Chapter 20: In which there are recognitions and explanations; and our heromeets one Coja Solomon, of Cossimbazar.
At sunrise next morning Desmond found his party awaiting him at theCauseway beyond the Maratha ditch. The natives salaamed when he came upin company with Mr. Merriman, and Bulger pulled his forelock.
"Mornin', sir; mornin'; I may be wrong, but 'tis my belief we're goin' tohave a bilin' hot day, and I've come accordin'."
He was clad in nothing but shirt and breeches, with his coat strapped tohis back, and a hat apparently improvised out of cabbage leaves. Thenatives were all in white, with their employer's pink ribbons. Some werearmed with matchlocks and pikes; others carried light cooking utensils;others, groceries for the Englishmen's use; for their own food theydepended on the villages through which they would pass.
"Well, I wish you a good journey," said Mr. Merriman, who appeared to bein better spirits than for many a day. "I'm glad to tell you, Burke, thatI got a letter from Mr. Watts this morning, saying that my wife anddaughter are on their way down the river with Mrs. Watts and herchildren. They've got Mr. Warren Hastings to escort them: trust 'em tofind a handsome man! The road follows the river, and if you look out Idare say you will see them. You'll recognize our livery. Introduceyourself if you meet 'em. You have your letter from Mr. Watts? That's allright. Goodby, and good luck to you."
The party set off. The old road by which they were to travel ran at ashort distance from the left bank of the Hugli, passing through anundulating country, interspersed with patches of low wood and scatteredtrees. The scenery was full of charm for Desmond: the rich vegetation;antelopes darting among the trees; flamingoes and pelicans standingmotionless at the edge of the slow-gliding river; white-clad figurescoming down the broad steps of the riverside ghats to bathe; occasionallythe dusky corpse of some devotee consigned by his relations to the bosomof the holy river.
The first halt was called at Barrackpur, where, amid a luxuriant grove ofpalms and bamboos, stood some beautiful pagodas, built of the unburntbrick of the country, and faced with a fine stucco that gleamed in thesunlight like polished marble. Here, under the shade of the palms,Desmond lay through the hot afternoon, watching the boats of all shapesand sizes that floated lazily down the broad-bosomed stream. In theevening the march was resumed; the party crossed the river by a ford atPulta Ghat, and following the road on the other bank came at sundown tothe outskirts of the French settlement at Chandernagore. There theycamped for the night. Desmond was for some time tormented by the dolefulyells of packs of jackals roaming abroad in search of food. Their criesso much resembled those of human beings in dire agony that he shivered onhis mattress; but falling asleep at length, he slept soundly and wokewith the dawn.
He started again soon after sunrise. Just beyond Chandernagore Bulgerpointed out the stripped spars of the Good Intent, lying far up a narrowcreek.
"Wouldn't I just like to cut her out?" said Bulger. "But 'spose we can'tstop for that, sir?"
"Certainly not. And you'd have the French about our ears."
Passing the Dutch settlement at Chinsura, he came into a country of ricefields, now bare, broken by numerous nullahs worn by the torrents in therainy season, but now nearly dry. Here and there the party had to ford ajhil--an extensive shallow lake formed by the rains. Desmond tried a shotor two at the flights of teal that floated on these ponds; but they wereso wild that he could never approach within range. Towards evening, afterpassing the little village of Amboa, they came to a grove of peepulsfilled with green parrots and monkeys screaming and jabbering as thoughengaged in a competition. A few miles farther on they arrived at thelarger village of Khulna, where they tied up for the night.
Next morning Desmond was wakened by Surendra Nath.
"Sahib," he said, "the bibi and the chota bibi are here."
"Mrs. Merriman?"
"Yes. They arrived last night by boat, and are pursuing their journeytoday."
"I should like to see them before they go. But I'm afraid I am hardlypresentable."
"Believe me, sahib, you will not offend the bibi's punctilio."
"Well, send one of the peons to say that I shall have the pleasure ofwaiting on Mrs. Merriman in half an hour, if she will permit me."
Having shaved and bathed, and donned a change of clothes, Desmond set offaccompanied by Surendra Nath to visit the ladies. He found them on a longshallow boat, in a cabin constructed of laths and mats filling one end ofthe light craft. The Babu made the introduction, then effaced himself.
A lady, whose voice seemed to waken an echo in Desmond's memory, said:
"How do you do, Mr. Burke? I have heard of you in my husband's letters.Is the dear man well?"
"He is in good health, ma'am, but somewhat anxious to have you backagain."
"Dear man! What is he anxious about? Mr. Watts seemed anxious also to getrid of us. He was vexed that Mrs. Watts is too much indisposed toaccompany us. And Mr. Warren Hastings, who was to escort us, was quiteangry because he had to go to one of the out-factories instead. I do notunderstand why these gentlemen are so much disturbed."
Desmond saw that Mrs. Merriman had been deliberately kept in ignorance ofthe grounds of the Englishmen's anxiety, and was seeking on the spur ofthe moment for a means to divert her from the subject, when he was sparedthe necessity. Miss Merriman had been looking at him curiously, and shenow turned to her mother and said something in a tone inaudible toDesmond.
"La! you don't say so, my dear," exclaimed the lady.
"Why. Mr. Burke, my daughter tells me that we have met you before."
His vague recollection of Mrs. Merriman's voice being thus so suddenlyconfirmed, he recalled, as from a far distant past, a scene upon HounslowHeath; a coach that stood perilously near the ditch, a girl at thehorses' heads, a lady stamping her foot at two servants wrestling indrunken stupidity on the ground.
"You never gave us an opportunity of thanking you," continued Mrs.Merriman. "'Twas not kind of you, Mr. Burke, to slip away thus without aword after doing two poor lone women such a service."
"Indeed, ma'am, 'twas with no discourteous intention, but seeing you weresafe with your friends I--I--in short, ma'am--"
Desmond stopped in confusion, at a loss for a satisfactory explanation.The ladies were smiling.
"You thought to flee our acknowledgments," said Mrs. Merriman. "La, la, Iknow; I have a young brother of my own. But you shall not escape themnow, and what is more, I shall see that Merriman, poor man, adds his, forI am sure he has forgiven you your exploit."
The younger lady laughed outright, while Desmond looked from one to theother. What did they mean?
"Indeed, ma'am," he said, "I had no idea--"
"That there was need for forgiveness?" said the lady, taking him up. "Butindeed there was-eh, Phyllis?
"Mr. Burke," she added, with a sudden solemnity, "a few minutes after youleft us at Soho Square Merriman rode up, and I assure you I nearlyswooned, poor man! and hardly had strength to send for the surgeon. Itneeded three stitches--and he such a handsome man, too."
A horrid suspicion flashed through Desmond's mind. He remembered the scaron Mr. Merriman's brow, and that it was a scarcely healed wound when hemet him with Clive on that unfortunate occasion in Billiter Street.
"Surely, ma'am, you don't mean--the highwayman?"
"Indeed I do. That is just it. Your highwayman was--Mr. Merriman. Fancythe hurt to his feelings, to say nothing of his good looks. Fie, fie, Mr.Burke!"
For a moment Desmond did not know whether embarrassment or amazement wasuppermost with him. It was bad enough to have tripped Mr. Merriman up inthe muddy street; but to have also dealt him a blow of which he wouldretain the mark to his dying day--"This is terrible!" he thought. Stillthere was an element of absurdity in the adventure that appealed to hissense of the ridiculous. But he felt the propriety of being apologetic,and was about to express his regret for his mistake when Mrs. Merrimaninterrupted him with a smile:
"But there, Mr. Burke, he bea
rs you no grudge, I am sure. He is theessence of good temper. It was a mistake; he saw that when I explained;and when he had vented his spleen on the coachman next day he owned thatit was a plucky deed in you to take charge of us, and indeed he said thatyou was a mighty good whip; although," she added laughing, "you was atrifle heavy in hand."
Desmond felt bound to make a full confession. He related the incident ofhis encounter with Merriman in London--how he had toppled him over in themud--wondering how the ladies would take it. He was relieved when theyreceived his story with a peal of laughter.
"Oh, mamma; and it was his new frock!" said Phyllis.
"La, so it was, just fresh from Mr. Small's in Wigmore Street--fortyguineas and no less!"
"Well, ma'am, I'm already forgiven for that; I trust that with your goodfavor my earlier indiscretion will be forgiven."
"Indeed it shall be, Mr. Burke, I promise you. Now tell me: what bringsyou here?"
Desmond explained his errand in a few words. The ladies wished him aprosperous journey, and said they would hope to see him in a few days onhis return. He left them, feeling that he had gained friends, and with anew motive, of which he was only vaguely conscious, to a speedyaccomplishment of his business.
On the evening of the sixth day after leaving Calcutta there came intosight a church of considerable size, which Surendra Nath explained wasthe temple of the Armenian colony of Cossimbazar. Passing this, andleaving a maze of native dwellings and the French factory on the left,the travelers reached the Dutch factory, and beyond this the Englishsettlement and fort.
Leaving the Babu to arrange quarters for the peons in the native part ofthe town, Desmond hastened on past the stables and the hospital to thefactory. It was a rough oblong in shape, defended at each corner by abastion mounted with ten guns, the bastions being connected by massivecurtains. In the south curtain, windowed for the greater part of itslength, was the gateway. Desmond was admitted by a native servant, and ina few minutes found himself in the presence of the chief, Mr. WilliamWatts.
Mr. Watts was a tall man of near forty years--of striking presence, withfirm chin, pleasant mouth, and eyes of peculiar depth and brilliance. Hewas clad in a long purple-laced coat, with ruffles at the wrists and ahigh stock, and wore the short curled wig of the period. He welcomedDesmond with great cordiality, and, glancing over Mr. Merriman's letter,said:
"My friend Mr. Merriman needlessly disturbs himself, I think. I apprehendno immediate difficulty with the new Subah, although 'tis true there havebeen little vexations. As to the goods, they are in Coja Solomon'sgodown; they were delivered some time ago and paid for; what the reasonof the delay is I cannot tell. One thing I may mention--it appears thatMr. Merriman is ignorant of it: Coja Solomon has lately become the agentof Omichand, whose peons have been seen to visit him, then passing on toMurshidabad. I happen to know also that he has communicated with CojaWajid: do you know anything of him?"
"No, sir; I have never heard his name."
"He's a rich Armenian trader in Hugli, and acts as agent between theNawab and the French and Dutch. We suspect him of encouragingSirajuddaula against us; but of course we can't prove anything. My adviceto you is, be wary and be quick; don't trust any of these fellows furtherthan you can see them. But you can't do anything tonight. You will allowme to give you a bed: in the morning you can make a call on Coja Solomon.What has become of your peons?"
"A Babu I brought with me is looking after them. But I have an Englishseaman also: can you tell me what to do with him?"
"Sure he can lodge with Sergeant Bowler close by--near the southeastbastion. The sergeant will be glad of the company of a fellow countryman;your man will be a change after the Dutchmen and topasses he has to dowith."
Early next morning Desmond, accompanied by Surendra Nath, went to findCoja Solomon. He lived in a house not far from the Armenian church,between it and the river. The Armenian was at home. He received Desmondwith great politeness, assuring him with much volubility that he had butone interest in life, and that was the business of his honorableemployer, Mr. Merriman. He invited Desmond to accompany him to the godownnear the river where the goods were stored--muslins of Dacca, both plainand flowered, Bengal raw silk, and taffeties manufactured in Cossimbazar.
"You have not been long in the country, sir," said Coja Solomon, with ashrewd look at Desmond, "and therefore you will find it hard to believe,perhaps, that these goods, so insignificant in bulk, are worth over twolakhs of rupees. A precious load indeed, sir. This delay is naturally acause of vexation to my distinguished superior, but it is not due to anyidleness or inattention on my part. It is caused by the surprisingdifficulty of getting the dastaks countersigned by the Faujdar {officerin command of troops, and also a magistrate}--Without his signature, asyou know, the goods can not be removed. I dare not venture."
"But why didn't the Faujdar sign the papers?"
"That I cannot tell. I send messengers to him: they come back: theFaujdar is much occupied with the Nawab's business, but he will attend tothis little matter as soon as he has leisure. He calls it a littlematter; and so it is, perhaps, if we remember that the Nawab's wealth isreckoned by millions; but it is not a little matter to Mr. Merriman, andI deeply deplore the unfortunate delay."
"Well, be good enough to send another message at once. Represent to theFaujdar that Mr. Merriman's ship is prevented from sailing until thegoods reach Calcutta, and that this causes great inconvenience and loss."
Here the Babu whispered in his ear.
"Yes, and add--you will know how to put it--that if the dastaks are sentoff immediately, the Faujdar will receive from Mr. Merriman a suitablegratification."
The Armenian rubbed his hands and smilingly assented; but Desmond, whohad had some practice in reading faces since he left Market Draytoneighteen months before, felt an uneasy suspicion that Coja Solomon was ascamp. Returning to the factory, he acquainted Mr. Watts with the resultof his interview and his opinion of the agent. The chief's eye twinkled.
"You haven't been long reckoning him up, Mr. Burke. I'm afraid you'reright. I'll see what I can do for you."
Calling "Qui hai {'Is there any one?'--used as a summons}!" he orderedthe peon who appeared in answer to his summons to go to the blackmerchants' houses, a row of two-story buildings some forty yards from thesouthwest bastion, and bring back with him Babu Joti Lal Chatterji.
In less than ten minutes the man returned with an intelligent-lookingyoung Bengali. Mr. Watts addressed the latter in Hindustani, bidding himhasten to Murshidabad and find out quietly what the Faujdar was doingwith the dastaks. When he had gone, Mr. Watts showed Desmond over thefort, introduced him to his wife, and then took him round the Englishsettlement.
Next day Joti Lal Chatterji returned from Murshidabad with the news thatthe dastaks, duly signed by the Faujdar, had been delivered to CojaSolomon a fortnight before.
"'Tis rather worse than I expected," said Mr. Watts gravely. "There issomething in this that I do not understand. We will send for CojaSolomon."
No one could have seemed more genuinely surprised than the Armenian wheninformed of what had been learned. He had received no dastaks, hedeclared; either a mistake had been made, or the papers had beenintercepted, possibly by some enemy who had a grudge against him andwished to embroil him with his employer. It was annoying, he agreed; andhe offered to go to Murshidabad himself and, if necessary, get otherdastaks signed.
"Very well," said Mr. Watts, from whose manner no one could have guessedthat he suspected his visitor. "We shall look for you tomorrow."
The man departed. Nothing was heard of him for two days. Then a letterarrived, saying that he remained in Murshidabad, awaiting the return ofthe Faujdar, who had been summoned to Rajmahal by the Nawab Sirajuddaula.Three more days slipped by, and nothing further was heard from CojaSolomon.
Desmond became more and more impatient. Bulger suggested that they shouldbreak into the godown and remove the goods without any ceremony--a coursethat Desmond himself was no
t disinclined to adopt; but when he hinted atit to Mr. Watts that gentleman's look of horror could not have been moreexpressive if his consent had been asked to commit a crime.
"Why, Mr. Burke, if we acted in that impetuous way we'd have all Bengalat our throats. Trade must pass through the usual channels; to conveygoods from here to Calcutta without a dastak would be a gravemisdemeanor, if not high treason; and it would get us into very hot waterwith the Nawab. I can only advise patience."
One morning, Desmond had just finished breakfast with Mr. Watts and hiswife, when Lieutenant Elliott, in command of the garrison, cameunceremoniously into the room.
"Mr. Watts," he said, "the fat's in the fire. A lot of the Nawab'sPersian cavalry have come into the town during the night. They havesurrounded the French and Dutch factories and are coming on here."
"Don't be alarmed, my dear," said the chief, as his wife started up in astate of panic; "'tis only one of the Nawab's tricks. He has used thatmeans of extorting money before. We'll buy them off, never fear."
But it was soon seen that the troops had come with a more seriouspurpose. They completely invested the factory, and next day withdrew theguards that had been placed around the French and Dutch forts, andconfined their whole attention to the British. Mr. Watts withdrew all thegarrison and officials behind the bastioned walls of the fort, andfearing that an attack in force would be made upon him, despatched akasid {courier} to Calcutta with an urgent request for reinforcements.
While waiting anxiously for the reply, he took stock of his position. Hisgarrison numbered only fifty men all told, half of them being Dutchdeserters and the remainder half-caste topasses, with only two Englishofficers, Lieutenant Elliott and Sergeant Bowler. The guns of the fortwere old; and within a few yards of the walls were houses that wouldafford excellent cover to the enemy. Without help resistance for anylength of time was impossible, and to resist at all meant a declarationof war against the Nawab, and would entail serious consequences--possiblyinvolve the total ruin of the Company in Bengal. In this difficultposition Mr. Watts hoped that an opportunity of making an arrangementwith the besiegers would offer itself. Meanwhile, pending the arrival ofinstructions from Calcutta, he gave orders that any attempt to force anentrance to the fort was to be repelled.
But no letters came from Calcutta. Though several were despatched, noneof them reached Cossimbazar. On June first Ridurlabh, in command of thebesiegers, received orders from the Nawab, now at Murshidabad, to takethe fort. He came to the gate and tried to force an entrance, buthurriedly withdrew when he met Sergeant Bowler's gleaming bayonet and sawthe gunners standing by with lighted matches in their hands.
By and by he sent a messenger asking Mr. Watts to come out and parley.and offering a betel, the usual native pledge of safe conduct. Againstthe advice of Lieutenant Elliott, Mr. Watts decided to leave the fort andvisit the Nawab himself. Next day, therefore, with Mr. Forth, thesurgeon, and two servants, he departed, cheerfully declaring that hewould make all right with Sirajuddaula. Mr. Forth returned a day laterwith the news that on reaching the Nawab's tent both he and Mr. Watts hadhad their arms bound behind their backs and been led as prisoners intoSirajuddaula's presence. The Nawab had demanded their signatures to adocument binding the English at Calcutta to demolish theirfortifications. Mr. Watts explained that the signatures of two othermembers of his Council were required, hoping that the delay would allowtime for help to reach him from Calcutta. After some hesitation twogentlemen left the fort with the surgeon.
The same evening Mr. Forth once more returned to inform the garrison thatthe members of Council had likewise been imprisoned, and that Mr. Wattsrecommended Lieutenant Elliott to deliver up the fort and ammunition.
The merchants in the factory were aghast; Lieutenant Elliott fumed withindignation; but they saw that they had no alternative. Their chief hadbeen removed by treachery; to resist was hopeless; and though suchsubmission to a native was galling they could but recognize theirhelplessness and make the best of a bad situation. Desmond, besidessharing in their anger, had a further cause for concern in the almostcertain loss of Mr. Merriman's goods. But the fort would not be given uptill next day, and before he retired to rest he received a message thatturned his thoughts into another channel and made him set his wits towork.
During the siege natives had been allowed to go freely in and out betweenthe fort and the settlement; Ridurlabh was confident in his superiornumbers and could afford to regard with indifference the despatch ofmessages to Calcutta. A messenger came to Desmond in the evening fromSurendra Nath, to say that Coja Solomon had returned to Cossimbazar, andwas now loading up Mr. Merriman's goods in petalas {cargo boats}, theirdestination being Murshidabad. Desmond saw at once that the Armenian wastaking advantage of the disturbance to make away with the goods for hisown behoof. He could always pretend afterwards that his godown had beenplundered. It was pretty clear, too, that his long detention of the goodsmust be due to his having had a hint of the Nawab's plans.
This news reached Desmond just after Mr. Forth had brought orders for thesurrender of the fort. He kept his own counsel. After his experience atGheria he was resolved not to be made a prisoner again; but he would notbe content with merely saving his own skin. Mr. Merriman's goods werevaluable; it touched Desmond's self esteem to think he should be bestedby a rascally Armenian. If there had been any prospect of a fight indefense of the fort he would have stayed to take his part in it; but asthe factory was to be given up without a struggle he saw no reason forconsidering anything except the interests of Mr. Merriman and himself.
Only one thing gave him a slight qualm. The equities of the case wereperfectly clear; but he had some doubt as to the issue if it shouldbecome known that he had forcibly made off with the goods. The relationsbetween the Nawab and the Company were so strained, and the circumstancesof the moment so dangerous, that such action on his part might prove thespark to a train of gunpowder. But he could not help thinking that theNawab was in any case bent on picking a quarrel with the Company;anything that Desmond might do would be but one petty incident in apossible campaign; meanwhile the goods were worth two lakhs of rupees, aserious loss to Mr. Merriman if Coja Solomon's plans succeeded; an effortto save them was surely worth the risk, and they could only be saved ifhe could secure them before the Armenian's boats had started forMurshidabad.
He did not take long to decide upon a plan. Calling the native who hadattended him in the fort, he sent him out to Surendra Nath withinstructions to prepare his peons for instant action. Bulger was withthem; he had been absent from Bowler's house when the order came toretire to the fort, and only just succeeded in joining Surendra Nathbefore the investment began.
From Joti Lal Chatterji, the man whom Mr. Watts had employed to makeinquiries in Murshidabad, the servant was to get a dress such as would beworn by a khitmatgar {table servant}, and some material for staining theskin. In the darkness Desmond hoped that he might pass without questionfor a native so long as disguise was necessary. Within an hour the manreturned, bringing the articles required.