CHAPTER THE TWENTY-SIXTH
*In which presence of mind is shown to be next best to absence of body.*
The khansaman's surprise was clearly genuine, and Desmond refrained fromvisiting on him his disappointment. Bitter as that was, his alarm wasstill more keen. What had become of the ladies! With all his oldimpulsiveness he had come to rescue them, never pausing to think of whatrisks he might himself run. And now they were gone! Could Diggle havesuspected that his carefully hidden tracks were being followed up, andhave removed his prisoners to some spot remoter from the river? It wasidle to speculate; they were gone; and there was no obvious clue totheir whereabouts.
The khansaman, limp and damp after his unwonted exercise, had squattedon the floor and was fanning himself, groaning deeply. Desmond went tothe window of the room and looked out over the country, wondering,longing, fearing. As he gazed disconsolately before him, he caughtsight of a party of horsemen rapidly approaching. Bidding the khansamanstifle his groans, he watched them eagerly through the chiks of thewindow. Soon a dozen native horsemen cantered up to the front gate anddrew rein. One of them, clad in turban of gold tissue, short bluejacket lavishly decorated with gold, and crimson trousers, bade the restdismount. He was a tall man, a handsome figure in his fine array. Hewore a sword with hilt inlaid with gold, the scabbard covered withcrimson velvet; and in his girdle was stuck a knife with agate handle,and a small Moorish dagger ornamented with gold and silver.
He stood for a time gazing as in perplexity at the broken gateway. Hisface was concealed by his turban from Desmond, looking from above. Butwhen he directed his glance upward, Desmond, peering through the chiks,could scarcely believe his eyes. The features were those of MarmadukeDiggle. His heart thumped against his ribs. Never, perhaps, in thewhole course of his adventures, had he been in such deadly peril. Theappearance of the party had been so sudden, and he had been so deeplyengrossed with his musings, that he had not had time to think of his ownsituation.
"Come, son of a pig," said Diggle at length, throwing himself from hishorse and beckoning to his syce, "we will search the place. There mustbe something to show who the dacoits were."
He strode into the compound, followed by his trembling servant.
"Indeed, huzur," said the man in shrill tones of excuse, "we did ourbest. But they were many: our livers were as water."
"Chup[#], pig! Wait till you are spoken to," exclaimed Diggle, turningangrily upon him.
[#] Shut up.
"Achchha, sahib! bahut achchha, sahib![#]----"
[#] Good, sahib--very good, sahib.
A vicious kick cut short his protestations, and the two passed out ofhearing of the two watchers above, the khansaman having brought hisquivering flabbiness to Desmond's side. Diggle passed into theentrance-hall, the native horsemen waiting like statues at the gate.
"It is the sahib!" whispered the shaking khansaman to Desmond: "DigliSahib. He will kill me. He is a tiger."
"Silence, fool!" said Desmond sternly: "there must be a way out. Jaldijao![#] we shall be too late."
[#] Go quickly.
The man seemed glued to the spot with fear. The footsteps of Digglecould be heard in the rooms below. In a few minutes he would reach theupper story; then it would indeed be too late to flee. If they couldgain the back staircase they might slip down and hide in the garden. Butfright appeared to have bereft the khansaman of all power of movement.Yet Desmond, for more than one reason, was unwilling to leave him. Heknew what Diggle's tender mercies were; but he also knew that thekhansaman, if discovered, would certainly try to purchase his safety bybetraying his companion. So, without more ado, seizing him by the neck,Desmond shook him vigorously.
"Come!" he said in a fierce whisper, "or I will leave you to face thesahib alone."
This summary treatment shocked the man from his stupor. Stepping ontiptoe he darted across the room, through the door communicating with aroom beyond, into a narrow passage-way at the rear of the house. Herewas a second staircase leading downwards to the servants' quarters.
"Wait there," said Desmond when they were half-way down. "If you hearany one coming up, rejoin me above."
He himself crept noiselessly back to the upper floor. No sooner had hereached the top than he heard Diggle moving in the room he had recentlyleft. He darted to a khaskhas[#] curtain, through the meshes of whichhe could see into the two intercommunicating rooms. Diggle wascarefully searching the apartment; he clearly knew it was the one latelyoccupied by the ladies.
[#] A fragrant grass whose roots are used for making screens.
As he stooped to pick up a cushion that lay on the floor beside a divan,his eye was caught by a scrap of crumpled paper. He snatched at it likea hawk and with quick fingers straightened it out--the fingers of themittened hand that Desmond knew so well. On the paper was writing; thecharacters were English, but Diggle appeared to have some difficulty inmaking them out.
"'Your servant Surendra Nath Chuckerbutti,'" he said slowly aloud. "Whois Surendra Nath Chuckerbutti?" he asked his man, standing behind.
"Truly, huzur, I know not. It is a common name in Bengal--a vile Hindu;an unbeliever----"
"How did this paper come here?" cried Diggle impatiently.
"How should I know, sahib? I am a poor man, an ignorant man; I do notread----"
"Come with me and search the back of the house," said Diggle, turningaway with an oath.
Desmond stepped noiselessly across the floor and joined the khansaman.They made their way out stealthily down the stairs, through the gardenat the back, into a mango grove. There they remained hidden untilDiggle, finding his search fruitless, remounted with his men andgalloped away.
Desmond felt in a maze of bewilderment. It was clear that Diggle wasignorant of the whereabouts of the ladies; where had they been spiritedto, and by whom? Apparently there had been an attack on the house, andthey had been carried away: was it by friends or foes? What was themeaning of the paper found by Diggle? Had the Babu had any hand in thelatest disappearance, or was it his letter that had put some one else ontheir track? Desmond had heard nothing of Surendra Nath or his fathersince the sack of Calcutta.
There was no clue to the solution of the problem. Meanwhile it wasnecessary to get back to Calcutta. The journey had been delayed toolong already, and Hossain's employer the grain merchant would have goodreason for complaint if he felt that his business was being neglected.
"We must go, khansaman," said Desmond.
The man was nothing loth. They returned by the way they had come.Desmond left the man some distance short of Sinfray's house, promising,in return for his assistance, to use his best offices with the iratemanjhi[#] on his behalf. Then he struck off for the point lower downthe river where his boat was moored. As soon as he arrived they gotunder way, and late that evening reached Tanna Fort, where they had todeliver their cargo of rice for the use of the Nawab's garrison.
[#] Steersman.
In the dead of night they were surprised by a visit from Hubbo, theserang's brother. He had seen them, as they passed, from one of thesloops that lay in the river opposite to the fort. Though in chiefcommand of the Nawab's boats at that point, he was still secretly loyalto the Company, and was anxious to serve their interests to the best ofhis power. He had now brought important news. The three sloops and twobrigantines that lay off the fort were, he said, filled with earth. Onthe approach of Admiral Watson's fleet they were to be scuttled and sunkin the fairway. A subahdar[#] of Manik Chand's force was at present onboard one of the sloops to superintend the work of scuttling. Thesignal would be given by the subahdar himself from his sloop.
[#] Equivalent to captain of infantry.
"Very well, Hubbo," said Desmond, "that signal must not be given."
"But how prevent it, sahib? I wish well to the Company; have I noteaten their salt? But what can one man do against many? The subahdaris a very fierce man; very zabburdasti.[#] When he gives the word i
twill be death to disobey."
[#] Masterful.
Desmond sat for some time with his chin on his hands, thinking. Then heasked:
"Do you know where the British fleet is at present?"
"Yes, sahib. I was in the bazar to-day; it was said that this morningthe ships were still at Fulta. The sepoys are recovering from theirprivations during the voyage."
"We will drop down the river to-morrow as soon as we have unloaded ourcargo. You may expect us back ahead of the fleet, so keep a goodlook-out for us. I will take care that Mr. Drake is informed of yourfidelity, and you will certainly be well rewarded."
Early in the morning the cargo was unloaded; then, under pretence oftaking in goods at Mayapur, the petala dropped down the river and gainedFulta under cover of night.
Next morning Desmond, having resumed his ordinary attire, sought aninterview with Clive.
"The very man I wished to see," said Clive, shaking hands. "Yourscouting is the one ray of light in the darkness that covers the enemy'sarrangements. You have done remarkably well, and I take it you wouldnot be here unless you had something to tell me."
Desmond gave briefly the information he had learnt from Hubbo.
"That's the game, is it?" said Clive. "A pretty scheme, egad! 'Twillbe fatal to us if carried out. 'Twould put a spoke in the admiral'swheel and throw all the work on the land force. That's weak enough,what with Mr. Killpatrick's men dying off every day--he has only thirtyleft--and my own sepoys mostly skeletons. And we haven't provedourselves against the Nawab's troops; I suppose they outnumber us thirtyto one, and after their success at Calcutta they'll be very cock-a-hoop.Yet 'tis so easy to sink a few ships, especially if preparations havebeen made long in advance, as appears to be the case."
"I think sir, it might be prevented."
Clive, who had been pacing up and down in some perturbation of mind, hishead bent, his hands clasped behind him, halted, looked up sharply, andsaid:
"Indeed! How?"
"If we could get hold of the subahdar."
"By bribing him? He might not be open to bribery. Most of these nativeofficials are, but there are some honest men among them, and he may beone. He wouldn't have been selected for his job unless Manik Chandthought him trustworthy. Besides, how are we going to get intocommunication with him? And even if we did, and filled him to the brimwith rupees, how are we to know he wouldn't sell us in turn to theenemy?"
"But there are other ways, sir. We can depend on Hubbo, and if I mightsuggest, it would pay to promise him a rich reward if he managed to keepthe passage clear."
"Yes, I agree. What reward would be most effective?"
"A few hundred rupees and the post of syr serang in the Company'sservice when Calcutta is retaken."
"Not too extravagant! Well, I will see Mr. Drake; the offer had bettercome from him and reach Hubbo through his brother."
"And then, sir, it ought not to be impossible to secure the subahdarhimself when the moment arrives."
Clive looked at the bright eager countenance of the boy before him.
"Upon my word, my lad," he said, "I believe you can do it. How, I don'tknow; but you have shown so much resource already that you may be ableto help us in this fix--for fix it is, and a bad one. 'Tis the willthat counts; if one is only determined enough no difficulty isinsuperable--a lesson that our friends from Calcutta might take toheart. But have you a plan?"
"Not at present, sir. I should like to think it over; and if I can hiton anything that seems feasible I should be glad of your leave to try."
"By all means, my lad. If you fail--well, no one will be more sorrythan I, for your sake. If you succeed, you will find that I shall notforget. There's one thing I want to ask you before you go. Have youheard anything of my friend Merriman's ladies?"
"Yes, sir: and, as I suspected, Diggle is at the bottom of theirdisappearance."
He related the series of incidents up the river.
"Dressed like a native, was he? And looked like a risaldar?[#] There'sno end to that fellow's villainy. But his day of reckoning will come Iam sure of it, and the world will be none the worse for the loss of sovile a creature. If you take my advice, you'll say nothing to Mr.Merriman of this discovery. 'Twould only unsettle the poor man. He hadbetter know nothing until we can either restore the ladies to him ortell him that there is no hope."
[#] Officer commanding a troop of horse.
"I don't give up hope, sir. They're alive, at any rate; and Diggle haslost them. I feel sure we shall find them."
"God grant it, my lad."