Chapter 9: News Of The Captive.
During the nine months that had elapsed since the retreat from beforeSeringapatam, Dick had been occupied in following out the main objectof his presence in Mysore. Finding that Purseram Bhow's army was thefirst that would be engaged in active service, he asked permissionfrom the general to join it. This was at once granted, and LordCornwallis introduced him to the officer in command of the Bombaytroops attached to that army, informing him of the object that he hadin view.
"He will not be of much use as an interpreter," he said, "for as thecountry in which you are going to operate formed, until lately, a partof the Mahratta dominions, Mahratti will be principally spoken. Hewill, therefore, go simply as an officer of my staff, attached for thepresent to your command. He has asked me to allow him to take with himtwenty men, belonging to the troop of his uncle, the Rajah ofTripataly. His object, in doing so, is that he will be able totraverse the country independently, and can either rejoin me here, orgo to one of the other columns operating against the hill forts, if itshould seem to him expedient to do so. Should you desire to make areconnaissance at any time, while he is with you, you will find himuseful as an escort, and will not be obliged to ask Purseram Bhow fora party of his cavalry."
Dick was sorry to leave his uncle, whose tent he had now shared forthe last ten months. He found himself, however, very comfortable withthe Bombay troops, being made a member of the mess, consisting of theofficer in command and the four officers of his staff. Wishing to havesome duties with which to occupy himself, he volunteered to act as anaide-de-camp; and although the work was little more than nominal, itgave him some employment. When not otherwise engaged, he generallyrode with Surajah, whom his uncle had appointed to command the twentytroopers.
In the year that had elapsed since his arrival in India, Dick hadgrown considerably, and broadened out greatly, and was now a powerfulyoung fellow of over seventeen. He had, since the troop joined thearmy of Lord Cornwallis, exchanged his civilian dress for the undressuniform of an officer, which he had purchased at the sale of theeffects of a young lieutenant on the general's staff, who had diedjust as the army arrived before Bangalore. It was, indeed, necessarythat he should do this, riding about, as he did, either on the staffof the general, or with the officers of the quartermasters'department. There would be no difficulty in renewing his uniform, forhardship, fever, and war had carried off a large number of officers,as well as men; and the effects were always sold by auction, on theday following the funeral.
Many hill fortresses were captured by the Mahrattis, but few offeredany resistance; as their commanders knew well that there was no chanceof their being relieved, while the men were, in most cases, delightedat the prospect of an escape from their enforced service, and offreedom to return to their homes. In a few of these forts, Englishcaptives were found. Some had been there for years, their veryexistence being apparently forgotten by the tyrant. Some had beenfairly treated by the Mysore governor, and where this was the case,the latter was furnished by the British officers with papers,testifying to the kindness with which they had treated the prisoners,and recommending them to the officers of any of the allied forces theymight encounter on their way home, or when established there.
Upon the other hand, some of the prisoners were found to have been allbut starved, and treated with great brutality. In two cases, where thecaptives said that some of their companions had died from the effectsof the ill treatment they had received, the governors were tried bycourt martial and shot, while some of the others they sentenced to beseverely flogged.
Every captive released was closely scrutinised by Dick, and eagerlyquestioned. From one of them, he obtained news that his father hadcertainly been alive four years previously, for they had been inprison together, in a hill fort near Bangalore.
"I was a civilian and he a sailor," he said, "consequently neither ofus were of any use in drilling Tippoo's battalions, and had been sentup there. Your father was well, then. The governor was a good fellow,and we had nothing much to complain of. Mr. Holland was a favourite ofhis, for, being a sailor, he was handy at all sorts of things. Hecould mend a piece of broken furniture, repair the lock of a musket,and make himself generally useful. He left there before I did, as thegovernor was transferred to some other fort--I never heard where itwas--and he took your father with him. I don't know whether he hadTippoo's orders to do so, or whether he took him simply because heliked him.
"At any rate, he was the only prisoner who went with him. The rest ofus remained there till a few months back, when the fort was abandoned.It was just after the capture of Bangalore, and the place could haveoffered no resistance, if a body of troops had been sent against it.At any rate, an order arrived one morning, and a few hours afterwardsthe place was entirely abandoned, and we and the garrison marchedhere."
"My father was quite well?"
"Quite well. He used to talk to me, at times, of trying to make hisescape. Being a sailor, I have no doubt that he could have got downfrom the precipice on which the fort stood; but he knew that, if hedid so, we should all suffer for it, and probably be all put to death,as soon as Tippoo heard that one of us had escaped--for that wasalways done, in order to deter prisoners from trying to get away."
"Do you think that there is any chance of his being still alive?"
"That is more than I can possibly say. You see, we have not known muchof what is passing outside our prison. Some of the guards were goodnatured enough, and would occasionally give us a scrap of news; but weheard most from the ill-tempered ones, who delighted in telling usanything they knew that would pain us.
"Three or four months ago, we heard that every white prisoner inSeringapatam had been put to death, by Tippoo's orders, and thatdoubtless there would be a similar clearance everywhere else. Then,again, we were told that the English had retreated, beaten, frombefore Seringapatam, and that the last of them would soon be down theghauts. But whether the prisoners have been killed in other hill fortslike this, I cannot say, although I suppose not, or we should not haveescaped."
"Certainly no such orders can have been sent to the forts here, for wehave found a few prisoners in several of them. Of course, it may beotherwise in the forts near the capital, which Tippoo might havethought were likely to fall into our hands; while he may not haveconsidered it worth while to send the same orders to places so faraway as this, where no British force was likely to come. Still, at anyrate, it is a great satisfaction that my father was alive four yearsago, and that he was in kind hands. That is all in favour of myfinding him, still alive, in one of the places we shall take, for LordCornwallis intends to besiege some of the fortresses that command thepasses, because he cannot undertake another siege of Seringapatamuntil he can obtain supplies, freely and regularly, from beyond theghauts; as nothing whatever can be obtained from the country round, socompletely is it wasted by Tippoo's cavalry. I have, therefore, greathopes that my father may be found in one of these forts."
"I hope, indeed, that you may find him. I am convinced that thegovernor would save his life, if he could do so; though, on the otherhand, he would, I am sure, carry out any order he might receive fromTippoo. Of course, he may not be in charge of a fort now, and may havebeen appointed colonel of one of the regiments. However, it is alwaysbetter to hope that things will come as you wish them, howeverunlikely it may seem that they will do so. We have been living on hopehere, though the chances of our ever being released were small,indeed. Of course, we did not even know that Tippoo and the Englishwere at war, until we heard that an English army was besiegingBangalore; and even then we all felt that, even if Tippoo were beatenand forced to make peace, it would make no difference to us. He keptback hundreds of prisoners when he was defeated before, and wouldcertainly not surrender any he now holds, unless compelled to do so;and no one would be able to give information as to the existence ofcaptives in these distant forts.
"And yet, in the teeth of all these improbabilities, we continued tohope, and the hopes have been realised
."
The capture of forts by the Mahratta army was abruptly checked.Having, so far, met with such slight opposition, Purseram Bhow becameover confident, and scattered his force over a wide extent of country,in order that they might more easily find food and forage. In thiscondition they were suddenly attacked by Tippoo, who took advantage ofthe English being detained at Bangalore, while the transport train wasbeing reorganised, to strike a blow at the Mahrattis.
The stroke was a heavy one. Many of the detached parties werecompletely destroyed; and the Mahratta general, after gathering therest to his standard, was forced to retreat, until strongreinforcements were sent him from Bangalore.
Learning, from them, that it was probable Lord Cornwallis wouldadvance as soon as they rejoined him, Dick determined to go back toBangalore, as it was unlikely that, after the severe check they hadreceived, the Mahrattis would resume the offensive for a time.
Surajah and the men were glad to return to the troop, and as soon asthe Mysorean force returned to Seringapatam, Dick, without waiting forthe infantry to get in motion, rode rapidly across the country withhis little party.
He accompanied the English army during their operations, obtainingpermission to go with the columns engaged in the siege of the hillfortresses, and was present at the capture of all the most importantstrongholds. To his bitter disappointment, no English prisoners werefound in any of them, and it was but too certain that all who mighthave been there had been massacred, by Tippoo's orders, on the firstadvance of the British against Seringapatam.
Great indeed was the satisfaction of the army when they at last camein sight of the city. The capital of Mysore stood on an island, in theriver Cauvery. This was four miles in length, and two in breadth. Thetown stood in its centre, the fort at the northern end. The island wasapproached by two bridges, one close to the fort, the other at thesouth, both being defended by strong batteries. There were also threefords, two of these being at the north end of the island, and alsodefended by batteries; the third was near the centre of the island, amile below the fort, and leading to the native town.
The fort was separated from the rest of the island by a deep ditch cutacross it. It was defended by numerous batteries. There were twogardens on the island, full of large trees, one of them being theburial place of Hyder Ali. This was connected with the fort by twoavenues of trees. The country round was flat, a considerable portionbeing almost level with the river, and devoted to the cultivation ofrice, while at other points a forest extended, almost to the bank.
After obtaining a view, from some high ground, of the city and ofTippoo's army encamped beyond its walls, the British force took up itsposition six miles to the northwest of the city. No sooner had thearmy reached their camping ground than Lord Cornwallis, with hisstaff, reconnoitred the approaches.
A thick hedge, formed by a wide belt of thorny shrubs, interlaced andfastened together by cords, extended from the bank of the river, abouta thousand yards above Seringapatam; and, making a wide sweep, camedown to it again opposite the other end of the island.
It was within the shelter of this formidable obstacle that Tippoo'sarmy was encamped. Within the enclosed space were seven or eighteminences, on which strong redoubts had been erected. Fearing thatTippoo might, as soon as he saw the position taken up by theassailants, sally out with his army, take the field, and, as before,cut all his communications, Lord Cornwallis determined to strike ablow at once.
At sunset, orders were accordingly issued for the forces to move, inthree columns, at three o'clock; by which time the moon would be highenough to light up, thoroughly, the ground to be traversed. The centrecolumn, consisting of 3,700 men, under Lord Cornwallis himself, was toburst through the hedge at the centre of the enemy's position, todrive the enemy before them, and, if possible, to cross the ford tothe island with the fugitives.
This, however, was not to be done until the centre column wasreinforced by that under General Meadows, which was to avoid a strongredoubt at the northwest extremity of the hedge, and, entering thefence at a point between the redoubt and the river, drive the enemybefore it, until it joined the centre column. Colonel Meadows had3,300 under his command. The left column, consisting of 1,700 menunder Colonel Maxwell, was first to carry a redoubt on Carrygut Hill,just outside the fence; and, having captured this, to cut its waythrough the hedge, and to cross the river at once, with a portion ofthe centre column.
Unfortunately, owing to a misunderstanding as to the order, theofficer guiding General Meadow's column, instead of taking it to apoint between the northwestern redoubt and the river, led it directlyat the fort. This was stoutly defended, and cost the British eightymen and eleven officers. Leaving a strong garrison here, the columnadvanced, but came upon another redoubt, of even greater strength andmagnitude; and the general, fearing that the delay that would takeplace in capturing it would entirely disarrange the plan of theattack, thought he had better make his way out through the hedge,march round it to the point where the centre column had entered it,and so give Lord Cornwallis the support he must need, opposed as hewas to the whole army of Tippoo.
In the meantime, Colonel Maxwell's force had stormed the work onCarrygut Hill, and had made its way through the hedge; sufferingheavily, as it did so, from the fire of a strong body of the enemy,concealed in a water course. The head of the centre column, underGeneral Knox, after cutting its way through the hedge, pushed on withlevelled bayonets, thrust its way through the enemy's infantry, and,mingling with a mass of fugitives, crossed the main ford close underthe guns of the fort, and took possession of a village, half waybetween the town and the fort.
Unfortunately, in the confusion but three companies had followed him.The rest of the regiment and three companies of Sepoys crossed lowerdown, and gained possession of a palace on the bank of the river. Theofficer in command, however, not knowing that any others had crossed,and receiving no orders, waited until day began to break. He thenrecrossed the river and joined Lord Cornwallis, a portion of whosecolumn, having been reinforced by Maxwell's column, crossed the rivernearly opposite the town.
As they were crossing, a battery of the enemy's artillery opened aheavy fire upon them; but Colonel Knox, with his three companies,charged it in the rear, drove out the defenders, and silenced theguns.
All this time Lord Cornwallis was with the reserve of the centralcolumn, eagerly waiting the arrival of General Meadows' division.This, in some unaccountable way, had missed the gap in the hedge bywhich the centre column had entered, and, marching on, halted at lastat Carrygut Hill, where it was not discovered until daylight.
The Mysore army on its left was still unbroken, and had been joined bylarge numbers of troops from the centre. On discovering the smallnessof the force under Lord Cornwallis, they attacked it in overwhelmingnumbers, led by Tippoo himself. The British infantry advanced to meetthem with the bayonet, and drove them back with heavy loss. Theyrallied, and returned to the attack again and again, but were as oftenrepulsed; continuing their attacks, however, until daylight, when LordCornwallis, discovering at last the position of General Meadows,joined him on Carrygut Hill.
When day broke, the commanders of the two armies were able to estimatethe results of the night's operations. On the English side, the onlypositions gained were the works on Carrygut Hill, the redoubt at thenorthwest corner of the hedge, another redoubt captured by the centrecolumn, and the positions occupied by the force under Colonels Stuartand Knox, at the eastern end of the island.
The sultan found that his army was much reduced in strength, no lessthan twenty-three thousand men being killed, wounded, or missing. Ofthese, the missing were vastly the most numerous, for ten thousandChelahs, young Hindoos whom Tippoo had carried off in his raids, andforced to become soldiers, and, nominally, Mohammedans, had takenadvantage of the confusion, and marched away with their arms to theForest of Coorg.
Tippoo made several determined efforts to drive Colonel Stuart's forceoff the island, and to recapture the redoubts, but was repulsed withsuch heavy loss
that he abandoned the attempt altogether, evacuatedthe other redoubts, and brought his whole army across on to theisland.
Tippoo now attempted to negotiate. He had already done so a monthbefore, but Lord Cornwallis had refused to accept his advances, sayingthat negotiation was useless, with one who disregarded treaties andviolated articles of capitulation.
"Send hither," he wrote, "the garrison of Coimbatoor, and then we willlisten to what you have to say."
Lord Cornwallis alluded to the small body of troops who, underLieutenants Chalmers and Nash, had bravely defended that town when ithad been attacked by one of Tippoo's generals. The gallant littlegarrison had surrendered at last, on the condition that they should beallowed to march freely away. This condition had been violated byTippoo, and the garrison had been marched, as prisoners, toSeringapatam. The two officers had been kept in the fort, but most ofthe soldiers, and twenty-seven other European captives who had latelybeen brought in from the hill forts, were lodged in the village thatColonel Knox had first occupied, on crossing the river, and had allbeen released by him. Some of these had been in Tippoo's hands formany years, and their joy at their unexpected release was unspeakable.
Preparations were now made for the siege. General Abercrombie wasordered up, with a force of six thousand men, but before his arrival,Lieutenant Chalmers was sent in with a letter from Tippoo, asking forterms of capitulation. Negotiations were indeed entered into, but,doubting Tippoo's good faith, the preparations for the siege werecontinued; and upon the arrival of General Abercrombie's force, on the15th of February, siege operations were commenced at the end of theisland still in British possession.
A few days afterwards, the army was astounded at hearing that theconditions had been agreed upon, and that hostilities were to cease atonce. So great was the indignation, indeed, that a spirit ofinsubordination, and almost mutiny, was evinced by many of the corps.They had suffered extreme hardships, had been engaged in most arduousmarches, had been decimated by fever and bad food, and they couldscarce believe their ears when they heard that they were to hold theirhands, now that, after a year's campaigning, Seringapatam was at theirmercy; and that the man who had butchered so many hundred Englishcaptives, who had wasted whole provinces and carried half a millionpeople into captivity, who had been guilty of the grossest treachery,and whose word was absolutely worthless, was to escape personalpunishment.
Still higher did the indignation rise, both among officers and men,when the conditions of the treaty became known, and it was discoveredthat no stipulation whatever had been made for the handing over of theEnglish prisoners still in Mysore, previous to a cessation ofhostilities. This condition, at least, should have been insisted upon,and carried out previous to any negotiations being entered upon.
The reasons that induced Lord Cornwallis to make this treaty, whenSeringapatam lay at his mercy, have ever been a mystery. Tippoo hadproved himself a monster unfitted to live, much less to rule, and thecrimes he had committed against the English should have been punishedby the public trial and execution of their author. To conclude peacewith him, now, was to enable him to make fresh preparations for war,and to necessitate another expedition at enormous cost and great lossof life. Tippoo had already proved that he was not to be bound eitherby treaties or oaths. And, lastly, it would have been thought that, asa general, Lord Cornwallis would have wished his name to go down toposterity in connection with the conquest of Mysore, and the captureof Seringapatam, rather than with the memorable surrender of YorkTown, the greatest disaster that ever befell a British army.
The conditions were, in themselves, onerous, and had they been imposedupon any other than a brutal and faithless tyrant, might have beendeemed sufficient. Tippoo was deprived of half his dominions, whichwere to be divided among the allies, each taking the portions adjacentto their territory. A sum of 3,300,000 pounds was to be paid for theexpenses of the war. All prisoners of the allied powers were to berestored.
Two of Tippoo's sons were to be given up as hostages. Even after theyhad been handed over, there were considerable delays before Tippoo'ssignature was obtained, and it was not until Lord Cornwallisthreatened to resume hostilities that, on the 18th of March, a treatywas finally sealed. Of the ceded territory the Mahrattis and the Nizameach took a third as their share, although the assistance they hadrendered in the struggle had been but of comparatively slight utility.It may, indeed, be almost said that it was given to them as a rewardfor not accepting the offers Tippoo had made them, of joining with himagainst the British.
The British share included a large part of the Malabar coast, with theforts of Calicut and Cananore, and the territory of our ally, theRajah of Coorg. These cessions gave us the passes leading into Mysorefrom the west. On the south we gained possession of the fort ofDindegul, and the districts surrounding it; while on the east weacquired the tract from Amboor to Caroor, and so obtained possessionof several important fortresses, together with the chief passes bywhich Hyder had made his incursions into the Carnatic.
Dick felt deeply the absence of any proviso, in the treaty, that allprisoners should be restored previous to a cessation of hostilities;at the same time admitting the argument of his uncle that, althoughunder such an agreement some prisoners might be released, there was nomeans of insuring that the stipulation would be faithfully carriedout.
"You see, Dick, no one knows, or has indeed the faintest idea, whatprisoners Tippoo still has in his hands. We do not know how many havebeen murdered during the years Tippoo has reigned. Men who haveescaped have, from time to time, brought down news of murders in theplaces where they had been confined, but they have known little ofwhat has happened elsewhere. Moreover, we have learned that certainlyfifty or sixty were put to death, at Seringapatam, before we advancedupon it the first time. We know, too, that some were murdered in thehill forts that we have captured. But how many remain alive, at thepresent time, we have not the slightest idea. Tippoo might hand over adozen, and take a solemn oath that there was not one remaining; andthough we might feel perfectly certain that he was lying, we should bein no position to prove it.
"The stipulation ought to have been made, if only as a matter ofhonour, but it would have been of no real efficiency. Of course, if wehad dethroned Tippoo and annexed all his territory, we shouldundoubtedly have got at all the prisoners, wherever they were hidden.But we could hardly have done that. It would have aroused the jealousyand fear of every native prince in India. It would have united theNizam and the Mahrattis against us, and would even have beendisapproved of in England, where public opinion is adverse to furtheracquisitions of territory, and where people are, of course, altogetherignorant of the monstrous cruelties perpetrated by Tippoo, not onlyupon English captives, but upon his neighbours everywhere.
"Naturally, I am prejudiced in favour of this treaty, for the handingover of the country from Amboor to Caroor, with all the passes andforts, will set us free at Tripataly from the danger of being againoverrun and devastated by Mysore. My people will be able to go abouttheir work peacefully and in security, free alike from fear ofwholesale invasion, or incursions of robber bands from the ghauts. Allmy waste lands will be taken up. My revenue will be trebled.
"There is another thing. Now that the English possess territory beyondthat of the Nabob of Arcot, and are gradually spreading their powernorth, there can be little doubt that, before long, the whole countryof Arcot, Travancore, Tanjore, and other small native powers will beincorporated in their dominions. Arcot is powerless for defence, andwhile, during the last two wars, it has been nominally an ally of theEnglish, the Nabob has been able to give them no real assistancewhatever, and the burden of his territory has fallen on them. Theytook the first step when, at the beginning of the present war, theyarranged with him to utilise all the resources and collect therevenues of his possessions, and to allow him an annual income for themaintenance of his state and family. This is clearly the first steptowards taking the territory into their own hands, and managing itsrevenues, and the same will be done in
other cases.
"Lord Cornwallis the other day, in thanking me for the services thatyou and I and the troop have rendered, promised me that an earlyarrangement should be made, by which I should rule Tripataly under thegovernment of Madras, instead of under the Nabob. This, you see, willbe virtually a step in rank, and I shall hold my land direct from theEnglish, instead of from a prince who has become, in fact, a puppet intheir hands."
A few days later, the army set off on its march from Mysore, and thesame day the Rajah, after making his adieus to Lord Cornwallis,started with his troop for Tripataly, making his way by long marches,instead of following the slow progress of the army. After a couple ofdays at Tripataly, they went down to Madras, and brought back theRajah's household.
The meeting between Dick and his mother was one of mixed feeling. Itwas twenty months since the former had left with his uncle, and he wasnow nearly eighteen. He had written whenever there was an opportunityof sending any letters; and although his position as interpreter onthe staff of the general had relieved her from any great anxiety onhis account, she was glad, indeed, to see him again.
Upon the other hand, the fact that, as the war went on, and fortressafter fortress had been captured, no news came to her that her hopeshad been realised; and that the war had now come to a termination,without the mystery that hung over her husband being in any waycleared up, had profoundly depressed Mrs. Holland, and it was withmingled tears of pleasure and sorrow that she fell on his neck on hisreturn to Madras.
"You must not give way, Mother," Dick said, as she sobbed out herfears that all hope was at an end. "Remember that you have neverdoubted he was alive, and that you have always said you would know ifany evil fate had befallen him; and I have always felt confident thatyou were right. There is nothing changed. I certainly have notsucceeded in finding him, but we have found many prisoners in some ofthe little out-of-the-way forts. Now, some of them have been captivesquite as long as he has; therefore there is no reason, whatever, whyhe should not also be alive. I have no thought of giving up the searchas hopeless. I mean to carry out our old plans; and certainly I ammuch better fitted to do so than I was when I first landed here. Iknow a great deal about Mysore, and although I don't say I speak thedialect like a native, I have learnt a good deal of it, and can speakit quite as well as the natives of the ghauts and outlying provinces.Surajah, who is a great friend of mine, has told me that if I go hewill go too, and that will be a tremendous help. Anyhow, as long asyou continue to believe firmly that Father is still alive, I mean tocontinue the search for him."
"I do believe that he is alive, Dick, as firmly as ever. I have notlost hope in that respect. It is only that I doubt now whether he willever be found."
"Well, that is my business, Mother. As long as you continue to believethat he is still alive, I shall continue to search for him. I have noother object in life, at present. It will be quite soon enough for meto think of taking up the commission I have been promised, when youtell me that your feeling that he is alive has been shaken."
Mrs. Holland was comforted by Dick's assurance and confident tone,and, putting the thought aside for a time, gave herself up to thepleasure of his return. They had found everything at Tripataly as theyhad left it, for the Mysore horsemen had not penetrated so far north,before Tippoo turned his course east to Pondicherry. The people had,months before, returned to their homes and avocations.
One evening the Rajah said, as they were all sitting together:
"I hear from my wife, Dick, that your mother has told her you stillintend to carry out your original project."
"Yes, Uncle. I have quite made up my mind as to that. There are stillplenty of places where he may be, and certainly I am a good deal morefitted for travelling about in disguise, in Mysore, than I wasbefore."
The Rajah nodded.
"Yes. I think, Dick, you are as capable of taking care of yourself asanyone could be. I hear that Surajah is willing to go with you, andthis will certainly be a great advantage. He has proved himselfthoroughly intelligent and trustworthy, and I have promised him thatsomeday he shall be captain of the troop. You are not thinking ofstarting just yet, I suppose?"
"No, Uncle. I thought of staying another month or two, before I go offagain. Mother says she cannot let me go before that."
"I fancy it will take you longer than that, Dick, before you can passas a native."
Dick looked surprised.
"Why, Uncle, I did pass as a native, eighteen months ago."
"Yes, you did, Dick; but for how long? You went into shops, boughtthings, chatted for a short time with natives, and so on; but that isnot like living among them. You would be found out before you had beena single day in the company of a native."
Dick looked still more surprised.
"How, Uncle? What do I do that they would know me by."
"It is not what you do, Dick, but it is what you don't do. You can'tsit on your heels--squat, as you call it. That is the habitualattitude of every native. He squats while he cooks. He squats forhours by the fire, smoking and talking. He never stands for any lengthof time and, except upon a divan or something of that sort, he neversits down. Before you can go and live among the natives, and pass asone for any length of time, you must learn to squat as they do, forhours at a stretch; and I can tell you that it is not by any means aneasy accomplishment to learn. I myself have quite lost the power. Iused to be able to do it, as a boy, but from always sitting on divansor chairs in European fashion, I have got out of the way of it, and Idon't think I could squat for a quarter of an hour, to save my life."
Dick's mother and cousins laughed heartily, but he said, seriously,"You are quite right, Uncle. I wonder I never thought of it before. Itwas stupid of me not to do so. Of course, when I have been talkingwith Surajah or other officers, by a camp fire, I have sat on theground; but I see that it would never do, in native dress. I willbegin at once."
"Wait a moment, Dick," the Rajah said. "There are other things whichyou will have to practise. You may have to move in several disguises,and must learn to comport yourself in accordance with them. You mustremember that your motions are quicker and more energetic than arethose of people here. Your walk is different; the swing of the arms,your carriage, are all different from theirs. You are unaccustomed towalk either barefooted or in native shoes. Now, all these things haveto be practised before you can really pass muster. Therefore I proposethat you shall at once accustom yourself to the attire, which you cando in our apartments of an evening. The ranee and the boys will beable to correct your first awkwardness, and to teach you much.
"After a week or two, you must stain your face, arms, and legs, and goout with Rajbullub in the evening. You must keep your eyes open, andwatch everything that passes, and do as you see others do. WhenRajbullub thinks that you can pass muster, you will take to going outwith him in the daylight, and so you will come, in time, to reach apoint that it will be safe for you to begin your attempt.
"Do not watch only the peasants. There is no saying that it may not benecessary to take to other disguises. Observe the traders, thesoldiers, and even the fakirs. You will see that they walk each with adifferent mien. The trader is slow and sober. The man who wears asword walks with a certain swagger. The fakir is everything by turns;he whines, and threatens; he sometimes mumbles his prayers, andsometimes shrieks at the top of his voice.
"When you are not riding or shooting, lad, do not spend your time inthe garden, or with the women. Go into the town and keep your eyesopen. Bear in mind that you are learning a lesson, and that your lifedepends upon your being perfect in every respect.
"As to your first disguise, I will speak to Rajbullub, and he will getit ready by tomorrow evening. The dress of the peasant of Mysorediffers little from that here, save that he wears rather more clothingthan is necessary in this warm climate."