 
 
 " It is well for him, Herbert ; it will help to 
 keep him from vicious and corrupt society, and 
 on his return to our dear England you will both 
 have the pleasure of comparing your graphic 
 notes, and talking over these beautiful scenes 
 together. But with me it is different : I feel 
 even now that yonder glorious land will be my 
 grave, that the name of Philip Dalton m ill live 
 only for awhile, and that some fatal shot or 
 deadly fever will free me from this earthly 
 existence." 
 
 "Nonsense, Philip!" cried both at once; 
 "why should you be so gloomy amidst so bright 
 and joyous a scene? As for me," continued 
 Balfour, " I intend to defy bullet-shots and 
 jungle-fevers, to become a major or a colonel 
 at least, to serve my time out here, and then 
 to go home and marry some one. I don't 
 intend to get bilious or brown or ugly, but to 
 keep my own tolerable looks for ten years at 
 
 VOL. I. P -
 
 314 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 all events. That bright land is an earnest to 
 me of success ; and as it now smiles upon us a 
 hearty welcome, so do I feel my spirits rise 
 within me proportionately. Why should I for- 
 bid them?" 
 
 " Ay, why should you, Charles ? " said Dal- 
 ton ; " I would that mine were as light as yours, 
 but they are not so, nor ever have been ; and 
 I am thankful too for this, for I have been led 
 to think more deeply of serious matters than I 
 otherwise should have done, and thus in some 
 degree to prepare for the change which must 
 soon come to me. Your career will, I hope, be 
 very different, and I trust that your own bright 
 hopes will be fulfilled; but remember, that 
 though the sky and land are bright and fair, 
 fairer than our England, yet death strikes many 
 more of our race here than there, and that we 
 have to encounter dangers in the field — active 
 and brave enemies — so that we had need to be 
 prepared whenever the blow comes, either by 
 a shot upon the battle-field, or by the slower 
 but equally fatal disease. Is it not so, Her- 
 bert?" 
 
 " It is, Philip ; and yet I would not allow.
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 315 
 
 were I you, such dismal fantasies and thoughts 
 to possess me. Surely, when God has thi-own 
 around us such beauties as these, our hearts 
 should bid us rejoice, and enjoy them as they are 
 sent, and we ought not to think gloomily upon 
 the future, which may lead us insensibly into 
 discontent and repining. Let us only continue 
 this om* unreserved and sincere friendship, 
 whatever may be our position, and I feel con- 
 fident that we possess in it the elements of much 
 happiness, perhaps of mutual assistance in 
 many difficulties." 
 
 " With all my heart and soul I promise it, 
 Herbert,^^ cried Dalton, and he was followed 
 with equal enthusiasm by Balfour. " There \nl\ 
 arise many adverse parties in the regiment, I 
 foresee, but we need know none ; singly, we 
 might be obhged to belong to one or other — 
 united, we may be thought singular, but we 
 are safe, and I for one am ready to brave all 
 obloquy on this score in your society." 
 
 " Then we are agreed, Philip," said Herbert ; 
 " if it be possible we will Uve together ; it will 
 take some time perhaps to arrange this, but if 
 it can be done, are you willing?" 
 
 p 2
 
 316 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 « Perfectly." 
 
 "And you, Charles?" 
 
 " Certainly ; there is nothing I should like 
 better than to be near you both always, for I 
 feel that my wild spirits might lead me to do 
 things in company with many of the rest, who 
 are very pleasant fellows, that I should feel 
 ashamed of afterwards." 
 
 "This is then a happy termination to our 
 voyage," said Herbert; "one unlooked for at its 
 commencement, one which already is a comfort 
 to me ; for I am assured that, whether we are 
 safe in barracks or in the danger of service, in 
 action or in sickness, we shall be much to one 
 another, and that we shall have always some 
 one near us in whom we can rely in any strait." 
 
 " I confess that many of my gloomy thoughts 
 have passed away already," said Philip; "but 
 let us for the present keep our own counsel, 
 lest we be denounced as a party even before we 
 go on shore. There, your sketch will do, Her- 
 bert, it is capital ! And now put up your book, 
 for I suspect we are not far fi'om our anchor- 
 age, as the frigates are shortening sail ; at 
 any rate you should look about you."
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 317 
 
 They had sailed gradually on under the light 
 morning breeze, which was fast falling, and 
 hardly serv^edto carrj^ them to their resting-place; 
 but still they moved, and thus the enjoyment 
 they felt at the novelty of the scene around 
 them was insensibly prolonged. The fleet had 
 now all drawn together, and many greetings 
 were exchanged between friends on board dif- 
 ferent vessels, who had been unavoidably sepa- 
 rated during the voyage. The ships one by one 
 shortened sail, and as they watched with anx- 
 iety the movements of the leading frigate, 
 they heard at last the plash of her anchor as 
 it plunged from her bows; simultaneously a 
 wreath of smoke burst from her sides, and the 
 first gun of her cheering salute awoke the echoes 
 of the islands and shores of the harbour ; ere 
 it was finished her sails were furled, and she 
 lay peacefully upon the smooth water, "a thing 
 of life," seemingly enjoying rest after her long 
 and ceaseless travel. Her consort followed her 
 example — then the ships of the fleet in rotation; 
 and the fort and vessels in the harbour saluted in 
 return, — a joyful earnest of a hearty welcome. 
 
 Many a telescope was directed to the crowds
 
 318 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 of people who lined the shores, the piers, and 
 the fortifications, and many were the specula- 
 tions upon their varied appearance and cos- 
 tumes. All, at that distance, appeared bright 
 and clean and cheerful, and the inmates of 
 the vessels longed fervently to set foot upon 
 the land once more. As they anchored, each 
 ship became surrounded by boats ; and the shrill 
 cries of vendors of fruit, vegetables, fresh bread, 
 with eggs and other refreshments, resounded 
 on all sides, — a din which almost bewildered 
 them. 
 
 Their turn came to be visited by the staff- 
 officers fi'om shore ; their men were jiaraded, 
 and each company, headed by its officer, was 
 inspected. • They were shocked by the appear- 
 ance of their inspectors — sallow and pale — as 
 if disease of the worst kind possessed them ; 
 they seemed more like men who had just arisen 
 from their death-beds, than any in active per- 
 formance of very onerous and fatiguing duties. 
 
 " To this must we come, you see, Charles," 
 said Phihp Dalton, as the staff-officer, having 
 inspected his company and complimented him 
 upon its appearance, passed on to another;
 
 a 
 
 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 319 
 
 "pale faces, death-like looks, seem to be the 
 lot of all here, who attam to blue coats, cocked 
 hats and plumes. It was but just now that 
 you said you would preserve yours, in spite of 
 all climate ; you see the result of time and hot 
 weather better than I can tell you/' 
 
 " I cannot bear to think of it," said Charles ; 
 but sui'ely all cannot be so, Philip ? How- 
 ever, we shall see when we get ashore. When 
 are we to land ? " 
 
 " This evening, I believe ; they are preparing 
 our barracks for us ; till then we must admire 
 at a distance." 
 
 " More than we shall on shore, I dare say," 
 said his companion, and so indeed it proved. 
 
 The landing in the close warm evening, — the 
 march through the Fort over the dusty roads, — 
 the aspect of the narrow streets and oddly- 
 fashioned houses, — the heat, the flies, the 
 smells of various kinds, some not the most 
 fragrant, — particularly that of fish under the 
 process of drying, — the discomfort of their first 
 night on shore, passed in beds but ill adapted 
 to defy the attacks of their bitter foes the mus- 
 quitoes, completely dispelled all the romance
 
 320 TIPPOO SULTAUN. 
 
 which they had hoped would be attendant 
 on a landing in the gorgeous East, but which 
 they discovered, with no small chagrin, existed 
 only in their imaginations. All their beautiful 
 gardens and gilded palaces, their luxurious 
 couches and airy fountains, had passed away, 
 and given place to the bare and dull reality 
 of a barrack-room ; not haF so comfortable, 
 they thought, as their old quarters in England, 
 to which many of their thoughts wandered 
 painfully. 
 
 END OF VOL. I. 
 
 Printed by Richard and John E. Taylor, Red Lion Court, Fleet Street.
 
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