CHAPTER VII
THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD
The Rajah of Golconda, my new master, was called _Alemguir_, whichsignifies, "The Light of the World."
He certainly did not show me the respect to which I was accustomed; hedid not prostrate himself, nor even salute me; but he did better thaneither--he loved me.
From the first he spoke kind words to me, not in my quality of "WhiteElephant," which is a distinction much less thought of in India thanin Siam, but because he found me intelligent, good-tempered, andobedient--more so than any of his other elephants. He remembered me andcame to see me every day, and saw to it that I was not allowed to lackanything.
He had changed my name from "_King-Magnanimous_" to "_Iravata_," whichis the name of the elephant who bears the God Indra. The title wascertainly sufficiently honourable, and I was easily consoled for beingno longer worshipped as an idol by the pleasure of being treated as afriend.
Alemguir would have preferred that his Queen, Saphire-of-Heaven shouldalways use me as her mount; but she never would consent to installherself on my back.... "It would be a sacrilege!" said she, "_and agrave offence to one of my Ancestors_!"
She was persuaded that I was one of her forefathers, undergoing atransformation for the time being.
Her husband rallied her good-naturedly upon the subject, but she wouldnot yield.
So he gave her a black elephant, and kept me for his own service.
I was proud to carry my Prince in promenades, in festivals, and inTiger hunting, which he taught me.
My life was much less indolent than in Siam, and much more varied andinteresting. My Mahout, in spite of the trouble that this stirringexistence imposed upon him also found it pleasanter than the monotonyof the old life--and as usual he confided his sentiments to me!
I was also instructed in the art of war, for during the year followingthe marriage of Alemguir with Saphire-of-Heaven grave anxieties came todarken the happiness of the young married couple.
A powerful neighbour, the Maharajah of Mysore sought without ceasingto fasten a quarrel upon the Prince of Golconda, concerning certainquestions of boundaries.
Alemguir did all in his power to avoid hostilities, but the ill-willof his opponent was evident, and in spite of the conciliatory effortsof the ambassadors, a war seemed imminent. The Princess wrote to herfather, the King of Siam, who sent cannon, and a few soldiers; but theenemy was formidable, and the apprehensions of all increased from hourto hour.
One day the Ambassadors returned in dismay; diplomacy had failed,negotiations were at an end, and the Maharajah of Mysore declared war.The necessary preparations were made in haste; and one morning I wasinvested with my armour. A sheathing of horn covered me and descendedbelow my knees; on my head was a helmet of metal, with a visor ofiron, perforated with holes for the eyes, and a point projected fromthe middle of the forehead. My crupper and flanks were defended byflexible armour, as was my trunk, which had a ridge running down thecentre armed with pointed teeth of metal; and upon my tusks were steelcasings, sharp and cutting, which lengthened them greatly and made ofthem terrific weapons.
Thus accoutred, my Mahout, who was also in armour, and weighed moreheavily than usual upon my neck, guided me to the portico of the Palaceoverlooking the great Courtyard, where were assembled all the chiefs ofthe army. Prince Alemguir appeared at the entrance, and the officerssaluted him by clashing their arms.
He was magnificent in his warlike array. He wore a tunic of gold-linkedarmour, under a light breastplate studded with diamonds; he carried around shield that blazed with jewels, and his helmet was gold with adiamond crest.
Standing upon the upper steps of the portico he harangued his troops;but as I did not then understand Hindustani I do not know what he said.
When he was about to mount, the Princess Saphire-of-Heaven rushed outof the Palace, followed by all her women, and threw herself, sobbinginto the arms of her husband.
"Alas!" cried she, "what will become of me, separated from you? Howshall I endure the continual anguish of knowing you exposed to woundsand death? The heir which we hoped would be born in joy and festivity,now will enter life amid tears and despair! Perhaps he will be born anorphan--for if the father is killed, the mother will not survive!"
I listened to this and felt my heart ache under my coat of horn.
The Prince, much affected, could hardly restrain his tears. He made aneffort, however, to master his emotion, and replied with calmness.
"Every man," said he, "owes his life to his Country; and the Princemore than any other man. Our honour, and the welfare of our peopleare more dear to us than our own happiness. We must set an exampleof courage and self-sacrifice, instead of allowing ourselves to besoftened by tears.
"If the war proves cruel to me--and I die--you, my beloved Wife, willlive to bring up our Child; and hereafter we shall find each other, andbe forever happy in the life to come!"
He gently disengaged the clasp of her delicate arms. The veil of thePrincess caught on the breastplate of the Prince and was torn. ThePrince gathered a fragment, and kept it as a talisman.
And now Alemguir was in the howdah, and it was to me that the Princessappealed, with breathless sobs.
"Iravata, thou who art strong, and who lovest thy Master, and who oughtto love me, for thou hast the soul of one of my Ancestors.... Guard thePrince! Protect him, and bring him back to me living--for if he comesnot back I shall die!"
Speaking these words the Princess became as pale as snow, and fellfainting into the arms of her servants.
I made a resolve in my heart to defend my Master with all my might, andnot to fail in risking my life for the safety of his.
Taking advantage of the swoon of the Princess, which made herunconscious, Alemguir gave the signal to depart.
We left the Palace, and then the City, to join the main army, which wasencamped outside on the plains.
The Artillery and the Elephants were placed in the centre; the Horsemenon the right and left, and the foot-soldiers in front and at the rear.
The trumpets sounded a warlike march; the drums beat; the whole armygave a shout--and we marched on the enemy.