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meadows taylor - chapter xvi كلمات الأغنية

i had not seen bhudrinath now for some days, and fearing he might think me neglectful, i went to the serai in which he and the men had put up. “ah!” cried he, when he saw me approach, “so we are at last permitted to see the light of your countenance; what, in the name of bhowanee, have you been about? i have sought you in vain for the last three days.”

“tell me,” said i, “what you have been doing, and you shall know my adventures afterwards.”

“well, then,” said he, “in the first place, i have made a sеries of poojahs and sacrifices at the diffеrent temples around this most mahomedan of cities; secondly, i have seen and mixed in the mohorum; and lastly, i have assisted to k!ll seven persons.”

“k!lled seven persons!” i exclaimed in wonder, “how, in the name of the prophet, did you manage that?”

“nothing more easy, my g_y young jemadar,” he replied: “do you not know that this is the karwan, where travellers daily arrive in numbers, and from which others are as frequently departing? nothing is easier than to beguile them to accompany us a short distance, pretending that we are going the same road: why a thug might live here for ever, and get a decent living. the people (my blessings on them!) are most unsuspicious; and, thanks to hunooman and his legions, there is no want of rocks and wild roads about the city, which give capital opportunities for destroying them.”

“ajaib!” i exclaimed, “this is very wonderful; and who were they?”
“not in the least extraordinary,” said bhudrinath coolly, “if you think on it;—but to answer your question. the first was a bunnea who was going to beeder; we took him to golconda, and buried him among the tombs, and we got seventy rupees and some pieces of gold from him. the second were two men and their wives, who said they were going to koorungul: where that is bhugwan knows! but it is somewhere in a southerly direction. we k!lled them about three coss from the city, among some rocks, and left them there.”

“that was wrong,” said i, “you should have buried them.”

“not at all wrong, my friend; who will take the trouble of inquiring after them? besides, we had not time, for the day had fully dawned, and we feared interruption from travellers; we got above two hundred rupees, and two ponies, which i have sold for thirty rupees.”

“well,” said i, “these make five; and the other two?”

“they lie there,” said bhudrinath, pointing to where a horse was picketed; “they were poor devils, and not worth the trouble of taking out; we only got forty_two rupees from both.”

“dangerous work,” said i; “you might have been seen.”

“oh, no fear of an old hand like me; every one was off to the city to gape at the show, and we were left alone. i was deliberating whether we should not accompany them on the road we came in by, and by which they were going; but surfuraz khan cut short my doubts and uncertainties by strangling one fellow on the spot, and i followed his example with the other; the bodies were concealed till night, and then buried.”

“but is there no fear of the grave bursting?” i asked. he laughed. “fear! oh no, they lie deep enough; and you know our old tricks.”

“well,” said i, “it is most satisfactory, and i have missed all this, have been a fool, and have lost my mistress into the bargain.”

bhudrinath laughed immoderately; but seeing the gravity of my face, he said, “never mind, meer sahib, care not for my merriment; but truly thy face wore so lackadaisical an expression, that for my life i could not have refrained. cheer up, man, there is plenty of work in store for you; women will be faithless, and young and hot_brained fellows will grieve for them; but take a friend’s advice, make your profession your mistress, and she at least will never disappoint you.”

“your advice is good,” said i; “nevertheless the mistress i have lost is, as you know, worthy of regret, and i shall miss her for many a day. but tell me, what have you now in hand,—anything in which i may have a share?”

“why no,” he replied, “nothing; but if you are so inclined, we will take a ramble this evening through the bazars, we may perhaps pick up somebody.”

“of course i will be with you, for in truth my hand will get out of practice if i neglect work. but have you seen my father?”
“i have not,” said bhudrinath; “i hear he is very much engaged about the property, and do not like to disturb him.”

“you are right, he is,” said i; “but he will finish all to_day, and get the money. i suppose after that we shall not stay long here, and for my part i care not how soon we set off; i am anxious for new scenes and adventures, and we are not likely to do much here. is not surfuraz khan here?”

“no; he is gone with a party of seven travellers towards puttuncherroo, and has taken ten or fifteen of the best of the men with him; he will not be back probably before night, if then.”

“who were the travellers?”

“bunneas, i heard,” said bhudrinath carelessly; “i did not see them myself, and surfuraz khan was in too great a hurry to give me any information.”

“out upon me!” i exclaimed, vexed at my idleness; “here have i been amusing myself while all this has been going on: for the sake of the prophet, let us do something soon, that i may settle scores with my conscience, for i have hardly assurance enough to look you in the face after my behaviour.”

“well,” said he, “come this evening; if we can’t decoy any one, we will k!ll somebody for amus_m_nt and practice.”

“i agree,” said i; “for by alla! i must do something. i am as melancholy as a camel, and my blood, which boiled enough yesterday, seems now scarcely to run through me;—it is not to be borne.”

i found when i reached home that the dullal had arrived, and with him the sahoukar’s clerk, and some porters to carry the goods, as well as fellows with matchlocks and lighted matches, and others with swords and shields, to escort them. i stared at them. “one would think you were going to battle, séthjee,” said i, “with all those fierce fellows; i am half afraid of them.”

the fellows laughed; and the clerk replied, “they are necessary, and we always have them. if our goods were stolen, nay, carried off before our eyes, should we get any redress? no indeed: we therefore protect our property the best way we can.”

“now,” said my father, “take your goods and be off with them; they are no longer mine, and i fear to allow them to remain under my roof.”

“surely,” said the clerk, “they will be out of your way directly; and now let us speak about your money, or will you take some merchandise as part of it?”

“not a bit, not a bit,” replied my father; “i want all my money in rupees—no, stay, not all in rupees; give me five thousand in silver and the rest in gold, it will be easier carried.”
“i suppose you mean five thousand rupees, and the rest in gold bars; well, you must purchase gold according to weight, and the best is twenty rupees a tola;—but you had better take bills, and the exchange is favourable.”

“no, no; no bills,” said my father, “but the gold. if i remember rightly, the price of gold was high when i left delhi, and was likely to remain so; and i have plenty of persons for my guard if robbers should attack me.”

“you forget me,” cried the dullal, “and my percentage.”

“make yourself easy,” said i; “it will be paid out of the five thousand rupees; it will be about fifteen hundred, i think.”

“what did you say? fifteen hundred! to whom?” asked the clerk

“to this dullal,” said i; “i suspect the rascal is cheating us.”

“cheating! surely he is; why mohun das, good man, what have you been about? are you mad, to ask so much?”

“ah, it was my lord’s offer and promise,” said he, “and surely i shall now get it! pray what business is it of yours?”

“what ought he to have?” asked my father

“one per cent. is ample,” replied the other: “and you might have saved this too, if you had only applied yourself to the different sahoukars.”

“we were strangers,” said i, “and knew not their places of residence; so we were obliged to have recourse to this rascal, who offered his services.”

“what! did you not take me from the char_minar? did you not promise me five per cent., and bind me to secrecy about the sale of your goods?” cried the dullal

“listen to him,” said my father; “he raves. now, meer sahib, did not this bhurwa come begging and beseeching for employment, and when i said i would try him, and asked his terms, he said he was miserably poor, and would take whatever was given him; was it not so? and now, punah_i_khoda, we are to be bearded in this manner, defrauded of fifteen hundred rupees, where we have not as many cowrees to give, and made to eat dirt into the bargain. beat him on the mouth with a shoe! spit on him! may he be defiled so that ganges water would not purify him! may his mother, sisters, and all his female relatives be——”

“nay, my good friend,” said the sahoukar’s clerk, “be not thus rash and hot_headed, nor waste your breath upon so mean a wretch; since you have employed him, something must be given, it is the custom, and next time you will know better; say, may i pay him the one per cent., which will be three hundred and six rupees?”

“three hundred and six rupees! alla, alla! where am i to get the half?” cried my father: “for the love of the prophet, get me off what you can; i[91] swear by your head and eyes that i am a poor man, and only an agent; is it not so, meer sahib? am i not miserably poor?”

“you certainly cannot afford to pay so much money as one per cent. on this large sum,” i replied; “nevertheless, as such appears to be the custom, you had better give something, say one hundred and fifty rupees.”

“certainly,” said my father; “i am ready; i will not refuse anything in reason; but so large a sum—i was quite astounded at the impertinence of the demand, and lost my temper, like a fool.”

mohun das stood all this time with his eyes and mouth wide open, looking from one to the other, every word that was uttered increasing his astonishment and disappointment. “do you pretend to say,” screamed he at last, “do you pretend to say that i am not to get my money, my fifteen hundred rupees, for which i have toiled night and day? and do you pretend to say i came to you first? did you not take me with you from the char_minar?”

“nay, here is the char_minar again; for the sake of alla,” said i to the clerk, “if you really know this fellow, advise him to be quiet; what have i, who am a soldier, to do with his filthy traffic; he may provoke a patient man once too often, and people with weapons in their hands are not safe persons to play jokes with;” and i twisted up my mustachios

i have told you, sahib, what a coward the fellow was: he fell instantly on the ground and rubbed his forehead against the floor. “pardon! pardon!” he cried, “most brave sirs! anything, whatever you choose to give me, even ten rupees, will be thankfully received, but do not k!ll me, do not put me to death;—see, i fall at your feet, i rub my nose in the dust.”

“you fool,” cried the clerk, holding his sides with laughter, for he was a fat man; “you fool; ah, mohun das, that i should have seen this! in the name of narayun, who will do you any harm? are you a child—you, with those mustachios? shame on you, man; dullal as you are, be something less of a coward; get up, ask for your money boldly, ask for whatever these gentlemen please to give you, though indeed you deserve nothing for your impertinent attempt at deception.”

he got up and stood on his left leg, with the sole of the right foot against the calf, his hands joined, his turban all awry, and the expression of his face most ludicrously miserable

“ten rupees, my lord,” he faltered out; “your slave will take ten rupees.” we all once more burst into a peal of laughter; the gomashta’s sides appeared to ache, and the tears ran down his cheeks

“ai bhugwan! ai narayun!” cried he, catching his breath; “that i should have seen this; ai sitaram! but it is most amusing. ten rupees! why man,” said he to the miserable dullal, “you just now wanted fifteen hundred!”

“nay,” said my father, “let him have his due; you said one hundred and fifty,—that he shall have; do you, meer sahib, go with this worthy sahoukar to his kothee, and bring the money; i dare say he will give you a guard back, and you can hire a porter for the gold and silver.”

“certainly, you shall have the men,” said the gomashta: “and now come along; i shall have to collect the gold, and it may be late before it can be weighed and delivered to you, and the rupees passed by a suraff.” as we went on, the dullal said to me, “you will pay me at the kothee, will you not?”

“we will see,” said i; “the money is none of mine, and i will ask advice on the subject.”

“not your money! whose then?”

“why his who has employed you, and from whom you are to get one hundred and fifty rupees,” i said; “are you a fool? why do you ask?”

“ah nothing, only i was thinking—”

“thinking of what?” i asked; “some rascality i doubt not.”

“ah,” said he, “now you speak as you did at the char_minar.”

“by alla!” said i, stopping and looking at him, “if ever you mention that word again—”

“never, never!” cried the wretch, trembling; “do not beat me; remember it is the open street, and there will be a disturbance; the words escaped me unawares, just as i was thinking—”

“that is twice you have said that, and by alla! i think you have some meaning in it; what would you be at?”

“nothing, nothing,” said he; “only i was thinking—”

“well!”

“i was only thinking that you are an adventurer, who has accompanied that rich merchant from hindostan.”

“well, and what of that? you knew that before.”

“you are not rich?”

“no indeed,” said i, “i am not.”

“then,” said the wretch, “why not both of us enrich ourselves.”

“how?” i asked

“refuse the guard, or take some men i will guide you to; they will do whatever you like for five rupees a piece; we will fly with the money, and there is a place in the rocks close to this where i have plunder hidden—we will go thither and share it.”

“where is the place you allude to—is it far?” i asked

“no,” said he; “will you come? i can show it you from a distance; we need not get up the rocks—there is danger of being seen in the daytime.”

i followed him for a little distance, and he pointed to a huge pile of rocks at the back of the karwan and begum bazar. “there, do you see a white spot about half_way up on a rock?”

“i do,” said i

“that is the spot,” he replied; “it is known but to myself and a few others; whatever i can pick up i put there.”

“what do you get?”

“ah, little enough; sometimes a shawl, a brocade handkerchief, or some gold, anything in fact. but why do you ask? will you do what i said and join us? there are sixteen of us; one is yonder disguised as a fakeer, the rest are hard by and will accompany us.”

“dog!” cried i, dashing him to the earth, “dog! dost thou know to whom thou speakest? here there is no one,” (for we had got to the back of the houses,) “and it were an easy task to send thee to jehanum; one blow of my sword, and that false tongue would cease to speak for ever:” and i half drew it. i knew the effect this would have: there was the same grovelling cowardice he had displayed before! he clung to my knees; i spurned him and spit on him. “reptile!” cried i at length, wearied by his abjectness, “i would scorn to touch thee: a syud of hindostan is too proud to stoop to such game as thou art; lead me to the sahoukar, for by alla i distrust thee!”

“nay, in this matter i have been honest,” said the wretch; “the money is sure.”

“it will be well for thee that it is,” said i, “or i swear to be revenged; lead on, and beware how you go; if i see one attempt at escape i will cut you in two, were it in the middle of the bazar.”

“then follow me closely,” said he; and he gathered up his garments, which had become disordered, and we again entered the crowded bazar. we were soon at the sahoukar’s, who awaited us: the money and gold were told out, and a receipt i had brought with me given, and accompanied by the guard of soldiers i took the treasure to my father

“meer sahib, kind meer sahib,” said the dullal, as we approached our dwelling, “you will forget all that has passed; bhugwan knows i was only jesting with you; i love to play such tricks,—nay, i have always been of a jesting disposition:” and he laughed in his terror. “you will not forget my little perquisite, my hundred and fifty rupees, i know you will not.”

“peace!” cried i, “if you wish to get a cowree. has it not been promised to thee on the word of two of the faithful? thou shalt get the uttermost farthing.”

i dismissed the sepoys with a small present when the money had been lodged in our strong_room, and as they went, the miserable dullal looked after them as though he thought with them had departed his last chance for existence. it certainly drew to a close. “give me my money and let me depart,” said he in a hollow voice

“wait,” said i, “till it is counted out for you.”

“ah, i had forgotten the dullaljee,” cried my father; “i will get out his due.”

- meadows taylor

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