Citation
The tiger of Mysore

Material Information

Title:
The tiger of Mysore a story of the war with Tippoo Saib
Creator:
Henty, G. A ( George Alfred ), 1832-1902
Charles Scribner's Sons ( publisher )
Trow's Printing and Bookbinding Company
Place of Publication:
New York
Publisher:
Charles Scribner's Sons
Manufacturer:
Trow Directory Printing and Bookbinding Company
Publication Date:
Language:
English
Physical Description:
390, 16 p., [13] leaves of plates : ill., plans, color map ; 19 cm.

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Youth -- Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction ( lcsh )
Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction ( lcsh )
War -- Juvenile fiction ( lcsh )
Soldiers -- Juvenile fiction ( lcsh )
Imperialism -- Juvenile fiction ( lcsh )
Hindus -- Juvenile fiction ( lcsh )
Cruelty -- Juvenile fiction ( lcsh )
Voyages and travels -- Juvenile fiction ( lcsh )
Adventure and adventurers -- Juvenile fiction ( lcsh )
Merchants -- Juvenile fiction ( lcsh )
Sailing -- Juvenile fiction ( lcsh )
Storytelling -- Juvenile fiction ( lcsh )
Juvenile fiction -- Karnataka (India) ( lcsh )
History -- Juvenile fiction -- India -- Mysore War, 1799 ( lcsh )
Publishers' catalogues -- 1895 ( rbgenr )
Bldn -- 1895
Genre:
Publishers' catalogues ( rbgenr )
novel ( marcgt )
Spatial Coverage:
United States -- New York -- New York
Target Audience:
juvenile ( marctarget )

Notes

General Note:
Publisher's catalogue follows text.
Statement of Responsibility:
by G.A. Henty ; with twelve illustrations by W.H. Margetson and a map.

Record Information

Source Institution:
University of Florida
Rights Management:
This item is presumed to be in the public domain. The University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries respect the intellectual property rights of others and do not claim any copyright interest in this item. Users of this work have responsibility for determining copyright status prior to reusing, publishing or reproducing this item for purposes other than what is allowed by fair use or other copyright exemptions. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions may require permission of the copyright holder. The Smathers Libraries would like to learn more about this item and invite individuals or organizations to contact The Department of Special and Area Studies Collections (special@uflib.ufl.edu) with any additional information they can provide.
Resource Identifier:
002391812 ( ALEPH )
ALZ6706 ( NOTIS )
03452602 ( OCLC )
12034145 ( LCCN )

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Full Text






The Baldwin Library

University
mD
Florida













THE TIGER OF MYSORE





DICK AND SURAJAH MAKE A DESPERATE DEFENCE,



THE TIGER OF MYSORE

A STORY OF

THE WAR WITH TIPPOO SAIB

BY

G. A. HENTY

Author of ‘ With Clive in India,” ‘‘ Through the Sikh War,” ‘ Beric the Briton,”
‘‘Held Fast for England,” “For Name and Fame,” etc.

WITH TWELVE ILLUSTRATIONS BY W. H. MARGETSON
AND A MAP

NEW YORK
CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS
1895



CopyRIGHT, 1895, BY

CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS

TROW DIRECTORY
FRINTING ANO BOOKBINDING COMPANY
NEW YORK



PREFACE

While some of our wars in India are open to the charge
that they were undertaken on slight provocation, and were
forced on by us in order that we might have an excuse for
annexation, our struggle with Tippoo Saib was, on the other
hand, marked by a long endurance of wrong, and a toleration
of abominable cruelties perpetrated upon Englishmen and our
native allies. Hyder Ali was a conqueror of the true Eastern
type; he was ambitious in the extreme, he dreamed of becom-
ing the Lord of the whole of Southern India, he was an able
leader, and, though ruthless where it was his policy to strike
terror, he was not cruel from choice. His son, Tippoo, on the
contrary, revelled in acts of the most abominable cruelty. It
would seem that he massacred for the very pleasure of mas-
sacring, and hundreds of British captives were killed by famine,

poison, or torture, simply to gratify his lust for murder. Pa-

tience was shown towards this monster until patience became
a fault, and our inaction was naturally ascribed by him to fear.
Had firmness been shown by Lord Cornwallis, when Seringa-
patam was practically in his power, the second war would
have been avoided and thousands of lives spared. ‘The blun-
der was a costly one to us, for the work had to be done all
over again, and the fault of Lord Cornwallis retrieved by the
energy and firmness of the Marquis of Wellesley.

The story of the campaign is taken from various sources,
and the details of the treatment of the prisoners from the
published narratives of two officers who effected their escape
from prisons.

Yours sincerely,

G. A. HENTY.







CHAP.

If.
Ii.
Iv.
Ve
VI.
VII.
VIII.
Ix.

XI.
XII.
XIII.

CONTENTS

A Lost FATHER, .

A BRUSH WITH PRIVATEERS,
Tue RajAH,.

First IMPRESSIONS,

War DECLARED,

A PERILOUS ADVENTURE,
BESIEGED,

THE INVASION OF Mysore,
NEWS OF THE CAPTIVE,

In DIsGulIsE, .

A USEFUL FRIEND,

A TIGER IN A ZENANA,
OFFICERS OF THE PALACE,
A SURPRISE,

ESCAPE, .

THE JOURNEY,

Back AT TRIPATALY,

A Narrow Escape,

Founp At LAST,

Tue Escapr, .

HoME,

PAGE
It

29
47
66
86

. 110
. 129
- 147
. 163
. 182
+ 197
. 208
. 225
. 240 ;
. 258
. 276
» 294
. 312
OZ
. 346
- 369



ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE
Dick AND SURAJAH MAKE A DESPERATE DEFENCE, Frontispiece, 139

Tue CAPTAIN AND BEN LASH THEMSELVES TO THE SPAR, Raia T'2,
Tur ‘‘ MADRAS” BEATS OFF TWO FRENCH PRIVATEERS, . er 2)
THE RAJAH TELLS THE STORY OF THE WAR, . : ; 5 GF
BATTLE oF Porto Novo, . : : ; ; : ee,
DIcK AND SURAJAH MAKE THEIR Escape, ; ; : . IIg
THE CAPITAL OF Mysore, . A 4 5 : : ; LOG
“ Dick TOOK STEADY AIM, AND FIRED AT THE TIGER,” . mei

THE WHITE SLAVE-GIRL THANKS DICK FOR SAVING HER LIFE, 251

DIcK POURS OUT SOME WINE AND WATER FOR ANNIE, . . 284
Dick AND SURAJAH ARE ATTACKED BY THUGS, : : eg 22

Dick AND SURAJAH VISIT THE FORT DISGUISED AS MERCHANTS, 332
DICK AND HIS FRIENDS ESCAPE FROM THE HILL-FORTRESS, . 353

A Hearry WELCOME AWAITS Dick ON HIS RETURN, . . 386








THE TIGER OF MYSORE

CHAPTER I
A LOST FATHER

3%, |HERE is no saying, lad, no saying at all. AllI
know is that your father the captain was washed
ashore at the same time as I was. As you have

SM

| heard me say, I owed my life to him. I was
pretty nigh gone when I caught sight of him holding on to a
spar ; spent as I was, I managed to give ashout loud enough
to catch his ear. He looked round. I waved my hand and
shouted, ‘Good-bye, Captain!’ Then I sank lower and
lower, and felt that it was all over, when, half in a dream, I
heard your father’s voice shout, ‘ Hold on, Ben!’ I gave one
more struggle, and then I felt him catch me by the arm. I
don’t remember what happened, until I found myself lashed to
the spar beside him. ‘ That is right, Ben,’ he said cheerily, as
I held up my head ; ‘ you will donow. I hadasharp tussle to
get you here, but it is all right. We are setting inshore fast.
Pull yourself together, for we shall have a rough time of it in
the surf. Anyhow we will stick together, come what may.’
«¢ As the waves lifted us up I saw the coast with its groves
of cocoa-nuts almost down to the water’s edge, and white

sheets of surt running up high on the sandy beach. It was
II



12 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

not more than a hundred yards away, and the captain sang
out ‘Hurrah! There are some natives coming down; they
will give us a hand.’ Next time we’ came up on a wave he
said, ‘When we get close, Ben, we must cut ourselves adrift
from this spar, or it will crush the life out of us; but before
we do that I will tie the two of us together.’

“He cut a bit of rope from the raffle hanging from the
spar, and tied one end round my waist and the other round
his own, leaving about five fathoms loose between us.

‘** There,’ he shouted in my ear. ‘If either of us gets
chucked well up and the natives get a hold of him, the other
must come up too. Now mind, Ben, keep broadside on to
the wave if you can, and let it roll you up as far as it will take
you; then, when you feel that its force is spent, stick your
fingers and toes into the sand and hold on like grim death.’
Well, we drifted nearer and nearer until, just as we got to the
point where the great waves tumbled over, the captain cut
the lashings and swam a little away, so as to be clear of the
spar ; then a big wave came towering up ; I was carried along
like a straw in a whirlpool. Then there was a crash that
pretty nigh knocked the senses out of me. I do not know
what happened afterwards. It was a confusion of white water
rushing past and overme. Then for a moment I stopped,
and at once made a clutch at the ground that I had been roll-
ing over. ‘There was a big strain and I was hauled backwards
as if a team of wild horses were pulling at me. Then there
was a jerk, and I knew nothing more till I woke up and found
myself on the sands, out of reach of the surf.

‘Your father did not come to for half-an-hour; he had
been hurt a bit worse than I had, but at last he came round.
Well, we were kept three months in a sort of castle place, and
then one day a party of chaps with guns and swords came
into the yard where we were sitting. ‘The man who seemed
the head of the fellows who had been keeping us prisoners,
walked up with one who was evidently an officer over the





















































THE CAPTAIN AND BEN LASH THEMSELVES TO THE SPAR.



A LOST FATHER 13

chaps as had just arrived. He looked at us both, and then
laid his hand on the captain; then the others came up.
‘The captain had just time to say, ‘ We are going to be parted,
Ben. God bless you! If ever you get back, give my love to
my wife, and tell her what has happened to me, and that she
must keep up her heart, for I shall make a bolt of it the first
time I get a chance.’ The next day I was taken off to a place
they call Calicut. There I stopped a year, and then the rajah
of the place joined the English against Tippoo, who was lord
of all the country, and I was released. I had got by that time
to talk their lingo pretty well, though I have forgotten it all
now, and I had found out that the chaps who had taken your
father away were a party sent down by Tippoo, who, having
heard that two Englishmen had been cast on shore, had in-
sisted upon one of them being handed over to him. It is
known that a great many of the prisoners in Tippoo’s hands
have been murdered in their dungeons. He has sworn over
and over again that he has no European prisoners, but every
one knows that he has numbers of them in his hands. Whether |
the captain is one of those who have been murdered, or
whether he is still in one of Tippoo’s dungeons, is more than
I or any one else can say.’’

‘‘ Well, as I have told you, Ben, that is what we mean to
find out.’’

‘¢T know that is what your mother has often said, lad, but
it seems to me that you have more chance of finding the man
in the moon than you have of learning whether your father is
alive or not.”’ :

«Well, we are going to try, anyhow, Ben. I know it’s a
difficult job, but mother and I have talked it over, ever since
you came home with the news, three years ago, so I have
made up my mind and nothing can change me. You see, I
have more chances than most people would have. Being a
boy is all in my favour ; and then, you know, I talk the lan-
guage just as well as English.’’



14 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

“Yes, of course that is a pull, and a big one; but it isa
desperate undertaking, lad, and I can’t say as I see how it is
to be done.”’

‘J don’t see either, Ben, and I don’t expect to see until
we get out there; but, desperate or not, mother and J are
going to try.”

Dick Holland, the speaker, was a lad of some fifteen years
of age ; his father, who was captain of a fine East Indiaman,
had sailed from London when he was nine, and had never
returned. No news had been received of the ship after she
touched at the Cape, and it was supposed that she had gone
down with all hands, until, nearly three years later, her boat-
swain, Ben Birket, had entered the East India Company’s
office, and reported that he himself, and the captain, had
been cast ashore on the territories of the Rajah of Coorg, the
sole survivors, as far as he knew, of the MooghZey. After an
interview with the Directors, he had gone straight to the house
at Shadwell inhabited by Mrs. Holland. She had left there,
but had removed to a smaller one a short distance away,
where she lived upon the interest of the sum that her husband
had invested from his savings, and from a small pension grant-
ed to her by the Company.

Mrs. Holland was a half-caste, the daughter of an English
woman who had married a young rajah. Her mother’s life
had been a happy one; but when her daughter had reached
the age of sixteen she died, obtaining on her deathbed the
rajah’s consent that the girl should be sent to England to be
educated, while her son, who was three years younger, should
remain with his father. Over him she had exercised but little
influence; he had been brought up like the sons of other
native princes, and, save for his somewhat light complexion,
the English blood in his veins would never have been sus-
pected.

Margaret, on the other hand, had been under her mother’s
care, and as the latter had always hoped that the girl would,



A LOST FATHER : 15

at any rate for a time, go to her family in England, she had
always conversed with her in that language, and had, until
her decreasing strength rendered it no longer possible, given
her an English education.

In complexion and appearance she took far more after her
English mother than the boy had done, and, save for her soft,
dark eyes, and glossy, jet-black hair, might have passed as
of pure English blood. When she sailed, it was with the
intention of returning to India in the course of a few years ;
but this arrangement was overthrown by the fact that on the
voyage, John Holland, the handsome young first mate of
the Indiaman, completely won her heart, and they were
married a fortnight after the vessel came up the Thames. The
matter would not have been so hurried had not a letter she
posted on landing, to her mother’s sister, who had promised
her a home, received an answer written in a strain which
determined her to yield at once to John Holland’s pressing
entreaties that they should be married without delay. Her
aunt had replied that she had consented to overlook the con-
duct of her mother in uniting herself to a native, and to re-
ceive her for a year at the rectory, but that her behaviour in
so precipitately engaging herself to a rough sailor, rendered it
impossible to countenance her. As she stated that she had
come over with a sum sufficient to pay her expenses while in
England, she advised her to ask the captain—who, by the way,
must have grossly neglected his duties by allowing an intimacy
between her and his mate—to place her in some school where
she would be well looked after until her return to India.

The Indian blood in Margaret’s veins boiled fiercely, and
she wrote her aunt a letter which caused that lady to congratu-
late herself on the good fortune that had prevented her from
having to receive under her roof a girl of so objectionable and
violent a character. Although the language that John Hol-
land used concerning this letter was strong indeed, he was well
satisfied, as he had foreseen that it was not probable Mar-



16 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

garet’s friends would have allowed her to marry him without
communicating with her father, and that the rajah might have
projects of his own for her disposal. He laid the case before
the captain, who placed her in charge of his wife until the
marriage took place. Except for the long absences of her
husband, Margaret’s life had been a very happy one, and
she was looking forward to the time when, after another voy-
age, he would be able to give up his profession and settle
down upon his savings.

When months passed by and no news came of the Hooghley

‘having reached port, Mrs. Holland at once gave up her house
and moved into a smaller one ; for although her income would
have been sufficient to enable her to remain where she was,
she determined to save every penny she was able for the
sake of her boy. She was possessed of strong common-sense
and firmness of character, and when Ben Birket returned with
his tale, he was surprised at the composure with which she re-
ceived it.

“‘T have always,’’ she said, ‘‘ had a conviction that John
was still alive, and have not allowed Dick to think of his
father as dead; and now I believe as firmly as before that
some day John will be restored to me. I myself can do
nothing towards aiding him. A woman can do little here ;
she can do nothing in India, save among her own people. I
shall wait patiently fora time; it may be that this war will
result in his release. But in the meantime I shall continue to
prepare Dick to take up the search for him as soon as he is old
enough. I hear once a year from my brother, who is now
rajah, and he will be able to aid my boy in many ways. How-
ever, for a time I must be patient and wait. I have learnt to
wait during my husband’s long absences ; and besides, I think
that the women of India are a patient race. I trust that John
will yet come home to me, but if not, when it is time we will
try to rescue him.”’

Ben said nothing at the time to damp her courage, but he



A LOST FATHER 17

shook his head as he left the cottage. ‘* Poor creature,’’ he
said. ‘*I would not say anything to discourage her, but for
a woman and boy to try to get a captive out of the claws of
the Tiger of Mysore is just madness.’’

Each time he returned from a voyage Ben ‘called upon Mrs.
Holland. He himself had given up every vestige of hope
when it was known that the name of her husband was not
among the list of those whom Tippoo had been forced to re-
lease. Margaret Holland, however, still clung to hope. Her
face was paler, and there was a set, pathetic expression in it;
so when she spoke of her husband as being still alive, Ben
would sooner have cut out his tongue than allow the slightest
word indicative of his own feeling of certainty as to the cap-
tain’s fate, to escape him, and he always made a pretence of
entering warmly into her plans. ‘The training, as she con-
sidered it, of her son, went on steadily ; she always con-
versed with him in her father’s language, and he was able to
speak it as well as English. She was ever impressing upon
him that he must be strong and active. When he was twelve
she engaged an old soldier, who had set up a sort of academy,
to instruct him in the use of the sword and in such exercises
as were calculated to strengthen his muscles and to give him
strength and agility. Unlike most mothers, she had no word
of reproach when he returned home from school with a puffed
face or cut lips, the signs of battle.

‘*T do not want you to be quarrelsome,’’ she often said to
him, ‘‘ but I have heard your father say that a man who can
use his fists well is sure to be cool and quick in any emergency.
You know what is before you, and these qualities are of far
more importance in your case than any book learning; there-
fore, Dick, I say, never quarrel on your own account, but
whenever you see a boy bullying a smaller one, take the op-
portunity of giving hima lesson while learning one yourself.
In the days of old, you know, the first duty of a true knight
was to succour the oppressed, and I want you to bea true

?



18 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

knight. You will get thrashed sometimes, no doubt, but don’t
mind that ; perhaps next time you will turn the tables.”

Dick acted upon this advice, and by the time he was fifteen
had established a reputation among not only the boys of his
own school, but of the district. In addition to his strength
and quickness, he had a fund of dogged endurance and imper-
turbable good temper that did not fail him, even on the rare
occasions when, in combats with boys much older than him-
self, he was torced to admit himself defeated. ‘The fact that he
fought, not because he was angry, but as if it were a matter of
business, gave him a great advantage, and his readiness to take
up the cause of any boy ill-treated by another was so notorious
that ‘I will tell Dick Holland’’ became a threat that saved
many a boy from being bullied. Ten days before his conver-
sation with Ben his mother had said,—

“Dick, I can stand this no longer ; I have tried to be pa-
tient for six years, but I can be patient no longer. I feel that
another year of suspense would kill me. Therefore I have
made up my mind to sail at once. The voyage will take us five
months, and perhaps you may have to remain some little time
at my brother’s before you can start. Now that the time is
come, I think that perhaps I am about to do wrong, and that
it may cost you your life. But I cannot help it, Dick; I dream
of your father almost every night, and I wake up thinking that
I hear him calling upon me to help him. I feel that I should
go mad if this were to last much longer.”’

‘¢T am ready, mother,’’ the boy said earnestly. ‘‘ I have
been hoping for some time that you would say you would start
soon ; and though I have not, of course, the strength of a man,
I think that will be more than made up by the advantage I
should have as a boy, in looking for my father; and at any
rate, from what you tell me, I should think that I am quite
as strong as an average native of your country. Anyhow,
mother, I am sure that it will be best for us to go now. It must
have been awful for you, waiting all this time, and though



A LOST FATHER ; 19

you have never said anything about it, I have noticed for a
long time that you were looking ill, and was sure that you
were worrying terribly. What would be the use of staying
any longer? Ishould not be very much stronger in another
year than I am now, and a year would seem an age to father.’’

And so it was settled, and Mrs. Holland at once began to
make preparations for their departure. She had already, with-
out saying anything to Dick, given notice that she should give
up the house. She had, during the six years, saved a sum of
money amply sufficient for the expenses of the journey and out-
fit, and she had now only to order clothes for herself and Dick,
and to part with her furniture. Ben, on his return, had heard
with grave apprehension that she was about to carry out her
intention ; but as he saw that any remonstrance on his part
would be worse than useless, he abstained from offering any,
and warmly entered into her plans. After an hour’s talk he
had proposed to Dick to go out for a stroll with him.

“‘T. am glad to have a talk with you, Ben,’’ Dick said.
“Of course, I have heard from mother what you told her
when you came home, but I shall be glad to hear it from you,
so as to know exactly how it all was. You know she feels
sure that father is still alive; I should like to know what your
opinion really is about it. Of course it will make no differ-
ence, as I should never say anything to her ; but I should like
to know whether you think there is any possibility of his being
alive.’’

To this Ben had replied as already related. He was silent
when Dick asserted that, desperate or not, he intended to
carry out his mother’s plan.

*‘T would not say as I think it altogether desperate, as far
as you are concerned,’’ he said thoughtfully. «It don’t seem
to me as there is much chance of your ever getting news of
your father, lad; and as to getting him out of prison if you do
come to hear of him, why, honest, I would not give a quid of
baccy for your chance ; but I don’t say as I think that it is an



20 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

altogether desperate job, as far as you are concerned yourself.
Talking their lingo as you do, it’s just possible as you might
be able to travel about in disguise without any one finding
you out, especially as the Rajah, your uncle, ought to be able
to help you a bit, and put you in the way of things, and per-
haps send some trusty chap along with you. There is no
doubt you are strong for your age, and being thin and nothing
but muscle, you would pass better as a native than if you had
been thick and chunky. My old woman tells me as you have
a regular name asa fighter, and that you have given a lesson
to many a bully in the neighbourhood. Altogether there is a
lot in your favour, and I don’t see why you should not pull
through all right; at any rate, even should the worst come to
the worst, and you do get news somehow that your poor father
has gone down, I am sure it will be better for your mother
than going on as she has done for the last six years, just wear-
ing herself out with anxiety.’

“‘T am sure it will, Ben. JI can tell you that it is as much
as I can do sometimes not to burst out crying when I see her
sitting by the hour, with her eyes open, but not seeing any-
thing or moving as much as a finger—just thinking, and think-
ing, and thinking. I wish we were going out in your ship,
Ben.”’

“¢T wish you was, lad; but it will be five or six weeks be-
fore we are off again. Anyhow, the ship you are going in—
the Afadras—is a fine craft, and the captain bears as high a
character as any one in the Company’s fleet. Well, lad, I
hope that it will all turn out well. If I could have talked the
lingo like a native, I would have been glad to have gone with
you and taken my chances. The captain saved my life in
that wreck, and it would only have been right that I should
risk mine for him, if there was but a shadow of chance of its
being of use ; but I know that in a job of this sort I could be
of no good whatsomever, and should be getting you into
trouble before we had gone a mile together.”’



A LOST FATHER 21

«© T am sure that you would help if you could, Ben; but of
course you could be of no use.’’

«¢ And when do you think of being home again, lad ?”’

«¢ There is no saying, Ben—it may be years; but however
long it takes I sha’n’t give it up until I find out for certain
what has become of my father.’’

«¢ And ain’t there a chance of hearing how you are getting
on, Dick? I shall think of you and your mother often and
often when I am on deck keeping my watch at night, and it
will seem hard that I mayn’t be able to hear for years as to
what you are doing.’’

«The only thing that I can do, Ben, will be to write if 1
get a chance of sending a messenger, or for my mother to
write to you to the office.”’

‘¢' That is it. You send a letter to Ben Birket, boatswain
of the Madeira, care of East India Company, Leadenhall
Street, and I shall get it sooner or later. Of course I shall
not expect a long yarn, but just two or three words to tell me
how you are getting on, and whether you have got any news
of your father. And if you come back to England, leave
your address at the Company’s office for me, for it ain’t an
easy matter to find any one out in London unless you have
got their bearings right.”’

Ten days later Mrs. Holland and Dick embarked on the
Madras. Dick had been warned by his mother to say noth-
ing to any one on board as to the object of their voyage.

«¢ J shall mention,”’ she said, ‘‘ that I am going out to make
some inquiries respecting the truth of a report that has reached
me, that some of those on board the AHYoogh/ey, of which my
husband was captain, survived the wreck, and were taken up
the country. That will be quite sufficient. Say nothing
about my having been born in India, or that my father was a
native rajah. Some of these officials—and still more, their
wives—are very prejudiced, and consider themselves to be
quite different beings to the natives of the country. I found



22 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

it so on my voyage to England ; at any rate, we don’t want
our affairs talked about ; it will be quite sufficient for people
to know that we are, as I said, going out to make some in-
quiries about the truth of this rumor.’’

“‘ All right, mother. At any rate, the captain has told
you that he will look after you and make things comfortable
for you, so we need not care about anything else.’’

‘« We certainly need not care, Dick ; but it is much more
agreeable to get on nicely with every one. I was very pleased
when Captain Barstow called yesterday and said that, having
heard at the office that the Mrs. Holland on the passenger list
was the widow of his old shipmate, John Holland, he had
come round to see if there was anything that he could do for
her, and he promised to do all in his power to make us com-
fortable. Of course, I told him that I did not regard myself
as Captain Holland’s widow—that all we knew was that he
had got safely ashore, and had been taken up to Mysore, and
as I had a strong conviction he was still alive, I was going out
to endeavor to ascertain from native sources whether he was
still living. ‘ Well, ma’am, I hope that you will succeed,’ he
said. ‘All thisis new to me. I thought he was drowned
when the Hooghley went ashore. Anyhow, Mrs. Holland, I.
honour you for making this journey just on the off chance of
hearing something of your husband, and you may be sure I
will do all I can to make the voyage a pleasant one for you.’
So you see we shall start favourably, Dick, for the captain can
do a great deal towards adding to the comfort of a passenger.
When it is known by the purser and steward that a lady is
under the special care of the captain, it ensures her a larger
share of civility and special attentions than she might otherwise
obtain.”’

As soon as they went on board, indeed, the captain came
up to them.

“«Good-morning, Mrs. Holland,’’ he said. <‘‘ You have
done quite right to come on board early. It gives you a



A LOST FATHER 23

chance of being attended to before the stewards are being
called for by twenty people at once.’’ He beckoned to a
midshipman. ‘‘ Mr. Hart, please tell the purser I wish to
speak to him. So this is your son, Mrs. Holland? A fine,
straight-looking young fellow ; are you going to put him in
the Service? You havea strong claim, you know, which I
am sure the Board would acknowledge.’”’

“Do you know, Captain, it is a matter that I have hardly
thought of—in fact, I have for years been so determined to go
out and try and obtain some news of my husband, as soon as
Dick was old enough to journey about as my protector, that I
have not thought, as I ought to have done, what profession he
should follow. However, he is only fifteen yet, and there
will be time enough when he gets back.”’

“< Tf he is to go into the Service, the sooner the better, ma’am
—one can hardly begin too young. However, I don’t say
there are not plenty of good sailors afloat who did not enter
until a couple of years older than he is—there is no strict rule
as toage. Only fifteen, is he? I should have taken him for
at least a year older. However, if you like, Mrs. Holland, I
will put him in the way of learning a good deal during the
voyage. He might as well be doing that as loafing about the
deck all day.”’ :

‘* Much better, Captain. Iam very much obliged to you,
and I am sure that he will be, too.’’

‘«T should like it immensely, Captain,’’ Dick exclaimed.

At this moment the purser came up.

‘‘ Mr. Stevenson,’’ the captain said, ‘‘ this is Mrs. Holland.
She is the wife of my old friend John Holland—we were mid-
shipmen together on board the Ganges. He commanded the
FHooghley, which was lost, you know, five or six years ago,
somewhere near Calicut. There were two or three survivors,
and he was one of them, and it seems that he was taken up the
country ; so Mrs. Holland is going out to endeavour to ascer-
tain whether he may not be still alive, though perhaps de-





24 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

tained by one of those native princes. Please do everything
you can to make her comfortable, and tell the head steward
that it is my particular wish she shall be well attended to.
Who is she berthed with ?’’

The purser took the passenger list from his pocket.

‘¢ She is with Mrs. Colonel Williamson and the wife of Com-
missioner Larkins.’’

The captain gave a grunt of dissatisfaction. ‘The purser
went on. ‘‘ There is a small cabin vacant, Captain. Two
ladies who were to have it—a mother and daughter—have, I
hear this morning, been unexpectedly detained, owing to the
sudden illness of one of them. Their heavy baggage is all in
the hold, and must go on, and they will follow in the next
ship. Shall I put Mrs. Holland in there ?”’

‘Certainly; this is most fortunate. I don’t think that you
would have been comfortable with the other two, Mrs. Hol-
land. I don’t know the colonel’s wife, but Mrs. Larkins has
travelled with us before, and I had quite enough of her on that
voyage.’”’

‘‘Thank you very much, Captain. It will indeed be a
comfort to have a cabin to myself.”’

Dick found that he was berthed with two young cadets,
whose names, he learned from the cards fastened over the
bunks, were Latham and Fellows. Half-an-hour after the ar-
rival of the Hollands on board, the passengers began to pour
in rapidly, and the deck of the AZadras was soon crowded
with them, their friends, and their luggage. Below, all was
bustle and confusion. Men shouted angrily to stewards ;
women, laden with parcels, blocked the gangway, and appealed
helplessly to every one for information and aid ; sailors carried
down trunks and portmanteaus; and Mrs. Holland, when she
emerged from her cabin, having stowed away her belongings
and made things tidy, congratulated herself on having been the
first on board, and so had not only avoided all this confusion,
but obtained a separate cabin, which she might not otherwise



A LOST FATHER 25

have been able to do, as the captain would have been too busy
to devote any special attention to her. After having handed
her over to the care of the purser, Captain Barstow had spoken
to the second officer, who happened to be passing.

‘¢Mr. Rawlinson,’’ he said, ‘‘ this is the son of my old
friend, Captain Holland. He is going out with his mother.
I wish you would keep your eye upon him, and let him join the
midshipmen in their studies with you in the morning. — Possi-
bly he may enter the Service, and it will be a great advantage
to him to have got up navigation a bit before he does so ; at
any rate it will occupy his mind and keep him out of mischief.
A lad of his age would be like a fish out of water among the
passengers on the quarter-deck.’’

“Ay, ay, sir. I will do what I can for him.’’ And he
hurried away.

Dick saw that, for the present, there was nothing to be done
but to look on, and it was not until the next morning, when
the AZadras was making her way south, outside the Goodwins,
that the second officer spoke to him.

“¢ Ah, there you are, lad! I have been too busy to think of
you, and it will be another day or two before we settle down
to regular work ; however, I will introduce you to one or two
of the midshipmen, and they will make you free of the ship.’’

Dick was indeed already beginning to feel at home. The
long table, full from end to end, had presented such a contrast
to his quiet dinner with his mother, that, as he sat down be-
side her and looked around, he thought he should never get to
speak to any one throughout the voyage. However, he had
scarcely settled himself when a gentleman in a naval uniform,
next to him, made the remark:

“Well, youngster, what do you think of all this? I sup-
pose it is all new to you?”’

‘Tt is, sir. It seems very strange at first, but I suppose I
shall get accustomed to it.’”’

‘¢QOh, yes.. You will find it pleasant enough by-and-bye.



26 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

I am the ship’s doctor ; the purser has been telling me about
you and your mother. I made one voyage with your father ;
it was my first, and a kinder captain I never sailed with. I
heard from the purser that there seems to be a chance of his
being still alive, and that your mother is going out to try and
find out something about him. I hope most sincerely that she
may succeed in doing so; but he has been missing a long time
now. Still, that is no reason why she should not find him ;
there have been instances where men have been kept for years
by some of these rascally natives—why, goodness only knows,
except, I suppose, because they fear and hate us, and think
that some time or other an English prisoner may be useful to
them. Your mother looks far from strong,’’ he went on, as
he glanced across Dick to Mrs. Holland, who was talking to a
lady on the other side of her; ‘‘ has she been ill ?’’

‘* No, sir; I have never known her ill yet. She has been
worrying herself a great deal ; she has waited so long, because
she did not like to go out until she could take me with her.
She has no friends in England with whom she could leave me.
She looks a good deal better now than she did a month ago.
I think directly she settled to come out, and had something to
do, she became better.’’

‘« That is quite natural,’’ the doctor said. ‘* There is noth-
ing so trying as inactivity. I have no doubt that the sea air
will quite set her up again. It performs almost miracles on the
homeward-bound passengers. They come on board looking
pale and listless and washed out; at the end of a month at sea
they are different creatures altogether.’’

The purser had taken pains to seat Mrs. Holland at table
next to a person who would be a pleasant companion for her,
and the lady she was now talking to was the wife of a chaplain
in the army. She had, a year before, returned from India in the
Madras, and he knew her to be a kind and pleasant woman.

Dick did not care for his cabin mates. They were young
fellows of about eighteen years of age; one was a nephew of



A LOST FATHER 27

a Director of the Company, the other the son of a high Indian
official. ‘They paid but little attention to him, generally ig-
noring him altogether, and conversing about things and people
in India in the tone of men to whom such matters were quite
familiar. é

In three or four days Dick became on good terms with the
six midshipmen the JZadras carried ; two of them were younger
than himself, two somewhat older, while the others were near-
ly out of their time, and hoped that this would be their last
trip in the midshipmen’s berth. The four younger lads studied
two hours every morning under the second officer’s instruction,
and Dick took his place at the table regularly with them.
Mathematics had been the only subject in which he had at all
distinguished himself at school, and he found himself able to
give satisfaction to Mr. Rawlinson in his studies of navigation.
After this work was over, they had an hour’s practical instruc-
tion by the boatswain’s mate, on knotting and splicing ropes,
and in other similar matters.

In a fortnight he had learned the names and uses of what had
at first seemed to him the innumerable ropes, and long before
that had accompanied one of the midshipmen aloft. On the
first occasion that he did so, two of the topmen followed him,
with the intention of carrying out the usual custom of lashing
him to the ratlines until he paid his footing. Seeing them
coming up, the midshipman laughed, and told Dick what was
in store for him. The boy had been as awkward as most
beginners in climbing the shrouds, the looseness and give of
the ratlines puzzling him; but he had for years practised climb-
ing ropes in the gymnasium at Shadwell, and was confident in
his power to do anything in that way. The consequence was,
that as soon as the sailors gained the top, where he and the
midshipman were standing, Dick seized one of the halliards
and with a merry laugh came down hand over hand. A min-
ute later, he stood on the deck.

‘Well done, youngster,’’ said the boatswain’s mate, who



28 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

=

happened to be standing by, as Dick’s feet touched the deck.
«This may be the first time you have been on board a ship,
but it is easy to see that it isn’t the first, by a long way, that
you have been on a rope. Could you go up again?”

«« Yes, I should think so,’’ Dick said. ‘*I have never
climbed so high as that, because I have never had the chance ;
but it ought to be easy enough.’’

The man laughed. ‘‘ There are not many sailors who can
do it,” he said. ‘‘ Well, let us see how high you will get.””

As Dick was accustomed to go up a rope thirty feet high,
hand over hand, without using his legs, he was confident that,
with their assistance, he could get up to the main-top, lofty
as it was, and he at once threw off his jacket and started. He
found the task harder than he had anticipated ; but he did it
without a pause. He was glad, however, when the two sailors
above grasped him by the arms, and placed him beside them on
the main-top.

‘Well, sir,’? one said, admiringly, ‘‘we thought you was
a Johnny Newcome by the way you went up the ratlines,
but you came up that rope like a monkey. Well, sir, you
are free up here, and if you weren’t it would not make much
odds to you, for it would take half the ship’s company to capt-
ure you.”’

« pulling five shillings from his pocket and handing them to the
sailors ; for his mother had told him that it was the custom on
first going aloft to make a present to them, and had given him
the money for the purpose. ‘I can climb, but I don’t know
anything about ropes, and I shall be very much obliged if you
will teach me all you can.”’



A BRUSH WITH PRIVATEERS 29

CHAPTER II
A BRUSH WITH PRIVATEERS

ICK was surprised when, on descending to the deck, he
found that what seemed to him a by no means very diffi-
cult feat had attracted general attention. Not only did half a
dozen of the sailors pat him on the back with exclamations ex-:
pressive of their surprise and admiration, but the other mid-
shipmen spoke quite as warmly, the eldest saying, ‘‘I could
have got up the rope, Holland, but I could not have gone up
straight, as you did, without stopping for a bit to take breath.
You don’t look so very strong, either.’’

‘‘J think that it is knack more than strength,’’ Dick re-
plied. ‘I have done a lot of practice at climbing, for I have
always wanted to get strong, and I heard that there was no bet-
ter exercise.’’

When, presently, Dick went aft to the quarter-deck, Captain
Barstow said to him, ‘‘ You have astonished us all, lad. I
could hardly believe my eyes when I saw you going up that
rope. I first caught sight of you when you had climbed but
twenty feet, and wondered how far you would get at that pace.
I would have wagered a hundred guineas to one that you
would not have kept it up to the top. Well, lad, whatever
profession you take to, it is certain that you will be a good
sailor spoilt.’’

They had now been three weeks out, but had made slow
progress, for the winds had been light, and mostly from the
south-west. ‘This is very dull work,’’ the doctor said to
Dick one day at dinner. ‘‘ Here we are, three weeks out,
and still hardly beyond the Channel. There is one consola-
tion: it is not the fault of the ship; she has been doing well
under the circumstances, but the fates have been against her



30 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

thus far. I have no doubt there are a score of ships still ly-
ing in the Downs, that were there when we passed; and,
tedious as it has been beating down the Channel, with scarce
wind enough most of the time to keep our sails full, it would
have been worse lying there all the time.”’

“¢ Still, we have gained a good bit on them, sir.”’

‘« Tf the wind were to change round, say to the north-east,
and they brought it along with them, they would soon make
up for lost time, for it would not take them three days to run
here. However, we shall begin to do better soon; I heard
the captain say that he should change his course to-morrow.
We are somewhere off Cork, and when he makes a few miles
more westing, he will bear away south. If we had had a
favourable wind, we should have taken our departure from the
start, but with it in this quarter we are obliged to make more
westing before we lay her head on her course, or we should
risk getting in too close to the French coast; and their priva-
teers are as thick as peas there.’’

“*But we should not be afraid of a French privateer,
doctor? ’”’

“Well, not altogether afraid of one, but they very often
go-in couples; and sometimes three of them will work to-
gether. I don’t think one privateer alone would venture to
attack us, though she might harass us a bit, and keep up a
distant fire, in hopes that another might hear it and bear down
to her aid. But it is always as well to keep free of them if
one can; you see, an unlucky shot might knock one of our
sticks out of us, which would mean delay and trouble, if no
worse. We had a sharp brush with two of them on the last
voyage, but we beat them off. We were stronger then than
we are now, for we had two hundred troops on board, and
should have astonished them if they had come close enough
to try boarding—in fact, we were slackening our fire, to tempt
them to do so, when they made out that a large craft coming
up astern was an English frigate, and sheered off. I don’t



A BRUSH WITH PRIVATEERS 31

know what the end of it was, but I rather fancy they were
~taken. ‘The frigate followed them, gaining fast, and, later on,
we could hear guns in the distance.”’

<‘ You did not join in the chase then, doctor ?”’

‘«QOh no; our business is not fighting. If we are attacked,
of course we defend ourselves ; but we don’t go a foot out of
our way if we can help it.’’

Three weeks at sea had done wonders for Mrs. Holland.
Now that she was fairly embarked upon her quest, the expres-
sion of anxiety gradually died out; the sea air braced up her
nerves, and, what was of still greater benefit to her, she was
able to sleep soundly and dreamlessly, a thing she had not
done for years. Dick was delighted at the change in her.

_*You look quite a different woman, mother,’’ he said.
“‘J don’t think your friends at Shadwell would know you if
they were to see you now.”’

‘*T feel a different woman, Dick. I have not felt so well
and so bright since your father sailed on his last voyage. I
am more convinced than ever that we shall succeed. I have
been trying very hard for years to be hopeful, but now I feel
so without trying. Of course, it is partly this lovely weather
and the sea air, and sleeping so well; and partly because
every one is so kind and pleasant.’’

As soon ast he Madras had been headed for the south, she
began to make better way. The wind freshened somewhat,
but continued in the same quarter. Grumbling ceased over
the bad luck they were having, and hopeful anticipations that
after all they would make a quick passage were freely indulged
in. On the fourth day after changing her course, she was off
the coast of Spain, which was but a hundred and fifty miles
distant. At noon that day the wind dropped suddenly, and
an hour later it was a dead calm.

“« We are going to have a change, Dick,’’ the doctor said,
as he stopped by the lad, who was leaning against the bulwark
watching a flock of sea-birds that were following a shoal of



32 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

fish, dashing down among them with loud cries, and too in-
tent upon their work to notice the ship lying motionless a
hundred yards away.

‘«< What sort of a change, doctor ?”’

‘* Most likely a strong blow, though from what quarter it is
too soon to say. However, we have no reason to grumble.
After nearly a month of light winds, we must expect a turn of
bad weather. I hope it will come from the north. That will
take us down to the latitude of Madeira, and beyond that we
may calculate upon another spell of fine weather, until we
cross the Line.”’

As the afternoon wore on, the weather becaine more dull.
There were no clouds in the sky, but the deep blue was dimmed
by asort of haze. Presently, after a talk between the captain
and the first Officer, the latter gave the order, ‘ All hands take
in sail.”’

The order had been expected, and the men at once swarmed
up the rigging. Ina quarter of an hour all the upper sails
were furled. The light spars were then sent down to the deck.

«‘ You may as well get the top-gallant sails off her too, Mr.
Green,’’ the captain said to the first officer.‘ It is as well to
be prepared for the worst. It is sure to blow pretty hard
when the change comes.’’ ;

The top-gallant sails were got in, and when the courses had
been brailed up and secured, the hands were called down.
Presently the captain, after going to his cabin, rejoined Mr.
Green.

«« The glass has gone up again,’’ Dick heard him say.

«‘ That looks as if it were coming from the north, sir.”’

«« Ves, with some east in it; it could not come from a better
quarter.’’ He turned and gazed steadily in that direction
<¢ Yes, there is dark water over there.”’

‘¢ So there is, sir ; that is all right. Idon’t mind how hard
it blows, so that it does but come on gradually.”’

«‘T agree with you. These hurricane bursts when one is



A BRUSH WITH PRIVATEERS 33

becalmed are always dangerous, even when one is under bare
poles.’

Gradually the dark line on the horizon crept up towards the
ship. As it reached her the sails bellied out, and she began
to move through the water. The wind increased in strength
rapidly, and in half-an-hour she was running south at ten or
eleven knots an hour. The thermometer had fallen many de-
grees, and as the sun set the passengers were glad to go below
for shelter. Before going to bed Dick went up on deck for a
few minutes. ‘The topsails had been reefed down, but the
Madras was rushing through the water at a high rate of speed.
The sea was getting up, and the waves were crested with foam.
Above, the stars were shining brilliantly.

‘« Well, lad, this is a change, is it not?’’ the captain said,
as he came along in a pea-jacket.

«« We seem to be going splendidly, Captain.”’

“¢Yes, we are walking along grandly, and making up for
lost time.’’

“« Tt is blowing hard, sir.’’

« I do not think it will be anything very severe. Things won’t
be so comfortable downstairs for the next day or two, but that
is likely to be the worst of it.”’

The motion of the ship kept Dick awake for some time, but,
wedging himself tightly in his berth, he presently fell off to
sleep, and did not awake again until morning. His two cabin
mates were suffering terribly from sea-sickness, but he felt per-
fectly well, although it took him a long time to dress, so great
was the motion of the ship. On making his way on deck, he
found that overhead the sky was blue and bright, and the sun
shining brilliantly. The wind was blowing much harder than
on the previous evening, and a heavy sea was running; but as
the sun sparkled on the white crests of the waves, the scene was
far less awe-inspiring than it had been when he looked out
before retiring to his berth. The ship, under closely-reefed



34 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

main and fore top-sails, was tearing through the water at a
high rate of speed, throwing clouds of spray from her bows,
and occasionally taking a wave over them that sent a deluge of
water along the deck.

‘* What do you think of this, lad?’’ Mr. Rawlinson, who
was in charge of the watch, asked him, as, after watching his
opportunity, he made a rush to the side and caught a firm hold
of a shroud.

‘¢ Tt is splendid, sir,’’ he said. ‘‘ Has she been going like
this all night ?”’

The officer nodded.

-“ Flow long do you think it will last, sir ? ’’

“¢ Two or three days.’’

‘« Will it be any worse, sir ?’’

“‘Not likely to be; it is taking us along rarely, and it is
doing us good in more ways than one. Look there; ’’ and
as they rose on a wave, he pointed across the water behind
Dick. The lad turned and saw a brig running parallel to
their course, half a mile distant.

‘« What of her, sir ?’”’

‘¢ That is a French privateer, unless I am greatly mistaken.’’

‘¢ But she has the British ensign flying, sir ?”’

‘“ Ay, but that goes for nothing. She may possibly be a
trader on her way down to the Guinea coast, but by the cut
of her sails and the look of her hull, I have no doubt that she
is a Frenchman.”’

‘« We are passing her, sir.’’

‘© Oh, yes ; in a gale and a heavy sea, weight tells, and we
shall soon leave her astern ; but in fine weather I expect she
could sail round and round us. Ifthe French could fight
their ships as well as they can build them, we should not be in
it with them.’’

“¢ Why don’t we fire at her, Mr. Rawlinson ?’”’

The officer laughed. ‘* How are you going to work your
guns with the ship rolling like this? No, lad, we are like two



A BRUSH WITH PRIVATEERS 35

muzzled dogs at present—we can do nothing but watch each
other. Iam sorry to say that I don’t think the fellow is alone.
Two or three times I have fancied that I caught a glimpse of
a sail on our starboard quarter. JI could not swear to it, but I
don’t think I was mistaken, and I called the captain’s atten-
tion that way just before he went down ten minutes ago, and
he thought he saw it too. However, as there was nothing to
be done, he went down for a caulk ; he had not left the deck
since noon yesterday.’”’

“But ifshe is no bigger than the other, I suppose we shall
leave her behind, too, Mr. Rawlinson ?’’

«« Ay, lad, we shall leave them both behind presently ; but
if they are what I think, we are likely to hear more of them
later on. They would not be so far off-shore as this unless
they were on the look-out for Indiamen, which of course keep
much farther out than ships bound up the Mediterranean ; and
having once spotted us they will follow us like hounds ona
deer’s trail. However, I think they are likely to find that
they have caught a tartar when they come up to us. Ah!
here is the doctor. Well, doctor, what is the report below ?”’

“‘Only the usual number of casualties,—a sprained wrist, a
few contusions, and three or four cases of hysterics.’’

‘«Js mother all right, doctor? ’’ Dick asked.

‘As I have heard nothing of her, I have no doubt she is.
Iam quite sure that she will not trouble me with hysterics.
Women who have had real trouble to bear, Dick, can be
trusted to keep their nerves steady in a gale.”’

“«T suppose you call this a gale, doctor? ”’

‘“‘ Certainly ; it is astiff north-easterly gale, and if we were
facing it instead of running before it, you would not want to
ask the question. That is a suspicious-looking craft, Rawlin-
son,’’ he broke off, catching sight of the brig now on their
port quarter. -

“Yes, she is a privateer I have no doubt, and unless I am
mistaken she has a consort somewhere out there to starboard.





36 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

However, we need not trouble about them; travelling as we
are, we are going two knots an hour faster than the brig.”’

«So much the better,’’ the doctor said shortly. ‘* We can
laugh at one of these fellows, but when it comes to two of
them, I own that I don’t care for their company. So the
longer this gale holds on, the better.”

The mate nodded.

‘¢ Well, Dick,’’ the doctor went on, ‘‘ do you feel as if you
will be able to eat your breakfast ?”’

‘«]T shall be ready enough for it, doctor, but I don’t see how
it will be possible to eat it, with the vessel rolling like this.’

“« You certainly will not be able to sit down to it—nothing
would stay on the table a minute; there will be no regular
breakfast to-day. You must get the steward to cut you a
chunk of cold meat, put it between two slices of bread, and
make a sandwich of it. As to tea, ask him to give you a
bottle and to pour your tea into that; then, if you wedge
yourself into a corner, you will find that you are able to man-
age your breakfast comfortably, and can amuse yourself watch-
ing people trying to balance a cup of tea in their hand.’’

Not more than half a dozen passengers ventured on deck for
the next two days, but at the end of that time the force of the
wind gradually abated, and on the following morning the
Madras had all her sails set to a light but still favourable
breeze. Madeira had been passed, to Dick’s disappointment ;
but, except for a fresh supply of vegetables, there was no oc-
casion to put in there, and the captain grudged the loss of a
day while so favourable a wind was taking them along.

“‘Do you think we shall see anything of that brig again,
doctor ?’’ Dick asked, as, for the first time since the wind
sprang up, the passengers sat down to a comfortable breakfast.

«There is no saying, Dick. Ifwe gained two knots an
hour during the blow (and I don’t suppose we gained more
than one and a half), they must be a hundred and twenty
miles or so astern of us; after all, that is only half aday’s run.



A BRUSH WITH PRIVATEERS 37

I think they are pretty sure to follow us for a bit, for they will
know that in light winds they travel faster than we do, and if
we get becalmed while they still hold the breeze, they will
come up hand over hand. It is likely enough that in another
three days or so we may get a sight of them behind us.’’

This was evidently the captain’s opinion also, for during the
day the guns were overhauled, and their carriages examined,
and the muskets brought up on deck and cleaned. On the
following day the men were practised at the guns, and then
had pike and cutlass exercise. None of the passengers partic-
ularly noticed these proceedings, for Dick had been warned
by the captain to say nothing about the brig; and as he was
the only passenger on deck at the time, no whisper of the
privateers had come to the ears of the others. The party
were just going down to lunch on the third day when a look-
out in the maintop hailed the deck,—

‘« A sail astern.”’

“« How does she bear ?’”’

‘«She is dead astern of us, sir, and I can only make out her
upper sails. I should say that they are her royals.”’

Mr. Green ran up, with his telescope slung over his shoul-
der. ‘‘I cannot make much out of her, sir,’’ he shouted to
the captain; ‘*she may be anything. She must be nearly
thirty miles astern. I think, with Pearson, that it is her
royals we see.’’

«<'Take a look round, Mr. Green.”’

The mate did so, and presently called down, ‘‘ I can make
out something ‘else away on the starboard quarter, but so far
astern that I can scarce swear to her. Still, it can be nothing
but a sail.’’

“‘Thank you, Mr. Green; I daresay that we shall know
more about her later on.”’

When the captain joined the passengers at table, one of the
ladies said, ‘‘ You seem interested in that ship astern of us,
captain.”’



38 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

‘Yes, Mrs. Seaforth; one is always interested in a ship
when one gets down as far as this. She may be another
Indiaman, and although the Zadras has no claim to any
great speed in a light breeze like this, one never likes being
passed.”

‘The explanation was considered as sufficient, and nothing
more was said on the subject. By sunset the upper sails of
the stranger could be make out from the deck of the AfZadras.
Mr. Green again went up and had a look at her.

«She is coming up fast,’’ he said, when he rejoined the
captain. ‘¢She keeps so dead in our wake that I can’t make
out whether she is a brig or a three-master ; but I fancy that
she is a brig, by the size and cut of her sails. I can see the
other craft plainly enough now ; she is eight or ten miles west
of the other and has closed in towards her since I made her
out before. I have no doubt that she is a large schooner.”’

« Well, it is a comfort that they are not a few miles nearer,
Mr. Green. ‘There is no chance of their overtaking us before
morning, so we shall be able to keep our watches as usual, and
shall have time to get ready for a fight if there is to be one.”’

“The sooner the better, sir, so that it is daylight; it is
quite certain that they have the legs of us.’’

In the morning when Dick came up he found that the wind
had quite died away, and the sails hung loosely from the
yards. Looking astern, he saw two vessels ; they were some
six miles away, and perhaps two miles apart. As they lay
without steerage way they had swung partly round, and he
saw that they were a brig and a schooner. The former he
had no doubt, from her lofty masts and general appearance,
was the same the Jadras had passed six days before. As the
passengers came up they were full of curiosity as to the vessels.

‘© Of course, we know no more actually than you do your-
selves,’’ the captain said, as some of them gathered round and
questioned him, “ but I may as well tell you frankly that we
have very little doubt about their being two French priva-



A BRUSH WITH PRIVATEERS 39

teers. We passed them during the gale, and had some hopes
that we should not see them again ; but in the light breeze we
have been having during the last few days they have made up
lost ground, and I am afraid we shall have to fight them.”’

Exclamations of alarm broke from some of the ladies who
heard his words.

‘You need not be alarmed, ladies,’? he went on. ‘*‘ We
carry twelve guns, you know, and I expect that all of them
are of heavier metal than theirs. The JZadras is a strongly-
built ship, and will stand a good deal more hammering than
those light craft will, so that I have no doubt we shall give a
good account of ourselves.’’

After breakfast the hatches were opened and the gun-cases
belonging to the passengers brought on deck. Scarce one of
them but had a rifle, and many had in addition a shotgun.
‘The day passed without any change in the positions of the
vessels, for they still lay becalmed.

<¢ Why don’t they get out their boats, and tow their vessels
up?’’ Dick asked the doctor.

«¢ Because they would be throwing away their chances if
they did so. ‘They know that we cannot get away from them,
and. we might smash up their boats as soon as they came
within range. Besides, their speed and superior handiness
give them a pull over us when fighting under sail. They may
try to tow up during the night, if they think they are strong
enough to take us by boarding, but I hardly think they will
do so.”’

The night, however, passed off quietly, but in the morning
a light breeze sprang up from the east, the sails were trimmed,
and the Madras again began to move through the water. By
breakfast time, the craft behind had visibly decreased their
distance. The meal was a silent one. When it was over the
captain said, ‘‘As soon as those fellows open fire, ladies, I
must ask you all to go down into the hold. The sailors have
already cleared a space below the water-line large enough for



4.0 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

you, and they will take down some cushions and so on to
make you as comfortable as possible under the circumstances.
Pray do not be alarmed at any noises you may hear; you will
be below the water-line and perfectly safe from their eiee and
you may be sure that we shall do our best to keep the scoun-

drels from boarding us; and I will let you know from time to

?

time how matters are going.’
The unmarried men at once went up on deck ; the others

lingered for a short time behind, talking to their wives and
daughters, and then followed.

« The wind has strengthened a bit, Mr. Green,
tain said, ‘and I fancy we shall get more.”’

«« [ think so too, Captain.”

“©Then you may as well get off the upper sails and make
her snug. ‘Get off everything above the top-gallant ; then, if
the wind increases, we shall not want to call the men away

?

the cap-

from the guns.”’

The crew had, without orders, already mustered at quarters.
The lashings had been cast off the guns, the boatswain had
opened the magazines, and a pile of shot stood by each gun,
together with cases of canister and grape-shot for close work.
Boarding-pikes and cutlasses were ranged along by the bul-
warks. The men had thrown aside their jackets, and many of
those at the guns were stripped to the waist. Some of them
were laughing and talking, and Dick saw, by their air of con-
fidence, that they had no doubt of their ability to beat off the
assault of the privateers.

‘The latter were the first to open the ball. burst out from the brig’s bows, followed almost instantly by
one from the schooner. Both shots fell short, and for a quarter
of an hour the three vessels kept on their way.

‘* We have heavier metal than that,’’ the captain said cheer-
fully, **and I have no doubt we could reach them; but it is
not our game to play at long bowls, for it is probable that
both of them carry a long pivot gun, and if they were to draw





A BRUSH WITH PRIVATEERS 41

off a bit, they could annoy us amazingly, while we could not
reach them.’’

Presently the privateers opened fire again. They were now
about a mile away, and the same distance from each other.
Their shot fell close to the Indiaman, and two or three passea
through her sails. Still no reply was made. The men at the
guns fidgeted and kept casting glances towards the poop, in
expectation of an order. It came at last, but was not what
they had expected.

“‘ Double-shot your guns, men,’’ the captain said.

Scarcely was the order obeyed when the brig, which was
now on the port quarter, luffed up a little into the wind and
fired a broadside of eight guns. There was a crashing of wood:
the AZadras was hulled in three places; two more holes ap-
peared in her sails; while the other shot passed harmlessly
just astern of her. There was an angry growl among the
sailors as the schooner bore away a little and also fired her
broadside. Except that a man was struck down by a splinter
from the bulwarks, no damage was done.

‘« Bear up a little,’’ the captain said to the second officer,
who was standing by the helmsman. ‘I want to edge ina
little towards the brig, but not enough for them to notice it.
Now, gentlemen,’’ he went on to the passengers, ‘‘ I have no
doubt that most of you are good shots, and I want you, after
we have fired our broadside, to direct your attention to the
brig’s helmsmen. If you can render it impossible for the men
to stand at the wheel, we will make mincemeat of this fellow
in no time. Directly I have fired our port broadside, I am
going to bring her up into the wind on the opposite tack, and
give him the starboard broadside at close quarters. Don’t fire
until we have gone about, and then pick off the helmsmen if
youcan. Get ready, men.’”’ The brig was now but a little
more than a quarter of a mile distant. ‘‘ Aim at the foot of
his mainmast,’’ he went on. ‘ Let each man fire as he gets
the mast on his sight.”’



42 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

A moment later the first gun fired, and the whole broad-
side followed in quick succession.

<¢ Down with the helm! Hard down, sheets and tacks! ”’

The men whose duty it was to trim the sails ran to the
sheets and braces. The W/adras swept up into the wind, and
as her sails drew on the other tack she came along on a course
that would take her within a hundred yards of the brig. As
she approached, three rifles cracked out on her poop. One of
the men at the helm of the brig fell, and as he did so, half a
dozen more shots were fired; and as his companion diopped
beside him, the brig, deprived of her helm, flew up into the
wind. Three men ran aft to the wheel, but the deadly rifles
spoke out again. ‘Two of them fell; the third dived under
the bulwark, for shelter.

‘‘ Steady, men!’’ the captain shouted. ‘‘ Fetch her main-
mast out of her!”

As they swept along under the stern of the brig, each gun
of their other broadside poured in its fire in succession, raking
the crowded deck from end to end. A moment later the
mainmast was seen to sway, and a tremendous cheer broke
from the Madras as it went over the side, dragging with it
the foretopmast with all its gear.

«Down with the helm again!’’ the captain shouted.
«« Bring her head to wind, and keep her there !”’

The first officer sprang forward to see that the order was
carried into effect, and a minute later the Indiaman lay, with
her sails aback, at a distance of a hundred yards, on the quar- -
ter of the brig.

«« Grape and canister ! ”’ the captain shouted, and broadside
after broadside swept the decks of the brig, which, hampered
by her wreckage, was lying almost motionless in the water.
So terrible was the fire that the privateer’s men threw down
the axes with which they were striving to cut away the float-
ing spars, and ran below.

‘¢ Double-shot your guns, and give her one broadside be-





THE “MADRAS” BEATS OFF TWO FRENCH PRIVATEERS,



A BRUSH WITH PRIVATEERS 43

tween wind and water!’’ the captain ordered. ‘Haul on
the sheets and braces, Mr. Green, and get her on her course
again—the schooner won’t trouble us now.”’

That craft had indeed at first luffed up, to come to the as-
sistance of her consort; but on seeing the fall of the latter’s
mast, and that she was incapable of rendering any assistance,
had again altered her course, feeling her incapacity to engage
so redoubtable an opponent single-handed. Three hearty
cheers broke from all on board the AZadras, as, after pouring
in a broadside at a distance of fifty yards, she left the brig be-
hind her and proceeded on her way.

“«Then you don’t care about taking prizes, captain? ’’ one
of the passengers said, as they crowded round to congratulate
him upon his easy and almost bloodless victory.

“*No, taking prizes is not my business; and were I to
weaken my crew by sending some of them off in a prize, I
might find myself short-handed if we met another of these
gentlemen, or fell in with bad weather. Besides, she would
not be worth sending home.’’

‘¢ The. brig is signalling to her consort, sir,’’ Mr. Green said,
coming up.

“Ay, ay; I expect she wants help badly enough. I saw
the chips fly close to her water-line as we gave her that last
broadside.”

«They are lowering a boat,’’ one of the passengers said.

‘«So they are; I expect. they haven’t got more than one
that can swim. I think she is settling down,’’ the captain
said, as he looked earnestly at the wreck astern. <‘‘ See how
they are crowding into that boat, and how some of the others
are cutting and slashing to get the wreckage clear of her.’’

‘«She is certainly a good bit lower in the water than she
was,’’ the first officer agreed. ‘‘ The schooner has come
round, and won’t be long before she is alongside of her.’’

There was no doubt that the brig was settling down fast.
Men stood on the bulwarks and waved their caps frantically to

”



44 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

the schooner; others could be seen, by the aid of a glass,
casting spars, hen-coops, and other articles, overboard, and
jumping into the water after them; and soon the sea around
the wreck was dotted with heads and floating fragments, while
the wreckage of the mainmast was clustered with men.
When the Jadras was a mile away, the schooner was lying
thrown up head to wind fifty yards from the brig, and her
boats were already engaged in picking up the swimmers.
Suddenly the brig gave a heavy lurch.

«« There she goes!’’ the captain exclaimed. A moment
later the hull had disappeared, and the schooner remained
alone.

By this time the whole of the ladies had ascended from their
place of safety to the poop, and a general exclamation broke
from the passengers as the brig disappeared.

«The schooner will pick them all up,’’ the captain said.
‘«« They must have suffered heavily from our fire, but I don’t
think any will have gone down with her. The boat which
has already reached the schooner must have taken a good
many, and the mainmast and foretopmast and spars would sup-
port the rest, to say nothing of the things they have thrown
overboard. There is one wasp the less afloat.”’

No further adventure was met with throughout the voyage.
They had a spell of bad weather off the Cape, but the captain
said it was nothing to the gales they often encountered there,
and that the voyage as a whole was an exceptionally good one ;
for even after the delays they had encountered at the start, the
passage had lasted but four months and a half. They touched
at Point de Galle for news, and to ascertain whether any
French war-ships had been seen of late along the coast. A
supply of fresh vegetables and fruit was taken on board, as the
vessel, after touching at Madras, was to go on to Calcutta. A
few of the passengers landed at Point de Galle, but neither
Dick nor his mother went ashore.

“You will have plenty of opportunities of seeing Indians



A BRUSH WITH PRIVATEERS 45

later on, Dick,’’ Mrs. Holland had said; ‘‘ and as the gigs
will not take all ashore, we may as well stop quietly here. I
heard the captain say that he would weigh anchor again in
four hours.”’

Dick was rather disappointed, but as they’ would be at
Madras before long, he did not much mind. ‘Ten days later
they anchored off that town. Little was to be seen except
the fort, anumber of warehouses, and the native town, while
the scenery contrasted strongly with that of Ceylon, with its
masses of green foliage with hills rising behind. For the last
fortnight Mrs. Holland had been somewhat depressed. Now
that the voyage was nearly over, the difficulties of the task be-
fore her seemed greater than they had done when viewed from
a distance, and she asked herself whether, after all, it would
not have been wiser to have waited another two or three years,
until Dick had attained greater strength and manhood. The
boy, however, when she confided her doubts to him, laughed
at the idea.

‘¢ Why, you know, mother,’’ he said, ‘‘ we agreed that I had
a much greater chance as a boy of going about unsuspected,
than I should have as a man; besides, we could never have
let father remain any longer without trying to get him out.
No, no, mother, you know we have gone through it over and
over again, and talked about every chance. We have hada
first-rate voyage, and everything is going on just as we could
have wished, and it would never do to begin to have doubts
now. We have both felt confident all along. It seems to me
that of all things we must keep on being confident, at‘any rate
until there is something to give us cause to doubt.”’

On the following morning they landed in a surf-boat, and
were fortunate in getting ashore without being drenched.
There was a rush of wild-looking and half-naked natives to
seize their baggage ; but upon Mrs. Holland, with quiet deci-
sion, accosting the men in their own language, and picking
out four of them to carry the baggage up to one of the vehicles



46 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

standing on the road that ran along the top of the high beach,
the rest fell back, and the matter was arranged without diffi-
culty. After a drive of twenty minutes, they stopped at a
hotel.

‘«Tt is not like a hotel, mother,’’ Dick remarked, as they
drew up; ‘‘it is more like a gentleman’s house, standing in
its own park.’”’

‘¢ Almost all the European houses are built so here, Dick,
and it is much more pleasant than when they are packed to-
gether.’’

“* Much nicer,’’ Dick agreed. ‘‘ If each house has a lot of
ground like this, the place must cover a tremendous extent of
country.’’

“«Tt does, Dick; but as every one keeps horses and car-
riages, that does not matter much. Blacktown, as they call
the native town, stands quite apart from the European quar-
tere

As soon as they were settled in their rooms, which seemed
to Dick singularly bare and unfurnished, mother and son went
out for a drive in one of the carriages belonging to the hotel.
Dick had learned so much about India from her that, although
extremely interested, he was scarcely surprised at the various
scenes that met his eye, or at the bright and varied costumes
of the natives. Many changes had taken place during the
seventeen years that had elapsed since Mrs. Holland had left
India. The town had increased greatly in size. All signs of
the effects of the siege by the French, thirty years before, had
been long since obliterated. Large and handsome government
buildings had been erected, and evidences of wealth and pros-
perity were everywhere present.



THE RAJAH 47

CHAPTER III
THE RAJAH

‘¢ KTOW, mother, let us talk over our plans,’’ Dick said, as,

after dinner, they seated themselves in two chairs in the
veranda, at some little distance from the other guests at the
hotel. ‘‘ How are we going to begin ?”’

‘¢Tn the first place, Dick, we shall to-morrow send out a
messenger to Tripataly, to tell my brother of our arrival here.’’

‘« How far is it, mother? ”’

“Tt is about a hundred and twenty miles in a straight line,
I think, but a good bit farther than that by the way we shall
go.”

“¢ How shall we travel, mother ? ”’

‘« J will make some inquiries to-morrow, but I think that
the pleasantest way will be to drive from here to Conjeveram.
I think that is about forty miles. There we can take a native
boat, and go up the river Palar past Arcot and Vellore, to
Vaniambaddy. From there it is only about fifteen miles to
Tripataly. I shall tell my brother the way I propose going.
Of course, if he thinks any other way will be better, we shall
go by that.”

‘« Are we going to travel as we are, mother, or in native
dress ?”’

‘¢ That is a point that I have been thinking over, Dick; I
will wait and ask my brother which he thinks will be the best.
When out there I always dressed as a native, and never put on
English clothes except at Madras. I used to come down here
two or three times every year with my mother, and generally
stayed for a fortnight or three weeks. During that time we
always dressed in English fashion, as by so doing we could live
at the hotel and take our meals at public tables without excit-



48 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

ing comment. My mother knew several families here, and
liked getting back to English ways occasionally. Of course,
I shall dress in Indian fashion while I stay at my brother’s, so it
is only the question of how we shall journey there, and I think
I should prefer going as we are. We shall excite no special
observation travelling as English, as it will only be supposed
that we are on our way to pay a visit to some of our officers at
Arcot. At Conjeveram, which is a large place, there is sure
to be a hotel of some sort or other, for it is on the main road
from Madras south. On the way up by water we shall of
course sleep on board, and we shall go direct from the boat to
Tripataly. However, we need not decide until we get an
answer to my letter, for it will take a very short time to get
the necessary dresses for us both. I think it most likely that
my brother will send down one of his officers to meet us, or
possibly may come down himself. You heard what they were
all talking about at dinner, Dick ?”’

‘‘Yes, mother, it was something about Tippoo attacking
the Rajah of Travancore, but I did not pay much attention to
it. I was looking at the servants in their curious dresses.’’

‘¢Tt is very important, Dick, and will probably change all
our plans. Travancore is in alliance with us, and every one
thinks that Tippoo’s attack on it will end in our being engaged
in war with him. I was talking to the officer who sat next
to me, and he told me that if there had been a capable man
at the head of government here, war would have been declared
as soon as the Sultan moved against Travancore. Now that
General Meadows had been appointed governor and com-
mander-in-chief, there was no doubt, he said, that an army
would move against Tippoo in a very short time—that it was
already being collected, and that a force was marching down
here from Bengal. So you see, my boy, if this war really
breaks out, the English may march to Seringapatam and com-
pel Tippoo to give up all the captives he has in his hands.’’

‘« That would be splendid, mother.”’



THE RAJAH 49

‘© At any rate, Dick, as long as there is a hope of your father
being rescued in that way, our plans must be put aside.’’

‘¢ Well, mother, that will be better in some respects, for of
course if father is not rescued by our army I can try after-
wards as we arranged. It would be an advantage in one way,
as I should then be quite accustomed to the country and more
fit to make my way about.’’

A week later. an old officer arrived from Tripataly.

‘¢ Ah, Rajbullub,’’ Mrs. Holland exclaimed, as he came up
with a deep salaam, ‘‘1 am indeed glad to see you again. I
knew you were alive, for my brother mentioned you when he
wrote last year.’’

Rajbullub was evidently greatly pleased at the recognition.
‘‘T think I should have known you, lady,’’ he said; but
eighteen years makes more changes in the young than in the
old. ‘Truly I am glad to see you again. There was great joy
among us who knew you as a child, when the Rajah told us
that you were here. He has sent me on to say that he will
arrive to-morrow. I am to see to his apartments, and to
have all in readiness. He intends to stay here some days
before returning to Tripataly.’’

«Will he come to this hotel ?”’

‘© No, lady, he will take the house he always has when he is
here; it is kept for the use of our princes when they come
down to Madras. He bade me say that he hopes you will
remain here, for that none of the rooms could be got ready at
such ashort notice; he has not written, for he hates writing,
which is a thing that he has small occasion for. I was to tell
you that his heart rejoiced at the thought of seeing you again,
and that his love for you is as warm as it was when you were a
boy and girl together.’’

‘¢ This is my son, Rajbullub. He has often heard me speak
of you.”’

«Ves, indeed,’’ Dick said warmly. ‘‘ 1 heard how you saved
her from being bitten by a cobra when she was a little girl.”’



50 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

‘*Ah! the young lord speaks our tongue,’’ Rajbullub said,
with great pleasure. ‘‘ We wondered whether you would have
taught it to him. If it had not been that you always wrote
to my lord in our language, we should have thought that you
yourself would surely have forgotten it after dwelling so long
among the white sahibs.’’

‘*No, we always speak it when together, Rajbullub. I
thought that he might some day come out here, and that he
would find it very useful; and I, too, have been looking for-
ward to returning for a time to the home where I was born.”’

There were many questions to ask about her brother, his
wife and two sons; they were younger than Dick, for Mrs.
Holland was three years senior to the Rajah. At last she
said, ‘‘I will not detain you longer, Rajbullub. I know that
you will have a great deal to do to get ready for my brother’s
coming. At what time will he arrive? ’’

‘‘ He hopes to be here by ten in the morning, before the
heat of the day sets in.’’

‘¢T shall, of course, be there to meet him.’’

“©So he hoped, lady. He said that he would have come
straight here first, but he thought it would be more pleasant for
you to meet him in privacy.’’

“* Assuredly it would,’’ she agreed.

“«T will bring a carriage for you here at nine o’clock, and
take you and my young lord to the Rajah’s house.”’

At the appointed time a handsome carriage and pair drove
up to the door of the hotel, and in ten minutes Mrs. Holland
and Dick alighted in the courtyard of a large house. Four
native servants were at the door, and the old officer led the
way to a spacious room. This was carpeted with handsome
rugs ; soft cushions were piled on the divan running round the
room, the divan itself being covered with velvet and silk rugs ;
looking - glasses were ranged upon the walls; a handsome
chandelier hung from the roof; draperies of gauze, lightly em-
broidered with gold, hung across the windows.



THE RAJAH 51

‘* Why, Rajbullub, you have done wonders—that is, if the
house was unfurnished yesterday.’’

“Tt is simple,’’ the Hindoo said. ‘‘ My lord your brother,
like other rajahs who use the house when they come down here,
has a room upstairs in which are kept locked up everything re-
quired for furnishing the rooms he uses. Four of his servants
came down here with me. We had but to call in sweepers to
clear the house from dust and wash down the marble floors, and
then everything was put into its place. The cook, who also
came down, has hired assistants, and all will be ready for my
lord when he arrives.”’

In half-an-hour one of the servants ran in and announced
that the Rajah was in the courtyard. There was a great tramp-
ling of hoofs, and a minute later he ascended the stairs and
was met by his sister and Dick at the door of the room. Mrs.
‘Holland had attired herself handsomely, not so much for the
sake of her brother, but that, as his sister, those with him
would expect to see in her an English lady of position, and
Dick thought that he had never seen her looking so well as
when, in a dress of rich brocade, and with a flush of pleasure
and expectation on her cheeks, she advanced to the door. She
was still but a little over thirty-three years old, and although
the long years of anxiety and sorrow had left their traces on her
face, the rest and quiet of the sea voyage had done much to re-
store the fulness of her cheeks and to soften the outline of her
figure. The Rajah, a young and handsome-looking man of
thirty, ascended the stairs with an eagerness and speed that
were somewhat at variance with Dick’s preconceived ideas of
the stateliness of an Eastern prince.

‘« My sister Margaret !’’ he exclaimed in English, and em-
braced her with a warmth that showed that his affection for
her was unimpaired by the years that had passed since he last
saw her. Then he stood with his hands on her shoulders, look-
ing earnestly at her. ‘‘I know you again,’’ he said; ‘‘ you
are changed, but I can recall your face well. You are wel-



52 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

come, Margaret, most welcome. And this is my nephew ?’’
he went on, turning to Dick, and holding out both his hands
to him. < You are taller than I expected—well-nigh as tall as
Iam. You are like your mother and my mother, and you are
bold and active and strong, she writesme. My boys are long-
ing to see you, and you will be most welcome at Tripataly. I
have almost forgotten my English, Margaret ’’—and indeed he
spoke with some difficulty, evidently choosing his words—‘ I
should quite have forgotten it, had not I often had occasion to’
speak it with English officers. I see by your letters that you
have not forgotten our tongue.’’

‘* Not in the least, Mortiz. I have for years spoken noth-
ing else with Dick, and he speaks it as well as I do.’’

“« That is good,’ the Rajah replied, in his own tongue, and
in a tone of relief. ‘I was wondering how he would get on
with us. Now let us sit down. We have so much to tell
each other, and, moreover, I am ravenous for breakfast, as I
have ridden forty miles since sunrise.’’

Breakfast was speedily served, the Rajah eating in English
fashion.

‘«T cling to some of our mother’s ways, you see, Margaret.
As I have grown older I have become more English than I
was. Naturally, as a boy of thirteen, as I was when you last
saw me, I listened to the talk of those around me and was
guided by their opinions a good deal. Among them there
was a feeling of regret that our father had married an English
woman, and I of course was ever trying my hardest to show
that in riding, or the chase, or in exercises of any kind, I was
as worthy to be the son of an Indian rajah as if I had no white
blood in my veins. As I grew up I became wiser. I saw how
great the English were, how steadily they extended their do-
minions, and how vastly better off were our people under their
sway than they were in the days when every rajah made war
against his neighbour, and the land never had rest. Then I
grew proud of my English blood, and although I am to my



THE RAJAH 53

people Rajah of Tripataly, a native prince and lord of their
destinies, keeping up the same state as my father, and ruling
them in native fashion, in my inner house I have adopted
many English ways. My wife has no rival in the zenana. I
encourage her to go about as our mother did, to look after the
affairs of the house, to sit at table with me, and to be my
companion, and not a mere plaything; I am sure, Margaret,
your stay with us will do her much good, and she will learn
a great deal from you.”’

“¢ You have heard no news since you last wrote, Mortiz?”’

A slight cloud passed across the Rajah’s animated face.

“‘None, Margaret. We have little news from beyond the
mountains. Tippoo hates us who are the friends of the Eng-
lish as much as he hates the English themselves, so there is
little communication between Mysore and the possessions of
the Nabob of Arcot. We will talk later on of the plans you
wrote of in your last letter to me.’’

“You do not think that they are hopeless, Mortiz?’’ Mrs.
Holland asked anxiously.

“‘T would not say that they are hopeless,’’ he said gently,
“although it seems to me that, after all these years, the chances
are slight indeed that your husband can be alive ; and the peril
and danger of the enterprise that, so far as I understood you,
you intend your son to undertake, would be terrible indeed.”’

‘We see that, Mortiz; Dick and I have talked it over a
thousand times. But so long as there is but a shadow of a
chance of his finding his father, he is ready to undertake the
search. _ He is a boy in years, but he has been trained for the
undertaking, and will, when the trial comes, bear himself as
well as a man.’’

‘Well, Margaret, I shall have plenty of opportunities for
forming my own judgment, because of course he will stay with
us a long time before he starts on the quest, and it will be
better to say no more of this now. Now tell me about Lon-
don. Is it so much a greater city than Madras ?”’



54 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

Mrs. Holland sighed. She saw by his manner that he was
wholly opposed to her plan, and although she was quite pre-
pared for opposition, she could not help feeling disappointed.
However, she perceived that, as he said, it would be better
to drop the subject for a time, and she accordingly put it
aside and answered his questions.

«¢ Madras is large—that is, it spreads over a wide extent ;
but if it were packed with houses as closely as they could
stand, it would not approach London, in the number of its
population.”’

«« How is it that the English do not send more troops out
here, Margaret ?”’

‘«« Because they can raise troops here, and English soldiers
cannot stand the heat as well as those born to it. Moreover,
you must remember that at present England is at war, not
only with France and half Europe, but also with America.
She is also obliged to keep an army in Ireland, which is
greatly disaffected. With all this on her hands she cannot
send a large army so far across the seas, especially when her
force here is sufficient for all that can be required of it.”’

«¢ That is true,’’ he said. ‘It is wonderful what they have
done out here with such small forces. But they will have
harder work, before they conquer all India—as I believe they
will do—than they have yet encountered. In spite of Tippoo’s
vauntings, they will have Mysore before many years are over.
The Sultan seems to have forgotten the lesson they taught him
six or seven years back. But the next time will be the last,
and Tippoo, tiger as he is, will meet the fate he seems bent on
provoking. But beyond Mysore lies the Mahratta country,
and the Mahrattas alone can put thirty thousand horsemen
into the field. They are not like the people of Bengal, who
have ever fallen, with scarce an attempt at resistance, under
the yoke of one tyrant after another. ‘The Mahrattas are a
nation of warriors; they are plunderers if you will, but they
are brave and fearless soldiers, and might, had they been





THE RAJAH 55

united, have had all India under their feet before the coming
of the English. That chance has slipped from them. But
when we—I say ‘ we,’ you see, Margaret—meet them, it will
be a desperate struggle indeed.’’

‘We shall thrash them, Uncle,’’ Dick broke in; <« you
will see that we shall beat them thoroughly.’’

The Rajah smiled at Dick’s impetuosity.

“So you think English soldiers cannot be beaten, eh ?”’

“Well, Uncle, somehow they never do get beaten. I don’t
know how it is. I suppose that it is just obstinacy. Look
how we thrashed the French here, and they were just as well
drilled as our soldiers, and there were twice as many of them.”’

The Rajah nodded.

‘* One secret of our success, Dick, is that the English get
on better with the natives here than the French do—I don’t
know why, except what I have heard from people who went
through the war ; they say that the French always seemed to
look down on the natives, and treated even powerful allies
with a sort of haughtiness that irritated them and made them
ready to change sides at the first opportunity, while the
British treated them pleasantly, so that there was a real friend-
ship between them.”

Dick, finding that the conversation now turned to the time
when his mother and uncle were girl and boy together, left
them and went downstairs. He found some twenty horses
ranged in the courtyard, while their riders were sitting in the
shade, several of them being engaged in cooking. ‘These
were the escort who had ridden with the Rajah from ‘I'ri-
pataly—for no Indian prince would think of making a journey
unless accompanied by a numerous retinue. Scarcely had he
entered the yard than Rajbullub came up with the officer in
command of the escort, a fine-looking specimen of a Hindoo
soldier. He salaamed as Rajbullub presented him to Dick.
The lad addressed him at once in his own tongue, and they
were soon talking freely together. The officer was surprised



56 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

at finding that his lord’s nephew from beyond the sea was
able to speak the language like a native. First Dick asked
the nature of the country and the places at which they would
halt on their way; then he inquired what force the Rajah
could put into the field, and was somewhat disappointed to
hear that he kept up but a hundred horsemen, including those
who served as an escort.

“* You see, Sahib, there is no occasion for soldiers. Now
that the whites are the masters, they do the fighting for us.
When the Rajah’s father was a young man, he could put two
thousand men under arms, and he joined at the siege of Tni-
chinopoly with twelve hundred. But now there is no longer
need for an army; there is no one to fight. Some of the
young men grumble, but the old ones rejoice at the change.
Formerly they had to go to the plough with their spears and
their swords beside them, because they never knew when
marauders from the hills might sweep down ; besides, when
there was war, they might be called away for weeks, while
the crops were wasting upon the ground. As to the younger
men who grumble, I say to them, ‘If you are tired of a peace-
ful life, go and enlist in a Company’s regiment ;’ and every
year some of them do so. In other ways the change is good.
Now that the Rajah has no longer to keep up an army, he is
not obliged to squeeze the cultivators ; therefore they pay but
a light rent for their lands, and the Rajah is far better off than
his father was ; so that on all sides there is content and pros-
perity. But even now the fear of Mysore has not quite died
out.”’

“¢ My position, Margaret,’’ the Rajah said, after Dick had
left the room, ‘‘is a very precarious one. When Hyder Ali
marched down here, eight years ago, he swept the whole
country from the foot of the hills to-the sea coast. My father
would have been glad to stand neutral, but was, of course,
bound to go with the English, as the Nabob of Arcot, his



THE RAJAH 57

nominal sovereign, went with them. His sympathies were,
of course, with your people, but most of the chiefs were at
heart in favour of Hyder ; it was not that they loved him, or
preferred the rule of Mysore to that of Madras. But at that
time Madras was governed by imbeciles; its Council was com-
posed entirely of timid and irresolute men. It was clear to all
that before any force capable of withstanding him could be
put in the field, the whole country beyond reach of the guns
of the forts at Madras would be at the mercy of Hyder. What
that mercy was, had been shown elsewhere. Whole popula-
tions had been either massacred or carried off as slaves. There-
fore, when the storm was clearly about to burst, almost all of
them sent secret messages to Hyder, to assure him that their
sympathies were with him, and that they would gladly hail
him as ruler of the Carnatic.

‘My father was in no way inclined to take such a step.
His marriage with an English woman, the white blood in my
veins, and his long-known partiality for the English, would
have marked him for certain destruction ; and as soon as he
received news that Hyder’s troops were in movement, he rode
with me to Madras. At that time his force was comparatively
large, and he took three hundred men down with us. He had
allowed all who preferred it to remain behind ; and some four
hundred stayed to look after their families. Most of the
population took to the hills, and as Hyder’s forces were too
much occupied to spend time in scouring the ghauts in search
of fugitives, when there was so much loot and so many captives
ready to their hands on the plains, the fugitives for the most
part remained there in safety. The palace was burnt, the
town sacked and partly destroyed, and some fifteen hundred
of our people who had remained in their homes, killed or
carried off.

‘¢My father did some service with our horse, and I fought
by his side. We were with Colonel Baillie’s force when
it was destroyed, after for two days resisting the whole



58 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

of Hyder Ali’s army. Being mounted, we escaped, and
reached Madras in safety, after losing half our number. But
all that I can tell you about some other day.

‘«« When peace was made and Hyder retired, we returned
home, rebuilt the palace, and restored the town. But if
‘Tippoo follows his father’s example and sweeps down from
the hills, there will be nothing for it but to fly again.
Tippoo commanded one of the divisions of Hyder’s army last
time, and showed much skill and energy, and has, since he
came to the throne, been a scourge to his neighbours in the
north. -So far as I can see, Madras will be found as unpre-
pared as it was last time ; and although the chiefs of Vellore,
Arcot, Conjeveram, and other places may be better disposed
towards the English than they were before—for the Carnatic
had a terrible lesson last time—they will not dare to lift a
finger against him until they see a large British force assembled.

‘©So you see, sister, your posi tion will be a very precarious
one at Tripataly, and it is likely that at any time we may be
obliged to seek refuge here. The trouble may come soon, or
it may not come for a year; but, sooner or later, I regard it
as certain that Tippoo will strive to obtain what his father
failed to gain—the mastership of the Carnatic. Indeed, he
makes no secret of his intention to become lord of the whole
of southern India. The Nizam, his neighbour in the north,
fears his power, and could offer but a feeble resistance, were
Tippoo once master of the south and west coast. The Mah-
rattas can always be bought over, especially if there is a pros-
pect of plunder. He relies, too, upon aid from France; for
although the French, since the capture of Pondicherry, have
themselves lost all chance of obtaining India, they would
gladly aid in any enterprise that would bring about the fall of
English predominance here.

«There are, too, considerable bodies of French troops in
the pay of the Nizam, and these would at any rate force their
master to remain neutral in a struggle between the English and



THE RAJAH 59

Tippoo. However, it will be quite unnecessary that you
should resume our garb, or that Dick should dress in the same
fashion. Did I intend to remain at ‘Tripataly, I should not
wish to draw the attention of my neighbours to the fact that
I had English relations resident with me. Of course, every
one knows that I am half English myself, but that is an old
story now. They would, however, be reminded of it, and
Tippoo would hear of it, and would use it as a pretext for
attacking and plundering us. But as I have decided to come
down here, there is no reason why you should not dress in
European fashion.’’

‘“‘We would remain here, brother,’’ Mrs. Holland said,
‘rather than bring danger upon you. Dick could learn the
ways of the country here as well as with you, and could start
on his search without going to Tripataly.”’

“Not at all, Margaret. Whether you are with me or not,
I shall have to leave Tripataly when Tippoo advances, and
your presence will not in any way affect my plans. My wife
and sons must travel with me, and one woman and boy, more
or less, will make no difference. At present this scheme of
yours seems to me to border on madness. But we need not
discuss that now; I shall at any rate be very glad to have you
both with me. The English side of me has been altogether
in the background since you went away; and though I keep
up many of the customs our mother introduced, I have almost
forgotten the tongue, though I force myself to speak it some-
times with my boys, as I am sure that in the long run the
English will become the sole masters of southern India, and
it will be a great advantage to them to speak the language.
However, I have many other things to see about. and the
companionship of Dick will benefit them greatly. You know
what it always is out here. The sons of a rajah are spoilt
early by every one giving way to them and their being allowed
to do just as they like; naturally they get into habits of in-
dolence and self-indulgence, and never have occasion to exert



60 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

themselves or to obtain the strength and activity that make
our mo her’s countrymen irresistible in battle. They have
been taught to shoot and to ride, but they know little else,
and I am sure it will do them an immense deal of good to
have Dick with them fora time. If nothing comes of this
search for your -husband, I hope you will take up your resi-
dence permanently at Tripataly. You have nothing to go
back to England for, and Dick, with his knowledge of both
languages, should be able to find good employment in the
Company’s service.’

‘“‘Thank you greatly, brother. If, as you say, my quest
should come to nothing, I would gladly settle down in my
old home. Dick’s inclinations at present turn to the sea, but
I have no doubt that what you say is true, and that there may
be far more advantageous openings for him out here. How-
ever, that is a matter for us to talk over in the future.”’

The Rajah stayed four days at Madras. Every morning the
carriage came at nine o’clock to fetch Mrs. Holland, who
spent several hours with her brother, and was then driven back
to the hotel, while Dick wandered about with Rajbullub,
through the native town, asking questions innumerable, observ-
ing closely the different costumes and turbans, and learning to
know at once the district, trade, or caste, from the colour or
fashion of the turban and other little signs.

The shops were an endless source of amusement to him, and
he somewhat surprised his companion by his desire to learn the
names of all the little articles and trinkets, even of the various
kinds of grain. Dick, in fact, was continuing his prepara-
tions for his work. He knew that ignorance of any trifling de-
tail which would, as a matter of course, be known to every na-
tive, would excite more surprise and suspicion than would be
caused by a serious blunder in other matters, and he wrote
down in a note-book every scrap of information he obtained,
so as to learn it by heart at his leisure. Rajbullub was much
surprised at the lad’s interest in all these little matters, which,



THE RAJAH 61

as it seemed to him, were not worth a thought on the part of
his lord’s nephew.

«* You will never have to buy these things, Sahib,’ he said ;
“¢why should you trouble about them ?’’

«‘T am going to be over here some time, Rajbullub, and it is
just as well to learn as much as one can. If I were to stroll
into the market in Tripataly, and had a fancy to buy any tri-
fle, the country people would laugh in my face were I ignorant
of its name.”’

His companion shook his head. 4

“‘They would not expect any white sahib to know such
things,’’ he said. <‘If he wants to buy anything, the white
sahib points to it and asks, How much? Then, whether it is
a brass iota, or a silver trinket, or a file, or a bunch of fruit,
the native says a price four times as much as he would ask
any one else. Then the sahib offers him half, and after pro-
testing many times that the sum is impossible, the dealer ac-
cepts it, and both parties are well satisfied. If you have seen
anything that you want to buy, Sahib, tell me, and I will go
and get it for you; then you will not be cheated.”

The start for Tripataly was made at daybreak. Dick and
his mother drove in an open carriage that had been hired for
the journey; the Rajah rode beside it or cantered on ahead ;
his escort followed the vehicle. The luggage had been sent
off two days before, by cart.

The country as far as Arcot was flat; but everything was
interesting to Dick, and when they arrived at the city, where
they were to stop for the night at the house the Rajah had
occupied on his way down, he sallied out, as soon as their meal
was over, to inspect the fort and walls. He had, during his
outward voyage, eagerly studied the history of Clive’s military
exploits, and the campaigns by which that portion of India
had been wrested from the French; and he was eager to visit
the fort whose memorable defence by Clive had first turned the
scale in favour of the British. ‘These had previously been



62 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

regarded by the natives as a far less warlike people than the
French, who were expected to drive them, in avery short time,
out of the country.’’

Rajbullub was able to point out to him every spot associated
with the stirring events of that time.

‘<<’ Tis forty-six years back, and I was but a boy of twelve ;
but six years later I was here, for our rajah was on the side of
the English, although Tripataly was, and is now, under the
“ Nabob of Arcot. But my lord had many causes of complaint
against him, and when he declared for the French, our lord,
who was not then a rajah, although chief of a considerable dis-
trict, threw in his lot with the English, and when they tri-
umphed, was appointed rajah by them; and Tripataly was
made almost wholly independent of the Nabob of Arcot. At
one time a force of our men was here with four companies
of white troops, when it was thought that Dupleix was likely
to march against us, and I was with that force and so learned
all about the fighting here.’’

The next day the party arrived, late in the evening, at
Tripataly. A large number of men with torches received
them in front of the palace, and on entering, Mrs. Holland
was warmly received by the Rajah’s wife, who carried her off
at once to her apartments, which she did not leave afterwards,
as she was greatly fatigued by the two long days of travel.
Dick, on the contrary, although he had dozed in the carriage
for the last two or three hours of the journey, woke up thor-
oughly as they neared ‘Tripataly. As soon as they entered
the house, the Rajah called his two sons, handsome, dark-faced
lads of twelve and thirteen.

‘This is your cousin, boys,’’ he said. ‘‘ You must look
after him and see that he has everything he wants, and make
his stay as pleasant as you can.”’

Although a little awed by the, to them, tall figure, they
evinced neither shyness nor awkwardness, but, advancing to
Dick, held out their hands one after the other with grave cour-



THE RAJAH 63

tesy. Their faces both brightened as he said in their own
language, —

‘¢T hope we shall be great friends, cousins. I am older
and bigger than you are, but everything is new and strange to
me, and I shall have to depend upon you to teach me every-
thing.”’

‘‘We did not think that you would be able to talk to us,’’
the elder, whose name was Doast Assud, said, smiling. ‘‘ We
have been wondering how we should make you understand.
Many of the white officers, who come here sometimes, speak
our language, but none of them as well as you do.”’

‘© You see, they only learn it after they come out here, while
I learnt it from my mother, who has talked to me in it since I
was quite a little boy ; so it comes as naturally to me as to
you.”

In a few minutes supper was announced. ‘The two boys sat
down with their father and Dick, and the meal was served in
English fashion. Dick had already become accustomed to the
white-robed servants at the hotel at Madras, and everything
seemed to him pleasant and home-like.

“¢ To-morrow, Dick,’’ his uncle said, ‘‘ you must have your
first lesson in riding.’”’

The two boys looked up insurprise. They had been accus-
tomed to horses from their earliest remembrance, and it seemed
to them incredible that their tall cousin should require to be
taught. Dick smiled at their look of astonishment.

“Tt is not with us in England as it is here,’’ he said.
‘‘ Boys who live in the country learn to ride, but in London,
which is a very great town, with nothing but houses for miles
and miles everywhere, few people keep horses to ride. ‘The
streets are so crowded with vehicles of all sorts, and with peo- |
ple on foot, that it is no pleasure to ride in them, and every
one who can afford it goes about in a carriage. ‘Those who
cannot, go in hired vehicles, or on foot. You would hardly
see a person on horseback once in a week.’’





64 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

‘T do not like walking,’’ Doast said gravely.

«« Well, you see, you have no occasion to walk, as you al-
ways have your horses ; besides, the weather here is very hot.
But in England it is colder, and walking is a pleasure. 1 have
walked over twenty miles a day many times, not because |
had to do it, but as a day’s pleasure with a friend.”’

«« Can you shoot, cousin?”

“© No,” Dick laughed. ‘‘ There is nothing to shoot at.
There are no wild beasts in England, and no game birds any-
where near London.”’

Dick saw at once that he had descended many steps in his
cousins’ estimation.

«« Then what can you find to do?”’ the younger boy asked.

«¢ Oh, there is plenty to do,’’ Dick said. ‘In the first place,
there is school; that takes the best part of the day. Then
there are all sorts of games. Then I used to take lessons in
sword-exercise, and did all sorts of things to improve my
muscles and to make me strong. Then, on holidays, three or
four of us would go for a long walk, and sometimes we went
out on the river ina boat; and every morning early we used
to go foraswim. Oh, I can tell you, there was plenty to do
and I was busy from morning till ni ght. But I want very much
to learn to shoot, both with gun and pistol, as well as to ride.”’

«< We have got English guns and pistols,’’ Doastsaid. “ We
will lend them to you; we have a place where we practise.
Our father says every one ought to be able to shoot, don’t you,
father?’

The Rajah nodded.

«¢ Every one out here ought to, Doast, because, you see, every
man here may be called upon to fight, and every one carries
arms. But it is different in England ; nobody fights there, ex-
cept those who go into the army, and nobody carries weapons.”

«What ! not swords, pistols, and daggers, father ? ” Doast
exclaimed, in surprise ; for to him it seemed that arms were as
necessary a part of attire as a turban, and much more necessary



THE RAJAH 65

than shoes. <‘‘ But when people are attacked by marauders,
or two chiefs quarrel with each other, what can they do if they
have no arms ?”’

‘«There are no marauders and no chiefs,’’ Dick laughed.
‘“ who could call out all their tenants and retainers to fight their
battles, and in those days people carried swords as they do
here. There are nobles still, but they have no longer any
power to call out any one, and if they quarrel they have to go
before a court for the matter to be decided, just as every one
else does.”’

This seemed to Doast a very unsatisfactory state of things,
and he looked to his father for an explanation.

“Tt is as your cousin says, Doast. You have been down
with me to Madras, and you have seen that, except the officers
in the army, none of the Europeans carry arms. It is the same
in England. England is agreat island, and as they have many
ships of war, no enemy can land there. There is one king over
the whole country, and there are written laws by which every
one, high and low alike, is governed. So you see, no one has
to carry arms: all disputes are settled by the law, and there is
peace everywhere; for as nothing would be settled by fighting,
and the law would punish any one, however much in the right
he might be, who fought, there is no occasion at all for
weapons. It is a good plan, for you see no one, however rich,
can tyrannise over others; and were the greatest noble to kill
the poorest peasant, the law would hang him just the same as
it would hang a peasant who killed a lord. And now, boys,
you had better be off to bed. Your cousin has had a long day
of it, and I have no doubt he will be glad todo so. ‘To-morrow
we will begin to teach him to ride and to shoot, and I have no
doubt that he will be ready, in return, to teach you a great
deal about his country.”’

The boys got up. But Dcast paused to ask his father one
last question.



66 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

“« But how is it, father, if the English never carry weapons
and never fight, that they are such brave soldiers? For have
they not conquered all our princes and rajahs, and have even
beaten Tippoo Sahib and made him give them much of his
country ?”’

‘¢ The answer would be a great deal too long to be given
to-night, Doast. You had better ask your cousin about it in
the morning.”’

CHAPTER IV
FIRST IMPRESSIONS

HE next morning Dick was up early, eager to investigate
the palace, of which he had seen little the night before.
The house was large and handsome, the Rajah having added
to it gradually every year. On passing the doors, the great hall
was at once entered ; its roof, of elaborately carved stone, was
supported by two rows of pillars with sculptured capitals. The
floor was made ofinlaid marble, and at one end was raised a foot
above the general level. Here stood a stone chair on which
the Rajah sat when he adjudicated upon disputes among his
people, heard petitions, and gave audiences ; while the massive
door on the left-hand side gave: entrance to the private apart-
ments. These were all small in comparison with the entrance
hall. The walls were lined with marble slabs, richly carved,
and were dimly lighted by windows, generally high up in the
walls, which were of great thickness. The marble floors were
covered with thick rugs, and each room had its divan, with
_ soft cushions and rich shawls and covers. The room in which
they had supped the night before was the only exception.
This had been specially furnished and decorated in English
fashion. The windows here were low and afforded a view
over the garden. Next to it were several apartments, all fitted



FIRST IMPRESSIONS 67

with divans, but with low windows and a bright outlook ; they
could be darkened during the heat of the day by shutters.
With the exception of these windows, the others throughout
the house contained no glass, the light entering through innu-
merable holes that formed a filigree work in the thin slabs of
stone that filled the orifices.

The grounds round the palace were thickly planted with
trees, which constituted a grove rather than a garden, accord-
ing to Dick’s English notions. This was, indeed, the great
object of the planter, and numerous fountains added to the
effect of the overhanging foliage. ‘Dick wandered about, de-
lighted. Early as it was, men with water-skins were at work
among the clumps of flowers and shrubs that covered the
ground wherever there was a break among the trees. Here
and there were small pavilions whose roofs, of sculptured stone
were supported by shafts of marble. The foliage of shrubs
and trees alike was new to Dick, and the whole scene delight-
ed him. Half-an-hour later his two cousins joined him.

“« We wondered what had become of you,’’ Doast said, ‘‘ and
should not have found you if Rajbullub had not told us that
he saw you come out here. Come in now; coffee is ready.
We always have coffee the first thing, except in very hot
weather, when we have fruit sherbet. After that we ride or
shoot till the sun gets hot, and then come in to the morning
meal at ten.

On going in, Dick found that his mother and the ranee
were both up, and they all sat down to what Dick considered a
breakfast, consisting of coffee and a variety of fruit and bread.
One or two dishes of meat were also handed round, but were
taken away untouched.

‘*Now come out to the stables, Dick,’’ the Rajah said.
«« Anwar, the officer who commanded the escort, will meet us
there. He will be your instructor.’’

The stables were large. The horses were fastened to rings
along each side, and were not, as in England, separated from



68 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

each other by stalls. A small stone trough, with running
water, was fixed against each wall at a convenient height, and
beneath this was a pile of fodder before each horse.

‘‘This is the one that I have chosen for you,’’ the Rajah
said, stopping before a pretty creature, that possessed a con-
siderable proportion of Arab blood, as was shown by its small
head ; ‘‘it is very gentle and well trained, and is very fast.
When you have got perfectly at ease upon it you shall have
something more difficult to sit, until you are able to ride any
horse in the stable bare-backed. Murad is to be your own
property as long as you are out here.’”’

A syce led the horse out ; it was bridled but unsaddled, and
Anwar gave a few instructions to Dick and then said, «I will
help you up, but in a short time you will learn to vault on to
his back without any assistance. See! you gather your reins
so, in your left hand, place your right hand on its shoulder,
and then spring up.’’

‘“‘ I can do that now,’’ Dick laughed, and, placing his hand
on the horse’s shoulder, he lightly vaulted into his seat.

‘‘ Well done, Dick,”’ the Rajah said, while the two boys,
who had been looking on with amused faces, clapped their
hands.

“* Now, Sahib,’’ Anwar went on, ‘“ you must let your legs
hang easily. Press with your knees, and let your body sway
slightly with the movement of the horse; balance yourself
rather than try to hold on.’’

‘“‘Tunderstand,’’ Dick said. «It is just as you do on
board ship when she is rolling a bit. Let go the reins.’’

For half-an-hour the horse proceeded at a walk along the
road that wound in and out through the park-like grounds.
‘*T begin to feel quite at home,’’ Dick said, at the end of
that time. ‘TI should like to go a bit faster now. It is no
odds if I do tumble off.’”’

“Shake your rein a little; the horse will understand it,’’
Anwar said.



FIRST IMPRESSIONS 69

Dick did so, and Murad at once started at a gentle canter.
Easy asit was, Dick thought several times that he would be off.
However, he gripped as tightly as he could with his knees, and
as he became accustomed to the motion and learned to give to
it, acquired ease and confidence. He was not, however, sorry
when, at the end of another half-hour, Anwar held up his hand
as he approached him, and the horse stopped at the slightest
touch of the rein. As he slid off, his legs felt as if they did
not belong to him, and his back ached so that he could scarce
straighten it. The Rajah and his sons had returned to the
palace, and the boys were there waiting for him.

«You have done very well, cousin,’’ Doast said, with grave
approval ; ‘‘ you will not be long before you can ride as well
as we can. Now you had better go up at once and havea
bath, and put on fresh clothes.’’

Dick felt that the advice was good, as, bathed in perspira-
tion, and stiff and sore in every limb, he slowly made his way
to his room. For the next month he spent the greater part
of his time on horseback. For the first week he rode only in
the grounds of the palace; then he ventured beyond, accom-
panied by Anwar on horseback ; then his two cousins joined
the party ; and, by the end of the month, he was perfectly at
home on Murad’s back.

So far, he had not begun to practise shooting. ‘‘ It would
be of no use,’’ the Rajah said, when he one day spoke of it ;
‘* you want your nerves in good order for that, and it requires
an old horseman to have his hand steady enough for shooting
straight after a hard ride. Your rides are not severe fora
horseman, but they are trying for you. Leave the shooting
alone, lad; there is no hurry for it.’’

By this time the Rajah had become convinced that it was
useless to try and dissuade either his sister or Dick fron at-
tempting the enterprise for which they had come over. Pos-
sibly the earnest conviction of the former that her husband

-was still alive influenced him to some extent, and the strength



70 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

and activity of Dick showed him that he was able to play the
part of a man. He said little, but watched the boy closely,
made him go through trials of strength with some of his troopers,
and saw him practise with blunted swords with others. Dick
did well in both trials, and the Rajah then requested Anwar,
who was celebrated for his skill with the tulwar, to give him,
daily, half-an-hour’s sword-play, after his riding lesson. He
himself undertook to teach him to use the rifle and pistol.

Dick threw himself into his work with great ardour, and
in a very short time could sit any horse in the stable, and came
to use a rifle and pistol with an amount of accuracy that sur-
prised his young cousins.

‘ one day to his sister ; ‘‘ his exercises have given him so much
nerve and so steady a hand, that he already shoots very fairly.
I should expect him to grow up into a fine man, Margaret,
were it not that I have the gravest fears as to this mad enter-
prise, which I cannot help telling you, both for your good and
his, is, in my opinion, absolutely hopeless.’’

“‘T know, Mortiz,’’ she said, ‘‘ that you think it is folly on
my part to cling to hope; and while I do not disguise from
myself that there would seem but small chance that my husband
has survived, and that I can give no reason for my faith in his
still being alive, and my confidence that he will be restored to
me some day, I have so firm a conviction that nothing will
shake it. Why should I have such a confidence if it were not
vell founded? In my dreams I always see him alive, and I
believe firmly that I dream of him so often because he is think-
ing of me. When he was at sea, several times I felt disturbed
and anxious, though without any reason for doing so, and each
time, on his return, I found, when we compared dates, that
his ship was battling with a tempest at the time I was. to
troubled about him. I remember that the first time this hap-
pened he laughed at me; but when, upon two other occa-
. sions, it turned out so, he said, ‘ ‘There are things we do not



FIRST IMPRESSIONS 71

understand, Margaret. You know that in Scotland there are
many who believe in second sight, as it is called, and that
there are families there, and they say in Ireland also, where a
sort of warning is given of the death of a member of the fam-
ily. Wesailors are a superstitious people, and believe in things
that landsmen laugh at. It does not seem to me impossible
that when two people love each other dearly, as we do, one
may feel when the other is in danger, or may be conscious of
his death. It may be said that such things seldom happen ;
but that is no proof that they never do so, for some people
may be more sensitive to such feelings or impressions than
others, and you may be one of them. There is one thing,
Margaret: the fact that you have somehow felt when I was
in trouble, should cheer you when I am away, for if mere
danger should so affect you, surely you will know should
death befall me; and as long as you do not feel that, you
may be sure that I shall return safe and sound to you.’
Now, I believe that firmly. I was once troubled—so troubled,
that for two or three days I was ill—and so convinced was I
that something had happened to Jack, and yet that he was
not dead, that when, nigh two years afterwards, Ben came
home, and I learned that it was on the day of the wreck of
his ship that I had so suffered, I was not. in the least sur-
prised. Since then I have more that once had the same
feelings, and have always been sure that at the time Jack was
in special danger; but I have never once felt that he was
dead, never once thought so, and am as certain that he is still
alive as if I saw him sitting in the chair opposite to me, for
I firmly believe that, did he die, I should see his spirit, or
that, at any rate, I should know for certain that he had gone.
So whatever you say, though reason may be altogether on your
side, it will not shake my confidence one bit. I know that
Jack is alive, and I believe firmly, although of this Iam not
absolutely sure, that he will some day be restored to me.”’
“You did not tell me this before, Margaret,’’ the Rajah



72 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

said, ‘and what you say goes for much with me. Here in
India there are many who, as is said, possess this power that
you call second sight; certainly some of the PFakirs do. I
have heard many tales of warnings they have given, and these
have always come true. J] will not try, in future, to damp
your confidence, and will hope with you that your husband
may yet be restored to you.”’

One evening Dick remarked: ‘‘ You said down at Madras,
Uncle, that you would some day tell me about the invasion by
Hyder Ali. Will you tell me about it now ?”’

The Rajah nodded. His sons took their seats at his feet,
and Dick curled himself up on the divan by his side.

** You must know,’’ the Rajah began, ‘‘ that the war was
really the result of the intrigues of Sir Thomas Rumbold, the
governor of Madras, and his council. In the first place they
had seriously angered the Nizam ; the latter had taken a French
force into his service which the English had compelled Basult
Jung to-dismiss, and Madras sent an officer to his court, with
instructions to remonstrate witn him for so doing. At the
same time they gave. him notice that they should no longer
pay to him the tribute they had agreed upon, for the territory
called the Northern Circars. This would have led to war,
but the Bengal government promptly interfered, cancelled
altogether the demands made by the Madras government, and
for the time patched up the quarrel. The Nizam professed to
be satisfied, but he saw that trouble might aris? when the Eng-
lish were more prepared to enforce their demands; he there-
fore entered into negotiations with Hyder Ali and the Mah-
rattas for an alliance, whose object was the entire expulsion of
the British from India.

‘« The Mahrattas from Poonah were to operate against Bom-
bay ; those in Central India and the north were to make
incursions into Bengal ; the Nizam was to invade the Northern
Circars ; and Hyder was to direct his force against Madras.
Hyder at once began to collect military stores, and obtained







THE RAJAH TELLS THE STORY OF THE WAR.



FIRST IMPRESSIONS 73

large quantities from the French at Mahé, a town they still
retain, on the Malabar coast. The Madras government pre-
pared to attack Mahé, when Hyder informed them that the
settlements of the Dutch, French, and English, on the Mala-
bar coast, being situated within his territory, were equally
entitled to his protection, and that if Mahé were attacked, he
should retaliate by an incursion into the province of Arcot.
In spite of his threat, Mahé was captured. Hyder for a time
remained quiet, but the Madras government gave him fresh
cause for offence by sending a force in August 1779 to the as-
sistance of Basult Jung at Adoni.

“To get there this detachment had to pursue a route which
led for two hundred miles through the most difficult passes,
and through the territories both of the Nizam and Hyder.
The Council altogether ignored the expressed determination of
both these princes to oppose the march, and did not even ob-
serve the civility of informing them that they were going to
send troops through their territory. I do not say, Dick, that

this made any real difference in the end ; the alliance between
the three native Powers being made, it was certain that war
would break out shortly ; still, had it not been for their folly
in giving Hyder and the Nizam a reasonable excuse for enter-
ing upon hostilities, it might have been deferred until the
Madras government was better prepared to meet the storm.
The Bengal government fortunately again stepped in and undid
at least a part of the evil. It took the entire management of
affairs out of the hands of Rumbold’s council, and its action
was confirmed by the Board of Directors, who censured all the
proceedings, dismissed Sir Thomas Rumbold and his two chief
associates from the Council, and suspended other members.

‘¢The prompt and conciliatory measures taken by the Bengal
government appeased the resentment felt by the Nizam, and
induced him to withdraw from the Confederacy. Hyder, how-
ever, was bent upon war,-and the imbecile government here
took no steps whatever to meet the storm. ‘The commissariat



14 THE ‘TIGER OF MYSORE

was entirely neglected ; they had no transport train whatever,
and the most important posts were left without a garrison. It
was towards the end of June that we received the news that
Hyder had left his capital at the head of an army of ninety
thousand men, of whom twenty-eight thousand were cavalry.
He attempted no disguise as to his object, and moved, confident
in his power, to conquer the Carnatic and drive the English
into the sea. My father had already made his preparations.
Everything was in readiness, and as soon as the news reached
him, he started for Madras, under the guard of his escort, with
my mother and myself, most of the traders of the town, and
the landowners, who had gathered here in fear and trembling.

‘Tt was a painful scene, as you may imagine, and I shall
never forget the terrified crowds in the streets and the wailing
of the women. Many families who then leit reached Madras
in safety, but of those who remained in the town all are dead
or prisoners beyond the hills. Hyder descended through the
pass of Changama on the 2oth of July, and his horsemen
spread out like a cloud over the country, burning, devastating,
and slaughtering. Hyder moved with the main army slowly,
occupying town after town and placing garrisons in them.
You must not suppose that he devastated the whole country ;
he was too wise for that. He anticipated reigning over it as
its sovereign, and had no wish to injure its prosperity. It was
only over tracts where he considered that devastation would
hamper the movements of an English army, that everything
was laid waste.

«©On the arst of August he invested Arcot, and a week later,
hearing that the British army had moved out from Madras, he
broke up the siege and advanced to meet them. Sir Hector
Munro, the British general, was no doubt brave, but he com-
mitted a terrible blunder ; instead of marching to combine his
force with that of Colonel Baillie, who was coming down from
Guntoor, he marched in the opposite direction to Conjeveram,
sending word to Colonel Baillie to follow him. Baillie’s force



FIRST IMPRESSIONS 75

amounted to over two thousand eight hundred men, Munro’s
to five thousand two hundred. Had they united, the force
would have exceeded eight thousand, and could have given
battle to Hyder’s immense army with fair hope of success.
The English have won before now with greater odds against
them. My father had marched out with his cavalry one hun-
dred and fifty strong, with Munro. Of course I was with him,
and it was to him that the English general gave the despatch
to carry to Colonel Baillie. We rode hard, for at any mo-
ment Hyder’s cavalry might swoop down and bar the road ;
but we got through safely, and the next morning, the 24th,
Baillie started.

‘¢The encampment was within twenty-five miles of Madras,
and with one long forced march we could have effected a
junction with Munro. The heat was tremendous, and Baillie
halted that night on the bank of the River Cortelour. ‘The
bed was dry, and my father urged him to cross before halting.
The colonel replied that the men were too exhausted to move
farther, and that as he would the next day be able to join
Munro, it mattered not on which side of the river he en-
camped. That night the river rose, and for ten days we were
unable to cross. On the 4th of September we got over; but
by that time Tippoo, with five thousand picked infantry, six
thousand horse, six heavy guns, and a large body of irregulars,
detached by Hyder to watch us, barred the way.

‘¢Colonel Baillie, finding that there was no possibility of
reaching Conjeveram without fighting, took up a position at
a village, and on the 6th was attacked by Tippoo. ‘The
action lasted three hours, and although the enemy were four
times more numerous than we were, the English beat off the
attacks. We were not engaged, for against ‘Tippoo’s large
cavalry force our few horsemen could do nothing, and were
therefore forced to remain in the rear of the British line. But
though Colonel Baillie had beaten off the attacks made on
him, he felt that he was not strong enough to fight his way to



76 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

Conjeveram, which was but fourteen miles distant, and he
therefore wrote to Sir Hector Munro to come to his assistance.
For three days Sir Hector did nothing, but on the evening of
the 8th he sent off a force composed of the flank companies of
the regiments with him. ‘These managed to make their way
past the forces both of Hyder and Tippoo, and reached us
without having to fire a shot.

‘Their arrival brought our force up to over three thousand
seven hundred men. Had Munro made a feigned attack upon
Hyder, and so prevented him from moving to reinforce ‘Tippoo,
we could have got through without much difficulty. But he
did nothing ; and Hyder, seeing the utter incapacity of the
man opposed to him, moved off with his whole army and guns
to join his son. Our force set out as soon as it was dark on
the evening of the 9th; but the moment we started we were
harassed by the enemy’s irregulars. ‘The march was continued
for five or six miles, our position becoming’ more and more
serious, and at last Colonel Baillie took the fatal resolution of
halting till morning, instead of taking advantage of the dark-
ness to press forward. At daybreak fifty guns opened on us.
Our ten field-pieces returned the fre until our ammunition
was exhausted, No orders were issued by the colonel, who
had completely lost his head; so that our men were mowed
down by hundreds, until at last the enemy poured down and
slaughtered them relentlessly.

‘« We did not see the end of the conflict. When the colonel
gave the orders to halt, my father said to me, ‘This foolish
officer will sacrifice all our lives; does he think that three
thousand men can withstand one hundred thousand, with a
great number of guns? We will go while we can ; we can do
no good here,’ We mounted our horses and rode off; in the
darkness we came suddenly upon a body of ‘Tippoo’s horse-
men, but dashed straight at them and cut our way through,
but with the loss of half our force, and did not draw rein un-
til we reached Madras. ‘The roar of battle had been heard at



FIRST IMPRESSIONS 77

Conjeveram, and the fury and indignation in the camp, at the
desertion of Colonel Baillie’s detachment, was so great that
the general at last gave orders to march to their assistance.
When his force arrived within two miles of the scene of con-
ilict the cessation of fire showed that it was too late, and that
Baillie’s force was well-nigh annihilated. Munro retired to
Conjeveram, and at three o’clock the next morning retreated,
with the loss of all his heavy guns and stores, to Madras.

‘“The campaign only lasted twenty-one days, and was
marked by almost incredible stupidity and incapacity on the
part of the two English commanders. We remained at Ma-
dras. My father determined that he would take no more
share in the fighting until some English general, possessing the
courage and ability that had always before distinguished them,
took the command. In the meantime Hyder surrounded and
captured Arcot after six weeks’ delay, and then laid siege to
Amboor, Chingleput, and Wandiwash. In November Sir
Eyre Coote arrived from England and took the command ;
confidence was at once restored, for he was a fine old soldier
and had been engaged in every struggle in India from the
time of Clive; but with the whole country in the hands of
Hyder, it was impossible to obtain draft animals or carts, and
it was not until the middle of January that he was able to
move. On the rgth he reached Chingleput, and on the zoth
sent off a thousand men to obtain possession of the fort of
Carangooly. It was a strong place, and the works had been
added to by Hyder, who had placed there a garrison of seven
hundred,men. ‘The detachment would not have been sent
against it, had not news been obtained on the way that the
garrison had fallen back to Chingleput.

‘Our troop of calvary went with the detachment, as my
father knew the country well. To the surprise of Captain
Davis, who was in command, we found the garrison on the walls.

‘«* What do you think, Rajah?’ Captain Davis, who was
riding by his side, asked. ‘My orders were that I was to



78 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

take possession of the place, but it was supposed that I should
find it empty.’

‘¢*T should say that you had better try, with or without
orders,’ my father replied. ‘The annihilation of Baillie’s
force and the miserable retreat of Munro, have made a terribly
bad impression through the country, and a success is sorely
needed to raise the spirits of our friends.’

«¢¢ We will do it,’ Captain Davis said, and called up a few
English engineers and a company of white troops he had with
him, and ordered them to blow in the gate.

«« My father volunteered to follow close behind them with
his dismounted cavalry, and when the word was given, forward
we went. It was hot work, I can tell you. The enemy’s
guns swept the road, and their musketry kept up an incessant
roar. Many fell, but we kept on until close to the gate, and
then the white troops opened fire upon Hyder’s men on the
walls, so as to cover the sappers, who were fixing the powder-
bags. They soon ran back to us. ‘There was a great ex-
plosion, and the gates fell. With lond shouts we rushed for-
ward into the fort ; and close behind us came the Sepoys, led
by Captain Davis.

“Tt took some sharp fighting before we overcame the re-
sistance of the garrison, who fought desperately, knowing well
enough that, after the massacre of Baillie’s force, little quarter
would be given them. The British loss was considerable, and
twenty of my father’s little company were among the killed.
Great stores of provisions were found here, and proved most
useful to the army. The news of the capture of Carangooly so
alarmed the besiegers of Wandiwash that they at once raised
the siege and retreated, and on the following day Sir Eyre
Coote and his force arrived there. It was a curious thing that
on the same day of the same month Sir Eyre Coote had,
twenty-one years before, raised the siege of Wandiwash by a
victory over the army that was covering the operation. Wandi-
wash had been nobly defended by a young lieutenant named



FIRST IMPRESSIONS 79





ZO
Cy

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eggaoe aud

Wier, aM

AN SOT MES
AS THNNS SS BHA
15 Za te
Enem; ite
Unfaushed Works“





























BATTLE OF

English troops mm FORTO fay |







era ee eee = ae July L181
2 2 2 English Mies Enemys em (July 1.1781)

1, 2, 3. The enemy’s masked batteries, placed to oppose our march to Cuddalore.
4,5. First and second positions of the English advancing.

6. First English line during the cannonade.

7. Second English line during the cannonade.

8. A chain of Hyder’s irregular horse posted as a decoy to the masked batteries.
g. First position of the Mysoreans.

zo. Second position of Hyder’s infantry, over whom his guns fired from the

sand-banks.

11. Position of Hyder’s horse during the cannonade.

zz, Attempt by Hyder’s grenadiers to gain the hill.

13. Attempt by Kiram Sahib to charge our line, where he and most of the
party were killed.

14. Hyder’s station during the action.

xs. Anarmed ship firing upon the enemy.

16. English camp after the battle.



80 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

Flint, who had made his way in through the enemy’s lines a
few hours before the treacherous native officer in command had
arranged with Hyder to surrender it, and, taking command,
had repulsed every attack, and had even made a sortie.

«There was now a long pause; having no commissariat
train, Sir Eyre Coote was forced to make for the sea-shore,
and, though hotly followed by Hyder, reached Cuddalore.
A French fleet off the coast, however, prevented provisions
being sent to him, and, even after the French had retired, the
Madras government were so dilatory in forwarding supplies
that the army was reduced to the verge of starvation. It was
not until the middle of June that a movement was possible,
owing to the want of carriage. The country inland had been.
swept bare by Hyder, and, on leaving Cuddalore, Sir Eyre
Coote was obliged to follow the sea-coast. When he arrived
at Porto Novo, the army was delighted to find a British fleet
there, and scarcely less pleased to hear that Lord Macartney
had arrived as governor of Madras.

‘«* Hyder’s army had taken up a strong position between the
camp and Cuddalore, and Sir Eyre Coote determined to give
him battle. Four days’ rice was landed from the fleet, and
with this scanty supply in their knapsacks the troops marched
out to attack Hyder. We formed part of the baggage guard
and had, therefore, an excellent opportunity of seeing the
fight. The march was by the sea. The infantry moved in
order of battle in two lines. After going for some distance we
could see the enemy’s position plainly. It was a very strong
one; on its right was high ground, on which were numerous
batteries which would take us in flank as we advanced, and
their line extended from these heights to the sand - hills by the
shore.

‘They had thrown up several batteries, and might, for
aught we knew, have many guns hidden on the high ground on
either flank. An hour was spent in reconnoitring the enemy’s
position, during which they kept up an incessant cannonade,

















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wr

Loong,
= rip assorg “Ce
Was Coyerypauk,
——— AW, f 2

fee SG



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atighy® __Wandiwash,
Nea” }
iomallee > futiqpett
Gingee\ —_Pernfacoil
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RS, 7.











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MAP- OF
SOUTHERN INDIA

AT THE TIME OF THE WAR WITH

TIPPOO SAIB.

2 oa English fies . 120

7% 78

























—
78 Long FE.







FIRST IMPRESSIONS 81

to which the English field-guns attempted no reply. To me
and the officers of this troop it seemed impossible that any
force could advance to the attack of Hyder’s position without
being literally swept away by the cross-fire that would be
opened upon it; but when I expressed my fears my father said,
‘No; you will see no repetition of that terrible affair with
Baillie’s column. The English have now got a commander
who knows his business, and when that is the case there is
never any fear as to what the result will be. I grant that the
look-out seems desperate. Hyder has all the advantage of a
very strong position, a very powerful artillery, and has six or
seven to one in point of numbers; but for all that I firmly be-
lieve that before night you will see us in possession of these
hills, and Hyder’s army in full flight.’

“« Presently we saw a movement. The two lines of infantry
formed into columns, and instead of advancing towards Hyder’s
position, turned down towards the sea, and marched along be-
tween it and the sand hills. We were at the same time set in
motion, and kept along between the infantry and the sea, so as to
be under their protection if Hyder’s cavalry should sweep down.
All his preparations had been made under the supposition that
we should advance by the main road to Cuddalore, and this
movement entirely disconcerted his plans. The sand-hills com-
pletely protected our advancing columns, and when they had
reached a point almost in line with Hyder’s centre, the artil-
lery dashed up to the crest of the hills and the first column
passed through a break in them and moved forward against
the enemy, the guns above clearing a way for them. A short
halt was made until the artillery of the second line came up,
and also took their position on the hill; then the first column,
with its guns, moved forward again.

‘¢ Hyder had in the meantime moved back his line and bat-
teries into a position at right angles to that they had before
occupied, and facing the passage through the sand-hills by
which the English were advancing. As soon as the column



82 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

issued from the valley a tremendous fire was poured upon it,
but it again formed into line of battle, and, covered by the fire
of the artillery, moved forward. It was a grand sight. My
father and I had left the baggage, which remained by the sea,
and had ridden up on to a sand-hill, from which we had a
view of the whole of the battle-ground. It was astonishing to
see the line of English infantry advancing, under that tremen-
dous fire, against the rising ground occupied by the dense
masses of the enemy. Presently there was a movement Oppo-
site, and a vast body of cavalry moved down the slope. As
they came the red English line suddenly broke up, and, as if
by magic, a number of small squares, surrounded by glistening
bayonets, appeared where it had stood.

«« Down rode Hyder’s cavalry. Every gun on our side was
turned upon them. But though we could see the confusion in
the ranks caused by the shot that swept them, they kept on.
It seemed that the little red patches must be altogether over-
whelmed by the advancing wave. But as it came closer, flashes
of fire spurted out from the faces of the squares. We could
see the horses recoil when close to the bayonets, and then the
stream poured through the intervals between the squares. As
they did so, crackling volleys broke out, while from the bat-
teries on the sand-hills an incessant fire was kept up upon them.
Then, following the volleys, came the incessant rattle of mus-
ketry. The confusion among the cavalry grew greater and
greater. Regiments were mixed up together, and their very
numbers impeded their action. Many gallant fellows, detach-
ing themselves from the mass, rode bravely at the squares, and
died on the bayonets ; others huddled together, confused and
helpless against the storm of bullets and shot ; and at last, as
if with sudden impulse, they rode off in all directions, and,
sweeping round, regained their position in the rear of their in-
fantry, while loud cheers broke from our side.

«« The squares again fell into line, which, advancing stead-
ily, drove Hyder’s infantry before it. As this was going on,



FIRST IMPRESSIONS 83
a strong force of infantry and cavalry, with guns, was moved
round by Hyder to fall on the British rear. ‘These, however,
were met by the second line, which had hitherto remained in
reserve, and after fierce fighting were driven back along the
sand-hills. But as they were retiring the main body of Hy-
der’s cavalry moved round to support the attack. Fortunately
a British schooner, which had sailed from Porto Novo when
the troops started, had anchored near the shore to give what
protection she could to the baggage, and now opened fire with
her guns upon the cavalry as they rode along between the
sand-hills and the sea, and with such effect that they halted
and wavered ; and when two of the batteries on the sand-hills
also opened fire upon them, they fell back in haste.

‘¢This was Hyder’s last effort. The British line continued
to advance until it had gained all the positions occupied by
the enemy, and these were soon in headlong flight; Hyder
himself, who had been almost forced by his attendants to leave
the ground, being with them. It was a wonderful victory.
The English numbered but 8,476 men, of whom 306 were
killed or wounded. Hyder’s force was about 65,000, and his
loss was not less than 10,000. The victory had an immense
effect in restoring the confidence of the English troops, which
had been greatly shaken by the misfortunes caused by the
incapacity of Munro and Baillie; but it had no other conse-
quences, for want of carriage, and a deficiency of provisions
and equipment, prevented Sir Eyre Coote from taking the of-
fensive, and he was obliged to confine himself to capturing a
few forts near the coast.

‘¢On the 27th of August the armies met again, Hyder hav-
ing chosen the scene of his victory over Baillie’s force to give
battle, believing the position to be a fortunate one for himself.
Hyder had now been joined by Tippoo, who had not been
present at the last battle, and his force numbered 80,000 men,
while the English were 11,000 strong. I did not see the
battle, as we were at the time occupied in escorting a convoy



84 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

of provisions from Madras. The fight was much better con-
tested than the previous battle had been. Hyder was well
acquainted with the ground, and made skilful use of his oppor-
tunities, by fortifying all the points at which he could be
attacked. ‘The fight lasted eight hours. At last Sir Eyre
Coote’s first division turned the enemy’s left flank by the capt-
ure of the village of Pillalore, while his second turned their
right, and Hyder was obliged to fall back. But this was done
in good order, and the enemy claimed that it was a drawn
battle. This, however, was not the case, as the English at
night encamped on the position occupied by Hyder in the
morning.

«« Still the scandalous mismanagement at Madras continued
to cripple us. But, learning from the commandant at Vellore
that, unless he were relieved, he would be driven to surrender
for want of provisions, Sir Eyre Coote marched to his help.
He met the enemy on the way. Hyder was taken by surprise,
and was moving off when the English arrived. In order to
give his infantry time to march away, he hurled the whole of
his cavalry against the English. Again and again they charged
down with the greatest bravery, and although the batteries
swept their ranks with grape, and the squares received them
with deadly volleys, they persevered until Tippoo had carried
off his infantry and guns, and then, having lost five thousand
men, followed him. ‘The English then moved on towards
Vellore. Hyder avoided another encounter, and Vellore was
relieved. Sir Eyre Coote handed over to its commandant
almost the whole of the provisions carried by the army, and,
having thus supplied the garrison with sufficient food for six
weeks, marched back to Madras, his troops suffering greatly
from famine on the way.

“Nothing took place during the winter, except that Sir
Eyre Coote again advanced and revictualled Vellore. In
March a French fleet arrived off the coast, landed a force of
three thousand men to assist Hyder, and informed him that a



FIRST IMPRESSIONS 85

much larger division was on its way. Fortunately, this did
not arrive, many of the ships being captured by the English
on their way out. In the course of the year there were several
fights, but none of any consequence, and things remained in
the same state until the end of the year, when, on the 7th of
December, Hyder died, and Tippoo was proclaimed his suc-
cessor. Bussy arrived with fresh reinforcements from Irance
in April, and took the command of Hyder’s French con-
tingent, and in June there was a battle between him and a
force commanded by General Stuart, the successor to Sir Eyre
Coote, who had been obliged to resign from ill health, and
who had died in the spring.

‘¢ The French position was a very strong one, and was pro-
tected by numerous field-works. The battle was the most
sanguinary fought during the war, considering the numbers en-
gaged. The English carried a portion of the works and capt-
ured fourteen guns, and, as the French retired during the
night, were able to claim a victory. Their loss, however, was
over a thousand, while that of the French was not more than a
third of that number. During that year there was little fight-
ing down here. A Bombay force, however, under the com-
mand of General Matthews, captured Bednore; but Tip-
poo hastened against him with a great force, besieged Bed-
nore, and forced it to surrender after a desperate defence.
‘Lippoo violated the terms of capitulation, and made the de-
fenders prisoners. Mangalore was next besieged by him,
but resisted for nearly nine months, and only surrendered in
January, 1784.

‘*Tippoo had, by this time, lost the services of his French
auxiliaries, as England and France had made peace at home.
Negotiations between Tippoo and the English went on till
March, when a treaty was signed. By its provisions, Tippoo
should have handed back all his prisoners. He murdered
large numbers of them, but 1,000 British soldiers and 1,600
Sepoys obtained their liberty. No one knows how many were



86 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

retained of the number, calculated at 200,000, of natives car-
ried off from the countries overrun by Hyder’s troops. Only
2000 were released. More British would doubtless have been
freed had it not been for the scandalous cowardice of the three
men sent up as British commissioners to Tippoo. They were
treated with the greatest insult and contempt by him, and, in
fear of their lives, were too glad to accept the prisoners he chose
to hand over, without troubling themselves in the slightest
about the rest, whom they basely deserted and left to their
fate.’



CHAPTER V
WAR DECLARED

ue ee gives you a general idea, Dick, of the war with
Tippoo. I saw little of the events after the battle of
Porto Novo, as my father was taken ill soon after, and died at
Madras. Seeing that there was no probability whatever of,
the English driving Hyder back until they had much larger
forces and a much better system of management, I remained
in Madras until peace was made; then I came back here, re-
built the palace, and have since been occupied in trying to re-
store the prosperity of my poor people. It is, I feel, a use-
less task, for it is certain that ere long the English will again
be engaged with Mysore, and if they are, it is well-nigh cer-
tain that Tippoo’s hordes will again sweep down from the hills
and carry ruin and desolation everywhere.
<¢ He would, as Hyder had, have the advantage on his side
at the beginning of the war. He has a score of passes to
choose from, and can descend on to the plain by any one he
may select. And even were there a force here capable of giv-
ing battle to the whole Mysorean army, it could not watch all



WAR DECLARED 87

the passes, as to do so the army would have to be broken up
into a dozen commands. ‘Tippoo will therefore again be able
to ravage the plains for weeks, perhaps, before the English can
force him to give battle. But there is no army at present in
existence of sufficient strength to meet him. The Madras
force would have to wait until reinforcements arrived from
Calcutta. It was bad before, but it will be worse now.
Hyder, no doubt, slaughtered many, but he was not cruel by
nature. He carried off enormous quantities of people, with
their flocks and herds, but he did this to enrich Mysore with
their labour, and did not treat them with unnecessary cruelty.

‘* Tippoo, on the other hand, is a human tiger ; he delights
in torturing his victims, and slays his prisoners from pure love
of bloodshed. He is proud of the title of « Tiger’; his foot-
stool is a tiger’s head, and the uniforms of his infantry area
sort of imitation of a tiger’s stripes. He has military talent,
and showed great judgment in command of his division—in-
deed, most of the successes gained during the last war were his
work. Since then he has laboured incessantly to improve his
army ; numbers of regiments have been raised, composed of
the captives carried off from here and from the west coast.
They are drilled in European fashion by the English captives
he still holds in his hands.”?

‘‘But why, Uncle, instead of giving time to Tippoo to
come down here, should we not march up the passes and com-
pel him to keep his army up there to defend Seringapatam ? ”’

‘* Because, Dick, in the first place, there is not an army
strong enough to do so; but even were there a force of fifty
thousand men at Madras, they could not take the offensive in
time. An English army cannot move without a great train
to carry ammunition, stores and provisions; and to get such
a train together would be the work of months. As I have
been telling you, during the three years the last war lasted,
the Madras authorities were never able to collect such a
train, and the consequence was that their army was unable to



88 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

go more than two or three days’ march from the city. On
the other hand, Tippoo could any day order that three days’
supply of rice or grain should be served out to each soldier,
and could set out on his march the following morning, as,
from the moment he reached the plains, his cavalry would
have the whole of the resources of the country at their mercy.”’

‘‘T see, Uncle. Then, if war broke out, you would at
once go to Madras again ?”’

‘There would be nothing else to do, Dick. I should send
nent. of value down there as soon as I saw that war was
inevitable. ‘The traders here have already begun to prepare ;
the shops are half empty, for they have not replaced goods
they have sold, and a very few hours would suffice for every-
thing worth taking to be cleared out of the town. ‘The coun-
try round here is comparatively uninhabited, and but a small
portion of it tilled, so great was the number carried off by
Hyder. Next time they will take to the hills at once, and I
believe that many have already stored up grain in hiding-
places there. This time it may be hoped that a few weeks, or
months at most, may see ‘Tippoo driven back, and for that
time the peasants can manage to exist in the hills. No doubt
the richer sort, who have large flocks of goats, and many
cattle, will, as soon as danger threatens, drive them down co
Madras, where they are sure to fetch good prices for the use of
the army. I have already told all men who have bullock-carts
and teams, that they can, if forced to leave home, earn a gouil
living by taking service in the English transport train. 1
hope, therefore, that the results will not be so disastro.s as
before... The town may be burnt down again, but unless they
blow up my palace, they can do little harm to it. When I[
rebuilt it, seeing the possibility of another war, I would not
have any wood whatever used in its construction. ‘Therefore,
when the hangings are taken down, and the furniture from
these rooms cleared out, there will he nothing to burn, and
- they are not likely to waste powder in blowing it up. As to



WAR DECLARED 89

the town, I warned the people who returned that it might be
again destroyed before long, and therefore there has been no
solid building. ‘The houses have all been lightly run up with
wood, which is plentiful enough in the hills, and no great
harm, therefore, will be done if it is again burnt down. The
pagoda and palace are the only stone buildings in it. They
did some harm to the former last time by firing shot at it for
a day or two, and, as you can see for yourself, no attempt has
since been made to repair it, and I do not suppose they will
trouble to damage it further. So you see, Dick, we are pre-
pared for the worst.’’

‘* Will you fight again, as you did last time, Uncle? ”’

‘‘I do not know, Dick. I show my loyalty to the English
rule by repairing to the capital; but my force is too small to
render much service. You see, my revenues have greatly
diminished, and I cannot afford to keep up so large a force as
my father could. Fortunately, his savings had been consider-
sable, and from these I was able to build this palace and to
succour my people, and have still enough to keep up my
establishment here, without pressing the cultivators of the soil
for taxes. This year is the first that I have drawn any revenue
from that source; but, at any rate, I am not disposed to keep
up a force which, while it would be insufficient to be of any
great value in a war like this, would be a heavy tax on my
purse.”’

“¢ Even the force you have, must be that, Uncle.’’

‘* Not so much as you would think, Dick, with your English
notions. The pay here is very small—so small that it would
seem to you impossible for a man to live on it; and yet many
of these men have wives and families. All of them have
patches of land that they cultivate, only twenty, who are
changed once a month, being kept on duty. They are neces-
sary ; for I should have but little respect from my people, and
less still from other rajahs, did I not have sentries at the gates,
and a guard ready to turn out in honour of any visitor who



90 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

might arrive, to say nothing of an escort of half a dozen men
when I ride through the country. Of course, all can be
called out whenever I want them, as, for example, when I
rode to Madras to meet you. The men think themselves well
off upon the pay of three rupees a month, as they are practically
only on duty two months each year, and have the rest of the
time to cultivate their fields. Therefore, with the pay of the
officers, my troop only costs me about four hundred rupees a
month, which is, you know, equivalent to forty English pounds ;
so that you cannot call it an expensive army, even if it is kept
for show rather than use.’’

““No, indeed, Uncle! It seems ridiculous that a troop
of a hundred men can be kept up for five hundred pounds a
year.”’

““Of course the men have some little privileges, Dick.
‘They pay no rent or taxes for their lands; this is a great thing
for them, and really costs me nothing, as there is so much
land lying uncultivated. Then, when too old for service,
they have a pension of two rupees a month for life, and on
that, and what little land they can cultivate, they are com-
paratively comfortable.’’

‘* Well, it does not seem to me, Uncle, that soldiering is a
good trade in this country.”’

‘‘{ don’t know that it is a good trade, in the money way,
anywhere. After all, the pay out here is quite as high, in
comparison with the ordinary rate of earning of a peasant, as
it is in England. It is never the pay that tempts soldiers:
among young men there are always great numbers who prefer
the life to that of a peasant working steadily from daylight to
dark, and I don’t know that I altogether blame them.”’

«Then you think, Uncle, there is no doubt whatever that
there will be war ?”’

‘Not a shadow of doubt, Dick—indeed, it may be said to
have begun already ; and, like the last, it is largely due to the
incapacity of the government of Madras.”’



WAR DECLARED 91

‘I have just received a message from Arcot,’’ the Rajah
said, two months later, ‘‘and I must go over and see the
Nabob.”’

‘I thought,’’ Mrs. Holland said, “that Tripataly was no
longer subject to him. I understood that our father was made
independent of Arcot ?’’

‘« No, Margaret, not exactly that. The Nabob had involved
himself in very heavy debts during the great struggle. The
Company had done something to help him, but were unable
to take all his debts on their shoulders; and indeed, there
was no reason why they should have done so, for although
during most of the war he was their ally, he was fighting on
his own behalf, and not on theirs. In the war with Hyder it
was different. He was then quite under English influence,
and, indeed, could scarcely be termed independent. And as
he suffered terribly—his lands were wasted, his towns besieged,
and his people driven off into slavery—the Company are at
present engaged in negotiations for assisting him to pay his
debts, which are very heavy. It was before you left, when
the Nabob was much pressed for money and had at that time
no claim on the Company, that our father bought of him a
perpetual commutation of tribute, taxes, and other monies and
subsidies, payable by Tripataly ; thus I am no longer tributary
to Arcot. Nevertheless, this forms a portion of the Nabob’s
territories, and I cannot act as if I were an independent
prince.

“‘T could not make a treaty with Mysore on my own ac-
count, and it is clear that neither Arcot nor the English could
allow me to do so, for in that case Mysore could erect fort-
resses here, and could use Tripataly as an advanced post on
the plain; therefore I am stillsubject to the Nabob, and could
be called upon for military service by him. Indeed, that is
one of the reasons why, even if I could afford it, I should not
care to keep up a force of any strength. As it is, my troop is
too small to be worth summoning. ‘The Nabob has remon-



92 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

strated with me more than once, but since the war with Hyder
I have had a good excuse, namely, that the population has so
decreased that my lands lie untilled, and it would be impossi-.
ble for me to raise a larger force. I have, however, agreed
that, in case of a fresh war, I will raise an additional hundred
cavalry.

‘«T expect it is in relation to this that he has sent for me to
Arcot. We know that the English are bound by their treaty
with Travancore to declare war. They ought in honour to
have done it long ago, but they were unprepared. Now that
they are nearly ready, they may do so at any time, and in-
deed the Nabob may have learned that fighting has begun.
The look-out is bad. The government of Madras is just as
weak and as short-sighted as it was during Hyder’s war.
There is but one comfort, and that is that Lord Cornwallis at
Calcutta has far greater power than his predecessors, and as he
is an experienced soldier, and is said to be an energetic man,
he may bring up reinforcements from Calcutta without loss of
time, and also set. the troops of Bombay in motion. I expect
that, as before, things will go badly at first, but hope that this
time we shall end by giving Mysore so heavy a lesson that she
will be powerless for mischief in future.”’

«And release all the captives,’’? Mrs. Holland exclaimed,
clasping her hands.

“I sincerely trust so, Margaret,’ her brother said gravely ;
‘but, after what happened last time, we must not be sanguine.
Scattered about as they may be in the scores of little hill-forts
that dot the whole country, we can, unhappily, never be sure
that all are delivered, when we have only the word of a treach-
erous tyrant like Tippoo. We know that last time he kept
back hundreds of prisoners, among whom, as we may hope,
was your husband, and it may be that, however completely he
may be defeated, he may yet retain some of them, knowing
full well it is impossible that all these hill-forts and their dun-
geons can be searched. However, doubtless if an English



WAR DECLARED 93

army marches to Seringapatam, many will be recovered, though
we have reason to fear that many will, as before, be murdered
before our arrival.’’

When the Rajah returned from Arcot on the following day,
he brought back the news that General Meadows had moved
to the frontier at Caroor, fifty miles beyond Trichinopoly, and
that the war was really about to begin.

‘You know,’’ he said, ‘* how matters stand up to now.
Tippoo, after making peace with the Nizam and the Mahrat-
tas, with whom he had been engaged in hostilities for some
time, turned his attention to the western coast, where Coorg
and Malabar had risen in rebellion. After, as usual, perpe-
trating horrible atrocities, and after sending a large propor-
tion of the population as slaves to Mysore, he marched against
Travancore. Now, Travancore was specially mentioned in
the treaty of Mangalore as one of the allies of the English,
with whom Tippoo bound himself not to make war; and had
he not been prepared to fight the English he would not have
attacked their ally. ‘he excuse for attacking Travancore was
that some of the fugitives from Coorg and Malabar had taken
refuge there.

‘« Seeing that ‘Tippoo was bent upon hostilities, Lord Corn-
wallis and his council at Calcutta directed, as I learnt from an
official at Madras, the authorities there to begin at once to
make preparations for war. Instead of doing so, Mr. Holland,
the governor, gave the Rajah the shameful and cowardly ad-
vice to withdraw his protection from the fugitives. The
Rajah refused to comply with such counsel, and after some
months spent in negotiations, Tippoo attacked the wall that
runs along the northern frontier of Travancore. That was
about six months ago. Yes, it was on the 28th of December
—so it is just six months. His troops, fourteen thousand
strong, made their way without difficulty through a breach,
but they were suddenly attacked by a small body of Trav-
ancore men.



94 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

the breach, and in the wild struggle to pass through it,
no less than two thousand were either killed or crushed to
death.

“‘Tt was nearly three months before Tippoo renewed his at-
tack. The lines were weak, and his army so strong that re-
sistance was impossible. A breach, three-quarters of a mile
in length, was made in the wall, and marching through this
he devastated ‘Travancore from end to end. His unaccount-
able delay before assaulting the position has been of great ad-
vantage to us. Had he attacked us at once, instead of wasting
his time before Travancore, he would have found the Carnatic
as defenceless and as completely at his mercy as Hyder did.
He would still have done so had it depended upon Madras,
but as the authorities here did nothing, Lord Cornwallis took
the matter into his own hands. He was about to come here
himself, when General Meadows, formerly Governor of Bom-
bay, arrived, invested by the Company with the offices of
both governor and of commander-in-chief.

‘¢ He landed here late in. February, and at once set to work,
to prepare for war. Lord Cornwallis sent from Calcutta a
large amount of money, stores, and ammunition, and a battal-
ion of artillerymen. The Sepoys objected to travel by sea,
as their caste rules forbade them to do so, and he therefore
sent off six battalions of infantry by land, and the Nabob tells
me they are expected to arrive in four or five weeks’ time.
The Nabob of Arcot and the Rajah of Tanjore, both of whom
are very heavily in debt to the government, are ordered, dur-
ing the continuance of the war, to place their revenues at its
disposal, a liberal allowance being made to them both for their
personal expenses. ‘Tippoo is still in Travancore—at least, he
was there ten days ago, and has been endeavouring to negoti-
ate. [he Nabob tells me he believes that the object of Gen-
eral Meadows in advancing from Trichinopoly to Caroor, is to
push on to Coimbatoor, where he will, if he arrives before
Trppoo, cut him off from his return to his capital; and as



Full Text



The Baldwin Library

University
mD
Florida







THE TIGER OF MYSORE


DICK AND SURAJAH MAKE A DESPERATE DEFENCE,
THE TIGER OF MYSORE

A STORY OF

THE WAR WITH TIPPOO SAIB

BY

G. A. HENTY

Author of ‘ With Clive in India,” ‘‘ Through the Sikh War,” ‘ Beric the Briton,”
‘‘Held Fast for England,” “For Name and Fame,” etc.

WITH TWELVE ILLUSTRATIONS BY W. H. MARGETSON
AND A MAP

NEW YORK
CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS
1895
CopyRIGHT, 1895, BY

CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS

TROW DIRECTORY
FRINTING ANO BOOKBINDING COMPANY
NEW YORK
PREFACE

While some of our wars in India are open to the charge
that they were undertaken on slight provocation, and were
forced on by us in order that we might have an excuse for
annexation, our struggle with Tippoo Saib was, on the other
hand, marked by a long endurance of wrong, and a toleration
of abominable cruelties perpetrated upon Englishmen and our
native allies. Hyder Ali was a conqueror of the true Eastern
type; he was ambitious in the extreme, he dreamed of becom-
ing the Lord of the whole of Southern India, he was an able
leader, and, though ruthless where it was his policy to strike
terror, he was not cruel from choice. His son, Tippoo, on the
contrary, revelled in acts of the most abominable cruelty. It
would seem that he massacred for the very pleasure of mas-
sacring, and hundreds of British captives were killed by famine,

poison, or torture, simply to gratify his lust for murder. Pa-

tience was shown towards this monster until patience became
a fault, and our inaction was naturally ascribed by him to fear.
Had firmness been shown by Lord Cornwallis, when Seringa-
patam was practically in his power, the second war would
have been avoided and thousands of lives spared. ‘The blun-
der was a costly one to us, for the work had to be done all
over again, and the fault of Lord Cornwallis retrieved by the
energy and firmness of the Marquis of Wellesley.

The story of the campaign is taken from various sources,
and the details of the treatment of the prisoners from the
published narratives of two officers who effected their escape
from prisons.

Yours sincerely,

G. A. HENTY.

CHAP.

If.
Ii.
Iv.
Ve
VI.
VII.
VIII.
Ix.

XI.
XII.
XIII.

CONTENTS

A Lost FATHER, .

A BRUSH WITH PRIVATEERS,
Tue RajAH,.

First IMPRESSIONS,

War DECLARED,

A PERILOUS ADVENTURE,
BESIEGED,

THE INVASION OF Mysore,
NEWS OF THE CAPTIVE,

In DIsGulIsE, .

A USEFUL FRIEND,

A TIGER IN A ZENANA,
OFFICERS OF THE PALACE,
A SURPRISE,

ESCAPE, .

THE JOURNEY,

Back AT TRIPATALY,

A Narrow Escape,

Founp At LAST,

Tue Escapr, .

HoME,

PAGE
It

29
47
66
86

. 110
. 129
- 147
. 163
. 182
+ 197
. 208
. 225
. 240 ;
. 258
. 276
» 294
. 312
OZ
. 346
- 369
ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE
Dick AND SURAJAH MAKE A DESPERATE DEFENCE, Frontispiece, 139

Tue CAPTAIN AND BEN LASH THEMSELVES TO THE SPAR, Raia T'2,
Tur ‘‘ MADRAS” BEATS OFF TWO FRENCH PRIVATEERS, . er 2)
THE RAJAH TELLS THE STORY OF THE WAR, . : ; 5 GF
BATTLE oF Porto Novo, . : : ; ; : ee,
DIcK AND SURAJAH MAKE THEIR Escape, ; ; : . IIg
THE CAPITAL OF Mysore, . A 4 5 : : ; LOG
“ Dick TOOK STEADY AIM, AND FIRED AT THE TIGER,” . mei

THE WHITE SLAVE-GIRL THANKS DICK FOR SAVING HER LIFE, 251

DIcK POURS OUT SOME WINE AND WATER FOR ANNIE, . . 284
Dick AND SURAJAH ARE ATTACKED BY THUGS, : : eg 22

Dick AND SURAJAH VISIT THE FORT DISGUISED AS MERCHANTS, 332
DICK AND HIS FRIENDS ESCAPE FROM THE HILL-FORTRESS, . 353

A Hearry WELCOME AWAITS Dick ON HIS RETURN, . . 386


THE TIGER OF MYSORE

CHAPTER I
A LOST FATHER

3%, |HERE is no saying, lad, no saying at all. AllI
know is that your father the captain was washed
ashore at the same time as I was. As you have

SM

| heard me say, I owed my life to him. I was
pretty nigh gone when I caught sight of him holding on to a
spar ; spent as I was, I managed to give ashout loud enough
to catch his ear. He looked round. I waved my hand and
shouted, ‘Good-bye, Captain!’ Then I sank lower and
lower, and felt that it was all over, when, half in a dream, I
heard your father’s voice shout, ‘ Hold on, Ben!’ I gave one
more struggle, and then I felt him catch me by the arm. I
don’t remember what happened, until I found myself lashed to
the spar beside him. ‘ That is right, Ben,’ he said cheerily, as
I held up my head ; ‘ you will donow. I hadasharp tussle to
get you here, but it is all right. We are setting inshore fast.
Pull yourself together, for we shall have a rough time of it in
the surf. Anyhow we will stick together, come what may.’
«¢ As the waves lifted us up I saw the coast with its groves
of cocoa-nuts almost down to the water’s edge, and white

sheets of surt running up high on the sandy beach. It was
II
12 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

not more than a hundred yards away, and the captain sang
out ‘Hurrah! There are some natives coming down; they
will give us a hand.’ Next time we’ came up on a wave he
said, ‘When we get close, Ben, we must cut ourselves adrift
from this spar, or it will crush the life out of us; but before
we do that I will tie the two of us together.’

“He cut a bit of rope from the raffle hanging from the
spar, and tied one end round my waist and the other round
his own, leaving about five fathoms loose between us.

‘** There,’ he shouted in my ear. ‘If either of us gets
chucked well up and the natives get a hold of him, the other
must come up too. Now mind, Ben, keep broadside on to
the wave if you can, and let it roll you up as far as it will take
you; then, when you feel that its force is spent, stick your
fingers and toes into the sand and hold on like grim death.’
Well, we drifted nearer and nearer until, just as we got to the
point where the great waves tumbled over, the captain cut
the lashings and swam a little away, so as to be clear of the
spar ; then a big wave came towering up ; I was carried along
like a straw in a whirlpool. Then there was a crash that
pretty nigh knocked the senses out of me. I do not know
what happened afterwards. It was a confusion of white water
rushing past and overme. Then for a moment I stopped,
and at once made a clutch at the ground that I had been roll-
ing over. ‘There was a big strain and I was hauled backwards
as if a team of wild horses were pulling at me. Then there
was a jerk, and I knew nothing more till I woke up and found
myself on the sands, out of reach of the surf.

‘Your father did not come to for half-an-hour; he had
been hurt a bit worse than I had, but at last he came round.
Well, we were kept three months in a sort of castle place, and
then one day a party of chaps with guns and swords came
into the yard where we were sitting. ‘The man who seemed
the head of the fellows who had been keeping us prisoners,
walked up with one who was evidently an officer over the


















































THE CAPTAIN AND BEN LASH THEMSELVES TO THE SPAR.
A LOST FATHER 13

chaps as had just arrived. He looked at us both, and then
laid his hand on the captain; then the others came up.
‘The captain had just time to say, ‘ We are going to be parted,
Ben. God bless you! If ever you get back, give my love to
my wife, and tell her what has happened to me, and that she
must keep up her heart, for I shall make a bolt of it the first
time I get a chance.’ The next day I was taken off to a place
they call Calicut. There I stopped a year, and then the rajah
of the place joined the English against Tippoo, who was lord
of all the country, and I was released. I had got by that time
to talk their lingo pretty well, though I have forgotten it all
now, and I had found out that the chaps who had taken your
father away were a party sent down by Tippoo, who, having
heard that two Englishmen had been cast on shore, had in-
sisted upon one of them being handed over to him. It is
known that a great many of the prisoners in Tippoo’s hands
have been murdered in their dungeons. He has sworn over
and over again that he has no European prisoners, but every
one knows that he has numbers of them in his hands. Whether |
the captain is one of those who have been murdered, or
whether he is still in one of Tippoo’s dungeons, is more than
I or any one else can say.’’

‘‘ Well, as I have told you, Ben, that is what we mean to
find out.’’

‘¢T know that is what your mother has often said, lad, but
it seems to me that you have more chance of finding the man
in the moon than you have of learning whether your father is
alive or not.”’ :

«Well, we are going to try, anyhow, Ben. I know it’s a
difficult job, but mother and I have talked it over, ever since
you came home with the news, three years ago, so I have
made up my mind and nothing can change me. You see, I
have more chances than most people would have. Being a
boy is all in my favour ; and then, you know, I talk the lan-
guage just as well as English.’’
14 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

“Yes, of course that is a pull, and a big one; but it isa
desperate undertaking, lad, and I can’t say as I see how it is
to be done.”’

‘J don’t see either, Ben, and I don’t expect to see until
we get out there; but, desperate or not, mother and J are
going to try.”

Dick Holland, the speaker, was a lad of some fifteen years
of age ; his father, who was captain of a fine East Indiaman,
had sailed from London when he was nine, and had never
returned. No news had been received of the ship after she
touched at the Cape, and it was supposed that she had gone
down with all hands, until, nearly three years later, her boat-
swain, Ben Birket, had entered the East India Company’s
office, and reported that he himself, and the captain, had
been cast ashore on the territories of the Rajah of Coorg, the
sole survivors, as far as he knew, of the MooghZey. After an
interview with the Directors, he had gone straight to the house
at Shadwell inhabited by Mrs. Holland. She had left there,
but had removed to a smaller one a short distance away,
where she lived upon the interest of the sum that her husband
had invested from his savings, and from a small pension grant-
ed to her by the Company.

Mrs. Holland was a half-caste, the daughter of an English
woman who had married a young rajah. Her mother’s life
had been a happy one; but when her daughter had reached
the age of sixteen she died, obtaining on her deathbed the
rajah’s consent that the girl should be sent to England to be
educated, while her son, who was three years younger, should
remain with his father. Over him she had exercised but little
influence; he had been brought up like the sons of other
native princes, and, save for his somewhat light complexion,
the English blood in his veins would never have been sus-
pected.

Margaret, on the other hand, had been under her mother’s
care, and as the latter had always hoped that the girl would,
A LOST FATHER : 15

at any rate for a time, go to her family in England, she had
always conversed with her in that language, and had, until
her decreasing strength rendered it no longer possible, given
her an English education.

In complexion and appearance she took far more after her
English mother than the boy had done, and, save for her soft,
dark eyes, and glossy, jet-black hair, might have passed as
of pure English blood. When she sailed, it was with the
intention of returning to India in the course of a few years ;
but this arrangement was overthrown by the fact that on the
voyage, John Holland, the handsome young first mate of
the Indiaman, completely won her heart, and they were
married a fortnight after the vessel came up the Thames. The
matter would not have been so hurried had not a letter she
posted on landing, to her mother’s sister, who had promised
her a home, received an answer written in a strain which
determined her to yield at once to John Holland’s pressing
entreaties that they should be married without delay. Her
aunt had replied that she had consented to overlook the con-
duct of her mother in uniting herself to a native, and to re-
ceive her for a year at the rectory, but that her behaviour in
so precipitately engaging herself to a rough sailor, rendered it
impossible to countenance her. As she stated that she had
come over with a sum sufficient to pay her expenses while in
England, she advised her to ask the captain—who, by the way,
must have grossly neglected his duties by allowing an intimacy
between her and his mate—to place her in some school where
she would be well looked after until her return to India.

The Indian blood in Margaret’s veins boiled fiercely, and
she wrote her aunt a letter which caused that lady to congratu-
late herself on the good fortune that had prevented her from
having to receive under her roof a girl of so objectionable and
violent a character. Although the language that John Hol-
land used concerning this letter was strong indeed, he was well
satisfied, as he had foreseen that it was not probable Mar-
16 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

garet’s friends would have allowed her to marry him without
communicating with her father, and that the rajah might have
projects of his own for her disposal. He laid the case before
the captain, who placed her in charge of his wife until the
marriage took place. Except for the long absences of her
husband, Margaret’s life had been a very happy one, and
she was looking forward to the time when, after another voy-
age, he would be able to give up his profession and settle
down upon his savings.

When months passed by and no news came of the Hooghley

‘having reached port, Mrs. Holland at once gave up her house
and moved into a smaller one ; for although her income would
have been sufficient to enable her to remain where she was,
she determined to save every penny she was able for the
sake of her boy. She was possessed of strong common-sense
and firmness of character, and when Ben Birket returned with
his tale, he was surprised at the composure with which she re-
ceived it.

“‘T have always,’’ she said, ‘‘ had a conviction that John
was still alive, and have not allowed Dick to think of his
father as dead; and now I believe as firmly as before that
some day John will be restored to me. I myself can do
nothing towards aiding him. A woman can do little here ;
she can do nothing in India, save among her own people. I
shall wait patiently fora time; it may be that this war will
result in his release. But in the meantime I shall continue to
prepare Dick to take up the search for him as soon as he is old
enough. I hear once a year from my brother, who is now
rajah, and he will be able to aid my boy in many ways. How-
ever, for a time I must be patient and wait. I have learnt to
wait during my husband’s long absences ; and besides, I think
that the women of India are a patient race. I trust that John
will yet come home to me, but if not, when it is time we will
try to rescue him.”’

Ben said nothing at the time to damp her courage, but he
A LOST FATHER 17

shook his head as he left the cottage. ‘* Poor creature,’’ he
said. ‘*I would not say anything to discourage her, but for
a woman and boy to try to get a captive out of the claws of
the Tiger of Mysore is just madness.’’

Each time he returned from a voyage Ben ‘called upon Mrs.
Holland. He himself had given up every vestige of hope
when it was known that the name of her husband was not
among the list of those whom Tippoo had been forced to re-
lease. Margaret Holland, however, still clung to hope. Her
face was paler, and there was a set, pathetic expression in it;
so when she spoke of her husband as being still alive, Ben
would sooner have cut out his tongue than allow the slightest
word indicative of his own feeling of certainty as to the cap-
tain’s fate, to escape him, and he always made a pretence of
entering warmly into her plans. ‘The training, as she con-
sidered it, of her son, went on steadily ; she always con-
versed with him in her father’s language, and he was able to
speak it as well as English. She was ever impressing upon
him that he must be strong and active. When he was twelve
she engaged an old soldier, who had set up a sort of academy,
to instruct him in the use of the sword and in such exercises
as were calculated to strengthen his muscles and to give him
strength and agility. Unlike most mothers, she had no word
of reproach when he returned home from school with a puffed
face or cut lips, the signs of battle.

‘*T do not want you to be quarrelsome,’’ she often said to
him, ‘‘ but I have heard your father say that a man who can
use his fists well is sure to be cool and quick in any emergency.
You know what is before you, and these qualities are of far
more importance in your case than any book learning; there-
fore, Dick, I say, never quarrel on your own account, but
whenever you see a boy bullying a smaller one, take the op-
portunity of giving hima lesson while learning one yourself.
In the days of old, you know, the first duty of a true knight
was to succour the oppressed, and I want you to bea true

?
18 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

knight. You will get thrashed sometimes, no doubt, but don’t
mind that ; perhaps next time you will turn the tables.”

Dick acted upon this advice, and by the time he was fifteen
had established a reputation among not only the boys of his
own school, but of the district. In addition to his strength
and quickness, he had a fund of dogged endurance and imper-
turbable good temper that did not fail him, even on the rare
occasions when, in combats with boys much older than him-
self, he was torced to admit himself defeated. ‘The fact that he
fought, not because he was angry, but as if it were a matter of
business, gave him a great advantage, and his readiness to take
up the cause of any boy ill-treated by another was so notorious
that ‘I will tell Dick Holland’’ became a threat that saved
many a boy from being bullied. Ten days before his conver-
sation with Ben his mother had said,—

“Dick, I can stand this no longer ; I have tried to be pa-
tient for six years, but I can be patient no longer. I feel that
another year of suspense would kill me. Therefore I have
made up my mind to sail at once. The voyage will take us five
months, and perhaps you may have to remain some little time
at my brother’s before you can start. Now that the time is
come, I think that perhaps I am about to do wrong, and that
it may cost you your life. But I cannot help it, Dick; I dream
of your father almost every night, and I wake up thinking that
I hear him calling upon me to help him. I feel that I should
go mad if this were to last much longer.”’

‘¢T am ready, mother,’’ the boy said earnestly. ‘‘ I have
been hoping for some time that you would say you would start
soon ; and though I have not, of course, the strength of a man,
I think that will be more than made up by the advantage I
should have as a boy, in looking for my father; and at any
rate, from what you tell me, I should think that I am quite
as strong as an average native of your country. Anyhow,
mother, I am sure that it will be best for us to go now. It must
have been awful for you, waiting all this time, and though
A LOST FATHER ; 19

you have never said anything about it, I have noticed for a
long time that you were looking ill, and was sure that you
were worrying terribly. What would be the use of staying
any longer? Ishould not be very much stronger in another
year than I am now, and a year would seem an age to father.’’

And so it was settled, and Mrs. Holland at once began to
make preparations for their departure. She had already, with-
out saying anything to Dick, given notice that she should give
up the house. She had, during the six years, saved a sum of
money amply sufficient for the expenses of the journey and out-
fit, and she had now only to order clothes for herself and Dick,
and to part with her furniture. Ben, on his return, had heard
with grave apprehension that she was about to carry out her
intention ; but as he saw that any remonstrance on his part
would be worse than useless, he abstained from offering any,
and warmly entered into her plans. After an hour’s talk he
had proposed to Dick to go out for a stroll with him.

“‘T. am glad to have a talk with you, Ben,’’ Dick said.
“Of course, I have heard from mother what you told her
when you came home, but I shall be glad to hear it from you,
so as to know exactly how it all was. You know she feels
sure that father is still alive; I should like to know what your
opinion really is about it. Of course it will make no differ-
ence, as I should never say anything to her ; but I should like
to know whether you think there is any possibility of his being
alive.’’

To this Ben had replied as already related. He was silent
when Dick asserted that, desperate or not, he intended to
carry out his mother’s plan.

*‘T would not say as I think it altogether desperate, as far
as you are concerned,’’ he said thoughtfully. «It don’t seem
to me as there is much chance of your ever getting news of
your father, lad; and as to getting him out of prison if you do
come to hear of him, why, honest, I would not give a quid of
baccy for your chance ; but I don’t say as I think that it is an
20 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

altogether desperate job, as far as you are concerned yourself.
Talking their lingo as you do, it’s just possible as you might
be able to travel about in disguise without any one finding
you out, especially as the Rajah, your uncle, ought to be able
to help you a bit, and put you in the way of things, and per-
haps send some trusty chap along with you. There is no
doubt you are strong for your age, and being thin and nothing
but muscle, you would pass better as a native than if you had
been thick and chunky. My old woman tells me as you have
a regular name asa fighter, and that you have given a lesson
to many a bully in the neighbourhood. Altogether there is a
lot in your favour, and I don’t see why you should not pull
through all right; at any rate, even should the worst come to
the worst, and you do get news somehow that your poor father
has gone down, I am sure it will be better for your mother
than going on as she has done for the last six years, just wear-
ing herself out with anxiety.’

“‘T am sure it will, Ben. JI can tell you that it is as much
as I can do sometimes not to burst out crying when I see her
sitting by the hour, with her eyes open, but not seeing any-
thing or moving as much as a finger—just thinking, and think-
ing, and thinking. I wish we were going out in your ship,
Ben.”’

“¢T wish you was, lad; but it will be five or six weeks be-
fore we are off again. Anyhow, the ship you are going in—
the Afadras—is a fine craft, and the captain bears as high a
character as any one in the Company’s fleet. Well, lad, I
hope that it will all turn out well. If I could have talked the
lingo like a native, I would have been glad to have gone with
you and taken my chances. The captain saved my life in
that wreck, and it would only have been right that I should
risk mine for him, if there was but a shadow of chance of its
being of use ; but I know that in a job of this sort I could be
of no good whatsomever, and should be getting you into
trouble before we had gone a mile together.”’
A LOST FATHER 21

«© T am sure that you would help if you could, Ben; but of
course you could be of no use.’’

«¢ And when do you think of being home again, lad ?”’

«¢ There is no saying, Ben—it may be years; but however
long it takes I sha’n’t give it up until I find out for certain
what has become of my father.’’

«¢ And ain’t there a chance of hearing how you are getting
on, Dick? I shall think of you and your mother often and
often when I am on deck keeping my watch at night, and it
will seem hard that I mayn’t be able to hear for years as to
what you are doing.’’

«The only thing that I can do, Ben, will be to write if 1
get a chance of sending a messenger, or for my mother to
write to you to the office.”’

‘¢' That is it. You send a letter to Ben Birket, boatswain
of the Madeira, care of East India Company, Leadenhall
Street, and I shall get it sooner or later. Of course I shall
not expect a long yarn, but just two or three words to tell me
how you are getting on, and whether you have got any news
of your father. And if you come back to England, leave
your address at the Company’s office for me, for it ain’t an
easy matter to find any one out in London unless you have
got their bearings right.”’

Ten days later Mrs. Holland and Dick embarked on the
Madras. Dick had been warned by his mother to say noth-
ing to any one on board as to the object of their voyage.

«¢ J shall mention,”’ she said, ‘‘ that I am going out to make
some inquiries respecting the truth of a report that has reached
me, that some of those on board the AHYoogh/ey, of which my
husband was captain, survived the wreck, and were taken up
the country. That will be quite sufficient. Say nothing
about my having been born in India, or that my father was a
native rajah. Some of these officials—and still more, their
wives—are very prejudiced, and consider themselves to be
quite different beings to the natives of the country. I found
22 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

it so on my voyage to England ; at any rate, we don’t want
our affairs talked about ; it will be quite sufficient for people
to know that we are, as I said, going out to make some in-
quiries about the truth of this rumor.’’

“‘ All right, mother. At any rate, the captain has told
you that he will look after you and make things comfortable
for you, so we need not care about anything else.’’

‘« We certainly need not care, Dick ; but it is much more
agreeable to get on nicely with every one. I was very pleased
when Captain Barstow called yesterday and said that, having
heard at the office that the Mrs. Holland on the passenger list
was the widow of his old shipmate, John Holland, he had
come round to see if there was anything that he could do for
her, and he promised to do all in his power to make us com-
fortable. Of course, I told him that I did not regard myself
as Captain Holland’s widow—that all we knew was that he
had got safely ashore, and had been taken up to Mysore, and
as I had a strong conviction he was still alive, I was going out
to endeavor to ascertain from native sources whether he was
still living. ‘ Well, ma’am, I hope that you will succeed,’ he
said. ‘All thisis new to me. I thought he was drowned
when the Hooghley went ashore. Anyhow, Mrs. Holland, I.
honour you for making this journey just on the off chance of
hearing something of your husband, and you may be sure I
will do all I can to make the voyage a pleasant one for you.’
So you see we shall start favourably, Dick, for the captain can
do a great deal towards adding to the comfort of a passenger.
When it is known by the purser and steward that a lady is
under the special care of the captain, it ensures her a larger
share of civility and special attentions than she might otherwise
obtain.”’

As soon as they went on board, indeed, the captain came
up to them.

“«Good-morning, Mrs. Holland,’’ he said. <‘‘ You have
done quite right to come on board early. It gives you a
A LOST FATHER 23

chance of being attended to before the stewards are being
called for by twenty people at once.’’ He beckoned to a
midshipman. ‘‘ Mr. Hart, please tell the purser I wish to
speak to him. So this is your son, Mrs. Holland? A fine,
straight-looking young fellow ; are you going to put him in
the Service? You havea strong claim, you know, which I
am sure the Board would acknowledge.’”’

“Do you know, Captain, it is a matter that I have hardly
thought of—in fact, I have for years been so determined to go
out and try and obtain some news of my husband, as soon as
Dick was old enough to journey about as my protector, that I
have not thought, as I ought to have done, what profession he
should follow. However, he is only fifteen yet, and there
will be time enough when he gets back.”’

“< Tf he is to go into the Service, the sooner the better, ma’am
—one can hardly begin too young. However, I don’t say
there are not plenty of good sailors afloat who did not enter
until a couple of years older than he is—there is no strict rule
as toage. Only fifteen, is he? I should have taken him for
at least a year older. However, if you like, Mrs. Holland, I
will put him in the way of learning a good deal during the
voyage. He might as well be doing that as loafing about the
deck all day.”’ :

‘* Much better, Captain. Iam very much obliged to you,
and I am sure that he will be, too.’’

‘«T should like it immensely, Captain,’’ Dick exclaimed.

At this moment the purser came up.

‘‘ Mr. Stevenson,’’ the captain said, ‘‘ this is Mrs. Holland.
She is the wife of my old friend John Holland—we were mid-
shipmen together on board the Ganges. He commanded the
FHooghley, which was lost, you know, five or six years ago,
somewhere near Calicut. There were two or three survivors,
and he was one of them, and it seems that he was taken up the
country ; so Mrs. Holland is going out to endeavour to ascer-
tain whether he may not be still alive, though perhaps de-


24 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

tained by one of those native princes. Please do everything
you can to make her comfortable, and tell the head steward
that it is my particular wish she shall be well attended to.
Who is she berthed with ?’’

The purser took the passenger list from his pocket.

‘¢ She is with Mrs. Colonel Williamson and the wife of Com-
missioner Larkins.’’

The captain gave a grunt of dissatisfaction. ‘The purser
went on. ‘‘ There is a small cabin vacant, Captain. Two
ladies who were to have it—a mother and daughter—have, I
hear this morning, been unexpectedly detained, owing to the
sudden illness of one of them. Their heavy baggage is all in
the hold, and must go on, and they will follow in the next
ship. Shall I put Mrs. Holland in there ?”’

‘Certainly; this is most fortunate. I don’t think that you
would have been comfortable with the other two, Mrs. Hol-
land. I don’t know the colonel’s wife, but Mrs. Larkins has
travelled with us before, and I had quite enough of her on that
voyage.’”’

‘‘Thank you very much, Captain. It will indeed be a
comfort to have a cabin to myself.”’

Dick found that he was berthed with two young cadets,
whose names, he learned from the cards fastened over the
bunks, were Latham and Fellows. Half-an-hour after the ar-
rival of the Hollands on board, the passengers began to pour
in rapidly, and the deck of the AZadras was soon crowded
with them, their friends, and their luggage. Below, all was
bustle and confusion. Men shouted angrily to stewards ;
women, laden with parcels, blocked the gangway, and appealed
helplessly to every one for information and aid ; sailors carried
down trunks and portmanteaus; and Mrs. Holland, when she
emerged from her cabin, having stowed away her belongings
and made things tidy, congratulated herself on having been the
first on board, and so had not only avoided all this confusion,
but obtained a separate cabin, which she might not otherwise
A LOST FATHER 25

have been able to do, as the captain would have been too busy
to devote any special attention to her. After having handed
her over to the care of the purser, Captain Barstow had spoken
to the second officer, who happened to be passing.

‘¢Mr. Rawlinson,’’ he said, ‘‘ this is the son of my old
friend, Captain Holland. He is going out with his mother.
I wish you would keep your eye upon him, and let him join the
midshipmen in their studies with you in the morning. — Possi-
bly he may enter the Service, and it will be a great advantage
to him to have got up navigation a bit before he does so ; at
any rate it will occupy his mind and keep him out of mischief.
A lad of his age would be like a fish out of water among the
passengers on the quarter-deck.’’

“Ay, ay, sir. I will do what I can for him.’’ And he
hurried away.

Dick saw that, for the present, there was nothing to be done
but to look on, and it was not until the next morning, when
the AZadras was making her way south, outside the Goodwins,
that the second officer spoke to him.

“¢ Ah, there you are, lad! I have been too busy to think of
you, and it will be another day or two before we settle down
to regular work ; however, I will introduce you to one or two
of the midshipmen, and they will make you free of the ship.’’

Dick was indeed already beginning to feel at home. The
long table, full from end to end, had presented such a contrast
to his quiet dinner with his mother, that, as he sat down be-
side her and looked around, he thought he should never get to
speak to any one throughout the voyage. However, he had
scarcely settled himself when a gentleman in a naval uniform,
next to him, made the remark:

“Well, youngster, what do you think of all this? I sup-
pose it is all new to you?”’

‘Tt is, sir. It seems very strange at first, but I suppose I
shall get accustomed to it.’”’

‘¢QOh, yes.. You will find it pleasant enough by-and-bye.
26 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

I am the ship’s doctor ; the purser has been telling me about
you and your mother. I made one voyage with your father ;
it was my first, and a kinder captain I never sailed with. I
heard from the purser that there seems to be a chance of his
being still alive, and that your mother is going out to try and
find out something about him. I hope most sincerely that she
may succeed in doing so; but he has been missing a long time
now. Still, that is no reason why she should not find him ;
there have been instances where men have been kept for years
by some of these rascally natives—why, goodness only knows,
except, I suppose, because they fear and hate us, and think
that some time or other an English prisoner may be useful to
them. Your mother looks far from strong,’’ he went on, as
he glanced across Dick to Mrs. Holland, who was talking to a
lady on the other side of her; ‘‘ has she been ill ?’’

‘* No, sir; I have never known her ill yet. She has been
worrying herself a great deal ; she has waited so long, because
she did not like to go out until she could take me with her.
She has no friends in England with whom she could leave me.
She looks a good deal better now than she did a month ago.
I think directly she settled to come out, and had something to
do, she became better.’’

‘« That is quite natural,’’ the doctor said. ‘* There is noth-
ing so trying as inactivity. I have no doubt that the sea air
will quite set her up again. It performs almost miracles on the
homeward-bound passengers. They come on board looking
pale and listless and washed out; at the end of a month at sea
they are different creatures altogether.’’

The purser had taken pains to seat Mrs. Holland at table
next to a person who would be a pleasant companion for her,
and the lady she was now talking to was the wife of a chaplain
in the army. She had, a year before, returned from India in the
Madras, and he knew her to be a kind and pleasant woman.

Dick did not care for his cabin mates. They were young
fellows of about eighteen years of age; one was a nephew of
A LOST FATHER 27

a Director of the Company, the other the son of a high Indian
official. ‘They paid but little attention to him, generally ig-
noring him altogether, and conversing about things and people
in India in the tone of men to whom such matters were quite
familiar. é

In three or four days Dick became on good terms with the
six midshipmen the JZadras carried ; two of them were younger
than himself, two somewhat older, while the others were near-
ly out of their time, and hoped that this would be their last
trip in the midshipmen’s berth. The four younger lads studied
two hours every morning under the second officer’s instruction,
and Dick took his place at the table regularly with them.
Mathematics had been the only subject in which he had at all
distinguished himself at school, and he found himself able to
give satisfaction to Mr. Rawlinson in his studies of navigation.
After this work was over, they had an hour’s practical instruc-
tion by the boatswain’s mate, on knotting and splicing ropes,
and in other similar matters.

In a fortnight he had learned the names and uses of what had
at first seemed to him the innumerable ropes, and long before
that had accompanied one of the midshipmen aloft. On the
first occasion that he did so, two of the topmen followed him,
with the intention of carrying out the usual custom of lashing
him to the ratlines until he paid his footing. Seeing them
coming up, the midshipman laughed, and told Dick what was
in store for him. The boy had been as awkward as most
beginners in climbing the shrouds, the looseness and give of
the ratlines puzzling him; but he had for years practised climb-
ing ropes in the gymnasium at Shadwell, and was confident in
his power to do anything in that way. The consequence was,
that as soon as the sailors gained the top, where he and the
midshipman were standing, Dick seized one of the halliards
and with a merry laugh came down hand over hand. A min-
ute later, he stood on the deck.

‘Well done, youngster,’’ said the boatswain’s mate, who
28 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

=

happened to be standing by, as Dick’s feet touched the deck.
«This may be the first time you have been on board a ship,
but it is easy to see that it isn’t the first, by a long way, that
you have been on a rope. Could you go up again?”

«« Yes, I should think so,’’ Dick said. ‘*I have never
climbed so high as that, because I have never had the chance ;
but it ought to be easy enough.’’

The man laughed. ‘‘ There are not many sailors who can
do it,” he said. ‘‘ Well, let us see how high you will get.””

As Dick was accustomed to go up a rope thirty feet high,
hand over hand, without using his legs, he was confident that,
with their assistance, he could get up to the main-top, lofty
as it was, and he at once threw off his jacket and started. He
found the task harder than he had anticipated ; but he did it
without a pause. He was glad, however, when the two sailors
above grasped him by the arms, and placed him beside them on
the main-top.

‘Well, sir,’? one said, admiringly, ‘‘we thought you was
a Johnny Newcome by the way you went up the ratlines,
but you came up that rope like a monkey. Well, sir, you
are free up here, and if you weren’t it would not make much
odds to you, for it would take half the ship’s company to capt-
ure you.”’

« pulling five shillings from his pocket and handing them to the
sailors ; for his mother had told him that it was the custom on
first going aloft to make a present to them, and had given him
the money for the purpose. ‘I can climb, but I don’t know
anything about ropes, and I shall be very much obliged if you
will teach me all you can.”’
A BRUSH WITH PRIVATEERS 29

CHAPTER II
A BRUSH WITH PRIVATEERS

ICK was surprised when, on descending to the deck, he
found that what seemed to him a by no means very diffi-
cult feat had attracted general attention. Not only did half a
dozen of the sailors pat him on the back with exclamations ex-:
pressive of their surprise and admiration, but the other mid-
shipmen spoke quite as warmly, the eldest saying, ‘‘I could
have got up the rope, Holland, but I could not have gone up
straight, as you did, without stopping for a bit to take breath.
You don’t look so very strong, either.’’

‘‘J think that it is knack more than strength,’’ Dick re-
plied. ‘I have done a lot of practice at climbing, for I have
always wanted to get strong, and I heard that there was no bet-
ter exercise.’’

When, presently, Dick went aft to the quarter-deck, Captain
Barstow said to him, ‘‘ You have astonished us all, lad. I
could hardly believe my eyes when I saw you going up that
rope. I first caught sight of you when you had climbed but
twenty feet, and wondered how far you would get at that pace.
I would have wagered a hundred guineas to one that you
would not have kept it up to the top. Well, lad, whatever
profession you take to, it is certain that you will be a good
sailor spoilt.’’

They had now been three weeks out, but had made slow
progress, for the winds had been light, and mostly from the
south-west. ‘This is very dull work,’’ the doctor said to
Dick one day at dinner. ‘‘ Here we are, three weeks out,
and still hardly beyond the Channel. There is one consola-
tion: it is not the fault of the ship; she has been doing well
under the circumstances, but the fates have been against her
30 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

thus far. I have no doubt there are a score of ships still ly-
ing in the Downs, that were there when we passed; and,
tedious as it has been beating down the Channel, with scarce
wind enough most of the time to keep our sails full, it would
have been worse lying there all the time.”’

“¢ Still, we have gained a good bit on them, sir.”’

‘« Tf the wind were to change round, say to the north-east,
and they brought it along with them, they would soon make
up for lost time, for it would not take them three days to run
here. However, we shall begin to do better soon; I heard
the captain say that he should change his course to-morrow.
We are somewhere off Cork, and when he makes a few miles
more westing, he will bear away south. If we had had a
favourable wind, we should have taken our departure from the
start, but with it in this quarter we are obliged to make more
westing before we lay her head on her course, or we should
risk getting in too close to the French coast; and their priva-
teers are as thick as peas there.’’

“*But we should not be afraid of a French privateer,
doctor? ’”’

“Well, not altogether afraid of one, but they very often
go-in couples; and sometimes three of them will work to-
gether. I don’t think one privateer alone would venture to
attack us, though she might harass us a bit, and keep up a
distant fire, in hopes that another might hear it and bear down
to her aid. But it is always as well to keep free of them if
one can; you see, an unlucky shot might knock one of our
sticks out of us, which would mean delay and trouble, if no
worse. We had a sharp brush with two of them on the last
voyage, but we beat them off. We were stronger then than
we are now, for we had two hundred troops on board, and
should have astonished them if they had come close enough
to try boarding—in fact, we were slackening our fire, to tempt
them to do so, when they made out that a large craft coming
up astern was an English frigate, and sheered off. I don’t
A BRUSH WITH PRIVATEERS 31

know what the end of it was, but I rather fancy they were
~taken. ‘The frigate followed them, gaining fast, and, later on,
we could hear guns in the distance.”’

<‘ You did not join in the chase then, doctor ?”’

‘«QOh no; our business is not fighting. If we are attacked,
of course we defend ourselves ; but we don’t go a foot out of
our way if we can help it.’’

Three weeks at sea had done wonders for Mrs. Holland.
Now that she was fairly embarked upon her quest, the expres-
sion of anxiety gradually died out; the sea air braced up her
nerves, and, what was of still greater benefit to her, she was
able to sleep soundly and dreamlessly, a thing she had not
done for years. Dick was delighted at the change in her.

_*You look quite a different woman, mother,’’ he said.
“‘J don’t think your friends at Shadwell would know you if
they were to see you now.”’

‘*T feel a different woman, Dick. I have not felt so well
and so bright since your father sailed on his last voyage. I
am more convinced than ever that we shall succeed. I have
been trying very hard for years to be hopeful, but now I feel
so without trying. Of course, it is partly this lovely weather
and the sea air, and sleeping so well; and partly because
every one is so kind and pleasant.’’

As soon ast he Madras had been headed for the south, she
began to make better way. The wind freshened somewhat,
but continued in the same quarter. Grumbling ceased over
the bad luck they were having, and hopeful anticipations that
after all they would make a quick passage were freely indulged
in. On the fourth day after changing her course, she was off
the coast of Spain, which was but a hundred and fifty miles
distant. At noon that day the wind dropped suddenly, and
an hour later it was a dead calm.

“« We are going to have a change, Dick,’’ the doctor said,
as he stopped by the lad, who was leaning against the bulwark
watching a flock of sea-birds that were following a shoal of
32 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

fish, dashing down among them with loud cries, and too in-
tent upon their work to notice the ship lying motionless a
hundred yards away.

‘«< What sort of a change, doctor ?”’

‘* Most likely a strong blow, though from what quarter it is
too soon to say. However, we have no reason to grumble.
After nearly a month of light winds, we must expect a turn of
bad weather. I hope it will come from the north. That will
take us down to the latitude of Madeira, and beyond that we
may calculate upon another spell of fine weather, until we
cross the Line.”’

As the afternoon wore on, the weather becaine more dull.
There were no clouds in the sky, but the deep blue was dimmed
by asort of haze. Presently, after a talk between the captain
and the first Officer, the latter gave the order, ‘ All hands take
in sail.”’

The order had been expected, and the men at once swarmed
up the rigging. Ina quarter of an hour all the upper sails
were furled. The light spars were then sent down to the deck.

«‘ You may as well get the top-gallant sails off her too, Mr.
Green,’’ the captain said to the first officer.‘ It is as well to
be prepared for the worst. It is sure to blow pretty hard
when the change comes.’’ ;

The top-gallant sails were got in, and when the courses had
been brailed up and secured, the hands were called down.
Presently the captain, after going to his cabin, rejoined Mr.
Green.

«« The glass has gone up again,’’ Dick heard him say.

«‘ That looks as if it were coming from the north, sir.”’

«« Ves, with some east in it; it could not come from a better
quarter.’’ He turned and gazed steadily in that direction
<¢ Yes, there is dark water over there.”’

‘¢ So there is, sir ; that is all right. Idon’t mind how hard
it blows, so that it does but come on gradually.”’

«‘T agree with you. These hurricane bursts when one is
A BRUSH WITH PRIVATEERS 33

becalmed are always dangerous, even when one is under bare
poles.’

Gradually the dark line on the horizon crept up towards the
ship. As it reached her the sails bellied out, and she began
to move through the water. The wind increased in strength
rapidly, and in half-an-hour she was running south at ten or
eleven knots an hour. The thermometer had fallen many de-
grees, and as the sun set the passengers were glad to go below
for shelter. Before going to bed Dick went up on deck for a
few minutes. ‘The topsails had been reefed down, but the
Madras was rushing through the water at a high rate of speed.
The sea was getting up, and the waves were crested with foam.
Above, the stars were shining brilliantly.

‘« Well, lad, this is a change, is it not?’’ the captain said,
as he came along in a pea-jacket.

«« We seem to be going splendidly, Captain.”’

“¢Yes, we are walking along grandly, and making up for
lost time.’’

“« Tt is blowing hard, sir.’’

« I do not think it will be anything very severe. Things won’t
be so comfortable downstairs for the next day or two, but that
is likely to be the worst of it.”’

The motion of the ship kept Dick awake for some time, but,
wedging himself tightly in his berth, he presently fell off to
sleep, and did not awake again until morning. His two cabin
mates were suffering terribly from sea-sickness, but he felt per-
fectly well, although it took him a long time to dress, so great
was the motion of the ship. On making his way on deck, he
found that overhead the sky was blue and bright, and the sun
shining brilliantly. The wind was blowing much harder than
on the previous evening, and a heavy sea was running; but as
the sun sparkled on the white crests of the waves, the scene was
far less awe-inspiring than it had been when he looked out
before retiring to his berth. The ship, under closely-reefed
34 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

main and fore top-sails, was tearing through the water at a
high rate of speed, throwing clouds of spray from her bows,
and occasionally taking a wave over them that sent a deluge of
water along the deck.

‘* What do you think of this, lad?’’ Mr. Rawlinson, who
was in charge of the watch, asked him, as, after watching his
opportunity, he made a rush to the side and caught a firm hold
of a shroud.

‘¢ Tt is splendid, sir,’’ he said. ‘‘ Has she been going like
this all night ?”’

The officer nodded.

-“ Flow long do you think it will last, sir ? ’’

“¢ Two or three days.’’

‘« Will it be any worse, sir ?’’

“‘Not likely to be; it is taking us along rarely, and it is
doing us good in more ways than one. Look there; ’’ and
as they rose on a wave, he pointed across the water behind
Dick. The lad turned and saw a brig running parallel to
their course, half a mile distant.

‘« What of her, sir ?’”’

‘¢ That is a French privateer, unless I am greatly mistaken.’’

‘¢ But she has the British ensign flying, sir ?”’

‘“ Ay, but that goes for nothing. She may possibly be a
trader on her way down to the Guinea coast, but by the cut
of her sails and the look of her hull, I have no doubt that she
is a Frenchman.”’

‘« We are passing her, sir.’’

‘© Oh, yes ; in a gale and a heavy sea, weight tells, and we
shall soon leave her astern ; but in fine weather I expect she
could sail round and round us. Ifthe French could fight
their ships as well as they can build them, we should not be in
it with them.’’

“¢ Why don’t we fire at her, Mr. Rawlinson ?’”’

The officer laughed. ‘* How are you going to work your
guns with the ship rolling like this? No, lad, we are like two
A BRUSH WITH PRIVATEERS 35

muzzled dogs at present—we can do nothing but watch each
other. Iam sorry to say that I don’t think the fellow is alone.
Two or three times I have fancied that I caught a glimpse of
a sail on our starboard quarter. JI could not swear to it, but I
don’t think I was mistaken, and I called the captain’s atten-
tion that way just before he went down ten minutes ago, and
he thought he saw it too. However, as there was nothing to
be done, he went down for a caulk ; he had not left the deck
since noon yesterday.’”’

“But ifshe is no bigger than the other, I suppose we shall
leave her behind, too, Mr. Rawlinson ?’’

«« Ay, lad, we shall leave them both behind presently ; but
if they are what I think, we are likely to hear more of them
later on. They would not be so far off-shore as this unless
they were on the look-out for Indiamen, which of course keep
much farther out than ships bound up the Mediterranean ; and
having once spotted us they will follow us like hounds ona
deer’s trail. However, I think they are likely to find that
they have caught a tartar when they come up to us. Ah!
here is the doctor. Well, doctor, what is the report below ?”’

“‘Only the usual number of casualties,—a sprained wrist, a
few contusions, and three or four cases of hysterics.’’

‘«Js mother all right, doctor? ’’ Dick asked.

‘As I have heard nothing of her, I have no doubt she is.
Iam quite sure that she will not trouble me with hysterics.
Women who have had real trouble to bear, Dick, can be
trusted to keep their nerves steady in a gale.”’

“«T suppose you call this a gale, doctor? ”’

‘“‘ Certainly ; it is astiff north-easterly gale, and if we were
facing it instead of running before it, you would not want to
ask the question. That is a suspicious-looking craft, Rawlin-
son,’’ he broke off, catching sight of the brig now on their
port quarter. -

“Yes, she is a privateer I have no doubt, and unless I am
mistaken she has a consort somewhere out there to starboard.


36 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

However, we need not trouble about them; travelling as we
are, we are going two knots an hour faster than the brig.”’

«So much the better,’’ the doctor said shortly. ‘* We can
laugh at one of these fellows, but when it comes to two of
them, I own that I don’t care for their company. So the
longer this gale holds on, the better.”

The mate nodded.

‘¢ Well, Dick,’’ the doctor went on, ‘‘ do you feel as if you
will be able to eat your breakfast ?”’

‘«]T shall be ready enough for it, doctor, but I don’t see how
it will be possible to eat it, with the vessel rolling like this.’

“« You certainly will not be able to sit down to it—nothing
would stay on the table a minute; there will be no regular
breakfast to-day. You must get the steward to cut you a
chunk of cold meat, put it between two slices of bread, and
make a sandwich of it. As to tea, ask him to give you a
bottle and to pour your tea into that; then, if you wedge
yourself into a corner, you will find that you are able to man-
age your breakfast comfortably, and can amuse yourself watch-
ing people trying to balance a cup of tea in their hand.’’

Not more than half a dozen passengers ventured on deck for
the next two days, but at the end of that time the force of the
wind gradually abated, and on the following morning the
Madras had all her sails set to a light but still favourable
breeze. Madeira had been passed, to Dick’s disappointment ;
but, except for a fresh supply of vegetables, there was no oc-
casion to put in there, and the captain grudged the loss of a
day while so favourable a wind was taking them along.

“‘Do you think we shall see anything of that brig again,
doctor ?’’ Dick asked, as, for the first time since the wind
sprang up, the passengers sat down to a comfortable breakfast.

«There is no saying, Dick. Ifwe gained two knots an
hour during the blow (and I don’t suppose we gained more
than one and a half), they must be a hundred and twenty
miles or so astern of us; after all, that is only half aday’s run.
A BRUSH WITH PRIVATEERS 37

I think they are pretty sure to follow us for a bit, for they will
know that in light winds they travel faster than we do, and if
we get becalmed while they still hold the breeze, they will
come up hand over hand. It is likely enough that in another
three days or so we may get a sight of them behind us.’’

This was evidently the captain’s opinion also, for during the
day the guns were overhauled, and their carriages examined,
and the muskets brought up on deck and cleaned. On the
following day the men were practised at the guns, and then
had pike and cutlass exercise. None of the passengers partic-
ularly noticed these proceedings, for Dick had been warned
by the captain to say nothing about the brig; and as he was
the only passenger on deck at the time, no whisper of the
privateers had come to the ears of the others. The party
were just going down to lunch on the third day when a look-
out in the maintop hailed the deck,—

‘« A sail astern.”’

“« How does she bear ?’”’

‘«She is dead astern of us, sir, and I can only make out her
upper sails. I should say that they are her royals.”’

Mr. Green ran up, with his telescope slung over his shoul-
der. ‘‘I cannot make much out of her, sir,’’ he shouted to
the captain; ‘*she may be anything. She must be nearly
thirty miles astern. I think, with Pearson, that it is her
royals we see.’’

«<'Take a look round, Mr. Green.”’

The mate did so, and presently called down, ‘‘ I can make
out something ‘else away on the starboard quarter, but so far
astern that I can scarce swear to her. Still, it can be nothing
but a sail.’’

“‘Thank you, Mr. Green; I daresay that we shall know
more about her later on.”’

When the captain joined the passengers at table, one of the
ladies said, ‘‘ You seem interested in that ship astern of us,
captain.”’
38 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

‘Yes, Mrs. Seaforth; one is always interested in a ship
when one gets down as far as this. She may be another
Indiaman, and although the Zadras has no claim to any
great speed in a light breeze like this, one never likes being
passed.”

‘The explanation was considered as sufficient, and nothing
more was said on the subject. By sunset the upper sails of
the stranger could be make out from the deck of the AfZadras.
Mr. Green again went up and had a look at her.

«She is coming up fast,’’ he said, when he rejoined the
captain. ‘¢She keeps so dead in our wake that I can’t make
out whether she is a brig or a three-master ; but I fancy that
she is a brig, by the size and cut of her sails. I can see the
other craft plainly enough now ; she is eight or ten miles west
of the other and has closed in towards her since I made her
out before. I have no doubt that she is a large schooner.”’

« Well, it is a comfort that they are not a few miles nearer,
Mr. Green. ‘There is no chance of their overtaking us before
morning, so we shall be able to keep our watches as usual, and
shall have time to get ready for a fight if there is to be one.”’

“The sooner the better, sir, so that it is daylight; it is
quite certain that they have the legs of us.’’

In the morning when Dick came up he found that the wind
had quite died away, and the sails hung loosely from the
yards. Looking astern, he saw two vessels ; they were some
six miles away, and perhaps two miles apart. As they lay
without steerage way they had swung partly round, and he
saw that they were a brig and a schooner. The former he
had no doubt, from her lofty masts and general appearance,
was the same the Jadras had passed six days before. As the
passengers came up they were full of curiosity as to the vessels.

‘© Of course, we know no more actually than you do your-
selves,’’ the captain said, as some of them gathered round and
questioned him, “ but I may as well tell you frankly that we
have very little doubt about their being two French priva-
A BRUSH WITH PRIVATEERS 39

teers. We passed them during the gale, and had some hopes
that we should not see them again ; but in the light breeze we
have been having during the last few days they have made up
lost ground, and I am afraid we shall have to fight them.”’

Exclamations of alarm broke from some of the ladies who
heard his words.

‘You need not be alarmed, ladies,’? he went on. ‘*‘ We
carry twelve guns, you know, and I expect that all of them
are of heavier metal than theirs. The JZadras is a strongly-
built ship, and will stand a good deal more hammering than
those light craft will, so that I have no doubt we shall give a
good account of ourselves.’’

After breakfast the hatches were opened and the gun-cases
belonging to the passengers brought on deck. Scarce one of
them but had a rifle, and many had in addition a shotgun.
‘The day passed without any change in the positions of the
vessels, for they still lay becalmed.

<¢ Why don’t they get out their boats, and tow their vessels
up?’’ Dick asked the doctor.

«¢ Because they would be throwing away their chances if
they did so. ‘They know that we cannot get away from them,
and. we might smash up their boats as soon as they came
within range. Besides, their speed and superior handiness
give them a pull over us when fighting under sail. They may
try to tow up during the night, if they think they are strong
enough to take us by boarding, but I hardly think they will
do so.”’

The night, however, passed off quietly, but in the morning
a light breeze sprang up from the east, the sails were trimmed,
and the Madras again began to move through the water. By
breakfast time, the craft behind had visibly decreased their
distance. The meal was a silent one. When it was over the
captain said, ‘‘As soon as those fellows open fire, ladies, I
must ask you all to go down into the hold. The sailors have
already cleared a space below the water-line large enough for
4.0 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

you, and they will take down some cushions and so on to
make you as comfortable as possible under the circumstances.
Pray do not be alarmed at any noises you may hear; you will
be below the water-line and perfectly safe from their eiee and
you may be sure that we shall do our best to keep the scoun-

drels from boarding us; and I will let you know from time to

?

time how matters are going.’
The unmarried men at once went up on deck ; the others

lingered for a short time behind, talking to their wives and
daughters, and then followed.

« The wind has strengthened a bit, Mr. Green,
tain said, ‘and I fancy we shall get more.”’

«« [ think so too, Captain.”

“©Then you may as well get off the upper sails and make
her snug. ‘Get off everything above the top-gallant ; then, if
the wind increases, we shall not want to call the men away

?

the cap-

from the guns.”’

The crew had, without orders, already mustered at quarters.
The lashings had been cast off the guns, the boatswain had
opened the magazines, and a pile of shot stood by each gun,
together with cases of canister and grape-shot for close work.
Boarding-pikes and cutlasses were ranged along by the bul-
warks. The men had thrown aside their jackets, and many of
those at the guns were stripped to the waist. Some of them
were laughing and talking, and Dick saw, by their air of con-
fidence, that they had no doubt of their ability to beat off the
assault of the privateers.

‘The latter were the first to open the ball. burst out from the brig’s bows, followed almost instantly by
one from the schooner. Both shots fell short, and for a quarter
of an hour the three vessels kept on their way.

‘* We have heavier metal than that,’’ the captain said cheer-
fully, **and I have no doubt we could reach them; but it is
not our game to play at long bowls, for it is probable that
both of them carry a long pivot gun, and if they were to draw


A BRUSH WITH PRIVATEERS 41

off a bit, they could annoy us amazingly, while we could not
reach them.’’

Presently the privateers opened fire again. They were now
about a mile away, and the same distance from each other.
Their shot fell close to the Indiaman, and two or three passea
through her sails. Still no reply was made. The men at the
guns fidgeted and kept casting glances towards the poop, in
expectation of an order. It came at last, but was not what
they had expected.

“‘ Double-shot your guns, men,’’ the captain said.

Scarcely was the order obeyed when the brig, which was
now on the port quarter, luffed up a little into the wind and
fired a broadside of eight guns. There was a crashing of wood:
the AZadras was hulled in three places; two more holes ap-
peared in her sails; while the other shot passed harmlessly
just astern of her. There was an angry growl among the
sailors as the schooner bore away a little and also fired her
broadside. Except that a man was struck down by a splinter
from the bulwarks, no damage was done.

‘« Bear up a little,’’ the captain said to the second officer,
who was standing by the helmsman. ‘I want to edge ina
little towards the brig, but not enough for them to notice it.
Now, gentlemen,’’ he went on to the passengers, ‘‘ I have no
doubt that most of you are good shots, and I want you, after
we have fired our broadside, to direct your attention to the
brig’s helmsmen. If you can render it impossible for the men
to stand at the wheel, we will make mincemeat of this fellow
in no time. Directly I have fired our port broadside, I am
going to bring her up into the wind on the opposite tack, and
give him the starboard broadside at close quarters. Don’t fire
until we have gone about, and then pick off the helmsmen if
youcan. Get ready, men.’”’ The brig was now but a little
more than a quarter of a mile distant. ‘‘ Aim at the foot of
his mainmast,’’ he went on. ‘ Let each man fire as he gets
the mast on his sight.”’
42 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

A moment later the first gun fired, and the whole broad-
side followed in quick succession.

<¢ Down with the helm! Hard down, sheets and tacks! ”’

The men whose duty it was to trim the sails ran to the
sheets and braces. The W/adras swept up into the wind, and
as her sails drew on the other tack she came along on a course
that would take her within a hundred yards of the brig. As
she approached, three rifles cracked out on her poop. One of
the men at the helm of the brig fell, and as he did so, half a
dozen more shots were fired; and as his companion diopped
beside him, the brig, deprived of her helm, flew up into the
wind. Three men ran aft to the wheel, but the deadly rifles
spoke out again. ‘Two of them fell; the third dived under
the bulwark, for shelter.

‘‘ Steady, men!’’ the captain shouted. ‘‘ Fetch her main-
mast out of her!”

As they swept along under the stern of the brig, each gun
of their other broadside poured in its fire in succession, raking
the crowded deck from end to end. A moment later the
mainmast was seen to sway, and a tremendous cheer broke
from the Madras as it went over the side, dragging with it
the foretopmast with all its gear.

«Down with the helm again!’’ the captain shouted.
«« Bring her head to wind, and keep her there !”’

The first officer sprang forward to see that the order was
carried into effect, and a minute later the Indiaman lay, with
her sails aback, at a distance of a hundred yards, on the quar- -
ter of the brig.

«« Grape and canister ! ”’ the captain shouted, and broadside
after broadside swept the decks of the brig, which, hampered
by her wreckage, was lying almost motionless in the water.
So terrible was the fire that the privateer’s men threw down
the axes with which they were striving to cut away the float-
ing spars, and ran below.

‘¢ Double-shot your guns, and give her one broadside be-


THE “MADRAS” BEATS OFF TWO FRENCH PRIVATEERS,
A BRUSH WITH PRIVATEERS 43

tween wind and water!’’ the captain ordered. ‘Haul on
the sheets and braces, Mr. Green, and get her on her course
again—the schooner won’t trouble us now.”’

That craft had indeed at first luffed up, to come to the as-
sistance of her consort; but on seeing the fall of the latter’s
mast, and that she was incapable of rendering any assistance,
had again altered her course, feeling her incapacity to engage
so redoubtable an opponent single-handed. Three hearty
cheers broke from all on board the AZadras, as, after pouring
in a broadside at a distance of fifty yards, she left the brig be-
hind her and proceeded on her way.

“«Then you don’t care about taking prizes, captain? ’’ one
of the passengers said, as they crowded round to congratulate
him upon his easy and almost bloodless victory.

“*No, taking prizes is not my business; and were I to
weaken my crew by sending some of them off in a prize, I
might find myself short-handed if we met another of these
gentlemen, or fell in with bad weather. Besides, she would
not be worth sending home.’’

‘¢ The. brig is signalling to her consort, sir,’’ Mr. Green said,
coming up.

“Ay, ay; I expect she wants help badly enough. I saw
the chips fly close to her water-line as we gave her that last
broadside.”

«They are lowering a boat,’’ one of the passengers said.

‘«So they are; I expect. they haven’t got more than one
that can swim. I think she is settling down,’’ the captain
said, as he looked earnestly at the wreck astern. <‘‘ See how
they are crowding into that boat, and how some of the others
are cutting and slashing to get the wreckage clear of her.’’

‘«She is certainly a good bit lower in the water than she
was,’’ the first officer agreed. ‘‘ The schooner has come
round, and won’t be long before she is alongside of her.’’

There was no doubt that the brig was settling down fast.
Men stood on the bulwarks and waved their caps frantically to

”
44 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

the schooner; others could be seen, by the aid of a glass,
casting spars, hen-coops, and other articles, overboard, and
jumping into the water after them; and soon the sea around
the wreck was dotted with heads and floating fragments, while
the wreckage of the mainmast was clustered with men.
When the Jadras was a mile away, the schooner was lying
thrown up head to wind fifty yards from the brig, and her
boats were already engaged in picking up the swimmers.
Suddenly the brig gave a heavy lurch.

«« There she goes!’’ the captain exclaimed. A moment
later the hull had disappeared, and the schooner remained
alone.

By this time the whole of the ladies had ascended from their
place of safety to the poop, and a general exclamation broke
from the passengers as the brig disappeared.

«The schooner will pick them all up,’’ the captain said.
‘«« They must have suffered heavily from our fire, but I don’t
think any will have gone down with her. The boat which
has already reached the schooner must have taken a good
many, and the mainmast and foretopmast and spars would sup-
port the rest, to say nothing of the things they have thrown
overboard. There is one wasp the less afloat.”’

No further adventure was met with throughout the voyage.
They had a spell of bad weather off the Cape, but the captain
said it was nothing to the gales they often encountered there,
and that the voyage as a whole was an exceptionally good one ;
for even after the delays they had encountered at the start, the
passage had lasted but four months and a half. They touched
at Point de Galle for news, and to ascertain whether any
French war-ships had been seen of late along the coast. A
supply of fresh vegetables and fruit was taken on board, as the
vessel, after touching at Madras, was to go on to Calcutta. A
few of the passengers landed at Point de Galle, but neither
Dick nor his mother went ashore.

“You will have plenty of opportunities of seeing Indians
A BRUSH WITH PRIVATEERS 45

later on, Dick,’’ Mrs. Holland had said; ‘‘ and as the gigs
will not take all ashore, we may as well stop quietly here. I
heard the captain say that he would weigh anchor again in
four hours.”’

Dick was rather disappointed, but as they’ would be at
Madras before long, he did not much mind. ‘Ten days later
they anchored off that town. Little was to be seen except
the fort, anumber of warehouses, and the native town, while
the scenery contrasted strongly with that of Ceylon, with its
masses of green foliage with hills rising behind. For the last
fortnight Mrs. Holland had been somewhat depressed. Now
that the voyage was nearly over, the difficulties of the task be-
fore her seemed greater than they had done when viewed from
a distance, and she asked herself whether, after all, it would
not have been wiser to have waited another two or three years,
until Dick had attained greater strength and manhood. The
boy, however, when she confided her doubts to him, laughed
at the idea.

‘¢ Why, you know, mother,’’ he said, ‘‘ we agreed that I had
a much greater chance as a boy of going about unsuspected,
than I should have as a man; besides, we could never have
let father remain any longer without trying to get him out.
No, no, mother, you know we have gone through it over and
over again, and talked about every chance. We have hada
first-rate voyage, and everything is going on just as we could
have wished, and it would never do to begin to have doubts
now. We have both felt confident all along. It seems to me
that of all things we must keep on being confident, at‘any rate
until there is something to give us cause to doubt.”’

On the following morning they landed in a surf-boat, and
were fortunate in getting ashore without being drenched.
There was a rush of wild-looking and half-naked natives to
seize their baggage ; but upon Mrs. Holland, with quiet deci-
sion, accosting the men in their own language, and picking
out four of them to carry the baggage up to one of the vehicles
46 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

standing on the road that ran along the top of the high beach,
the rest fell back, and the matter was arranged without diffi-
culty. After a drive of twenty minutes, they stopped at a
hotel.

‘«Tt is not like a hotel, mother,’’ Dick remarked, as they
drew up; ‘‘it is more like a gentleman’s house, standing in
its own park.’”’

‘¢ Almost all the European houses are built so here, Dick,
and it is much more pleasant than when they are packed to-
gether.’’

“* Much nicer,’’ Dick agreed. ‘‘ If each house has a lot of
ground like this, the place must cover a tremendous extent of
country.’’

“«Tt does, Dick; but as every one keeps horses and car-
riages, that does not matter much. Blacktown, as they call
the native town, stands quite apart from the European quar-
tere

As soon as they were settled in their rooms, which seemed
to Dick singularly bare and unfurnished, mother and son went
out for a drive in one of the carriages belonging to the hotel.
Dick had learned so much about India from her that, although
extremely interested, he was scarcely surprised at the various
scenes that met his eye, or at the bright and varied costumes
of the natives. Many changes had taken place during the
seventeen years that had elapsed since Mrs. Holland had left
India. The town had increased greatly in size. All signs of
the effects of the siege by the French, thirty years before, had
been long since obliterated. Large and handsome government
buildings had been erected, and evidences of wealth and pros-
perity were everywhere present.
THE RAJAH 47

CHAPTER III
THE RAJAH

‘¢ KTOW, mother, let us talk over our plans,’’ Dick said, as,

after dinner, they seated themselves in two chairs in the
veranda, at some little distance from the other guests at the
hotel. ‘‘ How are we going to begin ?”’

‘¢Tn the first place, Dick, we shall to-morrow send out a
messenger to Tripataly, to tell my brother of our arrival here.’’

‘« How far is it, mother? ”’

“Tt is about a hundred and twenty miles in a straight line,
I think, but a good bit farther than that by the way we shall
go.”

“¢ How shall we travel, mother ? ”’

‘« J will make some inquiries to-morrow, but I think that
the pleasantest way will be to drive from here to Conjeveram.
I think that is about forty miles. There we can take a native
boat, and go up the river Palar past Arcot and Vellore, to
Vaniambaddy. From there it is only about fifteen miles to
Tripataly. I shall tell my brother the way I propose going.
Of course, if he thinks any other way will be better, we shall
go by that.”

‘« Are we going to travel as we are, mother, or in native
dress ?”’

‘¢ That is a point that I have been thinking over, Dick; I
will wait and ask my brother which he thinks will be the best.
When out there I always dressed as a native, and never put on
English clothes except at Madras. I used to come down here
two or three times every year with my mother, and generally
stayed for a fortnight or three weeks. During that time we
always dressed in English fashion, as by so doing we could live
at the hotel and take our meals at public tables without excit-
48 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

ing comment. My mother knew several families here, and
liked getting back to English ways occasionally. Of course,
I shall dress in Indian fashion while I stay at my brother’s, so it
is only the question of how we shall journey there, and I think
I should prefer going as we are. We shall excite no special
observation travelling as English, as it will only be supposed
that we are on our way to pay a visit to some of our officers at
Arcot. At Conjeveram, which is a large place, there is sure
to be a hotel of some sort or other, for it is on the main road
from Madras south. On the way up by water we shall of
course sleep on board, and we shall go direct from the boat to
Tripataly. However, we need not decide until we get an
answer to my letter, for it will take a very short time to get
the necessary dresses for us both. I think it most likely that
my brother will send down one of his officers to meet us, or
possibly may come down himself. You heard what they were
all talking about at dinner, Dick ?”’

‘‘Yes, mother, it was something about Tippoo attacking
the Rajah of Travancore, but I did not pay much attention to
it. I was looking at the servants in their curious dresses.’’

‘¢Tt is very important, Dick, and will probably change all
our plans. Travancore is in alliance with us, and every one
thinks that Tippoo’s attack on it will end in our being engaged
in war with him. I was talking to the officer who sat next
to me, and he told me that if there had been a capable man
at the head of government here, war would have been declared
as soon as the Sultan moved against Travancore. Now that
General Meadows had been appointed governor and com-
mander-in-chief, there was no doubt, he said, that an army
would move against Tippoo in a very short time—that it was
already being collected, and that a force was marching down
here from Bengal. So you see, my boy, if this war really
breaks out, the English may march to Seringapatam and com-
pel Tippoo to give up all the captives he has in his hands.’’

‘« That would be splendid, mother.”’
THE RAJAH 49

‘© At any rate, Dick, as long as there is a hope of your father
being rescued in that way, our plans must be put aside.’’

‘¢ Well, mother, that will be better in some respects, for of
course if father is not rescued by our army I can try after-
wards as we arranged. It would be an advantage in one way,
as I should then be quite accustomed to the country and more
fit to make my way about.’’

A week later. an old officer arrived from Tripataly.

‘¢ Ah, Rajbullub,’’ Mrs. Holland exclaimed, as he came up
with a deep salaam, ‘‘1 am indeed glad to see you again. I
knew you were alive, for my brother mentioned you when he
wrote last year.’’

Rajbullub was evidently greatly pleased at the recognition.
‘‘T think I should have known you, lady,’’ he said; but
eighteen years makes more changes in the young than in the
old. ‘Truly I am glad to see you again. There was great joy
among us who knew you as a child, when the Rajah told us
that you were here. He has sent me on to say that he will
arrive to-morrow. I am to see to his apartments, and to
have all in readiness. He intends to stay here some days
before returning to Tripataly.’’

«Will he come to this hotel ?”’

‘© No, lady, he will take the house he always has when he is
here; it is kept for the use of our princes when they come
down to Madras. He bade me say that he hopes you will
remain here, for that none of the rooms could be got ready at
such ashort notice; he has not written, for he hates writing,
which is a thing that he has small occasion for. I was to tell
you that his heart rejoiced at the thought of seeing you again,
and that his love for you is as warm as it was when you were a
boy and girl together.’’

‘¢ This is my son, Rajbullub. He has often heard me speak
of you.”’

«Ves, indeed,’’ Dick said warmly. ‘‘ 1 heard how you saved
her from being bitten by a cobra when she was a little girl.”’
50 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

‘*Ah! the young lord speaks our tongue,’’ Rajbullub said,
with great pleasure. ‘‘ We wondered whether you would have
taught it to him. If it had not been that you always wrote
to my lord in our language, we should have thought that you
yourself would surely have forgotten it after dwelling so long
among the white sahibs.’’

‘*No, we always speak it when together, Rajbullub. I
thought that he might some day come out here, and that he
would find it very useful; and I, too, have been looking for-
ward to returning for a time to the home where I was born.”’

There were many questions to ask about her brother, his
wife and two sons; they were younger than Dick, for Mrs.
Holland was three years senior to the Rajah. At last she
said, ‘‘I will not detain you longer, Rajbullub. I know that
you will have a great deal to do to get ready for my brother’s
coming. At what time will he arrive? ’’

‘‘ He hopes to be here by ten in the morning, before the
heat of the day sets in.’’

‘¢T shall, of course, be there to meet him.’’

“©So he hoped, lady. He said that he would have come
straight here first, but he thought it would be more pleasant for
you to meet him in privacy.’’

“* Assuredly it would,’’ she agreed.

“«T will bring a carriage for you here at nine o’clock, and
take you and my young lord to the Rajah’s house.”’

At the appointed time a handsome carriage and pair drove
up to the door of the hotel, and in ten minutes Mrs. Holland
and Dick alighted in the courtyard of a large house. Four
native servants were at the door, and the old officer led the
way to a spacious room. This was carpeted with handsome
rugs ; soft cushions were piled on the divan running round the
room, the divan itself being covered with velvet and silk rugs ;
looking - glasses were ranged upon the walls; a handsome
chandelier hung from the roof; draperies of gauze, lightly em-
broidered with gold, hung across the windows.
THE RAJAH 51

‘* Why, Rajbullub, you have done wonders—that is, if the
house was unfurnished yesterday.’’

“Tt is simple,’’ the Hindoo said. ‘‘ My lord your brother,
like other rajahs who use the house when they come down here,
has a room upstairs in which are kept locked up everything re-
quired for furnishing the rooms he uses. Four of his servants
came down here with me. We had but to call in sweepers to
clear the house from dust and wash down the marble floors, and
then everything was put into its place. The cook, who also
came down, has hired assistants, and all will be ready for my
lord when he arrives.”’

In half-an-hour one of the servants ran in and announced
that the Rajah was in the courtyard. There was a great tramp-
ling of hoofs, and a minute later he ascended the stairs and
was met by his sister and Dick at the door of the room. Mrs.
‘Holland had attired herself handsomely, not so much for the
sake of her brother, but that, as his sister, those with him
would expect to see in her an English lady of position, and
Dick thought that he had never seen her looking so well as
when, in a dress of rich brocade, and with a flush of pleasure
and expectation on her cheeks, she advanced to the door. She
was still but a little over thirty-three years old, and although
the long years of anxiety and sorrow had left their traces on her
face, the rest and quiet of the sea voyage had done much to re-
store the fulness of her cheeks and to soften the outline of her
figure. The Rajah, a young and handsome-looking man of
thirty, ascended the stairs with an eagerness and speed that
were somewhat at variance with Dick’s preconceived ideas of
the stateliness of an Eastern prince.

‘« My sister Margaret !’’ he exclaimed in English, and em-
braced her with a warmth that showed that his affection for
her was unimpaired by the years that had passed since he last
saw her. Then he stood with his hands on her shoulders, look-
ing earnestly at her. ‘‘I know you again,’’ he said; ‘‘ you
are changed, but I can recall your face well. You are wel-
52 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

come, Margaret, most welcome. And this is my nephew ?’’
he went on, turning to Dick, and holding out both his hands
to him. < You are taller than I expected—well-nigh as tall as
Iam. You are like your mother and my mother, and you are
bold and active and strong, she writesme. My boys are long-
ing to see you, and you will be most welcome at Tripataly. I
have almost forgotten my English, Margaret ’’—and indeed he
spoke with some difficulty, evidently choosing his words—‘ I
should quite have forgotten it, had not I often had occasion to’
speak it with English officers. I see by your letters that you
have not forgotten our tongue.’’

‘* Not in the least, Mortiz. I have for years spoken noth-
ing else with Dick, and he speaks it as well as I do.’’

“« That is good,’ the Rajah replied, in his own tongue, and
in a tone of relief. ‘I was wondering how he would get on
with us. Now let us sit down. We have so much to tell
each other, and, moreover, I am ravenous for breakfast, as I
have ridden forty miles since sunrise.’’

Breakfast was speedily served, the Rajah eating in English
fashion.

‘«T cling to some of our mother’s ways, you see, Margaret.
As I have grown older I have become more English than I
was. Naturally, as a boy of thirteen, as I was when you last
saw me, I listened to the talk of those around me and was
guided by their opinions a good deal. Among them there
was a feeling of regret that our father had married an English
woman, and I of course was ever trying my hardest to show
that in riding, or the chase, or in exercises of any kind, I was
as worthy to be the son of an Indian rajah as if I had no white
blood in my veins. As I grew up I became wiser. I saw how
great the English were, how steadily they extended their do-
minions, and how vastly better off were our people under their
sway than they were in the days when every rajah made war
against his neighbour, and the land never had rest. Then I
grew proud of my English blood, and although I am to my
THE RAJAH 53

people Rajah of Tripataly, a native prince and lord of their
destinies, keeping up the same state as my father, and ruling
them in native fashion, in my inner house I have adopted
many English ways. My wife has no rival in the zenana. I
encourage her to go about as our mother did, to look after the
affairs of the house, to sit at table with me, and to be my
companion, and not a mere plaything; I am sure, Margaret,
your stay with us will do her much good, and she will learn
a great deal from you.”’

“¢ You have heard no news since you last wrote, Mortiz?”’

A slight cloud passed across the Rajah’s animated face.

“‘None, Margaret. We have little news from beyond the
mountains. Tippoo hates us who are the friends of the Eng-
lish as much as he hates the English themselves, so there is
little communication between Mysore and the possessions of
the Nabob of Arcot. We will talk later on of the plans you
wrote of in your last letter to me.’’

“You do not think that they are hopeless, Mortiz?’’ Mrs.
Holland asked anxiously.

“‘T would not say that they are hopeless,’’ he said gently,
“although it seems to me that, after all these years, the chances
are slight indeed that your husband can be alive ; and the peril
and danger of the enterprise that, so far as I understood you,
you intend your son to undertake, would be terrible indeed.”’

‘We see that, Mortiz; Dick and I have talked it over a
thousand times. But so long as there is but a shadow of a
chance of his finding his father, he is ready to undertake the
search. _ He is a boy in years, but he has been trained for the
undertaking, and will, when the trial comes, bear himself as
well as a man.’’

‘Well, Margaret, I shall have plenty of opportunities for
forming my own judgment, because of course he will stay with
us a long time before he starts on the quest, and it will be
better to say no more of this now. Now tell me about Lon-
don. Is it so much a greater city than Madras ?”’
54 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

Mrs. Holland sighed. She saw by his manner that he was
wholly opposed to her plan, and although she was quite pre-
pared for opposition, she could not help feeling disappointed.
However, she perceived that, as he said, it would be better
to drop the subject for a time, and she accordingly put it
aside and answered his questions.

«¢ Madras is large—that is, it spreads over a wide extent ;
but if it were packed with houses as closely as they could
stand, it would not approach London, in the number of its
population.”’

«« How is it that the English do not send more troops out
here, Margaret ?”’

‘«« Because they can raise troops here, and English soldiers
cannot stand the heat as well as those born to it. Moreover,
you must remember that at present England is at war, not
only with France and half Europe, but also with America.
She is also obliged to keep an army in Ireland, which is
greatly disaffected. With all this on her hands she cannot
send a large army so far across the seas, especially when her
force here is sufficient for all that can be required of it.”’

«¢ That is true,’’ he said. ‘It is wonderful what they have
done out here with such small forces. But they will have
harder work, before they conquer all India—as I believe they
will do—than they have yet encountered. In spite of Tippoo’s
vauntings, they will have Mysore before many years are over.
The Sultan seems to have forgotten the lesson they taught him
six or seven years back. But the next time will be the last,
and Tippoo, tiger as he is, will meet the fate he seems bent on
provoking. But beyond Mysore lies the Mahratta country,
and the Mahrattas alone can put thirty thousand horsemen
into the field. They are not like the people of Bengal, who
have ever fallen, with scarce an attempt at resistance, under
the yoke of one tyrant after another. ‘The Mahrattas are a
nation of warriors; they are plunderers if you will, but they
are brave and fearless soldiers, and might, had they been


THE RAJAH 55

united, have had all India under their feet before the coming
of the English. That chance has slipped from them. But
when we—I say ‘ we,’ you see, Margaret—meet them, it will
be a desperate struggle indeed.’’

‘We shall thrash them, Uncle,’’ Dick broke in; <« you
will see that we shall beat them thoroughly.’’

The Rajah smiled at Dick’s impetuosity.

“So you think English soldiers cannot be beaten, eh ?”’

“Well, Uncle, somehow they never do get beaten. I don’t
know how it is. I suppose that it is just obstinacy. Look
how we thrashed the French here, and they were just as well
drilled as our soldiers, and there were twice as many of them.”’

The Rajah nodded.

‘* One secret of our success, Dick, is that the English get
on better with the natives here than the French do—I don’t
know why, except what I have heard from people who went
through the war ; they say that the French always seemed to
look down on the natives, and treated even powerful allies
with a sort of haughtiness that irritated them and made them
ready to change sides at the first opportunity, while the
British treated them pleasantly, so that there was a real friend-
ship between them.”

Dick, finding that the conversation now turned to the time
when his mother and uncle were girl and boy together, left
them and went downstairs. He found some twenty horses
ranged in the courtyard, while their riders were sitting in the
shade, several of them being engaged in cooking. ‘These
were the escort who had ridden with the Rajah from ‘I'ri-
pataly—for no Indian prince would think of making a journey
unless accompanied by a numerous retinue. Scarcely had he
entered the yard than Rajbullub came up with the officer in
command of the escort, a fine-looking specimen of a Hindoo
soldier. He salaamed as Rajbullub presented him to Dick.
The lad addressed him at once in his own tongue, and they
were soon talking freely together. The officer was surprised
56 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

at finding that his lord’s nephew from beyond the sea was
able to speak the language like a native. First Dick asked
the nature of the country and the places at which they would
halt on their way; then he inquired what force the Rajah
could put into the field, and was somewhat disappointed to
hear that he kept up but a hundred horsemen, including those
who served as an escort.

“* You see, Sahib, there is no occasion for soldiers. Now
that the whites are the masters, they do the fighting for us.
When the Rajah’s father was a young man, he could put two
thousand men under arms, and he joined at the siege of Tni-
chinopoly with twelve hundred. But now there is no longer
need for an army; there is no one to fight. Some of the
young men grumble, but the old ones rejoice at the change.
Formerly they had to go to the plough with their spears and
their swords beside them, because they never knew when
marauders from the hills might sweep down ; besides, when
there was war, they might be called away for weeks, while
the crops were wasting upon the ground. As to the younger
men who grumble, I say to them, ‘If you are tired of a peace-
ful life, go and enlist in a Company’s regiment ;’ and every
year some of them do so. In other ways the change is good.
Now that the Rajah has no longer to keep up an army, he is
not obliged to squeeze the cultivators ; therefore they pay but
a light rent for their lands, and the Rajah is far better off than
his father was ; so that on all sides there is content and pros-
perity. But even now the fear of Mysore has not quite died
out.”’

“¢ My position, Margaret,’’ the Rajah said, after Dick had
left the room, ‘‘is a very precarious one. When Hyder Ali
marched down here, eight years ago, he swept the whole
country from the foot of the hills to-the sea coast. My father
would have been glad to stand neutral, but was, of course,
bound to go with the English, as the Nabob of Arcot, his
THE RAJAH 57

nominal sovereign, went with them. His sympathies were,
of course, with your people, but most of the chiefs were at
heart in favour of Hyder ; it was not that they loved him, or
preferred the rule of Mysore to that of Madras. But at that
time Madras was governed by imbeciles; its Council was com-
posed entirely of timid and irresolute men. It was clear to all
that before any force capable of withstanding him could be
put in the field, the whole country beyond reach of the guns
of the forts at Madras would be at the mercy of Hyder. What
that mercy was, had been shown elsewhere. Whole popula-
tions had been either massacred or carried off as slaves. There-
fore, when the storm was clearly about to burst, almost all of
them sent secret messages to Hyder, to assure him that their
sympathies were with him, and that they would gladly hail
him as ruler of the Carnatic.

‘My father was in no way inclined to take such a step.
His marriage with an English woman, the white blood in my
veins, and his long-known partiality for the English, would
have marked him for certain destruction ; and as soon as he
received news that Hyder’s troops were in movement, he rode
with me to Madras. At that time his force was comparatively
large, and he took three hundred men down with us. He had
allowed all who preferred it to remain behind ; and some four
hundred stayed to look after their families. Most of the
population took to the hills, and as Hyder’s forces were too
much occupied to spend time in scouring the ghauts in search
of fugitives, when there was so much loot and so many captives
ready to their hands on the plains, the fugitives for the most
part remained there in safety. The palace was burnt, the
town sacked and partly destroyed, and some fifteen hundred
of our people who had remained in their homes, killed or
carried off.

‘¢My father did some service with our horse, and I fought
by his side. We were with Colonel Baillie’s force when
it was destroyed, after for two days resisting the whole
58 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

of Hyder Ali’s army. Being mounted, we escaped, and
reached Madras in safety, after losing half our number. But
all that I can tell you about some other day.

‘«« When peace was made and Hyder retired, we returned
home, rebuilt the palace, and restored the town. But if
‘Tippoo follows his father’s example and sweeps down from
the hills, there will be nothing for it but to fly again.
Tippoo commanded one of the divisions of Hyder’s army last
time, and showed much skill and energy, and has, since he
came to the throne, been a scourge to his neighbours in the
north. -So far as I can see, Madras will be found as unpre-
pared as it was last time ; and although the chiefs of Vellore,
Arcot, Conjeveram, and other places may be better disposed
towards the English than they were before—for the Carnatic
had a terrible lesson last time—they will not dare to lift a
finger against him until they see a large British force assembled.

‘©So you see, sister, your posi tion will be a very precarious
one at Tripataly, and it is likely that at any time we may be
obliged to seek refuge here. The trouble may come soon, or
it may not come for a year; but, sooner or later, I regard it
as certain that Tippoo will strive to obtain what his father
failed to gain—the mastership of the Carnatic. Indeed, he
makes no secret of his intention to become lord of the whole
of southern India. The Nizam, his neighbour in the north,
fears his power, and could offer but a feeble resistance, were
Tippoo once master of the south and west coast. The Mah-
rattas can always be bought over, especially if there is a pros-
pect of plunder. He relies, too, upon aid from France; for
although the French, since the capture of Pondicherry, have
themselves lost all chance of obtaining India, they would
gladly aid in any enterprise that would bring about the fall of
English predominance here.

«There are, too, considerable bodies of French troops in
the pay of the Nizam, and these would at any rate force their
master to remain neutral in a struggle between the English and
THE RAJAH 59

Tippoo. However, it will be quite unnecessary that you
should resume our garb, or that Dick should dress in the same
fashion. Did I intend to remain at ‘Tripataly, I should not
wish to draw the attention of my neighbours to the fact that
I had English relations resident with me. Of course, every
one knows that I am half English myself, but that is an old
story now. They would, however, be reminded of it, and
Tippoo would hear of it, and would use it as a pretext for
attacking and plundering us. But as I have decided to come
down here, there is no reason why you should not dress in
European fashion.’’

‘“‘We would remain here, brother,’’ Mrs. Holland said,
‘rather than bring danger upon you. Dick could learn the
ways of the country here as well as with you, and could start
on his search without going to Tripataly.”’

“Not at all, Margaret. Whether you are with me or not,
I shall have to leave Tripataly when Tippoo advances, and
your presence will not in any way affect my plans. My wife
and sons must travel with me, and one woman and boy, more
or less, will make no difference. At present this scheme of
yours seems to me to border on madness. But we need not
discuss that now; I shall at any rate be very glad to have you
both with me. The English side of me has been altogether
in the background since you went away; and though I keep
up many of the customs our mother introduced, I have almost
forgotten the tongue, though I force myself to speak it some-
times with my boys, as I am sure that in the long run the
English will become the sole masters of southern India, and
it will be a great advantage to them to speak the language.
However, I have many other things to see about. and the
companionship of Dick will benefit them greatly. You know
what it always is out here. The sons of a rajah are spoilt
early by every one giving way to them and their being allowed
to do just as they like; naturally they get into habits of in-
dolence and self-indulgence, and never have occasion to exert
60 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

themselves or to obtain the strength and activity that make
our mo her’s countrymen irresistible in battle. They have
been taught to shoot and to ride, but they know little else,
and I am sure it will do them an immense deal of good to
have Dick with them fora time. If nothing comes of this
search for your -husband, I hope you will take up your resi-
dence permanently at Tripataly. You have nothing to go
back to England for, and Dick, with his knowledge of both
languages, should be able to find good employment in the
Company’s service.’

‘“‘Thank you greatly, brother. If, as you say, my quest
should come to nothing, I would gladly settle down in my
old home. Dick’s inclinations at present turn to the sea, but
I have no doubt that what you say is true, and that there may
be far more advantageous openings for him out here. How-
ever, that is a matter for us to talk over in the future.”’

The Rajah stayed four days at Madras. Every morning the
carriage came at nine o’clock to fetch Mrs. Holland, who
spent several hours with her brother, and was then driven back
to the hotel, while Dick wandered about with Rajbullub,
through the native town, asking questions innumerable, observ-
ing closely the different costumes and turbans, and learning to
know at once the district, trade, or caste, from the colour or
fashion of the turban and other little signs.

The shops were an endless source of amusement to him, and
he somewhat surprised his companion by his desire to learn the
names of all the little articles and trinkets, even of the various
kinds of grain. Dick, in fact, was continuing his prepara-
tions for his work. He knew that ignorance of any trifling de-
tail which would, as a matter of course, be known to every na-
tive, would excite more surprise and suspicion than would be
caused by a serious blunder in other matters, and he wrote
down in a note-book every scrap of information he obtained,
so as to learn it by heart at his leisure. Rajbullub was much
surprised at the lad’s interest in all these little matters, which,
THE RAJAH 61

as it seemed to him, were not worth a thought on the part of
his lord’s nephew.

«* You will never have to buy these things, Sahib,’ he said ;
“¢why should you trouble about them ?’’

«‘T am going to be over here some time, Rajbullub, and it is
just as well to learn as much as one can. If I were to stroll
into the market in Tripataly, and had a fancy to buy any tri-
fle, the country people would laugh in my face were I ignorant
of its name.”’

His companion shook his head. 4

“‘They would not expect any white sahib to know such
things,’’ he said. <‘If he wants to buy anything, the white
sahib points to it and asks, How much? Then, whether it is
a brass iota, or a silver trinket, or a file, or a bunch of fruit,
the native says a price four times as much as he would ask
any one else. Then the sahib offers him half, and after pro-
testing many times that the sum is impossible, the dealer ac-
cepts it, and both parties are well satisfied. If you have seen
anything that you want to buy, Sahib, tell me, and I will go
and get it for you; then you will not be cheated.”

The start for Tripataly was made at daybreak. Dick and
his mother drove in an open carriage that had been hired for
the journey; the Rajah rode beside it or cantered on ahead ;
his escort followed the vehicle. The luggage had been sent
off two days before, by cart.

The country as far as Arcot was flat; but everything was
interesting to Dick, and when they arrived at the city, where
they were to stop for the night at the house the Rajah had
occupied on his way down, he sallied out, as soon as their meal
was over, to inspect the fort and walls. He had, during his
outward voyage, eagerly studied the history of Clive’s military
exploits, and the campaigns by which that portion of India
had been wrested from the French; and he was eager to visit
the fort whose memorable defence by Clive had first turned the
scale in favour of the British. ‘These had previously been
62 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

regarded by the natives as a far less warlike people than the
French, who were expected to drive them, in avery short time,
out of the country.’’

Rajbullub was able to point out to him every spot associated
with the stirring events of that time.

‘<<’ Tis forty-six years back, and I was but a boy of twelve ;
but six years later I was here, for our rajah was on the side of
the English, although Tripataly was, and is now, under the
“ Nabob of Arcot. But my lord had many causes of complaint
against him, and when he declared for the French, our lord,
who was not then a rajah, although chief of a considerable dis-
trict, threw in his lot with the English, and when they tri-
umphed, was appointed rajah by them; and Tripataly was
made almost wholly independent of the Nabob of Arcot. At
one time a force of our men was here with four companies
of white troops, when it was thought that Dupleix was likely
to march against us, and I was with that force and so learned
all about the fighting here.’’

The next day the party arrived, late in the evening, at
Tripataly. A large number of men with torches received
them in front of the palace, and on entering, Mrs. Holland
was warmly received by the Rajah’s wife, who carried her off
at once to her apartments, which she did not leave afterwards,
as she was greatly fatigued by the two long days of travel.
Dick, on the contrary, although he had dozed in the carriage
for the last two or three hours of the journey, woke up thor-
oughly as they neared ‘Tripataly. As soon as they entered
the house, the Rajah called his two sons, handsome, dark-faced
lads of twelve and thirteen.

‘This is your cousin, boys,’’ he said. ‘‘ You must look
after him and see that he has everything he wants, and make
his stay as pleasant as you can.”’

Although a little awed by the, to them, tall figure, they
evinced neither shyness nor awkwardness, but, advancing to
Dick, held out their hands one after the other with grave cour-
THE RAJAH 63

tesy. Their faces both brightened as he said in their own
language, —

‘¢T hope we shall be great friends, cousins. I am older
and bigger than you are, but everything is new and strange to
me, and I shall have to depend upon you to teach me every-
thing.”’

‘‘We did not think that you would be able to talk to us,’’
the elder, whose name was Doast Assud, said, smiling. ‘‘ We
have been wondering how we should make you understand.
Many of the white officers, who come here sometimes, speak
our language, but none of them as well as you do.”’

‘© You see, they only learn it after they come out here, while
I learnt it from my mother, who has talked to me in it since I
was quite a little boy ; so it comes as naturally to me as to
you.”

In a few minutes supper was announced. ‘The two boys sat
down with their father and Dick, and the meal was served in
English fashion. Dick had already become accustomed to the
white-robed servants at the hotel at Madras, and everything
seemed to him pleasant and home-like.

“¢ To-morrow, Dick,’’ his uncle said, ‘‘ you must have your
first lesson in riding.’”’

The two boys looked up insurprise. They had been accus-
tomed to horses from their earliest remembrance, and it seemed
to them incredible that their tall cousin should require to be
taught. Dick smiled at their look of astonishment.

“Tt is not with us in England as it is here,’’ he said.
‘‘ Boys who live in the country learn to ride, but in London,
which is a very great town, with nothing but houses for miles
and miles everywhere, few people keep horses to ride. ‘The
streets are so crowded with vehicles of all sorts, and with peo- |
ple on foot, that it is no pleasure to ride in them, and every
one who can afford it goes about in a carriage. ‘Those who
cannot, go in hired vehicles, or on foot. You would hardly
see a person on horseback once in a week.’’


64 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

‘T do not like walking,’’ Doast said gravely.

«« Well, you see, you have no occasion to walk, as you al-
ways have your horses ; besides, the weather here is very hot.
But in England it is colder, and walking is a pleasure. 1 have
walked over twenty miles a day many times, not because |
had to do it, but as a day’s pleasure with a friend.”’

«« Can you shoot, cousin?”

“© No,” Dick laughed. ‘‘ There is nothing to shoot at.
There are no wild beasts in England, and no game birds any-
where near London.”’

Dick saw at once that he had descended many steps in his
cousins’ estimation.

«« Then what can you find to do?”’ the younger boy asked.

«¢ Oh, there is plenty to do,’’ Dick said. ‘In the first place,
there is school; that takes the best part of the day. Then
there are all sorts of games. Then I used to take lessons in
sword-exercise, and did all sorts of things to improve my
muscles and to make me strong. Then, on holidays, three or
four of us would go for a long walk, and sometimes we went
out on the river ina boat; and every morning early we used
to go foraswim. Oh, I can tell you, there was plenty to do
and I was busy from morning till ni ght. But I want very much
to learn to shoot, both with gun and pistol, as well as to ride.”’

«< We have got English guns and pistols,’’ Doastsaid. “ We
will lend them to you; we have a place where we practise.
Our father says every one ought to be able to shoot, don’t you,
father?’

The Rajah nodded.

«¢ Every one out here ought to, Doast, because, you see, every
man here may be called upon to fight, and every one carries
arms. But it is different in England ; nobody fights there, ex-
cept those who go into the army, and nobody carries weapons.”

«What ! not swords, pistols, and daggers, father ? ” Doast
exclaimed, in surprise ; for to him it seemed that arms were as
necessary a part of attire as a turban, and much more necessary
THE RAJAH 65

than shoes. <‘‘ But when people are attacked by marauders,
or two chiefs quarrel with each other, what can they do if they
have no arms ?”’

‘«There are no marauders and no chiefs,’’ Dick laughed.
‘“ who could call out all their tenants and retainers to fight their
battles, and in those days people carried swords as they do
here. There are nobles still, but they have no longer any
power to call out any one, and if they quarrel they have to go
before a court for the matter to be decided, just as every one
else does.”’

This seemed to Doast a very unsatisfactory state of things,
and he looked to his father for an explanation.

“Tt is as your cousin says, Doast. You have been down
with me to Madras, and you have seen that, except the officers
in the army, none of the Europeans carry arms. It is the same
in England. England is agreat island, and as they have many
ships of war, no enemy can land there. There is one king over
the whole country, and there are written laws by which every
one, high and low alike, is governed. So you see, no one has
to carry arms: all disputes are settled by the law, and there is
peace everywhere; for as nothing would be settled by fighting,
and the law would punish any one, however much in the right
he might be, who fought, there is no occasion at all for
weapons. It is a good plan, for you see no one, however rich,
can tyrannise over others; and were the greatest noble to kill
the poorest peasant, the law would hang him just the same as
it would hang a peasant who killed a lord. And now, boys,
you had better be off to bed. Your cousin has had a long day
of it, and I have no doubt he will be glad todo so. ‘To-morrow
we will begin to teach him to ride and to shoot, and I have no
doubt that he will be ready, in return, to teach you a great
deal about his country.”’

The boys got up. But Dcast paused to ask his father one
last question.
66 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

“« But how is it, father, if the English never carry weapons
and never fight, that they are such brave soldiers? For have
they not conquered all our princes and rajahs, and have even
beaten Tippoo Sahib and made him give them much of his
country ?”’

‘¢ The answer would be a great deal too long to be given
to-night, Doast. You had better ask your cousin about it in
the morning.”’

CHAPTER IV
FIRST IMPRESSIONS

HE next morning Dick was up early, eager to investigate
the palace, of which he had seen little the night before.
The house was large and handsome, the Rajah having added
to it gradually every year. On passing the doors, the great hall
was at once entered ; its roof, of elaborately carved stone, was
supported by two rows of pillars with sculptured capitals. The
floor was made ofinlaid marble, and at one end was raised a foot
above the general level. Here stood a stone chair on which
the Rajah sat when he adjudicated upon disputes among his
people, heard petitions, and gave audiences ; while the massive
door on the left-hand side gave: entrance to the private apart-
ments. These were all small in comparison with the entrance
hall. The walls were lined with marble slabs, richly carved,
and were dimly lighted by windows, generally high up in the
walls, which were of great thickness. The marble floors were
covered with thick rugs, and each room had its divan, with
_ soft cushions and rich shawls and covers. The room in which
they had supped the night before was the only exception.
This had been specially furnished and decorated in English
fashion. The windows here were low and afforded a view
over the garden. Next to it were several apartments, all fitted
FIRST IMPRESSIONS 67

with divans, but with low windows and a bright outlook ; they
could be darkened during the heat of the day by shutters.
With the exception of these windows, the others throughout
the house contained no glass, the light entering through innu-
merable holes that formed a filigree work in the thin slabs of
stone that filled the orifices.

The grounds round the palace were thickly planted with
trees, which constituted a grove rather than a garden, accord-
ing to Dick’s English notions. This was, indeed, the great
object of the planter, and numerous fountains added to the
effect of the overhanging foliage. ‘Dick wandered about, de-
lighted. Early as it was, men with water-skins were at work
among the clumps of flowers and shrubs that covered the
ground wherever there was a break among the trees. Here
and there were small pavilions whose roofs, of sculptured stone
were supported by shafts of marble. The foliage of shrubs
and trees alike was new to Dick, and the whole scene delight-
ed him. Half-an-hour later his two cousins joined him.

“« We wondered what had become of you,’’ Doast said, ‘‘ and
should not have found you if Rajbullub had not told us that
he saw you come out here. Come in now; coffee is ready.
We always have coffee the first thing, except in very hot
weather, when we have fruit sherbet. After that we ride or
shoot till the sun gets hot, and then come in to the morning
meal at ten.

On going in, Dick found that his mother and the ranee
were both up, and they all sat down to what Dick considered a
breakfast, consisting of coffee and a variety of fruit and bread.
One or two dishes of meat were also handed round, but were
taken away untouched.

‘*Now come out to the stables, Dick,’’ the Rajah said.
«« Anwar, the officer who commanded the escort, will meet us
there. He will be your instructor.’’

The stables were large. The horses were fastened to rings
along each side, and were not, as in England, separated from
68 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

each other by stalls. A small stone trough, with running
water, was fixed against each wall at a convenient height, and
beneath this was a pile of fodder before each horse.

‘‘This is the one that I have chosen for you,’’ the Rajah
said, stopping before a pretty creature, that possessed a con-
siderable proportion of Arab blood, as was shown by its small
head ; ‘‘it is very gentle and well trained, and is very fast.
When you have got perfectly at ease upon it you shall have
something more difficult to sit, until you are able to ride any
horse in the stable bare-backed. Murad is to be your own
property as long as you are out here.’”’

A syce led the horse out ; it was bridled but unsaddled, and
Anwar gave a few instructions to Dick and then said, «I will
help you up, but in a short time you will learn to vault on to
his back without any assistance. See! you gather your reins
so, in your left hand, place your right hand on its shoulder,
and then spring up.’’

‘“‘ I can do that now,’’ Dick laughed, and, placing his hand
on the horse’s shoulder, he lightly vaulted into his seat.

‘‘ Well done, Dick,”’ the Rajah said, while the two boys,
who had been looking on with amused faces, clapped their
hands.

“* Now, Sahib,’’ Anwar went on, ‘“ you must let your legs
hang easily. Press with your knees, and let your body sway
slightly with the movement of the horse; balance yourself
rather than try to hold on.’’

‘“‘Tunderstand,’’ Dick said. «It is just as you do on
board ship when she is rolling a bit. Let go the reins.’’

For half-an-hour the horse proceeded at a walk along the
road that wound in and out through the park-like grounds.
‘*T begin to feel quite at home,’’ Dick said, at the end of
that time. ‘TI should like to go a bit faster now. It is no
odds if I do tumble off.’”’

“Shake your rein a little; the horse will understand it,’’
Anwar said.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS 69

Dick did so, and Murad at once started at a gentle canter.
Easy asit was, Dick thought several times that he would be off.
However, he gripped as tightly as he could with his knees, and
as he became accustomed to the motion and learned to give to
it, acquired ease and confidence. He was not, however, sorry
when, at the end of another half-hour, Anwar held up his hand
as he approached him, and the horse stopped at the slightest
touch of the rein. As he slid off, his legs felt as if they did
not belong to him, and his back ached so that he could scarce
straighten it. The Rajah and his sons had returned to the
palace, and the boys were there waiting for him.

«You have done very well, cousin,’’ Doast said, with grave
approval ; ‘‘ you will not be long before you can ride as well
as we can. Now you had better go up at once and havea
bath, and put on fresh clothes.’’

Dick felt that the advice was good, as, bathed in perspira-
tion, and stiff and sore in every limb, he slowly made his way
to his room. For the next month he spent the greater part
of his time on horseback. For the first week he rode only in
the grounds of the palace; then he ventured beyond, accom-
panied by Anwar on horseback ; then his two cousins joined
the party ; and, by the end of the month, he was perfectly at
home on Murad’s back.

So far, he had not begun to practise shooting. ‘‘ It would
be of no use,’’ the Rajah said, when he one day spoke of it ;
‘* you want your nerves in good order for that, and it requires
an old horseman to have his hand steady enough for shooting
straight after a hard ride. Your rides are not severe fora
horseman, but they are trying for you. Leave the shooting
alone, lad; there is no hurry for it.’’

By this time the Rajah had become convinced that it was
useless to try and dissuade either his sister or Dick fron at-
tempting the enterprise for which they had come over. Pos-
sibly the earnest conviction of the former that her husband

-was still alive influenced him to some extent, and the strength
70 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

and activity of Dick showed him that he was able to play the
part of a man. He said little, but watched the boy closely,
made him go through trials of strength with some of his troopers,
and saw him practise with blunted swords with others. Dick
did well in both trials, and the Rajah then requested Anwar,
who was celebrated for his skill with the tulwar, to give him,
daily, half-an-hour’s sword-play, after his riding lesson. He
himself undertook to teach him to use the rifle and pistol.

Dick threw himself into his work with great ardour, and
in a very short time could sit any horse in the stable, and came
to use a rifle and pistol with an amount of accuracy that sur-
prised his young cousins.

‘ one day to his sister ; ‘‘ his exercises have given him so much
nerve and so steady a hand, that he already shoots very fairly.
I should expect him to grow up into a fine man, Margaret,
were it not that I have the gravest fears as to this mad enter-
prise, which I cannot help telling you, both for your good and
his, is, in my opinion, absolutely hopeless.’’

“‘T know, Mortiz,’’ she said, ‘‘ that you think it is folly on
my part to cling to hope; and while I do not disguise from
myself that there would seem but small chance that my husband
has survived, and that I can give no reason for my faith in his
still being alive, and my confidence that he will be restored to
me some day, I have so firm a conviction that nothing will
shake it. Why should I have such a confidence if it were not
vell founded? In my dreams I always see him alive, and I
believe firmly that I dream of him so often because he is think-
ing of me. When he was at sea, several times I felt disturbed
and anxious, though without any reason for doing so, and each
time, on his return, I found, when we compared dates, that
his ship was battling with a tempest at the time I was. to
troubled about him. I remember that the first time this hap-
pened he laughed at me; but when, upon two other occa-
. sions, it turned out so, he said, ‘ ‘There are things we do not
FIRST IMPRESSIONS 71

understand, Margaret. You know that in Scotland there are
many who believe in second sight, as it is called, and that
there are families there, and they say in Ireland also, where a
sort of warning is given of the death of a member of the fam-
ily. Wesailors are a superstitious people, and believe in things
that landsmen laugh at. It does not seem to me impossible
that when two people love each other dearly, as we do, one
may feel when the other is in danger, or may be conscious of
his death. It may be said that such things seldom happen ;
but that is no proof that they never do so, for some people
may be more sensitive to such feelings or impressions than
others, and you may be one of them. There is one thing,
Margaret: the fact that you have somehow felt when I was
in trouble, should cheer you when I am away, for if mere
danger should so affect you, surely you will know should
death befall me; and as long as you do not feel that, you
may be sure that I shall return safe and sound to you.’
Now, I believe that firmly. I was once troubled—so troubled,
that for two or three days I was ill—and so convinced was I
that something had happened to Jack, and yet that he was
not dead, that when, nigh two years afterwards, Ben came
home, and I learned that it was on the day of the wreck of
his ship that I had so suffered, I was not. in the least sur-
prised. Since then I have more that once had the same
feelings, and have always been sure that at the time Jack was
in special danger; but I have never once felt that he was
dead, never once thought so, and am as certain that he is still
alive as if I saw him sitting in the chair opposite to me, for
I firmly believe that, did he die, I should see his spirit, or
that, at any rate, I should know for certain that he had gone.
So whatever you say, though reason may be altogether on your
side, it will not shake my confidence one bit. I know that
Jack is alive, and I believe firmly, although of this Iam not
absolutely sure, that he will some day be restored to me.”’
“You did not tell me this before, Margaret,’’ the Rajah
72 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

said, ‘and what you say goes for much with me. Here in
India there are many who, as is said, possess this power that
you call second sight; certainly some of the PFakirs do. I
have heard many tales of warnings they have given, and these
have always come true. J] will not try, in future, to damp
your confidence, and will hope with you that your husband
may yet be restored to you.”’

One evening Dick remarked: ‘‘ You said down at Madras,
Uncle, that you would some day tell me about the invasion by
Hyder Ali. Will you tell me about it now ?”’

The Rajah nodded. His sons took their seats at his feet,
and Dick curled himself up on the divan by his side.

** You must know,’’ the Rajah began, ‘‘ that the war was
really the result of the intrigues of Sir Thomas Rumbold, the
governor of Madras, and his council. In the first place they
had seriously angered the Nizam ; the latter had taken a French
force into his service which the English had compelled Basult
Jung to-dismiss, and Madras sent an officer to his court, with
instructions to remonstrate witn him for so doing. At the
same time they gave. him notice that they should no longer
pay to him the tribute they had agreed upon, for the territory
called the Northern Circars. This would have led to war,
but the Bengal government promptly interfered, cancelled
altogether the demands made by the Madras government, and
for the time patched up the quarrel. The Nizam professed to
be satisfied, but he saw that trouble might aris? when the Eng-
lish were more prepared to enforce their demands; he there-
fore entered into negotiations with Hyder Ali and the Mah-
rattas for an alliance, whose object was the entire expulsion of
the British from India.

‘« The Mahrattas from Poonah were to operate against Bom-
bay ; those in Central India and the north were to make
incursions into Bengal ; the Nizam was to invade the Northern
Circars ; and Hyder was to direct his force against Madras.
Hyder at once began to collect military stores, and obtained




THE RAJAH TELLS THE STORY OF THE WAR.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS 73

large quantities from the French at Mahé, a town they still
retain, on the Malabar coast. The Madras government pre-
pared to attack Mahé, when Hyder informed them that the
settlements of the Dutch, French, and English, on the Mala-
bar coast, being situated within his territory, were equally
entitled to his protection, and that if Mahé were attacked, he
should retaliate by an incursion into the province of Arcot.
In spite of his threat, Mahé was captured. Hyder for a time
remained quiet, but the Madras government gave him fresh
cause for offence by sending a force in August 1779 to the as-
sistance of Basult Jung at Adoni.

“To get there this detachment had to pursue a route which
led for two hundred miles through the most difficult passes,
and through the territories both of the Nizam and Hyder.
The Council altogether ignored the expressed determination of
both these princes to oppose the march, and did not even ob-
serve the civility of informing them that they were going to
send troops through their territory. I do not say, Dick, that

this made any real difference in the end ; the alliance between
the three native Powers being made, it was certain that war
would break out shortly ; still, had it not been for their folly
in giving Hyder and the Nizam a reasonable excuse for enter-
ing upon hostilities, it might have been deferred until the
Madras government was better prepared to meet the storm.
The Bengal government fortunately again stepped in and undid
at least a part of the evil. It took the entire management of
affairs out of the hands of Rumbold’s council, and its action
was confirmed by the Board of Directors, who censured all the
proceedings, dismissed Sir Thomas Rumbold and his two chief
associates from the Council, and suspended other members.

‘¢The prompt and conciliatory measures taken by the Bengal
government appeased the resentment felt by the Nizam, and
induced him to withdraw from the Confederacy. Hyder, how-
ever, was bent upon war,-and the imbecile government here
took no steps whatever to meet the storm. ‘The commissariat
14 THE ‘TIGER OF MYSORE

was entirely neglected ; they had no transport train whatever,
and the most important posts were left without a garrison. It
was towards the end of June that we received the news that
Hyder had left his capital at the head of an army of ninety
thousand men, of whom twenty-eight thousand were cavalry.
He attempted no disguise as to his object, and moved, confident
in his power, to conquer the Carnatic and drive the English
into the sea. My father had already made his preparations.
Everything was in readiness, and as soon as the news reached
him, he started for Madras, under the guard of his escort, with
my mother and myself, most of the traders of the town, and
the landowners, who had gathered here in fear and trembling.

‘Tt was a painful scene, as you may imagine, and I shall
never forget the terrified crowds in the streets and the wailing
of the women. Many families who then leit reached Madras
in safety, but of those who remained in the town all are dead
or prisoners beyond the hills. Hyder descended through the
pass of Changama on the 2oth of July, and his horsemen
spread out like a cloud over the country, burning, devastating,
and slaughtering. Hyder moved with the main army slowly,
occupying town after town and placing garrisons in them.
You must not suppose that he devastated the whole country ;
he was too wise for that. He anticipated reigning over it as
its sovereign, and had no wish to injure its prosperity. It was
only over tracts where he considered that devastation would
hamper the movements of an English army, that everything
was laid waste.

«©On the arst of August he invested Arcot, and a week later,
hearing that the British army had moved out from Madras, he
broke up the siege and advanced to meet them. Sir Hector
Munro, the British general, was no doubt brave, but he com-
mitted a terrible blunder ; instead of marching to combine his
force with that of Colonel Baillie, who was coming down from
Guntoor, he marched in the opposite direction to Conjeveram,
sending word to Colonel Baillie to follow him. Baillie’s force
FIRST IMPRESSIONS 75

amounted to over two thousand eight hundred men, Munro’s
to five thousand two hundred. Had they united, the force
would have exceeded eight thousand, and could have given
battle to Hyder’s immense army with fair hope of success.
The English have won before now with greater odds against
them. My father had marched out with his cavalry one hun-
dred and fifty strong, with Munro. Of course I was with him,
and it was to him that the English general gave the despatch
to carry to Colonel Baillie. We rode hard, for at any mo-
ment Hyder’s cavalry might swoop down and bar the road ;
but we got through safely, and the next morning, the 24th,
Baillie started.

‘¢The encampment was within twenty-five miles of Madras,
and with one long forced march we could have effected a
junction with Munro. The heat was tremendous, and Baillie
halted that night on the bank of the River Cortelour. ‘The
bed was dry, and my father urged him to cross before halting.
The colonel replied that the men were too exhausted to move
farther, and that as he would the next day be able to join
Munro, it mattered not on which side of the river he en-
camped. That night the river rose, and for ten days we were
unable to cross. On the 4th of September we got over; but
by that time Tippoo, with five thousand picked infantry, six
thousand horse, six heavy guns, and a large body of irregulars,
detached by Hyder to watch us, barred the way.

‘¢Colonel Baillie, finding that there was no possibility of
reaching Conjeveram without fighting, took up a position at
a village, and on the 6th was attacked by Tippoo. ‘The
action lasted three hours, and although the enemy were four
times more numerous than we were, the English beat off the
attacks. We were not engaged, for against ‘Tippoo’s large
cavalry force our few horsemen could do nothing, and were
therefore forced to remain in the rear of the British line. But
though Colonel Baillie had beaten off the attacks made on
him, he felt that he was not strong enough to fight his way to
76 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

Conjeveram, which was but fourteen miles distant, and he
therefore wrote to Sir Hector Munro to come to his assistance.
For three days Sir Hector did nothing, but on the evening of
the 8th he sent off a force composed of the flank companies of
the regiments with him. ‘These managed to make their way
past the forces both of Hyder and Tippoo, and reached us
without having to fire a shot.

‘Their arrival brought our force up to over three thousand
seven hundred men. Had Munro made a feigned attack upon
Hyder, and so prevented him from moving to reinforce ‘Tippoo,
we could have got through without much difficulty. But he
did nothing ; and Hyder, seeing the utter incapacity of the
man opposed to him, moved off with his whole army and guns
to join his son. Our force set out as soon as it was dark on
the evening of the 9th; but the moment we started we were
harassed by the enemy’s irregulars. ‘The march was continued
for five or six miles, our position becoming’ more and more
serious, and at last Colonel Baillie took the fatal resolution of
halting till morning, instead of taking advantage of the dark-
ness to press forward. At daybreak fifty guns opened on us.
Our ten field-pieces returned the fre until our ammunition
was exhausted, No orders were issued by the colonel, who
had completely lost his head; so that our men were mowed
down by hundreds, until at last the enemy poured down and
slaughtered them relentlessly.

‘« We did not see the end of the conflict. When the colonel
gave the orders to halt, my father said to me, ‘This foolish
officer will sacrifice all our lives; does he think that three
thousand men can withstand one hundred thousand, with a
great number of guns? We will go while we can ; we can do
no good here,’ We mounted our horses and rode off; in the
darkness we came suddenly upon a body of ‘Tippoo’s horse-
men, but dashed straight at them and cut our way through,
but with the loss of half our force, and did not draw rein un-
til we reached Madras. ‘The roar of battle had been heard at
FIRST IMPRESSIONS 77

Conjeveram, and the fury and indignation in the camp, at the
desertion of Colonel Baillie’s detachment, was so great that
the general at last gave orders to march to their assistance.
When his force arrived within two miles of the scene of con-
ilict the cessation of fire showed that it was too late, and that
Baillie’s force was well-nigh annihilated. Munro retired to
Conjeveram, and at three o’clock the next morning retreated,
with the loss of all his heavy guns and stores, to Madras.

‘“The campaign only lasted twenty-one days, and was
marked by almost incredible stupidity and incapacity on the
part of the two English commanders. We remained at Ma-
dras. My father determined that he would take no more
share in the fighting until some English general, possessing the
courage and ability that had always before distinguished them,
took the command. In the meantime Hyder surrounded and
captured Arcot after six weeks’ delay, and then laid siege to
Amboor, Chingleput, and Wandiwash. In November Sir
Eyre Coote arrived from England and took the command ;
confidence was at once restored, for he was a fine old soldier
and had been engaged in every struggle in India from the
time of Clive; but with the whole country in the hands of
Hyder, it was impossible to obtain draft animals or carts, and
it was not until the middle of January that he was able to
move. On the rgth he reached Chingleput, and on the zoth
sent off a thousand men to obtain possession of the fort of
Carangooly. It was a strong place, and the works had been
added to by Hyder, who had placed there a garrison of seven
hundred,men. ‘The detachment would not have been sent
against it, had not news been obtained on the way that the
garrison had fallen back to Chingleput.

‘Our troop of calvary went with the detachment, as my
father knew the country well. To the surprise of Captain
Davis, who was in command, we found the garrison on the walls.

‘«* What do you think, Rajah?’ Captain Davis, who was
riding by his side, asked. ‘My orders were that I was to
78 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

take possession of the place, but it was supposed that I should
find it empty.’

‘¢*T should say that you had better try, with or without
orders,’ my father replied. ‘The annihilation of Baillie’s
force and the miserable retreat of Munro, have made a terribly
bad impression through the country, and a success is sorely
needed to raise the spirits of our friends.’

«¢¢ We will do it,’ Captain Davis said, and called up a few
English engineers and a company of white troops he had with
him, and ordered them to blow in the gate.

«« My father volunteered to follow close behind them with
his dismounted cavalry, and when the word was given, forward
we went. It was hot work, I can tell you. The enemy’s
guns swept the road, and their musketry kept up an incessant
roar. Many fell, but we kept on until close to the gate, and
then the white troops opened fire upon Hyder’s men on the
walls, so as to cover the sappers, who were fixing the powder-
bags. They soon ran back to us. ‘There was a great ex-
plosion, and the gates fell. With lond shouts we rushed for-
ward into the fort ; and close behind us came the Sepoys, led
by Captain Davis.

“Tt took some sharp fighting before we overcame the re-
sistance of the garrison, who fought desperately, knowing well
enough that, after the massacre of Baillie’s force, little quarter
would be given them. The British loss was considerable, and
twenty of my father’s little company were among the killed.
Great stores of provisions were found here, and proved most
useful to the army. The news of the capture of Carangooly so
alarmed the besiegers of Wandiwash that they at once raised
the siege and retreated, and on the following day Sir Eyre
Coote and his force arrived there. It was a curious thing that
on the same day of the same month Sir Eyre Coote had,
twenty-one years before, raised the siege of Wandiwash by a
victory over the army that was covering the operation. Wandi-
wash had been nobly defended by a young lieutenant named
FIRST IMPRESSIONS 79





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BATTLE OF

English troops mm FORTO fay |







era ee eee = ae July L181
2 2 2 English Mies Enemys em (July 1.1781)

1, 2, 3. The enemy’s masked batteries, placed to oppose our march to Cuddalore.
4,5. First and second positions of the English advancing.

6. First English line during the cannonade.

7. Second English line during the cannonade.

8. A chain of Hyder’s irregular horse posted as a decoy to the masked batteries.
g. First position of the Mysoreans.

zo. Second position of Hyder’s infantry, over whom his guns fired from the

sand-banks.

11. Position of Hyder’s horse during the cannonade.

zz, Attempt by Hyder’s grenadiers to gain the hill.

13. Attempt by Kiram Sahib to charge our line, where he and most of the
party were killed.

14. Hyder’s station during the action.

xs. Anarmed ship firing upon the enemy.

16. English camp after the battle.
80 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

Flint, who had made his way in through the enemy’s lines a
few hours before the treacherous native officer in command had
arranged with Hyder to surrender it, and, taking command,
had repulsed every attack, and had even made a sortie.

«There was now a long pause; having no commissariat
train, Sir Eyre Coote was forced to make for the sea-shore,
and, though hotly followed by Hyder, reached Cuddalore.
A French fleet off the coast, however, prevented provisions
being sent to him, and, even after the French had retired, the
Madras government were so dilatory in forwarding supplies
that the army was reduced to the verge of starvation. It was
not until the middle of June that a movement was possible,
owing to the want of carriage. The country inland had been.
swept bare by Hyder, and, on leaving Cuddalore, Sir Eyre
Coote was obliged to follow the sea-coast. When he arrived
at Porto Novo, the army was delighted to find a British fleet
there, and scarcely less pleased to hear that Lord Macartney
had arrived as governor of Madras.

‘«* Hyder’s army had taken up a strong position between the
camp and Cuddalore, and Sir Eyre Coote determined to give
him battle. Four days’ rice was landed from the fleet, and
with this scanty supply in their knapsacks the troops marched
out to attack Hyder. We formed part of the baggage guard
and had, therefore, an excellent opportunity of seeing the
fight. The march was by the sea. The infantry moved in
order of battle in two lines. After going for some distance we
could see the enemy’s position plainly. It was a very strong
one; on its right was high ground, on which were numerous
batteries which would take us in flank as we advanced, and
their line extended from these heights to the sand - hills by the
shore.

‘They had thrown up several batteries, and might, for
aught we knew, have many guns hidden on the high ground on
either flank. An hour was spent in reconnoitring the enemy’s
position, during which they kept up an incessant cannonade,














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MAP- OF
SOUTHERN INDIA

AT THE TIME OF THE WAR WITH

TIPPOO SAIB.

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FIRST IMPRESSIONS 81

to which the English field-guns attempted no reply. To me
and the officers of this troop it seemed impossible that any
force could advance to the attack of Hyder’s position without
being literally swept away by the cross-fire that would be
opened upon it; but when I expressed my fears my father said,
‘No; you will see no repetition of that terrible affair with
Baillie’s column. The English have now got a commander
who knows his business, and when that is the case there is
never any fear as to what the result will be. I grant that the
look-out seems desperate. Hyder has all the advantage of a
very strong position, a very powerful artillery, and has six or
seven to one in point of numbers; but for all that I firmly be-
lieve that before night you will see us in possession of these
hills, and Hyder’s army in full flight.’

“« Presently we saw a movement. The two lines of infantry
formed into columns, and instead of advancing towards Hyder’s
position, turned down towards the sea, and marched along be-
tween it and the sand hills. We were at the same time set in
motion, and kept along between the infantry and the sea, so as to
be under their protection if Hyder’s cavalry should sweep down.
All his preparations had been made under the supposition that
we should advance by the main road to Cuddalore, and this
movement entirely disconcerted his plans. The sand-hills com-
pletely protected our advancing columns, and when they had
reached a point almost in line with Hyder’s centre, the artil-
lery dashed up to the crest of the hills and the first column
passed through a break in them and moved forward against
the enemy, the guns above clearing a way for them. A short
halt was made until the artillery of the second line came up,
and also took their position on the hill; then the first column,
with its guns, moved forward again.

‘¢ Hyder had in the meantime moved back his line and bat-
teries into a position at right angles to that they had before
occupied, and facing the passage through the sand-hills by
which the English were advancing. As soon as the column
82 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

issued from the valley a tremendous fire was poured upon it,
but it again formed into line of battle, and, covered by the fire
of the artillery, moved forward. It was a grand sight. My
father and I had left the baggage, which remained by the sea,
and had ridden up on to a sand-hill, from which we had a
view of the whole of the battle-ground. It was astonishing to
see the line of English infantry advancing, under that tremen-
dous fire, against the rising ground occupied by the dense
masses of the enemy. Presently there was a movement Oppo-
site, and a vast body of cavalry moved down the slope. As
they came the red English line suddenly broke up, and, as if
by magic, a number of small squares, surrounded by glistening
bayonets, appeared where it had stood.

«« Down rode Hyder’s cavalry. Every gun on our side was
turned upon them. But though we could see the confusion in
the ranks caused by the shot that swept them, they kept on.
It seemed that the little red patches must be altogether over-
whelmed by the advancing wave. But as it came closer, flashes
of fire spurted out from the faces of the squares. We could
see the horses recoil when close to the bayonets, and then the
stream poured through the intervals between the squares. As
they did so, crackling volleys broke out, while from the bat-
teries on the sand-hills an incessant fire was kept up upon them.
Then, following the volleys, came the incessant rattle of mus-
ketry. The confusion among the cavalry grew greater and
greater. Regiments were mixed up together, and their very
numbers impeded their action. Many gallant fellows, detach-
ing themselves from the mass, rode bravely at the squares, and
died on the bayonets ; others huddled together, confused and
helpless against the storm of bullets and shot ; and at last, as
if with sudden impulse, they rode off in all directions, and,
sweeping round, regained their position in the rear of their in-
fantry, while loud cheers broke from our side.

«« The squares again fell into line, which, advancing stead-
ily, drove Hyder’s infantry before it. As this was going on,
FIRST IMPRESSIONS 83
a strong force of infantry and cavalry, with guns, was moved
round by Hyder to fall on the British rear. ‘These, however,
were met by the second line, which had hitherto remained in
reserve, and after fierce fighting were driven back along the
sand-hills. But as they were retiring the main body of Hy-
der’s cavalry moved round to support the attack. Fortunately
a British schooner, which had sailed from Porto Novo when
the troops started, had anchored near the shore to give what
protection she could to the baggage, and now opened fire with
her guns upon the cavalry as they rode along between the
sand-hills and the sea, and with such effect that they halted
and wavered ; and when two of the batteries on the sand-hills
also opened fire upon them, they fell back in haste.

‘¢This was Hyder’s last effort. The British line continued
to advance until it had gained all the positions occupied by
the enemy, and these were soon in headlong flight; Hyder
himself, who had been almost forced by his attendants to leave
the ground, being with them. It was a wonderful victory.
The English numbered but 8,476 men, of whom 306 were
killed or wounded. Hyder’s force was about 65,000, and his
loss was not less than 10,000. The victory had an immense
effect in restoring the confidence of the English troops, which
had been greatly shaken by the misfortunes caused by the
incapacity of Munro and Baillie; but it had no other conse-
quences, for want of carriage, and a deficiency of provisions
and equipment, prevented Sir Eyre Coote from taking the of-
fensive, and he was obliged to confine himself to capturing a
few forts near the coast.

‘¢On the 27th of August the armies met again, Hyder hav-
ing chosen the scene of his victory over Baillie’s force to give
battle, believing the position to be a fortunate one for himself.
Hyder had now been joined by Tippoo, who had not been
present at the last battle, and his force numbered 80,000 men,
while the English were 11,000 strong. I did not see the
battle, as we were at the time occupied in escorting a convoy
84 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

of provisions from Madras. The fight was much better con-
tested than the previous battle had been. Hyder was well
acquainted with the ground, and made skilful use of his oppor-
tunities, by fortifying all the points at which he could be
attacked. ‘The fight lasted eight hours. At last Sir Eyre
Coote’s first division turned the enemy’s left flank by the capt-
ure of the village of Pillalore, while his second turned their
right, and Hyder was obliged to fall back. But this was done
in good order, and the enemy claimed that it was a drawn
battle. This, however, was not the case, as the English at
night encamped on the position occupied by Hyder in the
morning.

«« Still the scandalous mismanagement at Madras continued
to cripple us. But, learning from the commandant at Vellore
that, unless he were relieved, he would be driven to surrender
for want of provisions, Sir Eyre Coote marched to his help.
He met the enemy on the way. Hyder was taken by surprise,
and was moving off when the English arrived. In order to
give his infantry time to march away, he hurled the whole of
his cavalry against the English. Again and again they charged
down with the greatest bravery, and although the batteries
swept their ranks with grape, and the squares received them
with deadly volleys, they persevered until Tippoo had carried
off his infantry and guns, and then, having lost five thousand
men, followed him. ‘The English then moved on towards
Vellore. Hyder avoided another encounter, and Vellore was
relieved. Sir Eyre Coote handed over to its commandant
almost the whole of the provisions carried by the army, and,
having thus supplied the garrison with sufficient food for six
weeks, marched back to Madras, his troops suffering greatly
from famine on the way.

“Nothing took place during the winter, except that Sir
Eyre Coote again advanced and revictualled Vellore. In
March a French fleet arrived off the coast, landed a force of
three thousand men to assist Hyder, and informed him that a
FIRST IMPRESSIONS 85

much larger division was on its way. Fortunately, this did
not arrive, many of the ships being captured by the English
on their way out. In the course of the year there were several
fights, but none of any consequence, and things remained in
the same state until the end of the year, when, on the 7th of
December, Hyder died, and Tippoo was proclaimed his suc-
cessor. Bussy arrived with fresh reinforcements from Irance
in April, and took the command of Hyder’s French con-
tingent, and in June there was a battle between him and a
force commanded by General Stuart, the successor to Sir Eyre
Coote, who had been obliged to resign from ill health, and
who had died in the spring.

‘¢ The French position was a very strong one, and was pro-
tected by numerous field-works. The battle was the most
sanguinary fought during the war, considering the numbers en-
gaged. The English carried a portion of the works and capt-
ured fourteen guns, and, as the French retired during the
night, were able to claim a victory. Their loss, however, was
over a thousand, while that of the French was not more than a
third of that number. During that year there was little fight-
ing down here. A Bombay force, however, under the com-
mand of General Matthews, captured Bednore; but Tip-
poo hastened against him with a great force, besieged Bed-
nore, and forced it to surrender after a desperate defence.
‘Lippoo violated the terms of capitulation, and made the de-
fenders prisoners. Mangalore was next besieged by him,
but resisted for nearly nine months, and only surrendered in
January, 1784.

‘*Tippoo had, by this time, lost the services of his French
auxiliaries, as England and France had made peace at home.
Negotiations between Tippoo and the English went on till
March, when a treaty was signed. By its provisions, Tippoo
should have handed back all his prisoners. He murdered
large numbers of them, but 1,000 British soldiers and 1,600
Sepoys obtained their liberty. No one knows how many were
86 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

retained of the number, calculated at 200,000, of natives car-
ried off from the countries overrun by Hyder’s troops. Only
2000 were released. More British would doubtless have been
freed had it not been for the scandalous cowardice of the three
men sent up as British commissioners to Tippoo. They were
treated with the greatest insult and contempt by him, and, in
fear of their lives, were too glad to accept the prisoners he chose
to hand over, without troubling themselves in the slightest
about the rest, whom they basely deserted and left to their
fate.’



CHAPTER V
WAR DECLARED

ue ee gives you a general idea, Dick, of the war with
Tippoo. I saw little of the events after the battle of
Porto Novo, as my father was taken ill soon after, and died at
Madras. Seeing that there was no probability whatever of,
the English driving Hyder back until they had much larger
forces and a much better system of management, I remained
in Madras until peace was made; then I came back here, re-
built the palace, and have since been occupied in trying to re-
store the prosperity of my poor people. It is, I feel, a use-
less task, for it is certain that ere long the English will again
be engaged with Mysore, and if they are, it is well-nigh cer-
tain that Tippoo’s hordes will again sweep down from the hills
and carry ruin and desolation everywhere.
<¢ He would, as Hyder had, have the advantage on his side
at the beginning of the war. He has a score of passes to
choose from, and can descend on to the plain by any one he
may select. And even were there a force here capable of giv-
ing battle to the whole Mysorean army, it could not watch all
WAR DECLARED 87

the passes, as to do so the army would have to be broken up
into a dozen commands. ‘Tippoo will therefore again be able
to ravage the plains for weeks, perhaps, before the English can
force him to give battle. But there is no army at present in
existence of sufficient strength to meet him. The Madras
force would have to wait until reinforcements arrived from
Calcutta. It was bad before, but it will be worse now.
Hyder, no doubt, slaughtered many, but he was not cruel by
nature. He carried off enormous quantities of people, with
their flocks and herds, but he did this to enrich Mysore with
their labour, and did not treat them with unnecessary cruelty.

‘* Tippoo, on the other hand, is a human tiger ; he delights
in torturing his victims, and slays his prisoners from pure love
of bloodshed. He is proud of the title of « Tiger’; his foot-
stool is a tiger’s head, and the uniforms of his infantry area
sort of imitation of a tiger’s stripes. He has military talent,
and showed great judgment in command of his division—in-
deed, most of the successes gained during the last war were his
work. Since then he has laboured incessantly to improve his
army ; numbers of regiments have been raised, composed of
the captives carried off from here and from the west coast.
They are drilled in European fashion by the English captives
he still holds in his hands.”?

‘‘But why, Uncle, instead of giving time to Tippoo to
come down here, should we not march up the passes and com-
pel him to keep his army up there to defend Seringapatam ? ”’

‘* Because, Dick, in the first place, there is not an army
strong enough to do so; but even were there a force of fifty
thousand men at Madras, they could not take the offensive in
time. An English army cannot move without a great train
to carry ammunition, stores and provisions; and to get such
a train together would be the work of months. As I have
been telling you, during the three years the last war lasted,
the Madras authorities were never able to collect such a
train, and the consequence was that their army was unable to
88 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

go more than two or three days’ march from the city. On
the other hand, Tippoo could any day order that three days’
supply of rice or grain should be served out to each soldier,
and could set out on his march the following morning, as,
from the moment he reached the plains, his cavalry would
have the whole of the resources of the country at their mercy.”’

‘‘T see, Uncle. Then, if war broke out, you would at
once go to Madras again ?”’

‘There would be nothing else to do, Dick. I should send
nent. of value down there as soon as I saw that war was
inevitable. ‘The traders here have already begun to prepare ;
the shops are half empty, for they have not replaced goods
they have sold, and a very few hours would suffice for every-
thing worth taking to be cleared out of the town. ‘The coun-
try round here is comparatively uninhabited, and but a small
portion of it tilled, so great was the number carried off by
Hyder. Next time they will take to the hills at once, and I
believe that many have already stored up grain in hiding-
places there. This time it may be hoped that a few weeks, or
months at most, may see ‘Tippoo driven back, and for that
time the peasants can manage to exist in the hills. No doubt
the richer sort, who have large flocks of goats, and many
cattle, will, as soon as danger threatens, drive them down co
Madras, where they are sure to fetch good prices for the use of
the army. I have already told all men who have bullock-carts
and teams, that they can, if forced to leave home, earn a gouil
living by taking service in the English transport train. 1
hope, therefore, that the results will not be so disastro.s as
before... The town may be burnt down again, but unless they
blow up my palace, they can do little harm to it. When I[
rebuilt it, seeing the possibility of another war, I would not
have any wood whatever used in its construction. ‘Therefore,
when the hangings are taken down, and the furniture from
these rooms cleared out, there will he nothing to burn, and
- they are not likely to waste powder in blowing it up. As to
WAR DECLARED 89

the town, I warned the people who returned that it might be
again destroyed before long, and therefore there has been no
solid building. ‘The houses have all been lightly run up with
wood, which is plentiful enough in the hills, and no great
harm, therefore, will be done if it is again burnt down. The
pagoda and palace are the only stone buildings in it. They
did some harm to the former last time by firing shot at it for
a day or two, and, as you can see for yourself, no attempt has
since been made to repair it, and I do not suppose they will
trouble to damage it further. So you see, Dick, we are pre-
pared for the worst.’’

‘* Will you fight again, as you did last time, Uncle? ”’

‘‘I do not know, Dick. I show my loyalty to the English
rule by repairing to the capital; but my force is too small to
render much service. You see, my revenues have greatly
diminished, and I cannot afford to keep up so large a force as
my father could. Fortunately, his savings had been consider-
sable, and from these I was able to build this palace and to
succour my people, and have still enough to keep up my
establishment here, without pressing the cultivators of the soil
for taxes. This year is the first that I have drawn any revenue
from that source; but, at any rate, I am not disposed to keep
up a force which, while it would be insufficient to be of any
great value in a war like this, would be a heavy tax on my
purse.”’

“¢ Even the force you have, must be that, Uncle.’’

‘* Not so much as you would think, Dick, with your English
notions. The pay here is very small—so small that it would
seem to you impossible for a man to live on it; and yet many
of these men have wives and families. All of them have
patches of land that they cultivate, only twenty, who are
changed once a month, being kept on duty. They are neces-
sary ; for I should have but little respect from my people, and
less still from other rajahs, did I not have sentries at the gates,
and a guard ready to turn out in honour of any visitor who
90 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

might arrive, to say nothing of an escort of half a dozen men
when I ride through the country. Of course, all can be
called out whenever I want them, as, for example, when I
rode to Madras to meet you. The men think themselves well
off upon the pay of three rupees a month, as they are practically
only on duty two months each year, and have the rest of the
time to cultivate their fields. Therefore, with the pay of the
officers, my troop only costs me about four hundred rupees a
month, which is, you know, equivalent to forty English pounds ;
so that you cannot call it an expensive army, even if it is kept
for show rather than use.’’

““No, indeed, Uncle! It seems ridiculous that a troop
of a hundred men can be kept up for five hundred pounds a
year.”’

““Of course the men have some little privileges, Dick.
‘They pay no rent or taxes for their lands; this is a great thing
for them, and really costs me nothing, as there is so much
land lying uncultivated. Then, when too old for service,
they have a pension of two rupees a month for life, and on
that, and what little land they can cultivate, they are com-
paratively comfortable.’’

‘* Well, it does not seem to me, Uncle, that soldiering is a
good trade in this country.”’

‘‘{ don’t know that it is a good trade, in the money way,
anywhere. After all, the pay out here is quite as high, in
comparison with the ordinary rate of earning of a peasant, as
it is in England. It is never the pay that tempts soldiers:
among young men there are always great numbers who prefer
the life to that of a peasant working steadily from daylight to
dark, and I don’t know that I altogether blame them.”’

«Then you think, Uncle, there is no doubt whatever that
there will be war ?”’

‘Not a shadow of doubt, Dick—indeed, it may be said to
have begun already ; and, like the last, it is largely due to the
incapacity of the government of Madras.”’
WAR DECLARED 91

‘I have just received a message from Arcot,’’ the Rajah
said, two months later, ‘‘and I must go over and see the
Nabob.”’

‘I thought,’’ Mrs. Holland said, “that Tripataly was no
longer subject to him. I understood that our father was made
independent of Arcot ?’’

‘« No, Margaret, not exactly that. The Nabob had involved
himself in very heavy debts during the great struggle. The
Company had done something to help him, but were unable
to take all his debts on their shoulders; and indeed, there
was no reason why they should have done so, for although
during most of the war he was their ally, he was fighting on
his own behalf, and not on theirs. In the war with Hyder it
was different. He was then quite under English influence,
and, indeed, could scarcely be termed independent. And as
he suffered terribly—his lands were wasted, his towns besieged,
and his people driven off into slavery—the Company are at
present engaged in negotiations for assisting him to pay his
debts, which are very heavy. It was before you left, when
the Nabob was much pressed for money and had at that time
no claim on the Company, that our father bought of him a
perpetual commutation of tribute, taxes, and other monies and
subsidies, payable by Tripataly ; thus I am no longer tributary
to Arcot. Nevertheless, this forms a portion of the Nabob’s
territories, and I cannot act as if I were an independent
prince.

“‘T could not make a treaty with Mysore on my own ac-
count, and it is clear that neither Arcot nor the English could
allow me to do so, for in that case Mysore could erect fort-
resses here, and could use Tripataly as an advanced post on
the plain; therefore I am stillsubject to the Nabob, and could
be called upon for military service by him. Indeed, that is
one of the reasons why, even if I could afford it, I should not
care to keep up a force of any strength. As it is, my troop is
too small to be worth summoning. ‘The Nabob has remon-
92 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

strated with me more than once, but since the war with Hyder
I have had a good excuse, namely, that the population has so
decreased that my lands lie untilled, and it would be impossi-.
ble for me to raise a larger force. I have, however, agreed
that, in case of a fresh war, I will raise an additional hundred
cavalry.

‘«T expect it is in relation to this that he has sent for me to
Arcot. We know that the English are bound by their treaty
with Travancore to declare war. They ought in honour to
have done it long ago, but they were unprepared. Now that
they are nearly ready, they may do so at any time, and in-
deed the Nabob may have learned that fighting has begun.
The look-out is bad. The government of Madras is just as
weak and as short-sighted as it was during Hyder’s war.
There is but one comfort, and that is that Lord Cornwallis at
Calcutta has far greater power than his predecessors, and as he
is an experienced soldier, and is said to be an energetic man,
he may bring up reinforcements from Calcutta without loss of
time, and also set. the troops of Bombay in motion. I expect
that, as before, things will go badly at first, but hope that this
time we shall end by giving Mysore so heavy a lesson that she
will be powerless for mischief in future.”’

«And release all the captives,’’? Mrs. Holland exclaimed,
clasping her hands.

“I sincerely trust so, Margaret,’ her brother said gravely ;
‘but, after what happened last time, we must not be sanguine.
Scattered about as they may be in the scores of little hill-forts
that dot the whole country, we can, unhappily, never be sure
that all are delivered, when we have only the word of a treach-
erous tyrant like Tippoo. We know that last time he kept
back hundreds of prisoners, among whom, as we may hope,
was your husband, and it may be that, however completely he
may be defeated, he may yet retain some of them, knowing
full well it is impossible that all these hill-forts and their dun-
geons can be searched. However, doubtless if an English
WAR DECLARED 93

army marches to Seringapatam, many will be recovered, though
we have reason to fear that many will, as before, be murdered
before our arrival.’’

When the Rajah returned from Arcot on the following day,
he brought back the news that General Meadows had moved
to the frontier at Caroor, fifty miles beyond Trichinopoly, and
that the war was really about to begin.

‘You know,’’ he said, ‘* how matters stand up to now.
Tippoo, after making peace with the Nizam and the Mahrat-
tas, with whom he had been engaged in hostilities for some
time, turned his attention to the western coast, where Coorg
and Malabar had risen in rebellion. After, as usual, perpe-
trating horrible atrocities, and after sending a large propor-
tion of the population as slaves to Mysore, he marched against
Travancore. Now, Travancore was specially mentioned in
the treaty of Mangalore as one of the allies of the English,
with whom Tippoo bound himself not to make war; and had
he not been prepared to fight the English he would not have
attacked their ally. ‘he excuse for attacking Travancore was
that some of the fugitives from Coorg and Malabar had taken
refuge there.

‘« Seeing that ‘Tippoo was bent upon hostilities, Lord Corn-
wallis and his council at Calcutta directed, as I learnt from an
official at Madras, the authorities there to begin at once to
make preparations for war. Instead of doing so, Mr. Holland,
the governor, gave the Rajah the shameful and cowardly ad-
vice to withdraw his protection from the fugitives. The
Rajah refused to comply with such counsel, and after some
months spent in negotiations, Tippoo attacked the wall that
runs along the northern frontier of Travancore. That was
about six months ago. Yes, it was on the 28th of December
—so it is just six months. His troops, fourteen thousand
strong, made their way without difficulty through a breach,
but they were suddenly attacked by a small body of Trav-
ancore men.
94 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

the breach, and in the wild struggle to pass through it,
no less than two thousand were either killed or crushed to
death.

“‘Tt was nearly three months before Tippoo renewed his at-
tack. The lines were weak, and his army so strong that re-
sistance was impossible. A breach, three-quarters of a mile
in length, was made in the wall, and marching through this
he devastated ‘Travancore from end to end. His unaccount-
able delay before assaulting the position has been of great ad-
vantage to us. Had he attacked us at once, instead of wasting
his time before Travancore, he would have found the Carnatic
as defenceless and as completely at his mercy as Hyder did.
He would still have done so had it depended upon Madras,
but as the authorities here did nothing, Lord Cornwallis took
the matter into his own hands. He was about to come here
himself, when General Meadows, formerly Governor of Bom-
bay, arrived, invested by the Company with the offices of
both governor and of commander-in-chief.

‘¢ He landed here late in. February, and at once set to work,
to prepare for war. Lord Cornwallis sent from Calcutta a
large amount of money, stores, and ammunition, and a battal-
ion of artillerymen. The Sepoys objected to travel by sea,
as their caste rules forbade them to do so, and he therefore
sent off six battalions of infantry by land, and the Nabob tells
me they are expected to arrive in four or five weeks’ time.
The Nabob of Arcot and the Rajah of Tanjore, both of whom
are very heavily in debt to the government, are ordered, dur-
ing the continuance of the war, to place their revenues at its
disposal, a liberal allowance being made to them both for their
personal expenses. ‘Tippoo is still in Travancore—at least, he
was there ten days ago, and has been endeavouring to negoti-
ate. [he Nabob tells me he believes that the object of Gen-
eral Meadows in advancing from Trichinopoly to Caroor, is to
push on to Coimbatoor, where he will, if he arrives before
Trppoo, cut him off from his return to his capital; and as
WAR DECLARED 95

Meadows has a force of fifteen thousand men, he ought to be
able to crush the tyrant at a blow.

‘«T fear, however, there is little chance of this. ‘The My-
sore troops move with great rapidity, and as soon as Tippoo
hears that the English army is marching towards Caroor, he is
sure to take the alarm, and by this time has probably passed
Coimbatoor on his way back. With all his faults, Tippoo is a
good general, and the Nabob’s opinion—and I quite agree
with him—is that, as soon as he regains the table-land of My-
sore, he will take advantage of the English army being far
away to the south, and will pour down through the passes into
this part of the Carnatic, which is at present absolutely de-
fenceless. This being the case, I shall at once get ready to
leave for Madras, and shall move as soon as I learn for certain
that Tippoo has slipped past the English.

«¢The Nabob has called upon me to join him with my little
body of cavalry, and as soon as the news comes that Tippoo is
descending the passes, I shall either join him or the English
army. That will be a matter to decide afterwards.’’

«You will take me with you, of course, Uncle!’ Dick
asked eagerly.

‘Certainly, Dick; if you are old enough to undertake the
really perilous adventure of going up in disguise to Mysore,
you are certainly old enough to ride with me. Besides, we
may hope that this time the war is not going to be as one-
sided as it was the last time, and that we may end by reaching
Seringapatam ; in which case we may rescue your father, if he
is still alive, very much more easily than it could be managed
in the way you propose.’’

The news that the English army had marched to Caroor,
and that there was no force left to prevent the Mysoreans from
pouring down from the hills, spread quickly, and when Dick
went out with the two boys into the town, groups of people
were talking earnestly in the streets. Some of them came up,
and asked respectfully if there was any later news.
96 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

«* Nothing later than you have heard,’’ Dick said.

‘¢ The Rajah is not going away yet, Sahib?”

“¢No; he will not leave unless he hears that Tippoo has re-
turned with his army to Seringapatam. Then he will go at
once, for the sultan might come down through the passes at
any moment, and can get here a fortnight before the English
army can return from Caroor.”’

«© Yes; it will be no use waiting here to be eaten up, Sahib.
Do you think Conjeveram would be safe? Because it is easy
to go down there by boat.”’

‘© T should think so. Hyder could not take it last time, and
the English army is much stronger than it was then. Besides,
there will be six thousand men arriving from Bengal in a
month’s time, so I should think there is no fear of Conjeveram
being taken.”

«Tt is little trouble getting there,’’ the trader said, ‘* but it
is a long journey to Madras. We could go down with our
families and goods in two days in a boat; but there would not
be boats enough for all, and it will be best, therefore, that
some should go at once, for if all wait until there is news that
‘Tippoo is coming, many will not be able to get away in time.”’

«¢ No, not in boats,’’ Dick agreed ; “¢ but in three days a
bullock-cart would get you there.””

Next day several of the shops containing the most valuable
goods were shut up, and day by day the number remaining
open grew smaller.

‘Tt is as I expected,’’ the Rajah said one morning, as he
came into the room where the family was sitting. ‘* A mes-
senger has just come in from the Nabob with the news that
sickness broke out among the army as soon as they arrived at
Caroor, and in twenty-four hours a thousand men were in
hospital. This delayed the movement, and when they arrived
at Coimbatoor they were too late: ‘Tippoo and his army had
already passed, moving by forced marches back to Mysore.
Finish your packing, ladies ; we will start at daybreak to-
WAR DECLARED 97

morrow morning. I secured three boats four days ago, and
have been holding them in readiness. Rajbullub will go in
charge of you ; there is not the least fear of ‘lippoo being here
for another fortnight at the earliest. I shall ride with the
troop ; Dick and the boys will go with me. We shall meet
you at Conjeveram. I have already arranged with some of
our people, who have gone on in their bullock-carts with their
belongings, and will unload them there, to be in readiness to
take our goods on to Madras, so there will be no delay in get-
ting forward.”’

By nightfall the apartments were completely dismantled.
The furniture was all stowed away in a vault which the Rajah
had had constructed for the purpose, when the palace was re-
built. Access was obtained to it through the floor in one of
the private apartments. The floor was of tessellated marble, but
some ten squares of it lifted up in a mass, forming together a
trap-door, from which steps led down into the vault. When
the block was lowered again, the fit was so accurate that, after
sweeping a little dust over the joint, the opening was quite
imperceptible to any one not aware of the hiding-place. The
cushions of the divans were taken down here, as well as the
furniture, and all the less valuable carpets, rugs and hangings,
while the costlier articles were rolled up into bales for trans-
port.

The silver cups and other valuables were packed in boxes,
and were, during the night, carried by coolies down to the
boats, over which a guard was placed until morning. Pro-
visions for the journey down the river were also placed on
board. The palace was astir long before daybreak. The
cushions that had been slept on during the night were carried
down to the boats, the boxes of wearing apparel closed and
fastened, and a hasty meal was taken. The sun was just rising
when they started. One boat had been fitted up with a bower
of green boughs, for the use of the two ladies and their four
attendants ; the other two carried the baggage. After seeing
98 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

them push off, the Rajah, his sons, and Dick returned to the
palace. Here for a couple of hours he held a sort of audience,
and gave his advice to the townspeople and others who came,
in considerable numbers, to consult with him. When this
was done they went into the courtyard, where all was ready
‘for their departure.

The troop had, during the past week, been raised to two
hundred men, many of the young cultivators coming eagerly
forward as soon as they heard that the Rajah was going to
increase his troop, being anxious to take a share in the advent-
ures that might be looked for, and to avenge the sufferings
that had been inflicted on their friends by Hyder’s marauders.
They were a somewhat motley troop, but this mattered little,
as uniformity was unknown among the forces of the native
princes. The majority were stout young fellows. All pro-
vided their own horses and arms, and although the former
lacked the weight and bone of English cavalry horses, they
were capable of performing long journeys and of existing on
rations on which an English horse would starve.

All were well armed, for any deficiency had been made up
from the Rajah’s store, and from this a large number of guns
had, three days before, been distributed among such of the ryots
as intended to take to the hills on the approach of the enemy.
Ammunition had also been distributed among them. Every
man in the troop carried a shield and tulwar, and on his
back was slung a musket or spear ; and there were few with-
out pistols in their girdles. ‘They rode half-way to Conjeve-
ram, and stopped for the night at a village—the men sleep-
ing in the open air, while the Rajah, his sons, and Dick were
entertained by the chief man of the place. The next after-
noon they rode into Conjeveram, where, just at sunset, the
boats also arrived.

The troop encamped outside the town, while the Rajah and
his party occupied some rooms that had been secured before-
hand for them. In the morning the ladies proceeded in a
WAR DECLARED 99

native carriage with the troop, an officer and ten men follow-
ing, in charge of the bullock-carts containing the baggage.
On reaching Madras, they encamped on the Maidan—a large
open space used as a drill-ground for the troops garrisoned
there—and the Rajah and his party established themselves in
the house occupied by him on the occasion of his last visit.
The next day the Rajah went to the Government House and
had an interview with the deputy-governor.

‘«7 think,’’ the latter said, after some conversation, ‘ that
your troop of cavalry will be of little use to the Nabob. If
‘Tippoo comes down from the hills, he will not beable to take
the field against him, and will need all his forces to defend
Arcot, Vellore, and his smaller forts, and cavalry would be of
no real use to him. Your troop would be of much greater
utility to the battalions from Bengal when they arrive; they
will be here in three weeks or so, and as soon as they come I
will attach you to them. I will write to the Nabob, saying
that you were about to join him, but that, in the interest of the
general defence, I have thought it better at present to attach
you to the Bengal contingent. You see, they will be entirely
new to the country, and it will be a great advantage to them
to have a troop like yours, many of whom are well acquainted
with the roads and general geography of the country. Your
speaking English, too, will add to your usefulness.’’

‘©T have a nephew with me who speaks English perfectly,
and also Hindustani,’’ the Rajahsaid. ‘‘ He is asmart young
fellow, and I have no doubt that the officer in command would
be able to make him very useful. He is eager to be of service.
His father, who was an Englishman, was wrecked some years
ago on the west coast, and sent up a prisoner to Mysore ; he
was not one of those handed over at the time of the peace,
but whether he has been murdered, or is still a prisoner in
Tippoo’s hands, we do not know. My sister came out with
the boy, three or four months ago, to endeavour to obtain some
news of him,’’
100 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

‘«T will make a note of it, Rajah; I have no doubt that he
will be-of great use to Colonel Cockerell.”’

In the last week in July the Rajah moved with his troop to
Conjeveram, and on the ist of August the Bengal forces ar-
rived there. They were joined at once by three regiments of
Europeans, one of native cavalry, and a strong force of artil-
lery, raising their numbers to nine thousand five hundred men.
Colonel Kelly took command of the force, and begged the
Rajah to advance with his horsemen at once to the foot of the
ghauts, to break it up into half-troops, and to capture or de-
stroy any small parties of horse Tippoo might send down by
any of the passes to reconnoitre the country and ascertain the
movements and strength of the British forces. He was also to
endeavour to obtain as much information as he could of what
was going on in Mysore, and to ascertain whether Tippoo was
still with his army, watching General Meadows in the west,
or was moving as if with the intention of taking advantage of
the main force of the English being away south to descend
into the Carnatic.

The order was a very acceptable one to the Rajah. His
troop made a good appearance enough when in company with
those of the Nabob of Arcot, but he could not but feel that
they looked a motley body by the side of the trained native
and European troops; and he was frequently angered by hear-
ing the jeering comments of English soldiers to each other
when he rode past them with his troop, and had not a little
astonished the speakers more than once by turning round on
his horse and abusing them hotly in their own language. He
was therefore glad to be off. For such work his men were far
better fitted than were even the native cavalry in the Com-
pany’s service. They were stout, active fellows, accustomed
to the hills, and speaking the dialect used by the shepherds
and villagers among the ghauts. Proceeding northward
through Vellore, he there divided his force into four bodies ;
he himself with fifty men took up a position at the mouth of
WAR DECLARED 101

the pass of Amboor; another fifty were sent to the pass of
Moognee, to the west of Chittoor, under the command of An-
war, the captain of the troop. The rest. were distributed
among the minor }.asses.

Dick remained with his uncle, who established himself in a
village seven miles up the pass. He was well satisfied with
the arrangement, for he was anxious to learn to go about
among the hills as a spy, and was much more likely to get
leave from his uncle to do so than he would have been from
any of the officers of the troop, who would not have ventured
to allow the Rajah’s nephew to run into danger ; in the second
place, his especial friend among the officers, a youth named
Surajah, son of Rajbullub, was with the detachment. Surajah
had been especially picked out by the Rajah as Dick’s com-
panion ; he generally joined him in his rides, and they had
often gone on shooting excursions among the hills. He was
about three years Dick’s senior, but in point of height there
was but little difference between them.

Every day half the troop, under an officer, rode up the pass
until within a mile of the fort near the summit, garrisoned by
Mysorean troops. ‘They were able to obtain but little infor-
mation, for the villages towards the upper end of the pass were
all deserted and in ruins, the inhabitants never having vent-
ured back since Hyder’s invasion. The Rajah was vexed at
being able to learn nothing of what was passing on the plateau,
and was therefore more disposed than he might otherwise have
been to listen to Dick’s proposal.

“‘Don’t you think, uncle,’”? the latter said one evening,
‘that I might try to learn something by going up with Su-
rajah alone? We could strike off into the hills as if on a
shooting expedition, just as we used to do ftom Tripataly, ex-

cept that I should stain my face and hands. The people in
the villages on the top of the’ ghauts are, every one says, sim-
ple and quiet; they have no love for ‘Tippoo or Mysore, but
are content to pay their taxes and to work quietly in their
102 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

fields. There will be little fear of our being interfered with
by them.”’ :

“‘You might find a party of Tippoo’s troops in one of the
villages, Dick, and get into trouble.”’

“‘T don’t see why we should, uncle. Of course we should
not go up dressed as we are, but as shikarees, and when we
went into a village, should begin by asking whether the peo-
ple are troubled with any tigers in the neighbourhood. You
see, I specially came out here to go into Mysore in disguise,
and I should be getting a little practice in this way, besides
obtaining news for you.”’

<‘T am certainly anxious to get news, Dick. So far, I have
had nothing to send down, except that the reports from all
the passes agree in saying that they have learned nothing of
any movement on the part of Tippoo, and that no spies have
come down the passes, or any arined party whatever. ‘This is
good so far as it goes, but it only shows that the other passes
are, like this, entirely deserted. Therefore we really know
nothing whatever. Even at this moment Tippoo may have
fifty thousand men gathered on the crest of the hills, ready to
pour down to-morrow through one of the passes ; and _there-
fore, as I do not think you would be running any great dan-
ger, I consent to your going with Surajah on a scouting ex-
pedition on foot among the hills. As you say, you must, of
course, disguise yourselves as peasants ; you had better, in ad-
dition to your guns, each take a brace of pistols, and so armed,
even if any of the villagers were inclined to be hostile, they
would not care about interfering with you.”’

‘©Thank you, uncle. When would you expect us back, if
“we start to-morrow morning ?”’

‘That must be entirely in your hands, Dick; you would
hardly climb the ghauts and light upon a village in one day,
and it might be necessary to go farther before you could obtain
any news. Itis a broken country, with much jungle for some
distance beyond the hills, and the villages lying off the roads
WAR DECLARED 1038

will have but little communication with each other, and might
know nothing whatever of what was happening in the culti-
vated plains beyond. At any rate, you must not go into any
villages on the roads leading to the heads of the passes; for
there are forts everywhere and you would be certain to find
parties of troops stationed in them. Even before war broke
out, I know that this was the case, as they were stationed there
to prevent any captives, native or European, escaping from
Mysore. You must, therefore, strictly avoid all the main
roads, even though it may be necessary to proceed much farther
before you can get news. I should think if we say three days
going and as many returning, it will be as little as we can
count upon, and I shall not begin to feel at all uneasy if you
do not reappear for a week. It isof no use your returning
without some information as to what is going on in Mysore,
and it would be folly to throw away your work and trouble,
when in another day or two you might get the news you want.
I shall therefore leave it entirely to your discretion.”’

Greatly pleased at having succeeded beyond his expecta-
tions, Dick at once sought out Surajah. The latter was very
gratified when he heard that he was to accompany the young
Sahib on such an expedition, and at once set about the neces-
sary preparations. There was no difficulty in obtaining in
the village the clothes required for their disguises, and one of
the sheep intended for the following day’s rations was killed,
and a leg boiled.

“« If we take, in addition to this, ten pounds of flour, a gourd
of ghee, and a little pan for frying the cakes in, we shall be
able to get on, without having to buy food, for four or five
days ; and of course, when we are once among the villages, we
shall have no difficulty in getting: more. You had better cut
the meat off the bone and divide it in two portions, and divide
the flour too ; then we can each carry our share.’’

‘*T will willingly carry it all, Sahib.”

“*Not at all, Surajah; we will each take our fair share.
104 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

You see, we shall have a gun, pistols, ammunition, and a tul-
war ; and that, with seven or eight pounds of food each, and
our water-bottles, will be quite enough to carry up the ghauts.
The only thing we want now is some stain.”’

<< T will get something that will do, and bring it with me in
the morning, Sahib ; it won’t take you a minute to put on. I
will come for you at the first gleam of daylight.”

Dick returned to the cottage he occupied with his uncle,
and told him what preparations they had made for their jour-
ney; and they sat talking over the details for another hour.
The Rajah’s last words as they lay down for the night were,
‘«« Don’t forget to take a blanket each ; you will want it for
sleeping in the open, which you will probably have to do sev-
eral times, although you may occasionally be able to find shel-
ter in a village.”

By the time the sun rose the next morning, they were well
upon their way. They had a good deal of toilsome climbing,
but by nightfall had surmounted the most difficult portions of
the ascent, and encamped, when it became dark, in a small
wood. Here they lighted a fire, cooked some cakes of flour,
and, with these and the cold meat, made a_ hearty meal.
They had during the day halted twice, and had breakfasted
and lunched off some bread, of which they had brought suffi-
cient for the day’s journey.

«< | suppose there is no occasion to watch, Surajah ?”’

«J don’t know, Sahib ; I do not think it will be safe for us
both to sleep. There are, as you know, many tigers among
these hills, and though they would not approach us as long as
the fire is burning brightly, they might steal up and carry one
of us off when the fire gets low. I will therefore watch.”’

«« [ certainly should not let you do that, without taking my
turn,’’? Dick said ; ‘ and I feel so tired with the day’s work
that I do not think I could keep awake for ten minutes. It
would be better to sleep in a tree than that.’’

‘«« You would not get much sleep in a tree, Sahib. I have
WAR DECLARED 105

done it once or twice, when I have been hunting im a tiger-in-
fested neighbourhood, but I got scarcely any sleep, and was so
stiff in the morning that I could hardly walk. I would rather
sit up all night and keep up a good fire, than do that.”’

Dick thought for a minute or two, and then got up and
walked about under the trees, keeping his eyes fixed upon the
branches overhead.

‘This will do,’’ he said at last. ‘‘ Come here, Surajah.
There ; do you see those two branches coming out in the same
direction. At one point they are but five or six feet apart.
We might fasten our blankets side by side with the help of the
straps of our water-bottles and the slings of the guns, so as to
make what are called on board a ship hammocks, and lie there
perfectly safe and comfortable.”

Surajah nodded.

<¢T have a coil of leather thong, Sahib; I thought that it
might be useful if we wanted to bind a prisoner, or for any
other purpose, so I stuffed it into my waist-sash.”’

«« That is good ; let us lose no time, for I am quite ready
for sleep. I will climb up first.”’

In ten minutes the blankets were securely fastened side by
side, between the branches. Surajah descended, threw an-
other armful of wood on to the fire, placed their meat in the
crutch of a bough six feet above the ground, and then climbed
the tree again; thus they were soon lying side by side in their
blankets. These bagged rather inconveniently under their
weight, but they were too tired to mind trifles, and were very
soon fast asleep. Dick did not wake until Surajah called him.
It was already broad daylight; his companion had slipped
down quietly, stirred up the embers of the fire, thrown on
more wood, and cooked some chupatties before waking him.

“‘Itis too bad, Surajah,’’ Dick said, as he looked down ;
““you ought to have woke me. I will unfasten these blankets
before I get down ; it will save time after break fast.’’

Half-an-hour later they were again on their way, and short-
106 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

ly came upon a boy herding some goats ; he looked doubtfully
at them, but, seeing that they were not Mysorean soldiers, he
did not attempt tofly.

‘How far is it to the next village, lad? ’’ Surajah asked,
‘¢and which is the way? We are shikarees. Are there any
tigers about ?”’

«« Plenty of them,’’ the boy said. <‘‘I drive the goats to
a strong, high stockade every evening, and would not come
out before the sun rose for all the money they say the sultan
has. Make for that tree, and close to it you will see a spring.
Follow that down ; it will take you to the village.”

After walking for six hours they came to the village. It was
a place of some little size, but there were few people about.
Women came to the doors to look at Surajah and Dick as they
came along.

«Where are you from?’’ an old man asked, as he came
out from his cottage.

‘‘ From down the mountain-side. Tigers are getting scarce
there, and we thought we would come over and see what we
could do here.”’

«Here there are many tigers,’’ the old man said. “ For
the last twenty years the wars have taken most of our young
men away. Some are forced to go against their will, for
when the order comes to the head man of the village, that the
sultan requires so many soldiers, he is forced to pick out those
best fitted for service. Others go of their own free will,
thinking soldiering easier work than tilling the fields, besides
the chance of getting rich booty. So there are but few shik-
arees, and the tigers multiply and are a curse to us. We are
but poor people, but if you choose to stay here for a time we
will pay something for every tiger you kill, and we will send
round to the other villages within ten miles, and doubtless
every one of them will contribute, so that you might get
enough to. pay you for your exertions.”’

«¢ We will think of it,’’ Surajah replied. ‘‘ We did not in-
WAR DECLARED 107

tend to stop in one village, but proposed to travel about in
the jungle-covered district ; and wherever we hear complaints
of a tiger committing depredations, we will stop and do our
best to kill the evil beast. We mean first to find out where
they are most troublesome, and then we shall work back again.
We hear that the sultan gives good prices for those taken
alive.’’

<¢ | have heard so,’’ the old man said, but none have been
caught alive here or by any one in the villages round. ‘The
sultan generally gets them from the royal forests, where none
are allowed to shoot save with his permission. Sometimes,
when there is a lack of them there, his hunters come into
these districts and catch them in pitfalls and have nets and
ropes with which the tigers are bound and taken away.”’

A little crowd had by this time collected round them ; and
the women, when they heard that the strangers were shikarees
who had come up with the intention of killing tigers, brought
them bowls of milk, cakes, and other presents.

‘ ‘‘ his hunters do not come here for tigers? ”’

«« We know nothing of his wars,’’ a woman said. ‘* They
take our sons from us, and we do not see them again. We
did hear a report that he had gone with an army to conquer
Travancore. But why he should want to do it, none of us
can make out. His dominions are as wide as the heart of
man can require. It is strange that he cannot rest contented,
but, like his father, should be always taking our sons away to
fight. However, these things are beyond the understanding
of poor people like us; but we can’t help thinking that it
would be better if he were to send his armies to destroy all
the tigers. If he would do that, we should not grudge the
sums we have to pay when the tax-gatherers come round.”’

After pausing for an hour in the village, they continued on
their way. Two or three other small collections of huts were
passed, but it was not until the evening of the next day that
108 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

they issued from the jungle-covered country on to the culti-
vated plain. At none of the places they had passed was there
anything known as to Tippoo or his army, but they were told
that there were parties of troops in all the villages along the
edge of the plain, as well as in the passes.

<¢ We must be careful now, Surajah,’’ Dick said, as, after
a long day’s march, they sat down to rest at a distance of half
a mile from a large village. ‘‘ Our tale that we are shikarees
will not do here. Had that really been our object, we should
have stopped at the first place we came to, and, at any rate,
we should not have come beyond the jungle. We might still
say that we are shikarees, but that tigers had become scarce on
the other side of the hills, and hearing a talk that Tippoo and
the English are going to war with each other, we made up our
minds to go to Seringapatam and enlist in his army.”’

‘«¢ That would do very well,’’ Surajah agreed ; ‘ they would
have no reason for doubting us, and even if the officer here
were to suggest that we should enlist under him, we could do
go, as there would be no difficulty in slipping away and mak-
ing off into the jungle again.”’

They waited until the sun set, and then walked on into the
village. They had scarcely entered when tivo armed men
stopped them, and questioned them whence they came.

Surajah repeated the story they had agreed upon, and the
men appeared quite satisfied.

“You will be just in time,’’ one said. ‘We have news
that the sultan has just moved with his army to Seringapatarn.
Officers came here only yesterday to buy up cattle and grain ;
these are to be retained here until orders are received where
they are to be sent, so I should say that he is coming this way,
and will be going down the passes, as Hyder did. We shall
be very glad, for I suppose we shall join as he passes along ; it
has been dull work here, and we are looking forward to gain-
ing our share of the loot. It would be just as well for you to
join ts here now, as to go on to Seringapatam.’’
WAR DECLARED 109

«© Jt would save us a long tramp,’’ Surajah agreed. ‘‘ We
will think it over, and maybe we will have a talk with your
officer to-morrow morning.”’

They sauntered along with the men, talking as they went,
and so escaped being questioned by other soldiers. Presently
they made the excuse that they wanted to buy some flour and
ghee before the shops were closed, and, with a friendly nod to
the two soldiers, stopped before the stall of a peasant who had,
on a little stand in front of him, a large jar of ghee. Having
purchased some, they went a little farther and laid in a fresh
supply of flour.

‘« Things are very dear,’’ Surajah remarked.

«© There is very little left in the village,’ the man said.
<¢ All the flour was bought up yesterday for the sultan’s army,
which, they say, is coming in this direction, and I have only
got what you see here; it has been pounded by my wife and
some other women, since morning.”’

«« That is good enough,’ Dick said, as they walked away.
“Our work is done, Surajah, and it is not likely that we
should learn anything more if we were to stop here for a week.
Let us turn down between these houses, and make our way
round behind ; we might be questioned again Ly a fresh party
of soldiers if we were to go along the street.”’

They kept along on the outskirts of the village, regained
the road by which they had come, and walked on until they
reached the edge of the jungle. Going a short distance among
the trees, they collected some sticks, lit a fire, and sat down to
cook their meal. At the last village or two they had heard but
little of tigers, and now agreed that they could safely lie down,
and that it would not be necessary for them to rig up their
blankets as hammocks, as they had done on the first two nights.
110 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

CHAPTER VI
A PERILOUS ADVENTURE

HEY retraced their steps without adventure until they
reached the village they had first stopped at.

«¢'There are soldiers here,’’ Surajah exclaimed, as they
entered.

‘«We can’t help it now,’’ Dick said. ‘‘ There is nothing
for it but to go on boldly. I suppose that Tippoo has sent
troops into all these frontier villages to prevent any chance of
news of his movements being taken to the plains. Ah! there
is the old chap who spoke to us last time; let us stop at once
and talk with him.”

«« So you are back again,’’ the peasant said, as they came
up to him.

«Yes,’’ Surajah replied; ‘‘ we told you we should come
back here unless we got news of some tiger being marked
down near one of the other villages. We have been as far as
the edge of the jungle, and although we have heard of several,
not one of them seems to be in the habit of coming back

regularly to the same spot, so we thought we could not do ~

better than return here at once and make it our head-quarters.
I see you have got some soldiers here.”’

‘«< Yes,’ the old man said discontentedly, ‘‘ and a rough lot
they are; they demand food, and instead of paying for it in
money, their officer gives us bits of paper with some writing
on them; he says that when they go we are to take them to
him and he will give us an order equal to the whole of them,
for which we can receive money from the treasury at Seringa-
patam. A nice thing that! None of us have ever been to
Seringapatam, and should not know what to do when we got

AF
A PERILOUS ADVENTURE 111

there ; moreover, there would be no saying whether one would
ever come back again. It is terrible. Besides, we have only
grain enough for ourselves, and shall have to send down to the
plains to buy more; and where the money is to come from,
nobody can tell.”’

«TI think I could tell you how you had better proceed, if
you will take us into your house,’’ Surajah said. «‘ This is
not a place for talking; there are four or five soldiers there
watching us.’’

The old man entered the house and closed the door behind
them. ‘* How would you counsel us to proceed ?’’ he asked,
as soon as they had seated themselves on a divan formed of a
low bank of beaten earth with a thick covering of straw.

“It is simple enough,’’ Surajah said. <* One of you would
take the order on the sultan’s treasury to a large village down
in the plain; you would go to a trader and say that you
wished to purchase so much grain and other goods, and would
pay for them with an order on the sultan’s treasury. It would
probably be accepted as readily as cash, for the trader would
send it to a merchant or banker at Seringapatam to get it
cashed for him, to pay for goods he had obtained there, and
either to send him any balance there might be, or to retain it
for further purchases. An order of that kind is better than
money for trading purposes, for there would be no fear of its
being stolen on the way, as it could be hidden in the hair, or

shoe, or anywhere among the clothes of the messenger.”’
_ “Wonderful !’’ the old peasant said. ‘* Your words are
a relief indeed to me, and will be to all the village when they
hear them.’’

*‘ And now,”’ Dick broke in, ‘let us talk about tigers.
While you have been speaking, those soldiers have passed the
door twice, and have been looking suspiciously at the house.
If they take it into their heads to come here and to ask who
we are and what is our business, it would not do to tell them
that we have been discussing the value of the orders on the
112 “THE TIGER OF MYSORE

sultan’s treasury. Now, if our advice has been of any assist-
ance to you in this matter, you, in turn, can render us aid in
our business of killing tigers. We want you to find out for
us when a tiger was last seen near the village, where its lair is
supposed to be, and whether, according to its situation, we
should have the best chance of killing it by digging a pitfall
on the path by which it usually comes from the jungle, or by
getting a kid and tying it up, to attract the tiger to a spot
where we shall be stationed in a tree.”

<<] will assuredly do that, and every one here will be glad
to assist when I tell them the advice I have received from you
—and would indeed do so in any case, for it will be a bless-
ing to the village if you can kill the tiger that so often carries
off some of our sheep and goats.”’

At this moment there was a loud knocking at the door.
On the peasant opening it, a group of soldiers demanded to
see the men who had entered.

«We are here,’’ Surajah said, coming forward. ‘What do
you want ?”’

«¢ We want to know who you are and where you come from.”” -

«« Any one in the village could have told you that,’’ Sura-
jah said. ‘‘ We are shikarees, and have come here to destroy
tigers. We were arranging with this old man to find us guides
who can point out the tracks of the one which has for some
time been preying on their animals.”’

‘Yes, and our children,’’ the old man put in; ‘‘ for three
of them were carried off from the street here within the last
month.”

The soldiers looked doubtful, but one of them said,—

This is for our officer to inquire about. The men are
strangers to the village, and he will want to question them.’’

«We are quite ready to be questioned,’’ Surajah said.
« Our host here will bear me out in what I say, and there are
others in the village who will tell you that we have been ar-
ranging with them to kill tigers in this neighbourhood, though
A PERILOUS ADVENTURE 113

as yet we have not settled what they will pay us for each beast
we destroy.”

Accompanied by the peasant, they went with the soldiers to
the guard-house, with which each of the frontier villages was pro-
vided. It consisted of a group of huts, surrounded by a thick
wall of sunburnt bricks. They were taken into the largest hut,
where the officer of the party was seated on a rough divan.

«Who have you here?’”’ he asked irritably, for he had been
awakened from a doze by their entry.

««They are two young fellows who are strangers here.
They say they are shikarees who have come into the village to
gain a reward for killing a tiger that has been troublesome.’’

«« They were here three days ago, Sahib,’’ the villager said,
‘and asked us many questions about the tigers, and were,
when the soldiers came to the door, questioning me as to the
tiger’s place of retreat, and whether a pitfall, or a kid as a de-
coy, would be most suitable.’’

‘¢ Where do you come from?’ the officer asked Surajah.

“We live in a little village some distance down the ghauts.
We heard that tigers were more abundant in the jungle coun-
try up here than they are below, and thought that we would
for a time follow our calling here. We can get good prices
for the skins down below, and with that and what we get
from the villages for freeing them from the tigers, we hope in
a few months to take back a good store of money.”

“Your story is a doubtful one,’’ the officer said harshly.
“‘ You may be what yeu say, and you may be spies.”

“If we had been spies,’’ Surajah said, ‘‘ we should not be
here, but at Bangalore or Seringapatam. ‘These villages are
not the places where news is to be gained.”’

This was so self-evident that the officer had nothing to say
against it.

“‘At any rate,’’ he said, after a pause, ‘‘ there is no con-
firmation to your story, and as I have orders to put all suspi-
_cious persons under arrest, I shall detain you.”’
114 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

“Tt is very hard—’’ Surajah began ; but the officer made
an impatient gesture, while two of the soldiers put their
hands on the shoulders of the prisoners, and led them from
the hut. ;

‘You need not look so downcast,’’ one of them said good-
naturedly. ‘I don’t suppose you will be kept here long, and
will no doubt be released when the sultan has gone down the
passes with his army. A week or two here will do you no
harm—the tigers can wait for a bit. There, give us your
weapons ; I daresay you will get them back again when we go
on, as I hope we shall do, for there is nothing to eat and noth-
ing to do in this miserable place.”’

The arms were taken into the officer’s hut, and as there was
a sentry at the gate, no further attention was paid to them.

««J will get you some provisions and bring them in,’’ the
old man said. ‘It is hard, indeed, that men cannot go about
their business without being interfered with.”’

«Thank you, but we have enough for two or three days.
When that is gone we will give you some money to buy more,
for we have a few rupees with us, as we knew it might be some
time before we should be able to kill a tiger.”’

As soon as the old man had left them, they seated them-
selves on a large faggot of wood that had been brought in by
the villagers for fuel.

««We cannot stay here, Surajah ; it is most important that
we should get back with the news, and I have no doubt that
pig-headed brute in there will do as he says, and will hold us
prisoners until Tippoo has gone down the passes. We must get
off to-night if possible. We are not likely to be looked after
very sharply ; I don’t think that fellow really suspects us, but
is simply keeping us to show his authority. There ought to
be no difficulty in getting out. I suppose we shall be put into
one of the soldiers’ huts to-night, and if we crawl out when
they are asleep, we have only to make our way up those nar-
row steps to the top of the wall, and then let ourselves down
A PERILOUS ADVENTURE 115

the other side. It is not above fifteen feet high, and even if we
dropped we should not be likely to hurt ourselves.”’

«¢ There will, most likely, be a sentry at the gate,’’? Surajah
observed, ‘‘ and there is a moon to-night.’’

«¢ There ought to be no difficulty in pouncing on him sud-
denly, gagging him before he can give the alarm, and then
tying him. We will walk round and see if there is any rope

_lying about ; if not, I will tear my sash into strips; we can
use yours to lower ourselves over the wall. I should like to
get our weapons if we could ; the guns do not matter, but the
pistols are good ones. And, if there is an alarm given, we
may have to fight ; besides, it is not impossible that we may
come across a tiger as we go along. I vote that when we have
secured the sentry we pay the officer a visit.”’

Surajah nodded. He was quite ready to agree to anything
that Dick might suggest, and felt a strong desire to re-possess
himself of his arms, for it seemed to him that it would be a
humiliation to go back without them.

“Of course,’’ Dick went on, ‘if the sentry gives the alarm
before we can secure him, we must give up part of our plan ;
for in that case we should have to bolt. Once over the wall
we should be all right. They may fire away at us as we run,
but there is no fear of their hitting us, half asleep as they will

- be, and not quite sure what it is all about. If we get a fair

start of them, we need not have much fear of their catching us.”’

“* Not as long as it is straight running, Sahib; but if they
follow us far, they may come up within range of us as we are
making our way down some of those nasty places where we
came up the face of the ghaut.”’

“ somewhere, and then strike off on another line.’’

«We might do that,’’ Surajah agreed ; ‘‘ but you know the
place where we came up was the only one that seemed to us
climbable, and it would be certainly better to make for it
again if we can find our way.”’
116 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

«I quite agree with you there, Surajah ; it would never do
to go and find ourselves on the edge of a precipice that we
could not get down, with the soldiers anywhere near us; be-
sides, it is of the greatest importance that we should take the
news back as soon as possible, as every hour may be of impor-
tance. I only wish we could find out which pass Tippoo
means to go by, but I don’t suppose that will be known until
he starts for it. Anyhow, our news will be very valuable, for
at present he is supposed to be over on the other side, and he
would have taken our troops entirely by surprise if he had
suddenly poured out on to the plain. So we must give up my
idea of hiding up, for if we did so we should have to lie there
all day, and it would mean the loss of twenty-four hours ; for
I would not go down those ghauts for any money, except in
daylight. It is a very different thing going down hill to going
up, and if we were to attempt it in the dark we should break
our necks for a certainty. If we can get away early to-night
we shall be at the edge of that steep place by nine o'clock in
the morning, and if we strike the right point we might be back
to the Rajah by nightfall.”’

“Tt will be difficult to find our way back in the dark,”’
Surajah said.

‘No doubt. Still we can keep in the general direction, and
even if we do not hit upon the stream to-night, we shall find .
it in the morning.”

It was late in the afternoon when they reached the village,
and it was now growing dark ; two soldiers came up to them
and bade them follow them into one of the huts, and there
pointed to the farther corner as their place. They wrapped
themselves in their blankets, and at once lay down.

“Tf they take it into their heads,’’ Dick whispered to
Surajah, ‘‘ to put a sentry on guard at the door, it will upset
all our plans. It would not be very difficult to cut our way
through the mud wall behind us, but in the first place they
have taken away our knives, and even if we had them, it
A PERILOUS ADVENTURE 117

would be risky work trying it. The chances are that they will
sit and talk all night; of course, we might surprise the sentry,
but it would be a great risk with those fellows close at hand,
and we should have to run straight for the steps, and might
get a dozen balls after us before were over the wall.”’

‘¢T don’t think there would be much chance of their hit-
ting us,’’ Surajah said. <‘‘ Jumping up from their sleep in
confusion, they would be a minute or so before they could
find out what had happened, and we should be at the foot of
the steps before they saw us, and then they would fire almost
at random. But in that case we should lose our weapons,”’
he added regretfully.

“¢We cannot help that. The arms are of no consequence
at all, compared to our getting away—unless, of course, any
of them happen to overtake us.”’

For three or four hours the soldiers, of whom there were ten
in the hut, sat eating, talking, and smoking round the fire, which
they kept burning on the earthen floor. One by one, how-
ever, they left it and lay down. When but three remained, one
of them got up with a grumble of discontent, took his musket,
which was leaning against the wall, and went out of the hut.

«« What a nuisance!’ Dick whispered. ‘‘ He is evidently
going on sentry duty.”’

‘« Perhaps he has gone to the gate? ’’ Surajah suggested.

‘¢T am afraid not ; I expect the other hut is furnishing the
sentry there. Listen !’’

During the pauses of the low conversation of the two men
still sitting by the fire, they could hear a footfall outside.

‘That settles the question,’’ Dick said. ‘* Now, the
sooner those fellows go to sleep, the better.’’

«We had better wait for some time after they do,’’ Surajah re-
plied. ‘‘ One or two of the men who lay down first, are sure to
get up and go to the door and look out. ‘They always do that
once or twice during the night. ‘Thesentry will soon get accus-
tomed to the door being opened, and won’t look round sharp.’’
118 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

“« That is a good idea,’’ Dick agreed. ‘* The moon is at
the back of the hut, so we shall be in the shadow. I will -
spring upon him, and’ will try and grip him by the throat, so
that he can’t holloa. You wrench the musket from his hands,
and snatch his belt of cartridges ; that will give us a weapon,
anyhow. As soon as you have got it, I will give him ohe
sharp squeeze and throw him down ; it will be some time be-
fore he gets breath enough to holloa.”’

In half-an-hour the two men by the fire lay down. It was
not long before, as Surajah predicted, one of the sleepers sat up
and stretched himself; then he rose and walked to the door,
opened it, and stood at the entrance ; a moment later he was
joined by another figure, and for a few minutes they stood
talking together. Then he came in again, shut the door, and
lay down. During the next hour three of the others followed
his example, the last of them leaving the door ajar behind him
when he came in.

«Now is our chance, Surajah. We must give him ten
minutes to fall asleep again ; then we will move. Should one
of them be lying awake and notice us—which is not likely,
for it is too dark in here to see figures distinctly —and ask
where we are going, say, ‘To the door to get cool;’ they
won’t imagine that we are thinking of escape, with one sentry
at the door and another at the gate.”’

«Don’t you think, Sahib, that it would be safer to kill the
sentries ?”’

‘Safer or not, Surajah, we will not do it. At present,
they have done us no harm; they are only acting as- their of-
ficer ordered, and we have no grudge against them. When
they take to shooting at us, we must shoot at them; but to
kill this sentry would be nothing short of murder.”

After waiting a few minutes longer, Dick said, ‘We had
better be off now; if we were to wait longer we should have
another fellow getting up.”’

They rose quietly to their feet, made their way to the door,
DICK AND SURAJAH MAKE THEIR ESCAPE,


A PERILOUS ADVENTURE 119

and opened it noiselessly. The sentry was standing, leaning
on his long matchlock, a few feet away. Suddenly a voice
behind exclaimed, ‘‘ Who is that ? ’’

The sentry was in the act of turning round when Dick
sprang upon him, and grasped him by the throat. No cry
came from the man’s lips, but the gun fell from his grasp as
he clutched convulsively at Dick’s wrists, and went off as it
fell. , ;

“¢ Pick it up,’’ Dick shouted, ‘‘ and run.”

He released his grip from the man’s throat, snatched the
bandolier from his shoulder, and, tripping his feet from under
him, threw him heavily to the ground, and then turned to
run.

The whole had occupied but a few seconds, but as he started
a soldier ran out from the hut, shouting loudly. He had a
gun in his hand. Dick changed his mind, turned, threw him-
self upon him, wrenched the gun from his hold, and, as the
man staggered back, struck him with his right hand under the
chin. The man fell back through the open door, as if shot.
Dick seized the handle and closed it, and then ran at full
speed towards the foot of the steps. They were but some
twenty yards away.

‘Up you go, Surajah. We have not a moment to lose ! i

Dick sprang up the steps, Surajah following. As they
reached the top of the wall, a shot was discharged at them by
the sentry at the gate, who, ignorant of the cause of the sudden
uproar, had been standing in readiness to fire. He was, how-
ever, too excited to take aim, and the bullet flew harmlessly
over their heads. In another instant they sprang over the
parapet.

«« Lower yourself by your arms, and then drop.”’

The wall, like many others of its sort, was thicker at the
base than on the top, and the foot projected two feet beyond
the upper line, so that it was a sharp slide rather than an abso-
lute fall. It was well that it was so, for although only some
120 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

twelve feet high inside, it was eight feet higher on its outer
face, as a dry ditch encircled it. Both came down in a heap
on the sand that had crumbled from the face of the wall. As
soon as they picked themselves up, Dick exclaimed, ‘‘ Keep
along the foot of the wall, Surajah,’’ and they dashed along
until they reached the angle. As they turned the corner, they
heard a burst of voices from the wall where they had slid
down, and several shots were fired. Dick led the way along
the ditch to the next angle, then left it and entered the vil-
lage, and dashed along the street.

The sound of firing had roused many of the peasants ; doors
were opening, and men coming out. Exclamations of surprise
were heard as the two figures rushed past, but no one thought
of interfering with them. As they left the houses behind
them Surajah said,—

«You are going the wrong way, Sahib; you are going
right away from the ghauts.’’

««T know that well enough,’ Dick panted ; «‘ but I did it on
purpose. We will turn and work round again. They will
hear from the villagers that we have come this way, and will
be following us down the road while we are making our way
back to the ghauts.’’

«¢ They ran for another hundred yards, then quitted the path,
and made across the fields. From the fort and village they
could hear a great hubbub, and above it could make out the
voice of the officer, shouting orders. ‘They continued to run
for another quarter of a mile, and then turned.

“Now we can go quietly,’’ Dick said, breaking into a
walk ; ‘‘ this line will take us clear of the fort and village, and
we have only to make straight for the ghauts. I think we
have thrown them well off the scent, and unless the officer
suspects that we have only gone the other way to deceive him,
and that we are really making for the ghauts, we shall hear
nothing more of them.’’

«¢Tt is capital,’’ Surajah said. <‘‘I could not think what
A PERILOUS ADVENTURE 121

you were doing when you turned round the corner of the fort
and made for the village, instead of going the other way. But
where did you get that gun from? ”’

Dick told him how it had come into his possession.

“Tt was not so much that I cared for the gun,’’ he said,
“as that I wanted to prevent the man from using it; if he
had followed me closely he could hardly have helped hitting
one of us as we went up the steps. By shutting the door we
gained a few moments, for they were all in confusion in the
dim light inside, and would certainly not learn anything,
either from the man I pitched in among them, or from the
sentry outside. I don’t suppose any of them had an idea of
what had happened until the sentry shouted to them that we
had got over the wall. Then they rushed up and fired at
random from the top, thinking that we should be running
straight from it.’’

They walked along for a short distance, and then Dick said,—

‘‘T have got my wind again now; we will go on at a jog-
trot. I mistrust that officer; he had a crafty face, and as
we said we belonged to a village down the ghauts, he may
have a suspicion that we have been trying to throw him off
our scent, and think we should be sure to double back and
make for home.”’

They kept on their way, sometimes dropping into a walk,
but generally going at an easy trot, until day broke.

‘« As soon as it gets a little lighter, Surajah, we will go up on
to one of these rises, so as to have a good look down over the
line we have come. If they are following us, we must go on
at the top of our speed ; if we see nothing of them, we can
take it quietly. Of course, they can’t have been following our
steps, but it is quite likely that some of the villagers may
know that the ghauts can be climbed at the point where we
came up. You know we noticed signs of a path two or three
times on the way up; in that case, if the officer really did think
of pursuing us, he would take one of the villagers as guide.’
122 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

Half-an-hour later they ascended a sharp rise, and threw
themselves down on its crest.

‘© don’t think that there is the least chance of their com-
ing,’’ Surajah said carelessly; ‘‘ when they had gone some
distance without overtaking us on the road, they may possibly
have suspected that we had turned and made this way ; but
by the time they got back to the village, they would know
well enough that there was no chance of overtaking us.”’

Dick made no answer. He had a sort of uneasy conviction
that the officer would at once suspect their plan, and that pur-
suit would have commenced very shortly after they had re-
passed the fort. For some minutes no words were spoken.
No signs of life were to be seen ; but in so broken a country,
covered in many places with jungle or wood, a considerable
body of men might be coming up unperceived.

Suddenly Dick grasped Surajah’s arm. ‘‘ There they are.
You see that I was right. Look at that clump of bush half a
mile away, well to the left of the line we came by. They have
just come out from there ; there are ten or twelve of them.’’

« not very fast.’’

«¢ We will crawl back till we are out of their sight, and then
make a run for it. They must have got a guide, and are, no
doubt, taking a more direct line than we are, for we may be a
good bit off the stream we followed as we came along. Ihave
not seen anything I recognise since it got light, though I am
sure we have been going somewhere near the right direction.
Now we have got to run for it.”’

They dashed off at a rate of speed much higher than that at
which they had before been travelling, keeping as much as pos-
sible in ground covered from the sight of their pursuers, and
bearing somewhat to the left, so as to place the latter directly
behind them and to strike the path Dick had no doubt their
pursuers were keeping.

“It is no use running too fast,’’ he said, a few minutes
A PERILOUS ADVENTURE 123

later. ‘‘ There is a good long way to go yet—another ten
miles, I should think ; and anyhow, I don’t think we can get
down that steep place before they come to the edge of the
cliff above. You see, we are not certain as to where itis. We
might strike the cliffs a mile or two on either side of it, and I
have no doubt they will go straight to the spot. I expect the
man they have got as a guide has been in the habit of going
down the ghauts, and knows his way. If it were not that we
are in such a hurry to get to uncle with the news about Tip-
poo, it would be much better to turn off altogether and stay
in a wood for a day or two. They would not stop very long
at the top of the ghauts, for they cannot be sure that we are
going that way at all, and when a few hours passed and we
didn’t come, the officer would suppose that he was mistaken,
and that we really kept on in the line on which we started.”

They trotted along for some time in silence, and then Su-
rajah said,—

‘*Do you not think that it would be better for us to make
for the pass to the left? It is twenty miles off, but we should
be there by the evening, and we should surely find some way
of getting into it below where the fort stands.”’

Dick stopped running. ‘* Why not go the other way and
make for the pass we know?’’ he said. ‘It can’t be more
than fifteen miles at the outside, and once below the fort we
know our way, and should get down to the village twelve hours
sooner than if we went round by the other pass.”’

‘¢Tt would be the right plan if we could do it,’’ Surajah
agreed ; ‘‘but you know the rocks rise straight up on both
sides of the fort, and the road passes up through a narrow cleft
with the fort standing at its mouth. That is why I proposed
the other pass.’’

<‘T think we had better try it, nevertheless, Surajah; we
should not be more than three hours in going straight there,
and shall have ample time to follow the edge of the precipice
_ for the last five miles. We may discover some break where


124 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

we can get down; if we should find it impossible to descend
anywhere, we must sleep till sunset, then strike the road above
the fort, go down at night and manage to slip past the sentry.”’

«The only thing is, Sahib, that it seemed as if the fort lay
right across the entrance to the gorge, and the road went
through it.’”’

«‘It did look like that, Surajah; certainly the road went
through a gateway. But there must be a break somewhere.
We could see that in the wet season a lot of water comes
down there, so there must be some sort of passage for it ; and
if the passage is big enough for the storm water to go through,
it must be big enough for us.’’

Surajah agreed, and they turned off from the line that they
had before been following ; no longer hurrying, but walking at
a leisurely pace. They were not pressed for time; there was
no chance whatever of pursuit, and as they had been going for
some six hours at the top of their speed, they were both feel-
ing exhausted.

After proceeding for two miles, they came upon a small
stream. Here they sat down, lighted a fire, mixed some flour
and water—for although the ghee had been taken from them
when they were disarmed, they had been allowed to retain
their supply of flour for their sustenance in prison—and made
some small cakes. ‘These they cooked in the glowing embers ;
they could not be termed a success, for the outside was burned
black, while the centre was a pasty mass. However, they suf-
ficed to satisfy their hunger, and after an hour’s rest they again
went forward. It was not very long before they stood on the
edge of the rock wall; they followed this along, but could
nowhere find a spot where a descent seemed at all possible.
After walking for an hour they saw a road winding up a long
valley below them.

**Phat is our road,’’ Dick exclaimed. ‘That clump of
houses, Surajah, must be the one where we generally turned.
I know that from below these rocks looked as steep as walls, so





A PERILOUS ADVEN'TU



there is no chance of our find
tween this and the fort.”’





ascent of the ghauts had



lowing this line any more,’’ Dick went on.
swell strike across until we come on to the edge
have the fort; find a place where we
easily, and then lie down and sleep till it is time
to make our attempt.’

Im another hour they were looking down on the road, a mile
or so above the fort. The slopes here were gradual, and could
be descended without the least difficulty, even in the dark.

“There ; do ye 2, Surajah, the water-course runs along
by the side of the road ; there is a little water in it now. You
knew we used to meet with it down below, and water our
horses at a pool close to that ruined village. When we start
we can follow the road until we get close to the fort, and then
crawl along in the water-course and take our chances. If we
should find it so blocked up that we can’t get through, we
must then see haw we can get past the place in some other
way. If the gate is only barred, no doubt we should be
able to overpower the sentry, and get the gate open before
any alarm is given ; if it is locked, we must do the best we can,
We may calculate upon taking the sentry by surprise, as we
did im the prison, and on silencing him at once ; then we
should have time to break up some cartridges and pour the
powder into the keyhole, which is sure to be a big one, make
aslow match, and blow the lock open. We could make the
slaw match before we start, if we had some water."’

«Shall I go down to the stream and get some ?”’

** You have nothing to carry it up in, Surajah ; and besides,
some one might come along the valley.’’

“We shall only want a little water. I will take off my sash
and dip it in the stream ; that will give us plenty when it is
wrung out.”



** We inn
of the p






















126 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

«‘ At any rate, Surajah, we will do nothing until it is get-
ting dusk. See! there are some peasants with three bullocks
coming down the valley, and there are four armed horsemen rid-
ing behind them. We will go back to those bushes a hundred
yards behind us, and sleep there until sunset; then we will
make our way down to that heap of boulders close to the
stream, manufacture our slow match, and hide up there until
it is time to start. We want a rest badly ; we did not sleep
last night, and if we get through, we must push on to-night
without a stop, so we must have a good sleep now.”’

The sun was low when they woke; they watched it dip be-
low the hills, and then, after waiting until it began to get
dusk, started for the valley. No one was to be seen on the
road, and they ran rapidly down the slope until they reached
the heap of boulders. Surajah tore off a strip of cotton six
inches long by an inch wide from the bottom of his dress,
went forward to the stream and wetted it. When he came
back they squeezed the moisture from it, broke up a cartridge,
rubbed the powder into the cotton, and then rolled it up long-
ways.

«¢ That will be dry enough by the time we want to start,’’
Dick said. <‘I hope we sha’n’t have to use it, but if there is
no other way we must do so.”’

They remained where they were until they thought that the
garrison of the fort would be for the most part asleep ; then
they crossed the stream and walked along by the side of the
road, taking care not to show themselves upon it, as their fig-
ures would be seen for a long distance on its white, dusty
surface. Presently the sides of the valley approached more
closely to each other, and just where they narrowed they could
make out a number of dark objects, which were, they doubted
not, the houses occupied by the garrison. They at once took
to the bed of the stream, stooping low as they went, so that
their bodies would be undistinguishable among the rocks.
They could hear the murmur of voices as they passed through
A PERILOUS ADVENTURE 127

the village. Once beyond it they entered the gorge. Here
there was but room enough for the road and the stream, whose
bed was several feet below the causeway ; a few hundred yards
farther the gorge widened out a bit, and in the moonlight they
could see the wall of the fort stretching before them, and a
square building standing close to it.

‘« That is the guard-house, no doubt,’’ Dick said in low tones :
‘it is too close to be pleasant if we have to attack the sentry.’’

Very carefully they picked their way among the rocks until
close to the wall; then Dick gave a low exclamation of disap-
pointment. The stream ran through a culvert some twelve feet
wide and ten feet high, but this was closed by iron bars cross-
ing each other at intervals of only five or six inches, the lower
ends of the perpendicular bars being fixed in a stone dam ex-
tending across the bed of the stream. ‘Dick waded across the
pool formed by the dam, and felt the bars, but found them
perfectly solid and strong.

“‘Tt is no good, Surajah,’’ he said, when he returned.
‘* There is no getting through there. There is nothing for it
but the gate, unless we can find the steps up to the top of the
wall and get up unnoticed. Then we might tear up our sashes
longways, knot them together, and slip down. The first thing
to do is to have a look round. I will get up close to the wall ;
it is in shadow there.’’

Entering the pool again, he climbed up the steep bank,
which was here faced with stones. He stopped when his eyes
were above the level, and looked round. There was the gate
twelve feet away, and to his delight no sentry was to be seen.
He was about to whisper Surajah to join him, when he heard
voices. They came from above, and he at once understood
that instead of a man being posted behind the gate, two were
on guard on the wall above it. He beckoned to Surajah to
join him, and when he did so, whispered what he had dis-
covered.

‘If the gate is only barred we are all right now, Surajah,
128 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

except that we shall have to run the risk of being shot by those
fellows on the wall. We shall be a pretty easy mark on that
white road by moonlight. Our only plan will be to keep
close to the wall when we are through the gate, get down into
the bed of the stream again, and then crawl along among the
rocks; the bottom will be in shadow, and we may get off with-
out being noticed ; the only fear is that we shall make a noise
in opening the gate. Now let us try it.”’

Keeping close to the wall, they crept to the gateway ; this
projected two feet beyond the gate itself, and standing against
the latter they could not be seen, even in the unlikely event of
one of the sentries looking down. The only risk was of any
one in the guard-house coming out. This, however, could
not be avoided, and they at once began to examine the fasten-
ings of the gate, which consisted of two massive bars of wood
running across it; these, by their united strength, they re-
moved one after another. But when they tried it they found
the gate still immovable.

«« The beastly thing is locked,’’ Dick said ; ‘‘ there is noth-
ing to do but to blow it open.”

He broke off the ends of three cartridges, poured the pow-
der in at the keyhole, and then inserted the slow match.

«Stand in the corner there, Surajah. I will go down to
the stream again to light the tinder. The noise is less likely
to be heard there.’’

He stole back again, sat down at the edge of the water,
placed his tinder-box in his lap, took his turban off and put it
over his hands so as to deaden the sound, and then struck the
steel sharply against the flint. The first blow was successful.
The spark fell on the tinder, and at once began to extend.
He listened intently. The men on the wall were still talking,
and the sound had evidently not reached their ears.
BESIEGED 129

CHAPTER VII
BESIEGED

ICK hastily clambered up the wall, ran to the gate, blew
the tinder, and then applied it to the slow match. A
moment later this began to fizz.

‘¢ Round the corner of the wall, Surajah !’’ he exclaimed,
running back himself. A few anxious seconds passed, then
came a sharp explosion ; in an instant they ran up. ‘The gate
stood two or three inches open ; it yielded to a push, and they
ran out. Loud shouts were heard from the men above, and a
hubbub of cries from the guard-house.

‘Run, Surajah! We must risk it. Keep on the edge of
the road, and dodge as you go. The chances are they will
run down below to see what has happened.”’

At the top of their speed they dashed down the road. No
shot was fired from the wall, Dick’s conjecture that the first
impulse of the sentries would be to run down below having
been justified. They were a couple of hundred yards away
before two shots were fired from the gate. The bullets
whistled by harmlessly.

‘‘ We are all right now,’’ Dick cried. ‘‘ They can scarcely
see us, and we shall soon be out of sight altogether.’’

Five or six more shots were fired a few seconds later, as the
men from the guard-house reached the gate. On looking back
when they had gone another hundred yards, they saw a num-
ber of figures on the road.

“« Not quite so fast, Surajah,’’ Dick said. ‘It is going to
be a long chase now. We have got three hundred yards start,
and they won’t be able to load again, running at full speed.’’

For a time their pursuers gained somewhat upon them ; then
gradually they began to straggle, as the effect of the speed at
130 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

which they were running told upon them. When they reached
the ruined village there were four men running together some
three hundred yards behind ; the rest were a considerable dis-
tance in the rear.

«« Another mile or two and they will all give up the chase-
except these four, Surajah, and if they turn out better runners
than we do, we can make a stand ; there are some more huts
another two miles farther, and we will fight them there.”’

They were going slower now, for although the downward
course of the road helped them a good deal, the run was tell-
ing on them. Nota word was spoken until they reached the
second village. When they came to the first house they
stopped simultaneously and looked round. ‘Their pursuers
were not more than two hundred yards behind them.

«Tn here, Surajah,”’ Dick said, as he ran into the ruined
hut. Its roof was gone, its door hung loose on its hinges. It
had but one window, a small one, looking up the valley. Dick
laid his gun on the sill, which was nearly level with his
shoulder.

«T must wait until they get pretty close,’’ he said, ‘‘ for I
am panting so that I can’t keep the barrel steady, even with
this rest.”’

<¢ J will kneel down outside,’’ Surajah said.

‘¢ Mind, I will fire first, Surajah. Don’t you fire until they
are within twenty yards of you; by that time I shall have
loaded again.”’

Dick had more time than he had expected, for as soon as
their pursuers saw them enter the hut they slackened their
pace considerably. They were within about eighty yards,
when Dick held his breath, and standing for a moment im-
movable, took a steady aim and fired. One of the men
stumbled in his run, took a step or two forward, and then fell
on his face; the others paused for a moment, and then, with
a fierce yell, ran forward. The moment he had fired, Dick
dropped the stock of his gun on to the ground, snatched a
BESIEGED 131

cartridge from the bandolier, bit off the end, and emptied the
powder into the barrel, gave the gun a shake, so as to be sure
that it ran into the touch-hole, and then rammed down the
bullet. As he was in the act of doing so, Surajah fired, and
a loud yell told that his shot had been successful. Dick sprang
to the door as Surajah entered. Two shots at the same instant
rang out; but, at even so short a distance, the bullets went
wide. Dick stepped out, and in turn fired. One of the two
men fell; the other threw down his musket, and fled up the
road.

“Thank goodness that is over,’? Dick exclaimed. “I
thought they had no chance with us here. Now the first
thing is to get our wind again. They stood for two or three
minutes breathing heavily; then, as their breath came again,
they prepared to move, when Dick exclaimed suddenly,
“« What is that noise ?”’

There was a dull, confused sound in the air, and then
Surajah, pointing up the road, exclaimed, « Cavalry !”’

_ Far away on the white road a dark mass could be seen. At
first, Dick instinctively turned to resume their flight, but then
he said, —

“It is of no use, Surajah; the sides of the valley are too
steep to climb, and they will be up in five or six minutes. We
must fight it out here. Run out to that man I shot, and
bring in his gun, bandolier, pistols, if he has any, and sword ;
I will take them from these two. It will make all the differ-
ence having spare weapons.”’

Surajah, without a word, hurried up the road, while Dick
ran over to the house opposite, which seemed to be larger than
the one they had first entered. He looked round. It con-.
tained only one room, but this was twenty feet square. ‘There
were three small windows, one looking into the street, one
looking up the valley, and one behind. ‘he floor was lit-
tered with the beams of the roof; the door was still in its
place. Having ascertained this, he ran back to the bodies of
132 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

the two men, picked up the three guns, took off their ban-
doliers, and removed the pistols from their sashes; and with
these, and one of their swords, returned to the house, just as
Surajah came back.

“This is the best house to defend, Surajah. There are
some beams with which we can block up the door.”’

Laying down the arms inside, they set to work with the
beams, and barricaded the door so firmly that, short of its be- ~
ing splintered to pieces, no entry could be effected. This
done, they re-charged the six guns, examined the pistols, ard
finding that they were loaded, placed three of them in each of
their sashes, and hung the swords by their sides. Then they
went to the window looking up the valley. The horsemen,
some twenty in number, were but a short quarter of a mile
away, and were coming along at a gallop.

“Don’t fire, Surajah,’’ Dick said. ‘They will have
heard from the man who has got away that we are in the house
opposite, and if they don’t find-us there, they will think that
we have gone on, and will ride down the valley till they are
sure they must be ahead of us. Then they will search the
ground carefully as they come back, and altogether we may gain
an hour; and every moment is of use. It must be two o’clock
now, and our troop generally gets here soon after seven.”’

As he spoke the horsemen drew up in front of the opposite
hut. There was a momentary pause, and then a voice said,—

“It is empty.’

Then followed the command, ‘‘ Ride on, men; they can’t
have got very far. We shall overtake them in ten minutes.’’

As soon as they started, Dick said,—

‘Take a ramrod, Surajah, and make some holes through
the walls to fire through. If we were to show ourselves at
the windows we might get shot.’’

The walls were built of mud and clay, and with the iron
ramrods they had no difficulty in making four holes an inch
wide and two inches high, on each side of the house.
BESIEGED 1338

‘* Now we are ready for them,’’ Dick said, when they had
finished. ‘* They have been gone half-an-hour, and it won’t
be long before they are back.’? In a few minutes they heard
the clatter of horses’ hoofs. It ceased some forty or fifty yards
away, and by the sound of voices and orders, it was evident
that the other houses were being searched. Voices were also
heard at the back of the house, and they guessed that the
ground was being closely examined up to the foot of the rock
walls which enclosed the valley.

‘Now, Surajah, you can take a shot from the window on
that side. The others will be here in a minute, and it is just
as well to let them know where we are before they get close
up to our door.”’

Surajah went to the window at the back. Four horsemen
were making their way at a walk along the level ground be-
tween the rocks and the huts; the nearest was but some forty
yards away. Surajah fired, and the man at once fell from his
horse ; the others instantly galloped on at full speed up the
valley, and from the window at the end Surajah saw them
gather on the road three or four hundred yards away, and
then, after a short consultation, cross to the other side of the
valley, with the intention, he had no doubt, of rejoining their
comrades.

The sound of the gun had been followed by shouts and ex-
clamations from the party in the village. Dick could hear a
conference in low tones; then all was silent. He went to
the loop-hole at the corner, laid his rifle in it, and waited,
looking along the barrel. Two or three minutes later the
hole was darkened, and he fired at once. ‘There was a sound
of a heavy fall, followed by cries of rage, and a moment later
there was a rush of men against the door. Surajah ran
across. ‘'wo spare guns were pushed through the loop-holes,
one on each side of it; these had not been bored straight
through the wall, but at angles that would enable them to fire
at any one attacking it. Looking along the barrels, each
134 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

could see one of the group in front, and fired at the same
moment. With a yell of rage and surprise, the assailants of
the door sprang back and ran down the street.

«‘ There are four less, anyhow,’’ Dick said, as he and Su-
rajah reloaded the empty guns. ‘* Those loop-holes will puz-
zle them, and I don’t think they will care to come on again
for a bit.”’

There was a pause for some minutes, and then from the
huts opposite, and from various points higher up the valley
and behind, a dropping fire was opened.

«* Keep out of the line of the windows, whatever you do,
Surajah ; and it will be just as well to lie down for a bit, until
we see whether any of their shots come through the wall. I
think we are quitesafe from the distant fire, but from the house
opposite it is possible they may penetrate it. Anyhow, don’t
stand in the line of a loop-hole; astray ball might find its
way in.”’

Fora few minutes the enemy fired away unanswered, and
then Dick, who had been seated on the ground with his back
against the end wall, got up and went along that facing the
street, carefully examining it.

««[ don’t think any of their balls have come through, Su-
rajah. I should be able to see out into the moonlight if they
had done so. Now it is time for us to be doing something.
I expect they are getting a little bolder, and will perhaps give
usa chance. You take this loop-hole ; it is exactly in a line
with the opposite hut, and the fellows in there must come to
their door to fire. I will take this slanting hole by the door-
post. Ican see one of the windows of the next hut to that
we were in; I have no doubt that they are firing from there
also. Don’t wait for them to shoot, but fire directly a figure
shows itself.’’

Ina very short time Surajah fired. Dick heard the clatter
of a gun as it fell to the ground.

“¢ Vou have hit him, Surajah.”’
BESIEGED 135

‘* Yes, but only wounded him. I think I hit him on the
shoulder ; he let his gun drop and ran into the house.”?

‘«Take a spare gun at once. If there are others there, they
will think that you are loading, and may show themselves
again.’’

A moment later Dick saw a gun thrust out through the
window he was watching; then the head and shoulders of a
man appeared behind it. He fired, and the figure disap-
peared. Almost at the same instant, Surajah fired again.

‘¢T had one that time, Sahib!”

It was now quiet for some little time; then a horseman
dashed suddenly past and galloped up the valley at full
speed.

‘The end window, Surajah!_ Bring him down if you can.””

Surajah ran there and fired.

‘‘I have missed him!’’ he said, in a tone of deep disap-
pointment.

**Tt does not make much difference ; if you had hit hin,
they could have sent another off close to the opposite side of
the valley. There is no doubt as to what he has gone for;
you see they have lost six killed and one wounded, and they
must know that they have not the slightest chance of taking
this hut. I have no doubt that he has ridden back to bring
down the infantry from the fort. From the number of huts
round the gate, and the sound of talking, I should think there
were fifty or sixty at least—perhaps a hundred. If they send
down fifty we shall have sharp work. Our difficulty will be to
prevent them from making a rush at all the windows together.
If they were to get there they could riddle us with balls.’?

** Could we block them up, Sahib?”

“That is just what I was thinking,’ Dick replied. «We
might try, anyhow. It will be an hour and a half before they
are down here ; it must be past four now, and in another hour
daylight will begin to break. There is any amount of the old
thatch down on the floor. T he best way would be to fill up
136 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

the window-holes with it first, then to put two or three bits of
wood across, and a strong piece down behind it, and to keep
that in its place by wedging one of the long beams against it.’
If they came up and tried to pull the thatch out, we could fire
through it with our pistols ; and we will make a loop-hole be-
low each when we have got the work done.”’

It was not so difficult a business as they thought it would
be. The windows were little more than a foot across and two
feet high; it was but the work of a few minutes to fill these up
with the masses of thatch. When this was done, they picked
out thick pieces of wood for cross-bars ; then they tooka beam
eight feet long, made a hole with their tulwars in the clay
floor close to the wall, put one end of the beam into it, and
reared it upright against the window. Dick held it in its
place while Surajah hacked a deep notch in it—a by no means
difficult matter, for it was half rotten with exposure. The
notch was cut just opposite the middle of the window. ‘The
three cross-pieces were then put into their place, and the up-
right pressed firmly against them; one end of a long beam
was placed in the notch, the other in a slight hole made in the
ground, thus forming a strut, which held the rest firmly in
their positions.

‘That is a good job done,’’ Dick said, ‘‘ but a very hot
one. Now, Surajah, sharpen three or four pieces of wood, and
drive them down into the ground at the foot of that strut;
then it will be as firm as a rock.’’

They then proceeded in the same way with the other two
windows.

“Tt is getting light fast,’’ Dick said, as he wiped the per-
spiration from his face. ‘* Take a look out up the valley ;
they ought to be coming by this time.”’

Surajah applied his eye to one of the loop-holes.

“¢T can see them,’’ he said; ‘they are half a mile away.
There are two mounted men; I expect one is their officer,
and the other the man who rode back to fetch them.”
BESIEGED 137

«Let us set to work at the loop-holes under the windows,
Surajah ; it is most important to get them done. You make
the one at the end, I will do that one looking into the street ;
put it as close to the beam as you can.’’

They worked hard, and it was not long before the walls
were pierced.

«¢ Now, Surajah, you do the one at the back. The fellows
will soon be within range, and I will give them a lesson to
be careful. They will naturally break up, and go round be-
hind the houses opposite, as they can find shelter nowhere
else; and, for a bit at any rate, we shall get them all on one
side of us, which is what we want.’’

Dick carried the six guns to the end of the hut, and then
applied his eye to the loop-hole there. ‘The enemy were com-
ing along at a run, in a confused mass.

“‘T can’t very well miss them,’’ he muttered. to himself, as
he thrust his gun through a loop-hole and fired.

Without waiting to see the result, he thrust another gun
out, aimed, and fired.

“Never mind the hole, Surajah,’’ he said. ‘* Come here
and reload.’’

The four other shots were discharged in rapid succession.
‘The Mysoreans at first opened an irregular fire on the hut.
When the sixth shot was fired they left the road in a body, and
ran across the valley, leaving four of their number on the
ground behind them.

As soon as the guns were reloaded, Surajah returned to his
work. It was now broad daylight, and the sun was shining
upon the hill-tops. A quarter of an hour passed without a
movement from the enemy. Dick and his companion occu-
pied the time in further strengthening the door with cross-
beams, kept in their place by struts.

“ce Tf they break it to splinters’? Dick said, when they had
finished, ‘¢ they will hardly be able to force their way in, for
if they were to try to crawl in between those cross-beams, they
138 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

would be completely at our mercy. Now we must get ready
for arush. I expect they will come all together. There are
the six guns, and three pistols each; keep one of the latter in
reserve. We ought not to waste a shot; and if they lose ten
men I should think they will give up the attack on the door.
Stand clear of it, Surajah; they will probably fire into it be-
fore they charge— keep down below the level of the loop-
holes.’’

Presently a volley of musketry was fired, and the door was
riddled by bullets; then a number of figures sprang from be-
tween the two opposite houses, and rushed at the door. Two
of them carried a long, heavy beam. ‘Two shots flashed out
in return from the hut. One of the men carrying ‘the beam
fell, as did an officer who was leading them, but instantly
another caught up the end of the timber, and in a moment a
crowd were clustered round the door. Several caught hold of
the beam, and swung it as though they meant to use it asa
battering-ram. Two more puffs of smoke spurted out from
the loop-holes, and again two of the men fell. The others,
however, swung it forward with a crash against the door. The
end of the beam went right through the rotten woodwork.
Dick and Surajah fired their last musket-shots with as deadly
effect as before. ‘The next blow dashed the door from its
hinges, and, split and shattered by the former shocks, it fell
forward into the road, while a yell of triumph broke from the
Mysoreans. ‘This died away, however, when they saw the
three cross-bars blocking their entrance. Again two pistol-
shots carried death among them.

‘* Load your guns, Surajah.’’

But before Surajah had time to do so, the Mysoreans made
arush at the door. The defenders stepped forward and fired
between the cross-bars, and then, drawing their tulwars, ran
the two men in front through the body. As they dropped,
those behind them drew back.

‘« The last pistols!’’ Dick shouted, and they fired two shots
BESIEGED 139

into the crowd. This completed the consternation of the en-
emy. Itseemed to them that the defenders possessed an un- .
limited supply of fire-arms. Already twelve shots had been
fired, and not one had failed to take effect. With a cry of
consternation they fled down the street, leaving the ground in
front of the fatal door strewn with bodies. The defenders in-
stantly set about the work of re-charging their firearms. They
were not interrupted, but presently an irregular fire opened
upon them from the jungle that had taken the place of the gar-
den between the opposite houses.

«¢ We may as well lie down at full length,’’ Dick said, set-
ting the example ; ‘‘ there is no use in running risks. You
keep that side and listen attentively. It is likely enough that
they will work round behind next time and try the windows.
By the way they are firing I fancy there are not more than five
or six of them opposite.”’

Another half-hour passed ; then Surajah exclaimed, ‘I can
hear them on this side.’’

Dick got up and crossed at once. ‘I will take the loop-
hole under this window. You go to the one at the end; I
expect they will try both windows at once.”’

Dick placed the muzzle of his gun in the loop-hole, and,
glancing along, saw that something dark barred his view. He
fired at once. There was a loud cry and a fall, then a rush to
the window, and a moment later a hole appeared in the thatch.
Dick discharged two pistols through it, and as he did so Sura-
jah fired. The thatch was speedily pulled down, as the enemy
had learned to avoid the loop-holes. A yell of rage rose as
the fallen thatch showed them that the window was defended
with cross-bars in the same way as the door. Immediately
afterwards Dick had a narrow escape from a shot fired through
a loop-hole close to him.

‘Stoop down,”’ he cried, and, crouching below the level of
the loop-holes, made his way to the end of the hut. <‘‘ Re-
charge the guns first, Surajah. ‘They may fire away through
140 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

the loop-holes as long as they like. It is lucky we made them
so high, except the three under the windows; we must be
careful in keeping out of the line of those. You sit down
where you can command the end window and the one behind
—I will watch the front window and door. A bold fellow
might put his musket through and pick one of us off, and that
is what we have to prevent, so keep your gun in readiness, and
if you see a head appear, don’t miss it.’’

‘The enemy now kept up a constant fire through the loop-
holes at the end and back of the house; but as these were
shoulder high, and there was no altering the elevation of the
guns, the shots flew harmlessly over the heads of the defenders.
Several times Dick went to one or other of the loop-holes, pis-
tol in hand, and, standing close beside it, waited until a shot
was fired, and then, thrusting the barrel into the loop-hole.
fired before another gun could be inserted, the discharge be-
ing generally followed by a sharp cry of pain. After this had
gone on for nearly an hour, the assailants evidently became
discouraged ; the shots came from the loop-holes less fre-
quently, and presently ceased altogether.

“‘T would give a good deal to know what they are up to,’’
Dick said, after a long pause.

«¢ Shall I look through the loop-hole ?’’ Surajah asked.

_‘ Certainly not; there will be a man standing at each of
them, waiting in expectation of our taking a look out.”’

‘« But there are none in front,’’ Surajah said.

‘« That is more than wecansay. ‘They have not been firing
on that side, but they may have men there now. No, we will
leave well alone, Surajah ; the longer they delay the better for
us. Keep your eye on the top of the wall as well as on the
window. ‘They may have made some ladders by this time,
and may intend to try a shot.’’

“« Perhaps they are gone?’’ Surajah suggested.

“Tt is quite possible; they must know that our troop
comes up here early, and as they have four miles to walk back
BESIEGED 141

to the fort, and several wounded to carry with them, they
certainly won’t stay much longer—if, as you say, they have
not gone already.”

It was indeed well that Surajah had not attempted to look
out at one of the loop-holes, for at the time he asked the ques-
tion a dark figure was standing at each, looking along the bar-
rel of his gun, in readiness to fire the moment the light was
obscured. A few minutes later Dick exclaimed,—

‘‘ How stupid! We can easily test whether there isany one
there, Surajah ;’’ and taking up a piece of thatch he pushed
it suddenly across one of the loop-holes. No shot followed
the action, and he went round the hut and repeated the ex-
periment at each of them.

«They have all gone,’’ he said confidently ; ‘had they
been outside, they would certainly have fired directly the
light was obscured.”’

Standing a short distance back from the end window, he
looked out between the cross-beams.

‘Hurrah !’’ he shouted. <‘‘ There they go up the road ;
they are a quarter of a mile away ; they are not more than half
as strong as they were when they came down ; they are carrying
eight or ten figures on their shoulders, on litters, or doors.”’

‘« I don’t see the cavalry,’’ Surajah said, as he joined him.

‘No ; it is likely enough that they may be in hiding among
the huts opposite, and are waiting, in hopes that we may be
foolish enough to take it for granted that they are all gone,
and pull down the bars of the door. Iexpect they will stay
until they see our troop coming up the valley.”’

They continued to look out from the window, from which
they had now removed the bars. Half-an-hour later Dick
exclaimed,—

‘There they go, up that side of the valley. I have no
doubt they see our troop, and that in a few minutes we shall
hear them coming.”’

It was not long before they heard the trampling of horses,
142 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

and a moment later the Rajah’s voice exclaimed, ‘* Why, what
is this? Here are a dozen dead bodies; they are Mysoreans,
by their dress.’’

“¢ All right, uncle,’’ Dick shouted, ‘‘ we will be out as soon
as we get these bars down. We have been standing a siege.”’

It did not take long to remove the bars. ‘The Rajah and
his men had dismounted, as soon as some of the latter had
gone round the hut and had brought back the report that
there were five more dead on that side. As Dick and his
companion stepped out, the Rajah exclaimed,—

«¢ What, are you alone?”’

“« Ves; there is no one with us, uncle.’’

‘Do you mean to say that you two have defended this
place alone, and killed sixteen of the enemy, besides some I
see lying farther up the road? ”’

‘¢ Ves, uncle. You see, it was a pretty strong position, and
we had time to block up the doors and windows, and to make
loop-holes to fire through.”

‘¢ What think you of that, Anwar?’’ the Rajah exclaimed
to the captain of the troop. ‘‘ My nephew and Rajbullub’s
son have shown themselves brave fighters, have they not?’’

“‘Tt is wonderful,’’ the captain said; and exclamations of
admiration broke from the men standing round.

“Tell us all about it, Dick,’’ the Rajah went on.

‘‘Tt isa long story, uncle ; but the real news is that Tippoo,
with his army, has left the head of the western passes, and has
gone to Seringapatam. He is going to march down one of
the passes this side at once. Provisions have been collected
for his army to consume on the march. No one knows yet
which pass he will come down by ; but it will not be far from
here, for they are buying up cattle in the villages at the top of
the ghauts.”’

‘That is important, indeed, Dick, and we must ride off
without delay; but first I must have a look at this fortress of
yours,”
BESIEGED 143

He entered the hut, the soldiers crowding in after him, and
examined the defences at the windows, and the loop-holes ;
while Dick explained how the bars had been arranged to de-
fend the door.

«« We began on the other side, uncle. We had a fight with
four men who came up with us there, only one of them got
away—and he left his gun behind. It was lucky, for their
guns and pistols were of immense use to us; we could not
have held out with only our own weapons. About twenty of
their cavalry came up a few minutes afterwards. We beat
them off, and then they sent up to the fort for infantry, and
about fifty men came down and attacked us just at sunrise.
They kept it up to within half-an-hour ago ; then the infantry
marched back, knowing, of course, that your troop generally
got here about seven. The horsemen stayed here till withina
few minutes of your arrival. No doubt they thought that we
should suppose they had all gone, and might venture out and
let them get a shot at us.”’

‘¢Why, it must have been a veritable battle, Dick.’’

«« There was a good deal of noise, uncle, though not much
danger. So long as we kept below the level of the loop-holes
and windows, and out of the line of the door, there was no
chance of our being hit.’’

«¢ They must have made a strong attack on the door,’’ the
Rajah said. killed by sword-thrusts.”’

“« Ves, that was the most critical moment, uncle. We had
emptied nearly all our barrels, and if they could have broken
down the bars, which I have no doubt they could have done
if they had stuck to it, they would have made very short work
of us.”’

‘“Now let us be going,’’ the Rajah said. ‘‘ You can tell
me the whole story as we go along.”’

Two of the sowars were ordered to give up their horses to
Dick and Surajah, and to mount behind comrades. ‘Then they
144 ‘THE TIGER OF MYSORE

started down the valley, Dick riding between his uncle and
the captain, while Surajah took his place with the two other
officers of the troop. They rode so rapidly that Dick’s story
was scarcely concluded by the time they reached the village
where the troops were quartered.

«Well, you have done marvellously well, Dick,’’ his uncle
said. ‘*Surajah deserves the highest praise too. Now I will
write a note to the British officer with the Nabob, giving the
- news of Tippoo’s movements, and will send it off by two of
the troopers at once. Where Colonel Maxwell’s force is I have
no idea; it marched to join General Meadows on the day we
came up here. In the meantime you can have a wash,. while
breakfast is being cooked. I have no doubt that you are
ready for it.”’

«I am indeed, uncle. We had nothing yesterday but a
few cakes made of flour and water, and have had nothing at
all since.”’

«* Allright, lad. I will be ready almost as soon as breakfast

is.””
After the meal was over the Rajah lit his hookah, and said, —
‘You must go through the story again this evening, Dick.
You cut short some of the details as you told it to me on the
road, and I want to understand it all thoroughly. You had
better turn in now for a long sleep; you must want it badly
enough, lad, after the work of the last two nights.’’

Dick slept until his uncle roused him at six .o’clock.

‘© Dinner will be ready in ten minutes. It is just as well
that you should get up for two or three hours. After that
you will be good for another sleep till morning. We shall
have to look out sharp now, and keep a couple of vedettes al-
ways at that village, as, for all we know, this may be the pass
by which Tippoo is coming down.”’

Dick got up rather reluctantly, but he was not long in shak-
ing off his drowsiness, and after dinner was able to go through
the story again, with full details of his adventures,
BESIEGED 145

«I don’t know what I should have done without Surajah,
uncle. He is a capital fellow, and if ever I go up by myself
into Mysore to look for my father, I hope that you will let
me take him.’’

«¢That I will certainly do, Dick. Ever since I first heard
of your plans, I have quite decided that you ought not to go
alone. I daresay I should have chosen an older man to ac-
company you, but after what you and the lad have done to-
gether, I don’t think you could do better than take him. Of
course, such an affair would demand infinitely greater care
and caution, though not greater courage, than you had oc-
casion’ to use on this excursion.. It is one thing to enter a
village, to ask a few questions, make a purchase or two, and
be off again ; but it isa very different thing to be among peo-
ple for weeks, or perhaps months, and to live as one of them-
selves. However, we may hope that this war will end in our
army marching to Seringapatam, when we shall recover many
of the prisoners in Tippoo’s hands. Ido not say all. We
know how many hundreds remained in his power last time, in
spite of his promise to deliver them all up, and maybe some-
thing of the same sort will occur next time. Numbers may
be sent away by him to the hill-fortresses dotted all over the
country, and we should never be able to obtain news of them.
However, we must hope for the best.’’

The next morning the troopers arrived with a letter from
the English resident at Arcot. The Rajah glanced through it,
and handed it to Dick, with the remark, ‘‘ You will not get
the honour you deserve, Dick.”’

The letter ran,—

“‘DraR RajaH,—Your news would be extremely valuable
were it correct ; but unfortunately it is not so, and doubtless
the reports brought down by your nephew were spread by
Tippoo for the purpose of deceiving us, or possibly he may
have intended to have come that way, but afterwards changed
his mind. We have news that just after Colonel Maxwell ef-
146 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

fected his junction with General Meadows near Caveripatam,
and was about to ascend the ghauts by the Tapour pass, Tip-
poo came down by that very route, slipped past them, and is
marching on to Trichinopoly. That being the case, I see no
further utility in your remaining with your troop in the passes,
but think it were best that you should re-assemble them at
once and march here. There is no chance of Tippoo captur-
ing Trichinopoly before Meadows, who is following him, can
come up and force on a battle; so it is likely that the Mysore
army may continue their march in this direction, in which
case every fighting man will be of use to defend this place
until it is relieved by the general.’’

Dick uttered an exclamation of disgust as he laid the letter
down.

“It doesnot matter about my news turning out wrong,’’ he
said, ‘¢ but it is very bad that General Meadows should have
allowed Tippoo to pass him, as he may do frightful damage to
the country before he can be overtaken.”’

‘«He never can be overtaken as long as he chooses to keep
ahead. He is hampered with no baggage train; he lives on
the plunder of the country he passes through ; and the British
army, with all its baggage and provision train, has no more
chance of overtaking him than it has of flying.’”’

Messengers were at once sent off to call in the scattered por-
tions of the troop. These were assembled in twenty-four
hours, and at once started for Arcot, where they arrived after
a two days’ march. ‘They there learned that Tippoo had ap-
peared before Trichinopoly, and after pillaging and laying
waste the sacred island of Seringham, had marched north.
Day after day news arrived of the devastation he was commit-
ting on his march. At Thiagur, however, he met with a seri-
ous repulse. Great numbers of the inhabitants from the sur-
rounding country had crowded into the town with their
valuables, and ‘Tippoo, expecting a rich booty, attacked the
town; but although its fortifications were insignificant, the
THE INVASION OF MYSORE 147

little garrison was commanded by Captain Flint, the officer
who had so bravely defended Wandiwash in the previous
war, and two assaults were repulsed with serious loss. At
Trinalee, thirty-five miles farther north, he was more success-
ful, capturing the town, and putting the inhabitants to the
sword. Here Tippoo changed his course, and marched for
Pondicherry, capturing Permacoil by the way. The news
that Tippoo had changed his course to the southeast was re-
ceived with great joy at Arcot. Although confident that this
capital would be able to resist any sudden attack, the belief
had been general that the whole territory would be laid
waste, as it had been by Hyder, and hopes were now en-
tertained that the British army would arrive in time to bar
Tippoo’s further progress.

CHAPTER VIII
THE INVASION OF MYSORE

OR some time there was a pause in the hostilities. Tippoo

remained with his army near Pondicherry, carrying on
negotiations with the French governor, and arranging for the
despatch of an envoy to France, with a request that the Re-
public would furnish him with six thousand French troops.
While he was thus wasting his time, General Meadows was
slowly moving with the army towards an encampment formed
at Vellout, some eighteen miles west of Madras. On the 14th
of December a messenger arrived with the news that Lord
Cornwallis had arrived from Calcutta two days before with
considerable reinforcements, and that he was about to assume
the supreme command of the army. ‘The news caused un-
bounded satisfaction. By the extreme dilatoriness of his move-
ments, and especially by the manner in which he had allowed
148 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

‘Tippoo to pass him near Caveripatam, when he might easily
have attacked him while his army was still struggling through
the pass, General Meadows had disgusted his troops ; he had
frittered away, without striking a single blow, the finest army
that the British had, up to that time, ever put into the field in
India ; and had enabled Tippoo, unmolested, to spread de-
struction over a large extent of country.

The only countervailing success that had been gained by the
British was a brilliant victory won by Colonel Hartley, who
was in command of a Bombay force consisting of a European
regiment and two battalions of Sepoys. With these he en-
gaged Hossein Ali, who had been left by Tippoo in Malabar
with a force of gooo men, when the sultan first retreated be-
fore General Meadows’ advance. This force was defeated,
with a loss of tooo men killed and wounded, goo, including
Hossein himself, taken prisoners on the field, and 1500 in
the pursuit ; the total British loss being only 52 men. A few
days after this victory, General Abercrombie arrived from
Madras with reinforcements, and the whole of Tippoo’s forti-
fied places in Malabar were captured one after another, and
the entire province conquered.

As soon as Lord Cornwallis reached the camp at Vellout,
with a large train of dranght animals that had been brought
by sea from Calcutta, the Rajah and his troops received orders
to join him.

It was on the 29th of January, 1791, that the commander-
in-chief arrived at Vellout, and the Rajah arrived there on the
4th of February ; as he was the bearer of a letter from the
Resident at Arcot, he was at once enabled to have an inter-
view with Lord Cornwallis. On finding that he could speak
English, the general received him with much courtesy.

“‘T am glad, indeed, to have a troop like yours with us,
Rajah,’ he said. ‘* There are few of my officers who know
anything of this part of the country, and your local knowledge
will be invaluable. Moreover, as I do not speak the language
THE INVASION OF MYSORE 149

myself, it will be a great advantage to have some one with me
through whom I can communicate freely with the people of the
country. ‘There is no doubt that such communications are
much more effectual when they come through one of their own
princes, than through English officers. I shall therefore order
that on the march a space be allotted for the encampment of
your troop by the side of that occupied by my own escort,
and hope that when not employed on scouting or other duties,
you will ride with my staff. Your mother, Rajah, was an
English lady, I am told.”’

«« She was, sir; my sister, who married an Englishman, is at
present in Madras with my family, and her son is with me,—
I beg to recommend him to your lordship. He speaks my
language perfectly, and having been brought up in his father’s
country, naturally speaks English as well as Hindustani, and
will understand far better than I can do any orders that you
may give. He has come out with his mother in the hopes of
finding his father, who has, if alive, been a prisoner for several
years in the hands of Tippoo. He isa fine young fellow. The
other day he made a most dangerous reconnaissance into
Mysore, in order to ascertain Tippoo’s movements. He had
with him a young officer of mine, two or three years older than
himself; and when I tell you that the two young fellows held
aruined hut for hours against the attack of some seventy of
Tippoo’s troops, and beat them off with a loss of upwards of
twenty killed, I need hardly say that he has no lack of cour-
age.”’

«Vou are right, indeed, Rajah. Let the lad ride beside
you with my staff. Some day he will perhaps shorten a long
day’s march by giving me details of this adventure of his.”’

On the sth of February the army started on its march, and
on the 11th reached Vellore. ‘Tippoo had for two months
been wasting his time at Pondicherry, but upon hearing news
that instead of, as he expected, the English general having
marched south from Vellout to meet him, he had turned west-
150 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

ward, and that Mysore itself was threatened with invasion, he
hastily broke up his camp and marched at full speed for the
ghauts, and, reaching the table-land, hurried to oppose the
British army as it endeavoured to ascend the pass going from
Vellore through Amboor, by which he made sure he would
come. Lord Cornwallis encouraged him in the idea by send-
ing a battalion a considerable distance up the pass, while he
started north and entered the easy pass of Mooglee, leading
west from Chittoor to Moolwagle. He pushed rapidly up the
pass and gained the summit before Tippoo could reach the spot
and oppose him. It took four days longer for the battering
train, baggage, and provisions, to reach the top of the pass.

After a delay of a day or two, to rest the animals, which
included sixty-seven elephants which had been brought from
Bengal, the army set out for Bangalore, the second largest
town in Mysore. The Rajah’s troops had been busily em-
ployed from the time the army moved from Vellout. The
men on their tireless little horses carried his messages to the
various divisions and brigades, brought up news of the progress
of the train, or rode on ahead with the officers of the quarter-
master’s department, whose duty it was to precede the army,
to decide on the camping ground, and to mark off the spots to
be occupied by the various corps. In this way they saved the
regular cavalry from much fatiguing duty. Surajah and Dick
were generally with the party that went on with the quarter-
masters, and, as soon as the camping ground was fixed upon,
aided them in the purchase of forage and food from the natives,
as it was most desirable that the forty days’ provisions the
army carried with it should remain intact until the army had
passed up the ghauts. Beyond that it was expected that it
would be harassed by the Mysore horse, who would render it
impossible for the cavalry to go out to collect forage or pro-
visions from the country through which it marched.

So well did the Rajah’s troop perform its duties that Lord
Cornwallis ordered it to be taken on the strength of the army
THE INVASION OF MYSORE 151

and to receive the pay and rations of native cavalry in the
service. On the day after leaving Vellore the general sent an
orderly to request the Rajah and his nephew to ride with him.

««T have not had an opportunity of hearing of your scouting
expedition,’ he said to Dick, ‘and shall be glad if you will
give me full details of it.’’

Dick related the adventure from the time they had started.

‘* You were wonderfully lucky in getting back safely,”’ the
general said, when he had finished ; ‘at least, luck is not the
proper word, for your safety was due to your quick-wittedness
and courage, and your escape with your companion from the
guard-house, the manner in which you got through the fort in
the pass, and your defence of that hut until the Rajah’s troop
arrived to your rescue, were all of them admirably managed.’

He then proceeded to inquire further into the object for
which Dick had come out to India. ‘I heartily wish you
success in your search,’’ he said, ‘‘ and sincerely hope we may
obtain news of your father. I do not know what your inten-
tions may be afterwards, but should you wish to enter the
army, I will at once nominate you to a commission in one of
our native cavalry regiments.”’

“‘T am deeply obliged to your Excellency,’’ Dick replied,
‘but as, if we learn nothing of my father during the war, I
am quite resolved to spend, if necessary, some years in Mysore
in the search for him, I must therefore be free to devote my
time to that.’’

“At any rate,’’ the general said, ‘‘if at any time you
should feel free to accept my offer, it will be open to you; in
the meantime I will appoint you one of the interpreters to the
army during the expedition, and will attach you to my own
staff. It will give you a recognised position, and it is only
right that as you are doing good service you should receive
pay. You shall be put in orders this evening. You can, of
course, continue to camp and live with the Rajah.”’

The change made very little difference in Dick’s duties, and
152 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

he continued at his former work in the quartermaster’s depart-
ment until the army was ready for its advance to Bangalore.
To the general surprise, as the army moved forward nothing
was seen of ‘lippoo’s cavalry, by which they had expected to
be continually harassed. ‘The sultan had, as soon as he per-
ceived that Bangalore was threatened, hurried the whole army
to that city, where he had sent his harem when he started
from Seringapatam to attack Travancore, and instead of send-
ing off a few hundred horsemen to escort them to the capital,
while with his army he opposed the advance of the British,
he took his whole force with him, in order to remove his ha-
rem with all the pomp and ceremony with which their pas-
sage through the country was generally accompanied. Con-
sequently it was not until after taking, without resistance, the
forts of Colar and Ooscotah, and arriving within ten miles of
Bangalore, that the army encountered Tippoo’s cavalry.

This was on the 4th of March. They made an attempt to
reach the baggage trains, but were sharply repulsed, and on
the following day the army took up its position before Banga-
lore. As they approached the town three horsemen dashed
out from a small grove and rode furiously towards a little
group consisting of Lord Cornwallis, General Meadows, and
the staff, who were reconnoitring at some little distance from
the head of the column. It was evident that their intention
was to cut down the general. The Rajah, who was riding as
usual with the staff, dashed forward with four or five other
officers and encountered the horsemen before they could reach
him. The Rajah cut down one of them, another was killed
by one of the staff, and the third knocked off his horse and
captured. It was learned that the enterprise was not a planned
one, but was the result of a quarrel between the men them-
selves. One had charged the others with cowardice, and in
return they had challenged him to follow them where they
dared go. All had prepared themselves for the enterprise by
half-intoxicating themselves with bhang, and thus made but a
THE INVASION OF MYSORE 1538

poor fight when they found their object thwarted by the
officers who threw themselves between them and their in-
tended victim.

Bangalore was a fine town, situated on a plain so elevated
that the climate was temperate, the soil fertile, and vegetation
abundant. ‘The town was of considerable extent, that portion
lying within the fortifications being a mile and a quarter long
by half a mile broad. It was surrounded by a strong rampart,
a thick hedge, and a deep, dry ditch. ‘The wall, however,
did not extend across the side facing the fort, whose guns
were supposed to render it ample protection. ‘The fort was
oval in shape, and about nine hundred yards across at its
greatest diameter. It was defended by a broad rampart,
strengthened by thirty semicircular bastions and five out-
works. ‘The two gates, one at each end, were also protected
by outworks.. In the fort stood the splendid palace built by
Tippoo; here also were immense foundries of cannon, facto-
ries for muskets, the arsenal, and large magazines of grain and
ammunition.

The position taken up by the army lay to the north-east of
the petah or town, and the next morning a reconnoitrine
party, escorted by Colonel Floyd, with the whole of the cav-
alry and a brigade of infantry, went out to examine the de-
fences of the town and fort. Seeing a large body of laden
elephants and camels, escorted by a strong body of horsemen,
Colonel Floyd rode with the cavalry to attack them. The
movement was a rash one, as the guns on the fort opened fire,
and although at first he defeated the Mysore horse, a heavy
fire was poured upon him when entangled in broken ground.
He himself was shot by a musket-ball which, striking him in
the face, passed through both jaws. It was at first believed
that he was dead, but he was carried back to camp and ulti-
mately recovered. This rash attack cost the lives of seventy-
one men, and of four times as many horses.

As Tippoo’s army was lying at a distance of only six miles
154 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

away, the general determined that it would be best in the
first place to capture the town without delay, and to assault
the fort on that side, as he could then do so without any fear
of an attack by Tippoo, who would be able to harass him con-
stantly were he to approach the fort from any other direction.
Orders were therefore issued for the 36th Regiment, supported
by the 26th Bengal Sepoys, and a party of artillery under
Colonel Moorhouse, to prepare to storm the north gate of the
town at daybreak the next morning. As soon as dawn broke,
the troops rushed forward against the gate. ‘The outside work
was speedily stormed, but as they issued from it towards the
gate itself, they were received with a very heavy fire from the
walls, together with a storm of hand-grenades. Colonel Moor-
house brought forward a six-pounder, receiving two wounds as
the piece was run up to the gate. |

The first time it was fired it had no effect beyond making
a small hole, and the next shot had no greater success. Colo-
nel Moorhouse ordered a twelve-pounder to be brought up,
bnt as he was aiding to put it into position, another ball
struck him, and he fell dead. While the artillerymen were
pouring shot after shot into the gate, the roar of musketry
was unceasing, the 36th keeping up an incessant fire upon the
enemy upon the wall, in order to cover as much as possible
the operations of the gunners. At last the gate gave way.
The troops poured in, cheering loudly, and the enemy at once
fled. Many, however, took up their positions in the houses,
and kept up a galling fire until their places of refuge were
stormed by detachments of troops scattered through the town.

By nine o’clock all was over, and the town completely in
the possession of the British. Tippoo, furious at its having
been go speedily captured, moved down early in the afternoon
with a strong force of infantry, and marching along by the
side of the fort, endeavoured to force his way into the town
through the open space at that end. He was aided by the
guns of the fort, while his artillery kept up a heavy cannonade
THE INVASION OF MYSORE 155

upon the British encampment. When the sultan was seen
marching towards the town, with the evident intention of en-
deavouring to retake it, the 76th Regiment was sent in to re-
inforce the garrison, and the three battalions opposed so steady
a resistance to ‘Tippoo’s infantry that the latter were forced to
fall back, after sustaining a loss of five hundred men. The
troops began next morning to erect batteries.

The position was a singular one. A small army was un-
dertaking the siege of a strong fortress, while an army vast-
ly outnumbering it was watching them, and was able at any
moment to throw large reinforcements into the fort through
the Mysore gate, which was at the opposite end of the fort to
that attacked, the efforts of the British being directed against
the Delhi gate, which faced the town.

‘The advantage which had been gained by the employment
of the great train carrying the provisions for the troops was
now manifest, for unless the army had been so provided it
would have been forced to retreat, as in the face of Tippoo’s
army, with its great host of cavalry, it would have been impos-
sible to gather provisions. The first batteries erected by the
engineers proved to be too far distant from the wall of the
fort to effect any material damage, and others were com-
menced at a much shorter range. The work was performed
with great difficulty, for the guns of the defenders were well
served, and a storm of missiles were poured night and day
into the town and against the batteries. The garrison, which
consisted of eight thousand men, were frequently relieved by
fresh troops from the sultan’s army, and were thus able to
maintain their fire with great vigour.

On the 17th, Tippoo cannonaded the British camp from
a distance, but without doing great damage. In the mean-
time the fire of our siege guns was steadily doing its work, in
spite of the heavy fire kept up on them. The stone facing of
the bastion next to the gateway was soon knocked away, but
the earth-banks behind, which were very thick and constructed
156 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

of a tough red clay, crumbled but slowly. Still, the breach
was day by day becoming more practicable, and ‘Tippoo,
alarmed at the progress that had been made, moved his army
down towards the east side of the fort, and seemed to meditate
an attack upon our batteries. He placed some heavy guns
behind a bank surrounding a large tank, and opened some
embrasures through which their fire would have taken our
trenches, which were now pushed up close to the fort, in
flank.

Lord Cornwallis at once directed a strong force to advance,
as if with the intention of attacking the new work, and ‘Tip-
poo ordered his troops to retire from it. It was evident, how-
ever, that he had determined to give battle in order to save
the fort, and the English general therefore determined to
storm the place that very night, the 21st of March. The
preparations were made secretly, lest the news should be taken
to Tippoo by one of the natives in the town, and it was not
until late in the evening that orders were issued to the troops
which were to take part in the assault. The column was to
be composed of the grenadier and light companies of all the
European regiments, and these were to be followed and sup-
ported by several battalions of Sepoys. The force, commanded
by Colonel Maxwell, at eleven o’clock issued from the town
and advanced through the trenches. The besieged were
vigilant, and the instant the leading company sprang from
the trenches and, in the bright moonlight, ran forward to the
breach, a number of blue lights were lighted all along the
ramparts, and a heavy musketry fire was opened.

‘The scene was eagerly watched by the troops in the camp,
every feature being distinctly visible. The storming party
could be seen rushing up the breach and mounting by ladders
over the gateway, which was the central object of attack.
The enemy gathered in masses at the top of the breach, but
as soon as the stormers collected in sufficient strength, and
charged them with the bayonet, they broke and dispersed.
THE INVASION OF MYSORE 157

The grenadiers moved along the ramparts to the right, clear-
ing it of its defences as they went along; the light companies
did the same along the ramparts to the left ; while the Sepoys
descended into the body of the fort. The whole of the de-
fenders fled towards the Mysore gate at the other end of the
fort, and when the three bodies of troops met there, they
found the gate blocked by the masses of fugitives.

They charged them on all sides. The governor, a brave
old soldier, and a great favourite of the sultan, died fighting
gallantly to the last. Six hundred of the garrison fell, and
three hundred, for the most part wounded, were taken prisoners.
The British loss was only fifty officers and men killed and
wounded. The body of the governor was found next morn-
ing among the slain, and Lord Cornwallis sent a message to
Tippoo, with an offer to have the body carried to his camp
for burial. ‘Tippoo, however, replied that the proper place
for a soldier to be buried was where he fell, and accordingly
the brave old soldier was laid to rest in the fort by the Mo-
hammedan troops in the Sepoy regiments, with all military
honours.

While the assault was going on, Tippoo—who, in spite of
the precautions taken, had received news of the intention of
the general, and had warned the garrison of the fort to be
prepared—despatched two heavy columns, as soon as the fire
opened, to attack the British camp on its flank. The move-
ment had been foreseen and prepared against, and the attacks
were both repulsed with heavy loss.

The capture of the fort was effected but just in time, for the
provisions were almost entirely consumed, and the scanty
rations were eked out by digging up the roots of grasses and
vegetables within the circuit of our pickets. The draught
and carriage cattle were dying daily by hundreds, the few re-
maining, intended for food, were in so emaciated a state that
the flesh was scarcely eatable, and, worst of all, the supply
of ammunition wa, almost exhausted. The news of the fall
158 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

of the fortress, considered by the natives to be almost im-
pregnable, under the very eyes of the sultan himself and his
great army, produced a widespread effect, greatly depressing
the spirit of Tippoo’s adherents, while it proportionately
raised those of the British troops and excited the hopes of the
peoples conquered by Tippoo and his father. One result was
that the polagars, or chiefs, of a tribe that had but recently
fallen under the yoke of Mysore, were at once emboldened to
bring in provisions to the town. As great stores were found
in the magazines in the fort, the starving animals regained
some of their condition during the ten days that the troops
were occupied in repairing the breaches, burying the dead,
and placing the fort in a condition to stand a siege, should
Tippoo return during the absence of the army.

When this was done and the stores of ammunition replen-
ished from the magazines, the army started on its march north
to Deonhully, where they were to effect a junction with the
cavalry that the Nizam had agreed to furnish. As it marched,
it passed within three miles of Tippoo’s army, which was pro-
ceeding in a westerly direction. Tippoo could here have
brought on a general engagement, had he wished it; but the
capture of Bangalore had for the time cowed his spirit, and he
continued his march at a rate that soon placed him beyond
the reach of the British, At Deonhully a junction was ef-
fected with the Nizam’s horse, ten thousand in number.
These proved, however, of no real utility, being a mere un-
disciplined herd, who displayed no energy whatever, except
in plundering the villagers. The united force now moved
south-east, to guard a great convoy which was advancing up
the pass of Amboor, and when this had been met, returned to
Bangalore.

During the operations of the siege the Rajah’s troop had
remained inactive, and Dick’s duties as interpreter had been
nominal. At Bangalore no English prisoners had been found,
and he was heartily glad when he heard that it was the inten-
THE INVASION OF MYSORE 159

tion of Lord Cornwallis to march directly upon Seringapatam.
It was, indeed, a necessity for the English general to bring
the campaign to a speedy termination. The war was entail-
ing a tremendous strain upon the resources of the Company ;
the Nizam and Mahrattas were not to be depended upon in
the slightest degree, and might at any moment change sides.
The French revolution had broken out, and all Europe was
alarmed, and many of the English regiments might at any
moment be ordered to return home. Therefore, anything
like a thorough conquest of Mysore was impossible, and there
was only time to march to Seringapatam, to capture Tippoo’s
capital, and to dictate terms to him. Immense exertions were
made to restore the efficiency of the baggage train, and on the
3rd of May the army marched from Bangalore.

Tippoo, devoured alike by rage and fear, had taken no
efficient steps to meet the coming storm. His first thought
was to prevent the English from discovering the brutal cruelty
with which his white captives had been treated. He had
over and over again given the most solemn assurances that he
had no white prisoners in his hands, and he now endeavoured
to prevent their obtaining evidence of’ his falsehood and
cruelty, by murdering the whole of those who remained in
his hands at Seringapatam. Having effected this massacre, he
next ordered all the pictures that he had caused to be painted
on the walls of his palace and other buildings, holding up
the English to the contempt and hatred of his subjects, to be
obliterated, and he also ordered the bridge over the northern
loop of the Cauvery to be destroyed. He then set out with
his army to bar the passage of the British to Seringapatam.

The weather was extremely bad when the British started.
Rain-storms had deluged the country, and rendered the roads
well-nigh impassable, and the movement was in consequence
very slow. Tippoo had taken up a strong position on the
direct road, and in order to avoid him Lord Cornwallis took
a more circuitous route, and Tippoo was obliged to fall back.
160 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

The whole country through which the English passed had
been wasted; the villages were deserted, and not an inhabi-
tant was to be met with.

Suffering much from wet, and the immense difficulties of
bringing on the transport, the army, on the 13th of May,
arrived on the Cauvery nine miles east of Seringapatam.
Here it had been intended to cross the river, but the rains
had so swollen the stream that it was found impossible to
ford it. It was therefore determined to march to a point on
the river, ten miles above Seringapatam, where it was hoped
that a better ford could be found, and where a junction
might be effected with General Abercrombie’s Bombay army,
which was moving up from the Malabar coast, and was but
thirty or forty miles distant. ‘To effect this movement, it
was necessary to pass within sight of the capital. Tippoo
came out, and took up a strong position on a rugged and
almost inaccessible height.

In front was a swamp stretching to the river, while bat-
teries had been thrown up to sweep the approaches. By
a night march, accomplished in the midst of a tremendous
thunder and rain-storm, Lord Cornwallis turned Tippoo’s
position. The confusion occasioned by the storm, however,
and the fact that several of the corps lost their way, pre-
vented the full success hoped for from being attained, and
gave Tippoo time to take up a fresh position.

Colonel Maxwell led five battalions up a rocky ledge, held
by a strong body of the Mysore troops, carried it at the
point of the bayonet, and captured some guns. ‘Tippoo
immediately began to fall back, but would have lost the
greater portion of his artillery had not the Nizam’s horse
moved forward across the line by which the British were ad-
vancing. Here they remained in an inert mass, powerless
to follow Tippoo, and a complete barrier to the British ad-
vance. So unaccountable was their conduct that it was gen-
erally believed in the army that it was the result of treachery,
THE INVASION OF MYSORE 161

and it was with difficulty that the British troops could be re-
strained from firing into the horde of horsemen, who had,
from the time they joined the force, been worse than useless.

As soon as the British could make their way through or
round the obstacle to their advance, they pursued the retreat-
ing force of Tippoo until it took refuge under the guns of the
works round Seringapatam. Their loss had been 2000, that
of the British 500 ; but the success was of little benefit to the
latter. The terrible state of the roads, and the want of food,
had caused the death of great numbers of draught animals,
and the rest were so debilitated as to be absolutely useless, and
during the two days’ marches that were required to reach
the point on the river previously determined upon, the batter-
ing train, and almost the whole of the carts, were dragged
along by the troops.

The position of the army was bad in the extreme. Neither
food nor forage were to be obtained from the country round.
The troops were almost on famine rations, worn out by fa-
tigue, and by the march through heavy rains, and nights spent
on the sodden ground. ‘Tippoo’s horsemen hovered round
them. The cavalry of the Nizam, which had been specially
engaged to keep the foe at a distance, never once ventured to
engage them. It was absolutely impossible to communicate
with General Abercrombie, and after remaining but a couple
of days in his new camp, Lord Cornwallis felt that the army
could only be saved from destruction by immediate retreat.
No time was lost in carrying out the decision when once ar-
rived at. Some natives were paid heavily to endeavour to
make their way to Abercrombie, with orders for him to retire
down the ghauts again into Malabar. Then the whole of the
battering train, and the heavy equipments, were destroyed,
and on the 26th of May the army started for its long march
back to Bangalore.

It had made but six miles when a body of horsemen, some
two thousand strong, were seen approaching. Preparations
162 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

were instantly made to repel an attack, when a soldier rode
in and announced that the horsemen were the advance party
of two Mahratta armies close at hand. ‘This was welcome
news indeed, for Lord Cornwallis had no idea that the Mah-
rattas were within two hundred miles of him, and had come
to believe that they had no intention whatever of carrying out
their engagements. They had, it appeared, sent off a mes-
senger every day to inform him of their movements; but so
vigilant were Tippoo’s cavalry that not one of them ever
reached the British. In a few hours the junction was com-
pleted, and the sufferings of the army were at an end. Stores
of every kind were abundant with the Mahrattas, and not
only food, but clothing, and every necessary of life, could
be purchased in the great bazaars occupied by the Mahratta
traders who accompanied the army.

Had the two Mahratta armies arrived a couple of days
earlier, the destruction of the siege train would have been
avoided, Seringapatam would have been besieged, Aber-
crombie’s army of eight thousand men have joined, and the
war brought at once toa conclusion. It was now, however,
too late; the means for prosecuting the siege of so powerful
a fortress were altogether wanting, and the united armies
returned by easy marches to Bangalore. On the march, the
future plan of operations was decided upon. Lord Corn-
wallis sent orders for the sum of _B.1,500,000, that had been
intended for China, to be at once despatched to Bangalore
for the use of the army and the allies. The larger of the
Mahratta forces, under Purseram Bhow, with a detachment
of Bombay troops that had accompanied it, were to march to
the north-west and reduce some of the forts and towns still
held by the troops of Mysore; the other Mahratta force, con-
sisting chiefly of cavalry, under Hurry Punt, were. to remain
at Bangalore.

The cause of the long delay on the part of the Nizam and
the Mahrattas was now explained. The Nizam’s troops had
NEWS OF THE CAPTIVE 163

spent six months in the siege of the fortress of Capool, while
an equal time had been occupied by Purseram Bhow in the
siege of Durwar, a very strong place, garrisoned by ten thou-
sand men.

Tippoo began negotiations immediately after his defeat near
Seringapatam, and these were continued until July, when
they were finally broken off. Some months were occupied in
reducing a number of the hill-forts commanding the en-
trances to the various passes. Among these, two, deemed
absolutely impregnable, Savandroog and Nundidroog, were
captured, but the attack upon Kistnagherry was repulsed with
considerable loss. By the capture of these places Lord Corn-
wallis obtained access to supplies from the Malabar and Car-
natic coasts, and was thus free from the risk of any recurrence
of the misfortunes that had marred his previous attempt to lay
siege to Seringapatam ; and, on the sth of February, 1792,
he again came within sight of Tippoo’s capital.

CHAPTER IX
NEWS OF THE CAPTIVE

URING the nine months that had elapsed since the retreat
from before Seringapatam, Dick had been occupied in
following out the main object of his presence in Mysore.
Finding that Purseram Bhow’s army was the first that would
be engaged in active service, he asked permission from the
general to join it. This was at once granted, and Lord Corn-
wallis introduced him to the officer in command of the Bom-
bay troops attached to that army, informing him of the object
that he had in view.
‘* He will not be of much use as an interpreter,’’ he said,
‘¢ for as the country in which you are going to operate formed,
until lately, a part of the Mahratta dominions, Mahratti will
164 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

be principally spoken. He will therefore go simply as an
officer of my staff, attached for the present to your command.
He has asked me to allow him to take with him twenty men
belonging to the troop of his uncle, the Rajah of Tripataly.
His object in doing so is that he will be able to traverse the
country independently, and can either rejoin me here or go to
one of the other columns operating against the hill-forts, if it
should seem to him expedient to do so. Should you desire to
make a reconnaissance at any time while he is with you, you
will find him useful as an escort, and will not be obliged to
ask Purseram Bhow for a party of his cavalry.”

Dick was sorry to leave his uncle, whose tent he had now
shared for the last ten months. He found himself, howev-
er, very comfortable with the Bombay troops, being made a
member of the mess consisting of the officer in command and
the four officers of his staff. Wishing to have some duties
with which to occupy himself, he voiunteered to act as an
aide-de-camp ; and althcugh the work was little more than
nominal, it gave him some employment. When not other-
wise engaged he generally rode with Surajah, whom his uncle
had appointed to command the twenty troopers. In the year
that had elapsed since his arrival in India, Dick had grown
considerably and broadened out greatly, and was now a pow-
erful young fellow of over seventeen. He had, since the troop
joined the army of Lord Cornwallis, exchanged his civilian
dress for the undress uniform of an officer, which he had pur-
chased at the sale of the effects of a young lieutenant on the
general’s staff, who had died just as the army arrived before
Bangalore. It was, indeed, necessary that he should do this,
riding about, as he did, either on the staff of the general, or
with the officers ‘of the quartermasters’ department. There
would be no difficulty in renewing his uniform, for hardship,
fever, and war, had carried off a large number of officers as
well as men, and the effects were always sold by auction on
the day following the funeral.
NEWS OF THE CAPTIVE 165

Many hill-fortresses were captured by the Mahrattis, but
few offered any resistance, as their commanders knew well
that there was no chance of their being relieved, while the
men were in most cases delighted at the prospect of an escape
from their enforced service, and of freedom to return to their
homes. In a few of these forts, English captives were found.
Some had been there for years, their very existence being
apparently forgotten by the tyrant. Some had been fairly
treated by the Mysore governor, and where this was the case,
the latter was furnished by the British officers with papers tes-
tifying to the kindness with which they had treated the pris-
oners, and recommending them to the officers of any of the
allied forces they might encounter on their way home, or
when established there. Upon the other hand, some of the
prisoners were found to have been all but starved, and treated
with great brutality.

In two-cases, where the captives said that some of their
companions had died from the effects of the ill-treatment
they had received, the governors were tried by court-martial
and shot, while some of the others they sentenced to be se-
verely flogged. Every captive released was closely scrutinised
by Dick and eagerly questioned. From one of them he ob-
tained news that his father had certainly been alive four years
previously, for they had been in prison together in a_hill-fort
near Bangalore.

“«T was a civilian and he a sailor,’’ he said, « consequently
neither of us were of any use in drilling Tippoo’s battalions,
and had been sent up there. Your father was well then. The
governor was a good fellow, and we had nothing much to com-
plain of. Mr. Holland was a favourite of his, for, being a
sailor, he was handy at all sorts of things; he could mend a
piece of broken furniture, repair the lock of a musket, and
make himself generally useful. He left there before I did, as
the governor was transferred to some other fort—I never heard
where it was—and he took your father with him. I don’t
166 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

know whether he had Tippoo’s orders to do so, or whether he
took him simply becaused he liked him. At any rate he was
the only prisoner who went with him ; the rest of us remained
there till a few months back, when the fort was abandoned.
It was just after the capture of Bangalore, and the place could
have offered no resistance if a body of troops had been sent
against it. At any rate, an order arrived one morning, and a
few hours afterwards the place was entirely abandoned, and
we and the garrison marched here.”’

‘¢My father was quite well ?’”’

“« Quite well. He used to talk to me at times of trying to
make his escape. Being a sailor, I have no doubt that he
could have got down from the precipice on which the fort
stood; but he knew that if he did 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 was always done, in or-
der 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 much of what is passing outside our prison. Some
of the guards were good-natured enough, and would occasion-
ally give us a scrap of news; but we heard most from the ill-
tempered ones, who delighted in telling us anything they knew
that would pain us. Three or four months ago we heard that
every white prisoner in Seringapatam had been put to death
by Tippoo’s orders, and that doubtless there would bea similar
clearance everywhere else. Then again we were told that the
English had retreated, beaten, from before Seringapatam, and
that the last of them would soon be down the ghauts. But
whether the prisoners have been killed in other hill-forts like
this I cannot say, although I suppose not, or we should not
have escaped.”’

“Certainly no such orders can have been sent to the forts
here, for we have found a few prisoners in several of them.
NEWS OF THE CAPTIVE 167

Of course it may be otherwise in the forts near the capital,
which Tippoo might have thought were likely to fall into our
hands, while he may not have considered it worth while to
send the same orders to places so far away as this, where no
British force was likely to come. Still, at any rate, it isa great
satisfaction that my father was alive four years ago, and that
he was in kind hands. That is all in favour of my finding
him still alive in one of the places we shall take, for Lord Corn-
wallis intends to besiege some of the fortresses that command
the passes, because he cannot undertake another siege of Se-
ringapatam until he can obtain supplies freely and regularly
from beyond the ghauts, as nothing whatever can be obtained
from the country round, so completely is it wasted by Tip-
poo’s cavalry. I have, therefore, great hopes that my father
may be found in one of these forts.’’

‘T hope, indeed, that you may find him. Iam convinced
that the governor would save his life if he could doso ; though,
on the other hand, he would, I am sure, carry out any order
he might receive from Tippoo. Of course he may not be in
charge of a fort now, and may have been appointed colonel of
one of the regiments. However, it is always better to hope
that things will come as you wish them, however unlikely it
may seem that they will do so. We have been living on hope
here, though the chances of our ever being released were small
indeed ; of course we did not even know that Tippoo and the
English were at war until we heard that an English army was
besieging Bangalore, and even then we all felt that, even if
Tippoo were beaten and forced to make peace, it would make
no difference to us. He kept back hundreds of prisoners when
he was defeated before, and would certainly not surrender
any he now holds unless compelled to do so; and no one
would be able to give information as to the existence of cap-
tives in these distant forts. And yet, in the teeth of all these
improbabilities, we continued to hope, and the hopes have
been realised.’’
168 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

The capture of forts by the Mahratta army was abruptly
checked. Having, so far, met with such slight opposition,
Purseram Bhow became over-confident, and scattered his force
over a wide extent of country, in order that they might more
easily find food and forage. In this condition they were sud-
denly attacked by Tippoo, who took advantage of the English
being detained at Bangalore while the transport train was be-
ing re-organised, to strike a blow at the Mahrattas. The
stroke was a heavy one; many of the detached parties were
completely destroyed, and the Mahratta general, after gather-
ing the rest to his standard, was forced to retreat until strong
reinforcements were sent him from Bangalore. Learning from
them that it was probable Lord Cornwallis would advance as
soon as they rejoined him, Dick determined to go back to
Bangalore, as it was unlikely that, after the severe check they
had received, the Mahrattas would resume the offensive for a
time.

Surajah and the men were glad to return to the troop, and
as soon as the Mysorean force returned to Seringapatam, Dick,
without waiting for the infantry to get in motion, rode rapidly
across the country with his little party. He accompanied the
English army during their operations, obtaining permission to
go with the columns engaged in the siege of the hill-fortresses,
and was present at the capture of all the most important
strongholds. To his bitter disappointment, no English pris-
oners were found in any of them, and it was but too certain
that all who might have been there had been massacred by
Tippoo’s orders on the first advance of the British against
Seringapatam.

Great indeed was the satisfaction of the army when they at
last came in sight of the city. The capital of Mysore stood
on an island in the river Cauvery. This was four miles in
length and two in breadth ; the town stood in its centre, the
fort at the northern end. The island was approached by two
bridges, one close to the fort, the other at the south, both be-








PLAN OF

SERINGAPATAM

AND ITS ENVIRONS,
to illustrate the Siege in.
1792.
Fed:gane,
Redoube

AS













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LAS TUS
Si

Gees







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outed ©]










THI
A



oO



THE CAPITAL OF MYSORE

. Battery to defend the bridge.
- Montresor's redoubt.
Hyder Ali’s tomb.

Bangalore gate. 4. New bridge.
Mysore gate. 5. Place for breaching batteries.
Old bridge. 6. Place intended for the enfilading battery.

Oo mN

won

HAILGVO ZHL AO SAAN

69T
170 ; THE ‘TIGER OF MYSORE

ing defended by strong batteries. ‘There were also three fords,
two of these being at the north end of the island, and also de-
fended by batteries; the third was near the centre of the
island, a mile below the fort, and leading to the native town.
The fort was separated from the rest of the island by a deep
ditch cut across it; it was defended by numerous batteries.
There were two gardens on the island full of large trees, one
of them being the burial-place of Hyder Ali; this was con-
nected with the fort by two avenues of trees. The country
round was flat, a considerable portion being almost level with
the river, and devoted to the cultivation of rice, while at
other points a forest extended almost to the bank.

After obtaining a view, from some high ground, of the city
and of Tippoo’s army encamped beyond its walls, the British
force took up its position six miles to the north-west of the
city. No sooner had the army reached their camping ground
than Lord Cornwallis, with his staff, reconnoitred the ap-
proaches. A thick hedge, formed by a wide belt of thorny
shrubs interlaced and fastened together by cords, extended
from the bank of the river about a thousand yards above Serin-
gapatam, and, making a wide sweep, came down to it again
opposite the other end of the island. It was within the shelter
of this formidable obstacle that Tippoo’s army was encamped.
Within the enclosed space were seven or eight eminences, on
which strong redoubts had been erected. Fearing that Tippoo
might, as soon as he saw the position taken up by the assail-
ants, sally out with his army, take the field, and, as before,
cut all his communications, Lord Cornwallis determined to
strike a blow at once.

At sunset, orders were accordingly issued for the forces to
move in three columns at three o’clock, by which time the
moon would be high enough to light up thoroughly the ground
to be traversed. The centre column, consisting of 3,700
men, under Lord Cornwallis himself, was to burst through the
hedge at the centre of the enemy’s position, to drive the
NEWS OF THE CAPTIVE 171

enemy before them, and, if possible, to cross the ford to the
island with the fugitives. This, however, was not to be done
until the centre column was reinforced by that under General
Meadows, which was to avoid a strong redoubt at the north-
west extremity of the hedge, and, entering the fence at a
point between the redoubt and the river, drive the enemy be-
fore it until it joined the centre column. Colonel Meadows
had 3,300 under his command. ‘The left column, consisting
of 1,700 men under Colonel Maxwell, was first to carry a re-
doubt on Carrygut Hill just outside the fence, and, having
captured this, to cut its way through the hedge, and to cross
the river at once with a portion of the centre column.

Unfortunately, owing to a misunderstanding as to the
order, the officer guiding General Meadows’ column, instead
of taking it to a point between the north-western redoubt and
the river, led it directly at the fort. This was stoutly defend-
ed, and cost the British eighty men and eleven officers. Leay-
ing a strong garrison here, the column advanced, but came
upon another redoubt of even greater strength and magnitude ;
and the general, fearing that the delay that would take place
in capturing it would entirely disarrange the plan of the at-
tack, 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 he was to the whole army of Tippoo.

In the meantime, Colonel Maxwell’s force had stormed the
work on Carrygut Hill, and had made its way through the
hedge, suffering heavily 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, under General Knox, after cutting its way
through the hedge, pushed on with levelled bayonets, thrust
its way through the enemy’s infantry, and, mingling with a
mass of fugitives, crossed the main ford close under the guns
of the fort, and took possession of a village half-way between
the town and the fort.
172 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

Unfortunately, in the confusion but three companies had
followed him; the rest of the regiment and three companies
of Sepoys crossed lower down and gained possession of a pal-
ace on the bank of the river. ‘The officer in command, how-
ever, not knowing that any others had crossed, and receiving
no orders, waited until day began to break. He then re-
crossed the river and joined Lord Cornwallis, a portion of
whose column, having been reinforced by Maxwell’s column,
crossed the river nearly opposite the town. As they were
crossing, a battery of the enemy’s artillery opened a heavy
fire upon them; but Colonel Knox, with his three companies,
charged it in the rear, drove out the defenders, and silenced
the guns.

All this time Lord Cornwallis was with the reserve of the
central column, eagerly waiting the arrival of General Mead-
ows’ division. This, in some unaccountable way, had
missed the gap in the hedge by which the centre column had
entered, and, marching on, halted at last at Carrygut Hill,
where it was not discovered until daylight. The Mysore army
on its left was still unbroken, and had been joined by large
numbers of troops from the centre. On discovering the small-
ness of the force under Lord Cornwallis, they attacked it in
overwhelming numbers, led by Tippoo himself. The British
infantry advanced to meet them with the bayonet, and drove
them back with heavy loss. They rallied, and returned to the
attack again and again, but were as often repulsed, continuing
their attacks, however, until daylight, when Lord Cornwallis,
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 estimate the results of the night’s operations. On the
English side the only positions gained were the works on
Carrygut Hill, the redoubt at the north-west corner of the
hedge, another redoubt captured by the centre column, and
the positions occupied by the force under Colonels Stuart and
NEWS OF THE CAPTIVE 173

Knox at the eastern end of the island. The sultan found
that his army was much reduced in strength, no less than
twenty-three thousand men being killed, wounded, or missing.
Of these the missing were vastly the most numerous, for ten
thousand Chelahs, young Hindoos whom Tippoo had carried
off in his raids, and forced to become soldiers, and, nomi-
nally, Mohammedans, had taken advantage of the confusion,
and marched away with their arms to the Forest of Coorg.

Tippoo made several determined efforts to drive Colonel
Stuart’s force off the island and to re-capture the redoubts, but
was repulsed with such heavy loss that he abandoned the at-
tempt altogether, evacuated the other redoubts, and brought
his whole army across on to the island.

Tippoo now attempted to negotiate. He had already done
so a month before, but Lord Cornwallis had refused to accept
his advances, saying that negotiation was useless with one
who disregarded treaties and violated articles of capitulation.
<¢Send hither,’’ he wrote, ‘‘the garrison of Coimbatoor, and
then we will listen to what you have to say.’’ Lord Corn-
wallis alluded to the small body of troops who, under Lieu-
tenants Chalmers and Nash, had bravely defended that town
when it had been attacked by one of Tippoo’s generals. The
gallant little garrison had surrendered at last, on the condition
that they should be allowed to march freely away. ‘This con-
dition had been violated by Tippoo, and the garrison had
been marched as prisoners to Seringapatam. The two officers
had been kept in the fort, but most of the soldiers and twenty-
seven other European captives who had lately been brought
in from the hill-forts, were lodged in the village that Col-
onel Knox had first occupied on crossing the river, and had
all been released by him. Some of these had been in Tip-
poo’s hands for many years, and their joy at their unexpected
release was unspeakable. :

Preparations were now made for the siege. General Aber-
crombie was ordered up with a force of six thousand men, but
174 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

before his arrival, Lieutenant Chalmers was sent in with a
letter from Tippoo, asking for terms of capitulation. Nego-
tiations were indeed entered into, but, doubting ‘Tippoo’s
good faith, the preparations for the siege were continued, and
upon the arrival of General Abercrombie’s force on the rsth
of February, siege operations were commenced at the end of
the island still in British possession. A few days afterwards
the army was astounded at hearing that the conditions had
been agreed upon, and that hostilities were to cease at once.
So great was the indignation, indeed, that a spirit of insub-
ordination, and almost mutiny, was evinced by many of the
corps. They had suffered extreme hardships, had been en-
gaged in most arduous marches, had been decimated by fever
and bad food, and they could scarce believe their ears when
they heard that they were to hold their hands now that, after
a year’s campaigning, Seringapatam was at their mercy, and
that the man who had butchered so many hundred English
captives, who had wasted whole provinces and carried half a
million people into captivity, who had been guilty of the
grossest treachery, and whose word was absolutely worthless,
was to escape personal punishment.

Still higher did the indignation rise, both among officers
and men, when the conditions of the treaty became known,
and it was discovered that no stipulation whatever had been
made for the handing over of the English prisoners still in
Mysore, previous to a cessation of hostilities. 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, when Serin-
gapatam lay at his mercy, have ever been a mystery. Tippoo
had proved himself a monster unfitted to live, much less to
rule, and the crimes he had committed against the English
should have been punished by the public trial and execution
of their author. To conclude peace with him now was to en-
able him to make fresh preparations for war, and to neces-
NEWS OF THE CAPTIVE 175

sitate another expedition at enormous cost and great loss of
life. Tippoo had already proved that he was not to be bound
either by ‘treaties or oaths. And, lastly, it would have been
thought that, as a general, Lord Cornwallis would have wished
his name to go down to posterity in connection with the
conquest of Mysore and the capture of Seringapatam, rather
than with the memorable surrender of York Town, the great~
est disaster that ever befell a British army.

The conditions were in themselves onerous, and had they
been imposed upon any other than a brutal and faithless tyrant,
might have been deemed sufficient. Tippoo was deprived of
half his dominions, which were to be divided among the allies,
each taking the portions adjacent to their territory. A sum
of £3,300,000 was to be paid for the expenses of the war ;
all prisoners of the allied powers were to be restored. ‘Two of
Tippoo’s sons were to be given up as hostages. Even after
they had been handed over, there were considerable delays
before Tippoo’s signature was obtained, and it was not until
Lord Cornwallis threatened to resume hostilities that, on the
18th of March, a treaty was finally sealed. Of the ceded ter-
ritory the Mahrattas and the Nizam each took a third as their
share, although the assistance they had rendered in the struggle
had been but of comparatively slight utility. It may, indeed,
be almost said that it was given to them as a reward for not
accepting the offers Tippoo had made them of joining with
him against the British.

The British share included a large part of the Malabar
coast, with the forts of Calicut and Cananore, and the terri-
tory of our ally, the Rajah of Coorg. These cessions gave us
the passes leading into Mysore from the west. On the south
we gained possession of the fort of Dindegul and the districts
surrounding it, while on the east we acquired the tract from
Amboor to Caroor, and so obtained possession of several impor-
tant fortresses, together with the chief passes by which Hyder
had made his incursions into the Carnatic,
176 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

Dick felt deeply the absence of any proviso in the treaty that
all prisoners should be restored previous to a cessation of hos-
tilities, at the same time admitting the argument of his uncle
that although under such an agreement some prisoners might
be released, there was no means of insuring that the stipula-
tion would be faithfully carried out.

«You see, Dick, no one knows, or has indeed the faintest
idea, what prisoners Tippoo still has in his hands. We do not
know how many have been murdered during the years Tippoo
has reigned. Men who have escaped have from time to time
brought down news of murders in the places where they had
been confined, but they have known little of what has hap-
pened elsewhere. Moreover, we have learned that certainly
fifty or sixty were put to death at Seringapatam before we ad-
vanced upon it the first time ; we know, too, that some were
murdered in the hill-forts that we have captured. But how
many remain alive at the present time we have not the slight-
est idea. Tippoo might hand over a dozen, and take a sol-
emn oath that there was not one remaining ; and though we
might feel perfectly certain that he was lying, we should be in
no position to prove it.

‘«‘ The stipulation ought to have been made, if only as a
matter of honour, but it would have been of no real efficiency.
Of course, if we had dethroned Tippoo and annexed all his

_territory, we should undoubtedly have got at all the prisoners,
wherever they were hidden. But we could hardly have done
that. It would have aroused the jealousy and fear of every
native prince in India. It would have united the Nizam and
the Mahrattas against us, and would even have been disap-
proved of in England, where public opinion is adverse to fur-
ther acquisitions of territory, and where people are, of course,
altogether ignorant of the monstrous cruelties perpetrated by
Tippoo, not only upon English captives, but upon his neigh-
bours everywhere.

«« Naturally I am prejudiced in favour of this treaty, for the
NEWS OF THE CAPTIVE 177

handing over of the country from Amboor to Caroor with all
the passes and forts will set us free at Tripataly from the dan-
ger of being again over-run and devastated by Mysore; my
people will be able to go about their work peacefully and in
security, free alike from fear of wholesale invasion or incur-
sions of robber-bands from the ghauts ; all my waste lands will
be taken up; my revenue will be trebled. There is another
thing: now that the English possess territory beyond that of
the Nabob of Arcot, and are gradually spreading their power
north, there can be little doubt that before long the whole
country of Arcot, Travancore, Tanjore, and other small native
powers, will be incorporated in their dominions. Arcot is
powerless for defence, and while, during the last two wars, it
has been nominally an ally of the English, the Nabob has been
able to give them no real assistance whatever, and the burden
of his territory has fallen on them. ‘They took the first step
when, at the beginning of the present war, they arranged with
him to utilise all the resources and collect the revenues of his
possessions, and to allow him an annual income for the main-
tenance of his state and family. This is clearly the first step
towards taking the territory into their own hands and manag-
ing its revenues, and the same will be done in other cases.
Lord Cornwallis the other day, in thanking me for the ser-
vices that you and I and the troop have rendered, promised
me that an early arrangement should be made by which I
should rule Tripataly under the government of Madras, instead
of under the Nabob. This, you see, will be virtually a step
in rank, and I shall hold my land direct from the English in-
stead of from a prince who has become in fact a puppet in their
hands.”’

A few days later the army set off on its march from Mysore,
and the same 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 of days at Tripataly, they went
i78 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

down to Madras, and brought back the Rajah’s household.
The meeting between Dick and his mother was one of mixed
feeling. It was twenty months since the former had left with
his uncle, and he was now nearly eighteen. He had written
whenever there was an opportunity of sending any letters ;
and although his position as interpreter on the staff of the
general had relieved her from any great anxiety on his account,
she was glad indeed to see him again. Upon the other hand,
the fact that, as the war went on and fortress after fortress had
been captured, no news came to her that her hopes had been
realised, and that the war had now come to a termination
without the mystery that hung over her husband being in any
way cleared up, had profoundly depressed Mrs. Holland, and
it was with mingled tears of pleasure and sorrow that she fell
on his neck on his return to Madras.

“You must not give way, mother,’’ Dick said, as she
sobbed out her fears that all hope was at an end. < Re-
member that you have never doubted he was alive, and that
you have always said you would know if any evil fate had be-
fallen him; and I have always felt confident that you were
right. There is nothing changed. I certainly have not suc-
ceeded in finding him, but we have found many prisoners in
some of the little out-of-the-way forts. Now, some of them
have been captives quite as long as he has; therefore there is
no reason whatever why he should not also be alive. I have
no thought of giving up the search as hopeless. I mean to
carry out our old plans; and certainly I am much better fitted
to do so than I was when I first landed here. I know a great
deal about Mysore, and although I don’t say I speak the
dialect like a native, I have learnt a good deal of it, and can
speak it 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 he will go too, and that will be a tremendous
help. Anyhow, as long as you continue to believe firmly
that father is still alive, I mean to continue the search for him.’?

?
NEWS OF THE CAPTIVE © 179

« have not lost hope in that respect. It is only that I doubt
now whether he will ever be found.”’

‘* Well, that is my business, mother. As long as you con-
tinue to believe that he is still alive, I shall continue to search
for him. I have no other object in life at present. It will
be quite soon enough for me to think of taking up the com-
mission I have been promised when you tell me that your feel-
ing that he is alive has been shaken.’

Mrs. Holland was comforted by Dick’s assurance and con-
fident tone, and, putting the thought aside for a time, gave
herself up to the pleasure of his return. They had found
everything at Tripataly as they had 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 wereall sitting together, —

‘ you still intend to carry out your original project.”

«Yes, uncle; I have quite made up my mind as to that.
There are still plenty of places where he may be, and certainly
I am a good deal more fitted for travelling about in disguise
in Mysore than I was before.”’

The Rajah nodded. ‘Yes; I think, Dick, you are as
capable of taking care of yourself as any one could be. I hear
that Surajah is willing to go with you, and this will certainly
be a great advantage. He has proved himself thoroughly in-
telligent and trustworthy, and I have promised him that some
day he shall be captain of the troop. You are not thinking
of starting just yet, I suppose ?”’

«‘No, uncle; I thought of staying another month or two
before I go off again. Mother says she cannot let me go be-
fore that.’’ s

«T fancy it will take you longer than that, Dick, before
you can pass as a native,”’
180 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

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, bought things, chatted for a short time with natives,
and so on; but that is not like living among them. You
would be found out before you had been a 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 ? ol

«Tt is not what you do, Dick, but it is what you don’t do.
You can’t:sit on your heels—squat, as you call it. That is
the habitual attitude of every native. He squats while he
cooks; he squats for hours by the fire, smoking and talking ;
he never stands for any length of time, and except upon a
divan or something of that sort he never sits down. Before
you can go and live among the natives and pass as one for any
length of time, you must learn to squat as they do for hours
at astretch; and I can tell you that it is not by any means
an easy accomplishment to learn. I myself have quite lost the
power. I used to be able to do it as a boy, but from always
sitting on divans or chairs in European fashion I have got out
of the way of it, and I don’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; it was stupid of me not to doso. Of
course, when I have been talking with Surajah or other officers,
by a camp fire, I have sat on the ground; but I see that it
would never do in native dress. I will begin at once.”’

‘« Wait a moment, Dick,’’ the Rajah said, ‘‘ there are
other things which you will have to practise. You may have
to move in several disguises, and must learn to comport your-
self in accordance with them. You must remember that your
motions are quicker and more energetic than are those of
NEWS OF THE CAPTIVE 181

people here; your walk is different; the swing of tne arms,
your carriage, are all different from theirs; you are unac-
customed to walk either barefooted or in native shoes. Now,
all these things have to be practised before you can really pass
muster, therefore I propose that you shall at once accustom
yourself to the attire, which you can do in our apartments of
an evening. ‘The ranee and the boys will be able to correct
your first awkwardness and to teach you much.

“ After a week or two you must stain your face, arms, and
legs, and go out with Rajbullub in the evening. ‘‘ You must
keep your eyes open and watch everything that passes, and do
as you see others do. When Rajbullub thinks that you can
pass muster, you will take to going out with him in the day-
light, and so you will come in time to reach a point 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 be
necessary to take to other disguises. Observe the traders, the
soldiers, and even the fakirs. You will see that they walk
each with a different mien. The trader is slow and sober ;
the man who wears a sword walks with a certain swagger ;
the fakir is everything by turns; he whines, and threatens ;
he sometimes mumbles his prayers and sometimes shrieks at
the top of his voice. When you are not riding or shooting,
lad, do not spend your time in the garden, or with the women ;
go into the town and keep your eyes open. Bear in mind that
you are learning a lesson, and that your life depends upon
your being perfect in every respect. As to your first disguise,
I will speak to Rajbullub and he will get it ready by to-
morrow evening. The dress of the peasant of Mysore differs
little from that here, save that he wears rather more clothing
than is necessary in this warm climate.’’
182 : THE TIGER OF MYSORE

CHAPTER X
IN DISGUISE

N the following evening Dick appeared in the room where
the others were sitting, in the dress Rajbullub had got
for him, and which was similar to that of other peasants.
The boys had already been told thatthe was shortly going on
a journey, and that it would be necessary for him to travel in
disguise, but had been warned that it was a matter that was not
to be spoken of to any one. The early respect that Dick’s
strength and activity had inspired them with had been much
shaken when they discovered that he was unable either to ride
or shoot; but their father’s narrative of his adventures when
scouting with Surajah had completely reinstated him in their
high opinion. When he entered, however, they burst out
laughing. The two ladies could not help smiling, and Dick
was not long before he joined in the laugh against himself.
He had felt uncomfortable enough when he started in an al-
most similar dress with Surajah, although there was then no
one to criticise his appearance ; but now, in the presence of
his mother and aunt, he felt strangely uncomfortable.

«¢ Never mind, Dick,’’ his uncle said encouragingly. ‘* The
boys would feel just as uncomfortable as you do now, if they
were dressed up in European fashion. Now, while we are
talking, make your first attempt at sitting on your heels.”’

Dick squatted down until his knees nearly touched his chest,
and a moment later lost his balance and toppled over, amid a
roar of laughter. Next time he balanced himself more care-
fully.

«That is right, Dick ; you will get accustomed to it in time.
But you must see already that there is a good deal more to be
done than you thought of, before you can pass as a native.
Remember you must not only be able to balance yourself
IN DISGUISE 183
while sitting still, but must be able to use your hands—for cook-
ing purposes, for example, for eating, or for doing anything
there may be to do—not only without losing your balance,
but without showing that you are balancing yourself.”’

‘¢Tt is much more difficult than I thought, uncle. Of
course I have always seen the natives squatting like this, but it
seemed so natural that it never struck me it was difficult at all.
I say, it is beginning to hurt already ; my shin-bones are ach-
ing horribly.”’

‘Yes; that is where the strain comes, my boy. But you
have got to stick to it until your muscles there, which have
never been called into play in this way before, get accustomed
to the work.”’

‘¢] understand that, uncle; it was just the same with my
arms when I began to climb. But I can’t stand this any
longer. I can no more get up than I can fly;’’ and Dick
rolled over on to his side. Again and again he tried, after a
short rest between each trial. As he gave it up and limped
stiffly to the divan, he said, ‘1 feel as if some one had been
kicking me on thé shins until he had nearly broken them,
mother. I have been kicked pretty badly several times in
fights by rough fellows at home in Shadwell, but it never hurt
like this ;’’ and he rubbed his aching legs ruefully. <‘ Well,
uncle, I am very much obliged to you for putting me up to
practising this position. It seemed to me that it would he
quite a simple thing to walk along quietly, and to move my
arms about as they Go; but I never thought of this. I
wonder, mother, you never told me that above all things |
should have to learn to squat on my heels for any time ; it
would not have been so difficult to learn it five or six years
ago, when I was not: anything like so heavy as | am now oe

«¢Tt never once occurred to me, Dick; I wishit had. I
thought I had foreseen every difficulty, but it never once came
into my mind that in order to pass as a native you must be
able to sit like one.”’
184 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

«© Ah, well, I shall learn in time, mother,’’ Dick replied
cheerfully. ‘‘ Every exercise is hard at first, but one soon
gets accustomed to it.”

Dick threw himself with his usual energy into his new work.
Although of a morning when he first woke his shins caused
him the most acute pain, he always spent half-an-hour in prac-
tice ; afterwards he would sit for some time allowing the water
from the tap at the side of the bath to flow upon the aching
muscles; then he would dress, and, as soon as breakfast was
over, go foraruninthe garden. At first it was but a sham-
ble, but gradually the terrible stiffness would wear off, and he
would return to the house comparatively well. Of an evening
the practice was longer, and was kept up until the aching pain
became unendurable. At the end of four or five days, he was
scarcely able to walk at all, but after that time matters im-
proved, and three weeks later he could preserve the attitude
for half-an-hour at a time.

In other respects his training had gone on uninterruptedly
every day. He went out into the town, accompanied some-
times by Rajbullub, sometimes by Surajah, in the disguises of
either a peasant, a soldier, or a trader, and learnt to walk and
carry himself in accordance with his dress. Before putting on
these disguises, he painted himself with a solution that could
easily be washed off on his return to the palace, where he now
always wore a European dress.

‘©You cannot be too careful,’’ the Rajah said. ‘‘ There
are of course Mohammedans here, and, for aught we know,
gome may act as agents or spies of Tippoo, just as the English
have agents and spies in Mysore. Were one of them to send
word that you had taken to Indian attire, and that it was be-
lieved that you were about to undertake some mission or other,
it would add considerably to your difficulties and dangers.
As itis, no one outside our own circle ever sees you about
with me or the boys, except in your European dress, and
Rajbullub tells me that in no single instance while you have
IN DISGUISE 185

been in disguise has any suspicion been excited, or question
asked by the people of various classes with whom you and
he converse in the streets.”’

Another month passed, and by this time Dick could, with-
out any great fatigue, squat on his heels for an hour at a time.
As the date for his departure drew near, his mother became
more and more nervous and anxious.

«‘T shall never forgive myself if you do not come back,”’
she said one day when they were alone. ‘‘I cannot but feel
that I have been selfish, and that really, on the strength of
a conviction which most people would laugh at as whimsical
and absurd, I am risking the substance for a shadow, and am
imperilling the life of my only boy upon the faint chance that
he may find my husband. I know that even your uncle,
although he has always been most kind about it, and assisted
in every way in his power, has but little belief in the success
of your search, although, as he sees how bent I am upon it,
he says nothing that might dash my hopes. If evil comes of
it, Dick, I shall never forgive myself ; I shall feel that I have
sacrificed you to a sort of hallucination.”’

«‘T can only say, mother,’’ Dick replied, ‘* that I came out
here and entered into your plans, only because I had the
most implicit faith that you were right; I should now con-
tinue it on my own account, even if to-morrow you should
be taken from me. Of course, I see plainly enough that the
chances are greatly against my ever hearing anything of
father; but from what has taken place during the campaign,
I have seen that there must be many British captives still
hidden away among the hill-forts, and it is quite possible he
may be among them. I do not even say that it is probable,
but the chances are not so very greatly against it; and even
if I thought they were smaller—much smaller than I believe
them to be—I should still consider it my duty to go up and
try and find him. So, even if it should happen that I never
come back again, you will not have yourself to blame, for it
186 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

is not you that are sending me, but I who am going of my
free will; and indeed, I feel it so much my duty that even
were you to turn round now and ask me to stay, I should still
think it right to undertake this mission.

<¢ But indeed, mother, I see no great danger in it ; in fact,
scarcely any danger at all—at any rate, unless I find father.
If | do so, there might certainly be risk in attempting to get
him away ; but this, if I am lucky enough in discovering him,
will not weigh with me for an instant. If I do not find him,
it seems to me that the risk is a mere nothing. Surajah and |
will wander about, enlisting in the garrisons of forts; then,
if we find there are no prisoners there, we shall take an early
opportunity of getting away. In some places, no doubt, I
shall be able to learn from men of the garrison whether there
are prisoners, without being forced to enter at all; for al-
though in the great forts, like Savandroog and Outradroog, it
is considered so important the defences should be kept secret
that none of the garrison are allowed to leave until they are
discharged as too old for service, there is no occasion for the
same precaution in the case of less important places. Thus,
you see, we shall simply have to wander about, keeping our
eyes and ears open, and finding out, either from the peasants
or the soldiers themselves, whether there are any prisoners
there.’’

«¢T wish I could go with you, Dick. I used to think that
when the work of searching for your father had begun I could
wait patiently for the result, but instead of that I find myself
even more anxious and more nervous than I was at Shad-
well.”’

‘‘T can quite understand, mother, that it is very much
more trying work sitting here waiting, than it is to be actively
engaged. The only thing is, that you must promise me not
to trouble more than you can help, for if I think of you as
sitting here fretting about me, I shall worry infinitely more
than I otherwise should over any difficulties we may have to


IN DISGUISE 187

encounter. You must remember that I shall have Surajah
with me ; he is a capital companion, and will always be able
to advise me upon native business. He is as plucky as a fel-
low can be, and I can trust him to do anything just as I would
myself.’’

The preparations for departure now began in earnest.
‘There was some discussion as to the arms that were to be
taken, but at last it was decided that with safety they could
carry nothing beyond a matchlock, a pistol, and a sword each.
Great pains were taken in the selection of the matchlocks.
In the armoury were several weapons of high finish, with sil-
ver mountings, that had belonged to the Rajah’s father and
grandfather. These were tried against each other, and the
two that were proved to be the most accurate were chosen.
Dick found, indeed, that at distances up to a hundred yards,
they were quite equal to the English rifle he had brought out.
The silver mountings were taken off, and then the pieces dif-
fered in no way in appearance from those in general use among
the peasantry. The pistols were chosen with equal care. The
swords were of finely tempered steel, the blades being removed
from their jewelled handles, for which were substituted rough
handles of ordinary metal.

Ten gold pieces were sewn up underneath the iron bands
encircling the leathern scabbard, as many under the bosses of
their shields, and five pieces in the soles of each of their shoes.
In their waist-sashes, the ordinary receptacle of money, each
carried a small bag with native silver coins. At last all was
ready, and an hour before daybreak Dick took a cheerful fare-
well of his mother and a hearty one of his uncle, and, with
Surajah, passed through the town and struck up into the hills.
Each carried a bag slung over his shoulder, well filled with
provisions, a.small water-bottle, and, hung upon his match-
lock, a change of clothing. In the folds of his turban Dick
had a packet of the powder used for making dye, so that he
could at any time renew the brown shade, when it began to
188 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

fade out. Fora time but few words were spoken. Dick knew
that although his mother had borne up bravely till the last,
she would break down as soon as he left her, and the thought
that he might never see her again weighed heavily upon him.

Surajah, on the contrary, was filled with elation at the pros-
pect of adventures and dangers, and he was silent simply be-
cause he felt that for the present his young lord was in no
humour for speech. As soon as the sun rose, Dick shook
off his depression. ‘They were now a considerable distance
up the hill-side. There was no path, for the people of Trip-
ataly had no occasion to visit Mysore, and still less desire for
a visit from the Mysoreans. Periodically, raids were made
upon the villages and plains by marauders from the hills, but
these were mostly by the passes through the ghauts, thirty or
forty miles left or right from the little state which, nestling at
the foot of the hills, for the most part escaped these visita-
tions—which, now that the British had become possessed of
the territories and the hills, had, it was hoped, finally ceased.
Nevertheless, the people were always prepared for such visits.
Every cultivator had a pit in which he stored his harvest, ex-
cept so much as was needed for his immediate wants. The
pit was lined with mats, others were laid over the grain; two
feet of soil was then placed over the mats, and, after the
ground had been ploughed, there was no indication of the ex-
istence of the hiding-place.

The town itself was surrounded by a wall of sufficient
strength to withstand the attacks of any parties of marauders,
and the custom of keeping a man on a watch-tower was still
maintained. At the foot of the tower stood a heavy gun,
whose discharge would at once warn the peasants for miles
round of an enemy, calling those near to hasten to the shelter of
the town, while the men of the villages at a distance could hurry,
with their wives and families, to hiding-places among the hills.

Dick and Surajah had no need of a path, for they were well
acquainted with the ground, and had often wandered up nearly
IN DISGUISE 189

to the crest of the hills in pursuit of game. An hour before
noon they took their seats under a rock that shaded them from
the sun’s rays and, sitting down, partook of a hearty meal.
There was no occasion for haste, and they prepared for rest
until the heat of the day was passed.

‘« We are fairly off now, Surajah,’’ Dick said, as he stretched
himself out comfortably. ‘ most as long as I can remember, and can hardly believe that
it has come to pass.”’

‘«¢T have thought of it but a short time, my lord.”’

‘“ No, no, Surajah,’’ Dick interrupted. <* You know it was
arranged that from the first you were to call me Purseram, for
unless you get accustomed to it, you will be calling me ‘my
lord’ in the hearing of others.”’

‘«T had forgotten,’’ Surajah replied with a smile, and then
went on. ‘It is but a short time since I was sure I was going
with you, but I have ever hoped that the time would come
when, instead of the dull work of drilling men and placing
them on guard, I might have the opportunity of taking part
in war and adventure, and indeed had thought of asking my
lord your uncle to permit me to go away for a while in one of
the Company’s regiments, and there to learn my _ business.
Since the English have become masters, and there is no longer
war between rajah and rajah, as there used to be in olden
times, this is the only way that a man of spirit can gain dis-
tinction. But this adventure is far better, for there will be
much danger, and need for caution as well as courage.”’

Dick nodded. <‘‘ More for caution and coolness than for
courage I think, Surajah ; it will only be in case we find my
father, or if any grave suspicion falls on us, that there will be
need for courage. Once well into Mysore, I see but little
chance of suspicion falling upon us. We have agreed that we
will first make for Seringapatam, avoiding as much as possible
all places on the way where inquiries whence we come may be
made of us. Once in the city, we shall be safe from such
190 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

questions, and can travel thence where we will; and it will be
hard if we do not, when there, manage to learn the places at
which any prisoners there may be, are most likely to be kept.
Besides, my father is as likely to be there as anywhere, for Tip-
poo may, since our army marched away, have ordered all pris-
oners to be brought down from the hill-forts to Seringapatam.’”’

When the sun had lost its power they proceeded on their
way again. Their start had been timed so that for the first
week they would have moonlight, and would therefore be able
to travel at night until they arrived at Seringapatam. It was
considered that it was only necessary to do this for the first
two or three nights, as, after that, the tale that they were com-
ing from a village near the frontier, and were on their way to
join Tippoo’s army, would seem natural enough to any vil-
lagers who might question them. They continued their course
until nearly midnight, by which time they were both com-
pletely fatigued, and, choosing a spot sheltered by bushes,
lay down to sleep. It took another two days before they
were clear of the broken country, and the greater portion of
this part of the journey they performed in daylight. Occa-
sionally they saw in the distance the small forts which guarded
every road to the plateau; to these they always gave a very
wide berth, as although, according to the terms of peace, they
should all have been evacuated, they might still be occupied
hy parties of Tippoo’s troops. Indeed, all the news that had
arrived since the army left, represented Tippoo as making
every effort to strengthen his army and fortresses, and to pre-
pare for a renewal of the war.

Several times they saw bears, which abounded among the
ghauts, and once beheld two tigers crossing a nullah. They
had, however, other matters to think of, and neither the flesh
nor the skins of the bears would have been of any use to them.
The work was severe, and they were glad when at last they
reached the level country. In some of the upper valleys. open-
ing on to this they had seen small villages. Near one of
IN DISGUISE 191

these they had slept, and as in the morning they saw that the
inhabitants were Hindoos, they fearlessly went out and talked
with them, in order to gain some information as to the posi-
tion of the forts, and to learn whether any bodies of Tippoo’s
troops were likely to be met with. They found the people
altogether ignorant on these matters. They were simple
peasants ; their whole thoughts were given to tilling their
land and bringing in sufficient to live upon and to satisfy the
demands of the tax-gatherers when they visited them. They
had little communication with other villages, and knew noth-
ing of what was passing outside their own. They evinced no
curiosity whatever concerning their visitors, who bought from
them some cakes of ground ragee, which formed the chief
article of their food.

The country through which they passed on emerging from
the hills was largely covered with bush and jungle, and was
very thinly populated. It was an almost unbroken flat, save
that here and there isolated masses of rock rose above 1G
these were extremely steep and inaccessible, and on their
summits were the hill-forts that formed so prominent a feature
in the warfare of both Mysore and the Nizam’s dominions to
the north. These forts were, for the most part, considered
absolutely impregnable, but the last war with the British had
proved that they were not so, as several of the strongest had
been captured, with comparatively slight loss. Whenever
they passed within a few miles of one of these hill-fortresses,
Dick looked at it with anxious eyes, for there, for aught he
knew, his father might be languishing.

After two days’ walking across the plain they felt that there
was no longer any necessity for concealment, except that it
would be as well to avoid an encounter with any troops.
Although, therefore, they avoided the principal roads, they
kept along beaten paths, and did not hesitate to enter villages
to buy food. They no longer saw caste marks on the fore-
heads of the inhabitants. The Hindoos had been compelled
192 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

by force to abandon their religion, all who refused to do so
being put to death at once. Dick and Surajah found that
their dialect differed much more from that of the country be-_
low the ghauts than they had expected, and, although they had
no difficulty in conversing with the peasants, they found that
their idea that they would be able to pass as natives of one of
these villages was an altogether erroneous one.

«¢ This will never do, Surajah,’’ Dick said, as they left one
of the villages. <‘‘ We shall have to alter our story somehow,
for the first person we meet in Seringapatam will see that we
are not natives of Mysore. We must give out that we come
from some village far down on the ghauts—one of those which
have been handed over to the English by the new treaty.
You know the country well enough there to be able to answer
any questions that may be asked. We must say that, desiring
to be soldiers, and hating the English raj, we have crossed the
hills to take service of some sort in Mysore. This will be
natural enough; and of course there are many Mohammedans
down in the plains, especially among the villages on the ghauts. a

«JT think that would be best, Purseram.”’

“There is one comfort,’’ Dick went on: ‘it is evident
that Tippoo is hated by all the Hindoos. He has forced them
to change their religion, and we need have no fear of being
betrayed by any of them, except from pressure, or from a de-
sire to win Tippoo’s good-will.”’

«Yes, that might be the case with those who are fairly well
off, but would scarcely be so among the poorer classes ; be-
sides, even they, were we living among them, would have no
reason for suspecting our story. There seems no doubt, from
what they say, that Tippoo is preparing for war again, and I
think that we shall do well, as soon as we enter the city, to
change our attire, or we might be forced into joining the
army, which would be the last thing we want. What I should
desire above all things, is to get service of some kind in the
Palace.’’
IN DISGUISE 193

After six days’ travel they saw the walls of Seringapatam.

Dick had made many inquiries at the last halting-place as to
the position of the fords on that side of the town, and learned
that only those leading to the fort were guarded. The ford
opposite the town was freely open to traffic, and could be
crossed without question by country people, although a watch
was kept to see that none of the very numerous prisoners
escaped by it. It was here, therefore, that they crossed the
river, the water being little more than knee-deep. No ques-
tions were asked by the guard as they passed, their appearance
differing in no way from that of the peasants of the neigh-
bourhood. After a quarter of a mile’s walk they entered the
town. It was open, and undefended by a wall; the streets
were wide, and laid out at right angles. The shops, however,
were poor, for the slightest appearance of wealth sufficed to
excite the cupidity of Tippoo or his agents, and the possessor
would be exposed to exorbitant demands, which, if not
complied with, would have entailed first torture and then
death. The streets, however, presented a busy appearance.
They were thronged with soldiers; battalions of recruits
passed along, and it was evident that Tippoo was doing all
in his power to raise the strength of his army to its former
level. They wandered about for some time, and at last, ina
small street, Dick went up to an old man whose face pleased
him; he was standing at the door of his house.

«< We desire to find aroom where we can lodge for a time,”’
he said. «Can you direct us where we can obtain one? ie

«¢ You are not soldiers?’ the old man asked.

«No; we desire to earn our living, but have not yet de-
cided whether to join the army.’’

“You are from the plains?’’ the native said sharply, in
their own dialect.

«© That is so,’’ Dick replied.

«And yet you are Mohammedans ? e

«« Every one is Mohammedan here.”’
194 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

«* Ah! because it is the choice of ‘death or Mohammed.’
How comes it that two young men should voluntarily leave
their homes to enter this tiger’s den? You look honest youths.
How come you here?”’ '

“¢T trust that we are honest,’’ Dick said. ‘* We have as-
suredly not ventured here without a reason, and that reason
is a good one; but this is not a city where one talks of such
matters to a stranger in the street, even though his face tells
one that he can be trusted with a secret.”’

The old man was silent for a minute; then he said, ‘* Come
in, my sons; you can, as you say, trust me. I have a room
that you can occupy.”

They followed him into the house, and he led them into a
small room at the back. It was poorly furnished, but was
scrupulously clean. A pan of lighted charcoal stood in one
corner, and over this a pot of rice was boiling.

‘© bid you welcome,”’ he said gravely. And as the salu-
tation was not one in use by the Mohammedans, Dick saw that
his idea that the old man was a Hindoo who had _ been forced
to abjure his religion, was a correct one. The old man
motioned to them to take their seats on the divan.

«<7 do not ask for your confidence,’’ he said, ‘‘ but if you
choose to give it to me it will be sacred, and it may be that,
poor as Iam, I am able to aid you. I will tell you at once
that I ama native of Conjeveram and, of course, a Hindoo. I
was settled as a trader at Mysore, the old capital; but when,
four years ago, the tyrant destroyed that town, I, with over a

hundred thousand of our religion, was forced to adopt Mo-
hammedanism. I was of high caste and, like many others,
would have preferred death to yielding, had it not been that
I had a young daughter ; and for her sake I lived, and moved
here from Mysore. I gained nothing by my sin. I was one
of the wealthiest traders in the whole city, and I had been
here but a month when Tippoo’s soldiers burst in one day ;
my daughter was carried off to the Tiger’s harem, and I was
IN DISGUISE 195

threatened with torture unless I divulged the hiding-place of
my money. It was useless to resist. My wealth was now
worthless to me, and without hesitation I complied with their
demands; and ‘all I had was seized, save one small hoard
which was enough to keep me thus to the end of my days.
My wants are few: a handful of rice or grain a day, and I am
satisfied. I should have put an end to my life, were it not
that according to our religion the suicide is accursed ; and,
moreover, I would fain live to see the vengeance that must
some day fall upon the tyrant. After what I have said, it is
for you to decide whether you think I can be trusted with
your secret, for I am sure it is for no slight reason that you
have come to this accursed city.”’

Dick felt that he could safely speak, and that he would find
in this native a very valuable ally. He therefore told hisstory
without concealment. Except that an exclamation of surprise
broke from his lips when Dick said that he was English, the
old man listened without a remark until he had finished.

‘¢ Your tale is indeed a strange one,’’ he said, when he had
heard the story. ‘‘I had looked for something out of the or-
dinary, but assuredly for nothing so strange as this. Truly
you English are a wonderful people. It is marvellous that one
should come all the way from beyond the black water to seek
for a father lost so many years ago. Methinks that a blessing
will surely alight upon such filial piety, and that you will find
your father yet alive. Were it not for that, I should deem
your search a useless one. Thousands of Englishmen have
been massacred during the last ten years; hundreds have died
of disease and suffering; many have been poisoned. Many
officers have also been murdered, some of them here, but more
in the hill-forts ; for it was there they were generally sent when
their deaths were determined upon. Still, he may live. There
are men who have been here as many years and who yet survive.”’

‘©Then this is where the main body of the prisoners were
kept ? ” Dick asked,
196 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

«© Yes; all were brought here, native and English. Tens
of thousands of boys and youths, swept up by Tippoo’s armies
from the Malabar coast and the Carnatic, were brought up
here and formed into battalions, and these English prisoners
were forced to drill them. It was but a poor drill. I have
seen them drilling their recruits at Conjeveram, and the dif-
ference between the quick sharp order there and the listless
command here was great indeed. Consequently the English-
men were punished by being heavily ironed, and kept at star-
vation point for the slackness with which they obeyed the ty-
rant’s orders. Sometimes they were set to sweep the streets,
sometimes they were beaten till they well-nigh expired under
the lash. Often would they have died of hunger, were it not
that Tippoo’s own troops took pity on them and supplied them
from their store. Some of the boys, drummer-boys, or ship’s-
boys, or little ship’s officers, were kept in the Palace and
trained as singers and dancers for Tippoo’s amusement. Very
many of the white prisoners were handed over to Tippoo by
Admiral Sufferin. Though how a Christian could have
brought himself to hand over Christians to this tiger, I cannot
imagine.

‘« Others were captured in forays, and there were till lately
many survivors of the force that surrendered in Hyder’s time.
There are certainly some in other towns, for it was the policy
of Hyder, as it is of Tippoo, always to break up parties of
prisoners. Many were sent to Bangalore, some to Burram-
pore, and very many to the fort of Chillembroom; but I
heard that nearly all these died of famine and disease very
quickly. While Tippoo at times considers himself strong
enough to fight the English, and is said to aim at the conquest
of all southern India, he has yet a fear of Englishmen, and
he thus separates his captives, lest, if they were together, they
should plot against him and bring about a rising. He knows
that all the old Hindoo population are against him, and that
even among the Mohammedans he is very unpopular. The
A USEFUL FRIEND 197

Chelah battalions, who numbered twelve or fourteen thousand,
made up entirely of those he has dragged from their homes in
districts devastated by him, would assuredly have joined
against him, were there a prospect of success, just as they
seized the opportunity to desert six months ago, when the
English attacked the camp across the river.

«Now, if you will tell me in what way I can best serve
you, I will doso. In the first place, sturdy young peasants
are wanted for the army, and assuredly you will not be here
many days before you will find yourselves in the ranks,
whether you like it or not; for Tippoo is in no way particu-
lar how he gets recruits.”’

CHAPTER XI
A USEFUL FRIEND

‘© T AGREE with you that it would be a disadvantage to go
as a soldier,’’ Dick said, after a pause; ‘‘ but what dis-
guise would you recommend us to choose ?”’

‘<'Phat I must think over. You both look too straight and
active to be employed as the assistants of a trader, or I could
have got some of my friends to take you in that capacity.
The best disguise will be a gayer attire, such as would be
worn by the retainers of some of the chiefs ; and were it not
that, if questioned, you could not say who was your employer,
that is what I should recommend.”’

««T saw a number of men working at a battery they are
erecting by the river side; could we not take service there
until something better presents itself? ’’

«¢T should not advise that,’’ the native replied, ‘‘for the
work is very hard and the pay poor; indeed, most of those
employed on it are men driven in from the country round
and forced to labour, getting only enough pay to furnish them
198 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

with the poorest food. ‘There would also be the disadvantage
that if you were so employed you would have no opportunity
of seeing any English captives who may have been brought
here of late. All that I can at present do myself, is to speak
to some of my friends who have been here for a long time,
and ask them whether they can remember an English cap-
tive being sent up here from Coorg, some eight years ago,
and whether they ever heard what was his fate. I should say,
of course, that I have received a message from friends at Con-
jeveram, that some of the man’s relations have sent out to
make inquiries concerning him, and asking me if I can find
any news as to his fate. My friends may not know them-
selves, but they may be able to find out from others. Very
many of our people were forced into the ranks of the army,
and there is not a regiment which has not some men who,
although regarded as Mohammedans, are still at heart, as we
all are, as true to our faith as ever.

‘© It is from these that we are more likely to obtain in-
formation than in any other way. You will not be very
long before you will be able to satisfy yourself as to whether
or not he whom you seek is in this city; and if he should not
be here, there remain but the two towns that I have named,
and the hill-forts. As to these, it will be well-nigh impossi-
ble to obtain an entrance, so jealously are they all guarded.
None save the garrisons are allowed to enter. The paths,
which are often so steep and difficult that men and provisions
have to be slung up in baskets, are guarded night and day,
and none are allowed to approach the foot of the rocks within
musket shot lest, I suppose, they might find some spot where
an ascent could be made. ‘The garrisons are seldom changed.
The soldiers are allowed to take their wives and families up
with them, but once there, they are as much prisoners as
those in the dungeons. That is one reason why captives once
sent up there never come down again, for were they to do
so they might, if by chance they escaped, be able to give in-
A USEFUL FRIEND 199

formation as to the approaches that would assist an assailing
force.

«« T do not say that all are killed, though undoubtedly most
of them are put to death soon after they arrive ; but it may
be that some are retained in confinement, either from no
orders being sent for their execution, or from their very ex-
istence being in time forgotten by the tyrant here. Some of
these may languish in dungeons, others may have gained the
good-will of the commanders of the fort—for even among the
Mohammedans there are doubtless many good and merciful
men. Now for the present: this house has but one storey
in front, but there is a room over this, and that is at your
service, Furniture it has none, but I will, this evening, get a
couple of trusses of straw. It is but a loft, but you will not
want to use it, save to sleepin. You need not fear interrup-
tion in this house. There is scarce a man here that is not,
like myself, a Hindoo, for when we were brought here from
Mysore the piece of ground on which the street stands was
assigned to us, and we were directed to build houses here.

«Few besides ourselves ever enter it, for those who still
carry on trade have booths in the market-place. There is one
thing I will tell you at once. We, the persectited, have
means of recognising each other: outward signs there are
none, neither caste mark nor peculiarity of dress; but we
know each other by signs. When we salute we turn in the
thumbs as we raise our hands to our turbans—so. If we have
no occasion to salute, as we move our hands, either to stroke
our faces, or to touch the handles of our daggers, or in other
way, we keep the thumb turned in. If the man be one of
ourselves, he replies in the same way; then, to prevent the
possibility of error, the one asks the other a question—on
what subject it matters not, providing that before he speaks,
he coughs slightly. You must remember that such communi-
cation is not made lightly ; were it to be so it would soon
attract notice. It is used when you want to know whether
200 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

you can trust a man.. It is as much as to say, Are you a
friend? can I have confidence in you? will you help me ?—
and you can see that there are many occasions on which such
knowledge may be most useful, even to the saving of life.”’

“¢T do indeed see it,’’ Dick said, ‘‘ and greatly are we in-
debted to you for telling us of it.’’

‘They remained talking with their host, whose name was, he
told them, Pertaub, until darkness came on. ‘They had shared
his rice with him, and had requested him to lay in such
provision as was necessary for them; and as soon as it be-
came dark they went out, leaving their guns behind them.
Busy as the’ main streets were when they had before passed
through them, they were very much more so now ; the shops
were all lighted up by lanterns or small lamps, and the streets
were filled with troops, now dismissed from duty, and bent,
some on amusement, some in purchasing small additions to
their rations with the scanty pay allowed to them. In the
open spaces the soldiers were crowded round performers of
various kinds. Here was a juggler throwing balls and knives
into the air; there was a snake-charmer—a Hindoo, doubtless,
but too old and too poor to be worth persecuting ; a short
distance off was an acrobat turning and twisting himself into
strange postures. Two sword-players, with bucklers and
blunted tulwars, played occasionally against each other, and
offered to engage any of the bystanders; occasionally the in-
vitation would be accepted, but the sword-players always
proved too skilful for the rough soldiers, who retired dis-
comfited, amid the jeers of their comrades. More than one
party of musicians played what seemed to Dick most dis-
cordant music, but which was appreciated by the soldiers, as
was evident from the plaudits and the number of small coins
thrown to the players. In the great open space by the side
of the market the crowd was thickest. Here were large
numbers of booths gay with lamps; in one were arranged, on
tables, trays of cheap trinkets, calicoes, cloths, blankets,
A USEFUL FRIEND 201

shoes, and other articles of dress; in another were arms,
matchlocks, pistols, tulwars, and daggers. On the ground
were lines of baskets filled with grain of many kinds, the
vendors squatting patiently behind them. Some of the traders
volubly accosted passers-by ; others maintained a dignified
silence, as if they considered the excellence of their wares
needed no advertisement. It was not new, but it was very
amusing to Dick, and it was late before they returned to their
lodging.

‘| wish,’”’? he said, as they strolled back, ‘‘ that I were a
good juggler or musician. It seems to me that it would be an
excellent disguise, and we could go everywhere without ques-
tion, and get admittance into all sorts of places we could not
get a chance of entering into in any other way.”’

‘Yes, that would bea good thing,’’ Surajah agreed; ‘ but
I am sure that I could not do anything, even if you could.”

««No, I quite see that, and I am not thinking of trying ;
but it would have been a first-rate plan.”’

<‘You are very good at sword-play,’’ Surajah suggested,
although somewhat doubtfully.

Dick laughed. ‘The first really good swordsman that
came along would make an exhibition of me. No; one
would have to do something really well.”

The subject was renewed after they had seated themselves
with Pertaub.

«Tt would be an excellent disguise,’ he agreed; ‘‘a good
juggler could gain admission to the Palace, and might even
enter forts where no others could set foot ; for life there is
dull indeed, and any one who could amuse the soldiers would
be certain of a welcome, and even a governor might be will-
ing to see his feats.”

“¢ Could one bribe a conjurer to let one pass as his assistant ? 1

«That would be impossible,’’ the Hindoo said, ‘‘ for an
assistant would have opportunities for learning the tricks, and
no money would induce a really good juggler to divulge his
202 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

secrets, which have been passed down from father to son for
centuries.’’

‘‘If one had thought of it,’’ Dick said, ‘*one could have
bought in London very many things which would have
seemed almost magical to the people here. Iam afraid that
we must go on, on our old line; it is a pity, for the other
would have been first-rate.’

‘‘T have obtained for you this evening two suits of clothes
such as we spoke of; in them you can pass as followers of
some petty rajah, and are not likely to attract attention. I
have inquired among some of ny friends, and hear that the
Rajah of Bohr left here to-day with his following ; he is but a
petty chief, and Bohr lies up north, close to the Nizam’s
frontier. Thus, if you should be asked in whose service you
are, you will have a name to give, and there will be no fear
of your being contradicted. If you are still further questioned
by any one with a right to ask, you can say that you were
told to remain here, in order to see how fast the drilling of
the troops went on, and to send the Rajah a report when it is
time for him to return here to accompany Tippoo on his
march. You will, of course, account for your dialect by
keeping to your present story that you came from a village on
the ghauts in order to enter the service of one of our rajahs,
and that your father having, years ago, been a soldier in the
pay of the Rajah of Bohr, you made your way there direct,
instead of coming to the capital.’’

“That will do excellently, Pertaub. It was a fortunate
moment indeed that brought us to your door.”

‘‘T have done nothing as yet, Sahib; but I hope that in
time I may be able to be of use to you. It was fortunate
for me as well as for you, perhaps, that you stopped at my
door. Of late I have had nothing to think of save my own
grief and troubles, but now I have something to give an_ in-
terest to my life, and already I feel that I need not merely
drag it on until I am relieved of its burden. And now,
A USEFUL FRIEND 203

Sahibs, I am sure that rest must be needful for you, and
would recommend that you seek your beds at once.”’

On the following morning Pertaub brought up the garments
that he had bought for them. Nothing could be more irreg-
ular than the dress of the armed retainers of an Indian rajah.
All attire themselves according to their fancy. Some carry
spears and shields, others matchlocks; some wear turbans,
others iron caps. The cut and colour of their garments are
also varied in the extreme. Dick’s dress consisted of a steel
cap with a drooping plume of red horsehair, and a red tunic
with a blue sash. Over it was worn a skirt of linked mail,
which, with leggings fitting tightly, completed the costume.
Surajah had a red turban, a jerkin of quilted leather with iron
scales fastened on to protect the shoulders and chest. A scar-
let kilt hung to his knees, and his legs were enclosed in put-
ties or swathes of coarse cloth, wound round and round them.
He wore a blue-and-gold girdle. Dick laughed as he sur-
veyed the appearance of himself and Surajah.

«We are a rum-looking couple,’’ he said, ‘‘ but I have seen
plenty of men just as gaudy in the train of some of the rajahs
who visited the camp when we were up here. J think that it
ig a much better disguise than the one we wore yesterday. I
sha’n’t be afraid that the first officer we meet will ask us to
what regiment we belong ; there were scores of fellows loung-
ing about in the streets last night, dressed as we are.”

Sticking their swords and pistols into their girdles, they
sallied out, and were pleased to find that no one paid the
slightest attention to them. They remained in the town un-
til some battalions of recruits poured out from the fort to drill
on the grounds between it and the town. The first four that
passed were, as Dick learnt from the remarks of some of the
bystanders, composed entirely of boys—some of them Chris-
tians, thirty thousand of whom had been carried off by ‘Tip-
poo in his raid on Travancore ; and the young men were com-
pelled to serve after being obliged to become, nominally,
204. THE TIGER OF MYSORE

Mohammedans. After the Chelah battalions came those of
‘Tippoo’s army.

‘* These fellows look as if they could fight,’’ Dick said.
«They are an irregular lot, and don’t seem to have an idea
of keeping line or marching in step, but they are an active-
looking set of fellows, and carry themselves well. As to the
Chelahs, I should say they would be no good whatever, even
if they could be relied on, which we know they cannot be.
They look dejected and miserable, and I suppose hate it all as
much as their officers do. I should back half a regiment of
English to lick the twelve battalions. I wonder Tippoo him-
self does not see that troops like these must be utterly use-
less.’’

“‘T don’t expect he thinks they would be of much use,’’
Surajah agreed. ‘‘ He only turned them into soldiers to grat-
ify his hatred of them.’’

Leaving the troops, they walked on and entered the great
fort, which enclosed an area of nearly two square miles. In
this were Tippoo’s palace, his storehouses,—containing grain
sufficient for the garrison for a siege of many months, —
mosques, the residences of Tippoo’s officials and officers, the
arsenals, and the huts for the troops. There was also a street
of shops similar to those in the town. Wandering about,
unquestioned, they came presently upon a scene that filled
Dick with indignation and fury. Two white officers, heavily
ironed, were seated on the ground ; another, similarly ironed,
lay stretched beside them. He was naked from the waist up;
his back was covered with blood, and he had evidently been
recently flogged until he fell insensible. Half a dozen savage-
looking men, evidently executioners of Tippoo’s orders, were
standing round, jeering at the prisoners and refusing their en-
treaties to bring some water for their comrade.

“You brutes !’’ one of the captives exclaimed in English.
*¢T would give all my hopes of liberty for ten minutes face
to face with you, with swords in our hands.’’
A USEFUL FRIEND 205

«They would not be of much use to us,’’ the other said
quietly. <‘It is four days since we had a mouthful of food,
and they would make very short work of us.’’

«¢ All the better,’’ the other exclaimed. ‘‘ Death would be
a thousand-fold preferable to this misery.’’

Dick felt that if he remained longer he would be unable to
contain himself, and turning hastily away, walked off, accom-
panied by Surajah.

“Tt is awful !?’ heexclaimed, with tears running down his
cheeks; ‘and to beable to do nothing! What must father
have gone through! I[ think, Surajah, that if we were to
come upon Tippoo I should go for him, even if he were sur-
rounded by guards. Of course it would cost me my life. If
I-could kill him I think I should not mind it. Such a villain
is not fit to live; and at any rate, whoever came after him,
the prisoners could not be worse off than they are now.
Let us go back ; I have had enough for this morning.’’

When they returned Dick told Pertaub of the scene that he
had witnessed.

«Many of them have been starved to death,’’ the old
man said. ‘« Possibly one of their companions may have tried
to escape. It is to prevent this that Tippoo’s greatest cruel-
ties are perpetrated. It is not so very difficult to get away
and take to the jungle. Some have succeeded, but most of
them are retaken, for a watch is vigilantly kept up at every
village and every road leading on to the frontier, and if caught
they are hung or forced to take poison. But whether they are
caught or not, Tippoo’s vengeance falls upon their compan-
ions. These are flogged, ironed, and kept without rations for
weeks,—living, if they do live, upon the charity of their
guards. This is why there are so few attempts at escape.
A. man knows that, whether he himself gets off or not, he
dooms his companions to torture, perhaps death. One case
I remember in which an English sailor, one out of nine, at-
tempted to get away. He was captured and killed at once,
206 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

and his eight companions were all hung. So you see, even
if one of the captives sees a chance of escape, he does not take
it, because of the consequences that would fall upon his com-
panions.’’

“ why so few escape. The question for me now is whether
there are any prisoners kept in dungeons here.”’

“¢ Not here, I think ; Tippoo’s policy is to make all his cap-
tives useful, and though one might be ironed and confined for
a time, I do not think that any are so kept permanently here.
There were, of course, some confined to the fort by illness,
and some in irons. It may need some little search before you
are quite sure that you have seen every one. However, I will
try to find out how many there are there, and to get as many
of the names as possible. Some of my friends who keep
shops in the fort may be able to do this for me. This would
shorten your task. But I cannot hold out any hopes that you
will find him whom you seek in the city ; it is among the hill-
forts you will find him, if he be alive. TI have been turning
the matter over since you spoke to me last night, and the best
plan I can think of is, that you should go as a travelling mer-
chant, with Surajah as your assistant. You would want a good
assortment of goods: fine muslins and silks, and a good selec-
tion of silver jewellery from different parts of India. All these
I could purchase for you here. If by good luck you could
obtain a sight of the commander of one of these forts, you
might possibly obtain permission from him to go up and show
your wares to the ladies of his establishment, and to those of
other officers. The present of a handsome waist-sash, or a
silver-mounted dagger, might incline him favourably to your
petition.”’

<¢T think that the idea is an excellent one,’’ Dick said
warmly. ‘If we cannot get in in that way, there seems to
me to be no chance, save by taking a careful survey of the
fortress, to discover where the rocks can be most easily
A USEFUL FRIEND 207

climbed. There must surely be some spots, even among the
steepest crags, where active fellows like Surajah and myself
would be able to scale them. Of course, we should have to
do it after dark; but once up there, one ought to be able to
move about in the fort without difficulty, as we should, of
course, be dressed as soldiers, and could-take dark blankets to
wrap round us. We ought then to be able to find where any
prisoners who may be there are confined. There might be a
sentry at the door, or, if there were no other way, one might
pounce upon some one, force him by threats to tell us what pris-
oners there are, and where they are confined, and then bind
and gag him and stow him away where there would be no
chance of his being discovered before daylight.”’

‘¢There would be a terrible risk in such a matter,’’ Per-
taub said, shaking his head gravely.

‘*No doubt there would be risk, but we came here pre-
pared to encounter danger, and if it were well managed I don’t
see why: we should be found out. Even if we were, we ought
to be able to slip away in the darkness and make our way to
the point where we went up. Once down on the plain we
could renew our disguise as traders, and, however hotly they
scoured the country, pass without suspicion through them. I
think that there will be more chance in that way than in go-
ing in as traders, for we should, in that case, have little chance
of walking about, still less of questioning any one. However,
it is worth trying that first; we can always fall back upon the
other if it fails. We might on our first visit obtain indica-
tions that would be very useful to us on our second.”’
208 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

CHAPTER XII
A TIGER IN A ZENANA

NOTHER week passed, and by the end of that time Dick
was perfectly assured that his father was not at Serin-
gapatam. It was then a question which of the hill-forts to
try first. Pertaub had already procured for them an assort-
ment of goods and dresses suitable for travelling merchants,
and the purchase of these things had drawn heavily on their
stock of money, although several of the traders, on receiving
a hint from Pertaub of the purpose for which the goods were
required, had given many articles without charge, while for
the majority of the goods Dick gave an order on his mother,
who had told him that he could draw up to five hundred
pounds. On the day before they were about to start, their
plans were interrupted by the issue of a proclamation, say-
ing that sports with wild beasts would take place on the fol-
lowing day; and they agreed that, as one day would make
no differencé, they would stop to see them, especially as
Tippoo himself would be present. Hitherto, although they
had several times seen him being carried in his palanquin,
they had had no opportunity of observing him closely, as he
was always surrounded by his guards.

The sports were held in a great square in the fort. A
strong network was erected in a semi-circle, of which the
Palace formed the base; behind the network the spectators
ranged themselves. Tippoo occupied a window in the Palace
looking down into the square. There were always a number
of wild beasts in Seringapatam available for these purposes, as
a regular supply of tigers, leopards, and wild elephants, was
caught and sent in every month. Six of the largest tigers
were always kept in cages in the courtyard in front of the
A TIGER IN A ZENANA 209

Palace, and to these were thrown state criminals or officials
who had offended the tyrant, and were devoured by them.

In his younger days, Tippoo had been very fond of the
chase, but he was now too fat and heavy, and seldom ventured
on horseback. Dick and Surajah, who had arrived early, had
placed themselves at the corner, where the network touched
the Palace. Some thirty yards in front of them a balcony
projected ; it was enclosed by a thick lattice-work ; from be-
hind this the ladies of Tippoo’s harem viewed the sports.
These began with a contest of fighting rams. The animals
were placed some fifty yards apart.. As soon as they saw each
other, both showed extreme anger, uttering notes of defiance ;
then they began to move towards each other, at first slowly,
but increasing in speed until, when within a few yards of one
another, each took a spring, meeting in mid air, forehead to
forehead, with a crash that could be heard far away. Both
fell back, and stood for a moment shaking their heads, as if
half stupefied with the blow ; then they backed two steps, and
hurled themselves at each other again. After this had been
repeated once or twice, they locked forehead to forehead, and
each strove to push the other back. For some time the
struggle continued on equal terms ; then the weaker began to
give way, and was pushed back step by step until its strength
failed altogether, and it was pushed over on to the ground,
when the attendants at once interfered and separated them.

Some thirty pairs of rams fought, the affair being to Dick
extremely monotonous ; the natives, however, took great in-
terest in the contests, wagering freely on the issues, shouting
loudly to the combatants, and raising triumphant cries when
one was adjudged victor. Then elephants were brought in:
but the struggle between these was even tamer than between
the rams; they pushed each other with their foreheads until
one gave way, when the other would follow it, beating it with
its trunk, and occasionally shoving it.

When this sport was over, two parties of men entered the

A TIGER IN A ZENANA 211

until some of the guards outside ran up, discharging their
muskets into the air, when it recommenced its promenade
round the foot of the net, roaring and snarling with anger.

As it. neared the Palace it stopped and uttered a roar of
defiance at those at the windows. Then, apparently, some-
thing moving behind the lattice-work caught its eye; it
moved towards it, crouching, and then, with a tremendous
spring, launched itself against it. The balcony was ten feet
from the ground, but the tiger’s spring took it clear of this.
The woodwork gave way like paper, and the tiger burst
through. A shout of dismay arose from the multitude, but
high above this sounded the screams of the women.

“© Quick, Surajah!’’ Dick cried, and drawing his keen
dagger, he cut through the network and dashed through, fol-
lowed by his companion. ‘‘ Stand here,’’ he cried, as they
arrived below the balcony. ‘‘Steady! Put your hands
against the wall.’’ Then he sprang on to Surajah’s back, and
thence to his shoulder. Drawing his pistols, he put one be-
tween his teeth, grasping the other in his right hand.
«Steady, Surajah,’’ he said; ‘‘Ilam going to stand on your
head.”

He stepped on to his companion’s turban, put his left arm
on the balcony, and raised himself by it until his arms were
above its level. The tiger was standing with its paw upon a
prostrate figure, growling savagely, but evidently confused
and somewhat dismayed at the piercing screams from the
women, most of whom had thrown themselves down on the
cushions of the divan. Dick stretched his right hand forward,
took a steady aim, and fired. A sharp snarl showed that the
shot had taken effect; he dropped the pistol, snatched the
other from his mouth, waited for a moment until he could
make out the tiger, fired again and at once dropped to the
ground, just as a great body flashed from the window above
him. He and Surajah had both had their matchlocks slung
over their shoulders, and before the tiger could recover from
212 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

its spring, they levelled and fired. The tiger rolled over,
but regained its feet and made towards them. One of the
bullets had, however, struck it on the shoulder and disabled
the leg; its movements were therefore comparatively slow,
and they had time to leap aside. Surajah_ discharged his
pistol into its ear, while Dick brought down his keen sword
with all his strength upon its neck, and the tiger rolled over
dead.

A mighty shout rose from the crowd.

‘We had better be off,’’ Dick said, ‘‘ or we shall have all
sorts of questions to answer.’ ‘They slipped through the hole
in the net again, but were so surrounded by people cheering
and applauding them that they could not extricate them-
selves, and a minute later some soldiers ran up, pushed through
the crowd to them, and surrounded them.

«The sultan requires your presence,’’ they said; and as
resistance was out of the question, Dick and Surajah at once
accompanied them to the entrance of the Palace. They were
led through several large halls, until they entered the room
where Tippoo was standing. He had just left the women’s
apartment, where he had hurried to ascertain what damage
had been done by the tiger. Dick and his companion salaamed
to the ground, in accordance with the custom of the country.

«© You are brave fellows,’’ the sultan said graciously, ‘* and
all the braver that you risked death, not only from the tiger,
but for daring to look upon my women unveiled.”’

««T saw nothing, your Highness,’’ Dick said humbly, ‘save
the tiger. That he was standing over a fallen figure I noticed.
As soon as my eye fell on him I fired at once, and the second
time as soon as the smoke cleared so that I could catch a
glimpse of him.”

«1 pardon you that,’’ Tippoo said ; ‘‘ and in faith you have
rendered me good service, for had it not been for your inter-
ference, he might have worked havoc in my harem, and that
before a single one of my officers or men had recovered his
A TIGER IN A ZENANA 213

?

senses ;’’ and he looked angrily round at the officers standing
near him. ‘‘ How comes it that you were so quick in thought
and execution ?’’ he asked Surajah, as the elder of the two.

“My brother and myself have done much hunting among
the hills, your Highness, and have learned that in fighting a
tiger one needs to be quick as well as fearless.’’

‘‘ Whence come you?’’ Tippoo asked. «« By your tongue
you are strangers.’’

Surajah gave the account that they had agreed upon as to
their birth-place, but he was quick-witted enough to see that
it would not be safe to say they were in the service of the
Rajah of Bhor, as inquiries might be made, and he therefore
said, ‘‘ We came hither to take service either with your Royal
Highness, or with one of your rajahs, but have as yet found
no opportunity of doing so.”’

‘It is well,”” ‘Tippoo said. ‘* Henceforth you are officers in
my service ; apartments shall be assigned to you in the Palace.
Here is the first token of my satisfaction ; ’’ and he took out a
heavy purse from his girdle and handed it to Surajah. «You
are free to go now. I will later on consider what duties shall
be assigned to you. When you return, report yourselves to
Fazli Ali, my chamberlain ;’’ and he indicated a white-bearded
official among the group standing beside him.

Salaaming deeply again, they left the apartments. Not a
word was spoken until they were outside the precincts of the
Palace.

‘« This makes a sudden change in our plans,’’ Dick said ;
‘whether for better or worse I cannot say yet.’’

“T was right in not saying we were in the service of the
Rajah of Bhor, was I not? I thought that Tippoo would
offer to take us into his service, and he might have caused a
letter to be sent to the Rajah, saying that he had done so.”’

“Yes, you were quite right, Surajah; I had thought of
that myself, and was on thorns when you were telling your
story, and felt not a little relieved when you changed the tale.
214 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

I think that it has turned out for the best. As officers of the
Palace we may be able to obtain some information as to what
Christian captives there are, and the prisons where they are
confined.’’

<¢ Still more,’’ Surajah said; ‘‘ when we get to be known as
being his officers, we might present ourselves boldly at any of
the hill-fortresses, as sent there with some orders.”’

‘You are right,’’ Dick said. ‘‘I had not thought of that.
Indeed, we might even produce orders to inspect the prisoners,
in order to render an account to Tippoo of their state and fit-
ness for service, and might even show an order for my father to
be handed over to us, if we should find him. This is splendid,
and I am sure I cannot be too grateful to that tiger for popping
into the harem. He has done more for us in a few minutes
than we could have achieved in a year. Well, Surajah, if my
father is alive, I think now that we have every chance of res-
cuing him.”

As they walked through the streets, many of those who had
been present at the sports recognised them as the heroes in the
stirring episode there, and, judging they would gain a high
place in Tippoo’s favour, came up to them and congratulated
them on their bravery, and made offers of service. They
replied civilly to all who accosted them, but were glad when
they turned off to the quiet quarter where Pertaub lived. The
Hindoo was surprised indeed when they told him what had
happened and that they were already officers in the Palace, and
might consider themselves as standing high in Tippoo’s favour.

“It is wonderful,’’ he said, when they brought their story
to a conclusion. ‘‘ Surely Providence must have favoured your
pious object ; such good fortune would never have occurred
to you had it not been that it was destined you should find
your father still alive. But if good fortune befalls you it is
because you deserve it. That you should face a great tiger
without hesitation, and slay him, shows how firm your courage
is; and the quickness was still more to be admired. No doubt
A TIGER IN A ZENANA 215

there are many others there who, to gain the favour of the
sultan, would have risked their lives, but you alone of them
were quick enough to carry it out.”’

‘¢ We were nearest to the spot, Pertaub ; had we been among
the crowd farther back we could have done nothing.”’

‘Let praise be given where it is due,’’ Surajah said. had nothing to do with the affair. I saw the tiger bound
through the window and heard screams, and stood frozen with
horror. I did not even see my lord cut through the net. I
knew nothing until he seized me by the arm and pulled me
after him, and it was not until he sprang upon my back and
then upon my shoulders that I knew what he was going to do.
I simply aided in despatching the tiger when he sprang, wound-
ed, down into the courtyard.”’

‘¢And yet you are a hunter and a soldier,’’ Pertaub said.
‘«'This is how it is that the English have become lords of so
widea territory. They are quick: while we hesitate and spend
great time in making up our minds to do anything, they
decide and act ina moment; they are always ready, we are
always slow ; they see the point where a blow has to bestruck,
they make straight to it and strike. The English sahib is
very young, and yet to him comes in a moment what is the
best thing to be done. He does not stop to think of the
danger ; while all others stand in consternation he acts, and
slays the tiger before one of them has so much as moved from
his place. But indeed, as you say Tippoo himself told you,
your danger was not only from the tiger. The tyrant must
indeed have been alarmed for the safety of his harem, when
he forgave you what, in the eyes of a Mohammedan, is the
greatest offence you cancommit. ‘This will, of course, change
all of your plans.’’

‘¢ For the present, at any rate. It may be that later on we
shall still find occasion for our disguises, as possibly we may
fall into disfavour and have to assume them to make our escape.
We may, as Tippoo’s officers, manage to obtain entrance into
216 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

one or two of the hill-fortresses, but unless absolutely sent by
him, that is the utmost we could hope for; for were we miss-
ing, messengers would be sent all over the country to order
our arrest, and in that case we should have to take to some
disguise. The first thing now is to procure our dresses. How
much is there in that purse, Surajah? It seems pretty
heavy.”’

Surajah poured the gold out on the table.

‘There are fifty tomauns. That will be more than enough
to clothe you handsomely,’’ the Hindoo said.

«‘ Much more than enough, I should think, Pertaub.”’

«« Tippoo likes those round him to be well dressed. It is
not only a proof of his generosity, but he likes to make a
brave show on great occasions, and nothing pleases him more
than to be told that neither the Nizam, nor any other Indian
prince, can surpass him in the magnificence of his Court.
Therefore, the better dressed you are, the more he will be
satisfied, for it will seem to him that you appreciate the
honour of being officers of the Palace, and that you have laid
out his present to the best advantage, and have not a mind to
hoard any of it. I will take the matter in hand for you.
You will need two suits, one for Court ceremonies and the
other for ordinary wear in the Palace.”’

‘¢T shall be very much obliged to you, Pertaub, for indeed I
have no idea what ought to be got. Had we better present
ourselves at the Palace this evening or to-morrow morning ?”’

“This evening, certainly. Did he take it into his head to
inquire whether you were in the Palace, and found that you
were not, it might alter his humour towards you altogether.
He is changeable in his moods ; the favourite of one day may
be in disgrace and ordered to execution the next. You will
soon feel that it is as if you were in a real tiger’s den, and
that the animal may at any moment spring upon you. Take
with you the clothes you now wear and those in which you
came, so that at any moment, if you see a storm gathering,
A TIGER IN A ZENANA Q17

you can slip on a disguise and leave the Palace unobserved.
In that case hasten here, and you can then dress yourselves as
merchants.”

‘*'The worst of it is, Pertaub, that our faces will soon
become known to so many in the Palace that they would be
recognised, whatever our dress.’’

‘A little paint and some false hair and a somewhat darker
stain to your skin would alter you so that those who know
you best would pass you without suspicion. I trust that no
such misfortune will befall, but I will keep everything in
readiness to effect a transformation should it be required.
Now I will go out at once to get the clothes.’’

In two hours he returned, followed by a boy carrying the
goods he had purchased, and in a few minutes Dick and his
companion were arrayed in Court dresses. ‘The turbans were
pure white, and the tunic was of dark, rich stuff, thickly wov-
en with gold thread; a short cloak or mantle, secured at the
neck by a gold chain three or four inches in length, hung
from the back, but could, if necessary, be drawn round the
shoulders. A baldric, embroidered with gold, crossed the
chest, and from this hung a sword with an ivory handle. The
waist-sash was of blue and gold in Dick’s case, purple and gold
in that of Surajah. Silver-mounted pistols and daggers were
stuck into the sashes. The dresses were precisely alike, except
that they differed in colour. The trousers were white.

Surajah was greatly delighted with his dress. Dick laughed.

«« Of course it comes naturally to you,’’ he said, ‘‘ but I feel
as if I were dressed up for a masquerade.’’

The other suits were similar in style, but the tunics were of
richly figured damask instead of cloth of gold. Half-an-hour
later they started for the Palace, a coolie carrying a box con-
taining their second suits and the simple dresses they had worn
on their arrival. Dick could not help smiling at the manner
in which the people in the streets obsequiously made way for
them.
218 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

‘ that divided the town from the fort, ‘¢ when we have got over
the next day or two, and have settled down a bit ; it all seems
so uncertain, and I have not the most remote idea of what our
duties are likely to be. Hitherto we have always had some
definite plan of action and had only ourselves to depend upon ;
now everything seems doubtful and uncertain. However, I
suppose we shall soon settle down ; and we have the satisfaction
of knowing that if things do not turn out well, we can go off to
our good friend Pertaub, and get out of the place altogether.”’

On arriving at the Palace they inquired for the cham ber-
lain. :

«« He is expecting you my lord,’’ one of the attendants said,
coming forward. ‘I will lead you first to the room that is
prepared for you, and then take you to Fazli Ali.”

The room was a commodious one, and the richness of the
covering of the divan and the handsome rugs spread on the
floor, were satisfactory signs that the chamberlain considered
them prime favourites of the sultan. Having seen the box
placed in a corner, and paid the coolie, they followed the at-
tendant along some spacious corridors and passages, until they
entered a room where Fazli Ali was seated on a divan. The
attendant let the curtains that covered the door drop behind
them as they entered. They salaamed to the chamberlain,
who looked at them approvingly, and motioned to them to
take their seats on the divan beside him.

<< T gee,’”? he said kindly, ‘‘ that you possess good judgment
as well as courage and quickness. ‘The former qualities have
won you a place here, but judgment will be needed to keep it.
You have laid out your money well, as the sultan loves to see
all in the Palace well attired, and quiet also and discreet in
behaviour.’’

«Can you give us any idea what our duties will be? a
Surajah asked, as Dick had requested him always to be the
spokesman if possible.
A TIGER IN A ZENANA 219

The chamberlain shook his head. ‘* That will be for the
sultan himself to decide. For a time probably you will have
little to do but to attend at the hours when he gives public au-
diences. You will, doubtless, occasionally carry his orders to
officers in command of troops, at distant places, and will form
part of his retinue when he goes beyond the Palace. When he
sees that you are worthy of his favour, prompt in carrying out
his orders, and in all respects trustworthy, he will in time as-
sign special duties to you; but this will depend upon your-
selves. As one who admires the courage and promptness that
you showed to-day, and who wishes you well, I would warn
you that it is best when the sultan has had matters to trouble
him, and may blame somewhat unjustly, not to seek to excuse
yourselves ; it is bad to thwart him when he is roused. You
can rely upon me to stand your friend, and when the storm
has blown over to represent the matter to him in a favourable
light. The sultan desires to be just, and in his calm moments
assuredly is so; but when there is a cloud before his eyes,
there is no saying upon whom his displeasure may fall. At
present, however, there is little chance of your falling into dis-
grace, for he is greatly impressed with the service you have
rendered him, and especially by the promptness with which
you carried it out.

« After you had gone he spoke very strongly about it, and
said that he would he were possessed of a hiindred officers
capable of such a deed ; he would in that case have little fear
of any of the foes of his kingdom. It is-fortunate that you
came here this afternoon ; it is well-nigh certain that he will
ask for you presently, and though he could hardly blame you
had you required until to-morrow to complete your prepara-
tions, your promptitude will gratify him, and he will, I am
sure, be-still more pleased at seeing that you have so well laid
out his gift. He gave you no orders on the subject, and had
you appeared in the dresses you wore this morning, he would,
doubtless, have instructed me to provide you with more suitable
220 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

attire. The fact that you have so laid out the money will
show that you have an understanding of the honour of being
appointed to the Palace, and a proper sense of fitness. The
sultan himself dresses plainly, and, save for a priceless gem
in his turban and another in his sword-hilt, there is nothing
in his attire to lead a stranger to guess at his rank; but while
he does this himself, he expects that all others in the Palace
should do justice to his generosity. And now you had best
return to your room and remain there until sent for; if he
does not think of it himself, I shall, if opportunity occurs,
inform him that you have already arrived.’’

They had some difficulty in finding their way back to
their room, and had, indeed, to ask directions of attendants
they met before they discovered it. A native was squatting
at the door; he rose and salaamed deeply as they came up.

«Your slave is appointed to be your attendant, my lords,’’
he said. ‘‘ Your servant’s name is Ibrahim.”’

‘¢Good,’’ Surajah said, as he passed him and entered the
room. ‘‘ Now, Ibrahim, tell us about the ways of the Palace,
for of these we are altogether ignorant. In the first place
about food: do we provide ourselves, or how is it ?”’

‘©All in the Palace are fed from the sultan’s kitchen. At
each meal every officer has so many dishes, according to his
rank ; these vary from three to twelve. In the early morning
I shall bring you bread and fruit and sherbet ; at ten o’clock
is the first meal, and at seven there is supper; at one o’clock
the kitchens are open, and I can fetch you a dish of pillau,
kabobs, a chicken, or any other refreshment that you may
desire; at present I have no orders as to how many dishes
your Excellencies will receive at the two meals.”’

‘«We shall not be particular about that,’’ Surajah said; ‘it
is evident we shall fare well, at any rate.’’

“‘T am told to inform you, my lords, that the sultan has
ordered two horses to be placed at your service. A ghorra-
walla has been appointed to take charge of them; his name is
A TIGER IN A ZENANA 221

Serfojee. If you ask for him at the stable you will be directed
to him, and he will show you the horses. In an hour supper
will be served, but this evening I shall only be able to bring
you three dishes each; such is always the rule until the
sultan’s pleasure has been declared.’’

Ibrahim then proceeded to light two lamps hanging from
the ceiling, for it was now getting dusk, and then, finding
that his masters had no further need of his services, he re-
tired.

‘« So far, so good, Surajah ; we are certainly in clover as far
as comfort is concerned, and the only drawback to the situa-
tion is Tippoo’s uncertain temper. However, we must try
our best to satisfy him; we have every reason to stand well
with him, and if he sees that we are really anxious to please
him, we ought to be able to avoid falling into disgrace, even
when he is in his worst moods.’’

Their attendant presently brought up the six portions of food,
and they enjoyed their meal heartily. Each had an ample
portion of a pillau of rice and chicken, a plate of stew, which
Dick thought was composed of game of some kind, and a
confection in which honey was the predominating flavour.
With this they drank water, deliciously cooled by being hung
up in porous jars. Surajah ate his food with the dexterity
of long habit, but Dick had not yet learned to make his
bread fulfil the functions of spoon and fork, for at his uncle’s
table European methods of eating were adopted.

Half-an-hour after they had finished, an officer presented
himself at the door, and said that he was ordered to conduct
them to the sultan. Tippoo had supped in the harem, and
was now seated on a divan in a room of no great size, but
richly hung with heavy silken curtains, and carpeted with the
richest rugs. Two or three of his chief officers were seated
beside him ; seven or eight others were standing on either side
of the room. A heavy glass chandelier of European manu-
facture hung from the richly carved ceiling, and the fifty
222, THE TIGER OF MYSORE

candles in it lighted up the room. The chamberlain met
them at the door and advanced with them towards Tippoo.

‘‘ Great Sultan,’’ he said, ‘‘these are the young men whom
it has pleased your Highness to appoint officers in the Palace.”’

The two lads salaamed until their turbans touched the
ground.

‘¢ Truly they are comely youths,’’ Tippo said, ‘‘and one
would scarcely deem them capable of performing such a feat
as that they accomplished this morning. Well, my slayers of
tigers, you have found everything fitly provided ?”’

«Far more so than our deeds merit, your Highness,’’ Sura-
jah replied. ‘*We have found everything that heart could
desire, and only hope for an opportunity to show ourselves
worthy of your favours.’”’

«© You have done that beforehand,’’ Tippoo said graciously,
‘‘and I am glad to see, by your attire, that you are conscious
that, as my officers, it is fitting you should make a worthy
appearance. It shows that you have been well brought up,
and are not ignorant of what is right and proper. At present
you will receive orders from Fazli Ali, and will act as assistant
chamberlains until I decide in what way your services can be
made most useful. Now follow me; there are others who wish
to see you.”

Rising, Tippoo led the way through a door with double hang-
ings, into a room considerably larger than that which they had
just left. The chandeliers at the end of the room where they
stood were all lighted, while the other end was in comparative
darkness. Leaving them standing alone, Tippoo walked tow-
ards the other end and clapped his hands. Immediately a
number of closely veiled figures entered, completely filling the
end of the room.

«These are the young men,’’ Tippoo said to them. “ It is
the one on the right to whom it is chiefly due that the tiger
did not commit havoc among you; it was he who climbed up
the balcony and fired twice at the beast. You owe your lives
A TIGER IN A ZENANA 223

to him and his companion, for among all my officers and guards
there was not one who was quick-witted enough to move as
much as a finger.’’

There was a faint murmur of surprise among the veiled
figures at the youth of their preserver.

‘« Hold your heads fully up,’’ Tippoo went on, for Dick and
his companion, after making a deep salaam, had stood with
bent heads and with eyes fixed upon the ground. Then two
of the attendants, girls of thirteen or fourteen years old, came
forward from behind the others, each bearing a casket. ‘‘ These
are presented to you with my permission by the ladies whose
lives you saved,’’ Tippoo said; ‘‘and should you at any time
have a favour to ask, or even should you fall under my dis-
pleasure, you can rely upon their good offices in your behalf.’’

There was another lov murmur from the other end of the
hall, then Tippoo clapped his hands, and the women moved
out as noiselessly as they had entered.

“You can retire now,’’ Tippoo said, as he moved towards
the door into the other room. ‘ Be faithful, be discreet, and
your fortune is assured.’’ He pointed to another door, and
then rejoined his councillors. Dick and his companion stood
in an attitude of deep respect until the hanging had fallen
behind the sultan, and then went out by the door he had
pointed to, and made their way back to their own room.

“Truly, Surajah, fortune is favouring us mightily. This
morning we walked the streets in fear of being questioned
and arrested; this evening we are officers of the Palace,
favoured by Tippoo, and under the protection of the harem.
I wonder what the ladies have given us.”’

They opened the caskets, which were of considerable size.
As they examined the contents, exclamations of surprise broke
from them. Each contained some thirty or forty little parcels
done up in paper, and, on these being opened, they were
found to contain trinkets and jewels of all kinds. Some were
very costly and valuable. All were handsome. It was evi-
224 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

dent that every one of the ladies who had been in the room
when the tiger burst in, had contributed a token of her grati-
tude. Many of the more valuable gems had been evidently
taken from their settings, as if the donors did not care that
jewels they had worn should be exposed to view. One parcel
contained twenty superb pearls, another a magnificent diamond
and ten rubies, and so on, down to the more humble gifts—
although these were valuable—of those of lower rank. Dick’s
presents were much more costly than those of his companion,
and as soon as this was seen to be the case, Dick proposed that
they should all be put together, and divided equally. This,
however, Surajah would not hear of.

“The whole thing is due to you,’’ he said. ‘It would
never have occurred to me to interfere at all. I had no part
in the matter, beyond aiding to kill a wounded tiger, and it
was no more than I have done many times among our hills,
and thought nothing of. These jewels are vastly more than I
deserve for myshare in the affair. I do not know much about
the value of gems, but they must be worth a large sum, and
nothing will induce me to take any of those that you have so
well earned.’’

«¢ T wonder whether Tippoo knows what they have given us,”’
Dick said, after in vain trying to alter his companion’s decision.

“¢T don’t suppose he troubled himself about it,’’ Surajah
replied. ‘No doubt he was asked for permission for each to
make a present tous. The jewels in the harem must be of
enormous value, as for the last fifteen years Tippoo has been
gathering spoil from all southern India, having swept the land
right up to the gates of Madras. They say that his treasures
are fabulous, and no doubt the ladies of his harem have shared
largely in the spoils. The question is, What had we best do
with these caskets? We know that, in the course of our ad-
ventures, it may very well happen that we shall be closely
searched, and it would never do to risk having such valuables
found upon us.’’
OFFICERS OF THE PALACE 225

‘©No; I should say that we had best bury them somewhere.
Some of these merchants here may be honest enough for us to
leave the jewels in their care without anxiety, but as they
themselves may at any moment be seized and compelled to
give up their last penny, these things would be no safer with
them than with us. As to Pertaub, I have absolute faith in
him, but he himself is liable to be seized at any moment.
However, I should say we had better consult him. If we were
to bury them, say, under the floor of his house, we might
leave them there for a time. If we saw any chance of this
place being some day captured by our people, we could wait
till then for their recovery; but the war may not be renewed
for years. Possibly Pertaub may be able to arrange to send
them down, only entrusting a portion at a time to a messenger,
so that, if he got into trouble, we should only lose what he
had upon him. We will put the caskets into our box and
lock it up for the present, and take them down to Pertaub to-
morrow evening, after it gets dark. It will be as well to get
them off our minds as soon as possible, for although just at
present we are in high favour, there is no saying how long it
may last, or when it may be necessary for us to move.”’

CHAPTER XIII
OFFICERS OF THE PALACE

ee next morning, just as they had finished their early
breakfast, they were sent for by Fazli Ali.

«You had better accompany me on my rounds,’’ he said.
«JT shall not commit any special duties to you until I see
whether the sultan intends that you shall remain with me, or
whether, as is far more likely, he assigns other work to you.
Were you placed in separate charge in the Palace, I should
have to fill your places if you left; therefore I propose that at
226 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

present you shall assist me in general supervision. We will
first go to the kitchens; these giveme more trouble than any
other part of my duties. In the first place, one has to see that
the contractors do their work properly, that the number of
carcases sent in is correct, the flesh of good quality, and that
the list of game is correct. Then one has to check the amount
of rice and other grain sent in from the storehouses, the issue
of spices, and other articles ofthat kind. These matters do not
require doing every day; the kitchen officers are responsible
for them; but once or twice a week I take care to be present
to see that all isright. Then I ascertain that everything is in
good and proper order in the kitchen, listen to complaints,
and decide disputes. :

«¢ When we have done there, we will see that the requisi-
tions from the harem are properly complied with, and that the
sweetmeats, perfumes, silks, and muslins, as required, are fur-
nished. The payment of salaries does not come into my depart-
ment; that is one of the functions of the treasurer of the Pal-
ace, who also discharges all accounts upon my signature that
they are correct. Then I take a general tour of the Palace, to
see that the attendants have done their duties, and that every-
thing is clean and in order. Asa rule, I have finished every-
thing before the morning meal is served. The details of mak-
ing up the accounts are of course done by clerks. After that
my duties depend entirely upon the sultan. If there is any
state ceremonial in the Palace I summon those whose duty it is
to attend, and see that everything is properly arranged and in
order; if not, I am generally at his Highness’s disposal.

“¢ Unless you receive any instructions from me, you wiil be
free to occupy yourselves as you like. You will, of course,
take part in all public ceremonials. You will be among the
officers who accompany the sultan when he goes out, and will
be liable to be summoned to attend him at all times. There-
fore, although free to go into the town or ride beyond the isl-
and, it is well that you should never be long absent, and that,
OFFICERS OF THE PALACE 227

if you wish to be away for more than two hours at a time, you
should first let me know, as I may be able to tell you if the
sultan is likely to require you. He has fixed your pay at four
hundred rupees a month.’’

Dick, as he accompanied the chamberlain on his tour
through the Palace, was struck with the order and method that
prevailed in every department, and the chamberlain told him
that Tippoo himself inquired closely into details, and that,
large as was the daily expenditure, no waste of any kind was
allowed. The splendour of some of the apartments was sur-
prising, especially the throne-room. The throne itself was of
extraordinary magnificence ; it was of gold, thickly inlaid with
gems. On the apex stood a jewelled peacock, covered entirely
with diamonds, emeralds, and rubies, with pendants of pearls.
In front of it stood a golden tiger’s head, which served as a
footstool. On either side were standards of purple silk, hav-
ing a sun with gold rays in the centre. The spear-heads were
of gold set with jewels.

When the work of inspection was finished, they went back
to their room, where their attendant, soon afterwards, with
an air of great exultation, brought their meal, which consisted
of nine dishes each, a proof of the high favour with which
Tippoo regarded them. After this meal was eaten they went
down to the stables and were pleased indeed with the mounts
provided for them. They were fine animals, with handsome
saddles and trappings, and Dick and Surajah at once mounted
and rode through the town to the other extremity of the island.
As they wore scarves that had been furnished them by Fazli
Ali, showing that they were officers of the Palace, they were
everywhere greeted with deep salaams.

“‘T hope,’’ Dick said, as they returned from their ride, ‘* that
Tippoo will not be long before he finds us some other duties ;
there is nothing very interesting in counting carcases, or see-
ing rice measured.”’

“That is true enough,’’ Surajah agreed. «But we must
228 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

not be impatient. Fortune has befriended us marvellously, and
I have great faith that it will continue to do so. We must be
content to wait.”

‘© Yes, I know that, Surajah, but I think it is all the more
difficult to do so because we have done so much in a short
time. It seems as if one ought to go on at the same rate.”’

That evening they went down, as they had arranged, with
ordinary wraps round their gay attire, to Pertaub’s, taking
with them the caskets of gems. ‘The Hindoo received them
warmly.

«I saw you ride through the streets this morning, although
you did not notice me; truly, you made a good appearance,
and were well-mounted. I have heard from one of our
people, who is a servant if the Palace, that you stand in high
favour.”’

‘«« We have brought you down these two caskets of gems,”’
Dick said ; ‘‘they were given us by the ladies of the harem,
and many of the stones Surajah thinks are very valuable.
We don’t know what to do with them, and wanted to know
whether you could arrange to send them down to Tripataly
for us.”’ :

«©T would not undertake to do so if they are valuable,”’
Pertaub said. ‘*The prospects of fresh troubles are stronger
every day, and the roads are so closely watched, especially
those through the passes, that it would be running a terrible
risk to trust valuables to any one.”’

‘Tn that case, Pertaub, we thought you might bury them
in the ground under your house. But first look at some of the
stones, and tell us what you think of them.”

The Hindoo opened Surajah’s casket, and undid many of
the little parcels.

« Assuredly they are valuable,’’ he said; ‘‘some of them
much more so than others; but if all are like these that I
have opened, they must be worth at least fitty thousand
rupees.”’
OFFICERS OF THE PALACE 229

“« Now look at this casket, Pertaub.’’

The Hindoo uttered an exclamation of surprise as he opened
some of the packets, and, taking out some of the larger gems,
he examined them by the light of his lamp.

‘¢T could not place a value on these,’’ he said at last.
‘©The ladies must indeed have felt that they owed their lives
to you. The gems are a fortune. Doubtless they are the spoils
of a score of districts, and Tippoo must have distributed them
lavishly among his wives, or they could never have made such
rich presents. I would bury them, Sahib, for surely they
could not be entrusted even to the most faithful messengers,
in times like these. But though, if you like, I will hide them
here, I think it would be far safer for you to take them
across the river and bury them in a wood, marking well
the trees, that you may know the place again; for although
methinks Tippoo’s agents believe that they have squeezed the
last rupee from me, one can never tell—I might again be
tortured, and none can say that they are brave enough to
bear the agonies that Tippoo’s executioners inflict. I will bury
them for to-night ; but I pray you give me notice the first time
you cross the river. I will be at the other side of the ford with
the jewels hidden in a sack on an ass; this I will drive
forward when I see you crossing the ford. You will follow
me till I enter a wood. I will have the tools, and when you
join me, you can go on a short distance and bury them. I
do not wish to see where you hide them, but will move about
to make sure that none can hear you when so engaged.
You had best take out a few small stones, which you will find
as good as money, and much more easily concealed, for in
every town or large village you will find a jeweller who will
give you silver for them.”’

“TI think that will be a very good plan, Pertaub, and will
certainly carry it out.’’

A month passed without any change in their work. They
rode with other officers behind Tippoo’s palanquin when he
230 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

went out, which he did almost every day, to inspect the progress
of the fortifications, and were among the brilliant circle behind
his throne when he gave orders. By this time they had come
to know most of the other Court officials, and were able to
inquire cautiously about the prisons. ‘They could learn noth-
ing, however, of any English prisoners in Seringapatam, save
those they had seen in the hut in the fort.

Six weeks after their appointment as Palace officers, Dick
and Surajah were sent for by Tippoo.

‘‘T am about to employ you,’’ the sultan said, when they
appeared before him, ‘‘on a mission. You are strangers here
and are unconnected with any of my officers, and I can, there-
fore, place greater reliance on your reports than upon those of
men who have other interests than my own to serve. I desire
you to go and inspect the hill-forts, to see how the repairs of
the fortifications injured by the English are progressing, and to
make sure that the cannon are in good order, and the supply
of ammunition plentiful. You have shown that you are quick-
sighted and sharp ; look round the defences, and if you see
aught that can be done to strengthen them, confer with the
governors, learn their opinions on the subject, and if they
agree with you, they will be authorised to take men from
the country round to strengthen the fortifications, and I will
forward at once such guns and stores as may be required.
After the inspection of each fort you will despatch a mounted
messenger to me with your report; and you will state which
fort you will next visit, in order that I may despatch there any
order that I may have to give you.

“Do your duty well, and I shall know how to reward you.
In order that your authority may be increased, you are both
named colonels in the army. Fazli will furnish you with a
written copy of the orders I have given you and with authority
under my seal to enter and inspect all fortresses and to consult
with the governors as to everything considered by them as
necessary for their better defence. ‘The last time the English
OFFICERS OF THE PALACE 231

came they captured Nundidroog and other hill-fortresses that
we had regarded as impregnable, simply because the governors
were over-confident, and the defences had been neglected. This
must not occur again, and if there is failure in the defences
Ishall hold you responsible. ‘Therefore, take care that you
do not neglect not only to see that the repairs are being well
carried out, but to recommend additions to the fortifications
wherever it seems to you that there is even a possibility of an
enemy making his way up. You will take with you twenty
troopers as an escort, but these are not to enter any of the
fortresses with you, for treachery is always possible, and no
one save the garrisons must be acquainted with the defences
of the hill-forts.’’

Surajah expressed his thanks to the sultan for entrusting
them with the mission, and assured him that their inspection
of the forts should be careful and complete, and that they
would start in an hour’s time.

When they reached their own room, Dick threw up his
turban in delight.

‘¢ Was there ever such a stroke of good fortune ?’’ he ex-
claimed. ‘‘ The tiger business was as nothing to this; Tippoo
has given us the mission .of all others that will enable us to
carry out our search. Our work is as good as done; that is to
say,’’ he added, more gravely, ‘‘ we are at least pretty sure to
find my father out, if he is alive. Besides, we may get infor-
mation that will be of great use if the war is renewed. Now
we had better, in the first place, go and see Fazli and get our
instructions; we will order our horses to be in readiness to
start as soon as we have had our meal—we may not get another
chance of eating to-day. I should like to take Ibrahim with us.
He is a capital servant and a strong, active fellow ; I believe he
is fond of us, and we shall want some one who can cook for us,
and buy things, and so on. I will speak to Fazli about it.”’

The chamberlain looked up as they entered the room where
he was engaged in dictating to a clerk,
232 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

‘T congratulate you on your mission,’’ he said. «It will
involve a great deal of hard work, but as you have told me
how you longed for some duty outside the Palace, you will
not mind that; Tippoo consulted me before sending for you.
I told him you were diligent in the service, and I felt sure you
would do your best in the present matter, and that as you
were accustomed, in the pursuit of game, to ascend moun-
tains and scale precipices, you were far more likely to find
the weak spots in the forts than an old officer, who would be
likely to take everything for granted. There is no doubt that
many of the garrisons are very far from being efficient. They
have been stationed in the forts for many years ; discipline,
both among officers and men, is sure to have become lax, and
there will be much that young men, going freshly into the
matter, will see needs amendment. That the walls are often
weak, and the cannon so old as to be almost useless, | am well
aware, for sometimes newly-appointed governors have sent in
strong protests and urgent requests that they might be furnished
with new cannon, and that walls and defences might be re-
newed. But what with the wars, the removal of the capital,
and the building and fortification of this place, these matters
have been neglected; and it is only now that the sultan sees
the necessity of putting the fortifications of all these places in
good repair. I have had the papers prepared and signed ;
your escort has been ordered. Is there anything else you can
think of ?”’

«¢ We should like to take our Palace attendant with us,”’
Surajah said; ‘‘he is a good man, and, starting so suddenly,
we should have a difficulty in hiring servants we could rely on.”’

‘©T have thought of that,’’ the chamberlain replied, ‘‘ and
have ordered a horse to be got in readiness for him, together
with a spare animal to carry food and necessaries for your
journey. You will need them on your marches, and may even
be glad of them in some of the smaller forts, where the fare
will be very rough,”
OFFICERS OF THE PALACE 283

When they returned to their room they found Ibrahim
awaiting them. He was evidently delighted at the prospect of
accompanying them.

‘“* My lords,’’ he said, ‘‘ I have the pack-horse saddled in
the stable, with two great sacks and ropes. Is it your pleasure
that I should go down at once to the market and buy flour and
rice, spices, and other things necessary ?”’

‘Certainly, Ibrahim. But it will not be necessary to buy
much meat ; it will not keep, and we ought always to be able
to buy a sheep or a fowl from villagers. Get some thick,
wadded sleeping rugs, some cooking pots, and whatever you
think is necessary. Do not waste any time, for we shall start
immediately after our meal.”’

As soon as the man had left, Dick said to Surajah, “I will
hurry down to the town and see Pertaub. You had best re-
main here, in case Tippoo should send for us to give us final
instructions. You can say, should he ask, that I have gone
down to the town to get a supply of powder and ball for our
pistols, writing materials, and other things that we may re-
quire, which will be true enough. It is most lucky that we
buried our jewels in the forest ten days ago, for we should not
have had time to do it now.”’

Dick returned in time for the meal, which was brought up
by another servant.

«« Pertaub was delighted to hear of our good fortune,’’ he
said, on his return. ‘‘ He will keep our disguises by him, and
if we have occasion for them will either bring them himself
with the merchandise, or will send them by a trusty messenger,
to any place we may mention, directly he hears from us. Ido
not think there is any chance of our wanting them, but it is as
well to prepare for any contingency that may occur.”’

Half-an-hour later they started at the head of an escort
of twenty troopers, Ibrahim riding in the rear, leading the
pack-horse, which carried a change of clothes, and thick cloths
to keep out the night dews, as well as the stock of provisions.
234 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

Ibrahim had also purchased two very large, dark blankets that
could be used for a temporary shelter. Surajah now felt quite
at home, for he was engaged in the same sort of duty he per-
formed at Tripataly, and more than one pair of dark eyes
glanced admiringly at the two young officers as they rode down
to the ford. ‘hey had been furnished by Fazli with a list of
the forts they were to visit, and the order in which they were
to take them, the first on the list being Savandroog, fifty miles
north-east of the city. After a ride of twenty miles, they
halted at a village. ‘To the surprise of the troopers, Surajah
gave orders that nothing was to be taken by force, as he was
prepared to pay for all provisions required. As soon as the
villagers understood this, ample supplies were brought in.
Rice, grain, and fowls were purchased for the soldiers, and
forage for the horses, and after seeing that all were well pro-
vided for, the two officers went to a room that had been placed
at their service in the principal house in the village. Ibrahim
justified his assertion that he was a good cook, by turning out
an excellent curry. By the time they had finished this it was
getting dark, and after again visiting the troopers and seeing
that their own horses were fed and well groomed, they retired
to bed.

An early start was made, and at ten o ’clock they approached
Savandroog. It was one of the most formidable of the hill-
forts of Mysore, and stood upon the summit of an enormous’
mass of granite, covering a base of eight miles in circuit and
rising in ragged precipices to the height of 2,500 feet. The
summit of the rock was divided by a deep chasm into two
peaks, each of which was crowned with strong works, and
capable of separate defence. ‘The lower part of the hill was,
wherever ascent seemed possible, protected by walls one behind
the other. The natives had regarded the fort as absolutely
impregnable until it was stormed by the troops under Lord
Cornwallis.

Dick looked with intense interest at the great rock with its
OFFICERS OF THE PALACE 235

numerous fortifications. The damages committed by the British
guns could not be seen at this distance, and it seemed to him
well-nigh impossible that the place could have been captured.
They rode on until they neared an entrance in the wall that
encircled the fort at the side at which alone access was con-
sidered possible.

They were challenged as they approached. Ordering the
troopers to remain behind, Dick and Surajah rode forward.
«¢ We are the bearers,’’ Surajah cried out, as they reined in their
horses within twenty yards of the gate, ‘‘ of an order from the
sultan for our admittance, and of a letter to Mirzah Mohammed
Bukshy, the governor.”’

‘ *«¢T can admit no one until I have received his orders to do so.”

«« How long will it be before we receive an answer ?”’

‘An hour and a half at the earliest. I regret that your
Excellencies will be inconvenienced, but my orders are
absolute.’’

“¢T do not blame you,’’ Surajah replied. <‘It is necessary
that you should always be vigilant ;’’ and they retired under
the shade of a tree, a hundred and fifty yards from the gate.
Ibrahim spread out the rugs, and then proceeded to light the
fire and to prepare a pillau of rice and fowl, while Dick and his
companion regarded the rock with fixed. attention, and con-
versed together as to the possibility of ascending at any of the
points so steep as to be left undefended by walls. They con-
cluded at last that it would be next to impossible to climb the
rock anywhere on the side that faced them, save by scaling
several walls. They had just finished their luncheon when the
gate opened and an officer and four soldiers issued out. They
at once rose and went to meet them.

«¢T have the governor’s order to admit you on the produc-
tion of the sultan’s pass.’’

Surajah produced the document. The officer at once rec-
ognised the seal, and carried it to his forehead, salaaming
236 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

deeply. <‘‘ Your troopers can enter at the gate, but cannot
proceed farther than the second wall.”’

«© Can we ride up, or must we walk?’’ Dick asked.

«© You can ride,’’ he replied. ‘The road is steep, but no-
where so steep that horses cannot mount it.”’

After the party had entered the gate it was at once closed
and bolted. The troopers dismounted, and were led to a small
barrack, while Surajah and Dick, accompanied by the officer
and four soldiers on foot, rode on. ‘The road was a better one
than Dick had expected; it was just wide enough for a cart to
proceed up it, and was cut out of the solid rock. It turned
and zigzagged continually, and at each angle was a small fort
whose guns swept the approach. They passed under a score of
gateways, each defended by guns, and after upwards of an
hour’s climbing, at a quick pace, they approached one of the
forts on its summit. The governor met them at the gate.

«You will pardon my not descending to meet you below,’
he said, ‘*but I am not so young as I used to be, and the
journey up and down fatigues me much.”’

Dick and Surajah dismounted, and the former presented the
two documents. The governor, after reading the pass, bowed,
and led the way into the interior of the fort, and they were
soon seated on a divan in his quarters, when he read the circu-
lar letter.

« the sultan is pleased to take into consideration the many de-
mands I have made for cannon and ammunition. A large
number of the pieces are past service, and they would be as
dangerous to those who fired them as to those at whom they
were aimed ; while I have scarcely powder enough to furnish
three rounds for each. As to the defences, I have done my
best to strengthen them. Idleness is bad for all men, most of
all for soldiers, and I have kept them well employed at repair-
ing the effects of the English fire. Still, there is much to do
yet before they are finished, and there are points where fortifi-
OFFICERS OF THE PALACE 237

cations might be added with advantage; these I will gladly
point out to you. ‘They have been beyond our means here,
for, as you will perceive, it will need blasting in many places
to scarp the rock, and to render inaccessible several points at
which active men can now climb up. For this work powder
is required. And I would submit that for such hard work it
will be needful to supply extra rations to the troops, for the
present scale scarcely suffices to keep the men efficient, especi-
ally as most of them have their wives and families dependent
on them.”’

«T have no doubt that the sultan will accede to any reason-
able requests, your Excellency ; he is anxious that the walls of
the forts should be placed in the best possible condition for de-
fence. No one doubts that we shall ere long be again at war
with England, and although the sultan relies much upon large
reinforcements that have been promised by France, with whom
he has entered into an alliance, they have not yet arrived, and
he may have to bear the brunt of the attack of the English by
himself.”’

‘«T have heard of this,’’ the governor said, ‘‘ and regret that
we shall again have the Feringhees upon us. As for the Mah-
rattas or the Nizam, I heed them not—they are dust, whom
the sultan could sweep from his path; but these English are
terrible soldiers. I have fought against them under Hyder,
and in the last war they again showed their valour; and the
strangest thing is that they make the natives under them fight
as bravely as they do themselves. As to forts, nothing is safe
from them. Were all the troops of the Nizam and the Mah-
rattas combined to besiege us, I should feel perfectly safe,
while were there but five hundred Englishmen, I should tremble
for the safety of the fortress. You have come up the hill and
have seen for yourselves how strong it is; and yet they took
the place without the loss of a single man. I was not here,
for I was in command of Kistnagherry at that time, and suc-
ceeded in holding it against their assaults. When the war was
238 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

over, and Kistnagherry was ceded to them, I was appointed to
this fortress, which seems to me to be even stronger than that
was.

‘« The commander was a brave man, the garrison was strong,
there was no suspicion of treachery ; and though at ‘last the
troops were seized with a panic, as they might well be when
they saw that they were unable to arrest the advance of the
enemy, the defence up to that time had been stout. The
English brought up guns where it was thought no guns could be
taken; they knocked the defences to pieces ; and, after winning
their way to the top, in one day captured this fort and that on
the hill yonder. It seems miraculous.’’

Coffee was brought in, and pipes, for although Tippoo was
violently opposed to smoking, and no one would venture upon
the use of tobacco in the Palace or fort, old officers like the
governor, in distant commands, did not relinquish tobacco.

“Jt is necessary here,’’ the governor said, as he filled his
pipe. ‘‘ The country round is terribly unhealthy, and the air
is full of fever. Ido not discourage its use among the men,
for they would die off like flies did they not smoke to keep
out the bad air. The climate is indeed the best protection to the
fort, for an army that sat down for any length of time before
it, would speedily melt away.’’ He opened a box that stood
on the divan beside him. ‘ some papers out, ‘‘ of the memorials that I have sent in to the
sultan, as to the guns. This is the last; it was sent in two
months ago. You see I asked for forty-nine heavy pieces.

- Of these, thirty are to replace guns that are honeycombed,
or split; the other eleven. are for new works. I asked for
thirty-two lighter ones, or howitzers, and a hundred wall
guns. Of course I could do with less ; but to place the fort in
a perfect state of defence, that is the number that I and my
artillery officer think are requisite. Of powder we have not
more than a ton and a half, and if the siege were to be a long
one we might require ten times as much; we have not more
OFFICERS OF THE PALACE 239

than eight rounds of shot for each gun, and we ought to have
at least fifty for the heavy pieces, and twenty for those defend-
ing the path up the hill.”

Dick made a note of the figures in a pocket-book he had
bought for the purpose.

«« As for provisions,’’ the governor went on, ‘‘ we ought to
have large stores of rice and grain. The magazines are nearly
empty, and as we have eight hundred men in garrison, and
perhaps twice as many women and children, we should require
a large store were we blockaded for any time.”

«« Are the troops in good condition ?’’ Surajah asked.

The governor shook his head. ‘‘ Many of them are past the
term of service ; but until I get reinforcements to supply their
places, I shall not venture to discharge them. Many others
are wasted by fever, and, I must say, from insufficient rations,
which not only weakens their bodies, but lowers their spirits.
As long as there was no fear of attack this mattered little ;
but if the English are coming again we shall want well-fed
and contented men to oppose them. I see by the stars on
your turbans that you are both colonels as well as officers of
the Palace. You are fortunate in obtaining that rank so
young.”

<©Tt was due to the sultan’s favour,’’ Surajah said. ‘‘ The
other day at the sports a tiger burst into the sultan’s zenana,
and we were lucky enough to kill it—that is, my friend did
most of the killing; I only gave the brute the final cow.”

«¢ Ah, it was you who performed that deed!’’ the governor
said warmly. <‘‘I heard the news from one of my officers who
was on leave, and returned yesterday. Truly it was a gallant
action, and one quickly done. No wonder that you obtained
the sultan’s favour and your rank as colonel. I was a sports-
man in my young days. But I think I should have been more
frightened at the thought of taking a peep into the sultan’s
zenana than I should have been of fighting the tiger.’’

«¢T did not think anything about it,’’ Dick said, ‘until it
240 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

was all over. I heard some women scream, and, being quite
close, went to their assistance, without a thought whether they
might be the ladies of the zenana or servants of the Palace ;
but indeed, I saw nothing save the tiger, and only vaguely
observed that there were women there at all.”’

«Tt was well that the sultan took the view he did of the
matter,’? the governor said. ‘‘ I have known men put to death
for deeds that were but trifles in comparison to looking into
the zenana. Now, Colonel, I will send for my artillery officer
and the horses, and we will ride round the fortifications on the
brow of the hill, inspect the two forts closely, and will point
out to you the spots where it appears to us the defences ought
to be strengthened.”

CHAPTER XIV
A SURPRISE

ICK was much pleased with the governor. He was evi-
dently an outspoken old soldier, and, though rough, his
bearded face had an honest and kindly expression, and he
thought to himself, ‘If my father fell into his hands I don’t
think he would be treated with any unnecessary hardship,
though no doubt the sultan’s orders would be obeyed.’? When
a soldier came in to say that the horses were at the door they
went out. An officer was standing beside them, and the gov-
ernor presented him as his chief artillery officer.

«‘ You have not brought your horse,’ he said.

‘«No, your Excellency, the distance is not great, and we
should need to dismount so many times to get a view from the
walls that it would not be worth while to ride.”’

«Tn that case, we may as well walk also,’’ Dick said.

<< would rather do so too,’’ the governor said. ‘‘I pro-
posed riding because I thought you might be tired. As Bakir
A SURPRISE 241

Meeram says, the distance is not great; the walls themselves,
with the exception of those of the two forts, are not more
than half a mile in extent, for in most places the rocks go
sheer down, and there defences are of course unnecessary.
We will inspect this fort first.’’

They went the round of the walls, Dick and his companion
listening to the suggestions of the two officers. The principal
one was that a wall should be raised inside the gate.

«The English last time got in here by rushing in at the tail
of the fugitives from below. They were in before the gates
could be closed, and took our men ‘so completely by surprise
that they were seized with a panic. Were we to raise a semi-
circular wall behind the gateway, such a thing could not occur
again,’’ the governor said. <‘‘ Of course there would be a gate
in the inner wall, but not immediately behind the outer gate-
way, as if so placed it might be destroyed by the cannon-shots
that battered the outer gate in. I should, therefore, put it at
one end of the inner wall. This gate would be generally open,
but in case of a siege I should have it blocked up with stones
piled behind it, placing a number of ladders by which men,
running in, could get on to the walls, and, however closely
they were pursued, could make a stand there until the ladders
were pulled up.”’

“That would be an excellent idea,’’ Surajah said gravely,
“and I will certainly lay it before the sultan. I suppose you
would propose the same for the other fort?’”’

“Just the same.”’

«‘ The only thing that I would observe,’’ Dick said, ‘‘ is that
if an enemy once got a footing on the top here, you could not
hope to make a long defence of these forts.’’

«That is so,”’ the governor agreed. ‘‘ Thestrength of the
defence is not here, but on the upward road, and if the Eng-
lish once gained the top the forts must fall; but at least it
shall not be said, as long as Iam governor, that Savandroog
fell almost bloodlessly. In these forts we can at least die
242 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

bravely and sell our lives to the last. It is for that reason I
desire that they shall be so defended that they cannot be car-
ried, as they were before, by a sudden rush.”’

The other fort was then visited and a tour made round the
walls. The suggestions offered by the governor and the officers
were all noted down and approved ; then they made what was
to Dick the most important part of the inspection, namely, an
examination of the undefended portion of the rock. The re-
sult showed him that the builders of the defences had not acted
unwisely in trusting solely to nature. At many points the
rock fell away in precipices hundreds of feet deep. At other
points, although the descent was less steep, it was, as far as he
could see from above, altogether unclimbable ; but this he
thought he would be able to judge better from below.

«‘ Do you have sentries round here at night ?’’ he asked the
governor.

‘No; it would not be necessary, even if an enemy were en-
camped below. If you will ride round the foot of the hill
when you leave, you will see for yourself that, save from the
side you came up, the place is absolutely inaccessible.’’

The view from the top of the hill was superb. Away to the
north-east the governor pointed out the pagodas of Bangalore,
twenty-two miles away, the distance, in the clear air, seeming
comparatively trifling.

‘« Are there many troops there ?’’ Dick asked.

«‘ There are about five battalions of the regular troops and
three Chelah battalions. These can hardly be counted as
troops; they have never been of the slightest use. In the last
war they ran like sheep. It is a fancy of the sultan’s. Butin-
deed he can hardly expect men to fight who have been forced
into the ranks and made to accept Mohammedanism against
their will. Naturally they regard an invader, not asan enemy,
but as a deliverer. Of course the sultan’s idea was, that since
the native troops, drilled and led by Englishmen, fought so well,
the Chelahs, who were also drilled and led by Englishmen,
A SURPRISE 243

would do thesame. But the Company’s troops are willing sol-
diers, and it is the English leading more than the English drill
that makes them fight. If the Chelahs were divided among the
hill-fortresses they might do good service ; and I could, as far
as fighting goes, do with a battalion of them here, for, mixed
up with my men, they would have to do their duty. But of
course they will never be placed in the hill-forts, for one would
never be safe from treachery. Even if all the lower walls were
in the hands of my own men, some of the Chelahs would be
sure to manage to desert and give information as to all the de-
fences.”’

A considerable portion of the upper plateau of the rock was
occupied by the huts of the troops, for the forts were much too
small to contain them and their families. On their way back
they passed through these. Dick looked anxiously about for
white faces, but could see none, nor any building that seemed
to him likely to be used as a prison. When they returned to
the governor’s quarters they found that a room had been
placed at their disposal, and they presently sat down to dinner
with him.

. © IT suppose you have no English prisoners here ?’’ Dick said
carelessly, when the meal was over.

The governor paused a moment before he replied.

“«T don’t want any of them here,’’ he said shortly. ‘‘ Batches
are sent up sometimes from Bangalore, but it is only for execu-
tion. Iam a loyal subject of the sultan, but I would that this
work could be done elsewhere. Almost all the executions take
place in the hill-forts, in order, I suppose, that they may be done
secretly. I obey orders, but I never see them carried out. I
never even see the captives. They have done no harm, or, at
most, one of their number has tried to escape, for which they
are not to be blamed. I always have them shot, whether that
is the mode of execution ordered or not. It isa soldier’s death,
and the one I should choose myself, and so that they are dead it
can matter little to the sultan how they die. If they were all
244 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

shot as soon as they were taken I should not think so much of it;
but after being held captive for years, and compelled to work, it
seems to me that their livesshould bespared. As far as giving
up my own life is concerned, I would willingly do it at the or-
ders of the sultan, but these executions make me ill. I lose my ap-
petite for weeks afterwards. Let us talk ofsomething else.’? And
the governor puffed furiously away at the hookah he had just
lighted. Then the conversation turned to the forts again.

‘¢No, I do not find the life dull,’’ he said, in answer to a
remark of Dick’s. <‘‘I did so at first, but one soon becomes
accustomed to it. I have my wife and two daughters, and
there are ten officers, so that I can have company when I
choose. All the officers are married, and that gives society.
Up here we do not observe strictly the rules of the plains, and
although the ladies of course wear veils when they go beyond
the house, they put them aside indoors, and the families mix
freely with each other, so that we get on very well. You see,
there are very few changes ever made, and as many of the
ladies are, like my wife, no longer young, we treat them as
comrades.’’

In the morning Dick and Surajah mounted their horses, took
a hearty farewell of the governor, and rode down to the gate.
A soldier had been sent down half-an-hour before, and they
found their escort in readiness to move. They had decided
that before going to the next fort they would ride round the
foot of the hill of Savandroog. This they did, going at a foot-
pace, and scanning the cliffs and slopes as they passed. Some-
times they reined up their horses and rode a little farther back,
so as to have a view to the very summit. When they com-
pleted the round they agreed that there were but two spots
where it seemed to them that an ascent was barely possible,
and they were very doubtful whether the difficulties, when
examined more closely, would not prove to be absolutely in-
surmountable.

‘¢ That is not a satisfactory outlook,’’ Dick said, ‘ but fort-
A SURPRISE 245

unately there is now no motive for climbing the precipice ;
certainly those places would be of no use to a party wanting to
make an attack. In the first place, though you and I might
get up with soft shoes on, I am sure that English soldiers, with
muskets and ammunition-pouches, could never do it, especially
at night; and’in the daytime, even if a body of troops strong
enough to be of any use could get up, those who first arrived
at the top would be killed before the others could come to their
assistance, and a few stones rolled down would sweep all behind
them to the bottom. I don’t like turning my back on the
place,’’ he went on, as they turned their horses’ heads to the
south ; for Savandroog was the farthest north of the forts they
were to visit; ‘‘it seems to me that even now my father may
be there.’’

‘*How can that be, Dick?’’ Surajah said in surprise.
«‘ Nothing could be more straightforward than the governor
seemed to be. I thought that he was even rash in speaking as
frankly as he did to us.”’

‘«¢T think he saw there was no fear of our repeating what he
said, Surajah. He is a frank, outspoken old soldier, and has
evidently been so disgusted at the treatment of the prisoners
that he could not mince his words ; and yet you know he did
not absolutely say that he had no prisoners.’’

‘*No; I noticed that he did not reply directly to your
question.’’

«¢On the contrary, he distinctly hesitated before he spoke.
Now, why should he have done that? He might just as well
have said, ‘No, I have no prisoners; they are only sent up
here for execution.’ That would have been his natural answer.
Instead of that he hesitated and then began, ‘I don’t want
any of them here; batches are sent up sometimes from Ban-
galore.’ Now, why did he shirk the question? If it had been
any other subject I might not have noticed that he had not
really answered it, but of course, as it was so important a one
I was listening most anxiously for his reply, and noticed his
246 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

hesitation at once, and that he gave no direct answer at all.
Now, think it over, Surajah : why should he have hesitated,
and why should he have turned the question off without answer-
ing it, unless there had been some reason? And if so, what
could the reason be?”’

Surajah had no suggestion to make, and they rode on for
some distance in silence.

«Tt is quite evident,’’ Dick went on, after a long pause,
‘that he is a kind-hearted man, and that he objects alto-
gether to Tippoo’s cruelty to the prisoners ; therefore, if he
had any captives, his reason for not answering was most likely
a kindly one.”’

‘¢ Yes, I should think so.”

“¢ You see, he would consider that we should report to the
sultan all particulars we had gathered about the fortress. His
remarks about the execution of the prisoners and the worth-
lessness of the Chelah battalions, and so on, was a private con-
versation, and was only a matter of opinion. But supposing
he had had some prisoners and had said so, we might, for
anything he knew, have had orders to inspect them, and to
report about them as well as about the garrisons and defences.”’

‘© Yes, he might have thought that,”’ Surajah agreed ; ‘* but
after all, why should he mind that ? =

Dick did not answer for some time ; he was trying to think
it out. Presently he reined in his horse suddenly.

«« This might be the reason,’’ he said excitedly. ‘‘ This gov-
ernor may be the very one who we heard had taken my father
with him when he was moved from that fort up in the north.
He was in command at Kistnagherry before he came here,
after the war, and he may have gone to Kistnagherry from
that fort in the north. You see there have been executions,
but they have been those of fresh batches sent up, and the
governor would not include the captive he had brought with
him. In time, his very existence may have been forgotten,
and he may still be living there. ‘That would account for the
A SURPRISE 247

governor’s objection to answering the question, as he would be
sure that, did Tippoo hear there was a prisoner there, he would
send orders for him to be executed at once. This may be all
fancy, Surajah, but I cannot think of any other reason why he
should have shirked my question.”’

He took up the reins again, and the horse at once started
forward. They rode for some little time in silence, Dick

thinking the matter over again and again, and becoming more
and more convinced he was right, except that, as he admitted
to himself, the prisoner whom the governor wished to shield
might not be his father.

He was roused at last by Surajah asking the question, ‘‘ Is
there anything that you would like us to do? ”’

«¢ Not now,’’ Dick replied ; ‘‘ we could not go back again.
We must visit the other forts on our list, and see what we can
find out there. When we have quite assured ourselves that
my father is not in any of them, we can think this over again ;
but at present we must put it aside. However, I sha’n’t rest
until I get to the bottom of it.’’

During the next ten days they inspected the forts of
Navandroog, Sundradroog, Outradroog, and Chitteldroog.
Few of these were as extensive, and none so strong, as Savan-
droog. They did the official part of their business, and as-
sured themselves that no English captives were contained in
any of them. The governors all said that prisoners were never
kept there many days, and that it was only when Tippoo
wished to get rid of them that they were sent there. None of
the governors made any objection to answering Dick’s ques-
tions on the subject, generally adding an expression of satis-
faction that prisoners were never left long under their charge.

<¢It entails a lot of trouble,’’ the governor of Outradroog
said; ‘‘they have to be watched incessantly, and one never
feels certain they may not slip away. Look at this place.
You would think that no one could make his escape ; and yet,
some ten years ago, fourteen of them got away from here.
248 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

They slid down a precipice, where no one would have thought
a human being could have got down alive. They were all of
them retaken, except one, and executed the following day ;
but the sultan was so furious that, although it was no fault
of the governor, who had sentries placed everywhere, he sent
for him to Seringapatam and threw him to the tigers, de-
claring that there must have been treachery at work. You
may be sure that I have no desire to hold English prisoners
after that, and, when they have been sent here, have been glad
indeed when orders came for their execution.

‘© A good many were ordered to be starved to death. But I
never waited for that; it took too long. Do what I could,
the guards would smuggle in pieces of bread, and they lingered
on for weeks ; so that it was more merciful to finish with them
at once, besides making me feel comfortable at the knowledge
that there was no chance of their making their escape. There
were sentries at their doors, as well as on the walls when
the fourteen I have told you about escaped, but they dug
a passage out at the back of their hut, chose a very dark
night, and it was only when the sound of some stones, that
they dislodged as they scrambled down the precipice, gave the
alarm to the sentries, that their escape was discovered.

‘‘No, I do not want any prisoners up here, and when they
do come there is no sleep for me until I get the order to
execute them. But they do not often come now. Most of the
prisoners who were not given up have been killed since, and
there are not many of them left.”’

Upon finishing their round, they returned to Seringapatam,
where Dick drew up a full report of the result of their investiga-
tions. The sultan himself went through it with them, questioned
them closely, cut off a good many of the items, and gave orders
that the other demands should be complied with, and the guns
and ammunition sent off at once to the various forts, from the
great arsenal at the capital. Dick was depressed at the result
of their journey. His hopes had fallen lower and lower, as,
A SURPRISE 249

at each fort they visited, he heard the same story—that all
prisoners sent up to the mountain-fortresses had, in a short
time, been put to death. It was possible, of course, that his
father might still be at one of the towns where new levies
had been drilled, but he had not, from the first, thought it
likely that a merchant-sailor would be put to this work; and
had it not been that he clung to the belief that there was a
prisoner at Savandroog, and that that prisoner was his father,
he would have begun to despair.

It was true that there were still many hill-forts scattered
about the country unvisited, but there seemed no reason why
any of the prisoners should have been allowed to survive
in these forts, when they had all been put to death in those
they had visited, among which were the places that had been
most used as prisons.

««] would give it up,’’ he said to Surajah, ‘‘ were it not that,
in the first place, it would almost break my mother’s heart.
Her conviction that my father is still alive has never been
shaken; it has supported her all these years, and I believe
that were I to return and tell her that it was no longer
possible to hope, her faith would still be unshaken. She
would still think of him as pining in some dungeon, and
would consider that I had given up the search from faint-
heartedness. That is my chief reason. But I own that I am
almost as much influenced by my own conviction that he is in
Savandroog. I quite admit that I can give no reason what-
ever why, if there is a prisoner there, it should be my father,
and yet I cannot get it out of my mind that it is he. I
suppose it is because I have the conviction that I believe in
it. Why should I have that impression so strongly, if it were
not a true one? I tell myself that it is absurd, that I have
no real grounds to go upon, and yet that does not shake my
faith in the slightest. It is perhaps because we have been so
fortunate. Altogether everything has turned out so favour-
ably that I can’t help thinking he is alive and that I shall
250 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

find him. What do you think, Surajah? Ought we to give
it up?”

“Why should we?” Surajah replied stoutly. “I think
you are right, and that we are destined to find your father.
There is no hurry. We have not been anything like so long
a time as we expected to be, and Fortune has, as you say,
befriended us wonderfully. We are well off here; we have
positions of honour. For myself, I could wish for nothing
better.”’

‘‘Well, at any rate we will wait for a time,’’ Dick said;
‘‘we may be sent to Savandroog again, and if so I will not
leave the place until I find out from the governor whether he
has still a prisoner, and if so, manage to obtain a sight of
him.”’

The next day Dick was informed by the chamberlain that
the officer who was in charge of the wild beasts had fallen into
disgrace, and that the sultan had appointed him to the charge.
Dick was well pleased in some respects. The work would suit
him much better than examining stores and seeing that the
servants of the Palace did their duty ; but, on the other hand,
it lessened his chance of being sent to Savandroog again.
However, there was no choice in the matter, and Surajah
cheered him by saying,—

‘You must not mind, Dick. Has not everything turned
out for the best? And you may be sure that this will turn out
so also.”’

It was indeed but two days later that Dick congratulated
himself upon the change, for Surajah was sent by Tippoo with
an order for the execution of four English prisoners. Dick
knew nothing of the matter until Surajah, on his return, told
him that he had been obliged to stop and see the orders carried
out, by poison being forced down the unfortunate officers’
throats.

‘Tt was horrible,’’ he said, with tears in his eyes.

‘* Horrible! ’’ Dick repeated. «‘ Thank God I have been put


he
we
ay





















FOR SAVING HER LIFE,

DICK

THE WHITE SLAVE-GIRL THANKS
A SURPRISE 251

to other work, for I feel that I could not have done it. And
yet to have refused to carry out the tyrant’s orders would
have meant death to us both, while it would not have saved
the lives of these poor fellows. Anyhow, I would not have done
it. As soon as I had received the order I would have come to
you and we would have mounted and ridden off together, and
taken our chance.’’

‘Let us talk of something else,’’ Surajah said. ‘‘ Are the
beasts all in good health? ”’

‘¢As well as they can be when they are fed so badly and
so miserably cooped up. I madea great row this morning, and
have kept the men at work all day in cleaning out the places;
they were all in a horrible state, and before I could get the
work done I had to threaten to report the whole of them to
Tippoo, and they knew what would come of that. I told
Fazli last night that the beasts must have more flesh, and got
an order from him that all the bones from the kitchens should
be given to them.”’

That evening when Dick, on his way to the apartments of
one of the officers, was going along a corridor that skirted the
portion of the Palace occupied by the zenana, a figure came
out suddenly from behind the drapery of a door, dropped on
her knees beside him, and seizing his hand pressed it to her
forehead. It was to all appearance an Indian girl in the dress
of one of the attendants of the zenana.

‘‘What is it, child? ’’ he said. <* You must have mistaken
me for some one else.’’

‘* No Bahador,”’ she said, ‘it is yourself I wanted to thank.
One of the other attendants saw you go along this corridor
some time ago, and ever since I have watched here of an
evening, whenever I could get away unobserved, in hopes of
seeing you. It was I, my lord, whom the tiger was standing
over when you came to our rescue; I was not greatly hurt,
for I was pushed down when the tiger burst in, and, save that
it seized me with one of its paws, and tore my shoulder, I was
252 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

unhurt. Ever since I have been hoping that the time would
come when I could thank you for saving my life.”’

‘<1 am glad to have done so, child. But you had best retire
into the zenana. It would not be good for you or me, were I
found talking to you.”

The girl rose to her feet submissively, and he now saw
her face, which, in the dim light that burnt in the corridor,
he had not hitherto noticed.

«« Why,’’ he exclaimed, with a start, “* you are English !”’

‘Yes, Sahib; I was brought here eight years ago ; I am
fourteen now. ‘There were other English girls here then, but
they were all older than me, and have been given away to
officers of the sultan. I am afraid I shall be too, ere long. I
have dreaded itso much! But oh, Sahib, you are a favourite
of the sultan; if he would but give me to you, I should not
mind so much.”

Dick was about to reply when he heard a distant foot-
fall.

“Go in,’? he exclaimed. ‘‘ Some one is coming. I will
speak to you again in a day or two.”’

When he returned to his room, he told Surajah what had
happened.

‘Tt will, at any rate, give me a fresh interest here,’’ he
said. «It is terrible to think that a young English girl should
be in Tippoo’s power, and that he can give her, whenever he
likes, to one of his creatures. Of course, according to our
English notions, she is still but a young girl, but as your peo-
ple out here marry when the girls are but of the age of this
child, it is different altogether.’’

«« She does not suspect that you are English ? 2

‘©No. As I told you, I had only just discovered that she
was so when I heard a footstep in the distance. But I shall
~ see her again to-morrow or next day.”’

«You will be running a great risk,’’ Surajah said gravely.
«‘ Not much risk, I think,’’ Dick replied. ‘‘ She is only a
A SURPRISE 253

little slave girl, and as the tiger was standing over her when I
fired, no doubt I did save her life, and it would be natural
enough that she would, on meeting me, speak to me and ex-
press her thanks.’’

«¢ That would be a good excuse,’’ Surajah agreed. <‘‘ Buta
suspicious tyrant like Tippoo might well insist that this was
only a pretence, and that the girl was really giving you a letter
or message from one of the inmates of the zenana.’’

Dick was silent for atime. ‘I will be very careful,’’ he
said. ‘I must certainly see her again, and it seems to me at
present that whatever risk there may be, I must try to save
this poor girl from the fate that awaits her. I cannot conceal
from myself that, however much I may refuse to admit it,
the hopes of my finding and saving my father are faint indeed ;
and although this girl is nothing to me, I should feel that my
mission had not been an entire failure if we could take her
home with us and restore her to her friends.

“No, I don’t think,’’ he went on, in answer to a grave
shake of Surajah’s head, ‘‘ that it would add to our danger in
getting away. We know that if we try to escape and are
caught, our lives will be forfeited in any case, and if she were
disguised as a boy, we could travel with her without attracting
any more observation than we should alone. She would not
be missed for hours after she had left, and there would be no
reason whatever for connecting her departure with ours. I
don’t say, Surajah, that I have made up my mind about it—
of course it has all come fresh to me, and I have not had time
to think it over in any way ; still, it does seem to me that when
the time for our leaving comes, whether we ride off openly as
Tippoo’s officers or whether we go off in disguise, there ought
to be no very great difficulty in taking her away with us. You
see that yourself, don’t you? ”’

‘¢T can’t give any opinion about it at present,’’ Surajah
replied. ‘ ever we may go, but I don’t say it cannot be managed.”’

a
254 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

«JT should think not, Surajah, and it would be worth doing,
however great the difficulties might be. Just think of the
grief that her parents must feel at her loss, and the joy when
she is restored to them. You see, it would be no great loss
of time if we were obliged to take her down to ‘Tripataly
first, and then come back again to renew our search. It would
take but a week going and returning, and now that the
passes are all open to us, the difficulties would be nothing to
what they were when we went back after our scouting expedi-
tion. Besides, at that time they were more vigilant all along
the frontier than they will be now, because there was war be-
tween the two countries, and Tippoo was anxious that no news
of his movements should be taken down. ‘There is no talk of
war now, for though Tippoo makes no disguise of his fury at
his losses, especially at Coorg being taken from him, and is
evidently bent upon fighting again, it will take a very long
time to get his army into an efficient state, to repair his for-
tresses, to complete all the new works of defence he is getting
up here, and to restore the confidence of his soldiers.

«¢T should think it will be fully four or five years before he
is ready to fight again. At any rate, if we once get well away
from here with the girl, we ought to have no difficulty in get-
ting across the frontier ; it would mean but a fortnight lost in
the search for my father, and, anyhow, we are not making any
progress that way as long as we stop here. The only draw-
back would be, so far as I can see, that we should lose the
benefit of our official positions, but unless we happen to be
sent off with orders to other hill-forts, that position will only
hamper our movements ; besides, we should still have our
badges of office and Tippoo’s official orders to the governors.
Possibly the news that we had disappeared might reach the
governors of some of the forts in this neighborhood, but it
would not be likely to travel very far. His officers so fre-
quently fall into disgrace, and are either killed or thrown to
the tigers, that the fact of our being missing would scarce ex-
A SURPRISE 255

cite a remark, and those who heard of it would suppose that
we had either been secretly made away with, or that, having
learned that Tippoo was displeased with us, we had fled.”

Surajah nodded. His confidence in his leader was com-
plete, and he was always ready to follow unquestioningly.

‘There is one thing, Surajah,’’ Dick concluded: ‘ this
state of things cannot last much longer anyhow, for next time
it might be me he ordered to see to the execution of an English
prisoner, and that would mean that I should, as soon as I re-
ceived the command, make a bolt for it. So you see our stay
here, in any case, may not last many days. I would rather
run any risks than carry out such an order.”’

Two evenings later, Dick went down the corridor at the
same hour as that on which he had before met the English girl.
She came out from behind the hangings at once when he passed.

««I] knew you would come, Bahador! ” she said joyfully.
“¢T could see that you were as kind as you were brave, and
would have pity upon a poor little white slave !”’

«T have much that I want to say to you, child. This is not
a good place for speaking ; some one might come along at any
moment. How long can you be away without fear of your
absence being noticed ?”’

‘Not long now,”’ she said. ‘‘In the morning I am sent out
on messages, and could meet you anywhere.”

«‘ Very well; I will remain in my room all the morning to-
morrow, and if you do not come then, I will stay in next uay.”’

«
He then gave her full instructions how to find his room, and
made her repeat them to him, in order to be sure that she had
them correctly. :

««Do you know my companion by sight ? ” he asked.

«Oh, yes ; I have seen him often.”’

‘Well, either he or I will be standing at my door. It is
as well that you should look carefully round before you enter,
so as to be sure there is no one in the corridor, and that you
256 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

can slip in unobserved. You may be sure that Iam asking
you to come for no idle freak, but because I have something
very important to say to you. I fancy I hear footsteps. Good-
night.”

Dick was sure that he and Surajah would both be at liberty
next day, for Tippoo had that morning started for Bangalore,
where a large number of men were at work repairing the for-
tifications and removing all signs of the British occupation
from the fort and palace. He was likely to be away for at
least a fortnight. As soon as Ibrahim had swept the room
after their early breakfast, Dick gave him a number of small
commissions to be executed in the town and told him that he
should not require him again until it was time to bring up
their meal from the kitchen. Then he and Surajah by turns
watched at the door. An hour later Surajah, who was upon
the watch, said, ‘‘ The girl is coming.” ;

There was no one else in sight, and when Surajah beckoned
to her she hurried on, and, passing through the curtains at the
door, entered the room. It had been arranged that Surajah
should remain on watch, so that should by any chance one
of the officials of their acquaintance come along, he might go
out and talk with him in the corridor, and, on some excuse or
other, prevent his entering the room, if he showed any intention
of doing so.

‘« Now, in the first place,’’ Dick said, as he led the girl to the
divan and seated here there, ‘‘ what is your name? ”’

«¢ My name is Goorla.”’

«© No; I mean your proper name ?”’

« My name used to be Annie—Annie Mansfield, Bahador.”’

«¢And my name is Dick Holland,’’ he said, in English.
She gave a start of surprise. ‘‘ Yes, Annie, IT am a countryman
of yours.”’

She looked at him almost incredulously, and then an ex-
pression of aversion succeeded that of confidence in her face.
She sprang from the divan and drew herself up indignantly.
A SURPRISE 257

«Please let me go,’’ she said haughtily. ‘You have saved
my life, but if you had saved it twenty times, I could not like
a man who is a deserter!”

Dick had at first been speechless with astonishment at the
girl’s change of manner and at her reception of the news he
had thought would have been very pleasant to her. As her
last words threw a light upon the matter, he burst into a merry
laugh.

“Tam no deserter, Annie. Save my friend at the door and
yourself, there is no one here who knows that I am English.
Sit down again, and I will tell you how I come to be here.
My father was the captain of an English ship. She was wrecked
on the west coast, and he was seized and brought up here a
prisoner, eight years ago. My mother, who is a daughter of
the late Rajah of Tripataly, who married an English lady,
taught me to speak Hindustani, so that when I got old enough
I could come out here and try to find out if my father was
still alive, and if so, to help him to escape. I had only just
come up here with my friend, who is an officer of the Rajah’s,
when that affair with the tiger took place. Then, as you
know, Tippoo made us both officers in the Palace. Of course,
while we are here we can do nothing towards finding out
about my father, and we should not have remained here much
longer anyway, and may have to leave at any moment. Since
you met me and I found that there was an English girl captive
here, it has of course changed my plans, and I feel that I could
not go away and leave you to the fate you told me of, and that
if possible, I must take you away with me; that is, of course,
if you are willing to go with us, and prepared to run a certain
amount of risk.

«Do not take on so,’’ he continued, as the girl threw
herself on her knees, and, clinging to him, burst into a passion
of tears. ‘(Do not cry like that;’’ and, stooping down, he
lifted her, and placed her in a corner of the divan. “ There,’”’
he said, patting her on the shoulder as she sobbed almost
958 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

convulsively ; ‘‘ try and compose yourself, We may be dis-
turbed at any moment, and may not have an opportunity
of talking again, so we must make our arrangements, in
readiness to leave suddenly. I may find it necessary to go
at an hour’s notice; you may, as you said, be given by Tippoo
to one of his favourites at any time. Fortunately he has gone
away for a fortnight, so we have, at any rate, that time before
us to make our plans. Still, it is better that we should arrange
now as much as we can.”’



CHAPTER XV
ESCAPE

NNIE MANSFIELD was not long before she mastered her
emotions. She had learned to do so in a bitter school.
Beaten for the slightest fault, or at the mere caprice of one of her
many mistresses, she had learned to suffer pain without a tear,
to assume a submissive attitude under the greatest provocation,
to receive, without attempting to defend herself, punishment
for faults she had not committed, and to preserve an appear-
ance of cheerfulness when her heart seemed breaking at the
hopelessness of any deliverance from her fate. For the last
six months she had been specially unhappy, for when Seringa-
patam had been besieged she had hoped that when it was capt-
ured her countrymen would search the Palace and see that
this time no English captive remained behind. Her dis-
appointment, then, when she heard that peace had been made,
and that the English army was to march away without even an
attempt to see that the condition for the release of captives
was faithfully carried out, had for a time completely crushed
her, and all hope had forsaken her.
Thus, then, while she had been for a moment overwhelmed
at finding that her preserver from the tiger was a countryman
ESCAPE 259

in disguise, and that he was willing to make an attempt to
rescue her, yet in a few minutes she stifled her sobs, hastily
thrust back the hair that had fallen over her face, uncoiled
herself from her crouching position in the angle of the divan,
and rose to her feet.

‘I can hardly believe it to be true,’’ she said, in a low
voice. ‘Oh, Sahib, do you really mean what you say? and
are you willing to run the risk of taking me away with you?”

<©OFf course I am,’’ Dick said heartily. ‘You don’t sup-
pose that an Englishman would be so base as to leave a young
countrywoman in the hands of these wretches? I do not
think that there ig much risk in it. Of course you will have
to disguise yourself, and there may be some hardships to go
through, but once away from here we are not likely to be
interfered with. You see, my friend and I are officers of the
Palace, and no one would venture to question us, as we should
be supposed to be travelling upon the sultan’s business. There
is peace at present, and although Tippoo may intend some day
or other to fight again, everything is settling down quietly.
‘Traders go about the country unquestioned ; there is plenty of
traffic on the roads from one town to another; and so long as
your disguise is good enough to prevent your being recognised
as a white, there is no greater danger in travelling in Mysore
than there would be down in the Carnatic.”’

Annie stood before him with her fingers playing nervously
with each other. Long trained in habits of implicit obedi-
ence, and to stand in an attitude of deep respect before her
numerous mistresses, she was in ignorance whether she ought
to speak or not. She had been but a child of six when she
had been carried off; her remembrance of English manners
had quite died out, and the habit of silent submission had
become habitual to her. Dick was puzzled by her silence.

«© Of course, Annie,’’ he said, at last, ««I don’t want you to
go with me if you would rather stay here, or if you are afraid
of the risk of travelling.’’

?
260 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

She looked up with frightened eyes.

«¢Oh, Sahib, it is not that ; I would go even if I felt sure I
should be found out and cut to pieces. Anything would be
better than this. I am not afraid at all. But forgive me,
Sahib, I don’t know how to thank you ; J don’t know what is
proper to say, it is all so strange and so wonderful.”’

<¢ Oh, that is all right, Annie,’’ Dick said cheerfully. “‘ Of
course you will feel it a little strange just at starting. Well,
in the first place, you must call me Dick, instead of calling me
sahib; and in the next place, you must talk to me freely, as a
friend, and not stand as if I were your master. While we are
on this journey together, consider me as a sort of big brother.
When we get down the ghauts I shall hand you over to the
care of my mother, who is living at present at Tripataly with
her brother, the Rajah. Now sit down again and let us make
our arrangements. When we have done that we can talk, if
there is time. Now, how amI to let you know if I have to
go away suddenly? Do you always get out at this time of a
morning?”

‘«‘ Not always, but very often. I always go down at twelve
o’clock, with some of the other slave girls, to fetch the food
and sweetmeats for the ladies of the harem.”’

«¢ Well, you must always manage, even if you are not sent
out; to look out through that doorway where you met me, at
eight o’clock in the morning. If we have anything particular
to say to you, Surajah,—that is my friend, you know,—will
be there. Which way do you go out from the harem to fetch.
the food? ”’

«Not from that door, but from the one nearest to the
kitchen. You go right down that corridor, and then take the
first turning to the right. There is a flight of stairs at its end.
We come out at the door just at itshead. At the foot of the
stairs there is a long passage, and at the end of that is a large
room, with tables, on which the dishes are placed in readiness
for us to bring back.’’ ~
ESCAPE 261

< Well, if it is necessary to speak to you at once, one of us
will meet you in the passage between the bottom of the stairs
and the room where the food is; if yousee one of us, you will
know that the matter is urgent, and as soon as you can possibly
slip away, you must come here. In the evening you had bet-
ter again look out from the door where you first met me. Now
as to the disguise: it will be better for you to go asa boy ; it
would be strange to see a girl riding behind two of the officers
of the Palace. You won’t mind that, will you?”’

“¢Not at all, Sahib.’’

«Not at all, Dick,’’ he corrected. ‘‘ Well, I will have a
dress ready for you here. You will find it in that corner, and
there will be a bottle of stain on the table; it will be only
necessary for you to colour your neck, hands, and feet, but you
must cut off your hair behind to a level with your ears, so that
none of it will show below the turban. You must do that of
course before you stain your neck, and must stain the skin
where you have cut off your hair also. Iam giving you these
instructions now, because when the time comes there may not
be a minute to spare, though of course I hope there will be no
desperate hurry.’’

«J understand,”’ she said, ‘and will look out for you three
times a day.”’

«¢ Of course,’’ he went on, ‘‘if you are suddenly told that
you are to be given to any one, you must slip out at once, and
come here. You will find everything ready for you to disguise
yourself, and you must do that at once and wait here till one
of us comes. Even if you are missed, it will be some time be-
fore any search is made, and it would be thought much more
likely that you had gone down into the town than that you
were hiding in the Palace, so there would be no chance of their
looking for you here before we return. Anyhow, we shall be
able to have another talk before Tippoo comes back ; we shall
be here every morning until nine, and if you are able to get
away again, come and see us. It will be better perhaps for
262 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

you not to wait any longer now; I suppose you have been
charged with some message or other, and it would not do for
you to be too long gone.”

The girl stood up at once. ‘* I have to go down to the
Pettah to get some sewing silk to match this;’’ and she drew
out a small fragment of yellow silk.

“Very well, then, you had better go and do it, or they
may think that you are too long away. Good-bye, Annie.
I hope that in another week or ten days at the latest 1
shall have you out of this;’’ and he held out his hand to
her.

She took it timidly, and would have raised it to her fore-
head, but Dick said, laughing,—

‘That is not the way, Annie. English girls don’t treat
their friends as if they were lords and masters ; they just shake
hands with them, as if it were two men or two girls.”’

<¢T shall know better in time,’’ she said, with a faint smile,
though her eyes were full of tears.“ I want to do something,
though I don’t know what. You saved my life from the tiger,
and now you are going to save me again. I should like to
throw myself down and kiss your feet.”’

«You would make me horribly uncomfortable if you did
anything of the sort, Annie. I can understand that you feel
strange and out of your element at present, but you will soon
get over that when you come to know me better. There, good-
bye, lassie, I hope to see you again to-morrow or next day,
and then you will be able to tell me more about yourself. Is
the coast clear, Surajah ?”’

Surajah looked out through the curtaisn.

«There is no one in sight,’’ he said a moment later.

\ The girl passed silently out and went down the corridor.
Surajah returned from his post by the door.

“The poor girl is shy and awkward as yet,’’? Dick said,
«but I think she will be plucky enough when the time comes.
You heard what we said; the first thing will be to get her
ESCAPE 263

disguise ready for her. What do you think? Had we better
take Ibrahim with us? I think he is to be trusted.”’

<< T am sure he is,’’ Surajah agreed; ‘‘he is a Hindoo of
Coorg, and was carried away as a slave six years ago. In the
first place, he will be delighted at the prospect of getting away,
and in the next, I am sure that he is very fond of you; but
there is no occasion to tell him that you are English.”’

‘No, it will be time enough to do that when we get over
the ghauts. It will be better that he should get the disguise.
In the first place he will know exactly what is wanted, and in
the next, it would look rum for either of us to be buying such
a thing. Of course we could ask Pertaub to get it for us, but
if we take Ibrahim with us he may as well buy it. We shall
want a couple more horses; these, of course, we can buy our-
selves, and saddles and things. When we have got them we
had better leave them at some place on the other side of the
river. Pertaub would help us there; he is sure to know some
one who will look after them for a few days. Then Ibrahim
and the girl can start together, go over there and saddle
them, so as to be in readiness to mount directly we come
along. We will stop at the wood and dig up the caskets ;
there is nothing like taking them away with us when there iS
a chance, and it is not likely that we shall come back to Se-
_ ringapatam again—it would be like putting our heads into a
tiger’s den.”’

When Ibrahim brought in the dishes for their meal, Dick
said, —

<¢Go down and get your own food, Ibrahim, and when you
have done come back here again; I want to have a talk with
you.”

They had just finished their meal when Ibrahim returned.

<‘Tbrahim, would you be glad of a chance of getting away
from here, and returning to your own country ?”’

‘¢T would have given anything to doso, my lord,’’ Ibrahim
said, ‘‘ before I was ordered to attend upon you. But I am
264 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

happy now; you are kind to me, and I should not like to leave
your service.”’

«But if 1 were going too, Ibrahim ?”’

«Then, my lord, I would go with you anywhere, if you
would take me.”’

«© Well, Ibrahim, we feel sure that we can trust you, and so
I may tell you that I think it likely we shall very shortly go
away. You know what the sultan is: one day he gives you
honours and rewards, the next he disgraces you, and perhaps
sends you into the ranks of the army, perhaps has you thrown
to the tigers. We do not care to live under such conditions,
and we mean in a few days to slip away and go to our friends
down the ghauts. You can come with us if you like.””

‘ Ibrahim exclaimed earnestly. ‘To go with you and be a free
man, and not aslave, would be almost too great happiness.’’

‘<¢ Very well, then, that is settled. Now, Ibrahim, we are
not going alone; we are going to take with us a young white
slave in the harem, and restore her to her friends. I want
you to get a disguise for her ; let it be a dress like your own—
long white trousers to the ankle, a shirt and tunic with waist-
belt, also the stuff fora turban. That you must wind in proper
folds, as she would not be able to-do it herself. I also want a
bottle of stain for the skin.”’

‘Twill get them, my lord. How tall is she? is

«¢ About half a head shorter than you are. She is about the
size of an average Hindoo woman.”

«¢ Shall I get the things at once, my lord?”

«Yes, you had better get them to-day; we may leave at
any time, and it is as well to have them in readiness. We
shall buy two horses, one for each of you, and have them taken
across the river. You can ride, I suppose? ”’

«©Yes; I used to ride when I was a boy, before Tippoo
came down and killed my father and mother and brought me
up here. Will my lord want me to take the horses across ? ””
ESCAPE 265

‘¢T will tell you that in the morning, Ibrahim. We are
going down into the town now to inquire about them, but we
shall not buy any until to-morrow, as we shall have to make
arrangements for them to be kept for us until we want them.”

They did not go out until it was dark, and then took their
way to Pertaub’s house. The old Hindoo was in.

‘ entered. ‘I have always fears that ill may in some way be- _
fall you.”’

«We are going to leave, Pertaub. Surajah had, two days
ago, to go up to see four English prisoners put to death at one
of the hill-forts. Next time I may be ordered on sucha duty ;
I could not ‘carry it out, and you know that refusal would
probably mean death. Moreover, we are convinced that we
have no means here of finding out what captives may still be in
Tippoo’s hands, and have therefore determined to leave. We
are going to take with us our servant Ibrahim, who is a slave
from Coorg and will, we know, be faithful to us, and also a
young English girl who has for eight years been a slave in
Tippoo’s harem. She will go with us in the disguise of a
boy; this Ibrahim is getting for us. We are going to buy a
couple of horses for them, and shall make straight down the
ghauts, where I shall leave the girl in my mother’s care.”’

“It is a good action,’’ the Hindoo said gravely.

«Now, in the first place, Pertaub, would you like to go
with us? Riding as we shall do, as two of the officers of the
Palace, it is not likely that any questions whatever will be
asked, and certainly we shall have no difficulty until it comes
to crossing the frontier.’’

“© No, Sahib; I thank you, but Iam too old now for any
fresh change. I have friends here, and have none below the
ghauts. Nothing save the rescue of my daughter from the
harem would induce me to move now, and of that there is
little chance ; she will by this time have become reconciled to
her fate, and would probably not care to escape were an op-
266 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

portunity offered to her. Besides, with only me to protect
her, what would she do elsewhere? A few months and she
might be left alone in the world.”’

“¢ As to that,’’ Dick said, ‘‘I could promise her the protec-
tion of my aunt, the wife of the Rajah of Tripataly. After
the kindness that you have shown to us she would, I am sure,
gladly take her into her service. And there would be no difh-
culty about a dowry for her; I would see to that.’’

The old man shook his head.

«¢ There could be no question of marriage,’’ he said ; ‘* but
should I ever hear from her that she is unhappy and I can ar-
range to fly with her, I will assuredly avail myself of your offer,
and take her to Tripataly, rejoiced indeed that at my death
there will be a shelter open to her. And now, can I aid you
in any way, Sahib? One of my friends, a merchant, could
get the horses for you without difficulty ; he has often occasion
to buy them for the purposes of his trade.’’

‘* Thank you, Pertaub. I had intended to buy them myself,
but doubtless it will be safer for somebody else to do so.
What I was going to ask you was to let me know of some
place on the other side of the river where the horses could be
kept until I want them.’’

«*That I can do, Sahib. JI havea friend a cultivator ; his
house stands by itself on this side of the first village—the one
half a mile beyond the ford. It is the only house this side
of the village, so. you cannot mistake it; it lies about a
hundred yards back from the road. I will go over and arrange
with him that when two horses arrive they shall be placed in
his stalls and remain there until one arrives who will say to
him, after greeting, the word ‘Madras’; to him he is to de-
liver the horses at once, whether he comes by night or day.”’

‘That would do admirably, Pertaub. Of course I shall
also want saddles and bridles. How much do you think it
will come to altogether? I do not want showy horses, but
they must be animals capable of performing a long journey
ESCAPE 267

and of travelling at a fair rate of speed —the faster the
better; we are likely to get seven or eight hours start at least,
but must, of course, travel fast. As long as all goes well I
shall keep the main roads, but if there is a breakdown, or an
unforeseen accident occurs, I may have to leave the road and
take to by-paths.’’

««The cost of such horses would be about eighty rupees each ;
the saddles and bridles another fifteen or twenty.’’

“«' Then here are two hundred rupees, Pertaub.’’

«« Have you given up all hope of finding your father, Sahib ?
I have felt so sure that you would be successful. It seemed to
me that such brave efforts could not go unrewarded.”’

‘°No, Pertaub, I have not given it up at all. I intend to
stay at Tripataly for a fortnight with my mother, and shall then
come up the ghauts again. That is another matter I want to
speak to you about. Of course we should not dare to return
to Seringapatam, and I think that we had better settle to go
to Bangalore. Could you forward our packs with the merchan-
dise to some one in that town?’’

«¢ There will be no difficulty in that, Sahib. ‘There are many
Hindoo merchants there who have been forced to change their
religion, and who have frequent dealings with traders here.
One of my friends will, I am sure, forward your goods with
the next consignment that he sends to Bangalore; that also I
will arrange to-morrow, and when you come in the evening will
give you the name of the trader there, together with a letter
from the one here, telling him that you are the person to whom
the goods are to be given up.’”’

‘¢Thank you, Pertaub. I don’t know what we should have
done without your assistance.’’

‘Tt has been a pleasure to me to be of use to you, Sahib.
I had thought my time of usefulness was over, and it has given
a real pleasure to my life to have been able to aid you. You
will let me know, Sahib, if ever you find your father ?’’

‘Certainly, Pertaub. I will in any case send word to you,
268 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

either that I have found him or that I have given up all hope
and have abandoned my efforts.’’

The next morning a lad brought Dick a message from
Pertaub that he had fulfilled all his commissions, and on
the following morning Annie Mansfield again came to Dick’s
room.

«« Everything is going on well, Annie,’’ Dick said, as he
shook hands with her. ‘‘ The horses have been bought.
There is your disguise in that corner, and we can start any
moment at a quarter of an hour’s notice. NowI want you to
tell me how you came to be brought up here.”’

‘“¢T have not much to tell,’’ shesaid. ‘‘ Yousee, I was only
six years old. I can remember there was a great deal of firing
of guns, and that lasted for a long time ; then the firing stopped.
I suppose the place surrendered.”’

«© Do you know what place it was, Annie?”’

She shook her head. «I do not know at all. I suppose I
did know then, but I do not remember ever to have heard
the name. I remember quite well that there were soldiers,
and father and mother, and servants, and many other people,
and every one was very miserable, and we all went together
out of a gate, and on each side there were a great many
natives with guns and swords, some on horse and some on foot ;
and there were elephants.. I don’t think I had ever seen one
before, for I noticed them particularly. We went on and on,
and I know one of the soldiers carried me. At night we
stopped somewhere. I think it was in a wood, and there were
fires, and we lay down to sleep on the ground. Then I woke
up suddenly, and there was a great noise and firing of guns, and
some one caught me up and threw something over my head,
and I don’t remember anything more for alongtime. Iknow
that presently I was on horseback before a fierce-looking man.
There were a good many of them, and when I cried for my
father and mother they said they would cut off my head if I
were not quiet.
ESCAPE 269

“fT do not know how long we were travelling, but after
the first day there was only the man who carried me and
another. I was brought here, and there were many people,
and I was vety much frightened. Then I found myself only
among women, and they took off my clothes and dressed me in
their fashion. I think I was very happy when I once got
accustomed to it. The ladies made a sort of pet of me, and I
was taught to dance and to sing little native songs. There were
other white girls here, and they were all very kind to me,
though they always seemed very sad, and I could not make
out why they cried so often, especially when they were beaten
for crying. As I grew bigger I was not so happy. I had
ceased to be a plaything, and little by little I was set to
work to sweep and dust, and then to sew, and then to do all
sorts of work, like the other slave-girls. The other white girls
gradually went away, the oldest first. The last two, who
were two or three years older than I was, went about three
years ago.

«At first I used to wonder why they cried so when they
went, and why the others all cried too ; but by the time the last
two left I had come to know all about it, and knew that they
had been given by the sultan to his favourite officers. There
were many white men here when I first came. When I
went out with one of the slaves into the town I saw them
often. Sometimes they would burst into tears when they saw
me. Then I used to wonder why, but I know now that I must
have reminded them of girls of their own, whom they would
never see again. ‘Then, till three years ago, there were about
twenty white boys who had been taught to dance and sing,
and who used to come sometimes, dressed up like women, to
amuse the ladies of the harem; but I heard that they were all
killed when the sultan first thought that the English might
come here. One of the slave-girls told me that it was done
because the sultan had often sworn to the English that there
were no white captives here, and so he did not wish that any
270 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

should be found if they came. I don’t think that I have any-
thing else to tell you.”

«¢ Well, I hope that what you have told me will be enough
to enable us some day to find out who you belong to. Evidently
you were in some place that was besieged eight years ago,
and had to surrender. The garrison were promised their lives
and liberty to depart. They were attacked at night by an
armed party, who may have been Hyder’s horsemen, but who
were perhaps merely a party of mounted robbers, who thought
that they might be able to take some loot. Most likely they
were defeated, especially as you saw no other captives in
the party, but in the confusion of the night attack, one of
them probably came upon you, and carried you off, thinking
you would be an acceptable present here, and that he would
get a reward for you from the sultan. Are you not noticed
when you go into the streets on errands?’’

‘*No; I always go veiled. Except the slaves who are old
and ugly, all the others wear veils when they go outside the
Palace, and we all wear a red scarf, which shows we are
servants in the harem; and so, even when the town is full of
rough soldiers, no one ventures to speak to us. Now tell me,
Dick—you see I have not forgotten—all about how you came
to be here.’’

Dick told her briefly how he had come out with his mother ;
and how, finding war had broken out, he had joined the
army ; and how, at the end of the war, having been able to
learn nothing about his father, he had come up with Surajah
to search for him.

‘And then you saw that tiger break in,’’ the girl said
eagerly; ‘‘ that was dreadful. I will tell you how it was the
tiger came to seize me. I was standing behind a lady, and
could not see anything. Suddenly they all began screaming,
and ran, some to one side some to the other, of the window,
and I, who could not think what was the matter, remained
where I was, when there was a great cry, and before I had
: ESCAPE 271

time to move, ot even to wonder, some great thing knocked
me down. It was only from the screams of the ladies, and
their cries of ‘ Tiger!’ that I knew what had happened. I felt
something heavy standing on me—so heavy that I could hardly
breathe; and indeed, I did not try to breathe, for I knew
many stories of tigers, and had heard that sometimes, when a
man shams being dead, the tiger will walk away and kill some
one else.

«The tiger was keeping up an angry growl, and I felt that
unless it took its paw off me I should soon die, when I heard
a shot, and a fierce growl from the tiger, and then the weight
was gone, and I think I fainted. When I came round I was
lying where I fell, for many of the ladies were insensible, and
every one was too busy with them to think anything of me.
When I got up, one of the other slave-girls who had been brave
enough to look out of the window, told me that it had been
killed by two young men, one of whom must have been the
one who had fired the shot in at the window. I went and
looked out, and saw it lying there. After that every one
talked, and laughed, and cried, and then the sultan’s chief
wife said that every one must make a present to the young men
who had saved us, and that each one ought to give one of her
best jewels. Of course every one did. I had nothing to give
except a little cross of gold filigree work that hung round my
neck when I was carried off; it had been hidden by my dress ;
the men had not noticed it, and they had not taken it away
when I was brought here. It was such a poor little gift, but
it was all I had.”

“‘T noticed it Annie,’’ Dick said; ‘there was a little flat
plate behind it with the letters ‘A. M.,’ and I thought then
that it must be some little ornament taken from one of the
Englishwomen Hyder’s troops killed. It is fortunate you
kept it, for it may be useful some day in proving that you are
Annie Mansfield.”

‘¢ Now I must be going,’

?

she said. ‘I was slapped and
972 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

pinched last time for being so long, but I have several things
to get to-day, so that if I hurry I can be back again as soon
as they expect me. Yeu have not settled when you are going
yet?’?

“*No; but we rather think of going the day after to-morrow.
It will be better to do so before Tippoo comes back, for we
might be ordered away so quickly as to have no time to make
arrangements ; besides, there will be ten times as many people
about in the Palace, and more guards at the entrances when
he returns. So, altogether, it will be better to go before he
does so. If we settle it so, I will come along past your door
to-morrow evening ; and if 1 say, ‘To-morrow morning,’ get
here as soon as you can in the morning, and directly you have
stained your skin and put on your disguise, we will start. My

servant, who is going with us, will act as your guide, and will
take you to the place where the horses are, and where we shall
join you almost as soon as you get there.”’

At the appointed time next evening Dick told Annie that
they should start in the morning. He and Surajah then went
down and said good-bye to Pertaub, and Dick gave him a
letter to his aunt, to give to her should he ever go to Tripataly
with his daughter.

“It may be,”’ he said, ‘‘ that neither Surajah nor I may be
there, but I shall speak to her about you, and of course tell her
how much you have done for us; so you may be sure of the
heartiest welcome from her.”’

“And you will also find a hearty friend in my father,
Rajbullub,’’ Surajah said. ‘‘He is principal officer in the
Rajah’s household, and will treat you as a brother, and your
daughter as if she were my sister.’’

Then they returned to the Palace, where they had a final
talk over the route that it would be best to pursue.

The nearest point to the new frontier was the territory
ceded to the English on the Malabar coast. But this would
entail a long sea voyage, and they therefore determined to
ESCAPE 273

make for Caveripatam, going by the road that led through
Anicull, and then through Ryacotta, which stood just outside
the line of territory ceded to England, and from whence a.
road led direct down the passes. Anicull lay nearly due south
of Bangalore, but the road they would follow would not be the
one by which Tippoo would return, as he would come by the
main road, which ran in a direct line between the two cities.

Ibrahim was informed of their plans, and was told to warn
the syce to get their horses saddled and in readiness at eight
o’clock, and that, as they were going for a long day’s ride,
he would not be required to accompany them—as he always
did when they rode only into the town, for then he might be
wanted to hold the horses if they dismounted and went into
a shop.

He was also to give notice in the kitchen that they would
not return to the mid-day meal, and that dishes for them
would therefore not be required. Thus it would be unlikely
that any suspicion would be aroused by their absence until
they had been gone twenty-four hours, by which time they
would be more than half-way to the frontier.

They went to bed at their usual time, and slept soundly, for
it seemed to them both that there was practically no risk
whatever to be run, and that they would be across the frontier
before any active search was made for them. Even when it
was discovered that they had left the Palace, it would be
thought that they had received some order from Bangalore,
either to join the sultan, or to go on some mission for him
that had occupied more time than they had anticipated on
starting. The idea that two officers, who were considered to
stand high in Tippoo’s favour, should desert, would scarcely
occur to any one.

In the morning they were up early, completed their slight
preparations, and took their early breakfast, reserving a por-
tion for Annie, who, they thought, would not improbably
have eaten nothing before coming to them.
274. THE TIGER OF MYSORE

She was a quarter of an hour late in arriving, and looked
somewhat pale and flurried.

“¢'They did not send me out this morning,’’ she said, ‘‘ and
so I had to stay until I could slip out without being noticed ;
but they may miss me at any moment.”’

«« That will be all right,’’ Dick said confidently. <* They
will search all the rooms in the harem for you first, and cer-
tainly won’t look for you outside until there has been a lot of
talk over your absence. But even if they do search, you will
be able in a few minutes to walk through the middle of them
without being suspected. However, we will lose no time ;
and to begin with I will cut off what hair is necessary. I
shall do it a good deal quicker than you would. Then we
will leave you to yourself, to stain your skin and put on your
disguise. When you have finished, clap your hands. Ibrahim
will come in and see that your disguise is all right, and that
your turban covers your hair ; then he will go with you. We
shall be waiting near the gate ; there is practically no chance
of your being asked any questions, but if you are, and there
is any difficulty, we will pass you through all right. Having
seen you on your way, we shall mount and follow you.’’

The operation of cutting off Annie’s hair to the line of her
ears was speedily done; then, with a few reassuring words,
Dick joined Surajah in the corridor. As they walked down it
he said,—

“J don’t like leaving them to themselves. Look here,
Surajah, you go down to the stable and mount at once; tell
the syce I shall come for my horse in a few minutes, then ride
out and take your post where you can see them come out of
the gate, and then follow them closely. 1 will stay here and
see them safely through the gate, and then mount and follow
you. Ishall overtake you before you get to the ford.”’

‘That will perhaps be safest,’’ Surajah agreed, ‘though
I should think there is no chance of her being suspected, seeing
that she will be with Ibrahim. Even if they met one of the
ESCAPE 275

Palace officers, and he asked Ibrahim who he had with him,
he could say it was a lad who had come to you respecting some
horses you had bought.’’

«¢ Ves, that would do very well.’’

Dick returned to Ibrahim, who was squatting down in the
corridor near the door.

‘‘T am going to follow you until you are through the gate,
and shall keep a short distance behind you. If you should
meet any officer on your way out, who may ask you who you
have with you, say he has come with a message to me from a
trader in the town. By the time you have told him that, I
shall be up.”’

‘¢ There is no chance of being questioned, my lord ; people
come and go all day.”’

«¢ That is so, Ibrahim, but one cannot be too careful.’’

They stood talking together until they heard Annie clap her
hands within. Ibrahim entered at once, and in two or three
minutes came out again with the girl. Ibrahim carried a
bundle.

“© Vou will do very well,’’ Dick said to Annie. ‘‘ I should
not know you in the least; you make a capital boy. What
bundle is that, Ibrahim? I thought you took our other
disguises on yesterday to the stable where the horses are.”’

<¢ Yes, my lord, I took them on ; these are the things she has
taken off. TI thought perhaps it would be better not to leave
them here, as, if they were found, it would be known that she
had gone with you.”

‘¢T don’t think it makes much difference, Ibrahim, but
perhaps it is as well to bring them away; we can leave the
bundle in the wood. Now go along; I will follow. Perhaps
I had better go first; keep a few paces behind me.”’

They passed through the long passages of the Palace with-
out attracting the slightest attention. Once or twice Dick
paused to speak to some officials of his acquaintance, the
others stopping respectfully a few paces away ; then he went
276 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

out into the courtyard and across to the gate, and as the
sentries saluted he stopped and asked them a few questions as
to the regiment they belonged to, until Ibrahim and his com-
panion, who had passed straight through, were well away. He
saw Surajah sitting upon his horse a couple of hundred yards
away, and then went to the stables.

CHAPTER XVI
THE JOURNEY

1 syce brought out his horse as soon as he saw Dick
approaching.

<¢ You need not wait up for us after nine o’clock,’’ Dick said,
as he mounted. ‘‘It is possible that we may be detained and
shall not return until to-morrow evening. If we come we shall
certainly be back by nine at the latest, and we shall not be
back before seven at any rate, so that until then you are free
to do as you like.”’

He rode quietly off, and did not quicken his pace until he
had got beyond the fort; then he touched the horse with his
heel and cantered down to the ford. Surajah was half-way
across the river when he reached it; the other two figures
were just ascending the road up the other bank. Surajah

checked his horse when he got across, and w aited till Dick
joined him.

«Shall we go on with them to the farmhouse ?’’ he asked.

«« We may as well do soas halt in the road ; besides, there are
the things Ibrahim took over yesterday, to put into our saddle-
bags. ‘here is another thing that I never thought of. Of
course, the girl has never been on a horse, and that may give
us a good dealof trouble. I wonder I did not think of it,
though if I had I don’t see that anything else could have been
done. We must see how she gets on, and if she cannot manage
THE JOURNEY 277

I must take her before me whenever we see that the road is
clear for a good distance ahead. Of course it does not matter
about country people, but if we see a body of troops coming
in the distance she must mount her own horse again, and follow
us at a walk. If we find that things don’t go well, we must
halt in a wood somewhere and ride only by night.”’

They cantered on now and overtook the others just as they
reached the farmhouse. The farmer was at his door, and
looked a little surprised at seeing two of the officers of the
Palace come up; he salaamed deeply.

‘“*We have not come to requisition anything,’’ Dick said,
with a smile, as he saw that the farmer looked alarmed as well
as surprised. ‘* We have only come for the two horses that we
have bought for our servants, as we are going on a journey.”’

“* Can I assist you in any way, my lords?’”’

‘¢ No, our men will saddle the horses,’’ Dick said, and, dis-
mounting, went into the stable with Ibrahim and Annie.

“You are not afraid of riding I hope, Annie?’’ he said.

“‘Tam not afraid of anything, Dick, so that I can but get
away.”’

‘* We will go quietly at first, anyhow. Mind, as you mount
put your left foot in the stirrup. When you are seated, carry
yourself as easily as youcan. The pony looks quiet enough,
but if, when we get fairly off, you find that you cannot sit com-
fortably, you must get up before me, and Ibrahim must lead
your pony. When we are fairly on the road I will fasten a
bit of rope to your bridle to act as a leading-rein, and you can —
_ ride by my side, unless we see people coming along; then you
must drop behind with Ibrahim.”’

‘¢T won’t give more trouble than I can help,”’ she said.

Ibrahim had taken some rugs over with him on the previous
afternoon, which had been bought in case they should sleep
out at night. When the horses were saddled Dick rolled two
of these up, strapped one on the high peak and the other on
the cantle of the saddle upon which the girl was to ride.
278 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

«¢ That will wedge you in pretty tightly,’ hesaid. ‘* Now,
Ibrahim, put the things into the saddle-bag, and then we shall
be ready.”

When this was done the two horses were led outside. The
farmer had gone back into the house, and Dick, helping the
girl into her seat, arranged the stirrups the right length for
her.

‘“‘Now,” he said, ‘‘you must keep your knees pressed
against the roll of blankets in front, and hold on as well as you
can with them, but the principal thing is for you to balance
yourself with your body ; don’t sit up stiffly, but as if you were
in achair. Now we will start at a walk. Ibrahim will keep
quite close to you, so as to be able to catch hold of your rein
should there be any occasion for him to do SOS4

Then, mounting, he and Surajah rode off at a walk, the
others following a length or two behind them. Dick looked
round from time to time, and saw that Annie exhibited no
signs of nervousness.

«*T am quite comfortable,’ she said, in reply to one of his
glances.

When they got into the road again Dick said, «« We will go
at an easy canter now, Annie. If you feel as if you could not
keep on, call ont, and we will stop directly ; but first come up
between Surajah and myself, and we will take the leading reins,
so that you will have nothing to attend to but holding on.”’

Two cords had been attached to the bridle before setting
out, and Surajah and Dick each taking one, they started again,
the horses instinctively breaking into a canter, which was their
usual pace. Annie at first grasped the strap of the rug in front
of her, but as soon as she became accustomed to the motion,
she let go. A small rug had been strapped over the saddle
before she mounted, and this afforded her a much better hold
than she would have had of the leather ; and as the pace of the
horse was a gentle one, she found it much more easy to keep
her seat than she had expected. Moreover, the fact that Dick
THE JOURNEY 279

and Surajah rode close by her side, and would be able to catch
her at once if she swayed in the saddle, gave her confidence.

<< Tt is much better than I thought it would be,’’ she said ;
‘it is quite a pleasant motion. I will go faster if you like.”’

‘¢ No, there is no occasion for that,’’ Dick replied.“ This
is the pace the horses are most accustomed to, and they will go
on longer at it than at any other. There is no fear of pursuit,
and we have all day before us.’’

After a quarter of a mile’s riding they came to a wood.

«© We must turn in here,’’ Dick said. ‘‘ We are going
treasure hunting; we hid those caskets that were given us
by the ladies directly after we got them, and we are going to
dig them up now and take them with us.”

They rode at a walk now till they came to a very large
baobab tree growing by the path they were following.

«« Here we turn off.”’

« There is a man there,’’ Surajah exclaimed, when they had
ridden a few yards farther.

Dick checked his horse. ‘‘ It is Pertaub,’’ he said, amoment
later, and in a minute they were beside the Hindoo.

«T could not sleep, thinking of you, Sahib,’’ the latter said,
as they came up, ‘‘so I came across here, partly to help you dig
up the caskets, and partly that I might see you and assure
myself that so far all had gone well.’’

“Thank you, Pertaub. You have, I see, brought a pick-
axe; it will save us half-an-hour’s work; and besides, I am
glad to say good-bye again. All has gone well; this is the
young lady.”’

‘¢ She is well disguised,’’ Pertaub said, bowing his head to
Annie. “« She looks so like a boy that, even now you tell me,
I can scarce believe she is a white girl. Truly you can go on
without fear that any one will suspect her.”’

Leading the way to the spot where the caskets had been
buried,. Dick looked on while Surajah and Ibrahim dug them
up. They were then wrapped up in rugs and strapped securely
280 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

behind their owners’ saddles. Then, after a warm adieu to the
kind old man, they turned their horses’ heads and rode back
out of the woods. After riding for three hours at a canter,
Dick saw that, although Annie still spoke cheerfully, her
strength was failing her, and on arriving at a wood, he said,—

«¢We will wait here till the heat of the sun has abated. We
have done very well, and the horses, as well as ourselves, will
be glad of a few hours’ rest.”’

He alighted from the saddle, gave his horse to Ibrahim, and
then lifted Annie from her seat. As he set her down on her
feet and loosed his hold of her, she slipped down on to the
ground. Dick and Surajah at once raised her, and placed
her so that as she sat she could lean against a tree. Here
Dick supported her, while Surajah ran and fetched his water-
bottle. Annie drank a little, and then said, with a nervous
laugh, ‘‘It is very silly of me. But I fell better now. My
legs seemed to give way altogether.”’

“‘It was not silly at all,’’ Dick said. ‘‘ You have held on
most bravely. I can tell you there are not many girls who
would have ridden four or five and twenty miles the first time
they sat on a horse. Why, I can tell you the first time I
mounted I did not do a quarter as much, and I was so stiff
I could hardly walk when I got down. I should have stopped
before, but you kept talking so cheerfully that it seemed to
me you could not be anything like as tired as I was then. I
was a brute not to have known that you must be thoroughly
done up, although you did not sayso. We have got some food
with us. Do you think you could eat a little?”

She shook her head. <‘‘ Not just yet.”

«Allright. I have brought a couple of bottles of wine I got
at one of the traders’ stores yesterday. You must take a sip of
that, and then we will leave you to yourself for a bit, and you
must lie down and have a good nap.”’

Dick took a bottle from his holster, opened it, and gave her
someinatin cup. Then one of the rugs was spread on the
THE JOURNEY 281

ground, with another one rolled up as a pillow, and then they
led the horses farther into the wood, leaving Annie to herself.

«« She won’t be able to ride again to-night,’’ Surajah said,
as they sat down, while Ibrahim took out the provisions that
he had on the previous day carried across to the farm.

“‘ No, I must carry her before me. We will shift my saddle
a little farther back, and strap a couple of rugs in front of it, so
as to make a comfortable seat for her. There is no doubt she
will not be able to ride again by herself. Iam sure that after
my first day’s riding I could not have gone on again for any-
thing. We won’t start until it begins to get dusk. Of course
she ought to have a good twenty-four hours’ rest before she
goes on, but we dare not risk that. I don’t think there is any
chance of pursuit for days, or, indeed, of any pursuit at all, for
by the time they begin to suspect that we have really deserted,
they will know that we have had time to get to the frontier.
Still, I don’t want to run the slightest risk, and at any rate, if
we have to. halt it would be better to do so fifty miles farther
on than here. When we mount again we will put the saddle-
bags from my horse on to hers, and Ibrahim must lead it. Her
weight won’t make much difference to my horse, and if I find
it tiring I will change with you. You may as well put your
saddle-bags on to her horse also.”’

“‘ Tt would be better, would it not,’’ Surajah said, ‘‘if you
change to her horse, which will have carried nothing ?”’

“¢- Ves, of course that would be best, so you had better not
shift your saddle-bags.’’

After they had had their meal they stretched themselves out
for a sleep, and when they woke it was already becoming dusk.
The horses had had a good feed, and were now given a drink
of water from the skin. They were then saddled again, the
blankets carefully arranged for Annie’s use, and then they went
back to the place where she was lying still asleep.

‘*Put the provisions into the wallet again, Ibrahim. We
will see if we can get her up without waking her; she is so
282 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

dead beat that perhaps we may doso. I don’t suppose she
would be able to eat anything if we woke her. I had better
mount first; then you, Surajah, can lift her up to me. I can
stoop down and take her from your arms, and put her in front
of me; she is no weight to speak of.”’

Very gently Surajah put his arms under the- sleeping girl,
and lifted her.

«© That is right,’’? Dick said, as he placed her on the blank-
ets before him, and held her with his right arm, with her head
against his shoulder. ‘‘ She is dead asleep.”’

The blankets were strapped on to the horses again, the
others mounted, and they started at a walk out of the wood.
As soon as they were on the road, the horses broke into a can-
ter again. Annie moaned uneasily, but did not open her eyes.
Dick drew her still more closely to him.

<< She will do now, Surajah,’’ he said, in a low voice. ‘* I
hope that she will sleep till morning.”’

Half-an-hour later they rode through Sultanpetta. It was
quite dark now, and although there were people in the streets,
Dick knew that at the rate they were riding, in the darkness,
the fact that he was carrying a lad in front of him would
scarce be noticed; nor would it be of any consequence if it
was. Even if they met any officer who should stop and
question them, it would suffice to say that the lad had been
taken ill, and that as their business was urgent, they were tak-
ing him on with them. Four hours later they passed through
Conkanelly, and crossed the bridge over a branch of the Cau-
very. Here Dick felt that his horse was flagging. Halting,
he dismounted, and lifted Annie down. This time the move-
ment woke her; she gave a little cry.

«¢ Where am I ?”’ she asked.

« Youare quite safe, child,’’ Dick said cheerfully. “‘ Just
lie quiet in my arms. We have come five hours’ journey, and
as my horse is getting tired, I am changing to yours. Ibrahim
is shifting the rugs that you have been sitting on.”’
THE JOURNEY 283

« to get down.

“You must be good, and do what you are told,’’ he said,
with a laugh. ‘‘ Remember that you are a slave, and I am
your master at present.”

She said nothing more until they were seated afresh, and
had got into motion.

‘Oh, you are good, Dick!’ she sighed softly. ‘* Only to
think of your carrying me like this for five hours, without
waking me!”’

‘«‘ Well, it was much better for us both that you should
sleep,’’ he said, ‘‘ and it is the horse that is carrying you, not
I. I have been very comfortable, I can assure you. We
shall go on for another four hours ; after that we shall hide
up in a wood, and sleep till the ‘afternoon. Then it will
depend upon you: if you can sit your horse, we shall ride
on through Anicull; if not, we must wait till it gets dark
again, and then go on as we are now. Are you comfortable,
child ?”’

“Very comfortable, Dick.’’ They were talking in Eng-
lish now, for the first time since they started. ‘I have al-
most forgotten how to talk English,’’ she said. “ We white
girls always used to talk it when we were together, so as not
to forget it; and since the last one went, three years ago, I
have always talked it to myself for a bit before going to sleep,
so as to keep it up; but it does not come anything like so
easy as the other. Still, I like talking it to you; it almost
seems as if I were at home again. You see, I have never
heard a man talk English since I was carried away ; even now,
I can hardly believe this is not a happy dream, and that I
shall not wake up presently and find myself a slave-girl in
the harem.”’

“Tt is pleasant to me to talk English, too,’? Dick said,
« though it is only a few months since I last spoke it. Now,
the best thing you can do is to try and get off to sleep again.
284 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

When we stop you shall have breakfast. I am sure you must
want something; you have had nothing since you ate a
mouthful or two in my room before starting.’

«¢ Oh, I have slept hours and hours!’’ she said. <‘‘I shall
not want to sleep any more.”’

However, before long the easy motion lulled her. off again,
and she did not wake until, at about four o’clock in the
morning, they entered a wood that was, as Dick supposed,
some three or four miles from Anicull.

‘¢ Well, how do you feel now?’’ Dick asked, as he set her
on her feet.

‘«T feel stiff,’’? she said ; ‘* but that will soon wear off when
I have run about a little. Oh how tired you must be after
carrying me all these hours !”’

‘«¢ There has not been much to hold,’’ Dick said with a
laugh, ‘‘ especially since we started the last time. Before that,
you were so dead asleep that I did have to hold you, but you
see you nestled up more comfortably when we changed horses,
and needed very little support since then.”’

‘¢ Now, what can I do?’’ she asked, with a little laugh.
«Please order me to do something. JI am your slave, you
know, and I want to be helping you.”’

‘¢ Well, then, I command you to aid me to gather some
sticks for a fire. We have nothing to cook, but it will be
cheerful, and the air is cool.’’

They picked up sticks while Surajah and Ibrahim loosened
the girths of the horses, took off their bridles, and poured out
another feed from the bag of grain they had brought with
them. Ina few minutes a fire was blazing, and the wallet of
provisions brought out.

“¢T wish I had a cup of coffee to offer you, Annie,’’ Dick
said, as he poured her out some wine and water, ‘‘ but we
must wait for that until we get down to Tripataly.”’

‘«T have forgotten all about coffee, Dick, and what it tastes
like. The white girls used to talk about it, and say how they














DICK POURS OUT SOME WINE AND WATER FOR ANNIE,
THE JOURNEY 285

longed fora cup. It seems to me funny to. drink anything
hot. I have never tasted anything but water that I can re-
member, until you gave me that wine yesterday.’’

‘It is very niceand very refreshing. There is another drink
that is coming into fashion; it is called tea. I have tasted it
afew times, but I don’t like it as well as coffee, and it is much
more expensive.’’

«« The sultan says that all the English get drunk, and there
used to be pictures of them on the walls. They used to make
me so angry.”’

‘‘T don’t say that no English get drunk, Annie, because
there is no doubt that some do; but it is very far from being
true of the great proportion of them. Tippoo only says it
to excite the people against us, because, now that he has made
them all Mohammedans, they cannot drink wine—at any rate,
openly. When I bought these two bottles, the trader made a
great mystery over it, and if I had not given him a sign he
understood, and which made him believe that I was a Hindoo
and not a Mussulman, he would not have admitted that he
kept it at all. He did say so at first, for I have no doubt
he thought that as I was an officer of the Palace it was a
snare, and that if he had admitted he had wine I should have
reported him, and it would have served as an excuse for his
being fined and perhaps having all his goods confiscated. When
I made the sign that an old Hindoo had taught me, hismanner
changed directly, and he took me to the back of his little shop
and produced the wine. I told him I wanted it for medicine
and that was quite true, for I thought it was a drug you were
very likely to need on your journey.”’

‘‘ How much farther have we to ride?’’ she asked, after a
pause.

‘Only about thirty-five miles—that is to say, it is only that
distance to the frontier. There is a road that is rather more
direct, but it passes through Oussoor, a large town, which we
had better avoid. It is not more than fifty miles from the
286 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

frontier to Tripataly, but once across the line we can take
matters easily and stop whenever you get tired.”’

«¢Tt will be all very strange to me, Dick. Isha’n’t mind it
as long as you are with me, but it will be dreadful when you
go. Iam afraid your mother won’tlikeme. You see, I know
nothing of English ways, and Iamoh! so ignorant. I cannot
even read, at least, very little. One of the girls used to teach
me from a book she had when she was carried off; it was a
Bible—she used to tell me stories out of it. But one day they
found it, and she was beaten very much for venturing to have
it; I am afraid I have quite forgotten even my letters; butshe
and the other girls used to teach me about religion, and told
me I must never forget that I was a Christian, whatever they
might do to me, and I was to say my prayers every night after
I lay down and every morning before I got up. Of course I
have always done it.’’

“¢ You need not be afraid of my mother, Annie. She is very
kind, and I am sure she will take to you very much and will
be very glad that I have brought you to Tripataly, for, you see,
she has no girls of her own. She will teach you to read and
write, and if we go back to England I daresay you will go to
school for a time, so as to learn things like other girls.”’

“IT can work very nicely,’’ she said ; ‘the ladies of the
harem all used to say that.’’

«¢ Well, you will find that very useful, no doubt.”’

‘« And what else is there to learn?’’ she asked.

“‘ No end of things, Annie—at least, there are no end of things
for boys to learn; Ido not know anything about girls. But
of course you will have to get to know something of history
and geography.”’

‘¢ What is geography, Dick? ’”’

«Well, geography is where countries and places are. For
instance, you know something of the geography of India with-
out ever having learnt it. You know that Madras and the
Carnatic lie to the east, and Travancore to the south-west,
THE JOURNEY 287

and Malabar to the west, and the Mahratta country and the
Nizam’s dominions to the north. Well, that is the geography
of this part of the country—that and the names of the towns
and rivers. In the same way there are a lot of nations in
Europe, and you want to know all about them, and where they
lie with respect to each other, and the names of their principal
towns. Then there are America, and Africa, and Asia, and all
the countries in them. If you don’t know about these things,
you can’t follow what people are talking about.”’

‘‘ And did you like learning geography, Dick?’’ she asked,
a little anxiously.

‘*Well no, I can’t say that I did, Annie. I think I used
to hate geography; it was very hard to remember where all
the places were, and what rivers they stood on. I know very
little about it now, except the principal towns and places.
But then, I never was very fond of learning anything; I was
a very stupid boy at school.”’

‘¢Oh, Iam sure you could not have been that, Dick,’’ she
said confidently.

“‘T was indeed, Annie. I think the only thing I could do
well was fighting. I was a beggar to fight—not because I used
to quarrel with fellows, but because it made me hard and
tough, and my mother thought that it would make me more
fit to carry out this search for my father.’’

“‘What did you fight with—swords?’’ Annie asked.

Dick laughed.

**No, no, Annie, when we quarrel in England we fight with
our fists.’’

‘« What is a fist? I never heard of that weapon.’’

“That is afist, Annie. You see, it is hard enough to knock
a fellow down, though it does not very often do that ; but it
hurts him a bit without doing him any harm, except that it
may black his eyes or puff up his face for a day or two—and
no boy minds that. It accustoms one to bear pain, and is a
splendid thing for teaching a boy to keep his temper, and I
288 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

believe it is one reason why the English make such good
soldiers. It is a sort of science, you see, and one learns it just
as people here learn to be good swordsmen. I had lessons
when I was twelve years old from a little man who used to
be a champion light-weight—that is, a man of not more than
a certain weight.”’

Annie looked doubtful for a minute, and then exclaimed,
«Ah, yes, I understand now. “That is how it is you came to

ur help so quickly and bravely, when the tiger burst in.”’

‘J daresay it had something to do with it,’’ Dick said, with
asmile. ‘There is no doubt that boxing, as we call it, does
make you quick. There is not much time to waste in thinking
how you are to stop a blow, and to return it at the same
moment. One gets into the habit of deciding at once what is
the best thing to be done; and I have no doubt that I should
not have seen at once that one must cut through the netting,
run to the window, jump on to Surajah’s shoulders, and fire
at the tiger, unless I had been sharpened up by boxing. I
only say I suppose that, because there were no doubt hundreds
of men looking on who had pluck enough to face the tiger,
and who would have gladly done the thing that we did if the
idea had occurred to them. The idea did not occur to them,
you see, and I have no doubt that it was just owing to that
boxing that I thought of it. So you see, Annie, it was in
a way the fights I had with boys at Shadwell—which is the
part of London where I lived—that saved you, and perhaps
half a dozen ladies of the sultan’s harem, from being killed
by that tiger.

«‘ Now I should advise you to walk about the wood for at
least an hour, to get rid of your stiffness. The longer you
walk the better. When you have tired yourself come back
here; by that time I daresay you will be ready for another
sleep. We will start about three o’clock, and shall cross the
frontier before it gets quite dark. Once across, we can camp
comfortably where we like, or put up at a village, if we should
THE JOURNEY 289

light upon one. I should not go far away from here,’’ he went
on, as the girl at once rose and prepared to start. «‘ Very
likely the wood may get thick farther in, and you might lose
your way, or come across a snake; so I should not go far
out of sight. The great thing is to keep moving. It is getting
broad daylight now.’’

As soon as Annie had started, Dick lay down.

“JT feel dog-tired, Surajah. This right arm of mine is so
stiff that I can hardly lift it. I did not feel it at the time,
and her weight was nothing, but I certainly feel it now.”’

‘* You have a good sleep, Dick. Ibrahim and I will keep
watch by turns.’’

*«T don’t think there is any occasion for that,’’ Dick said.
‘*No one is likely to come into the wood.’’

“Not very likely,’’ Surajah agreed ; ‘‘ but a body of travel-
lers might turn in here for a halt in the middle of the day, and
it would look strange were they to find two of the Palace
officers, and their attendants, all fast asleep.’

“¢ They would only think we came in for a rest a short time
before they did,’’ Dick said drowsily. ‘Still, if you don’t
mind, perhaps it would be best.’’

In two minutes Dick was sound asleep.

“‘Now, Ibrahim, you lie down,’’ Surajah said. ‘I will
call you in three hours.’’

In half-an-hour Annie returned. She looked pitifully at
Dick, and then seated herself by Surajah.

‘‘He must be tired,’’ she said. <‘It was too bad of me,
letting him carry me like that all night. I thought so, over
and over again, when he believed I was fast asleep, but I knew
that it was of no use asking him to let me ride for a bit. You
don’t mind my sitting here for a little, do you? I am going
away again presently; I only came back so soon because I
thought he might wonder what had become of me if I did not.
I could have gone on walking for a long time. It was very
hard work at first, for my back ached dreadfully, and every
290 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

step hurt meso, it was as much as I could do to keep on
walking ; but gradually it got better, and at last I had a long
run, and after that I scarcely felt it. How long have you
known him, Surajah ?’’ and she nodded towards Dick.

“¢Tt is about two years and a half since he came to Tripataly,
and I have seen a great deal of him ever since. I love him
very much; he is always the same; he never seems to get
angry, and is kind to every one.”’

‘Did he fight when he was with the army ?”’

“¢Not much. He was one of the general’s own officers, and
used to ride with the others behind him. He fought in the
battle before Seringapatam, for the general and every one else
had to fight then.’’

‘«« How is it you come to be always with him ?’’ she asked.

‘Tt first began when we went out on a scouting expedition
together, before the English army went up the ghauts. We
volunteered to find out, if we could, which way the sultan’s
army was going. We went through a good deal of danger
together, and some hard fighting, and the Sahib was pleased
with me; and since then we have always been together.’’

«« Tell me about that, Surajah ?”’

Surajah related the story of their capture and escape, of
their making their way through the fort, and the subsequent
pursuit, and their defence of the ruined hut. Annie listened
almost breathlessly.

‘* How I should like to have been with you,’’ she said,
when he finished. ‘‘ At least, I think I should have liked it.
I should have been dreadfully in the way, but I could have
sat down in the hut and loaded the guns while you were both
fighting. You could have shown me how to do it. How
brave of you both to have fought fifty or sixty men! ”’

“‘It was not so very brave,’’ Surajah said. <‘‘ We knew
we should be killed if they took us; there is nothing brave in
doing your best when you know that. But it was not so much
the fighting as arranging things, and he did all that, and I only ‘
THE JOURNEY 291

carried out his orders. He always seemed to know exactly
what was best to be done, and it was entirely his doing our
getting through the fort, and taking to the hut, and making
the loop-holes, and blocking up the windows, just as it was his
doing entirely that we killed that tiger. Whatever he says is
sure to be right, and when he tells me to doa thing I do it
directly, for I trust him entirely, and there is no need for me
to think at all. If he had told me to go up to the sultan and
shoot him in the middle of his officers, I should have done it,
though they would have cut me in pieces a minute afterwards.’’

‘J will go away again now,’’ Anniesaid, getting up. ‘‘He
told me to keep on walking about, and he would not like it if
he were to wake up and find me sitting here.”’

And she got up and strolled away again. By the time she
returned Surajah had lain down to sleep, and Ibrahim was on
watch. Annie was by this time tired enough to be ready for
sleep again, and, wrapping herself in a rug, she lay down ata
short distance from the others. It was two o’clock when she
awoke, and she sprang to her feet as she saw Dick and Surajah
standing by the fire, talking.

‘¢T was going to wake you soon,’’ Dick said, as she joined
them, ‘‘for we must have another meal before we start. I
hope you feel all the better after your walk and sleep?”’

‘«Ever so much better. I scarcely feel stiff at all, and shall
be ready to ride as soon as you like. How do you feel,
Dick?”’

‘Oh, Iam all right, Annie. I was all right before, though
I did feel I wanted a sleep badly ; and you see I have been
having a long one, for I only woke up ten minutes ago. I
own, though, that I should like a good wash. I don’t sup-
pose I can look dirty through this stain, but I certainly feel
so.”

‘« There is a pool,’’ she said, ‘‘a few hundred yards away
there, on the right. I found it the second time I went away,
and I did enjoy a wash.”
292 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

« smiling. ‘Well, I will go there at once. I shall feel a new
man after a bath.’’

«« T will come with you,’’ Surajah said—for he had learned
to speak a good deal of English during his companionship with
Dick.

‘They returned in half-an-hour. Ibrahim had warmed up
some of the chupatties over the ashes, and they all thoroughly
enjoyed their meal. The horses were saddled, and were taken
to the pool for a good drink. Then Annie was helped into
her saddle, and they started again. They rode at a canter to
Anicull, their badges of office securing them from any question-
ing from the soldiers at the guard-houses when they entered
and left the town. :

«¢T don’t know whether there is any post established at the
frontier,’? Dick said, as Annie, who had ridden behind with
Ibrahim as they passed through the town, took her place again
between him and Surajah. ‘‘I have no fear that they will be
erecting a fort, for after our capturing Bangalore and the hill-
fortresses they will know very well that nothing they could
build on the flat would be of the slightest use in stopping
an army advancing by this line. Still, there may be a.guard
placed there. How do you think we had better get past,
Surajah? We have still got the order to the governors of
forts, and it is likely enough that the officer in charge may not
be able to read. Very few of those we met before were able
to do so; the sight of the sultan’s seal at the bottom was
quite enough for them, and I should think it would suffice to
pass us here. Still, it would look suspicious our leaving the
country altogether, and we must give some explanation if they
ask us.”’

“‘T might say that we are charged with a mission to the
English commander at Kistnagherry.’’

«That might do, Surajah ; the fort is only eight or ten miles
on the other side of the frontier, and we might very well be
THE JOURNEY 293

sent on some message. A complaint of some of the villagers
that their rights have not been respected as agreed by the
treaty, or that they have been robbed by men from this side
of the frontier—there are plenty of things about which Tippoo
might be sending a message to Kistnagherry. The worst of
it is that Tippoo has not given us a mission, and I do hate your
having to say what is not true.’’

Surajah was not so particular, and he replied,—

“«¢ Well, he has given us a mission to visit the hill-forts, and
as Kistnagherry is a hill-fort it is not a very great stretch to
include it.”’

Dick laughed.

«¢That is ingenious, Surajah. Anyhow I don’t see any
better excuse for crossing the frontier, and so we must make
the best of it; but I hope we sha’n’t be asked at all.’

“¢T think if I say we are going to Kistnagherry, and then
show Tippoo’s order and seal, that will be sufficient; and
the story will be quite true, for we shall go by Kistnagherry,
as the road passes close to the fortress.’’

“Ves, that will be quite true, Surajah, and the officers are
not likely to ask any further questions. How are you getting
on, Annie?’’

«¢Oh, much better than I did yesterday,’’ she said. ‘I
would much rather not halt until we are across the frontier.
I am getting accustomed to the motion now, and am not at
all afraid of falling off. I daresay I shall be rather stiff when
we halt, but that will not matter then.’’

The sun was just setting when they arrived at a newly
erected house, round which ten or twelve tents were arranged.
An officer came out of the house as they approached. He
salaamed on seeing two officials of the Palace, wearing the
emblems of the rank of colonels. Surajah returned the usual
Moslem salutation.

«¢ We are going to Kistnagherry,’’ he said. <‘‘ Here is the
sultan’s order.’? ;

?
294. THE TIGER OF MYSORE

The officer glanced at the seal, placed it to his forehead,
and then stood aside.

«Will you return to-night, my lord? I ask that I may
give orders to the sentries.”’

‘«« No; there is no chance of our being able to be back be-
fore morning.’”’

He touched his horse, and then trotted on again. Nota
word was spoken until they had gone a few hundred yards,
and then Dick checked his horse, and, as Annie came along-
side, held out his hand and said,—

«© Thank God, Annie, that we have got you safely back on
to English territory.’

CHAPTER XVII
BACK AT TRIPATALY

NNIE’S lips moved as Dick announced that they had
crossed the Mysore boundary, but no sound came from
them. He saw her eyes close, and she reeled in the saddle.

«« Hold her, Surajah,’’ Dick exclaimed, ‘* or she will fall.”’

Leaning over, Surajah caught her by the shoulder, and
Dick, leaping to the ground, stopped her horse, and, lifting
her from the saddle, seated her upon a bank and supported her.

«© Some water, Surajah,’’ he exclaimed. Surajah poured
a little water from the skin into the hollow of Dick’s hand,
and the latter sprinkled the girl’s face with it.

«I have not fainted,’’ she murmured, opening her eyes,
‘< but I turned giddy. I shall be better directly.”’

‘Drink a little wine,’? Dick said. Surajah poured some
into a cup, but with an effort she sat up and pushed it from
her.

«« There is nothing the matter,’’ she said, ‘‘ only, only—
and she burst suddenly into a passion of sobbing. The spirit

2


BACK AT TRIPATALY 295

that she had shown so long as there was danger, had deserted
her now that the peril had passed and she was safe.

Dick looked at her helplessly. A girl in tears was a creat-
ure wholly beyond his experience, and he had no idea what
he ought to do in such an emergency. He therefore adopted
what was doubtless the best course, had he but known it, of
letting her alone. After a time the violence of her crying
abated, and only short sobs broke from her as she sat with
her face hidden in her hands.

«« That is right, Annie,’’ he said, putting his hand on her
shoulder. ‘+ It is quite natural for you to cry after the excite-
ment and fatigue you have gone through. You have been very
brave, and have not said a word of complaint to-day about
your fatigue, although you must be desperately tired. Now
try and pull yourself together. It is getting dark already and
we ought to be moving on to Ryacotta, which cannot be much
more than a mile away. You shall ride in front of me when
we get there.”

«‘T would rather not,’’ she said, getting up with a painful
effort. ‘I am awfully foolish, and I am so sorry that I broke
down, but I felt so delighted that I could not help it. You
said we could camp safely when we once got across the frontier.
Would you mind doing so? for I don’t think I could go much
farther.’’

‘Certainly we can camp,’’ Dick said cheerfully. ‘‘ But
we must get a little bit farther from that post we passed. If
they were to see a fire here they would be sure to suspect some-
thing. Isee a clump of trees a quarter of a mile on; we can
make our camp there, and I would rather do that myself than
go on to Ryacotta, where our appearance in the Mysore uni-
form would excite a stir, and we should have no end of ques-
tions to answer. ButIam sure that you are not fit to walk
even that distance. Now, I will lift you on my saddle and you
can sit sideways. There, I will walk by your side and you
can put your hand to my shoulder to steady yourself. Surajah
296 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

can lead your horse and his own, and Ibrahim can take
mine.”’ ;

In this way they performed the journey to the trees, and
then halted. Annie was lifted down and laid on arug. Dick
insisted on her drinking some wine, and then, covering her
with another rug, they left her and lighted a fire fifty yards
away.

‘* Look here, Ibrahim, put that whole chicken into the pan,
cover it with water, and let it stew. Don’t let it boil fast,
but just simmer until it falls all to pieces; then I will wake
her, ifshe has gone tosleep, and make her drink the broth ;
it will do her ever so much more good than wine, and she will
be all right in the morning, though no doubt she will be des-
perately stiff again. Still, it has not been a longer ride than
she had yesterday. J expect it is the excitement more than
the fatigue that ee upset her. To-morrow she must ride in
front of me again.’

An hour and a half later Dick went across at the cup full
of strong broth.

«¢ Are you asleep, Annie ?’’ he said when he reached her
side.

““No, Iam not asleep. There is so much to think of, and
it is such happiness to know that I am free, that I feel quite
wide awake; besides, you know, I have been asleep for hours
to-day, and I slept all night as I was riding before you.”’

“Then sit up and drink this hot broth; it will do you
good. And after that I hope you will go off; you won’t be
fit for anything to-morrow if you don’t have a good night.
You will have plenty of time to think as we ride along.”’

The girl did as she was told.

“Tt is very nice,’’ she said, as she handed the cup back to
him. ‘Oh, Dick, Ido hope that we shall find my father and
mother. I don’t want to for some things, but I do for others,
and most of all that they may thank you for all your goodness
to me, which I shall never be able to do myself.”’
BACK AT TRIPATALY 297

«* Nonsense, child!’’ he said cheerfully. ‘(I have done
what every one would do if they found alittle countrywoman
in distress. Ishould have gone away from Seringapatam any-
how, if I had not met you, and getting you down isa good ex-
cuse for me to go back and spend a fortnight with my mother.
Now get off to sleep as quickly as you can. We will see what
wecan do to make things comfortable for your ride to-mor-
row.”’

It was late when Annie awoke. The sun was some distance
above the horizon, and she saw her companions occupied with
the horses. Ina few minutes she joined them.

«¢T am ashamed at sleeping so long,’’ she said.

«« We were glad to find that youdid,’’ Dick replied. ‘If
you went to sleep soon after 1 brought you the broth, you
have had ten hours of it, and ought to feel all the better.”’

‘‘Tdo,’’ shesaid. ‘‘I am verystiff, but not so stiff as I was
yesterday morning. How you are both altered!”’

«©Ves. It would never have done to have gone on in our gay
dresses and Tippoo’s badges. ‘These are the clothes we came
up in, and we shall attract no attention whatever. You won’t
have to ride far to-day. It will be as well for you to keep to
your own horse until we have passed through Ryacotta, which
is not much more than half a mile away. After that you
must sit on this pad I have fastened behind my saddle. You
can sit sideways, you know, and put your arm around me, just
as ladies used to ride in England a couple of hundred years
ago.”’

As soon as they had eaten something they started, and rode
at a good pace to the little town. People looked at them some-
what curiously as they passed through the street, wondering
that they should have come from Mysore; but as they did
not halt, no one asked any questions. The population were
at present a good deal divided. The great majority by no means
regretted their change of masters. Some of the Mohammedans
had left when the place was taken over by the English,
298 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

and. had crossed into Mysore. Others had remained, and
hoped that ere long Tippoo would drive back the British,
and regain his former dominions. Before mounting, the rich
housings and the silver work on the bridles had been removed
and hidden among the rugs, and there was nothing beyond
the excellence of two of the horses, and the direction from
which they came, to attract attention. When well beyond the
town, they halted. The saddle-bags were all packed upon
Annie’s horse; Dick lifted the girl on to the pad behind his
saddle, and then mounted.

“Now hold tight by me,’”’ he said, ‘‘and mind, whenever
you are tired we will halt for an hour’s rest. We will not go
more than twenty miles to-day, and then it will only be as
much more down to Tripataly to-morrow. We will walk for
a bit until you get quite accustomed to your seat.’’

After a while the horses broke into a gentle canter. For a
time Annie felt very doubtful as to whether she could retain her
seat, and so held tight with one arm to Dick, while with the
other hand she kept a firm hold of the crupper. Presently, how-
ever, she was able to release her hold of the latter, and it was not
long before she was able honestly to assure Dick that she
felt quite comfortable, and had no fear of falling off. In two
hours they passed near the hill on which stood the fortress
of Kistnagherry, which had successfully resisted the attack
of the English, but above which now flew the British flag.
Skirting round the foot, they came, in the course of an hour
and a half’s ride, on to the direct road which they had left at
Anicull, in order to avoid passing through the town of Oussoor.
Here they came upon a large village, and Dick found no
difficulty in hiring a light native cart to take Annie, who was,
as he felt by the relaxation of her hold, unable to proceed
farther on horseback or continue straight through to Tripataly.
A thick layer of straw was placed at the bottom of the car,
a couple of rugs spread over it, and on this Annie was enabled
to lie down at her ease. The horses were fed and watered,
BACK AT TRIPATALY 299

and had an hour’s rest, and then they started for the last
twenty miles of their journey.

Annie had, while the horses were resting, a chat with a
native woman, and had gone into her house with her.
When they were ready for the start, she returned, dressed in
the costume she had worn in the Palace. It had originally
been intended to get rid of the clothes after starting, but Annie
had asked for them to be taken on.

‘ ‘ time dressed asa boy.’’ And Dick had at once fallen in with
her wishes.

The turban was gone, and her head was covered in the fashion
of native women, with a long cotton cloth of a deep red colour.
Where the road was good the cart proceeded at a fair pace,
but in the pass down the ghauts they could go only at a walk,
and the sun had set before they reached Tripataly.

Dick, seeing that Annie was growing very nervous as they
neared their destination, had ridden all the way by the side of
the cart, chatting cheerfully with her.

‘‘Why, Annie,’’ he said, ‘‘you look as solemn as if you
were just going into slavery, instead of having escaped from
tae

“It is not that I feel solemn, Dick; it is that everything
isso new and strange. Of course, after your saving my life,
I have never felt that you were a stranger, and as long as
there were only you and Surajah I did not mind, and I have
felt quite at home with you; but now that lam going to a
new place, where I don’t know any one, I can’t help feeling
desolate.’’

«¢ You will feel quite as much at home with them in twenty-
four hours as you have done with me, Annie. ‘You are tired
now and quite worn out with your journey, and so you take a
gloomy view of things. I will guarantee that before I go away
again you will be good friends with every one, and will wonder

?
300 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

how you could have thought it to be anything dreadful to
come among them.’’

When they got within a mile of Tripataly, Dick said,—

‘¢ Now I will ride on ahead, Annie, and prepare my mother
for your coming. It will be pleasant to have no questions or
explanations when you arrive, and I am sure she will carry
you straight off to bed and keep you there until you have quite
got over the effects of your journey.’’

He did not wait to hear Annie’s faint protest against his
leaving her, but telling Surajah to take his place beside the
cart, and to keep talking to the girl, he galloped on ahead.

He sprang from his horse in the courtyard, threw the reins
to a servant, and ran in. The party had just sat down to
their evening meal, and as he entered he was greeted by
exclamations of astonishment and welcome.

His mother had received two letters, sent through Pertaub
by traders going down from Seringapatam. In these he had
told her first of his arrival and of the adventure with the tiger,
and of his obtaining the post in the Palace; and in the second
of the non-success that had attended his visits to the hill-forts.
He had told her that he should probably leave Seringapatam
shortly, and continue the search, but that she must not antici-
pate any result for a long time.

‘‘ Well, mother,’’ he said, after the first embrace and greet-
ings were over, ‘‘I have left Tippoo’s service, you see, and am
no longer a colonel or an officer of the Palace. I have come
down to spend a fortnight with you before I set out again on
my travels.”’

“Has Surajah come back with you, Dick?” the Rajah
asked.

“‘Ves; he will be here in a few minutes with a cart. That
is one of the reasons why I came down here. I found among
the slaves of the harem a white girl about fourteen years old.
She is the daughter of a British officer named Mansfield, and
was carried away from her parents eight years ago; she was
BACK AT TRIPATALY 301

the only white captive left in the Palace. There have been
other girls in a similar position, but they have all, at about
fourteen or fifteen, been given by Tippoo to his officers, as
would have been her fate before long, so I determined to
carry her of with me, and bring her to you until we could
find her parents. She is a very plucky girl, and, although she
had never been on a horse before, rode all the way down until
we got this side of Kistnagherry. But as you may imagine,
the poor little thing is completely knocked up, so we brought
her down from there in a cart. It is something, mother, to
have saved one captive from Tippoo’s grasp, even though it
is not the dear one that I was looking for; and I promised
that you would be a mother to her until we could restore her
to her friends.”’

“Certainly I will, Dick,’’ Mrs. Holland said warmly.
«¢ Will you tell the girls, Gholla,’’ she said to. her sister-in-
law, ‘to have a bed made up for her in my room ?”’

«¢T will do so at once,’’ the ranee said. ‘‘ Poor little thing,
she must have had a journey indeed.”’

«*She will be here directly, mother,’’ Dick said, as his aunt
gave the necessary directions for the bed to be prepared, and a
dish of rice and strong gravy. ‘‘She is very nervous, and I
am sure it will be best if you will meet her when she arrives,
and take her straight to her room.”’

‘© That is what I was going to do, Dick,’’ his mother said,
with asmile. <‘‘ Well, I will go down with you at once.”

Two or three minutes later the cart entered the courtyard.
Mrs. Holland was on the steps. Dick ran down and helped
Annie from the cart. The girl was trembling violently.

‘¢ Don’t be afraid, Annie,’’ Dick whispered, as he lifted her
down. ‘‘ Here is my mother waiting to receive you. This is
the young lady,’’ he went on cheerfully, as he turned to his
mother. ‘‘I promised her a:warm welcome in your name.’’

Mrs. Holland had already come down the steps, and as the
girl turned towards her she took her in her arms and kissed
802 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

her in motherly fashion. ‘‘ Welcome indeed,’’ she said. «J
will be a mother to you, poor child, till I can hand you over
to your own. I thank God for sending you tome. It will
be a comfort to me to know that, even if my son should never
bring my husband back to me, he has at least succeeded in
rescuing one victim from Tippoo, and in making one family
happy.”’

The girl clung to her, crying softly. ‘Oh, how good you

all are!’’ she sobbed. ‘It seems too much happiness to be
true.’’
' Tt is quite true, dear. Come with me; we will go up the
private stairs, and I will put you straight to bed in my room,
and no one else shall see you or question you until you are
quite recovered from your fatigue.”’

“*T am afraid ” Annie began faintly. Shedid not need
to say more. Mrs. Holland interrupted her.

*¢ Dick, you must lift her up and carry her into my room.
Poor child, she is utterly exhausted, and no wonder.’’

A couple of minutes later Dick returned to the dining-room.
He had run down first to tell Surajah to come up with him,
but found that he had already gone to his father’s apartments.

“Well, Dick,’’ the Rajah said, as he entered, ‘‘I was pre-
pared, after hearing of that tiger adventure, and of you and
Surajah being colonels in Tippoo’s household, for almost any-
thing; but I certainly never dreamt of your returning here
with an English girl.’’

“‘T suppose not, uncle. Such a thing certainly never en-
tered into my calculations. I did not even know there was a
white girl in the Palace, until one day she stopped me as I was
passing along the corridor near the harem, to thank me for
saving her life—for it was this girl that the tiger had struck
down, and was standing upon, when I fired at him. Ofcourse
she had no idea that I was English. We only said a few words
then, for if I had been seen talking to a slave-girl belonging to
the harem, I might have got into a scrape. However, I saw


BACK AT TRIPATALY 303

her afterwards, and she told me about herself, and how she
was afraid that she would be given away ‘to one of Tippoo’s
officers. Of course I could not leave her to such a fate as that.
There was really no difficulty in getting her away. She was
dressed as a boy, and only had to ride with our servant after
us. We had arranged so that our absence would not be
noticed until we had been away for at least twenty-four hours,
and of course, as officers of the Palace, no one questioned us on
the journey, so that it isa very simple affair altogether, and the
only difficulty there was rose from her being completely tired
out and exhausted by the journey, as she was utterly unaccus-
tomed to travelling. I had to carry her one night in front of
me on my saddle, for she was scarce able to stand.’’

“¢T am not surprised at that. A journey of a hundred and
fifty miles, to any one who has never been on horseback, would
be a terrible trial, especially to a young girl. I really wonder
that she did not break down altogether. Why, you can re-
member how stiff you were yourself the first day or two you
were here, and that after riding only an hour or two.”

‘¢T know, uncle, and I should not have been in the least
surprised if she had collapsed. I talked it over with Surajah,
and we agreed that if she could not go on we must hire a
vehicle of some sort, and let her travel every day in front of
us with Ibrahim, and that if it delayed us so much that there
was any possibility of our being overtaken, we would have put
on'our peasant’s dresses, got rid of our horses, and have gone
forward on foot. However, she kept up wonderfully well, and
always made the best of things.’’

«We won’t ask you to tell us anything more, Dick, till
your mother joins us, or you will have to go over the story
twice.”’

“*No, uncle; and I can assure you I don’t want to tell the
story until I have had my supper, for our meals have not been
very comfortable on the road, and I have not eaten anything
since early this morning.”’
304 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

«« What is Tippoo doing, Dick ?’’

«« Well, as far as I can see, uncle, he is preparing for war
again. He is strengthening all his forts, building fresh de-
fences to Seringapatam, and drilling numbers of fresh troops.’’

‘«‘ The English general made a great mistake in not finishing
with him when he was there. We ought to have taken the
city, sent Tippoo down a prisoner to Madras, and there tried
him for the murder of scores of Englishmen, and hung him
over the ramparts. We shall have all our work to do over
again in another four or five years. However, it will not be
such a difficult business as it was last time, now that we have
the passes in our hands.”’

«¢ There is no doubt, uncle, that a considerable part of the
population will be heartily glad when Tippoo’s power is at an
end. Vou see, he and Hyder were both usurpers, and had no
more right to the throne than you had.”’

«Quite so, Dick, and that makes our letting him off, when
we could have taken the capital easily, all the more foolish.
If he had been the lawful ruler of Mysore, it might not have
been good policy to push him too hard, for he would have
had sympathy from all the native princes of India. But as
being only the son of an adventurer who had deposed and ill-
treated the lawful ruler of Mysore, it would seem to them but
a mere act of justice if the English had dethroned him and
punished him—provided, of course, they put a native prince
on the throne, and did not annex all his dominions.

‘Jt has all got to come some day. I can see that in time
the English will be the rulers of all India, but at present they
are not strong enough to face a general coalition of the native
states against them, and any very high-handed action in
Mysore might well alarm the native princes throughout India
into laying aside their quarrels with each other, and combin-
ing in an attempt to drive them out.”’

Just as they had finished their meal Mrs. Holland entered.

«The poor child is asleep,’’ she said. ‘*She wanted to
BACK AT TRIPATALY 305

talk at first, and to tell me how grateful she was to you,
Dick, but of course I insisted on her being quiet, and said
that she should tell me all about it in the morning. She ate
a few mouthfuls of the rice, and not long after she lay down
she fell asleep. I have left Sundra sitting there, in case she
should wake up again, but I don’t think it is likely that she
will do so. Now, Dick, you must tell us all about it.’’

Dick was not a great hand at writing letters, so he had not
entered with any fulness into the details of what he was doing,
the principal point being to let his mother know that he was
alive and well.

‘‘Before he begins,’’ the Rajah said, ‘‘I will send for
Rajbullub and Surajah. Master Dick is rather fond of cutting
his stories short, and we must have Surajah here to fill up de-
tails.”’

Surajah and his father soon appeared. The former was
warmly greeted by the Rajah, and when they had seated
themselves on a divan, Dick proceeded to tell the story. He
was not interrupted until he came to the incident of the
killing of the tiger, and here Surajah was called upon to supple-
ment the story, which he did, doing full credit to the quick-
ness with which Dick had, without a moment’s loss of time,
cut the netting and ascended to the window. When Dick
came to the incident of the ladies of the harem presenting
them, in Tippoo’s presence, with the two caskets, Mrs. Hol-
land broke in,—

‘“ You did not say anything about that in your letter, Dick.
Let me see your casket. Where is it?’’

“«Tt is in one of the saddle-bags,’’ Dick said.

««They are in my room,’’ Rajbullub corrected. ‘* Surajah
brought them up at once.’’

««Then he had better get them,’’ the Rajah said. ‘* What
do they contain, Dick ?’’ he asked, as Surajah left the room.

‘All sorts of things—necklaces and rings. Some of them
are stones, as if they had been taken out of their settings.
306 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

Pertaub said they had done this because they thought perhaps
that Tippoo would not allow the jewels they had worn to be
sold, or worn by any one else.”’ eS

‘¢Then I should think that they must be valuable,’’ the
ranee said.

««Pertaub said they were worth a good deal, but I don’t
know whether he really knew about the cost of precious stones.
Some of the things were of small value, being, I suppose, the
trinkets of the slave-girls. All gave something, and there is a
little cross there that belonged to Annie; it has her initials on
it, and she had it on her neck when she was captured. It was
the thing she valued most, and therefore she gave it. I don’t
suppose she had anything else, except the usual trinkets she
would wear, when she went out on special occasions with the
ladies of the harem. I thought it would be useful to us, to
prove who she was.’’

Surajah now returned with the caskets.

‘You had better look at Surajah’s first,’> Dick said. «I
don’t know anything about it, but it looks as if mine were the
more valuable. I wanted Surajah to put -them all together,
and divide fairly, but he would not.”

“* My son was perfectly right,’’ Rajbullub said. ‘If it had
not been for the young lord, the deed would never have been
done at all. Surajah aided in killing the tiger, but that was
nothing more than he has done on the hills here. It is to
you the merit is entirely due. The purse that the Sultan gave
my son was in itself an ample reward for the share he took in
it. Now, Surajah, open your casket ; the ladies are waiting
to see the contents.’”’

The whole of the little packets, some fifty in number, were
opened and examined, many of them eliciting exclamations of
admiration from the ranee and Mrs. Holland.

«There is no doubt that many of them are worth a good
deal of money,’’ the Rajah said. ‘It is certain that Tippoo’s -
treasuries are full of the spoils he has carried off from the
BACK AT TRIPATALY 3807

states he has overrun, and the ladies of the harem, no doubt,
possess a store of the jewels, and could afford to be liberal to
those whom they considered had saved their lives. Those
seven which you put together as the best must alone be worth
a large sum. I should think that the total value of the whole
cannot be less than forty or fifty thousand rupees, so that
if those in your casket are handsomer than these, Dick, they
must be valuable indeed.’’

Dick’s casket was next examined.

‘« Some of these stones are magnificent, Dick. Those three
great diamonds could only be valued by a jeweller accustomed
to such things, for their value depends upon their being of
good lustre, and free from all flaws; but according to my
judgment, I should say that at the very least they must be
worth ten thousand rupees each. That pearl necklace is worth
at least as much ; those rubies are superb. I should say, lad,
that the value of the whole cannot be less than fifteen thousand
pounds. The harem must be rich in jewels indeed to be able
to make such gifts. Not that I am surprised at that. Tippoo
had all the jewels belonging to the lawful rulers of Mysore.
He has captured all those of Coorg, Travancore, and the other
states on the Malabar coast. He and his father have looted all
the Carnatic from Cape Comorin to the north of Madras. He
has captured many of the Nizam’s cities, and several Mahratta
provinces.

“Tn fact, he has accumulated at Seringapatam the spoils of
_ the whole of southern India, and those of the Hindoo portion
of his own people. The value of the jewels alone must be
millions of pounds, and as he himself, as they say, dresses
simply, and only wears one or two gems of immense value, he
may well have bestowed large quantities upon his harem,
especially as these would be, in fact, only loans, as at the death
of their wearers they would revert to him, or, indeed, could be
reclaimed at any moment in a freak of bad temper. I have no
doubt they had to ask his permission to give you the presents,
808 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

and as you, at the moment, were in high favour with him, I
daresay he suffered them to give what they chose, without
inquiring at all into their value. The gold he gave you was
simply to procure your outfits, and he left it to the harem to
reward you as they chose for the service you had rendered.

‘“¢Well, Dick, I congratulate you heartily. It places your
future beyond doubt, and leaves you free to choose any mode

’ of life that you may prefer. I congratulate you too, Margaret,
on the lad’s good fortune, which he has well deserved by his
conduct. See this, my sons: here you have a proof of the
advantages of the training your cousin has had; the quickness
and coolness he has acquired by it enabled him to make his
way down through the fort at the top of the pass, and to
defend the ruined hut against fifty enemies. Now it has
enabled him to seize the opportunity opened by the attack of
the tiger on Tippoo’s harem, thereby gaining the Sultan’s
favour, his appointment to the rank of colonel in the Mysore
army, a post in his Palace, and this magnificent collection of
gems. Without that quickness and decision, his courage alone
would have done little for him. Wein India have courage ;
but it is because our princes and nobles are brought up in
indolence and luxury that the English, though but a handful
in point of numbers, have become masters of such wide terri-
tories. Surajah is as brave as Dick, but he would be the first
to tell you thatit is to Dick he owes it that, on their first
excursion together, he escaped with his life, and that in this
last adventure he attained rank and position, and has returned
with these valuable gifts.”’

“Tt is indeed, my lord,’’ Surajah said. ‘*‘ The young lord
has been my leader, and I have tried to carry out his orders.
Alone I could never have got through the gate in the fort,
and should no more have thought of going to the assistance of
the ladies of the Sultan’s harem than did any other of the
thousands of men who were there looking on.”’

“¢So yousee, boys,’’ the Rajah went on, “ that though when
BACK AT TRIPATALY 309

he came.out here your cousin was able neither to shoot nor to
ride, and can neither shoot nor ride as well now as can tens of
thousands of natives, he has acquired from his training in
rough exercises qualities of infinitely greater value than these
accomplishments ; and I do hope that his example will stir you
up to take much greater interest than, in spite of my advice,
you have hitherto done in active sports and exercises. Your
grandmother was an Englishwoman, and I want to see that,
with the white blood in your veins, you have some of the vigour
and energy of Englishmen.’’

It was some days before Annie Mansfield left her room. For
the first two she had been completely prostrated ; after that
she rapidly gained strength ; but Mrs. Holland thought it best
to insist upon her remaining perfectly quiet until she had quite
recovered. Either she or the ranee were constantly with her,
so that when, at the end of a week, she made her first appear-
ance at the breakfast table, she was already at home with
three of the party. Before long her shyness completely wore
off, and she seemed to have become. really a member of the
family. Mrs. Holland had altered two of her own dresses
to fit her, but she preferred, for a time, to dress in Indian
costume, to which she was accustomed, and which was indeed
much better suited to the climate than the more closely fitting
European dress. Mrs. Holland, however, bargained that she
should of an evening wear the frocks she had made for her.

‘« Vou must get accustomed to them, my dear, so that when
you find your own people you will not be stiff and awkward,
as you certainly will be when you dress in English fashion for
the first time.”’

The day after his arrival Dick had written to the military
secretary of the governor of Madras, with whom he was
well acquainted, to tell him that, having gone up in disguise
to Seringapatam to endeavour to ascertain the fate of his
father, he had discovered a young English girl detained as a
slave in Tippoo’s harem, and that he kad enabled her to effect
310 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

her escape, and had placed her in the charge of his mother.
He then repeated the account Annie had given of her capt-
ure, and asked if the circumstances could be identified, and
if the officer of the name of Mansfield concerned in it was
still alive, and if so, was he still in India? Annie was secretly
dreading the arrival of the answer. After her life as a slave,
her present existence seemed to her so perfectly happy that
she shrank from the idea of any fresh change. She had no
memory whatever of her parents, and had already a very strong
affection for Mrs. Holland.

She liked the ranee very much also, and the absence of all
state and ceremony in the household of the Rajah was to her
delightful. She was already on good terms with the boys,
and as to Dick, she was always ready to go out with him if he
would take her, to run messages for him, or to do anything in
her power, and, indeed, watched him anxiously, as if she
would discover and forestall his slightest wish.

‘*One would think, Annie,’’ he said one day, ‘‘ that you
were still a slave, and that I was your master. J don’t want
you to wait on me, child, as you waited on the ladies of the
harem. However, as I shall be going away in a few days now,
it does not matter ; but I should grow as lazy as a young rajah
if this were to go on long.”’

‘What shall I do when you go away, Dick?”’

‘¢ Well, I hope that you will set to work hard to learn to
read and write, and other things my mother will teach you.
You would not like, when you find your own people, to be re-
garded by girls of. your own age as an ignorant little savage ;
and I want you to set to and make up for lost time, so that, if
you are still here when I come back, I shall find you have
made wonderful progress.’’

“¢Oh, I do hope I sha’n’t be gone before that, Dick !’’

“Tam afraid you must make up your mind to it, Annie,
for there is no saying how long I may be away next time. You
see, there is not much chance of my lighting upon another
BACK AT TRIPATALY 311

white slave-girl, and having to bring her down here; and I
shall go in for a long, steady search for my father.”’

«‘} don’t want you to find another slave-girl, Dick,’’ she
said earnestly, ‘‘not even if it brought you down here again.
1 should not like that at all.’’

‘«< Why not, Annie?’’

‘Oh, you might like her ever so much better than me. I
should like you to do all sorts of brave things, Dick, and to
save people as you have saved me, but I would rather there
was not another girl.’’

Dick laughed.

‘* Well, I don’t suppose that there is much chance of it.
Besides, I can’t turn my uncle’s palace into a Home for Lost
Girls.”’

‘'wo days before Dick and Surajah started again, the reply
from the military sécretary arrived. It stated that the time
and circumstances pointed out that the place besieged and
forced to surrender, eight. years before, was Corsepan; and
this was indeed rendered a certainty by the fact that the officer
in command was Captain Mansfield. He had with him a
half-company of Europeans and three companies of Sepoys.
On looking through the official papers at the time, he had
found Captain Mansfield’s report, in which he stated that, on
the night after leaving the fort, the troops, which had been re-
duced to half their original strength, had been attacked by a
party either of dacoits or irregular troops. Fearing that some
such act of treachery might be attempted, he had told his men
to conceal a few cartridges under their clothes when they
marched out with empty cartridge-pouches. They had, on
arriving at their halting-place, loaded, and, when the dacoits
fell upon them, had opened fire. The robbers doubtless ex-
pected to find them defenceless, and speedily fled. In the
confusion, some of them had penetrated far into the camp,
and had carried off the captain’s daughter, a child of six years
old. When peace was signed with Tippoo, three weeks after-
312 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

wards, the commissioners were ordered to make special in-
quiries as to this child, and to demand her restoration. ‘They
reported that Tippoo denied all knowledge of the affair, and
neither she nor any of the other girls there were ever given up.
The letter went on :—

«¢ There can be no doubt that the young lady you rescued
is the child who was carried off, and the initials you speak of
on the cross may certainly be taken as proof of her identity.
Her father retired from the Service last year with the rank
of colonel. I am, of course, ignorant of his address. As you
say that Mrs. Holland will gladly continue in charge of her, I
would suggest that you should write a letter to Colonel Mans-
field, stating the circumstances of the case, and saying that as
soon as you are informed of his address the young lady will be
sent to England. I will enclose the letter in one to the Board
of Directors, briefly stating the circumstances, and requesting
them to forward the enclosure to Colonel Mansfield.’’

To Annie the letter came as a relief. It would be nearly a
year before a letter could be received from her father; until
then she would be able to remain in her new home.

CHAPTER XVIII
A NARROW ESCAPE

RS. HOLLAND undertook to write the letter to Annie’s
father, and did so at very much greater length than Dick
would have done, giving him the story of the girl’s life at
Seringapatam, the circumstances of her meeting Dick, and the
story of her escape. She assured him that his daughter was
all that he could wish her to be.
‘« She is of a very affectionate disposition ; she is frank, out-
spoken, and natural—qualities that are wonderful, considering —
the years she has passed as a slave in the harem. Now that
A NARROW ESCAPE 313

she has been with us for a fortnight, and has recovered
from the fatigue of her flight, and is beginning to feel at
home, she has regained her natural spirits after their long re-
pression.

«« Personally she is of about the average height, and of a more
graceful figure than is usual with girls of her age. The stain
has now worn off her face, and I should say she will, as she
grows up, be pretty. She is fair rather than dark, has
expressive eyes and a nice mouth. Altogether, had I a
daughter, I should be well content if she resembled your
Annie. I shall, I can assure you, do my best to supply the
place of a mother to her until I receive a letter from you, and
shall part from her with regret. She is, of course, at present
entirely uneducated, but she has already begun to learn with
me, and as she is quick and intelligent I hope that before I
resign my charge, her deficiencies will be so far repaired
that she will be able to pass muster in all ordinary matters.”’

“* You will be back before I go, won’t you, Dick?’’ Annie
said, as she sat by his side on a seat in the garden, on the
evening before he was to start.

‘*I think so,’’ hesaid. ‘* We can calculate on your being
here ten months anyhow. I have been talking it over with
my mother. If it had not been for those jewels I should have
given up the search for my father after another six months,
because it would have been high time for me to get to work
in some profession. I had, indeed, made up my mind to enter
the Company’s service, for Lord Cornwallis promised me a.
commission, and my uncle received a letter some time ago from
the governor of Madras, saying that on the very strong
recommendation of Lord Cornwallis, and his report of my
services, he was authorised to grant me one; it was to be
dated back to the time I joined Lord Cornwallis, more than
two years ago. However, now that I am really made inde-
pendent of a profession, I shall probably continue my search
for a somewhat longer time. But at any rate, I will promise
314 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

to come back at the end of ten months from the present time,
so as to say good-bye to you before youstart.”
_ The girl’s face brightened.

«©Thank you, Dick. I don’t think I should go, anyhow,
until I saw you again—not even ifI got a letter saying that I
was to sail by the next ship.’’

‘¢My uncle would take you down bodily and put you on
board,’’ Dick laughed. ‘* Mind, Annie, when I come back at
the end of ten months I shall expect to find you quite an edu-
cated young lady. I shall think of all sorts of hard questions
in geography and history to put to you.’’

«J will try hard, Dick, really hard, to please you. I have
had three lessons, and I have learnt all the letters quite well.’”’

‘¢ That is a good beginning, Annie. It took me a lot long-
er than that, I know.”’

The next morning Dick and Surajah started. They were to
ride up the ghauts to the frontier line at Amboor, two troopers
accompanying them to bring back their horses. There they
were to disguise themselves as traders, and make their way di-
rect to Bangalore. Dick said good-bye to his mother up in her
own room.

«* You must not be down-hearted, mother,’’ he said, as she
tried in vain to keep back her tears. ‘‘ You see, I have come
back to you twice safely, and after passing unsuspected in Tip-
poo’s palace there is no fear of my being detected elsewhere ;
besides, of course, every month I am there I become better ac-
quainted with the people, and can pass as a native more easily.”’

‘JT am not really afraid, my boy. You have got on so well
that it seems to me God will surely protect you and bring you
back safely. And I can’t help thinking that this time your
search may be successful. You know why I feel convinced that
your father is still alive, and, in spite of past disappointments,
I still cling to the belief.’’ ;

“« Well, mother, if he is to be found I will find him. There
are still many hill-forts where he may be living, and his very:
A NARROW ESCAPE 815

cxistence forgotten, and until I have visited every one of them
I don’t mean to give up the search. Anyhow, I shall come
back at the end of ten months, whether I have heard of him.or
not. I have promised Annie that I will be back before she
sails. It is not a very long journey down here, and I shall drop
in for a fortnight’s stay with you, asI have done this time.’’

‘She is in the next room crying her eyes out, Dick. You
had better look in there, and say good-bye to her. She is not
fit to go down to the door.”’

After parting with his mother, Dick went in to see Annie.

‘* You must not cry so, child,’’ he said, as she rose from the
divan with her face swollen with crying. ‘* Tam sure that you
will be very happy here until I come back.”’

“I know, Dick; but it won’t be at all the same without you.”

«¢ Qh, you will have plenty to do, and you will soon fall into
regular ways; besides, you know you have got to comfort my
mother, and keep up her spirits, and I quite rely upon you to
do that.’’

‘«T will try, Dick,’’ she said earnestly.

“« Now, good-bye, Annie.”’

He held out his hand, but she threw her arms round his neck
and kissed him.

‘‘You have never kissed me, not once,’’ she said reproach-
fully, ‘“‘and you were going away without it now. Your
mother kisses me, and the English girls in the harem always
used to do so.”

‘* But that is different, Annie. Girls and women do kiss
each other, but boys and girls do not kiss unless they are broth-
ers and sisters, or are relations, or something of that sort.”’

‘¢ But you are not a boy; you are a great big man, Dick.’’

‘¢T am not much more than a boy yet, Annie. However,
there is no harm in kissing when one is saying good-bye, so
there. Now be a good girl, and don’t fret ;’’ and he ran
down-stairs to the door where his uncle and the two boys were
standing.
316 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

«Take care of yourself, lad,’’ the Rajah said, as, after bid-
ding them good-bye, Dick sprang upon his horse. ‘* Whenever
you get a chance, send down a letter as we arranged last night,
to the care of Azo] Afool, trader, Tripataly. That will seem
natural enough, whoever you send it by, while a letter directed
to me might excite suspicion. Good-bye.’’ 3

“¢ Good-bye, uncle; ’’ and with a wave of his hand Dick
rode off and joined Surajah, who was waiting for him a short
distance off, and then, followed by Ibrahim—who had begged
so earnestly to be allowed to accompany them that Dick had
consented to take him, feeling indeed that his services would
be most useful to them—and the two troopers, they rode off at
a sharp pace.

At Amboor they assumed their disguises. Dick purchased
a pack-pony and some goods suitable to their appearance as
pedlers, and then they started up the pass on foot. They
passed the frontier line without any interruption, stopped and
chatted for a few minutes with the guard, and then passed on
up the valley.

‘¢There is the house where we had our fight, Surajah,’’
Dick said, as they reached the ruined village. ‘* Though
there is peace now, I fancy we should not get much farther
than that fort ahead, if they guessed that we were the fellows
who gave them such trouble two years and a half ago.”’

«There is no fear of our being recognised,’’ Surajah said.
‘«The guard has probably been changed long ago ; besides,
they never once caught sight of our faces.”’

“‘Oh, no; we are safe enough,’’ Dick agreed. ‘If I had
not been sure of that we would have gone up one of the passes
to the south that has been ceded to us, though it would have
been a great deal longer round to Bangalore—unless, indeed,
we had gone by Kistnagherry, and that would have been too
dangerous to attempt, for the officers on the frontier would
probably have recognised us.’’

It was late in the afternoon before they arrived at the gate.
A NARROW ESCAPE 317

It stood open, and there was no sentry on duty. A few sol-
diers could be seen loitering about in the street, but it was
evident that now the war was over and everything finally set-
tled, it was considered that all occasion for vigilance was at
an end. Upon making inquiries they soon found a house
where they could put up for the night. They had, as is the
custom in India, brought their provisions with them, and after
leaving their goods in the house, and seeing that the horse was
fed, Ibrahim set to work to cook a meal, while the others
opened one of the packs and went round the village, where
they disposed of a few small articles. They arrived without
any adventure at Bangalore. There, as soon as they had es-
tablished themselves at one of the caravanseries for travellers,
Dick and Surajah went to the house of the trader to whom
Pertaub had promised to consign their goods.

‘‘We have come for some packs that have been sent by
friends of ours at Seringapatam to your care,’’ Dick said, mak-
ing as he spoke the sign that Pertaub had taught him, as en-
abling those who were Hindoos to recognise each other at
once. ‘* We were to use the word ‘ Madras’ as a sign that we
were the parties to whom they were consigned.’’

“The goods arrived a week ago,’’ the trader said, ‘‘ and are
lying for you at my warehouse. I will hand them over to you
to-morrow morning.’’

‘*Thank you. We may not come early, for we have to
purchase two pack-horses to carry them, and three tats for
ourselves and our man. This may take us some time, and it
will be perhaps better for us to come to you early the next
morning, and we can then start away direct.’’

This was arranged, and on the following day two strong
animals were bought for the packs, and three tats or ponies for
their own riding; Dick had disposed of the horse he had rid-
den down to Tripataly for a good price, and had also been
supplied with funds by his mother, although, as he said, the
contents of their packs ought to suffice to pay all their ex-
318 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

penses for a long time. Then they purchased some provisions
for the journey. ‘The pack-horse they had brought with them
was laden with these and the goods brought up from Amboor.
The new pack-horses were taken round to the trader’s, and the
goods sent from Seringapatam packed on them. Then they
mounted and rode off at a walk, the pack-animals following
Ibrahim’s horse, tied one behind the other.

They had already debated upon the course to pursue, and
finally decided that they would, in the first place, again visit
Savandroog ; for the conviction Dick had entertained that
there was at least one white captive there had increased rather
than diminished.

‘I can’t give any good reason for it, Surajah,’’ he had ad-
mitted when they talked it over before starting, “but it is just
because I have no good reason to give that I want to go there
again. Why should I have such a strong conviction without
a good cause? One has heard of a presentiment of evil—I
can’t help feeling that this is a presentiment of good. The
question is how can we best go there again? I don’t think it
is in the least likely that the governor will have heard of our
flight, as this would be the last direction any one would think
of our taking, for had we done so we might have met the Sultan
on his way back from Bangalore. It will naturally be supposed
that we have made for the frontier, and have descended the
western or southern ghauts. The affair will, of course, seem
a mystery to them altogether; for why should two young fel-
lows, so recently promoted, and in such high favour, desert
Tippoo’s service? If they do not associate Annie’s disappear-
ance with our flight—and there is no reason on earth why they
should do so, as no one ever saw us speaking to her—they will
most likely think that we have fallen into the hands of the
Dacoits, or Thugs, and have been murdered. Numbers of
people do disappear every year, and are, as every one sup-
poses, victims of that detestable sect. My uncle has told me
of Thugs. He warned me to be very careful if I travelled with


A NARROW ESCAPE 819

strangers, for that these men travel in all sorts of disguises.
So I think, that, as far as that goes, we could boldly put on
our uniforms and badges again, and ride into Savandroog.
The disadvantage of doing so is, however, plain. The com-
mander would remain with us all the time. We should get
no opportunity of speaking privately with any of the soldiers,
and, taking us to be in Tippoo’s confidence, he would, as be-
fore, shirk the question of prisoners. On the other hand, if
we can get in as traders we shall be able to move about un-
watched—to go to the soldiers’ huts and offer goods to their
wives, and be able to find out to a certainty if there is a
prisoner there, and, if so, where he is kept. We may even
see him; for while, if the governor wished to keep his exist-
ence a secret, he would have shut him up when he heard that
two of Tippoo’s officers were coming, he would not trouble
about it one way or the other in the case of a couple of traders.
The only objection to that course is that we were here but
two or three months since, and he and his servants and that
artillery officer we went round with would know us at once.
If we go we shall have to alter our appearance completely.
At any rate, we had better provide means for disguise, and
we can use them or not, as we please.’’

While they were at Tripataly, therefore, they had two false
beards made for themselves, and tried many experiments in
the way of painting their faces, and found that by tracing
light lines on their foreheads and at the corners of their eyes,
they were able, by the help of beards, to counterfeit the appear-
ance of old age so well that it could only be detected on close
observation.

Dick, too, had purchased a pair of native spectacles, with
large round glasses and broad black-horn rims, that made him
look, as he said, like an astonished owl. It was agreed that
Surajah should wear, under his dress, a very thickly padded
vest, which would give him the appearance of being fat as well
as elderly.
320 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

They proceeded for seven or eight miles at a walking pace,
and when the heat of the day rendered it necessary for them
to stop, turned into a grove by the roadside, as they had no
intention of going on to Savandroog that day, intending to
halt some miles short of it, and to present themselves there
the next afternoon. They therefore prepared for a stay of
some hours. ‘The pack-horses were unloaded, and the saddles
taken off the other animals. Half-an-hour later a party of
twelve men, travelling in the same direction as themselves, also
halted and turned in among the trees. The man who was
apparently the leader of the party came across to where they
were sitting.

‘‘ We do not disturb you, I hope, brothers ?’’ he said. ‘‘ The
grove is large enough for us all. I see that you are traders
like myself.”’

«By nomeans,’’ Surajah replied. ‘* The wood is open to all,
and even were it not, we should be discourteous indeed did we
refuse to share our shade with others. Sit down by us, I beg
of you, while your people are unloading your animals.”

«J marked you as you left Bangalore,’’ the trader said, as
he seated himself beside them, ‘‘and when I saw that you
were taking the same route that we should follow, I wondered
how far our roads might lie together.’’

‘« We are travelling west,’’ Surajah replied. ‘It may be
that we shall stop at Magree, and there, or at Outradroog, stop
for a day or two to trade. Thence we may go north.”’

«‘ Then as far as Outradroog our paths will lie together,”
the merchant said. ‘‘There we shall strike the river and
turn south to Seringapatam. I am sorry that you will not
be going farther in our direction, for the roads are far from
safe; since the war with the Feringhees ended, there are many
disbanded soldiers who have taken to dacoity, and it is
always better to travel with a strong band. I wonder that
you venture with three loaded animals and only one man beside
yourselves.”
A NARROW ESCAPE : 321

Sutajah was about to speak; but a quick glance from Dick
stopped him. ‘

*‘We think there is less danger in travelling in a small
body than there is with a large one,’’ the latter said 3 ‘* there
is less to tempt any one to interfere with us. Moreover, we
could not travel with a caravan, because the greater part of
our goods are such as would tempt the peasantry only. We
therefore stop at small villages to trade, leaving the towns to
these who travel with more valuable merchandise. ’’

After chatting for some minutes, the traveller got up and
joined his party.

“I don’t much like that fellew’s looks,’’ Dick said, when
they were alone.

“Why? He looks a very respectable man.”?

“‘Oh, yes, he looks respectable enough, but for all that I
don’t fancy. him. It may be that he regards us as rivals,
and was only trying to find out where we intended to stop,
and whether we were likely to spoil his trade. That was wh y
I said what I did, so that he might perceive that we were not
likely to interfere with him. Then again, Surajah, I remem-
bered my uncle’s warning against joining other travellers, as
these Thugs, who, they say, commit so many murders, gener-
ally travel in bands, disguised sometimes as traders, sometimes
as men seeking work, sometimes as disbanded soldiers. Any-
how, it is as well to be careful. We have each got a brace of
double-barrelled pistols in our girdles, in addition to these old
single-barrelled Indian ones that we carry for show, and our
swords are leaning against the tree behind us, so we can get
hold of them in a moment. I know, of course, that the bet-
ting is all in favour of these people being peaceful traders, but I
don’t want to leave anything to chance, and there is nothing
like being prepared for whatever may happen.’’

Presently Dick got up and sauntered across to Ibrahim, who
was engaged in cooking. ‘‘Ibrahim,’’ he said, ‘«don’t look
round while I speak to you, but go on with your cooking. I
822 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

don’t like the look of the leader of this party. He may be a
respectable trader, he may be a Dacoit ora Thug. I want you
to keep a sharp lock-out without seeming to do so. See that
your pistols will come out of your girdle easily. Keep your
sword handy for use; if you see anything suspicious, come
over and tell me, and if there is not time for that, shout.’’

‘J will watch, Sahib,’’? Ibrahim said. <‘‘ But they seem to
me peaceable men like ourselves. Of course they carry weap-
ons ; noone would travel about with merchandise without do-
ing so.”’

“They may be all right, Ibrahim, but I have a sort of
feeling that they are not, and at any rate it is best to be
cautious.”’

The other party did not light a fire, but sat down and ate
gome provisions they carried with them. When Surajah and
Dick had finished their meal, the leader again strolled over to
them. He asked whether they intended to sleep, and on hear-
ing that they did not, he again sat down with them. He pro-
ceeded to discuss trading matters, to describe the goods he car-
ried, the places where he had purchased them, and the prices he
had given. As he talked, Dick noticed that three or four of the
others came across. They did not sit down, but stood round
listening to the conversation, and sometimes joining in. Dick’s
feeling of uneasiness increased, and thrusting one hand care-
lessly into his girdle, he grasped the butt of one of his hid-
den pistols.

Suddenly a loud cry came from Ibrahim; at the same moment
something passed before Dick’s face. He threw himself back-
wards, drawing his pistol as he did so, and fired into the body of
the man behind him. A second later he shot another, who was
in the act of throwing a twisted handkerchief round Surajah’s
neck. Then he leapt to his feet, delivering as he did so a heavy
blow with the barrel of his pistol on the head of the trader who
had been sitting between him and Surajah. It had all passed in
a few seconds, and the other men started back in theirsurprise at




ACKED BY ‘TIHLUGS.

TA

T

EA

AR

RAJAH

D SU

N

DICK A
A NARROW ESCAPE 323

this unexpected failure of their plan. Surajah was on his feet
almost ds qtickly as Dick. Even yet he did not understand
what had happened. At this moment there was the crack of
another pistol, and then Ibrahim came funning towards them,
having shot a man who had suddenly drawn his sword, and
tried to cut him down. At his heels came the six men who
had, up to this point, been standing in a group near their
horses. Without hesitation Dick drew out one of his single-
barrelled pistols and shot the pretended trader, whose turban
had saved him from the effect ofthe blow, and who, shouting
loudly to his companions, was struggling to his feet. | The-re-
maining eight men had all drawn their swords, and were rush-
ing upon them.

‘¢ Fire, Surajah |’? Dick shouted. ‘Are you asleep, man?”’

Surajah was not asleep, but he was confused by the sudden-
ness of the fray, and was still doubtful whether Dick had not
made an entirely unprovoked attack upon the strangers. How-
ever, he perceived that it was now too late to discuss that point,
and was a question of fighting for his life. Accordingly, he
fired both barrels of one of his pistols. One of the men
dropped.

«© Your sword, Surajah !’’ Dick exclaimed, as he grasped the
scabbard of his own weapon in his left hand, while in his right
he held his other double-barrelled pistol. Their antagonists,
with yells of fury, were now upon them. Dick shot one, but
the next man he aimed at darted suddenly aside when he fired.
Dick dropped his pistol, and grasped the hilt of his sword just
in time to ward off a blow aimed at his head. Blow after blow
was showered upon him so quickly that he could do no more
than ward them off and wait his opportunity. He heard Sura-
jah fire two more shots in quick succession ; then Ibrahim
suddenly dashed forward and cut down his opponent, and then
furiously engaged another who was on the point of attacking
him from behind. Dick drew his remaining pistol, and shot
the man through the head.
3824 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

He had then time to look round.

Both Surajah’s shots had told, and he was now defending
himself against the assaults of two others who were pressing him
hard, while a third stood irresolute a short distance away.
Dick rushed to Surajah’s assistance ; as he did so, the third
man fled.

«< After him, Ibrahim | ’’ Dick shouted. ‘* Not one of them
must get away.’’

The two Thugs defended themselves, with cries of fanatical
fury, but their opponents were far better swordsmen, and,
fighting coolly, were not long before they cut them both down.

«¢ What on earth is it all about, Dick?’’ Surajah asked, as,
panting with his exertions, he looked round after cutting down
his opponent.

‘« Thugs,’’ Dick said briefly.

«« Are you sure, Dick?’’ Surajah asked presently. «It may
be a terrible business for us if there is any mistake.”’

For answer Dick pointed to the bodies of the two men he
had first shot. One still grasped the roomal, or twisted silk
sash, while a like deadly implement lay by the side of the
other.

«Thank Heaven!’’ Surajah ejaculated. ‘1 was afraid
there might have been a mistake, Dick, but I see that you
were right, and that it was a party of Thugs. If it had not
been that you were on the watch for them and had your pistol
ready, we should have lost our lives.”’

«Tt was a close shave as it was, Surajah. One second later
and you and I should both have been strangled. I had my
hand on my pistol and felt so sure that an attack was intended
that the moment something passed before my face, although I
had no idea what it was, I threw myself back and fired at the
man behind me, with an instinctive feeling that my life de-
pended on my speed. But it was only when, on looking at
you, I saw a man in the act of throwing a noose round your
neck, that I knew exactly what I had escaped.’’
A NARROW ESCAPE 325

“‘Tt was fortunate that they had not pistols,’’ Surajah said.
«« We should have had no chance against them if they had had
fire-arms.’’

‘“*No; they could have shot us the moment I first fired.
But uncle said, when he was talking to me one day, that he
had heard that the Stranglers did not carry fire-arms, because
the reports might attract attention, and that it was a matter of
religion with them to kill their victims by strangling, but that
if the Strangler failed, which he very seldom did, the other
men would then despatch the victims with their swords and
knives. h! here comes Ibrahim.’’

“‘T caught him just outside the trees, Sahib. He will
strangle no more travellers.’’

«« Well, what had we better do?’’ asked Surajah.

“‘T should say we had better make off as fast as we can.
Of course if we were really traders, able to prove who we are,
we should go back to the town and report the affair, but as
we can’t do that we had better be moving on at once, before
any other party of travellers comes up. That was why, when
we had killed several of them, I was anxious that none should
get away, for they might have gone and accused us of slaugh-
tering their companions.’

“That would be too unlikely a story to be believed. No
one would credit that three men would attack twelve.”

‘‘ But there would be no one to prove that there were only
three. The fellows would naturally swear that there were a
score of us, and that after murdering their companions the rest
had made off with the booty.

‘‘Tbrahim, load the pack-animals at once. We will saddle
the horses. I think, Surajah, we had better leave everything
just as it is. It is now getting on for the afternoon. It is
likely enough that no other travellers will enter the grove
to-day. By to-morrow at the latest some one will come in,
and will of course go and report at once in Bangalore what he
has found, and they will send out here to examine into it.
326 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

When they find that the men have all fallen sword in hand,
that two of them are evidently Stranglers, and that their
girdles have not been searched nor the packs on their horses
opened, it will be seen that it was not the work of robbers. I
don’t suppose they will know what to make of it, but I should
think they would most likely conclude that these men have
been attacked by some other party, and that it is a matter of
some feud or private revenge—though, even then, the fact that
the bodies have not been searched for valuables, or the bag-
gage or animals carried off, will beat them altogether.”’

By this this time the horses were ready for the start, and
after looking up and down the long, straight road, to see that
no one was in sight, they issued from the wood and continued
their journey. Being anxious now to get away as far as possi-
ble from the scene of the struggle, instead of going on to
Magree as they had intended, they turned off by the first
country road on the left-hand side and mee for Savandroog,
which they could see towering up above the plain. When within
three miles of it they halted in a large wood. Here, as soon
as the horses had been unsaddled and the fire lighted, their
talk naturally turned to the fight they had gone through.

«I cannot make out how you came to suspect them, Dick.”

«© T can hardly account for it myself, but, as I told you, I
did not like the look of that man, and I had an uneasy sort of
feeling, which I could not explain even to myself, that there
was danger in the air.”’

«« But what made you think of these Stranglers? I had heard
some talk about them, but never anything for certain.”’

“The Rajah told me, when he was warning me against
joining parties of travellers, that although very little was
known about the organization, it was certain that there was
a sect who strangled and robbed travellers in great numbers.
He said that he was aware that complaints had been made
to princes all over India of numbers of persons being missing,
an that it was certain that these murders were not the work
A NARROW ESCAPE 327

of ordinary dacoits, but of some secret association, and that
even powerful princes were afraid to take any steps against
it, as one or two, who had made efforts to investigate the
affair, had been found strangled in their beds. Theretore. no
one cared to take any steps to search into the matter. It was
not known whether these Stranglers, scattered as they were
very widely, obeyed one common chief, or whether they acted
separately ; but all were glad to leave this mysterious organi-
sation alone, especially as they preyed only on travellers, and
in no case meddled in any way with rajahs, or officials, who did
not interfere with them. Consequently, the idea occurred to
me directly that these men who seemed like traders might
be a party of these Stranglers; and when the others came up
while the leader was sitting talking to us, I felt as if cold water
was running down my back, and that some one was whispering
to me, ‘ Be on your guard, be on your guard!’ Therefore, the
moment something passed before my face I threw myself back
and fired at the man behind me without a moment’s thought
as to what it was.’’

‘‘ Well, certainly you saved our lives by doing so, Dick; for
T suppose if that man behind me had once got his silk scarf
round my neck, he would have choked me before I had time
to so much as lift my hand.’’

*‘T have not the least doubt that he would, and I feel
thankful indeed that I had such a strange feeling that these
men were dangerous. Do you know, Surajah, it seems to me
that it was just the same sort of feeling that my mother tells
me she has, whenever my father is in danger, and I shall
be curious to know when we get back whether she had the
same feeling about me. Anyhow, I shall in future have even
more faith than I had before in her confidence that she would
have certainly known if any evil had happened to my father.’’
528 THE TIGER OF MYSORE

CHAPTER XIX

FOUND AT LAST



HE next morning, carly, Dick and Surajah set to work to
| perfect their disguises. They had before appeared simply
ag two young traders, well to do, and of a class above the
ordinary peddling merchant. They now fitted on the ample
beards that had been made at Tripataly. These were attached
go firmly to their faces by an adhesive wax that they could
not be pulled off without the use of a good deal of force. With
the same stuff, small patches of hair were fastened on, so as
to hide the edge of the foundation of the beard. ‘Tufts of short
grey hair were attached to their eyebrows; a few grey lines
e carefully drawn at