Chapter 18: In which Angria is astonished; and our hero begins to pay offold scores.
Time sped quickly. Desmond made the best use of his opportunities oflearning navigation under Captain King and the harbor master, and beforetwo months had expired was pronounced fit to act as mate on the finestEast Indiaman afloat. He took this with a grain of salt. The fact wasthat his adventures, the modesty with which he deprecated all allusionsto his part in the escape from Gheria, and the industry with which heworked, won him the goodwill of all; he was a general favorite with thelittle European community of Bombay.
Apart from his study, he found plenty to interest him in his sparemoments. The strange mixture of people, the temples and pagodas, thetowers of silence on which the Parsees exposed their dead, the burningpyres of the Hindus on the beach, the gaunt filthy fakirs {religiousmendicant (Mohammedan)} and jogis who whined and told fortunes in thestreets for alms, the exercising of the troops, the refitting andcareening of Admiral Watson's ships--all this provided endless matter forcuriosity and amusement.
One thing disappointed him. Not once during the two months did he come incontact with Clive. Mr. Merriman remained in Bombay, awaiting the arrivalof a vessel of his from Muscat; but Desmond was loath to ask him whetherhe had sounded Clive about a cadetship. As a matter of fact Mr. Merrimanhad mentioned the matter at once.
"Patience, Merriman," was Clive's reply. "I have my eye on theyoungster."
And with that the merchant, knowing his friend, was very well content;but he kept his own counsel.
At length, one day in the first week of February, 1756, Desmond receiveda summons to visit the admiral. His interview was brief. He was directedto place himself under the orders of Captain Latham on the Tyger; thefleet was about to sail.
It was a bright, cool February morning; cool, that is, for Bombay, whenthe vessels weighed anchor and sailed slowly out of the harbor. AllBombay lined the shores: natives of every hue and every mode of attire;English merchants; ladies fluttering white handkerchiefs. Such anexpedition had never been undertaken against the noted Pirate before, andthe report of Commodore James, confirming the information brought byDesmond, had given the authorities good hope that this pest of theMalabar coast was at last to be destroyed.
It was an inspiriting sight as the vessels, rounding the point, madeunder full sail to the south. There were six line-of-battle ships, sixCompany's vessels, five bomb ketches, four Maratha grabs--one of themAngria's own grab, the Tremukji, on which Desmond had escaped--and fortygallivats. The Tyger led the van. Admiral Watson's flag was hoisted onthe Kent, Admiral Pocock's on the Cumberland. On board the fleet were twohundred European soldiers, three hundred Sepoys, and three hundredTopasses--mainly half-caste Portuguese in the service of the Company,owing their name to the topi {hat} they wore. To cooperate with thisforce a land army of twelve thousand Marathas, horse and foot, under thecommand of Ramaji Punt, one of the Peshwa's generals, had been for sometime investing the town of Gheria.
At this time of year the winds were so slight and variable that it wasnearly a week before the fleet arrived off Gheria. When the bastions ofthe fort hove into sight Desmond could not help contrasting his feelingswith those of two months before.
"Like the look of your cage, Mr. Burke?" asked Captain Latham at hiselbow.
"I was just thinking of it, sir," said Desmond. "It makes a very greatdifference when you're outside the bars."
"And we'll break those bars before we're much older, or I'm a Dutchman."
But at this moment the signal to heave-to was seen flying at the mastheadof the Kent. Before the vessels had anchored one of the grabs left themain fleet and ran into the harbor. It bore a message from Admiral Watsonto Tulaji Angria, summoning him to surrender. The answer returned wasthat if the admiral desired to be master of the fort he must take it byforce, as Angria was resolved to defend it to the last extremity.
The ships remained at anchor outside the harbor during the night. Nextmorning a boat put off from the town end of the fort conveying several ofAngria's relatives and some officers of Ramaji Punt's army. It by and bybecame known that Tulaji Angria, leaving his brother in charge of thefort, had given himself up to Ramaji Punt, and was now a prisoner in hiscamp. The visitors had come ostensibly to view the squadron, but reallyto discover what were Admiral Watson's intentions in regard to thedisposal of the fort, supposing it fell into his hands. The admiral sawthrough the device, which was no doubt to hand the fort over to thePeshwa's general, and so balk the British of their legitimate prize.
Admiral Watson made short work of the visitors. He told them that ifAngria would surrender his fort peaceably he and his family would beprotected; but that the fort he must have. They pleaded for a few days'grace, but the admiral declined to wait a single day. If the fort was notimmediately given up he would sail in and attack it.
It was evident that hostilities could not be avoided. About one in theafternoon Captain Henry Smith of the Kingfisher sloop was ordered to leadthe way, and Desmond was sent to join him.
"What is the depth under the walls, Mr. Burke?" the captain asked him.
"Three and a half fathoms, sir--deep enough to float the biggest of us."
The sloop weighed anchor, and stood in before the afternoon breeze. Itwas an imposing sight as the fleet formed in two divisions and cameslowly in their wake. Each ship covered a bomb ketch, protecting thesmaller vessels from the enemy's fire. Desmond himself was kept verybusy, going from ship to ship as ordered by signals from the Kent, andassisting each captain in turn to navigate the unfamiliar harbor.
It was just two o'clock when the engagement began with a shot from thefort at the Kingfisher. The shot was returned, and a quarter of an hourlater, while the fleet was under full sail, the Kent flew the signal fora general action. One by one the vessels anchored at various pointsopposite the fortifications, and soon a hundred and fifty guns wereblazing away at the massive bastions and curtains, answered vigorously byAngria's two hundred and fifty.
Desmond was all excitement. The deafening roar of the guns, the hugecolumns of smoke that floated heavily over the fort, and sometimesenveloped the vessels, the bray of trumpets, the beating of tom toms, theshouts of men, set his blood tingling: and though he afterwards witnessedother stirring scenes, he never forgot the vivid impression of the fightat Gheria.
About three o'clock a shell set fire to one of the Pirate's grabs--onethat had formerly been taken by him from the Company. Leaving itsmoorings, it drifted among the main pirate fleet of grabs which still laylashed together where Desmond had last seen them by the blaze of theburning gallivats. They were soon alight. The fire spread rapidly to thedockyard, caught the unfinished grabs on the stocks, and before long thewhole of Angria's shipping was a mass of flame.
Meanwhile the bombardment had made little impression on thefortifications, and it appeared to the admiral that time was beingwasted. Accordingly he gave orders to elevate the guns and fire over thewalls into the interior of the fort. A shell from one of the bomb ketchesfell plump into one of the outhouses of the palace and set it on fire.Fanned by the west wind, the flames spread to the arsenal and thestorehouse, licking up the sheds and smaller buildings until they reachedthe outskirts of the city. The crackling of flames was now mingled withthe din of artillery, and as dusk drew on, the sky was lit up over alarge space with the red glow of burning. By half-past six the guns onthe bastions had been silenced, and the admiral gave the signal to ceasefire.
Some time before this a message reached Captain Smith ordering him tosend Desmond at once on board the Kent. When he stepped on deck he foundAdmiral Watson in consultation with Clive. It appeared that during theafternoon a cloud of horsemen had been observed hovering on a hilleastward of the city, and being by no means sure of the loyalty of theMaratha allies, Clive had come to the conclusion that it was time to landhis troops. But it was important that the shore and the neck of land eastof the fort should be reconnoitered before the landing was attempted. Thegrov
es might, for all he knew, be occupied by the Pirate's troops or bythose of Ramaji Punt, and Clive had had enough experience of nativetreachery to be well on his guard.
"I am going to send you on a somewhat delicate mission, Mr. Burke," hesaid. "You know the ground. I want you to go quickly on shore and seefirst of all whether there is safe landing for us, and then whether theground between the town and the fort is occupied. Be quick and secret; Ineed waste no words. Mr. Watson has a boat's crew ready."
"I think, sir," said Desmond, "that it will hardly be necessary, perhapsnot advisable, to take a boat's crew from this ship. If I might have acouple of natives, there would be a good deal less risk in gettingashore."
"Certainly. But there is no time to spare; indeed, if you are not back ina couple of hours I shall land at once. But I should like to know what wehave to expect. You had better get a couple of men from the nearestgrab."
"The Tremukji is only a few cable lengths away, sir, and there's a man onboard who knows the harbor. I will take him, with your permission."
"Very well. Good luck go with you."
Desmond saluted, and stepping into the boat which had rowed him to theKent, he was quickly conveyed to the grab. In a few minutes he left thisin a skiff accompanied only by Fuzl Khan and a lascar. Not till then didhe explain what he required of them. The Gujarati seemed overcome by theselection of himself for this mission.
"You are kind to me, sahib," he said. "I do not deserve it; but I willserve you to my life's end."
There was in the man's tone a fervency which touched Desmond at the time,and which he had good cause afterwards to remember.
A quarter of an hour after Desmond quitted the deck of the Kent, he wasput ashore at a sandy bay at the farther extremity of the isthmus, hiddenfrom the fort by a small clump of mango trees.
"Now, Fuzl Khan," he said, "you will wait here for a few minutes till itis quite dark, then you will row quickly along the shore till you come towithin a short distance of the jetty. I am going across the sand uptoward the fort, and will come round to you."
He stepped over the soft sand towards the trees and was lost to sight.The bombardment had now ceased, and though he heard a confused noise fromthe direction of the fort, there was no sound from the town, and heconcluded that the people had fled either into the fort or away into thecountry. It appeared at present that the whole stretch of land betweenthe town and the fort was deserted.
He had not walked far when he was startled by hearing, as he fancied, astealthy footstep following him. Gripping in his right hand the pistol hehad brought as a precaution, and with the left loosening his sword in itsscabbard, he faced round with his back to the wall of a shed in whichAngria's ropes were made, and waited, listening intently. But the sound,slight as it was, had ceased. Possibly it had been made by some animal,though that seemed scarcely likely: the noise and the glare from theburning buildings must surely have scared away all the animals in theneighborhood. Finding that the sound was not repeated, he went on again.Some minutes later, his ears on the stretch, he fancied he caught thesame soft furtive tread: but when he stopped and listened and heardnothing, he believed that he must have been mistaken, and set it down asan echo of his own excitement.
Stepping warily, he picked his way through the darkness, faintlyilluminated by the distant glow of the conflagration. He skirted thedockyard, and drew nearer to the walls of the courtyard surrounding thefort, remembering how, nearly twelve months before, he had come almostthe same way from the jetty with the decoy message from Captain Barker.Then he had been a source of amusement to crowds of natives as he passedon his way to the palace; now the spot was deserted, and but for thenoises that reached him from distant quarters he might have thoughthimself the sole living creature in that once populous settlement.
He had now reached the outer wall, which was separated from the fort onlyby the wide compound dotted here and there with palm trees. It was clearthat no force, whether of the Pirate's men or of Ramaji Punt's, held theground between the shore and the fort. All the fighting men had withoutdoubt been withdrawn within the walls. His mission was accomplished.
It had been his intention to make his way back by a shorter cut along theouter wall, by the west side of the dockyard, until he reached the shorenear the jetty. But standing for a moment under the shade of a palm tree,he hesitated to carry out his plan, for the path he meant to follow mustbe lit up along its whole course by a double glare: from the blazingbuildings inside the fort, and from the burning gallivats in the dockyardand harbor.
He was on the point of retracing his steps when, looking over the lowwall towards the fort, he saw two dark figures approaching, movingswiftly from tree to tree, as if wishing to escape observation. It wastoo late to move now; if he left the shelter of the palm tree he wouldcome distinctly into view of the two men, and it would be unwise to riskanything that would delay his return to Clive. Accordingly he kept wellin the shadow and waited. The stealthy movements of the men suggestedthat they were fugitives, eager to get away with whole skins before thefort was stormed.
They came to the last of the palm trees within the wall, and paused therefor a brief space. A few yards of open ground separated them from thegate. Desmond watched curiously, then with some anxiety, for it suddenlystruck him that the men were making for him, and that he had actuallybeen shadowed from his landing place by someone acting, strange as itseemed, in collusion with them. On all accounts it was necessary to keepclose.
Suddenly he saw the men leave the shelter of their tree and run rapidlyacross the ground to the gate. Having reached it, they turned aside intothe shadow of the wall and stood as if to recover breath. Desmond hadkept his eyes upon them all the time. Previously, in the shade of thetrees, their faces had not been clearly distinguishable; but while nowinvisible from the fort, they were lit up by the glow from the harbor. Itwas with a shock of surprise that he recognized in the fugitives theoverseer of the dockyard, whose cruelties he had so good reason toremember, and Marmaduke Diggle, as he still must call him.
The sight of the latter set his nerves tingling; his fingers itched totake some toll for the miseries he had endured through Diggle's villainy.But he checked his impulse to rush forward and confront the man.Single-handed he could not cope with both the fugitives; and though, ifhe had been free, he might have cast all prudence from him in his longingto bring the man to book, he recollected his duty to Clive and remainedin silent rage beneath the tree.
All at once he heard a rustle behind him, a low growl like that of ananimal enraged; and almost before he was aware of what was happening adark figure sprang past him, leaped over the ground with the rapidity ofa panther, and threw himself upon the overseer just as with Diggle he wasbeginning to move towards the town. There was a cry from each man, andthe red light falling upon the face of the assailant, Desmond saw withamazement that it was the Gujarati, whom he had supposed to be rowingalong the shore to meet him.
He had hardly recognized the man before he saw that he was at deadlygrips with the overseer, both snarling like wild beasts. There was notime for thought, for Diggle, momentarily taken aback by the suddenonslaught, had recovered himself and was making with drawn sword towardthe two combatants, who in their struggle had moved away from him.
Desmond no longer stayed to weigh possibilities or count risks. It wasclear that Fuzl Khan's first onslaught had failed; had he got home, theoverseer, powerful as he was, must have been killed on the spot. In thedarkness the Gujarati's knife had probably missed its aim. He had now twoenemies to deal with, and but for intervention he must soon be overcomeand slain.
Drawing his sword, Desmond sprang from the tree and dashed across theopen, reaching the scene of the struggle just in the nick of time tostrike up Diggle's weapon ere it sheathed itself in the Gujarati's side.Diggle turned with a startled oath, and seeing who his assailant was, heleft his companion to take care of himself, and faced Desmond, a smile ofanticipated triumph wreathing his lips.
No word was spoken. Diggle
lunged, and Desmond at that moment knew thathe was at a perilous crisis of his life. The movements of the practisedswordsman could not be mistaken; he himself had little experience; allthat he could rely on was his quick eye and the toughness of his muscles.He gave back, parrying the lunge, tempted to use his pistol upon hisadversary. But now that the cannonading had ceased the shot might beheard by some of the Pirate's men, and before he could escape he might bebeset by a crowd of ruffians against whom he would have no chance at all.He could but defend himself with his sword and hope that Diggle mightoverreach himself in his fury and give him an opportunity to get home ablow.
Steel struck upon steel; the sparks flew; and the evil smile uponDiggle's face became fixed as he saw that Desmond was no match for him inswordsmanship. But it changed when he found that though his youngopponent's science was at fault, his strength and dexterity, his warinessin avoiding a close attack, served him in good stead. Impatient to finishthe fight, he took a step forward, and lunged so rapidly that Desmondcould hardly have escaped his blade but for an accident. There was achoking sob to his right, and just as Diggle's sword was flashing towardshim a heavy form fell against the blade and upon Desmond. In the courseof their deadly struggle the Gujarati and the overseer had shifted theirground, and at this moment, fortunately for Desmond, Fuzl Khan had drivenhis knife into his old oppressor's heart.
But the same accident that saved Desmond's life gave Diggle anopportunity of which he was quick to avail himself. Before Desmond couldrecover his footing, Diggle shortened his arm and was about to drive hissword through the lad's heart. The Gujarati saw the movement. Springingin with uplifted knife, he attempted to turn the blade. He succeeded; hestruck it upwards; but the force with which he had thrown himself betweenthe two swordsmen was his undoing. Unable to check his rush, he receivedthe point of Diggle's sword in his throat. With a terrible cry he raisedhis hands to clutch his assailant; but his strength failed him; heswayed, tottered, and fell gasping at Desmond's feet, beside the lifelessoverseer.
Desmond saw that the turn of fortune had given the opportunity to him. Hesprang forward as Diggle tried to recover his sword; Diggle gave way: andbefore he could lift his dripping weapon to parry the stroke, Desmond'sblade was through his forearm. Panting with rage, he sought with his lefthand to draw his pistol; but Desmond was beforehand with him. He caughthis arm, wrenched the pistol from him, and, breathless with hisexertions, said:
"You are my prisoner."
"'Tis fate, my young friend," said Diggle, with all his old blandness;Desmond never ceased to be amazed at the self command of thisextraordinary man. "I have let some blood, I perceive; my sword arm isfor the time disabled; but my great regret at this moment--you willunderstand the feeling--is that this gallant friend of yours lies lowwith the wound intended for another. So Antores received in his flank thelance hurled at Lausus: infelix alieno volnere."
"I dare say, Mr. Diggle," interrupted Desmond, "but I have no time toconstrue Latin."
Covering Diggle with his pistol, Desmond stooped over Fuzl Khan'sprostrate body and discovered in a moment that the poor fellow's hearthad ceased to beat. He rose, and added: "I must trouble you to come withme; and quickly, for you perceive you are at my mercy."
"Where do you propose to take me, my friend?"
"We will go this way, and please step out."
Diggle scowled, and stood as though meditating resistance.
"Come, come, Mr. Diggle, you have no choice. I do not wish to have todrag you; it might cause you pain."
"Surely you will spare a moment to an old friend! I fear you are entirelymistaken. 'Tis pity that with the natural ebullition of your youthfulspirit you should have set upon a man whom--"
"You can talk as we go, Mr. Diggle, if you talk low enough. Must I repeatit?"
"But where are we going? Really, Mr. Burke, respect for my years shouldprompt a more considerate treatment."
"You see yonder point?" said Desmond impatiently; "yonder on the shore.You will come with me there."
Diggle looked around as if hoping that even now something might happen inhis favor. But no one was in sight; Desmond stood over him with swordstill drawn; and recognizing his helplessness the man at length turnedtowards the shore and began to walk slowly along, Desmond a foot or so inthe rear.
"'Twas a most strange chance, surely," he said, "that brought you to thisspot at the very moment when I was shaking the dust of Gheria from myfeet. How impossible it is to escape the penalty of one's wrongdoing! OldHorace knew it: Raro antecedentem scelestum--you remember the rest. Mr.Burslem drubbed our Latin into us, Mr. Burke. I am a fellow townsman ofyours, though you did not know it: aye, a boy in your old school,switched by your old master. I have treated you badly. I admit it; butwhat could I do? Your brother slandered you; I see now how he deceivedme; he wished you out of his way. Here I acted under pressure of Angria;he was bent on sending you to Bombay; I could not defy him. I was wrong;what you said when I saw you last made a deep impression on me; Irepented, and, as Tully, I think, put it, 'a change of plan is the bestharbor to a penitent man.' I was indeed seeking that refuge of therepentant, and altering my whole plan of life; and if you will but tarrya moment--"
"Keep on, Mr. Diggle," said Desmond, as the man, who had been talkingover his shoulder, half stopped; "my point is sharp."
"I was leaving the fort, as you saw. Not from any fear; you will acquitme of that, and as you know, the fort is impregnable, and I might haveremained there in perfect safety. No, I was quitting it because I waswearied, disgusted with Angria and his ways. 'Twas under amisapprehension I for a time consorted with him; I am disabused, and itis by the mere malignity of Fate that at this turning point of my careerI encounter one whom, I acknowledge, I have wronged. I am beaten; I donot blink that; and by a better man. But youth is generous; and you, Mr.Burke, are not the man to press your advantage against one who all hislife has been the sport of evil circumstance. I was bound for fartherIndia; I know a little port to the south where I should have taken ship,with strong hope of getting useful and honorable employment when myvoyage was ended. Perchance you have heard of Alivirdi Khan; if you wouldbut pause a moment--"
"Go on, Mr. Diggle," said Desmond inexorably; "and it will be well tomend your pace."
"Alivirdi Khan," resumed Diggle, speaking more rapidly; the waters of theharbor, glowing red, were in sight: "Alivirdi Khan is sick unto death. Heis wealthy beyond all imaginings. His likeliest heir, Sirajuddaula, soonto be Subah {viceroy} of Bengal, is well known to me, and indeed beholdento me for services rendered in the past. Mr. Burke, I make you aproposition--it is worth considering. Why not come with me? Wipe off oldscores, throw in your lot with mine. Together, what could we not do--Iwith my experience, you with your youthful vigor! See, here is an earnestof my sincerity."
He took from his fob a large diamond which flashed in the red light ofthe conflagration.
"Accept this; in the treasuries of Alivirdi there are thousands like it,each worth a king's ransom. Come with me, and I promise you that withintwo years you shall be rich beyond your wildest dreams."
"Put up your diamond, Mr. Peloti. You may repeat your offer when we reachColonel Clive."
Diggle stopped as if shot. He looked with startled eyes at the boy, whohad known him only as Diggle.
"You are going to Colonel Clive!" he exclaimed. The smoothness of hismanner was gone; his tone expressed mortal anxiety. "But--but--he is apersonal enemy; he will--I beseech you think again; I--"
He broke off, and with a suddenness that took Desmond by surprise hesprang away, making towards the grove of mangoes that stood between himand the shore. Desmond was instantly in pursuit. If Diggle gained theshelter of the trees he might escape in the darkness. But the race wasshort. Weak from fear and loss of blood, the elder was no match in speedfor the younger. In less than a hundred yards he was overtaken, and stoodpanting, quivering, unnerved. Desmond gripped his uninjured arm, and withquickened footsteps hurried him towards the sho
re. There was the boat,the lascar resting motionless on his oar. Ten minutes later Diggle wasassisted up the side of the Kent, and handed over to the officer of thewatch. Then Desmond made his report to Clive.
"All the enemy are withdrawn within the fort, sir. The whole groundbetween the fort and the shore is clear. There is nothing to obstructyour landing."
"I thank you. You have exceeded your time by ten minutes. Who is that manwho came aboard with you?"
"It was he who delayed me, sir. It is Mr. Diggle, or Peloti, I shouldsay."
"The deuce he is!"
"He was stealing out of the fort; it came to a scuffle, and he waswounded--so I brought him along."
"Mr. Speke," said Clive, turning to the captain, "may I ask you to seethis man safe bestowed? I will deal with him when our business here isconcluded.
"Mr. Burke, you will come with me."
By nine o'clock Clive had landed his troops. They bivouacked on theshore, in expectation of storming the fort next day. At daybreak anofficer was sent into the fort with a flag of truce to demand itssurrender. This being refused, the admiral ordered his ships to warpwithin a cable's length of the walls in three fathoms and a quarterwater, and the attack was renewed by sea and land, Clive graduallyadvancing and worrying the enemy with his cannon. At two o'clock amagazine in the fort blew up, and not long after, just as Clive was aboutto give the order to storm, a white flag was seen fluttering at one ofthe bastions.
A messenger was sent to the governor to arrange the capitulation, butwhen he was met by prevarication and pleas for delay the bombardment wasonce more resumed. A few minutes of this sufficed to bring the defendersto reason, and by five o'clock the English flag flew upon the walls.
Clive postponed his entry until dawn on the following morning.
"By Jove, Mr. Burke," he said to Desmond, who showed him the way to thepalace, "if we had been within these walls I think we could have held outtill doomsday."
All the English officers were impressed by the strength of thefortifications. Besides Angria's two hundred and fifty cannon, an immensequantity of stores and ammunition fell into the hands of the captors. Inthe vaults of the palace were found silver rupees to the value of onehundred thousand pounds, and treasure worth thirty thousand pounds more.The capture had been effected with the loss of only twenty killed andwounded.
Desmond took the earliest opportunity of seeking the body of Fuzl Khan.Fortunately the fires and the noises of the night had preserved it frommangling by wild beasts. The poor man lay where he had fallen, near thebody of the overseer.
"Poor fellow!" thought Desmond, looking at the strong, fierce face andthe gigantic frame now stiff and cold. "Little he knew, when he said he'dserve me to his life's end, that the end was so near."
He had the body carried into the town, and reverently buried according toMohammedan rites. From the lascar he had learned all that he ever knew ofthe motives of the Gujarati's action. Desmond had hardly left the boatwhen the man sprang quickly after him, saying briefly:
"I go to guard the sahib."
It was like the instinctive impulse of a faithful dog; and Desmond oftenregretted the loss of the man who had shown himself so capable ofdevotion.
That evening Clive summoned Desmond to attend him in the palace. When heentered the durbar hall he saw, seated on the dais, a small groupconsisting of Clive, Admiral Watson, and two or three subordinateofficers. Standing in front of them was Diggle, in the charge of twomarines.
"How many European prisoners have been released, Mr. Ward?" the admiralwas saying.
"Thirteen, sir; ten English and three Dutch."
"Is that correct, Mr. Burke? Was that the number when you were here?"
"Yes, sir, that is correct."
"Then you may go, Mr. Ward, and see that the poor fellows are taken onboard the Tyger and well looked after."
As the officer saluted and withdrew the admiral turned to Clive.
"Now for this white pirate," he said: "a most unpleasant matter, truly."
Signing to the marines to bring forward their prisoner, he threw himselfback upon the divan, leaving the matter in Clive's hands. Clive wasgazing hard at Diggle, who had lost the look of terror he had worn twonights before, and stood before them in his usual attitude of carelessease.
"You captured this man," said Clive, turning to Desmond, "within theprecincts of the fort?"
His hard level tone contrasted strongly with the urbaner manner of theadmiral.
"Yes, sir," replied Desmond.
"He is the same man who inveigled you on board the interloper Good Intentand delivered you to the Pirate?"
"And he was to your knowledge associated with the Pirate, and offered youinducements to spy upon his Majesty's forces in Bombay?"
"Yes, sir."
"Have you anything to say for yourself, Mr. Peloti?"
"Pardon me, Mr. Clive; Diggle--Marmaduke Diggle."
"Diggle, if you like," said Clive with a shrug. "You will hang as well inthat name as another."
One of the officers smiled at the grim jest, but there was no smile onClive's stern set face.
"You asked me if I had anything to say for myself," said Diggle quietly."Assuredly; but it seems your Honors have condemned me already. Whyshould I waste your time, and my breath? I bethink me 'twas not even inRome the custom to judge a matter before learning the facts--prius remdijudicare--but it is a long time, Mr. Clive, since we conned ourTerence together."
Desmond could not but admire the superb insouciance and the easy smilewith which Diggle played his card. Seeing that Clive for an instanthesitated, the intrepid prisoner continued:
"But there, Mr. Clive, you never excelled in the Latin. 'Twas a sorepoint with poor Mr. Burslem."
"Come, come," cried Clive, visibly nettled, "this is no time for quips.You fail to appreciate your position. You are caught red handed. If youhave no defense to make you will meet the fate of other pirates beforeyou. Have you anything to say?"
"Yes. You accuse me of piracy; I have a complete answer to that charge;but as an Englishman I claim an Englishman's right--a fair trial before ajury of my countrymen. In any case, Mr. Clive, it would be invidious togive me worse treatment than Monaji Angria and his officers. As for therest, it depends on the evidence of this single witness."
Here Admiral Watson bent forward and said to Clive in an undertone,inaudible to the others:
"I think we had better defer this. If, as you suppose, the fellow hasknowledge of the French plans, it would be only politic to give Mr.Bourchier an opportunity of inquiring into the matter. No doubt he richlydeserves hanging, but dead men tell no tales."
Clive frowned, and, drumming upon the divan impatiently with his fingers,seemed for the moment to be lost in thought. Then he said:
"Yes, Mr. Watson, I think you are right."
"Take the prisoner back to your ship," said the admiral, "and put himunder double guard.
"Thank you, Mr. Burke; we shall require your evidence in Bombay. One wordbefore you go. I am vastly indebted to you for your services; you havebeen of the greatest use to myself and my captains. Your name willfrequently appear in our ships' logs, and I shall take care to show yourwork in the proper light when I make my report. Meanwhile, when thedivision of prize money is made, you will receive a lieutenant's share.Good night, sir."
And Desmond's face, as he left the room, bore a flush of happiness andpride.