It was the first of January, 1757. At half-past seven in the morning aheavily-laden petala was making its way slowly against the tide down theHugli. Four men were on board; two were rowing, one was at the helm,the fourth stood looking intently before him. The boat had passedseveral vessels lying opposite Tanna Fort, at various distances from thebank, and came abreast of the last but one. There the rowers ceasedpulling at an order from the man standing, who put his hand to his mouthand hailed the sloop. An answer came from a man on deck inviting thecaller to come on board. With a few strokes of the oars the petala wasrun alongside, and Hossain joined his brother.
"Is it well, brother?" he said.
"It is well," replied Hubbo.
Desmond at the helm of the petala looked eagerly ahead at the last sloopof the line. He could see the subahdar on deck, a somewhat portlyfigure in resplendent costume. A small dinghy was passing between hisvessel and the shore. It contained a number of servants, who hadbrought him his breakfast from the fort. The crews of the other vesselshad prepared their food on board.
After a time a dinghy was let down from Hubbo's sloop. Hubbo himselfstepped into it with one of his crew, and was rowed to the subahdar'svessel. Desmond, watching him narrowly, saw him salaam deeply as hewent on board.
"Salaam, huzur!" said Hubbo. "Your excellency will pardon me, butbismillah! I have just discovered a matter of importance. Our task,huzur, has lain much on my mind; we have never done anything of the sortbefore, and seeing on yonder petala a man I know well, who has spentmany years on the kala pani, I ventured to ask if he knew what timewould be needed to sink a ship with several holes drilled in the hull."
"That depends on the size of the holes, fool!" said the subahdar with asnort.
"True, huzur; that is what the serang said. But he went on to tell meof a case like your excellency's. His ship was once captured by thepirates of the Sanderbands. They drilled several holes in the hull, androwed away, leaving my friend and several of the crew to sink with thevessel. But the holes were not big enough. When the pirates haddisappeared, the men on the ship, using all their strength, managed torun her ashore, filled up the holes at low tide, and floated her offwhen the tide came in again."
A look of concern crept over the subahdar's face as he listened. He wasa man without experience of ships, and became uneasy at the suggestionthat anything might mar the execution of his task. Manik Chand wouldnot lightly overlook a failure.
"Hearing this, huzur," Hubbo continued, "I venture to mention the matterto your excellency, especially as it seemed to me, from what the serangsaid, that the holes drilled by the pirates were even larger than thosemade by the mistris[#] sent from the fort."
[#] Head workmen.
The subahdar looked still more concerned.
"Wai!" he exclaimed, "it is very disturbing. And there is no time to doanything; the Firangi's ships are reported to be on their way up theriver; the dogs of Kafirs[#] may be here soon."
[#] Unbelievers.
He bit his fingers, frowned, looked anxiously down the river, thenacross to the brick fort at Tanna, then to the new mud fort at Aligarhon the other bank, as if wondering whether he should send or signal amessage to one or the other. Hubbo was silent for a moment, then hesaid:
"Have I the huzur's leave to speak?"
"By the twelve imams[#], yes! but quickly."
[#] High priests descending from Ali, the son-in-law of Mahomet.
"There is a mistri on board the serang's boat who is used to working inships--a khalasi from Gujarat. He might do something on board yourexcellency's ship. If this vessel sank, according to the plan, theFirangi would not be able to get aboard the others, and they would havetime to sink slowly."
"Barik allah![#] It is a good idea. Bid the mistri come aboard atonce."
[#] "Bravo!"
Hubbo sent a long hail over the water. The serang cast off the rope bywhich he had made fast to the sloop, and the petala came slowly downuntil it was abreast of the subahdar's vessel. Hossain, Desmond, andKarim stepped aboard, the last carrying a small box of tools. Only theBengali was left in the boat. All salaamed low to the subahdar.
"This, huzur, is my friend," said Hubbo, presenting his brother. "Thisis the mistri, and this his assistant."
"Good!" said the subahdar. "Go down into the hold, mistri: look to theholes; if they are not large enough, make them larger, and as quickly asyou can."
Desmond with Karim dived down into the hold. It was filled with earth,except where a gangway shored up with balks of timber had been left togive access to the holes that had been drilled and temporarily stopped.After a few words from the subahdar, Hubbo and his brother followedDesmond below.
Half an hour later, Hubbo climbed up through the hatchway and approachedthe subahdar, who was pacing the deck, giving many an anxious glancedown the river.
"The mistri has bored another hole, huzur. He said the more holes thebetter. Perhaps your excellency will deign to see whether you regard itas sufficient."
"Nay, I should defile my clothes," said the subahdar, not relishing thethought of descending into the malodorous depths.
"As your excellency pleases," said Hubbo salaaming.
Then the gravity of his charge appeared to overcome the subahdar'sscruples. Gathering his robes close about him, he stepped to thehatchway and lowered himself into the hold.
"We must hasten," he said. "The ships of the Firangi may appear at anymoment, and I must be on the look-out. Meantime," he added to Hubbo,"you keep watch."
For a man of his build he was fairly active. Dropping on to the looseearth, he scrambled over it towards the oil-lamp by whose light themistri and his assistant were working.
"This, huzur," said Hossain, pointing to a circular cut in the plankingof the vessel, "is the new hole. It is not yet driven through, but ifyour excellency thinks it sufficient----"
The subahdar craned forward to examine it. "Khubbar dar!"[#] saidDesmond in a low voice.
[#] Look out!
Hossain had only waited for this signal. He threw himself on thestooping subahdar and bore him to the floor, at the same time stuffing agag between his teeth. In a couple of minutes he was lying bound andhelpless. His ornate garment was but little sullied. It had beenstripped from him by the mistri, who hastily donned it over his ownscanty raiment, together with the subahdar's turban.
"How will that do, Hossain?" asked Desmond with a smile.
The serang held up the oil-lamp to inspect him. With his other hand heslightly altered the set of the turban and rearranged the folds of therobe.
"That is excellent, sahib," he said. "A little more girth would perhapshave been better, but in the distance no one will notice."
Then calling to Hubbo he said that all was ready. Hossain clamberedthrough the hatchway, leaving Desmond concealed behind a large timberupright supporting the deck. As soon as the serang had reached his sideHubbo called to the men on watch and said--
"Eo! Ali, Chedi, come here!"
"Jo hukm!"[#] replied one of the men. Two of the three hurried aft, andat Hubbo's bidding swung down into the hold. The serang ordered them togo towards the lamp. They groped their way in that direction; Desmondsprang up through the hatchway; it was clapped down and firmly secured,and the subahdar with two-thirds of his crew was a prisoner in the hold.The third man at the far end of the boat had not seen or heard anythingof what had happened.
[#] Whatever is ordered (I will obey)
So far the plot had succeeded admirably. Whatever order might reach thewaiting vessels, it would not be given by the subahdar. The questionnow was, how to prevent the men in charge of the vessels and theauthorities in Tanna Fort from becoming suspicious. The latter wouldnot be difficult. Manik Chand would gain nothing by blocking thefairway unless it were absolutely necessary to do so, and, in commonwith other of the Nawab's lieutenants, he had an overweening confidencein the power of the forts to repel an attack from the English ships.For this reason it was
advisable to make the minds of the other meneasy, and Desmond soon hit on a plan.
"You had better return to your sloop, Hubbo," he said. "Send a messageto the men on the other vessels that I--the subahdar, you know--havemade up my mind to allow one of the enemy's ships to pass me beforegiving the signal. I shall thus capture one at least, and it may be theadmiral's."
Hubbo set off, and when he reached his own vessel he sent a boat with amessage to each of the ships in turn. Meanwhile, thinking the appearanceof a petala alongside of the subahdar's sloop might awaken suspicion orat least curiosity in the fort, Desmond decided to send it down theriver in charge of Hossain. He was thus left alone on deck with thesubahdar's third man.
For a time the man, standing far forward, was unaware of the strikingchange in the personality garbed in the subahdar's clothes. Butglancing back at length, he started, looked a second time, and after amoment's hesitation walked down the deck.
"Go back to your post," said Desmond sternly, "and see that you keep agood look-out for the Firangi's ships."
The man salaamed and returned to the prow in manifest bewilderment.More than once he looked back as he heard strange knockings from below.Desmond only smiled. If the sound was heard from the forts, it would beregarded merely as a sign that the preparations for sinking the vesselwere not yet completed.
Time passed on, and ever and anon Desmond looked eagerly down the riverfor a sign of the oncoming fleet. At last, somewhere about midday, heobserved signs of excitement in Tanna Fort, and almost simultaneouslysaw a puff of smoke and heard a report from one of its guns. Shortlyafterwards he observed the spars of a British-built ship slowlyapproaching up-stream. In full confidence that the scheme for blockingthe river was now frustrated, he awaited with patience the arrival ofthe fleet, wondering whether the forts would make a determinedresistance.
Slowly the vessel drew nearer. Another shot was fired from the fort,with what result Desmond could not tell. But immediately afterwards heheard the distant report of a heavy gun, followed by a crash near athand, and a babel of yells. A shot from the British ship had plumpedright in the centre of Tanna Fort. At the same moment Desmondrecognized the figure-head.
"'Tis the _Tyger_!" he said to himself with a smile. "Won't CaptainLatham grin when he sees me in this rig!"
Then he laughed aloud, for the valiant defenders of Tanna Fort had notwaited for a second shot. They were swarming helter-skelter out ofharm's way, rushing at the top of their speed up the river and leavingtheir fortress to its fate. On the other bank the garrison of AligarhFort had also taken flight, and were streaming along with excited criesin the direction of Calcutta. The man in the bows of the sloop lookedamazedly at the new subahdar. Why did he laugh? Why did he not wavethe green flag that lay at his hand? When were the men who had gonebelow going to knock out the stoppings of the holes and take to the boatwith himself and their commander? But the subahdar still stoodlaughing.
All at once Desmond, remembering the real subahdar below, asked himself:what if he drove out the bungs and scuttled the vessel? But thequestion brought a smile to his lips. He could not conceive of theBengali playing such a heroic part, and he possessed his soul in peace.
Now the _Tyger_ was full in sight, and behind her Desmond saw thewell-remembered _Kent_, Admiral Watson's flagship. The stampede fromthe forts had evidently been observed on board, for firing had ceased,and boats were already being lowered and filled with men. Desmondwaited. The _Tyger's_ boats, he saw, were making for Tanna Fort: the_Kent's_ for Aligarh. But one of the latter was heading straight forthe sloop. Desmond could not resist the temptation to a joke. Makinghimself look as important as he could, he stood by the gunwale watchingwith an air of dignity the oncoming of the boat. It was in command of ayoung lieutenant. The men bent to their oars with a will, and Desmondcould soon hear the voice of the officer as he called to his crew.
But his amusement was mingled with amazement and delight when, in thebig form sitting in the bow of the boat, he recognized no other than hisold messmate, his old comrade in the Battle of the Carts--WilliamBulger. The joke would be even better than he had expected. The boatdrew closer: it was level with the nose of the sloop; and the lieutenantsang out the command, "Ship oars!" It came alongside.
"Bulger," cried the lieutenant, "skip aboard and announce us to that oldpeacock on deck."
"Ay, ay, sir," replied Bulger, "which his feathers will be plucked, ormy name en't Bulger."
At the side of the sloop lay the dinghy intended to convey the subahdarand his men ashore when the work of sinking had been started. It wasmade fast to the vessel by a rope. Bulger sprang into the dinghy andthen began an ascent so clever, and at the same time so comical, thatDesmond had much ado not to spoil his joke by a premature explosion oflaughter. The burly seaman swarmed up the rope like a monkey, claspingit with his legs as he took each upward grip. But the comedy of hisactions was provided by his hook. Having only one arm--an arm, it istrue, with the biceps of a giant--he could not clutch the rope in theordinary way. But at each successive spring he dug his hook into theside of the vessel, and mounted with amazing rapidity, talking tohimself all the time.
"Avast, there!" he shouted, as with a final heave upon the hook dug intothe gunwale he hoisted himself on deck. "Haul down your colours, matey,which they make a pretty pictur', they do."
He came overpoweringly towards Desmond, his arm and stump spread wide asif to embrace him.
"I may be wrong," said Desmond, "but have I not the pleasure ofaddressing Mr. William Bulger?"
Bulger started as if shot. His broad face spelt first blank amazement,then incredulity, then surprised belief. Spreading his legs wide andbending his knees, he rested his hand on one and his hook on the other,shut one eye, and stuck his tongue out at the corner of his mouth.
"By the Dutchman!" he exclaimed, "if it don't beat cock-fighting! Sure,'tis Mr. Burke himself! Anna Maria! But for why did you go for to makeyourself sich a Guy Faux guy, sir?"
"How are you, old fellow?" said Desmond heartily. "I am a bit of ascarecrow, no doubt, but we've won the trick, man. The real guy is downbelow, dead from fright by this time, I expect. Sorry to give you thetrouble of boarding, sir," he added, as the lieutenant came over theside. "If you'll take me into your boat, I'll be glad to report to theadmiral or to Colonel Clive."
"By jiminy, Mr. Burke!" said the lieutenant, laughing, "you've got a wayof your own of popping up at odd times and in odd places. Come with meby all means--just as you are, if you please. The admiral wouldn't missthe look of you for anything. By George! 'tis a rare bit ofplay-acting. Did I hear you say you've got some natives underhatchways?"
"Yes; the owner of this finery is below with two of his men. You canhear him now." There was a violent and sustained knocking below deck."I'll send my man to release him. The fleet are all coming up, sir?"
"Yes; the _Bridgewater_ and _Kingfisher_ are close in our wake. Comealong; we'll catch the admiral before he goes ashore."