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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..11f8bd8 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #64254 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/64254) diff --git a/old/64254-0.txt b/old/64254-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index aba83af..0000000 --- a/old/64254-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7728 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Only an Ensign, Volume 3 (of 3), by James -Grant - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Only an Ensign, Volume 3 (of 3) - A Tale of the Retreat from Cabul - -Author: James Grant - -Release Date: January 10, 2021 [eBook #64254] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Al Haines - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ONLY AN ENSIGN, VOLUME 3 (OF -3) *** - - - - - ONLY AN ENSIGN - - A Tale of the Retreat from Cabul. - - - BY JAMES GRANT, - - AUTHOR OF "THE ROMANCE OF WAR," "FIRST LOVE AND LAST LOVE," - "LADY WEDDERBURN'S WISH," ETC. - - - - IN THREE VOLUMES. - - VOL. III. - - - - "Come what come may, - Time and the Hour runs through the roughest day."--_Macbeth._ - - - LONDON: - TINSLEY BROTHERS, 18, CATHERINE ST., STRAND. - 1871. - [_All Rights Reserved._] - - - - - LONDON: - BRADBURY, EVANS, AND CO., PRINTERS, WHITEFRIARS. - - - - - CONTENTS. - - CHAP. - - I.--PAR NOBILE FRATRUM! - II.--DOWNIE'S REFLECTIONS - III.--MR. W. S. SHARKLEY'S PLOT - IV.--THE HOPE OF THE DEAD - V.--RETRIBUTION - VI.--AT JELLALABAD - VII.--THE SCHEME OF ZOHRAB - VIII.--MABEL DELUDED - IX.--BY THE HILLS OF BEYMAROO - X.--AGAIN IN CABUL - XI.--THE ABODE OF THE KHOND - XII.--THE SHADE WITHIN THE SHADOW - XIII.--ROSE IN A NEW CHARACTER - XIV.--WITH SALE'S BRIGADE - XV.--THE BATTLE OF TIZEEN - XVI.--TO TOORKISTAN! - XVII.--MABEL'S PRESENTIMENT - XVIII.--THE GOVERNOR OF BAMEEAN - XIX.--THE ALARM - XX.--TOO LATE! - XXI.--THE PURSUIT - XXII.--THE HOSTAGES - XXIII.--THE DURBAR - XXIV.--THE LAMP OF LOVE - XXV.--CONCLUSION - - - - -ONLY AN ENSIGN. - - - -CHAPTER I. - -PAR NOBILE FRATRUM! - -"So, fellow, I am expected by you to swallow this 'tale of a tub,' -which has been invented or revived solely for the purposes of -monetary extortion!" exclaimed Downie Trevelyan, with the most -intense and crushing hauteur, as he lay back in the same luxurious -easy chair in which his uncle died, and played with his rich gold -eye-glass and watered silk riband. - -"It ain't a tale of a tub, my lord; but of the wreck of a -_steamer_--the steamer _Admiral_ of Montreal," replied Sharkley, -meekly and sententiously. - -Downie surveyed him through his double eyeglass, thinking that -Sharkley was laughing covertly at him; but no such thought was -hovering in the mind of that personage, who was not much of a laugher -at any time, save when he had successfully outwitted or jockeyed any -one. He seemed very ill at ease, and sat on the extreme edge of a -handsome brass-nailed morocco chair, with his tall shiny hat placed -upon his knees, and his long, bare, dirty-looking fingers played the -while somewhat nervously on the crown thereof, as he glanced -alternately and irresolutely from the speaker to the titular Lady -Lamorna, who was also eyeing him, as a species of natural curiosity, -through her glass, and whose absence he devoutly wished, but feared -to hint that she might withdraw. - -She was reclining languidly on a sofa, with her fan, her lace -handkerchief, her agate scent-bottle, and her everlasting half-cut -novel--she was never known to read one quite through--lying beside -her; and she had only relinquished her chief employment of toying -with Bijou, her waspish Maltese spaniel (which nestled in a little -basket of mother-of-pearl, lined with white satin), when an -aiguletted valet had ushered in "Mr. W. S. Sharkley, Solicitor." - -"Leave us, Gartha, please," said her husband; "I must speak with this -person alone." - -Curiosity was never a prominent feature in the character of Downie's -wife, who was too languid, lazy, or aristocratically indifferent to -care about anything; so, with a proud sweep of her ample dress, she -at once withdrew, followed by the gaze of the relieved Sharkley, who -had a professional dislike for speaking before witnesses. - -Mr. Sharkley's present surroundings were not calculated to add to his -personal ease. The library at Rhoscadzhel--the same room in which -poor Constance and Sybil had undergone, in presence of the pitying -General Trecarrel, that humiliating interview, the bitterness of -which the wife had never forgotten even to her dying hour, and in -which Richard had, some time previously, found Downie by their dead -uncle's side, with that suspicious-looking document in his hand, the -history of which the former was too brotherly, too gentlemanly, and -delicate ever to inquire about--the library, we say, was stately, -spacious, and elegant enough, with its shelves of dark oak, filled by -rare works in gay bindings, glittering in the sunlight; with the -white marble busts of the great and learned of other days, looking -stolidly down from the florid cornice that crowned the cases; with -its massive and splendid furniture, gay with bright morocco and gilt -nails; with the stained coats of arms, the koithgath and the seahorse -of the Trevelyans, repeated again and again on the row of oriels that -opened on one side, showing the far extent of field and chace, green -upland and greener woodland, the present owner of which now sat -eyeing him coldly, hostilely, and with that undoubted air and bearing -which mark the high-bred and well-born gentleman--all combined to -make the mean visitor feel very ill at ease. - -He mentally contrasted these surroundings with those of his own dingy -office, with its docquets of papers, dirty in aspect as in their -contents; its old battered charter-boxes filled with the misfortunes -of half the adjacent villages--a room, to many a hob-nailed client -and grimy miner, more terrible than the torture chamber of the -Spanish Inquisition--and the comparison roused envy and covetousness -keenly in his heart, together with an emotion of malicious -satisfaction, that he had it in his power perhaps to deprive of all -this wealth, luxury, and rank, the cold, calm, and pale-faced -personage who eyed him from time to time with his false and haughty -smile--an expression that, ere long, passed away, and then his visage -became rigid and stony as that of the Comandatore in Don Giovanni, -for whatever he might feel, it was not a difficult thing for a man -who possessed such habitual habits of self-command as Downie -Trevelyan, to appear at ease when he was far from being so. Yet -Sharkley's mission tried him to the utmost, whatever real pride or -temper he possessed. - -"My lord," resumed the solicitor, while the revengeful emotion was in -his heart--"if, indeed, you are entitled to be called 'my lord'----" - -"Fellow, what _do_ you mean by this studied insolence?" demanded -Downie, putting his hand on a silver bell, which, however, he did not -ring, an indecision that caused a mocking smile to pass over the face -of Sharkley, while the iris of his eyes dilated and shrunk as usual. -"You are, I know, Sharkley the--aw, well I must say it--the low -practitioner who got up by forgery and otherwise--don't look round, -sir, we have no witnesses--the case of the adventuress Devereaux -against me and my family. So what brings you here now?" - -"To tell you what I was beginning to state--the story of the wreck, -by which your brother Richard, Lord Lamorna, perished at sea; and to -prove that the certificate of his marriage with Miss Constance -Devereaux, daughter of a merchant trader in the city of Montreal, has -been discovered and safely preserved, and is here in Cornwall now, -together with his lordship's will." - -Sharkley spoke with malicious bitterness, and Downie paused for a -moment ere he said,-- - -"You have seen them?" - -"Yes." - -"Well, when I see those documents I shall believe in their -existence--till then, you must hold me excused; but even their -existence does not prove either their legality or authenticity. This -is merely some new scheme to extort money," added Downie, almost -passionately; "but it shall not succeed! That unhappy woman is -dead--she died of paralysis I have heard--the victim, I doubt not, of -her own evil passions. Her son--" - -"Your nephew, is with the army in India. Her daughter--" - -"Has disappeared," said Downie, almost exultingly, "too probably -taking a leaf out of her charming mamma's book; and the army in -Afghanistan has been destroyed--my son Audley's letters and the -public papers assure me of that." - -"Yet your lordship would like to see the documents?" - -"Or what may seem to be the documents--certainly; in whose hands are -they--yours?" - -"No--in those of one who may be less your lordship's friend--Derrick -Braddon." - -"Braddon!" said Downie, growing if possible paler than usual; -"Braddon, my brother's favourite servant, who was in all his secrets, -and was with him in the Cornish regiment?" - -"The same, my lord." - -"D--n--but this looks ill!" stammered Downie, thrown off his guard. - -"For your lordship--very," said Sharkley with a covert smile. - -Downie felt that he had forgot himself, so he said, - -"Of course, this Braddon will show--perhaps deliver them to me." - -"You are the last man on earth to whom he will now either show or -deliver them. Be assured of that." - -"For what reason, sir?" - -"The account he received from his sister and old Mike Treherne of -your treatment of--well, I suppose we must call her yet--Mrs. -Devereaux." - -Downie's steel-gray eyes stared coldly, glassily, and spitefully at -Sharkley. He longed for the power to pulverise, to annihilate him by -a glance. He loathed and hated, yet feared this low-bred legal -reptile, for he felt that he, and all his family, were somehow in his -power. Yet he could not quite abandon his first position of -indignant denial and proud incredulity. - -He spread a sheet of foolscap paper before him, and making a broad -margin on the left side thereof, an old office habit that still -adhered to him, like many more that were less harmless, he dipped a -pen in the inkstand, as if to make memoranda, and balancing his gold -glasses on the bridge of his sharp slender nose, said, while looking -keenly over them, - -"Attend to _me_, sir--please. When was this pretended discovery -made?" - -"Some nine months ago." - -"Where--I say, where?" - -"At Montreal, in the chapel where this Latour, of whom we have heard -so much, was curate." - -"A rascally scheme--a forgery in which you have a share." - -"Take care, my lord--I'll file a bill against you." - -"You forget, scoundrel, that we are without witnesses." - -"Well--there are a pair of us," was the impudent rejoinder; "but what -good might such a scheme ever do an old pensioner like Derrick -Braddon?" - -"I do not pretend to fathom--for who can?--the secret motives of -people of that class," said Downie, haughtily. - -"Ay--or for that of it, any class," added Sharkley, as he shrugged -his high bony shoulders. - -"Relate to me, succinctly and clearly, all that this man has told -you," said Downie Trevelyan, dipping his pen again in the silver -inkstand; and as Sharkley proceeded, he listened to the narrative of -his brother's sufferings and terrible death with impatience, and -without other interest than that it served to prove his non-existence -by a competent witness, who, were it necessary, might bring others of -the crew who were present on the wreck, and had escaped in a boat. - -Ere the whole story was ended, Downie was ghastly pale, and tremulous -with the mingled emotions of rage and fear, doubt and mortification. -He felt certain that in all this there must lie something to be laid -further open, or be, if possible, crushed; and on being reassured by -Sharkley that Derrick Braddon would "surrender the documents only -with his life----" - -"We must not think of violence, Mr. Sharkley," said he, coldly and -mildly. - -"Well, it ain't much in my line, my lord--though I have more than -once got damages when a client struck me." - -"We must have recourse to stratagem or bribery. For myself, I -cannot, and shall not, come in personal contact with any man who is -so insolent as to mistrust me, nor is it beseeming I should do so. -To you I shall entrust the task of securing and placing before me -those alleged papers, for legal investigation, at your earliest -convenience. For this, you shall receive the sum of two thousand -pounds; of this," he added, lowering his voice, "I shall give you, in -the first place, a cheque for five hundred." - -The eyes of Sharkley flashed, dilated, shrunk, and dilated again, -when he heard the sum mentioned; and rubbing his gorilla-like hands -together, he said, with a chuckle peculiarly his own,-- - -"Never fear for me, my lord; I'll work a hole for him--this Derrick -Braddon. He spoke insultingly of _the_ profession last night--but -I'll work a hole for him." - -With an emotion of angry contempt, which he strove in vain to -conceal, Downie gave him a cheque for the first instalment of his -bribe, taking care that it was a _crossed_ one, payable only at his -own bankers, so that if there was any trickery in this matter, he -might be able to recall or trace it. - -Sharkley carefully placed it in the recesses of a greasy-looking -black pocket-book, tied with red tape, and saying something, with a -cringing smile, to the effect that he had "in his time, paid many a -fee to counsel, but never before received one in return," bowed -himself out, with slavish and reiterated promises of fealty, -discretion, and fulfilment of the task in hand; but he quitted the -stately porte-cochère, and long shady avenue of Rhoscadzhel, with -very vague ideas, as yet, of how he was to win the additional fifteen -hundred pounds. - -So parted those brothers learned in the law. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -DOWNIE'S REFLECTIONS. - -His odious visitor and tempter gone, Downie sat long, sunk in -reverie. He lay back in the softly-cushioned chair, with his eyes -vacantly and dreamily gazing through the lozenged panes, between the -moulded mullions of the oriel windows, to where the sunlight fell in -bright patches between the spreading oaks and elms, on the green -sward of the chace, to where the brown deer nestled cosily among the -tender ferns of spring, and to the distant isles of Scilly, afar in -the deep blue sea; but he saw nothing of all these. His mind was -completely inverted, and his thoughts were turned inward. "The -wildest novel," says Ouida, "was never half so wild as the real state -of many a human life, that to superficial eyes looks serene and -placid and uneventful enough; but life is just the same as in the -ages of Oedipus' agony and the Orestes' crime." - -Doubtless, the reader thought it very barbarous in the fierce -Mohammedan Amen Oollah Khan to twist off his elder brother's head, -and so secure his inheritance; but had the civilised Christian, -Downie, been in the Khan's place, he would have acted precisely in -the same way. The men's instincts were the same; the modes of -achievement only different. - -But a month before this, and Downie, at his club in Pall Mall, had -read with exultation, that, of all General Elphinstone's army, his -own son, Audley, and Doctor Brydone, of the Shah's 6th Regiment, had -alone reached Jellalabad. Little cared he who perished on that -disastrous retreat, so that his son was safe, for, selfish though he -was, he loved well and dearly that son, his successor--the holder of -a young life that was to stretch, perhaps, for half a century beyond -his own shorter span. Now it had chanced that on the very morning of -this remarkable visit, he had seen, with disgust, in the _Times_, -that, among those alleged to be safe in the hands of an Afghan chief -"was Ensign Denzil Devereaux, of the Cornish Light Infantry, an -officer, who, according to a letter received from Taj Mohammed Khan -the Wuzeer, had succeeded in saving a colour of Her Majesty's 44th -Regiment." - -The daughter, whose artful plans upon his son's affections he had, as -he conceived, so cleverly thwarted--the daughter Sybil gone no one -knew whither; the son, a captive in a barbarous land beyond the -Indian frontier, and their mother dead, the little family of Richard -Trevelyan seemed on the verge of being quietly blotted out -altogether; and now here was this ill-omened Derrick Braddon, this -Old Man of the Sea, come suddenly on the tapis, with his confounded -papers! - -General Elphinstone had died in the hands of the Afghans; so might -Denzil; or he and the other survivors or hostages might yet be slain -or--unless rescued by the troops from Candahar or Jellalabad--be sold -by Ackbar Khan (as Downie had heard in his place in the House) to the -chiefs in Toorkistan, after which they would never be heard of more. -Oh, thought Downie, that I could but correspond with this Shireen -Khan of the Kuzzilbashes; doubtless such a worthy would "not be above -taking a retaining fee." - -By the dreadful slaughter in the Khyber Pass, and the capture of all -the ladies and children, the sympathies, indignation, and passions of -the people were keenly roused at home; thus if Denzil returned at -this crisis, with the slightest military _éclat_, it would greatly -favour any claims he might advance. - -If the documents were genuine and could be proved so in a court of -Law--or Justice (these being distinctly separate), were his title, -his own honour (as Downie thought it), the honour, wealth, and -position, privileges and prospects of his wife and children, to be at -the mercy of a mercenary wretch like Schotten Sharkley; or of a -broken-down, wandering, and obscure Chelsea pensioner, who possessed -the papers in question? - -It was maddening even for one so cold in blood--so cautious and so -slimy in his proceedings, as Mr. Downie Trevelyan. He had no great -talents, but only instinct and cunning; barrister though he was, the -cunning of the pettifogger. A legal education had developed all that -were corrupt and vile in his nature. A country squire, Downie would -have been a blackleg on the turf and a grinding landlord; a -tradesman, he would have been far from being an honest one; a -soldier, he might have been a poltroon and a malingerer; a legal man, -he was--exactly what we find him, a master in subtlety, with a heart -of stone. In the same luxurious chair in which he was now seated in -fierce and bitter reverie, he had sat and regarded his brother's -widow, in her pale and picturesque beauty, and watched the torture of -her heart with something of the half amused expression of a cat when -playing with the poor little mouse of which it intends to make a -repast; and now he sat there shrinking from vague terrors of the -future, and in abhorrence of suspense; but there was a species of -dogged courage which he could summon to meet any legal emergency or -danger, if he would but know its full extent. He was in the dark as -yet, and his heart writhed within him at the prospect of coming -peril, even as that of Constance had been wrung by the emotions of -sorrow and unmerited shame. - -He knew himself to be degraded by acting the part of a conspirator in -all this; yet how much was at stake! No family in ancient Cornwall -was older in history or tradition than his, and none was more -honoured: yet here by intrigue, fatality, and the debasing influence -of association was he, the twelfth Lord Lamorna, the coadjutor of a -man whose father had been a poor rat-catcher, and, if report said -true, a felon. He felt as if on Damien's bed of steel, or as if the -velvet cushions of his chair had been stuffed with long iron nails, -and he repeated bitterly aloud,-- - -"What! am I to be but a _locum tenens_ after all--and to whom? -Denzil Devereaux--this _filius nullius_, this son of an adventuress, -or of nobody perhaps!" - -The grave, grim, and somewhat grotesque portraits of Launcelot, Lord -Lamorna, in Cavalier dress--he who hid from Fairfax's troopers in the -Trewoofe; of Lord Henry, with beard, ruff, and ribbed armour, who was -Governor of Rougemont in Devon, and whose scruples did not find him -favour with the "Virgin" Queen; and even of his late uncle, with his -George IV. wig, false teeth, and brass-buttoned blue swallow-tail, -seemed to look coldly and contemptuously down on him. - -"Pshaw!" muttered Downie, "am I a fool or a child to be swayed by -such fancies?--I should think not; the days of superstition are gone!" - -Yet he felt an influence, or something, he knew not what, and averted -his stealthy eyes from the painted faces of the honester dead. - -The irony of the malevolent and the vulgar; the gossip and surmises -of the anonymous press; the "Honourable" cut from Audley's name in -the Army List, the Peerage, and elsewhere, and from that of his -daughter Gartha, who was just about to be brought out, and had begun -to anticipate, with all a young beauty's pleasure, the glories of her -first presentation at Court, were all before him now. - -To have felt, enjoyed, and to lose all the sweets of rank, of wealth, -of power, and patronage; the worship of the empty world, the slavish -snobbery of trade, to have been congratulated by all the begowned and -bewigged members of the Inns of Court, and by all his tenantry, for -nothing--all this proved too much for Downie's brain, and certainly -too much for his heart. It was intolerable. - -He thought of his cold, unimpressionable, pale-faced, and -aristocratic wife deprived of her place (not of rank, for she was a -peer's daughter), through that "Canadian connection" of Richard's, as -they were wont to term poor Constance--an issue to be tried at the -bar, every legal celebrity of the day perhaps retained in the cause; -money wasted, bets made, and speculation rife; himself eventually -shut out from a sphere in which he had begun to figure, and to figure -well! Would, he thought, that the sea had swallowed up Braddon, even -as it had done his master! Would that some Afghan bullet might lay -low this upstart lad, this Denzil Devereaux, and then his claims and -papers might be laughed to scorn! Downie had never been without a -secret dread of hearing more of Constance and her marriage, and that -one day or other it might admit of legal proof, and now the dread was -close and palpable. - -He cherished a dire vengeance against his dead brother, for what he -deemed his duplicity in contracting such a marriage, unknown to all; -and in his unjust ire forgot their late uncle's insane family pride, -which was the real cause of all that had occurred. - -Novelists, dramatists, and humourists, are usually severe upon the -legal profession; yet in our narrative, Downie and his agent Sharkley -are given but as types of a bad class of men. Far be it from us to -think evil generally of that vast body from whose ranks have sprung -so many brilliant orators, statesmen, and writers, especially in -England; though Lord Brougham, in his Autobiography, designates the -law as "the cursedest of all cursed professions," and even Sir Walter -Scott, a member of the Scottish College of Justice, where the -practice is loose, often barbarous and antiquated, wrote in his -personal memoirs, that he liked it little at first, and it pleased -God to make that little less upon further acquaintance; for the -spirit and chicanery of the profession are liable to develop to the -full that which the Irish, not inaptly, term "the black drop" which -is in so many human hearts. - -Downie Trevelyan sat long buried in thoughts that galled and wrung -his spirit of self-love, till the house-bell rang, sleek Mr. Jasper -Funnel with his amplitude of paunch and white waistcoat came to -announce that "luncheon was served," and Mr. Boxer, powdered and -braided elaborately, came to ascertain at what time "her ladyship -wished the carriage;" and even these trivial incidents, by their -suggestiveness, were not without adding fuel to his evil instincts -and passions. - -Three entire days passed away--days of keen suspense and intense -irritation to Downie, though far from being impulsive by nature, yet -he heard nothing of his tool or agent, whom he began to doubt, -fearing that he had pocketed the five hundred pounds, or obtained the -documents thereby, and gone over with them to the enemy. But just as -the third evening was closing in, and when, seated in the library -alone, he was considering how he should find some means of -communicating with Sharkley--write he would not, being much too -eautious and legal to commit himself in that way, forgetting also -that the other would be equally so--the door was thrown noiselessly -open, and a servant as before announced "Mr. W. S. Sharkley, -Solicitor," and the cadaverous and unwholesome-looking attorney, in -his rusty black suit, sidled with a cringing air into the room, his -pale visage and cat-like eyes wearing an unfathomable expression, in -which one could neither read success nor defeat. - -"Be seated, Mr. Sharkley," said his host, adding in a low voice, and -with a piercing glance, when the door was completely closed, and -striving to conceal his agitation, "You have the papers, I presume?" - -"Your lordship shall hear," replied the other, who, prior to saying -more, opened the door suddenly and sharply, to see that no "Jeames" -had his curious ear at the keyhole, and then resumed his seat. - -But before relating all that took place at this interview, we must go -back a little in our story, to detail that which Mr. Sharkley would -have termed his _modus operandi_ in the matter. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -MR. W. S. SHARKLEY'S PLOT. - -As Sharkley travelled back towards the little mining hamlet, where -the Trevanion Arms stood conspicuously where two roads branched off, -one towards Lanteglos, and the other towards the sea, he revolved in -his cunning mind several projects for obtaining possession of the -papers; but knowing that the old soldier mistrusted him, that he was -quite aware of their value, and that he was as obstinate in his -resolution to preserve them, as he was faithful and true to the son -of Richard Trevelyan, there was an extreme difficulty in deciding on -any one line or plan for proper or honest action, so knavery alone -had scope. - -Could he, out of the five hundred pounds received to account, but -bribe Derrick Braddon to lend the papers ostensibly for a time, -receiving in return a receipt in a feigned handwriting, with a forged -or fancy signature, so totally unlike that used by the solicitor, -that he might afterwards safely repudiate the document, and deny he -had ever written it! - -To attempt to possess them by main force never came within the scope -of Sharkley's imagination, for the old soldier was strong and wiry as -a young bull, and had been famous as a wrestler in his youth; and -then force was illegal, whatever craft might be. - -Ultimately he resolved to ignore the subject of the papers, and seem -to forget all about them; to talk on other matters, military if -possible (though such were not much in Sharkley's way), and thus -endeavour to throw Braddon off his guard, and hence get them into his -possession by a very simple process--one neither romantic nor -melo-dramatic, but resorted to frequently enough by the lawless, in -London and elsewhere--in fact by drugging his victim; and for this -purpose, by affecting illness and deceiving a medical man, he -provided himself with ample means by the way. - -Quitting the railway he hastened on foot next day towards the -picturesque little tavern, his only fear being that Derrick might -have suddenly changed his mind, and being somewhat erratic now, have -gone elsewhere. - -As he walked onward, immersed in his own selfish thoughts, scheming -out the investment of the two thousand pounds, perhaps of more, for -why should he not wring or screw more out of his employer's -purse?--it was ample enough!--the beauty of the spring evening and of -the surrounding scenery had no soothing effect on the heart of this -human reptile. The picturesque banks of the winding Camel, then -rolling brown in full flood from recent rains; Boscastle on its steep -hill, overlooking deep and furzy hollows, and its inlet or creek -where the blue sea lay sparkling in light under the storm-beaten -headlands and desolate cliffs; away in the distance on another hand, -the craggy ridges of Bron Welli, and the Row Tor all reddened by the -setting sun, were unnoticed by Sharkley, who ere long found himself -under the pretty porch and swinging sign-board of the little inn (all -smothered in its bright greenery, budding flowers, and birds' nests), -where the scene of his nefarious operations lay. - -A frocked wagoner, ruddy and jolly, whipping up his sleek horses with -one hand while wiping the froth of the last tankard from his mouth -with the other, departed from the door with his team as Sharkley -entered and heard a voice that was familiar, singing vociferously -upstairs. - -"Who is the musical party?" asked he of the round-headed, -short-necked and barrel-shaped landlord, whose comely paunch was -covered by a white apron. - -"Your friend the old pensioner, Mr. Sharkley," replied the other, -"and main noisy he be." - -"Friend?" said Sharkley nervously; "he ain't a friend of mine--only a -kind of client in a humble way." - -"I wouldn't have given such, house-room; but trade is bad--the -coaches are all off the road now, and business be all taken by the -rail to Launceston, Bodmin, and elsewhere." - -"Has he been drinking?" - -"Yes." - -"Pretty freely?" asked Sharpley hopefully. - -"Well--yes; we're licensed to get drunk on the premises." - -"Come," thought the emissary, "this is encouraging! His intellect," -he added aloud, "is weak; after a time he grows furious and is apt to -accuse people of robbing him, especially of certain papers of which -he imagines himself the custodian; it is quite a monomania." - -"A what, sur?" - -"A monomania." - -"I hopes as he don't bite; but any way," said the landlord, who had -vague ideas of hydrophobia, "I had better turn him out at once, as I -want no bobberies here." - -"No--no; that would be precipitate. I shall try to soothe him over; -besides, I have express business with him to-night." - -"But if he won't be soothed?" asked Boniface, anxiously. - -"Then you have the police station at hand." - -Meanwhile they could hear Derrick above them, drumming on the bare -table with a pint-pot, and singing some barrack-room ditty of which -the elegant refrain was always,-- - - "Stick to the colour, boys, while there's a rag on it, - And tickle them behind with a touch of the bagonet: - So, love, farewell, for _all_ for a-marching!" - - -As Sharkley entered, it was evident that the old soldier, whose voice -rose at times into a shrill, discordant, and hideous falsetto, had -been imbibing pretty freely; his weather-beaten face was flushed, his -eyes watery, and his voice somewhat husky, but he was in excellent -humour with himself and all the world. The visitor's sharp eyes took -in the whole details of the little room occupied by his victim; a -small window, which he knew to be twelve feet from a flower-bed -outside; a bed in a corner; two Windsor chairs, a table and -wash-stand, all of the most humble construction; these, with -Derrick's tiny carpet-bag and walking staff, comprised its furniture. - -"Come along, Master Sharkley--glad to see you--glad to see any -one--it's dreary work drinking alone. This is my billet, and there -is a shot in the locker yet--help yourself," he added, pushing a -large three-handled tankard of ale across the table. - -"Thank you, Braddon," replied the other, careful to omit the prefix -of "Mr.," which Derrick always resented, "and you must share mine -with me. Have you heard the news?" - -"From where--India?" - -"Yes." - -"And what are they that I have not heard--tell me that, Mr. -Sharkley--what are they that I have not heard?" said Braddon with the -angry emphasis assumed at times unnecessarily by the inebriated. - -"Is it that your young master is shut up among the Afghans, and -likely, I fear, to remain so?" - -"Her Majesty the Queen don't think so--no, sir--d--n me, whatever -you, and such as you, may think," responded Derrick, becoming -suddenly sulky and gloomy. - -"Who do you mean, Braddon?" asked the other, drinking, and eying him -keenly over his pewter-pot. - -"Did you see to-day's Gazette?" - -"The Bankruptcy list?" - -"Bankrupts be--" roared Braddon, contemptuously, striking his -clenched hand on the deal table; "no--the _War Office Gazette_." - -Mr. W. S. Sharkley faintly and timidly indicated that as it was a -part of the newspapers which possessed but small interest for him, he -certainly had not seen it. - -"Well, that is strange now," said Derrick; "it is almost the only bit -of a paper I ever read." - -"It ain't very lively, I should think." - -"Ain't it--well, had you looked there to-day, you would have seen -that young master Denzil--that is my Lord Lamorna as should be--has -been gazetted to a Lieutenancy in the old Cornish--yes, in -the-old-Cornish-Light-Infantry!" added Derrick, running five words -into one. - -"Indeed! but he may die in the hands of the enemy for all -that--though I hope not." - -"Give me your hand, Mr. Sharkley, for that wish," said Derrick, with -tipsy solemnity; "moreover, he is to have the third class of the -Dooranee Empire, whatever the dickens that may be. I've drawed my -pension to-day, Mr. Sharkley, and I mean to spend every penny of it -in wetting the young master's new commission, and the Dooranee Empire -to boot. Try the beer again--it's home-brewed, and a first-rate -quencher--here's-his-jolly good-health!" - -"So say I--his jolly good health." - -"With three times three!" - -"Yes," added Sharkley, as he wrung the pensioner's proffered hand, -"and three to that." - -Derrick, who, though winding up the day on beer, had commenced it -with brandy, was fast becoming more noisy and confused, to his wary -visitor's intense satisfaction. - -"Yes--yes--master Denzil will escape all and come home safe, please -God," said Derrick, becoming sad and sentimental for a minute; "yet -in my time I heard many a fellow--yes, many a fellow--before we went -into action, or were just looking to our locks, and getting the -cartridges loose, say to another, 'write for me,' to my father, or -mother, or it might be 'poor Bess, or Nora,' meaning his wife, 'in -case I get knocked on the head;' and I have seen them shot in their -belts within ten minutes after. I often think--yes, by jingo I -do--that a man sometimes knows when death is a-nigh him, for I have -heard some say they were sure they'd be shot, and shot they were sure -enough; while others--I for one--were always sure they'd escape. -It's what we soldiers call a presentiment; but of course, you, as a -lawyer, can know nothing about it. With sixty rounds of ammunition -at his back, a poor fellow will have a better chance of seeing Heaven -than if he died with a blue bagfull of writs and rubbish." - -Then Derrick indulged in a tipsy fit of laughter, mingled with tears, -as he said, - -"You'd have died o' laughing, Mr. Sharkley, if you'd seen the captain -my master one day--but perhaps you don't care about stories?" - -"By all means, Braddon," replied Sharkley, feeling in his vest pocket -with a fore-finger and thumb for a phial which lurked there; "I -dearly love to hear an old soldier's yarn." - -"Well, it was when we were fighting against the rebels in Canada--the -rebels under Papineau. We were only a handful, as the saying is--a -handful of British troops, and they were thousands in -number--discontented French, Irish Rapparees, and Yankee -sympathisers, armed with everything they could lay hands on; but we -licked them at St. Denis and St. Charles, on the Chamblay river--yes, -and lastly at Napierville, under General Sir John Colborne; and -pretty maddish we Cornish lads were at them, for they had just got -one of our officers, a poor young fellow named Lieutenant George -Weir, into their savage hands by treachery, after which they tied him -to a cart-tail, and cut him into joints with his own sword. -Well--where was I?--at Napierville. We were lying in a field in -extended order to avoid the discharge of a field gun or two, that the -devils had got into position against us, when a ball from one -ploughed up the turf in a very open place, and Captain Trevelyan -seated himself right in the furrow it had made, and proceeded to -light a cigar, laughing as he did so. - -" Are you wise to sit there, right in the line of fire?' asked the -colonel, looking down from his horse. - -"'Yes,' says my master. - -"'How so?' - -"Master took the cigar between his fingers, and while watching the -smoke curling upwards, said, - -"'You see, colonel, that another cannon ball is extremely unlikely to -pass in the same place; two never go after each other thus.' - -"But he had barely spoken, ere the shako was torn off his head by a -second shot from the field piece; so everybody laughed, while he -scrambled out of the furrow, looking rather white and confused, -though pretending to think it as good a joke as any one else--that -was funny, wasn't it!" - -So, while Derrick lay back and laughed heartily at his own -reminiscence, Sharkley, quick as lightning, poured into his tankard a -little phial-full of morphine, a colourless but powerful narcotic -extracted from opium. He then took an opportunity of casting the -phial into the fire unseen, and by the aid of the poker effectually -concealed it. - -"What a fine thing it would have been for Mr. Downie Trevelyan if -that rebel shot had been a little lower down--eh, Derrick?" said he, -chuckling. - -"Not while the proud old lord lived, for he ever loved my master -best." - -"But he is in possession now--and that, you know, is nine points of -the law." - -"Yes--and he has a heart as hard as Cornish granite," said Braddon, -grinding his set teeth; "aye, hard as the Logan Stone of Treryn -Dinas! Here is confusion to him and all such!" he added, -energetically, as he drained the drugged tankard to the dregs; "if -such a fellow were in the army, he'd be better known to the Provost -Marshal than to the Colonel or Adjutant, and would soon find himself -at shot-drill, with B.C. branded on his side. But here's Mr. -Denzil's jolly good-health-and-hooray-for-the-Dooranee-Empire!" he -continued, and applied the empty tankard mechanically to his lips, -while his eyes began to roll, as the four corners of the room seemed -to be in pursuit of each other round him. "I dreamt I was on the -wreck last night--ugh! and saw the black fins of the sea-lawyers, -sticking up all about us." - -"Sea-lawyers--what may they be?" - -"Sharks," replied Braddon, his eyes glaring with a curious -expression, that hovered between fun and ferocity, at his companion, -whose figure seemed suddenly to waver, and then to multiply. - -"Ha, ha, very good; an old soldier must have his joke." - -"So had my master, when he sat in the fur-ur-urrow made by the shell. -You see, we were engaged with Canada rebels at -Napierville--ville--yes exactly, at Naperville, when a twelve-pound -shot----" - -He was proceeding, with twitching mouth and thickened utterance, to -relate the whole anecdote deliberately over again, when Sharkley, who -saw that he was becoming so fatuously tipsy that further concealment -was useless, rose impatiently, and abruptly left the room, to give -the landlord some fresh hints for his future guidance. - -"Halt! come back here--here, you sir--I say!" exclaimed Braddon, in a -low, fierce, and husky voice, as this sudden and unexplained movement -seemed to rouse all his suspicions and quicken his perceptive -qualities; but in attempting to leave his chair he fell heavily on -the floor. - -He grew ghastly pale as he staggered into a sitting posture. Tipsy -and stupefied though he was, some strange conviction of treachery -came over him; he staggered, or dragged himself, partly on his hands -and knees, towards the bed, and drawing from his breast-pocket the -tin case, with the documents so treasured, by a last effort of -strength and of judgment, thrust it between the mattress and -palliasse, and flung himself above it. - -Then, as the powerful narcotic he had imbibed overspread all his -faculties, he sank into a deep and dreamless but snorting slumber, -that in its heaviness almost boded death! - -* * * * * - -The noon of the next day was far advanced when poor old Derrick awoke -to consciousness, but could, with extreme difficulty, remember where -he was. A throat parched, as if fire was scorching it; an -overpowering headache and throbbing of the temples; hot and tremulous -hands, with an intense thirst, served to warn him that he must have -been overnight, that which he had not been for many a year, very -tipsy and "totally unfit for duty." - -He staggered up in search of a water-jug, and then found that he had -lain abed with his clothes on. A pleasant breeze came through the -open window; the waves of the bright blue sea were rolling against -Tintagel cliffs and up Boscastle creek; hundreds of birds were -twittering in the warm spring sunshine about the clematis and briar -that covered all the tavern walls, and the hum of the bee came softly -and gratefully to his ear, as he strove to recall the events of the -past night. - -Sharkley!--it had been spent with Sharkley the solicitor, and where -now was he? - -The papers! He mechanically put his trembling hand to his coat -pocket, and then, as a pang of fear shot through his heart, under the -mattress. - -They were not there; vacantly he groped and gasped, as recollections -flashed upon him, and the chain of ideas became more distinct; madly -he tossed up all the bedding and scattered it about. The case was -gone, and with it the precious papers, too, were gone--GONE! - -Sobered in an instant by this overwhelming catastrophe--most terribly -sobered--a hoarse cry of mingled rage and despair escaped him. The -landlord, who had been listening for an outbreak of some kind, now -came promptly up. - -"Beast, drunkard, fool that I have been!" exclaimed Derrick, in -bitter accents of self-reprobation; "this is how I have kept my -promise to a dying master--duped by the first scoundrel who came -across me! I have been juggled--drugged, perhaps--then juggled, and -robbed after!" - -"Robbed of what?" asked the burly landlord, laughing. - -"Papers--my master's papers," groaned Derrick. - -"Bah--I thought as much; now look ye here, old fellow----" - -"Robbed by a low lawyer," continued Derrick, hoarsely; "and no fiend -begotten in hell can be lower in the scale of humanity or more -dangerous to peaceful society. Oh, how often has poor master said -so," he added, waxing magniloquent, and almost beside himself with -grief and rage; "how often have I heard him say, 'I have had so much -to do with lawyers, that I have lost all proper abhorrence for their -master, the devil.'" - -"Now, I ain't going to stand any o' this nonsense--just you clear -out," said the landlord, peremptorily. - -Then as his passionate Cornish temper got the better of his reason, -Derrick on hearing this suddenly seized Jack Trevanion's successor by -the throat, and dashing him on the floor, accused him of being art -and part, or an aider and abettor of the robbery, in which, to say -truth, he was not. His cries speedily brought the county -constabulary, to whom, by Sharkley's advice, he had previously given -a hint, and before the sun was well in the west, honest Derrick -Braddon was raving almost with madness and despair under safe keeping -in the nearest station house. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -THE HOPE OF THE DEAD. - -The disappearance of the papers which had so terrible an effect upon -the nervous system, and usually iron frame of Derrick Braddon, is -accounted for by the circumstance that Sharkley on returning to see -how matters were progressing in the room, lingered for a moment by -the half-opened door, and saw his dupe pale, gasping, muttering, and -though half-senseless, yet conscious enough to feel a necessity for -providing against any trickery or future contingency, in the act of -concealing the tin case among his bedding, from whence it was -speedily drawn, after he had flung himself in sleepy torpor above it; -and then stealing softly down stairs with the prize, Sharkley paid -his bill and departed without loss of time and in high spirits, -delighted with his own success. - -Too wary to start westward in the direction of Rhoscadzhel, he made -an ostentatious display of departing by a hired dog-cart for his own -residence, at the village or small market town (which was afflicted -by his presence) in quite an opposite direction. From thence, by a -circuitous route, he now revisited his employer, and hence the delay -which occasioned the latter so much torture and anxiety. - -"Two thousand--a beggarly sum!" thought Sharkley, scornfully and -covetously, as he walked up the stately and over-arching avenue, and -found himself under the groined arches of the _porte-cochère_, the -pavement of which was of black and white tesselated marble; "why -should I not demand double the sum, or more--yes, or more--he is in -my power, in my power, is he not?" he continued, with vicious joy, -through his set teeth, while his eyes filled with green light, and -the glow of avarice grew in his flinty heart, though even the first -sum mentioned was a princely one to him. - -Clutching the tin case with a vulture-like grasp, he broadly and -coarsely hinted his wish to Downie, who sat in his library chair, -pale, nervous, and striving to conceal his emotion, while hearing a -narration of the late proceedings at the Trevanion Arms; and hastily -drawing a cheque book towards him, be filled up another bank order, -saying,-- - -"There, sir, this is a cheque for two thousand pounds; surely two -thousand five hundred are quite enough for all you have done in -procuring for my inspection, documents which may prove but as so much -waste paper after all." - -"Their examination will prove that such is not the case," said -Sharkley, as he gave one of his ugly smiles, scrutinised the -document, and slowly and carefully consigned it to where its -predecessor lay, in the greasy old pocket-book, wherein many a time -and oft the hard-won earnings of the poor, the unfortunate and -confiding, had been swallowed up. When Downie had heard briefly and -rapidly a narration of the means by which the papers had been -abstracted, he rather shrunk with disgust from a contemplation of -them; they seemed so disreputable, so felonious and vile! - -He had vaguely hoped that by the more constitutional and legal plans -of bribery and corruption Mr. W. S. Sharkley might have received them -from the custodier; but now they were in his hands and he was all -impatience, tremulous with eagerness, and spectacles on nose, to -peruse them, and test their value by that legal knowledge which he -undoubtedly possessed. - -His fingers, white and delicate, and on one of which sparkled the -magnificent diamond ring which his late uncle had received when on -his Russian embassy, literally trembled and shook, as if with ague, -when he opened the old battered and well-worn tin case. The first -document drawn forth had a somewhat unpromising appearance; it was -sorely soiled, frayed, and seemed to have been frequently handled. - -"What the deuce is this, Mr. Sharkley?" asked Downie, with some -contempt of tone. - -"Can't say, my lord--never saw such a thing before; it ain't a writ -or a summons, surely!" - -It was simply a soldier's "Parchment Certificate," and ran thus:-- - - - _Cornish Regiment of Light Infantry._ - -"These are to certify that Derrick Braddon, Private, was born in the -Parish of Gulval, Duchy of Cornwall; was enlisted there for the said -corps, &c., was five years in the West Indies, ten in North America, -and six at Gibraltar; was twice wounded in action with the Canadian -rebels, and has been granted a pension of one shilling per diem. A -well conducted soldier, of unexceptionably good character." Then -followed the signature of his colonel and some other formula. - - -"Pshaw!" said Downie, tossing it aside; but the more wary Sharkley, -to obliterate all links or proofs of conspiracy, deposited it -carefully in the fire, when it shrivelled up and vanished; so the -little record of his twenty-one years' faithful service, of his two -wounds, and his good character, attested by his colonel, whom he had -ever looked up to as a demigod, and which Derrick had borne about -with him as Gil Blas did his patent of nobility, was lost to him for -ever. - -But more than ever did Downie's hands tremble when he drew forth the -other documents; when he saw their tenor, and by the mode in which -they were framed, worded, stamped, and signed, he was compelled to -recognise their undoubted authority! A sigh of mingled rage and -relief escaped him; but, as yet, no thought of compunction. He -glanced at the fire, at the papers, and at Sharkley, more than once -in succession, and hesitated either to move or speak. He began to -feel now that the lingering of his emissary in his presence, when no -longer wanted, was intolerable; but he was too politic to destroy the -papers before him, though no other witness was present. - -Full of secret motives themselves, each of these men, by habit and -profession, was ever liable to suspect secret motives in every one -else; and each was now desirous to be out of the other's presence; -Downie, of course, most of all. The lower in rank and more -contemptible in character, perhaps was less so, having somewhat of -the vulgar toady's desire to linger in the presence and atmosphere of -one he deemed a greater, certainly more wealthy, and a titled man; -till the latter said with a stiff bow full of significance,-- - -"I thank you, sir, and have paid you; these are the documents I -wished to possess." - -"I am glad your lordship is pleased with my humble services," replied -Sharkley, but still tarrying irresolutely. - -"Is there anything more you have to communicate to me?" - -"No, my lord." - -"Then I have the--I must wish you good evening." - -Sharkley brushed his shiny hat with his dusty handkerchief, and the -wish for a further gratuity was hovering on his lips. - -"You have been well paid for your services, surely?" - -"Quite, my lord--that is--but--" - -"No one has seen those papers, I presume?" asked Downie. - -"As I have Heaven to answer to, no eye has looked on them while in my -hands--my own excepted." - -"Good--I am busy--you may go," said Downie, haughtily, and as he had -apparently quite recovered his composure, he rang the bell, and a -servant appeared. - -"Shew this--person out, please," said Downie. - -And in a moment more Sharkley was gone. The door closed, and they -little suspected they were never to meet again. - -"Thank God, he is gone! Useful though the scoundrel has been, and -but for his discovery of those papers we know not what may have -happened, his presence was suffocating me!" thought Downie. - -The perceptions of the latter were sufficiently keen to have his -_amour propre_ wounded by a peculiar sneering tone and more confident -bearing in Sharkley; there had been a companionship in the task in -hand, which lowered him to the level of the other, and the blunt -rejoinder he had used so recently--"there are a pair of us," still -rankled in his memory. Thus he had felt that he could not get rid of -him too soon, or too politely to all appearance; and with a grimace -of mingled satisfaction and contempt, he saw the solicitor's thin, -ungainly figure lessening as he shambled down the long and beautiful -avenue of elms and oaks, which ended at the grey stone pillars, that -were surmounted each by a grotesque koithgath, _sejant_, with its -four paws resting on a shield, charged with a Cavallo Marino, rising -from the sea. - -"And _now_ for another and final perusal of these most accursed -papers!" said Downie Trevelyan, huskily. - -The first was the certificate of marriage, between Richard Pencarrow -Trevelyan, Captain in the Cornish Light Infantry, and Constance -Devereaux of Montreal, duly by banns, at the chapel of Père Latour. -Then followed the date, and attestation, to the effect, "that the -above named parties were this day married by me, as hereby certified, -at Ste. Marie de Montreal. - - "C. LATOUR, _Catholic Curé_, - "BAPTISTE OLIVIER, _Acolyte_. - "DERRICK BRADDON, _Private - Cornish Light Infantry_. - -"JEHAN DURASSIER, _Sacristan_." - - -About this document there could not be a shadow of a doubt--even the -water-mark was anterior to the date, and the brow of Downie grew very -dark as he read it; darker still grew that expression of malevolent -wrath, and more swollen were the veins of his temples as he turned to -the next document, which purported to be the "Last Will and Testament -of Richard Pencarrow, Lord Lamorna," and which after the usual dry -formula concerning his just debts, testamentary and funeral expenses, -continued, "_I give, devise, and bequeath_ unto Constance Devereaux, -Lady Lamorna, my wife," the entire property, (then followed a careful -enumeration thereof,) into which he had come by the death of his -uncle Audley, Lord Lamorna, for the term of her natural life; and -after her death to their children Denzil and Sybil absolutely, in the -several portions to follow. The reader Downie (to whom a handsome -bequest was made), General Trecarrel, and the Rector of Porthellick -were named as Executors, and then followed the duly witnessed -signature of the Testator, written in a bold hand LAMORNA, and dated -at Montreal, about nine months before. - -"Hah!" exclaimed Downie, through his clenched teeth; "here is that in -my hand, which, were Audley a wicked or undutiful son, might effect -wonders at Rhoscadzhel, and furnish all England with food for gossip -and surmise; but that shall never, never be; nor shall son nor -daughter of that Canadian adventuress ever place their heads under -this roof tree of ours!" - -And as he spoke, he fiercely crumpled up the will and the certificate -together. - -Then he paused, spread them out upon his writing table, and smoothing -them over, read them carefully over again. As he did so, the -handsome face, the honest smile and manly figure of his brother -Richard came upbraidingly to memory; there were thoughts of other and -long-remembered days of happy boyhood, of their fishing, their -bird-nesting expeditions, and of an old garret in which they were -wont to play when the days were wet, or the snow lay deep on the -hills. How was it, that, till now forgotten, the old garret roof, -with its rafters big and brown, and which seemed then such a fine old -place for sport, with the very sound of its echoes, and of the rain -without as it came pouring down to gorge the stone gutters of the old -house, came back to memory now, with Richard's face and voice, out of -the mists of nearly half a century? "It was one of those flashes of -the soul that for a moment unshroud to us the dark depths of the -past." Thus he really wavered in purpose, and actually thought of -concealing the documents in his strong box, to the end that there -they might be found after his death, and after he had enjoyed the -title for what remained to him of life. - -Would not such duplicity be unfair to his own sons, and to his -daughter? was the next reflection. - -And if fate permitted Denzil to escape the perils of the Afghan war, -was the son of that mysterious little woman, or was her daughter--the -daughter of one whom he doubted not, and wished not to doubt--had -entrapped his silly brother into a secret marriage, in a remote and -sequestered chapel, and whose memory he actually loathed--ever to -rule and reside in Rhoscadzhel? - -No--a thousand times no! Then muttering the lines from Shakespeare,-- - - "Let not our babbling dreams affright our souls. - Conscience is but a word that cowards use, - Devised at first to keep the strong in awe:" - -he drew near the resplendent grate of burnished steel, and resolutely -casting in both documents, thrust them with the aid of the poker deep -among the fuel, and they speedily perished. The deed was done, and -could no more be recalled than the last year's melted snow! - -He watched the last sparks die out in the tinder ashes of those -papers, on the preservation and production of which so much depended, -so much was won and lost; and a sigh of relief was blended with his -angry laugh. - -He felt that then, indeed, the richly carpeted floor beneath his -feet; the gilded roof above his head, the sweet, soft landscape--one -unusually so for bold and rugged Cornwall--that stretched away in the -soft, hazy, and yellow twilight, and all that he had been on the -verge of losing, were again more surely his, and the heritage of his -children, and of theirs in the time to come, and that none "of -Banquo's line"--none of that strange woman's blood, could ever eject -them now! - -Even Derrick's old tin-case--lest, if found, it should lead to a -trace or suspicion of where the papers had gone--he carefully, and -with a legal caution worthy of his satellite the solicitor, beat out -of all shape with his heel and threw into the fire, heaping the coals -upon it. - -This was perhaps needless in Downie Trevelyan, that smooth, smug, -closely shaven, and white-shirted lawyer-lord, that man of legal -facts and stern truths, so abstemious, temperate, and regular in his -habits and attendance at church, and to all the outward tokens of -worldly rectitude. Do what he might, none could, would, or dare -believe evil of him! - -Yet, after the excitement he had undergone, there were moments when -he felt but partially satisfied with himself, till force of habit -resumed its sway--moments when he remained sunk in thought, with his -eyes fixed on that portion of the sea and sky where the sun had set, -while the sombre twilight deepened around, and strange shadows were -cast by the oriels across the library floor. - -"For what have I done this thing?" thought he; "for my children of -course, rather than for myself. I would that I had not been tempted, -for nothing on earth remains for ever--nothing!" And as he muttered -thus, his eyes rested on the distant Isles of Scilly that loomed like -dark purple spots in the golden sea, which yet weltered in the ruddy -glory of the sun that had set, and he reflected, he knew not why, for -it was not Downie's wont, on the mutability of all human things and -wishes, of the change that inexorable Time for ever brought about, -and of the futility of all that man might attempt to do in the hope -of perpetuity; for did not even the mighty sea and firm land change -places in the fulness of years! - -"Where now was all the land tradition named as Lyonesse of old--the -vast tract which stretched from the eastern shore of Mount's Bay, -even to what are now the Isles of Scilly, on which his dreamy eyes -were fixed--the land where once, in story and in verse we are told, - - "That all day long the noise of battle rolled - Among the mountains by the winter sea; - Until king Arthur's Table, man by man, - Had fall'n in Lyonesse about their lord." - - -There, where now he saw the sea rolling between the rocky isles and -the Land's End, were once green waving woods and verdant meadows, -lands that were arable, mills whose busy wheels revolved in streams -now passed away, and one hundred-and-forty parish churches, whose -bells summoned the people to prayer, but which are all now--if we are -to believe William of Worcester--submerged by the encroaching sea; -yet whether gradually, or by one mighty throe of nature, on that day -when the first of the line of Trevelyan swain his wonderful horse -from the north-western isle, back to the rent and riven land, we know -not, but so the story runs. - -From, these day-dreams, such as he was seldom used to indulge in, -Downie's mind rapidly reverted to practical considerations. - -"Two thousand five hundred pounds in two cheques!" he muttered; "will -not my bankers, and more than all, Gorbelly and Culverhole, my -solicitors, wonder what singular service a creature such as this -William Schotten Sharkley can possibly have rendered me, to receive -so large a sum? If that drunken old soldier, Braddon, tells this -story of his last meeting with Sharkley, and the subsequent loss of -the papers, and permits himself to make a noise about them, may there -not be many who, while remembering the former affair, by putting this -and that together, will patch up a scandalous story after all? -Bah--let them; there lie the proofs!" he added, glancing with a -fierce and vindictive smile at the fragments of black tinder which -yet fluttered in the grate. - -So perished, at his remorseless hands, all the past hopes of the -tender and affectionate dead, and all the present hopes of the -living--of Richard and his wife who were buried so far apart--of -Denzil and his sister, who were separated by fate, by peril, and so -many thousand miles of land and sea! - -But our story may have a sequel for all that. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -RETRIBUTION. - -Greatly to the surprise of the granter, the two cheques for 500_l._ -and 2000_l._ respectively, were never presented at his bankers, and -Mr. Sharkley returned no more to his office; that dingy chamber of -torture, with its dusty dockets, ink-spotted table, and tin -charter-boxes arranged in formal rows upon an iron frame, and its -damp discoloured walls, ornamented by time-tables, bills of sale, and -fly-blown prospectuses, knew him never again; and days, weeks, and -months rolled on, but he was never seen by human eye after the time -he issued from the lodge-gate of Rhoscadzhel, and the keeper, with a -contemptuous bang, clanked it behind him. - -When Derrick heard of his disappearance, he felt convinced more than -ever that he had abstracted his papers; but believed he had started -with them to India, perhaps to make capital out of Denzil. Some who -knew what the solicitor's legal course had been, thought of a dark -and speedy end having befallen him; others surmised that the fear of -certain trickeries, or "errors in practice," had caused him suddenly -to depart for America; but all were wide of the truth. - -Lord Lamorna knew not what to think, but maintained a dead and rigid -silence as to his ever having had any meeting or transaction with the -missing man in any way; and as many hated, and none regretted Mr. W. -S. Sharkley, his existence was speedily forgotten in that district, -and it was not until long after that a light was thrown on the -mystery that enveloped his disappearance. - -Much money, chiefly that of others, had passed through Sharkley's -hands in his time, and much of it, as a matter of course, was never -accounted for by him; but he had never before possessed so large a -sum at once, and certainly seldom one so easily won, as that -presented to him by the titular Lord Lamorna. All the exultation -that avarice, covetousness, and successful roguery can inspire glowed -in his arid heart, and he walked slowly onward, immersed in thoughts -peculiarly his own, as to the mode in which he would invest it, and -foresaw how it must and should double, treble, and quadruple itself -ere long; how lands, and houses, messuages and tenements, mills and -meadows, should all become his; and so he wove his golden visions, -even as Alnaschar in the Arabian fable wove his over the basket of -frail and brittle glass; and as he proceeded, ever and anon he felt, -with a grimace of satisfaction, for the pocket-book containing his -beloved cheques. - -Some miles of country lay between Rhoscadzhel and Penzance, where he -meant to take the railway for his own place. As his penurious spirit -had prevented him from hiring a vehicle, he pursued the way on foot; -but he sometimes lost it, darkness having set in, and yet he saw -nothing of the lights of the town. He had, in his mental -abstraction, walked, or wandered on, he scarcely knew whither, and he -only paused from time to time to uplift his clenched hands, to mutter -and sigh in angry bitterness of spirit that he had not extracted more -from Downie Trevelyan, when he had it in his power to put on the -screw with vigour, and anon he would ponder as to whether he had not -been too precipitate, and whether he had done a wise thing in selling -to him the interests of young Denzil, as these might have proved -pecuniarily more valuable; but then poor Denzil was so far away, and -from all Sharkley could hear and read in the newspapers, he might -never see England more. For the first time in his life, Mr. Sharkley -found himself taking an interest in our Indian military affairs. - -Some of the deep lanes bordered by those high stone walls peculiar to -Cornwall, were left behind, and also many a pretty cottage, in the -gardens of which, the fragrant myrtle, the gay fuchsia with its -drooping petals, and the hydrangea, flourish all the year round; and -now he was roused by the sound of the sea breaking at a distance -round the promontory from which Penzance takes its name--the holy -headland of the ancient Cornish men. From a slight eminence which he -was traversing, he could see, but at a distance also, the lights of -the town twinkling amid the moorland haze, and that at the harbour -head, sending long rays of tremulous radiance far across Mount's Bay; -then as the pathway dipped down into a furzy hollow, he lost sight of -them. He was still within half a mile of the shore, but was -traversing a bleak and uneven moorland, and on his right lay a scene -of peculiar desolation, encumbered by masses of vast granite rock, -here and there tipped by the cold green light of a pale crescent -moon, that rose from the wild waste of the vast Atlantic. - -Suddenly something like a black hole yawned before him; a gasping, -half-stifled cry escaped him; he stumbled and fell--_where_? - -Mechanically and involuntarily, acting more like a machine than a -human being, he had in falling grasped something, he knew not what, -and clutching at it madly, tenaciously, yea desperately, he clung -thereto, swinging he knew not where or how, over space; but soon the -conviction that forced itself upon him, was sufficient to make the -hairs of his scalp bristle up, and a perspiration, cold as snow, to -start from the pores of his skin. - -Old mines may seem somehow to have a certain connection with the -story or destiny of Sybil Devereaux, if not of her brother Denzil, -and the betrayer of both their interests, who now found himself -swinging by the branch of a frail gorsebush, over the mouth of the -ancient shaft of an abandoned one--a shaft, the depth of which he -knew not, and dared not to contemplate! He only knew that in -Cornwall they were usually the deepest in the known world. - -If few persons who are uninitiated, descend the shaft of an ordinary -coal-pit, amid all the careful appliances of engineering, without a -keen sense of vague danger, what must have been the emotions of the -wretch who, with arms perpendicularly above his head, and legs -outspread, wildly and vainly seeking to catch some footing, swung -pendent over the black profundity that vanished away into the bowels -of the earth below, perhaps, for all he knew, nearly a mile in depth! - -It was beneath him he knew; the quiet stars were above; no aid was -near; there was no sound in the air, and none near him, save the -dreadful beating of his heart, and a roaring, hissing sound in his -ears. - -In this awful situation, after his first exclamation of deadly and -palsied fear, not a word, not a whisper--only sighs--escaped him. He -had never prayed in his life, and knew not how to do so now. The -blessed name of God had been often on his cruel lips, in many a -matter-of-fact affidavit, and in many an affirmation, made falsely, -but never in his heart; so now, he never thought of God or devil, of -heaven nor hell, his only fear was death--extinction! - -And there he swung, every respiration a gasping, sobbing sigh, every -pulsation a sharp pang; he had not the power to groan; as yet his -long, lean, bony hands were not weary; but the branch might rend, the -gorse bush uproot, and _then_---- - -Nevertheless he made wild and desperate efforts to escape the -dreadful peril, by writhing his body upward, as his head was only -some four feet below the edge of the upper rim or course of crumbling -brickwork, which lined the circular shaft, and often he felt his toes -scratch the wall, and heard the fragments detached thereby pass -whizzing downwards; but he never heard the ascending sound of the -fall below--because below was far, far down indeed! - -The silence was dreary--awful: he dared not look beneath, for nothing -was to be seen there but the blackness of utter profundity; he could -only gaze upward to where the placid stars that sparkled in the blue -dome of heaven, seemed to be winking at him. He dared not cry, lest -he should waste his breath and failing strength; and had he attempted -to do so the sound would have died on his parched and quivering lips. - -In every pulsation he lived his lifetime over again, and all the -secret crimes of that lifetime were, perhaps, being atoned for now. - -The widows who, without avail or winning pity, had wept, (in that -inquisitorial camera de los tormentos, his "office,"), for the loss -of the hard-won savings of dead husbands, their children's bread; -wretches from under whose emaciated forms he had dragged the bare -pallet, leaving them to die on a bed of cinders, and all in form and -process of law; the strong and brave spirited men, who had lifted up -their hard hands and hoarsely cursed him, ere they betook them to the -parish union or worse; the starvelings who had perhaps gained their -suits, but only in their last coats; the crimes that some had -committed through the poverty and despair he had brought upon them; -the unsuspecting, into whose private and monetary matters he had -wormed himself by specious offers of gratuitous assistance and -advice--a special legal snare--by the open and too often secret -appropriation of valuable papers; and by the thousand wiles and -crooks of policy known only to that curse of society, the low legal -practitioner, seemed all to rise before him like a black cloud now; -and out of that cloud, the faces of his pale victims seemed to mock, -jibe, and jabber at him. - -And there, too, were the handwritings he had imitated, the signatures -he had forged, the sham accounts he had fabricated against the -wealthy or the needy, the ignorant and the wary alike; but Sharkley -felt no real penitence, for he knew not that he had committed any -sin. Had he not always kept the shady side of the law? and, if -rescued, would he not return to his sharp practice thereof as usual? -Yet he felt, as the moments sped on, a strange agony creeping into -his soul: - - "So writhes the mind Remorse hath riven, - Unfit for earth, undoomed for heaven, - Darkness above, despair beneath, - Around it flame, within it death!" - - -The bush bending under his weight, hung more perpendicularly now, and -thus Sharkley's knees, for the first time, grazed till they were -skinned and bloody against the rough brickwork. Was the root -yielding? Oh no, no; forbid it fate! He must live--live--_live_; he -was not fit to die--and thus, too! The cold, salt perspiration, -wrung by agony, flowed from the roots of his hair, till it well nigh -blinded him, and tears, for even a creature such as he can weep, -began to mingle with them. They were perfectly genuine, however, as -Master William S. Sharkley wept the probabilities of his own untimely -demise. - -He had once been on a coroner's inquest. It sat in the principal -room of a village inn, upon some human bones--nearly an entire -skeleton--found in an old, disused, and partially filled-up pit. He -remembered their aspect, so like a few white, bleached winter -branches, as they lay on a sheet on the dining-table. He could -recall the surmises of the jurors. Did the person fall? Had he, or -she--for even sex was doubtful then--been murdered? or had it been a -case of suicide? None might say. - -The poor bones of the dead alone could have told, and they were -voiceless. All was mystery, and yet the story of some forgotten -life, of some unknown crime, or hidden sorrow, lay there; the story -that man could never, never know. - -This episode had long since been forgotten by Sharkley; and now, in -an instant, it flashed vividly before him, adding poignancy to the -keen horrors of his situation. Was such a fate to be his? - -He could distinctly see the upper ledge of bricks, as he looked -upward from where, though he had not swung above three minutes, he -seemed to have been for an eternity now; and though he knew not how -to pray, he thought that he could spend the remainder of his life -happily there, if but permitted to rest his toes upon that narrow -ledge, as a place for footing, as now his arms seemed about to be -rent from his shoulders. His eyes were closed for a time, and he -scarcely dared to breathe--still less to think. - -Sharkley was not a dreamer; he had too little imagination, and had -only intense cunning and the instincts that accompany it; so he had -never known what a nightmare is; yet the few minutes of his present -existence seemed to be only such. He had still sense enough to -perceive, that the wild and frenzied efforts he made at intervals to -writhe his body up, were loosening the root of the gorse-bush, and he -strove in the dusky light, but strove in vain, to see _how much_ he -had yet to depend upon; and then he hung quite still and pendant, -with a glare in his starting eyeballs, and a sensation as if of palsy -in his heart. - -His arms were stiffening fast, his fingers were relaxing, and his -spine felt as if a sharply pointed knife was traversing it; he knew -that the end was nigh--most fearfully nigh--and his tongue clove to -the roof of his mouth, though it was dry as a parched pea. - -Oh for one grasp of a human hand; the sound of any voice; the sight -of a human face ere he passed away for ever! - -There was a sudden sound of tearing as the gorse-root parted from the -soil; he felt himself slipping through space, the cold air rushed -whistling upward, and he vanished, prayerless, breathless, and -despairing, from the light of the blessed stars, and then the black -mouth of the shaft seemed vacant. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -AT JELLALABAD. - -Downie Trevelyan's applications to the War Office, the Horse Guards, -to the Military Secretary for the Home Department of the East India -Company, and even questions asked in his place in the House of Lords, -were unremitting for a time, on the affairs of Afghanistan, as he -wished to elicit some information concerning the safety of his son, -and the probable _non_-safety of Lieutenant Devereaux, more -particularly; but he totally failed in extracting more than vague -generalities, or that one was believed to be safe with Sir Robert -Sale's garrison in Jellalabad; and that the other was supposed to be -a prisoner of war with many others. How long he might remain so, if -surviving, or how long he had remained so, if dead, no one could -tell; but dark rumours had reached Peshawur, that the male hostages -had been beheaded in the Char Chowk of Cabul, while the females had -been sold to the Tartars. - -On the assassination of the Shah Sujah, whose ally we had so -foolishly become by the mistaken policy of the Earl of Auckland, the -prince, his son, had gained possession of the Bala Hissar, the guns -and garrison of which gave him for a time full sway over the city of -Cabul, when he made the cunning, plotting, and ambitious Ackbar Khan -his Vizier. - -The latter, however, always on the watch, and by nature suspicious, -intercepted a letter written by his young master to General Nott, who -commanded our troops in Candahar. This contained some amicable -proposals, quite at variance with the inborn hate and rancour which -Ackbar bore the English; and hence a quarrel ensued at the new court. - -The prince demanded that the hostages, male and female--the fair -Saxon beauty of some of the latter was supposed to have some -influence in the request--left by the deceased General Elphinstone, -should be delivered up to him, without question or delay. - -Ackbar sternly refused to comply, and it was on this that the young -Shah wrote to General Nott, urging him to march at once on Cabul to -release the captives; and, moreover, to free the city from the -interference and overweening tyranny of Sirdir, who thereupon -resolved to take strong measures, and, with the aid of Amen Oollah -Khan, Zohrab Zubberdust, and some others, made his new Sovereign -captive. The latter escaped by making a hole in the roof of his -prison; a purse of mohurs, a sharp sword, and a fleet horse, enabled -him to reach in safety the cantonments of the British General, to -whom he gave a sad detail of the miseries to which the prisoners, -especially the delicate ladies, were subjected. - -This movement was nearly the means of causing the destruction of all -who were left at Ackbar's mercy. All communication between them and -the troops in Jellalabad was cut off more strictly and hopelessly -than ever; and Ackbar Khan swore by the Black Stone of Mecca, and by -many a solemn and fearful oath, that "the moment he should hear of -the approach of British troops again towards Cabul, the hostages -should, each and all, man, woman, and child alike, be sold as slaves -to the Usbec Tartars! And remember," he added, with clenched teeth -and flashing eyes, to Zohrab the Overbearing, and others who heard -him; "that my word is precious to me, even as the _Mohur -Solimani_--the seal of Solomon Jared was to him!" - -This was the signet of the fifth monarch of the world after Adam; and -the holder thereof had, for the time, the entire command of the -elements, of all demons, and all created things. - -"Now," he exclaimed, with fierce vehemence, "I cannot violate my -oath, for as the sixteenth chapter of the Koran says, '_I have made -God a witness over me!_'" - -Hence, perhaps, the rumour that came to Peshawur, and thus any -attempt to save or succour them, would, it seemed, but accelerate -their ruin, for if once removed to Khoordistan, they should never, -never be heard of more, nor could they be traced among the nomadic -tribes who dwell in that vast region of Western Asia, known as the -"country of the Khoords." - -The last that, as yet, was known of them, was that they were all in -charge of an old Khan, named Saleh Mohammed, and shut up in a -fortress three miles from Cabul. There they were kept in horrible -suspense as to their future fate; and to them now were added nine of -our officers who had fallen into Ackbar's hands, when, in the month -of August, he recaptured the city of Ghuznee. - -How many Christian companions in misfortune were with the Ladies Sale -and Macnaghten, the garrisons in Jellalabad and Candahar knew not; -neither did they know who, out of the original number taken in the -passes, were surviving now those sufferings of mind and body which -they all had to undergo. Among them was one poor lady, the widow of -an officer, who had the care of eight young children, to add to her -mental misery. - -The steady and unexpected refusal of Sir Robert Sale to evacuate -Jellalabad, completely baulked all the plans of Ackbar Khan, who -supplemented his threatening messages by investing the city in person -at the head of two thousand five hundred horse and six thousand five -hundred juzailchees; but fortunately Sir Robert had collected -provisions for three months, and made a vigorous defence, though the -lives or liberties of the hostages, among whom were his own wife and -daughter, were held in the balance, and he trusted only to his -artillery, the bayonets and the stout hearts of his little garrison, -who, in addition to the assaults and missiles of the Afghans, had to -contend with earthquakes; for in one month more than a hundred of -those throes of nature shook the city, crumbling beneath their feet -the old walls they were defending. - -In daily expectation of being relieved, Sale's stout English heart -never failed him, for he had learned through our faithful friend, Taj -Mohammed, the ex-vizier, that Colonel Wild, with a force, was -marching to his aid from one quarter, while General Pollock was -crossing the Punjaub from another. Yet a long time, he knew, must -elapse before the latter could traverse six hundred miles; and ere -long came the tidings that Wild had totally failed, either by force -of arms or dint of bribery, to achieve a march through the now doubly -terrible Khyber Pass. - -General Nott, however, held out in Candahar, and, on receiving some -supplies and reinforcements; he was ready to co-operate with Sale and -Pollock in a joint advance upon Cabul, to rescue the hostages at all -hazards, or, if too late for that, to avenge their fate and the fate -of our slaughtered army by a terrible retribution. - -A severe defeat sustained by Ackbar Khan, when Sale, on the 7th of -August, made a resolute sortie and cut his army to pieces, taking two -standards, four of our guns lost at Cabul, all his stores and tents, -relieved Jellalabad of his presence; and in this state were matters -while Waller and Audley Trevelyan were serving there, doing any duty -on which they might be ordered, foraging, trenching, and skirmishing, -for they were unattached to any regiment; and the former was still -ignorant as to the fate of his _fiancée_, the bright-faced and -auburn-haired Mabel Trecarrel, and equally so as to that of her -sister and his friend Denzil. He had long since reckoned the two -latter as with the dead, and mourned for them as such; for he knew -nothing of their being retained as special "loot" by Shereen Khan, -who now kept himself aloof from Ackbar, of whom he had conceived a -truly Oriental jealousy and mistrust. - -Though so near them, Waller knew no more concerning the number, -treatment, or the safety of the hostages held for the evacuation of -the city he had assisted to defend, than those to whom Downie -Trevelyan was applying in London--perhaps less. - -To the original number of captives were now added thirty more, from -the following circumstance, which in some of its details is curiously -illustrative of the cunning and avaricious nature of the Afghan -mountaineers. A pretended friendly _cossid_, or messenger, arrived -at Jellalabad, bearer of a letter from Captain Souter, of Her -Majesty's 44th Regiment, dated from a village near the hill of -Gundamuck, detailing the last stand made there by the few unhappy -survivors of Elphinstone's army, and adding that he and Major -Griffiths, of the 37th Regiment, were the prisoners of a chief who, -on a sufficient ransom being paid--a thousand rupees for each--would -send them to Jellalabad with their heads on their shoulders. The -brave fellows of the 13th Light Infantry instantly subscribed a -thousand rupees at the drum-head; a thousand more were collected with -difficulty by their now-impoverished officers; and then came a -proposal to ransom twenty-eight privates of the 13th and 44th -Regiments, who were in the hands of the same chief, for a _lac_ of -rupees. By incredible efforts, and by encroachment on the military -chest, this sum was sent with certain messengers, who, by a -previously concerted scheme, were waylaid and robbed of it by men -sent by Ackbar Khan, who, seizing the thirty Europeans, added them to -the other hostages whose lives or liberties were to pay for the -surrender of Jellalabad! - -The poor soldiers had given all they possessed in the world, save -their kits and ammunition, to save their comrades from perilous -bondage, and had given it in vain. They had but the consolation of -having done for the best. - -Amid even the exciting bustle of military duty, the reflections of -Waller were sometimes intolerable. He could never for a moment -forget. Though he was not, as a matter-of-fact young English -officer, prone to flights of romantic fancy, imagination would force -upon him with poignant horror all that Mabel might be forced to -endure at the hands of those on whose mercy she and her companions -were cast by a fate that none could have foreseen, especially during -the pleasant days of the year that was passed at Cabul, when the -race-course, the band-stand, picnics, hunting-parties, morning -drives, and rides to see Sinclair's boat upon the lake, tiffin -parties at noon, others for whist or music in the evening, made up -the round of European social life there, ere Mohammed Ackbar Khan -came to the surface again with his deep-laid plots for aggrandisement -and revenge. - -Mabel Trecarrel, his affianced wife, so gently soft and -lady-like--her image was ever before him, her voice ever in his ear, -and the varying expressions of her clear grey eyes, with all her -winning ways, came keenly and vividly to memory, more especially in -the lonely watches of the night, when muffled in his poshteen, with -only a Chinsurrah cheroot to soothe his nerves and keep him warm, he -trod from post to post visiting his sentinels, or listened for the -sounds that might precede an Afghan assault, or perhaps an -earthquake; for the troops had both to encounter, though often -nothing came but the melancholy howl of the jackal on the night wind, -as it sighed over the vast plain around the city of Jellalabad--the -Zarang of the historians of Alexander. - -He had frequent thoughts of returning to Cabul in disguise as an -Afghan. He had already been pretty successful in his Protean -attempts to conceal his identity; but Sir Robert Sale would by no -means accord him permission to risk his life again in a manner so -perilous; so, as partial inactivity was maddening to him, after -Ackbar Khan's defeat had left all the avenues from the city open, he -volunteered, if furnished with a suitable escort, to ride to -Candahar, and urge on General Nott the policy of instantly advancing. -Sir Robert Sale agreed to this, and furnished him with a despatch and -a guard of twenty Native Cavalry; so Bob Waller departed, actually in -high spirits, thankful that even in this small way he was doing -something that might ultimately lead to the recapture of Cabul, and, -more than all, the rescue of her he loved. - -At a quick pace he crossed the arid desert that surrounds the city, -and ascended into the well-wooded and magnificent mountain ranges -that rise all around it, but more especially to the westward, whither -his route lay, and his spirits rose as his party spurred onward. -"What pleasure there is in a gallop!" says Paul Ferroll; "the object -is before one, at which to arrive quickly; the still air becomes a -wind marking the swiftness of one's pace--the fleet horse is his own -master, yet one's slave; the bodily employment leaves care, thought, -and time behind. One feels the pleasure of danger, because there -might be danger, and yet there may be none." - -So thought Waller, as he careered at the head of his party, with a -cigar between his teeth, the which to keep alight while riding at -full speed, he had previously dipped in saltpetre, a camp-fashion -peculiar to India. - -Candahar is distant from Jellalabad two hundred and seventy British -miles, and, considering the state of the whole country, the -undertaking, at the head of twenty horse, was a brave and arduous -one; but Waller confidently set out on his expedition, after having -carefully inspected his escort of picked men, and personally examined -their arms, ammunition, and saddlery, as he knew not whom they might -meet, or have to encounter. - -By a curious coincidence, on the very day he bade adieu to his -brother-officer, Audley Trevelyan, and other friends, to urge and -effect a junction of the forces, a fresh and loud burst of -indignation against the now-desponding Indian Executive was excited -in the minds of Sale's troops by the arrival of a messenger with a -startling proposal from the Governor-General, Auckland, to the effect -that Jellalabad was _not_ a place to retain any longer; that a -retreat was to be made from there to Peshawur; that, in effect, the -whole of Afghanistan was to be--as Ackbar Khan wished it--abandoned -by our forces, and that the helpless women and children, wounded and -sick, at Cabul, were to be left at the mercy of irresponsible -barbarians until rescued by quiet negotiations or a judicious -distribution of money; and thus to have peace at any price, leaving -our disgraces without remedy, our revenge unaccomplished, and our -prestige destroyed--in that quarter of the world at least! - -Even the English women who were captives in Afghanistan knew better -than this; for, amid the earnest prayers which they put up for their -liberation, they ever seemed to know that it was "not to be obtained -by negotiation and ransom, _but by hard fighting_," and they had more -trust in the bayonets of Sale's Brigade than in all the diplomatists -in London or Calcutta. - -Fortunately, ere all these disastrous arrangements could be made, a -new Governor-General in the person of Lord Ellenborough arrived, and -to him Sir Robert Sale despatched Audley Trevelyan with a letter -descriptive of his plans, and giving details of his force; and on -this mission, with a few attendants, our young staff officer and his -companion departed by the way of Peshawur, the gate of Western India, -on a long and arduous journey of nearly five hundred miles, by Rawul -Pindee and Umritsur, to Simla, on the slopes of the Himalayas--a -journey to be performed by horse and elephant, as the occasion might -suit; for the railway to Lahore had not as yet sent up its whistle in -the realms of Runjeet Sing. - -Meanwhile Waller was proceeding in precisely an opposite direction. -Compelled to avoid Ghuznee, which was now in the hands of the Afghans -under Ameen Oollah Khan, he and his escort, the half-Rissallah of -Native Horse, travelled among the mountains, unnoticed and uncared -for by the nomadic dwellers in black tents, whose temporary -settlements dotted the green slopes. His sowars all wore turbans in -lieu of light-cavalry helmets; and as he too had one, with it, his -poshteen, and now weather-beaten visage, he passed as a native chief -of some kind; and the route they traversed was sometimes as beautiful -as picturesque villages, long shady lanes overarched by -mulberry-trees, orchards of plums, apples, pomegranates, and those -great cherries which were introduced by the Emperor Baber, could make -it. And so on they rode, by Kurraba and Killaut, till they reached -Candahar in safety; and thankful indeed was honest Bob Waller when -from the hills, amid the plain, he beheld the city, with its fortress -crowning a precipitous rock, its long low walls of sun-dried brick, -and the gilded cupola that shrines the tomb of Ahmed Shah, once "the -Pearl of his age," the object of many a Dooranee's prayer, and around -which so many recluses spend the remainder of their lives in -repeating the Koran over and over again without end. - -There Waller was welcomed by the gallant General Nott, whom he found -full of stern resolution and high in hope for the future, for he was -on the very eve of marching with seven thousand well-tried and -well-trained troops to the aid of his friend Sale; and on the 15th of -August the movement was made, _en route_ recapturing Ghuznee. It was -stormed, and the Afghans again driven out at the point of the -bayonet. The whole place was dismantled; and, among others, Waller -had the pleasure of standing where no "unbeliever" ever stood before, -in the tomb of the Sultan Mahmud, which is entirely of white marble -and sculptured over with Arabic verses from the Koran. Around it, -beneath the mighty cupola stand thrones of mother-of-pearl; and upon -the slab that covers his grave lies the mace he used in battle, with -a head of iron, so heavy that few men now-a-days can use it. The -gates of this tomb were miracles of carving and beauty; they were of -that hard yellow timber known as sandal-wood, which grows on the -coast of Malabar and in the Indian Archipelago, and is highly -esteemed for its fragrant perfume and as a material for cabinet work. -Those gates had been brought as trophies from the famous Hindoo -temple of Somnath in Goojerat, when sacked by Mahmud in his last -expedition during the tenth century; and after hanging on his tomb -for eight hundred years, they were now torn down by order of General -Nott, and carried off by our victorious troops, for restoration on -their original site. - -Prior to all this, General Pollock with his army had reached -Jellalabad, which he entered under a joyful salute of sixteen pieces -of cannon, and then "forward!" was the word heard on all sides, -"forward to Cabul!" - -Then it was seen how the weather-beaten and hollow faces of our jaded -soldiers brightened with joy and ardour, with a flush for vengeance -too; for certain tidings came that, prior to this long-delayed* -junction having been effected, the relentless Ackbar, true to his -oath, had hurried off all his captives, male and female, in charge of -Saleh Mohammed towards the confines of savage Toorkistan--tidings -heard by many a husband, father, and lover with despair and rage!..... - - -* It was with something of waggery, perhaps, that the band of the -13th Light Infantry, on this occasion, welcomed Pollock, by playing -the old Scottish melody, - - "Oh, but you've been lang o' comin', - Lang, lang, lang o' comin'." - - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -THE SCHEME OF ZOHRAB. - -Time, to the young, seems but a slow and cold comforter (alas! how -different it must appear to the old); so Denzil knew that, though -sluggish, time must eventually bring about some change in the -captivity he was enduring in the hands of Shireen Khan--a mode of -life that, but for the sweet companionship of Rose, would have been -simply so intolerable that he should certainly have attempted to -escape even at the risk of death. - -In perfect ignorance of all that was passing in the outer world of -far-away Europe, of India, and even Afghanistan, they and the other -hostages, from whom they were, happily for themselves, kept apart, -knew nothing of all that was passing elsewhere, or of the plans that -were forming and the hopes that grew for their rescue or release. - -We say, happily they were sequestered from those who were in the -hands of Ackbar Khan: thus they were not harassed by dreadful and -incessant doubts of their future fate, especially the vague and -terrible one of transmission to Toorkistan; for the old Kuzzilbash -lord treated them kindly, and, to the best of his resources, -hospitably, confidently believing that it was his personal interest -to do so, as the gaily embroidered regimental colour of the 44th, or -East Essex, in which Denzil purposely aired his figure occasionally -in the garden of the fort, still impressed him with the idea that he -had secured a great Feringhee Nawab whom the Queen or Company might -ransom, or who might prove a powerful friend to him if reverses came -upon Cabul, and not a poor Ensign, or Lieutenant, as Denzil was now; -though he knew not that, consequent to slaughter, death by disease, -and so forth, he had now been promoted in the corps. - -Chess-playing was the great bond between old Shireen and the bright -laughing Rose, whom he treated with infinitely more care and -tenderness than either of his own daughters; but to Denzil he would -frequently say in his hoarse, guttural, and most unmusical language, -between the whiffs of his silk-bound and silver-cupped hubble-bubble-- - -"I am thy friend; yet remember that friendship with unbelievers is -forbidden by the Koran, especially with Jews or Christians; for saith -the fifth chapter, 'Are they not friends one with another?' and they -will corrupt us, their alms being like the icy winds which blow on -the fields of the perverse, and blast their corn in the ear." - -Denzil could not repress an impatient grimace under a smile, for it -was the Koran--always and ever the Koran--among these Afghans; every -casual remark or idea suggested a quotation from or a reference to -it, so that the Khanum could not dye her nails, adjust her veil, put -pepper in the kabobs, or chillis among the pillau of rice, without a -reference to something that was said or done on a similar occasion by -the Holy Camel-driver of Mecca,--their whole conversation being -interlarded with pious sayings, like that of the Scottish Covenanters -or English Puritans of old. - -Isolated as they were in that lonely Afghan fort, surrounded by -towering green hills, the interest that Denzil and Rose had in each -other grew daily and hourly deeper; so that at last she learned to -love him--yes, actually to love him--as fondly as he had ever loved -her, and to feel little emotions of pique and jealousy when he strove -to address the daughters of the house and teach them a very strange -kind of broken English. - -Propinquity and a just appreciation of his sterling character -achieved this for him, and he felt supremely happy in the conviction -of this returned love, though the end of it yet was difficult to -foresee. - -But it was such a divine happiness to dream softly on for the -present, shut in there as they were alone for themselves apparently, -and, as it seemed, "the world forgetting, by the world forgot." -Denzil's doubts of her were gone now; yet Rose had the power to -conceal for a long time the gradual change in her own sentiments and -secret thoughts from him who had inspired them; for the coquette was -loth to admit that she had succumbed at last. - -Denzil had contrived, after innumerable essays, in the most -remarkable species of polyglot language, to make old Shireen -comprehend that they had not, as yet, been married before a Cadi (or -Moollah, as the Christians are), and had to wait the permission of -others. On this he stroked his vast beard in token of assent, and -thrice muttered "Shabash!" with great solemnity, meaning, -"Well-done--agreed." - -Rose had lost much of her heedlessness of manner now; her latest -flirtation, which had been with Audley Trevelyan, was utterly -forgotten, as many others had been; and the quaint Afghan dress she -was compelled by the exigencies of her scanty wardrobe to wear--to -wit, a yellow chemise of silk embroidered with black, trousers of -fine white muslin, which revealed through its thin texture the -roundness of each tapered ankle, with her veil floating loose, in -token of her being unmarried, did not afford her much room for -coquetry, although it afforded scope for her old waggery, and her -long unbound auburn tresses, that spread over her shoulders in -brilliant ripples, she was wont to ridicule as a _coiffure à la -sauvage_, though one with which Denzil's fingers--when unobserved by -the Afghan household, he and she could ramble among the parterres, -rosaries, and shrubberies of the Khan's garden--were never weary of -toying. - -"You will tire of this life, as I do, and more soon of waiting too," -said she one day. - -"I shall wait and be faithful to you, Rose, even as I was taught at -school Jacob was to Rachel," he replied, fondly caressing her hands -in his. - -"Oh! that is much more solemn than Paul and Virginia," said she -laughing; "but, for Heaven's sake, don't imitate our dingy friends -here in pious quotations." - -When Rose Trecarrel calmly learned to know herself, she found upon -consideration, and came to the conclusion, that it was not mere -admiration for Denzil's handsome person and earnest winning manner; -it was not gratitude for his steady faith to herself, it was not the -charm of propinquity, nor the emotion of self-flattery at his -passion,--that it was not any of these singly, but all put together, -that made her love him so dearly now, and wonder at her heedless -blindness in the time that was past. - -Save Zohrab Zubberdust, that handsome, reckless, and wandering -Mohammedan soldier of fortune, no visitor at this time came to the -fort; and he was openly permitted to see Rose with the other ladies -of the family, and occasionally to converse and smoke a cherry-stick -pipe with Denzil, who deemed it rash on the part of Shireen to permit -them--Rose and himself--to be seen so freely by one who was a paid -follower of Ackbar Khan; but the leader of five thousand mounted -Kuzzilbash spearmen doubtless felt himself pretty independent in -action now. Moreover, since Ackbar's signal defeat before the walls -of Jellalabad, his influence had been lessening in Cabul and all the -surrounding country; and Zohrab, like many other "khans," who had -only their swords and pistols, and, like many other Afghan snobs, -that title to maintain, was beginning to wax cool in his service, -even as the funds ebbed in his treasury; for Ackbar now had but one -hope of replenishing these--the ransom or sale of the captives left -in his hands, and each head of these he reckoned at so many mohurs of -gold. - -It was from some casual remarks of Zohrab that Rose and Denzil first -learned, with mingled emotions of satisfaction and fear, compassion -and hope, that so many more hostages, male and female, were in the -hands of Ackbar, and that their own hopes of rescue or ransom were -thereby increased. - -Rose, through the medium of the Khan and of Denzil, overwhelmed -Zubberdust with questions as to who these prisoners were. Was her -father among them? No description he gave her answered to that of -the burly, bronzed, and grizzle-haired "Sirdir Trecarrel;" but there -was _one_ "mem sahib," whose appearance tallied so closely in -stature, face, eyes, and colour of hair with her own, that knowing as -she did all the ladies who had been in the cantonments, Rose could -not doubt but that she was Mabel--Mabel, her dear and only sister, -who must have been within a few miles of her all those weary, anxious -months, and yet neither could know of the other's existence; for -Mabel, like all who were with Elphinstone's ill-fated host, had now -learned to number all who had loved her with the dead. - -Now it happened that Zohrab Zubberdust had frequently seen Mabel -Trecarrel among the hostages, and been struck by her beauty. Indeed, -Ackbar Khan, who cared not for such personal attributes as she -possessed, and was long since past all soft emotions now, or, indeed, -any save those of ferocity, ambition, and avarice, had frequently -indicated her to Ameen Oollah Khan and others as the one upon whom he -put most value, and for whom he expected the largest sum from a -certain Toorkoman chief whom he named, and who was in the habit of -purchasing or exchanging horses for such pleasant commodities; for at -that precise time, or in that year of Queen Victoria's reign, -Mohammed Ackbar could scarcely realise as a probability the fact that -the year 1871 would see a descendant of the Great Mogul--he who was -lord of Persia, Transoxana, and Hindostan--one of the royal race of -Delhi, sentenced in a Feringhee court of law, by a cadi in a tow wig, -to four years' imprisonment with hard labour "for burying a -slave-girl" in the city of Benares! So, - - "Manners with fortunes, humours turn with climes, - Tenets with books, and principles with times!" - - -Thus Zohrab, perceiving that the power and influence of Ackbar had -been daily growing less in Cabul, especially since the flight of the -young Shah to the British General, had begun to dream of possessing -himself of this rare European beauty, and departing with her, his -horse and lance, in search of "fresh fields and pastures new," and, -if possible, of another paymaster; perchance to the court of the Emir -of Bokhara, the Shah of Persia, or some one else, alike beyond the -ken of Ackbar and the influence of the Feringhees and their queen. -In this intention, Zohrab felt the less compunction, that Ackbar had -of late permitted his pay to be in arrears several _tillas_ of gold. - -But how to get her quietly out of his power, still more how to get -her out of the immediate care and wardship of such a wary old soldier -and chief as Saleh Mohammed, to whom the especial keeping of the -hostages had been confided by the Sirdir, were the two principal -difficulties of Zohrab. - -He hoped to achieve much through the real or supposed relationship to -Rose, with whom he conversed freely, at times, on this and other -subjects (Denzil acting as their interpreter), and from him she -gradually learned much of which Shireen and his household had, -perhaps, kept her in ignorance--the state of affairs before -Jellalabad and in the Passes. - -"Are not the poor dead creatures buried there?" Rose once asked, -while many a face and voice came back to memory. - -"Buried? a few--but not deep," replied Zohrab, evasively. - -"How--what mean you?" - -"Because, as I rode through the Pass but yesterday, my horse's hoofs -turned up great pieces of human flesh, while the jackals and hyaenas -have been busy with the rest; they are dry bones now." - -Rose tremulously clasped her white hands and shuddered. - -"And those bones," was the sententious remark of Shireen, who was -listening, "not even the voice of Ezekiel could, as we are told it -once did, call back to life, as it called the dead Israelites of old." - -"A fortunate thing for us, Khan," said the irreverent Zohrab, -laughingly. - -"Why?" - -"I mean, if the result was to be the same; for all arose and lived -for years after; and is it not written that they moved among living -men with a stench and colour of corpses, and had to wear garments -blackened with pitch?" - -"That weary Koran again!" murmured Rose; while the Khan frowned, and, -to change the subject, said, - -"Tell us, Zohrab, more about the Feringhee damsel whom this lady -deems must be her sister, and your plans regarding her." - -"I fear she could not be prevailed upon to trust herself to me under -any pretext, or to leave the companionship of her friends in -misfortune without some assurance that she who is with you, Khan -Shireen, is indeed her sister in blood." - -"Most true," said Shireen, running his brown fingers through his -dense beard with an air of perplexity. - -"Oh, that may be easily arranged," said Denzil, full of hope at the -prospect of seeing Mabel, of the joy it would afford Rose, and the -wish to learn from her own lips all that had happened to so many dear -friends since that terrible day when so many thousands perished, and -so many were separated never to meet more. Thus, he suggested that -Rose should entrust Zohrab with a note to be delivered, on the first -convenient opportunity, to Mabel, or the lady who was supposed to be -she. Zohrab did not care about her identity the value of a -cowrie-shell, provided his own plans succeeded. - -"And you shall bring her here without delay?" said Shireen, while he -knit his bushy and impending eyebrows. - -"Where else would she be safe, Khan?" - -"Not with you, at all events," was the dubious response. - -Zohrab coloured perceptibly, and a covert gleam flashed in his glossy -black eyes, as he said, - -"My head may answer for this project, Khan, if I am taken." - -"Taken--how? Do you mean to fly?" asked Shireen, with another keen -glance. - -"Nay--nay; not if I can help it," stammered Zohrab, who saw that the -Khan's sunken eyes were full of strange light. - -"If it becomes known that she is here, the fact will embroil me with -Ackbar; but, bah! what matter is it?" said Shireen, proudly. "The -city is divided against him, and he knows I can bring five thousand -red caps into the field; and she will be one more prisoner for -Shireen of the Kuzzilbashes!" he muttered under his beard. "Go then, -Zohrab; go and prosper." - -"May I not accompany him?" asked Denzil, eagerly, as for months he -had never been beyond the wall and ditch of the fort, and he longed -to make a reconnaissance with a future eye to escape. - -"Nay," said Zohrab, "you know not what you propose, Sahib. Your -presence would but encumber me, and add to the lady's peril: it is -not to be thought of." - -Rose added her entreaties that he would not think of it either; for -she might lose her lover, and not regain her sister, so suddenly, so -recently, heard of; and then an emphatic and brief command from the -Khan ended the matter, so far as poor Denzil was concerned, and he -felt himself compelled to succumb. - -Writing materials, such as the Afghans use, the strong fibrous paper, -a reed split for a pen, with deep black and perfumed Indian ink, were -soon brought; and Rose, with a prayerful emotion in her fluttering -heart, and a hand that more than once almost failed in its office, so -great was her excitement, wrote a single line assuring Mabel that -she, herself, was safe, and to "confide in the bearer of this, who -would bring her to where she was residing;" and with this tiny -missive--which he placed to his lips and then to his forehead in -token of faith, while his black eyes flashed with an expression which -Rose saw, but failed to analyse--safely deposited in the folds of his -turban, Zohrab took his departure; and with a heartfelt invocation -for his success on her lips, Rose heard the sound of the hoofs of his -swift Tartar horse die away on the road that led towards the dark -rocky hills of Siah Sung. - -"Shabash! such children of burnt fathers those Feringhees are!" said -Zohrab, laughing as he galloped along. "Well, well, let me enjoy the -world ere I become the prey of the world!" - -Zohrab had promised to return with the lady, or, if without her, to -bring some sure tidings, not later than the evening of the second -day; but the evening sun of the third had reddened and died out on -the mountain peaks, the third, the fourth, the fifth, and a whole -week passed away, yet there came no word or sign from Zohrab, and -never more did he cross the threshold of Shireen's dwelling! - -Had he been discovered and slain by Saleh Mohammed, or what had -happened? - -Rose wept, for the tender hope, so suddenly lighted in her impulsive -heart, only to be as suddenly extinguished; but as yet no suspicion -of treachery on the part of Zohrab Zubberdust had entered the minds -of her or Denzil, whatever Shireen Khan, as an Afghan naturally prone -to suspicion, may have thought. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -MABEL DELUDED. - -On receiving the note from Rose Trecarrel, the cunning Zohrab, full -of his own nefarious plans, had ridden straight from the white-walled -fort of Shireen Khan to that commanded by Saleh Mohammed, which is -situated exactly three miles from Cabul, amid a well-cultivated -country; and there, knowing well the time when, after hearing morning -prayers read according to the service of the Church of England by one -lady who had preserved her "Book of Common Prayer," the poor -captives, with the children who were among them, were wont to take an -airing in the garden, he chose the occasion; for, as he was aware, -Saleh Mohammed, kneeling upon a piece of black xummul, under the -shadow of a great cypress, would be also at _his_ orisons, and -telling over his string of ninety-nine sandal-wood beads, with his -face bowed towards the _west_, as is the custom in India and Persia. -The precept of the Koran is, that when men pray they shall turn -towards the Kaaba, or holy house of Mecca; and, consequently, -throughout the whole Moslem world, indicators are put up to enable -the faithful to fulfil this stringent injunction. So selecting, we -say, a time when the grim old commandant of the fort was deep in his -orisons, with his head bowed, and his silver beard floating over the -weapons with which his Cashmere girdle bristled--for the modern -Afghan (like the Scottish Highlander of old) is never found unarmed, -even by his own fireside--he made a sign to Mabel that he wished to -speak with her; but he had to repeat this salaam more than once ere -she understood him, as she was intently toying with and caressing a -little boy, whose parents had perished in the late disasters, and who -clung specially to her alone. - -Mabel, pale and colourless now more than was her wont, though she -never had possessed a complexion so brilliant as her sister Rose, -bowed to Zohrab, whom she little more than knew by sight, and by the -force of local custom was lowering her veil (for she, too, like all -the rest, now wore the Afghan female dress) and turning away, when -Zohrab placed a hand on his lips, and, making a motion indicative of -entreaty, silence, and haste, held up the tiny note of Rose. - -On this Mabel's pale cheek flushed; she hesitated, and many ideas -shot swiftly through her mind, while she glanced hastily about her, -to see who observed them. Was this note some plot for her release -and the release of her friends--some political or military stratagem? -Had it tidings of her father's burial--for she knew that he had -fallen in the Pass--of the army, of those who were in Jellalabad? -Was it a love-letter? Zohrab Zubberdust was certainly very handsome; -her woman's eye admitted that. This idea occurred last of all; yet -the note might be from Waller--dear Bob Waller, with his fair honest -face and ample whiskers. All these thoughts passed like lightning -through her mind as she took the missive, which was written on a -small piece of paper, folded triangularly and without an address. - -Then, as she opened it, a half-stifled cry of mingled astonishment -and rapture escaped her. - -"Rose, it is from Rose; she yet lives! Oh, my God, I thank Thee! I -thank Thee!--she yet lives, but where?" she exclaimed, in a voice -rendered low by excess of emotion, as she burst into tears, and read -again and again the few words her sister had written. - -Zohrab was attentively observing her. He saw how pure and beautiful -she was; how unlike aught that he had ever looked upon before--even -the fairest, softest, and most languishing maids of Iraun; for Mabel -was an English girl, above the middle height, and fully rounded in -all her proportions. All that he had heard of houris, of those -black-eyed girls of paradise, the special care of the Angel Zamiyad, -seemed to be embodied in her who was before him. Her quiet eyes -seemed wondrously soft, clear, and pleading in expression, to one -accustomed ever to the black, beady orbs of the Orientals; and as he -gazed, he felt bewildered, bewitched by the idea that in a little -time, if he was wary, all this fair beauty might be his--his as -completely as his horse and sabre! - -"My sister! my dear, dear sister!" exclaimed Mabel, impulsively, -kissing the note and pressing it to her breast. "Oh, I must tell of -this. Lady Sale, Lady Sale!" she exclaimed, looking around her; but -Zohrab laid a hand on her arm, and a finger on his lip significantly. - -"Lady Sahib," said he, in a low guttural voice, "you will go with me?" - -"Yes, yes--oh yes; but how? to where?--and I must confer with my -friends and the Khan, Saleh Mohammed." - -"Nay; to do so would ruin all." - -"With my friends, surely?" - -"Nay; that too would be unwise: to none." - -"None?" - -"I repeat, none," said Zohrab, whose habit of mind, like that of all -Orientals, was inclined to suspicion, secresy, and mistrust. - -"Why?" asked Mabel. - -"Does not your letter tell you?" - -"No--but can I--ought I to--to----" she paused and glanced -irresolutely towards the group of her companions in misfortune, who -were generally clustered round the chief matrons of their party, Lady -Sale and the widowed Lady Macnaghten; and the idea flashed upon her -mind that she might be unwise to leave the shelter of their presence -and society, and trust herself to this Afghan warrior. But, then, -had not Rose bade her confide in him? - -"Where is my sister, and with whom?" she asked. - -"I can only tell you that she is in perfect safety," replied -Zubberdust, unwilling in that locality to compromise himself by -mentioning the name of Shireen Khan. - -"I shall be silent, and go with you," said Mabel, making an effort to -master her deep and varied emotions. - -"When?" - -"Now--this instant, if you choose." - -"That is impossible. At dusk, when the sun is set, I shall be here -again on this spot, and take you to her. Till then, be silent, and -confide in none: to talk may ruin all!" said Zubberdust, whose active -mind had already conceived a plan for outwitting Saleh Mohammed and -his guard of Dooranees, who watched the walls of the fort from the -four round towers which terminated each angle, and on each of which -was mounted a nine-pounder gun taken from our old cantonments. - -Too wary to remain needlessly in her company, with all her -allurements, now that his pretended mission was partly performed, and -thereby draw the eyes of the observant or suspicious upon them, and -more particularly upon himself, he at once withdrew, leaving poor -Mabel, who naturally was intensely anxious to question him further, -overwhelmed by emotions which she longed eagerly to share by -confidence with her friends; for news of any European, especially of -one who belonged to the little circle of English society at Cabul, -must prove dear and of deepest interest to them all. Yet had not -this mysterious messenger impressed upon her, that if she was to see -her sister, to rejoin her, and hear the story of her wonderful -disappearance at the mouth of the Khyber Pass, if she would soothe, -console, it might be protect her, she must be silent? - -Slowly passed the day in the fort of Saleh Mohammed. The tall and -leafy poplars, the slender white minars, the four towers of the fort, -which was a perfect parallelogram, and the wooded and rocky hills -that overlooked them all, cast their shadows across the plain -(through which the Cabul winds towards the Indus) gradually in a -circle, and then, when stretching far due westward, they gradually -faded away; the snow-capped peaks of the Hindu-Kush, the mighty -Indian Caucasus, rose cold and pale against the clear blue sky, where -the stars were twinkling out in succession; and with a nervous -anxiety, which she found it almost impossible to control, Mabel -Trecarrel stole away, with mingled emotions, from the apartments -assigned to the lady hostages--emotions of sorrow, half of shame for -her silence concerning the project she had in hand, and her enforced -reticence to those who loved her, and had ever been so kind to her -amid their own heavy afflictions--compunction for the honest alarm -her absence would certainty occasion them on the morrow; but hope and -joy in the anticipated reunion with her sister soon swept all such -minor thoughts away, and she longed and thirsted for the embrace and -companionship of Rose, to whom, though the difference in their years -was but small, she had ever been a species of mother and -monitress--never so much as when in their happy English home in -Cornwall, far away! - -Since their strange separation on that fatal morning, when their poor -father, in his despair and sorrow, galloped rearward to perish in the -skirmish, how much must the pretty, the once-playful, and coquettish -Rose have to tell; and how much had she, herself, to impart in return! - -Her heart beat almost painfully, when, on approaching the appointed -spot for the last time, she saw the figure of Zohrab Zubberdust -standing quite motionless under the shadow of the great cypress, -where in the morning Saleh Mohammed had knelt at prayer. He wore his -steel cap (with its neck-flap of mail), on which the starlight -glinted; he had a small round gilded shield slung on his back by a -leather belt; his poshteen was buttoned up close to his throat, and -he was, as usual, fully armed; but in one hand he carried a large, -loose chogah, or man's cloak, of dull-coloured red cloth; and now -Mabel felt that the decisive moment had, indeed, all but arrived: -beyond that, her ideas were vague in the extreme, and her breathing -became but a series of hurried and thick respirations. - -"Is all safe? is all ready--prepared?" she asked, in a broken voice. - -"Inshallah--all," replied the taciturn Mahommedan, who, like all of -his race and religion, had few words to spare. - -The idea of escaping by ladders of rope or wood had never seemed to -him as possible. The walls of the fort were twenty-five feet high, -and surrounded by a deep wet ditch, the water of which came by a -canal, through a rice-field, from the Cabul river. Its only gate was -guarded by a party of Saleh Mohammed's men, under a Naick (or -subaltern), with whom Zohrab was very intimate; and beyond or outside -these barriers he had left his horse haltered (in sight of the -sentinels), and so that it could not stir from the place, as the only -portion of the gate which the Naick was permitted to open was the -_kikree_, or wicket, through which but one at a time could pass. - -Zohrab Zubberdust, scarcely daring to trust himself to look on -Mabel's fair, anxious, and imploring face, lest it might bewilder him -from his fixed purpose, took from his steel cap the white turban -cloth he wore twisted round it, and, speedily forming it into a -single turban with a falling end, placed it on her head. He -enveloped her in the ample chogah, hiding half her face, gave her his -sabre to place under her arm, and the simple disguise was complete; -for, in the dusk now, none could perceive that she wore slippers in -lieu of the brown leather jorabs or ankle-boots of the Afghans; and -looking every inch a taller and perhaps a manlier Osmanlie than -himself, Mabel walked leisurely by his side towards the gate, where, -as watch-words, parole, and countersign were alike unknown to the -guard, fortunately none were required of them; but her emotions -almost stifled her, when she saw the black, keen, and glossy eyes of -the Dooranees surveying her, as they leaned leisurely on their long -juzails, which were furnished with socket bayonets nearly a yard in -length. - -She moved mechanically, like one in a dream, and the circumstance of -striking her head as she failed to stoop low enough in passing -through the wicket added to her confusion; nor was she quite aware -that they had been permitted to pass free and unquestioned, as two -men, by the Naick, to whom Zohrab made some jesting remark about the -"awkwardness of his friend," until she saw behind her the lofty white -walls of the fort gleaming in the pale starlight, their loopholes and -outline reflected downward, in the slimy wet ditch where water-lilies -were floating in profusion. - -Unhaltering his horse and mounting, her new companion desired her, -with more impressiveness than tenderness of tone--for the former was -his habit, and the moment was a perilous and exciting one--to walk on -by his side a little way, as if they were conversing, and thereby to -lull any suspicion in the minds of such Dooranees as might be -observing them; for they were still within an unpleasant distance of -the long rifles of those who were posted on the towers of the fort; -and still more were they within range of those ginjauls which are -still used in India, and are precisely similar to the swivel -wall-pieces invented long ago by Marshal Vauban, and throw a pound -ball to a vast distance. - -On descending the other side of an intervening eminence, that was -covered by wild sugar-canes and aromatic shrubs, the leaves of which -were tossing in the evening breeze, he curtly desired her to place -her right foot upon his left within the stirrup-iron, and then, with -the aid of his hand, he readily placed her on the holsters of his -saddle before him. He now applied the spurs with vigour to his -strong, active, and long-bodied Tartar horse, and, with a speed which -its double burden certainly served to diminish, it began quickly to -leave behind the dreaded fort of Mohammed Saleh. - -As the latter began to sink and lessen in the distance, Mabel -Trecarrel felt as if there was a strange and dreamy unreality about -all this episode. Many an officer and Indian Sowar had ridden into -the Khoord Cabul Pass with his wife or his children before him, even -as she was now borne by Zohrab; she had heard and seen many wild and -terrible things since her father, with other officers of the -Company's service, had come, in an evil hour, "up country," to -command Shah Sujah's Native Contingent; she had read and heard of -many such adventures, escapes, flights, and abductions in romance and -reality; but what might be her fate now, if this should prove to be -the latter--an abduction of herself--some trick of which she had -permitted herself to become the too-ready victim? - -She was in a land where the people were prone to wild and predatory -habits, and, moreover, were masters in trickery, cunning, and -cruelty. Had she been deceived? she asked of herself, when she felt -the strong, sinewy, and bony arm of Zohrab tightening round her -waist, while his wiry little horse, with its fierce nose and muscular -neck outstretched, and its dancing mane streaming behind like a tiny -smoke-wreath, sped on and on, she knew not whither! - -Had she been deceived, was the ever-recurring dread, when the -handwriting was that of Rose, beyond all doubt? But written when? or -had Rose been deluded? Was this horseman the person in whom she had -been desired "to confide," or had he stolen the note from -another?--perhaps, after killing him! Those Afghans were such subtle -tricksters that she felt her mistrust equalled only by her loathing -of them all. - -Mabel asked herself all these tormenting questions when, perhaps, too -late; and she knew that, whether armed or unarmed, Heaven had never -intended her to be a heroine, or to play the part of one: she felt a -conviction that she was merely "an every-day young lady," and that if -"much more of this kind of thing went, she must die of fright." - -Just as she came to this conclusion an involuntary cry escaped her. -The boom of a cannon--one of Her Majesty's nine-pounders, of which -the Khan had possessed himself--pealed out on the calm still -atmosphere of the Indian evening, now deepening into night. Another -and another followed, waking the echoes of the woods and hills; and, -though distant now, each red flash momentarily lit up the sky. They -came from the fort of Saleh Mohammed to alarm the country; and still -further to effect this and announce the escape of a prisoner, a vast -quantity of those wonderful and beautiful crimson, blue, green, and -golden lights, in the manufacture of which all Oriental pyrotechnists -excel so particularly, were shot off in every direction from the -walls, showering upward and downward like falling stars, describing -brilliant arcs through the cloudless sky; and with an exclamation on -his bearded mouth, expressive of mockery and malison with fierce -exultation mingled, Zohrab Zubberdust looked back for a moment, while -his black eyes flashed fire in the reflected light. - -"Hah!" he muttered, "dog of a Dooranee, may the grave of the slave -that bore thee be defiled!" - -And while one hand tightened around his prize, with the other he -urged his horse to greater speed than ever. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -BY THE HILLS OF BEYMARU. - -As they proceeded, past groves of drooping willows, past rows of -leafy poplars, rice-fields where pools of water glittered in the -starlight, and past where clumps of the flowering oleaster filled the -air with delicious perfume, Mabel began to recognise the features of -the landscape, and knew by the familiar locality that she was once -more within a very short distance of Cabul. Again, in the light of -the rising moon, as she sailed, white and silvery, above the black -jagged crests of the Siah Sung, Mabel Trecarrel could recognise the -burned and devastated cantonments, where in flame and ruin the -fragile bungalows, the compounds of once-trim hedgerows, and all, had -passed away,--the bare boundary walls and angular bastions alone -remaining. She saw the site of her father's pretty villa, a place of -so many pleasant and happy memories--the daily lounge of all the -young officers of the garrison; and there, too, were the remains of -the Residency, where Sir William Macnaghten, as the Queen's -representative, dispensed hospitality to all. Yonder were the hills -and village of Beymaru; and further off a few red lights that -twinkled high in air announced the Bala Hissar, the present residence -of Ackbar Khan; but to take her in that direction formed then no part -of the plans of Zohrab Zubberdust. - -He rode straight towards a lonely place which lay between the Beymaru -Hills and the Lake of Istaliff; and as the locality grew more and -more sequestered he slackened the speed of his horse, now weary and -foam-flaked. After a time he drew up, and, requesting her to alight, -lifted her to the ground, and politely and gently urged her to rest -herself for a little space. - -"My sister?" said Mabel, tremulously. - -"Is not here," replied he. - -"But where, then?" - -"Patience yet a while," said he with a smile, which she could not -perceive; while he, to be prepared for any emergency, proceeded at -once to shift his saddle, rub down his horse with a handful of dry -grass, give it a mouthful or two from a certain kind of cake which he -carried in his girdle; and then he looked to his bridle, -stirrup-leather, and the charges of his pistols. Accustomed to arms -and strife of late, Mabel looked quietly on, taking all the -preparations for uncertain contingencies as mere matters of course. - -Breathless and weary with her strange mode of progression, she had -seated herself on a stone close by; and while the careful rider was -grooming his steed and making him drink a little of the shining -waters of the long narrow lake, she looked anxiously around her, -surmising when or in what manner of habitation she should find her -sister. Not a house or homestead, not even the black tent of a -mountain shepherd, was in sight. On all sides the lonely green and -silent hills towered up in the quiet moonlight, and the still, calm -lake reflected their undulating outlines downward in its starry depth. - -The holly-oak, the wild almond, and the khinjuck tree, which distils -myrrh, and in that warlike land of cuts and slashes is in great -repute for healing sabre wounds, the homely dog-rose, the -sweet-briar, the juniper bush, and the wild geranium, all grew among -the clefts of the rocks in luxuriant masses; while sheets of wild -tulips waved their gorgeous cups among the green sedges by the lake. - -Not far from where she sat was a grove, which she remembered to have -been the scene of a once-happy picnic party, of which Bob Waller was -one. She recognised the place now. She knew it was a lonely -solitude, that in summer was ever full of the perfume of dewy -branches, fresh leaves, and opening flowers; but the immediate spot -where they had halted had been anciently used as a burying-ground. A -portion of an old temple, covered by luxuriant creepers, lay there, -and two magnificent cypresses still towered skyward amid the -half-flattened mounds and sinking grave-stones of the long-forgotten -dead. The remains of a little musjid, or place for prayer, long -since ruined by some savage and idolatrous Khonds, who came down from -the hills, lay there among the débris, which included a shattered -well, built by some pious Moslem of old. The water from it gurgled -past her feet towards the lake, and she remembered how Waller had -placed the bottles of champagne and red Cabul wine in the runnel to -cool them. - -And now, as if contrasting the joyous past with the bitter present, a -shudder came over Mabel. She held out her pale hand, which looked -like ivory in the moonlight, and said to Zohrab, as he approached -her-- - -"It is a gloomy place, this. Is my sister far from here?" - -"About five coss," said he, confidently; and he spoke the truth, and -charmed by seeing her outstretched hand, an action which betokened -reliance or trust--he flattered himself, perhaps, regard--he took a -seat by her side, and then Mabel began to view him with positive -distrust and uneasiness. She said-- - -"Five coss--ten miles yet! Let us go at once, then!" - -"Stay," said he, "let us rest a little. You are--nay, must be -weary;" and arresting her attempt to rise with a hand upon her arm, -he drew nearer her; and sooth to say, though he was confident in -bearing, bravely embroidered in apparel, and had a handsome exterior, -Zohrab Zubberdust was but an indifferent love-maker, and knew not how -to go about it, with a "Feringhee mem sahib" least of all. He was -puzzled, and made a pause, during which Mabel's large, clear, grey -eyes regarded him curiously, warily, and half sternly. - -As the mistress of her father's late extensive household, with its -great retinue of native servants (each of whom had half a dozen -others to perform his or her work), and, as such, coming hourly in -contact with the dealers and others in the bazaars and elsewhere, -Mabel Trecarrel had, of necessity, picked up a knowledge of the -Hindostanee and the Afghan, far beyond her heedless sister Rose, who, -as these were neither the languages of flirtation or the flowers, -scarcely made any attempt to do so; hence Mabel could converse with -Zohrab with considerable fluency. - -Her beauty was as soft and as bright as that of Rose, but it was less -girlish and of a much higher and more statuesque character; so -"Zohrab the Overbearing" now felt himself rather at a loss to account -for the emotion of awe--we have no other name for it--with which she -inspired him. The point, the time, and the place when he should have -her all to himself had arrived, true to all his calculations and -beyond his hopes; and yet his tongue and spirit failed him, as if a -spell were upon him. - -In his lawless roving life, now serving the Khan of Khiva, on the -eastern shores of the Caspian Sea, now the Emir of Bhokara, far away -beyond the waters of the Oxus, and lastly Ackbar Khan, he had, in -predatory war, carried off many a girl with all her wealth of -bracelets and bangles, the spoil of his spear and sabre, trussing her -up behind him like the fodder or oats for his Tartar nag; but never -had he felt before as he did now, for, unlike the maids of the -desert, the Feringhee failed to accept the situation. He felt -perplexed--secretly enraged, and yet he murmured half to himself and -half to her, as his dark face and darker gleaming eyes drew nearer -hers-- - -"The whiteness of her bosom surpasses the egg of the ostrich or the -leaf of the lily, and her breath is sweet as the roses of Irem--yea, -as those of Zulistan! Listen to me," he added abruptly, in a louder -and sharper tone, and in his figurative language; "fair daughter of -love, give ear. You have won my heart, my love, my soul, subduing -me--even Zohrab! Learn in turn to be subdued, submissive, and -obedient. Happy is he who shall call you wife; and that happy -man--is Zohrab!" - -The intense bewilderment of poor Mabel increased to extreme fear at -those words, so absurdly inflated, yet so blunt in import, and she -shrunk back, but could not turn from the dark, glittering eyes that -gleamed with a serpent-like fascination into hers. - -So she _had_ been deluded after all, and her worst anticipations were -about to be realised at last! Zohrab grasped her left hand with his -right, and planting his left cheek on the other hand, with an elbow -on his knee, began to take courage, and, surveying her steadily, to -speak more distinctly and with an admiring smile; for the silence of -the night was around them, and no sound came on the wind that moaned -past the grove or the great cypresses close by; so from the silence, -perhaps, he gathered confidence, if, indeed, he really required it. - -"Allah has been good to us," said he, "exceedingly good, in creating -such beautiful beings as women to please us. You are more beautiful -than any I have seen--too much so to be left to gladden a Kaffir's -heart; so you shall remain with me, and be the light of my eyes." - -"Wretch!--fool that I have been! Rose, Rose!" gasped Mabel, scarcely -knowing what she said. - -"I love you," he resumed softly, while his hot clasp tightened on her -hand, and his lips approached her ear; "you hear--and understand me?" - -"You love me!" exclaimed Mabel rashly, with proud scorn in her tone, -despite the deadly fear that gathered in her heart, and while her -eyes flashed with an expression to which the Oriental was quite -unaccustomed in a captive woman. - -"Yes, I love you--I, Zohrab," was the somewhat egotistical response. - -"You know not what love is; but, even if you did, you shall not dare -to talk of it to me. That you may have a fancy, I can quite well -understand; but a fancy, or a passion, and love are very different -things. What do you, or what can you, know of me?" - -"That you are beautiful: what more is required?" - -"Enough of this--I am weary. Take me instantly to my sister, or back -to my friends who are with Saleh Mohammed; for if I were to denounce -you to Ackbar Khan, how much think you your head would be worth?" - -"Much less than yours, certainly." - -"And at what does he--this _other_ barbarian--value me?" - -"At the price of six Toorkoman horses, perhaps," was the half-angry -response; "while to me you are priceless, beyond life itself. -Denounce me to Ackbar Khan--would you?" - -"Yes." - -His teeth glistened under his jet moustache as he replied-- - -"Those stones and trees alone hear us; so now let me tell you, Kaffir -girl, that you weary me; by the five blessed Keys of Knowledge, you -do!" and, as he spoke, he started to his feet, and by an angry twist -of his embroidered girdle threw his jewelled sabre behind him. - -"Oh, this is becoming frightful!" moaned Mabel, clasping her hands -and looking wildly round her; "what will become of me now? Papa, -Rose, are we never to meet again?" - -Oh, if big, burly Bob Waller, with his six feet and odd inches of -stature, were only there! Could he but know of her misery of -mind--her dire extremity! but would he ever know? God alone could -tell! - -There is much that is touching in the helplessness of any woman, but -more than all a beautiful one, though we, whose lines are cast in -pleasant places, and in a land of well-organized police, may seldom -see it--a clinging, imploring expression of eye, when all is soul and -depth of heart, and strength avails not. But Zohrab Zubberdust felt -nothing of this. She on whom he looked might be pure as Diana, -"chaste as Eve on the morning of her innocence," yet, as a -Mohammedan, he had a secret contempt for her--perhaps a doubt of -her--as a Kaffir woman. He was only inspired by the emotions of -triumph and passion, by the sure conviction that this fair Feringhee, -this daughter of a vanquished tribe, this outcast unbeliever, so -lovely in her whiteness of skin, her purity of complexion, and -wondrous colour of hair, in her roundness of limb, and in stature so -far surpassing all the maids of the twenty-one Afghan clans or races, -was his--_his_ property--to become the slave of his will or his -cruelty, as it pleased him! - -Of the paradox that woman's weakness is her strength, with the -Christian man, Zohrab knew nothing, and felt less; yet he tried to -act the lover in a melodramatic fashion, by making high-flown -speeches, and assuring her, again and again, that he loved her "as -the only Prophet of God loved Ayesha, his favourite wife, the mother -of all the Faithful," and much more to the same purpose, till amid -the wind that sighed through the trees, and shook the wild tulips and -lilies by the lake, the quickened ear of Mabel caught a distant -sound; and then one of those shrill cries of despair, that women -alone can give, escaped her. - -A fierce malediction from the lips of Zohrab mingled with it, for he -dreaded Saleh Mohammed; and in a few moments more the clink of hoofs -was heard; then Zohrab sternly drew a pistol from his girdle, and -unsheathed his sabre like a flash of fire in the moonlight. The -blade glittered like his own eyes, as he glared alternately from -Mabel to where the sounds came; and by his keen, wild expression and -fierce quivering nostrils, she saw with terror, that a very slight -matter might turn his wrath and his weapons against herself. - -"Here comes aid--Saleh Mohammed perhaps! Help, help, in the name of -God!" she cried, recklessly. - -Zohrab uttered a sound like a hiss, and placed the cold back of his -sabre across her throat, implying thereby, "Silence, or death;" and -at that instant, four Afghan horsemen came galloping up, and reined -in their nags. - -"Bismillah," said the leader, a venerable, burly, and silver-bearded -man, in a huge turban. - -"Bismillah," responded Zohrab, using also the expression of -salutation customary to the country (and which means no more than -"good evening" or "good e'en" may do with us), yet regarding the -stranger with a somewhat resentful and tiger-like expression of eye -for his unwelcome interruption. - -"What, Zohrab Zubberdust, is this thou?" exclaimed the other. - -"Shabash--it is I; and you--are Nouradeen Lal!" said the would-be -lover, as he recognised his acquaintance, the hill-farmer, whose -ploughman, perforce, Waller had been; "whence come you?" - -"From Cabul, where I have been with many an arroba of corn for the -Sirdir, who expects to be besieged by the Kaffirs from Jellalabad. -Oh! and so you are at your old tricks again," continued the farmer, -with a somewhat unoriental burst of laughter; "you are not content to -wait for the spouses of musk and amber in their couches of pearl--the -black-eyed girls with their scarfs of green!" - -"Allah Keerem, but he is fortunate," said another, looking admiringly -on Mabel; "most fortunate! She is fair and white as the virgins of -paradise can be." - -"But her cry sounded like the bay of a goorg to the rising moon; and -we thought you were an afreet--the Ghoul Babian, or some such horror; -for here are graves close by!" - -"Nouradeen Lal is not complimentary," said the other speaker, who, by -his steel cap, spear, and shield of rhinoceros hide, seemed to be a -Hazir-bashi, or one of Ackbar's body-guard, "if he compare the -damsel's voice to the cry of a wolf." - -"But why did she cry? You were not ill-using her, I hope," said the -old farmer, peering down at Mabel's face from under his broad -circular turban. - -"For the love of God--your God as well as mine--save me from this -man!" said Mabel, clinging to the stirrup-leather of the farmer, -whose venerable appearance encouraged her, and who placed his strong -brown hand on her head encouragingly and protectingly. - -"I dare you to interfere!" exclaimed Zohrab, hoarse with passion, as -he drew from his girdle the long brass pistol he had just half cocked -and replaced there. - -"And why so?" asked the Hazir-bashi, who seemed quite ready for a -brawl, and perhaps the appropriation of the girl. - -"Because she is--my wife." - -"Your wife!" exclaimed Nouradeen, withdrawing his hand abruptly, and -swerving round his horse, so that Mabel nearly fell to the ground. - -"Yes; we were married before the Cadi: and now she would seek to -repudiate me, and return to her own accursed people," said the artful -Zohrab; for marriage among the Mohammedans is exclusively a civil -ceremony, performed before a Cadi, or magistrate, and not by an Imaum -or any other minister of religion, with which it has nothing to do. - -"Oh, believe not a word of this; it is false--false!" implored Mabel, -with desperation in her tone. - -"It is true; and thou, Kaffir, liest! Silence, silence, or I will -kill thee!" hissed Zohrab in her ear; and she felt that he was but -too capable of putting his threat into execution. "Interfere not -with us, I charge you; but leave us, and remember what the fourth -chapter of the Koran says, 'If a woman fear ill-usage or aversion -from her husband, it shall be no crime in them if they settle the -matter amicably between themselves; for a reconciliation is better -than a separation;' therefore leave us to agree amicably, as the -Prophet hath advised." - -"And the same chapter, good Zohrab, tells us how we may chastise such -wives as are contumacious, and those captives, too, whom our right -hand may possess," said the farmer; "so farewell, and may the steps -of you both be fortunate," he added, as he and his three companions -galloped laughingly away, and with a wail, as if from her heart, -Mabel found herself alone once more in the moonlight solitude--alone -with her unscrupulous companion. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -AGAIN IN CABUL. - -A change had now come over him; he had grown sullen and thoughtful; -but even this mood of mind she preferred to his obnoxious and -intrusive tenderness. He stood silently and gloomily eyeing her for -a time. - -Will it be believed that, too probably, he was actually pondering -whether or not policy and his own future safety required that he -should pistol or sabre this helpless creature, whom a minute before -he had been professing so ardently to love? He could not help -speculating on what _might_ have been the sequel, regarding himself, -had her wild and despairing cry, instead of bringing up a stupid old -mountain farmer, like Nouradeen Lal, summoned to the spot the -ferocious Dooranee horsemen of Saleh Mohammed, who was bound to -account for the prisoners, dead or alive, body for body, to Ackbar -Khan. He knew that by this time all the roads diverging from Cabul -would be beset in every direction by the horsemen of Saleh Mohammed -and the Sirdir; that, sooner or later, some of these would meet and -question the farmer returning to his home among the hills, and the -information he and the Hazir-bashi must give, would soon bring a -mounted Rissallah round by Beymaru in search and pursuit; so his own -bold measures were instantly taken. - -In Cabul would he and his prize alone be safe, and, as he hoped, -unsought for a time at least; and there he resolved to convey her, -ere day broke, and to conceal her in the house of one who he knew -would be faithful to him--a man named Ferishta Lodi, who had been -sutler to the Shah's Goorka Regiment, and whose life he had spared, -and whose escape he had connived at, when the whole of that luckless -battalion was massacred in cold blood, by the Afghans at Charekar. - -Sternly he commanded her again to mount before him, and, aware that -resistance and entreaty were alike futile, the unhappy girl, crushed -in spirit, weeping heavily, and feeling utterly lost and helpless, -obeyed; and once more their progress was resumed, but at a slower -pace, as Zohrab was evidently husbanding the strength of his wearied -horse. Day was breaking as they passed, unquestioned, through the -Kohistan Gate of Cabul; but its light was yet grey and dim jis they -traversed the narrow, dark, and high-walled tortuous streets, to some -obscure quarter perfectly unknown to Mabel. - -A few persons passed them, some going to market in the Char-chowk, -others afield to tend the trellised vines; but she dared neither -speak nor show her pallid face. She might find mercy at the hands of -Zohrab, but none among the rabble of Cabul, where the miserable -remains of the Queen's Envoy yet hung unburied in the great bazaar. - -Mabel knew but too well, by observation and experience, the nature of -the nation among whom she now found herself--alone. Nearly forty -years had made no change on the people, since a Scottish traveller -described them; and his pithy account may be summed up in the -following quotation:-- - -"If a man could be transported to Afghanistan without passing through -the dominions of Turkey, Persia, or Tartary, he would be amazed by -the wide and unfrequented deserts and the mountains covered with -perennial snow. Even in the cultivated part of the country he would -discover a wild assemblage of hills and wastes, unmarked by -enclosures, not embellished by trees, and destitute of navigable -canals, public roads, and all the great and elaborate productions of -human refinement and industry. He would find the towns few and far -distant from each other; he would look in vain for inns and other -conveniences, which a traveller would meet with in the wildest parts -of Great Britain. Yet he would sometimes be delighted with the -fertility and population of particular plains and valleys, where he -would see the productions of Europe mingled in profusion with those -of the torrid zone, and the land tilled with an industry and judgment -nowhere surpassed. He would see the inhabitants accompanying their -flocks in tents or villages, to which the terraced roofs and mud -walls give an appearance entirely novel. He would be struck with -their high and harsh features, their sun-burnt countenances, their -long beards, loose garments, and shaggy cloaks of skins. When he -entered into society, he would notice the absence of all courts of -justice, and of everything like an organised police. He would be -surprised at the fluctuation and utter instability of every civil -institution. He would find it difficult to comprehend how a nation -could subsist in such disorder, and pity those who were compelled to -pass their days amid such scenes, and whose minds were trained by -their unhappy situation to fraud and violence, to rapine, deceit, and -cruel revenge. Yet he could not fail to admire their lofty and -martial spirit, their hospitality, their bold and simple manners, -equally removed from the suppleness of the citizen and the rusticity -of the clown. In short," he adds, a stormy independence of spirit, -which leads them to declare, "'We are content with fierce discord; we -are content with alarm; we are content with bloodshed; but we shall -_never be content_ with a master!'" - -Mabel gave herself up more than ever for lost on finding herself -within the fatal walls of Cabul; a benumbed and despairing emotion -crept over her heart, and all her energies seemed away from her. She -found herself lifted from horseback in a paved court that was dark, -damp, and gloomy, and in the centre of which a fountain was plashing -monotonously. She felt herself borne indoors somewhere, she knew not -by whom, and then she fainted for a little time. - -She had been carried into one of those apartments which open by a -large sliding panel off the dewan-khaneh, the principal hall or -receiving-room of a Cabul house. She had been there deposited at -length on a soft mattrass, which was simply spread on the floor, as -in that country bedsteads and sofas are unlike unknown. So people -there both sleep and sit on the floor, unless in the case of persons -of rank, who may seat themselves cross-legged on a divan. - -Though prettily ornamented with carving, stucco, and painting, in -this room there was a total absence of those invariable sentences -from the Koran, woven among arabesques, which mark an Oriental -mansion; but in lieu thereof were some in a language of which Mabel's -weary eyes could make nothing. These were lines from the Vedas of -the Hindoos; and in three little niches, most elaborately carved, -were the three monstrous statuettes of the god who is worshipped by -so many millions under the names of Vishnu, Siva, and Brama; for the -house to which she had been conveyed belonged partly to Ferishta -Lodi, the ex-Sutler, who now kept a shop in the great bazaar, and to -a Hindoo, one of those same schroffs, or bankers, through whom the -luckless General Elphinstone and his staff had negotiated the -enormous sum which was paid to procure our peaceful march through the -Passes--and paid for our slaughtered troops--in vain. - -The Hindoo banker and the Khond were alike absent; but the wife of -the former, a soft-eyed and gentle little woman, with massive golden -bangles on her wrists and glittering anklets round her ankles, -assisted the somewhat awkward and decidedly bewildered Zohrab in the -task of recovering Mabel, by plentifully besprinkling her face, neck, -and hands with cool and delightfully perfumed water from a large -flask covered with elaborate silver filagree work. The Hindoo woman, -who knew that the visitor was a helpless Feringhee captive, worked at -her humane duty in silence, and without venturing to ask any -questions. - -A quivering of the long eyelashes, a spasmodic twitching of the -handsomely cut mouth, as she heaved a long and deep sigh, showed that -animation was returning. Slowly, indeed, did Mabel--though a girl -with naturally a good physique and splendid constitution--struggle -back to life and consciousness. Her beautiful face was pale as -marble now; all complexion, save that of alabaster, was gone; cold -and white she was, and her brilliant auburn hair in silky masses -rolled over her shoulders and bosom, which heaved painfully, for -every respiration was a sigh. - -To the admiring and undoubtedly appreciative eyes of the enterprising -Zohrab she presented a powerful contrast to the dusky little Hindoo -woman, on whose ridgy shoulder her head was drooping, and whose -fingers, of bronze-like hue, seemed absolutely black when placed upon -the pure snowy arm of the English girl; for in aspect, race, and -costume (a shapeless and indescribable garment of red cotton) the -wife of the schroff was unchanged from what her ancestors had been in -the days of Menon the Lawgiver. - -As Mabel gradually became conscious, she sat up and gently repelled -the services of the Hindoo woman. Then she burst into tears. This -relieved her; and then she began to look around her, and to remember -where she was--in fatal Cabul; and in whose hands--those of the -lying, treacherous, and unscrupulous Zohrab Zubberdust! - -For what was she yet reserved? This was her first thought. The -slender chances of escape were the next; but escape from walled and -guarded Cabul! and to where or to whom could she go for succour? To -the bones of the dead, who lay in the passes of the Khyber mountains! - -Thirst--intense thirst, the result of over-wrought emotions, of deep -and bitter anxiety, and of all she had undergone mentally and bodily, -made her ask Zohrab imploringly for something to quench it; and in a -few moments the Hindoo woman brought her, on a scarlet Burmese -salver, a china cup filled with deliciously iced water and white -Cabul wine, which is not unlike full-bodied Madeira; with this -refreshing beverage was a cake of Cabul apricots, folded in rice -paper, the most luscious of all dried fruit, and which the Afghans -have no less than fourteen distinct modes of conserving. To these -she added a small slice of sweet Bokhara melon--the true melon of -Toorkistan--we say a small slice, as they are of such enormous bulk, -that two are sometimes a sufficient load for a donkey. - -Revived by these delicate viands, and feeling a necessity for action, -Mabel began in plaintive and piteous accents to urge upon Zohrab the -chances of pecuniary reward, if he would set her at liberty near -Jellalabad, or if he would even restore her to the perilous -guardianship of Saleh Mohammed; for to be once more among the English -hostages, his prisoners, was to be, at least, among dear friends. - -But Zohrab listened in sullen and tantalising silence, gnawing the -curled ends of his long moustaches the while. Now that he had her in -Cabul, he saw but slender chances of getting her out of it for a -time. Gossips might speak of her presence there (was it not already -known to the Hindoo woman?), and so inculpate him with Ackbar Khan, -whose vengeance would be swift, sharp, and sure. And now he was -beginning to revolve in his own mind, whether or not his best policy -would be to take his horse and quit the country for Khiva, Cashmere, -or Beloochistan--all were many miles away, the latter three hundred -and more--leaving Mabel in the hands of the banker and merchant, to -keep or deliver up, as they chose. Yet when he thought of the -peculiar _creed_ of the Khond he shuddered; and she looked so -beautiful, so gentle, and was withal so helpless, that he wavered in -his selfish purpose, and the temptation of hoping to win her made him -pause in forming any decided resolution; so the noon of the first day -passed slowly and uneventfully on. - -He knew that Mabel, as an European woman, dared make no attempt to -escape, or even to show her face at a window; so he had no necessity -either to watch or to warn her when he left her. - -In tears and silence she lay on her pallet, her head propped upon -pillows; near her the Hindoo woman had kindly placed a vase of fresh -flowers, a feather fan, and a flask of essences; and then, left to -herself for hours, she could but wait, and weep, and pray at -intervals, dreading the coming night. - -Some of the sounds without in Cabul were not unfamiliar to her; she -had often heard them before, when driving through the central street -in the carriage, or when riding with the other ladies of the -garrison. Again, at stated times, she heard the shrill cries from -the minarets and summits of the mosques proclaim that the hour for -prayer had arrived; for the Moslems observe this frequently daily. -"Glorify God," says the Koran, "when the evening overtaketh you, and -when you rise in the morning; and unto Him be praise in heaven and on -earth: and at sunset, and when you rest at noon, for prayer is the -pillar of religion, and key of paradise." - -Once she peeped forth between the parted shutters and blinds, -shrinking back timidly as she did so, lest her pale white face should -catch a casual passer's eye, and elicit a yell of recognition and of -thirst for Christian blood. There the street below was dark and -narrow; the clumsy wooden pipes projected far over, to carry off the -rain from the roofs, which were flat and terraced; the walls were -high, black, and almost windowless. Such was her view on one side. -The other opened to a paved court, overlooked by houses built of -sun-dried brick, rough stones, and red clay. Four mulberry-trees -grew there, with a white marble fountain in the midst; and near it -were some grizzly-bearded Afghans of mature years, in long, flowing -garments, smoking and playing marbles, exactly as children do in -Europe. Another party, also of full-grown men, were hopping against -each other, on their right legs, grasping their left feet with their -right hands. They seemed all pleasant fellows, hilarious and in high -good humour; yet she dared neither to seek their aid, nor to trust to -their compassion. In her eyes, they were but as so many tigers at -play! - -The circumstance of her being deemed the prisoner, the slave, or -peculiar property of such a formidable soldier as Zohrab Zubberdust -secured her from all interruption on the part of his male friends, -the Khond and the Hindoo schroff, who jointly occupied the house in -which he had placed her, and which was situated at the bottom of a -narrow alley (opening off the main street that led to the Char Chowk, -or great bazaar), a regular cul-de-sac, where many Khonds lived -together, congregating precisely as the Irish do in the towns of -England and Scotland; but this was deemed no peculiarity in Cabul, -where the city was apportioned in quarters, to the different tribes -of the Afghan people, the most formidably fortified being that of the -Kuzzilbashes. - -As evening drew on, Mabel became aware of a conversation that was -proceeding in the next room; and, as she could from time to time -detect the voice of Zohrab, she thought herself fully excusable in -listening, which she could do with ease, as the partitions of the -apartments which opened off the dewan-khaneh were all of them -boarding panelled. - -In one place a knot had dropped out, and to the convenient orifice -made thereby, as she breathlessly applied her ear and eye -alternately, she heard and saw all that was passing, and in some -respects more than she cared to know, as much that she did hear only -added to her repugnance and terror of those on whose mercy she found -herself cast by an unhappy fate. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -THE ABODE OF THE KHOND. - -Seated on the floor were Zohrab Zubberdust and two other men. - -One was the Hindoo banker. He was slight in figure, with diminutive -hands and feet; like all his vast race, he was of a dark-brown -colour, with straight black hair, that seemed almost blue when the -light struck it, hanging straight and lankly behind his large -ears--an undoubted worshipper of Brama, of the monkey god, and of all -those unnumbered idols that for forty centuries have been the objects -of adoration to millions upon millions--even before the Temple of -Juggernaut was built. He sat cross-legged on a _nummud_, or carpet -of red frieze, above which was spread a yellow calico covering. A -cushion supported his back. He had cast off his headdress, slippers, -and tunic--the day had been warm--and all save his loose dhottee, or -what passed for unmentionables. He had the eye of Siva painted in -the centre of his forehead (the eye that, by winking once, involved -the world in darkness for a thousand years), thereby adding to the -diabolical grotesquerie of his visage; and he was occupied from time -to time by indulgence in the "eighth sensual delight" of the -Hindoos--chewing betel-nut, a hot and aromatic stimulant. - -The other interesting native of India who sat beside him, smoking -hempseed and bhang in a handsome hubble-bubble, which had snake-like -coils covered with red and gold-coloured thread rising from a stem of -silver, shaped like a trumpet, was Ferishta Lodi, the Khond, whose -attire consisted of little more than the amount indulged in by his -Hindoo friend; but, unlike the puny latter, he was a man of powerful -and muscular frame, great in stature, and terribly hideous in face -and figure. He was rather pale-complexioned, for a Khond; but his -visage bars description, for ugliness of contour and expression,--it -was that of a tiger, but a tiger pitted with small-pox, the few wiry -bristles of his moustache that stuck fiercely out from his long, -upper lip, the fiery carbuncular red of his eyes, with two long and -sharp side tusks, completing the illusion or resemblance. - -Looking wonderfully handsome by contrast to those two men, Zohrab -lounged between them, propped against the wall by a soft cushion; his -bright steel cap, his beautiful Persian sabre, and gilded pistols lay -near him; he had a long cherry-pipe stick in his mouth, and close by -was a flask of Cabul wine, in which, natheless the wise precepts of -Him of Mecca, he was indulging, greatly to Mabel's apprehension, -somewhat freely. - -"And so, Ferishta," said he, "the infernal Kuzzilbashes are in search -of me too, you say?" - -"Yes--aga; three rissallahs, at least." - -"From where?" - -"Shireen's fort." - -"And led by whom?" - -"The Khan Shireen in person." - -"But how know you that they are after me?" - -"Because I heard Shireen say, when he met Mohammed Saleh near Baber's -tomb, that had he not been certain that the false plotter was -Overhearing Zohrab, he might imagine that an evil spirit, like -Sakkar, had assumed his shape and voice, to delude them both, and the -Feringhee woman too. But that is all bosh; for who believes in such -things now?" - -The dark eyes of Zohrab sparkled dangerously. He might have pardoned -some such slighting speech in a devout Hindoo, even in a Christian; -but in a Jew, or one professing the horrible tenets of a Khond, he -could not let it pass without remark. - -"Dare you say that the evil spirit, Sakkar, did not once assume the -shape of Solomon, on possessing himself of his magic signet, and -alter all the laws of the world for forty days and nights?" - -"I dare say nothing about it," replied the other, sulkily: "I am a -Khond." - -"And, as such, accursed of God!" muttered Zohrah, under his teeth; -for at that precise juncture of his affairs he could afford to -quarrel with none--his present hosts least of all. - -The banker looked uneasy, and crammed into his mouth an extra -allowance of the eighth delight, ever the solace of the Hindoo race, -and held in such estimation that Ferishta, the Moslem historian, -writing in 1609, when describing the magnitude of the Indian city of -Canaye, says that it contained thirty thousand shops for the sale of -betel-nut alone. - -Zohrab, though he sometimes broke the laws of the Koran, just as many -an excellent Christian, or one who perfectly believes himself to be -such, may transgress the laws of his Bible, loathed the unbelieving -Khond, as he should have loathed a Jew or a fire-worshipping Gueber; -but, circumstanced as he was, he felt himself compelled to listen to -a speech like the following; for the Khonds are a low race of -idolaters, and glory in announcing themselves as such, and in -decrying the gentler creeds of others. - -"The faith of your prophet would never have suited us, Aga Zohrab, -though we cannot say, like the Bedouins, we have no water in the -desert, and therefore cannot perform ablutions, as we have wells, and -to spare, in our sacred groves; but like those Bedouins, our people, -who dwell in rocks and on the mountains, have no money, therefore we -cannot give alms; while the forty days' fast of Hamad an must prove -useless to poor people who fast all the year round; and if the -presence of God be everywhere, why go all the way to seek Him in a -black stone at Mecca? Besides, your prophet, like that of the -Feringhees, teaches, I am told, repentance--a perilous institute, for -may not a man say, 'I may commit a thousand crimes, and, if I repent -me, I may be forgiven; and as it will thus be no worse for me, I may -as well continue to sin and enjoy myself even unto the end!' Is it -not so, aga?" - -Zohrab, more of a soldier than a logician, and readier with his sabre -than his tongue, was unable quite to follow the strange argument of -the Khond; he could only glare at him with bent brows and dilated -nostrils, while asserting angrily that which had nothing exactly to -do with the matter--that he believed devoutly in the power and -miracles of his Prophet--that the waters gushed at will from the -fingers of the latter--that he was conveyed by a mysterious animal, -called a Borak, from Mecca to Jerusalem--that in one night he -performed a journey of ten thousand years--that a holy pigeon, sent -from heaven, whispered revelations in his ear,--not to pick peas -thereat, as the accursed Kaffirs asserted,--that he proselytised the -Genii, and did many more incredible things: to all of which the -Hindoo, whose beliefs were altogether of a different kind, listened -with the stolid aspect of one of his own bronze idols; but the Khond -did so with covert mockery on his terrible face; while poor Mabel -dreaded a growing quarrel, as it was evident that the fiery and -impatient Zohrab abhorred the companionship and protection of -Ferishta Lodi; for he was a reckless soldier, valuing his own life -little, and the lives of others less. - -It was evident that, in the heat of the present discussion, he had -forgotten all about her, till suddenly the Khond said-- - -"We talk too loud, aga, and may be overheard. I told you who were on -your track----" - -"Yes; and by the eight gates of paradise, and the seven gates of -hell, I am not likely to forget them!" - -"Well, have you taken means to ensure flight?" - -"Wherefor?" asked Zohrab fiercely. - -"I mean, if traced." - -"I have my sword and horse," was the curt reply. - -"But the Feringhee woman?" - -"Allah! I had all but forgotten her!" said Zohrab, starting. - -"Right: sacrifice your property for your life, and your life for your -religion; but make not yourself the captive of a woman. Now, if -traced, what, I ask, of the Kaffir slave?" - -"By the soul of the Prophet!" exclaimed Zohrab, in great and sudden -perplexity, "what can I do, but leave her here?" - -"Sell her to the young Shah: she is worth a thousand mohurs," -suggested the Hindoo banker. - -"The coward has fled," said Zohrab. - -"She is beautiful as the one he lost, and whom he mourned so much -that it required the whole seraglio to console him." - -"Poor fellow!" sneered Zohrab. - -"I will buy her of you for two hundred tomauns, paid down," said the -Khond. "Money is useful to those who are fugitives." - -"Buy her--for a wife?" asked Zubberdust, changing colour. The Khond -laughed; and his laugh was as the growl of some strange animal, as he -replied-- - -"No: a Khond marries a Khond." - -"For what, then?" - -"The purposes of that religion we have been discussing just now," -replied the other, deliberately and in a low voice. - -Mabel heard this suggestion without exactly comprehending what it -meant at the time; but she could see that a crimson flush of shame -and passion came over the dark face of Zohrab; his eyes literally -sparkled and flashed with the fury of deep and sudden passion, as he -sprang to his feet, snatched up his sabre and half drew it, choking -with intensity of utterance, ere he could speak; for the Khonds are a -race of cruel and barbarous idolaters, who live in the more -inaccessible mountain ranges of India, and were quite unknown till -the beginning of her present Majesty's reign, when, by the military -operations undertaken in Goomsoor and on the Chilka Lake--a long and -narrow inlet from the sea--and when our troops from thence ascended -the range of Ghauts, we made the acquaintance of this most ancient -but hitherto unknown race of aborigines, whose religion, a distinct -Theism, with a subordinate demonology, requires (as Captain -Macpherson first discovered) a human sacrifice periodically to the -godhead, the fetish or spirit whom they style Boora Penna, or the -Source of Good, who created all things by casting five handfuls of -earth around him; but, like more enlightened folks, the Khonds have -their schismatics and sceptics, who dispute bitterly, and hate each -other as cordially as Christians can do,--but about the origin of -mountains, meteors, and whirlwinds, where the rivers come from, where -they go to, and so forth. - -It is to Tari, the wife of this Boora Penna, that the propitiatory -human sacrifices are periodically offered (in groves which are dark, -gloomy, and deemed holy as those of our Druids were in Europe), amid -the most horrible rites, roasting over a slow fire, for one, about -the time when the ground is cropped, so that each family may procure -and bury a little of the victim's flesh in the soil, to ensure -prosperity, and avert the malignity of the goddess, who otherwise -might blast their rice, maize, or vines; and the immolation takes -place amid wild jollity, deep drunkenness, and debauchery. - -Aware of the complete isolation and helplessness of Mabel, the Khond -saw how readily and easily he had a victim at hand; and what could -prove more acceptable to Tari than the young, beautiful, and pure -daughter of an alien race and creed? And the Hindoo schroff, -accustomed to the incessant infanticide practised by his people, and -their death-festivals at Juggernaut, saw nothing remarkable in the -matter, and sat chewing his betel-nut with perfect equanimity. - -Not so Zohrab Zubberdust! His passion knew no bounds. He had sprung -to his feet, and fully unsheathed his sabre. - -"May thy mother's grave be defiled--if indeed such be possible, O dog -of an idolater!" he exclaimed, and was about to cut him down; and -doubtless might have sliced his head in two, like a pumpkin, but for -sudden sounds in the now partially darkened street without, that -arrested the unlifted sabre. - -These were the loud murmur of a multitude, the barking of pariah -dogs, the trampling of horses, the voices of men in authority, and -other undoubted tokens of the house being surrounded. - -The glittering blade of Zohrab drooped for a moment. He passed his -left hand across his brow. Then he smiled with proud disdain as he -placed his steel cap on his head, and twisted the turban-cloth around -it. Next he drew a pistol from his belt, while the diminutive Hindoo -became pea-green with fear, and an expression of almost mad ferocity -seemed to pass over the face and to swell the great chest of the -Khond, Ferishta Lodi. Danger and death were at hand, he knew; but -not on whom they might fall. - -Zohrab rushed to a window on one side. The narrow alley was filled -by a mass of armed men on foot and on horseback. He saw the -mail-shirts of the Hazir-bashis, the flashing of weapons, and the red -smoky light of the matches in the locks of the juzails. He hurried -to another window; it opened to the court where the mulberry-trees -grew. It was full of red-capped Kuzzilbashes, mounted and accoutred, -some carrying red flashing torches; and high amid the excited and -bristling throng towered old Shireen Khan on his favourite camel. He -was brandishing his long lance, and gesticulating violently to Saleh -Mohammed, who was mounted on a beautiful white Tartar horse. - -The opening of the window caused them and many others to look up. -Then Zohrab was seen and recognised by several. - -"Dog, whose father has been damned! at last, at last, we have thee!" -hissed Saleh Mohammed, through his dense beard, as he shook his sabre -upward; and a yell from his people followed, mingled with the thunder -of mallets on the entrance door. - -"Dog of a Dooranee thief, take that!" cried the reckless Zohrab, -firing his long pistol full at Saleh Mohammed (beside whom a man fell -dead), and then taking his measures in an instant, he rushed from the -room, and ascending by a narrow stair to the roof of the house, which -he knew to be flat, by superhuman strength he tore up the ladder, -cutting off pursuit--for a mere wooden ladder it was--and tossed it -on the heads of the armed throng below. A number of large clay -vases, filled with gigantic geraniums and other flowers, with four -cross-legged marble idols of Siva, Deva, Vishnu, and Brama, the -property of the banker, he hurled down in quick succession also, to -increase the danger and confusion; and each, as it fell crashing upon -the turbaned heads, the brown upturned faces, and fierce eyes that -gleamed in the torchlight below, elicited a storm of yells and the -useless explosion of several rifles which were levelled upward, and -the balls from which either starred upon the walls or whistled -harmlessly away into the darkness. - -Zohrab, brave as a lion, now almost leisurely reloaded his long -pistol, and felt the edge and point of his sabre with the forefinger -of his left hand. It was an old Ispahan sword--one of those famous -blades made and tempered by Zaman, the pupil of Asad. Formed of -Akbarer steel, it rung like a bell, and Zohrab valued this sword as -second only to his own soul. He had taken it in battle from an old -Beloochee, who was following Mehrib Khan to the siege of Khelat, and -it was valued at two thousand rupees. Many times had that good -weapon saved his life; it had ever been at his side by day, or under -his pillow by night; and now he kissed it tenderly, with fervour in -his heart and a prayer on his lips, for a knowledge came over him -that, though he might escape, the end seemed close and nigh. He -looked to the sky; it was enveloped in masses of flying clouds. - -"Ha!" he exclaimed, hopefully, "the star of Zohrab may yet again -shine out in God's blessed firmament!" - -Then he looked over the sea of flat-terraced roofs that spread around -him, and from amid which the round, dark domes of the mosques and the -greater mass of the Bala Hissar--rock, tower, and rampart, tier upon -tier--stood abruptly up; and over these roofs he knew that he must -make his way, if he would escape some dreadful death, such as -impalement by a hot ramrod prior to decapitation; for Ackbar Khan and -Saleh Mohammed would accord him small mercy indeed. - -"Kill him!" - -"Slay the ghorumsaug!" - -"Drink his blood!" - -"Death to the Sooni!" cried some. - -"Death to the follower of Shi!" cried others, equally at random. -Such were some of the shouts that loaded the night air in the streets -below, where the blue gleaming of keen sabres, of tall lances, and -long juzail-bayonets was incessant; for not only was the house, but -even the alley itself was environed on all hands. - -"A _chupao_* with a vengeance!" muttered Zohrab, as by one vigorous -bound he leaped from the roof on which he stood to that of the -opposite street, the distance between being little more than six or -seven feet. The action was not unseen; a heavy volley of rifle-shot -whizzed upward--we say, _whizzed_, for the bullets were round, not -conical. There was a furious spurring of horses, a rush of the -crowd, and many armed men now entered the houses, to make their way -upon the roofs, and to attack or capture him there; but Zohrah, -light, active, and lithe, only waited to draw breath, ere he sprang -across the deep, dark gulf of another narrow street, then another, -and another. - - -* Night attack. - - -Meanwhile, forgotten and left to herself, Mabel, with terror, heard -all these hostile sounds dying away in the distance. Her just -indignation at Zubberdust for the cruel trick he had played, and the -new dangers amid which he had left her, had now passed away; and amid -the fears she had for her own future fate, she was too womanly, too -generous, and too tender of heart, not to feel intense compassion for -a single human being--a brave young man, too--hunted in this terrible -fashion from house-top to house-top, like a wild animal. Yet she -could but tremble, cower on her knees, utter pious invocations in -whispers, and, pausing, listen fearfully to the dropping fire of -shots and the occasional yells in echoing streets without, till a -firm and bold grasp was laid upon her tender arm. She looked up, and -found herself looked down upon by the hideous face of the Khond, then -lighted up by an indescribable expression. She remembered all she -had overheard, and all she had read in "Macpherson's Religion of the -Khonds," and she became well-nigh palsied with fear. - -"O my God!" she exclaimed, and closed her eyes. Then, that she might -see no more of that horrible visage, being dressed like an Afghan -woman, she instantly lowered her veil, according to the custom which -has prevailed in the East ever since the days when "Rebekah took one, -when she perceived Isaac coming towards her, and covered herself;" -but with a fierce, mocking laugh, the Khond tore it off, and, after -surveying her fully and boldly, went out, securing the panel of the -room behind him by a strong wooden bolt. - -Four, five, even seven streets were crossed in mid air, in a -succession of flying leaps, by Zohrab successfully, when, just as -breath was beginning to fail him, a shot from a juzail ripped up his -right thigh, rending the muscles fearfully, and the blood from a -lacerated artery issued in a torrent from the wound. - -"May the snares of Satan and the thunder-smitten be on the head of -him who fired the shot!" moaned Zohrab, as he reeled and staggered, -unable to leap again, while on the flat-terraced roof of a house he -had left there came swarming up several dismounted Dooranees, armed -with rifles, swords, and pistols. - -He faced furiously about: the roof was perfectly open, for there was -neither cornice nor parapet to crouch behind. He fired both his -pistols, and with each shot a man dropped in quick succession. At -the same moment several balls were fired at him; three struck him in -the body, and he sank half-powerless on his knees, but in -weakness--_not_ supplication. He hurled his pistols at his -destroyers, and then, lest any of them should ever possess his -beloved Ispahan sword, he snapped the blade across his knee as if it -had been brittle glass, and cast the glittering fragments among the -crowd below. - -In a piercing voice he exclaimed, as he threw up his arms. "Ei -dereeghâ, ei dereeghâ, oo ei dereegh! Would to Thee, O God, that I -had never been tempted--had never seen her!" and then inspired by -what emotion we know not, unless it were to seek succour for Mabel, -and to have her saved from the terrible Khond, he took off the cloth -of his turban, the last appeal a Mohammedan can make when imploring -mercy for himself or a friend, and was waving it above his head, when -a ball pierced his brain; he gave a convulsive bound upwards, and -fell dead and mangled into the street below. - -In half an hour after this, the head of "Zohrab the Overbearing" was -placed in the public Charchowk, beside that of the unfortunate -baronet, Sir William Macnaghten. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -THE SHADE WITHIN THE SHADOW. - -So one more dreadful tragedy had been enacted in that land of -bloodshed! - -Barbarous though she deemed the Mohammedan Afghans, she was to find -herself in the grasp of those who were more barbarous still--for -whose depth of cruelty there was no name--the Khonds, a race or tribe -whose sacrifices of human life, though not offered up in such numbers -as those of the Thugs, were done in a fashion quite as secret, and -known only to themselves, and whose existence, like that of those -subtle assassins, had become only known to the Indian Government of -late years. - -Powerless in the hands of Ferishta Lodi, the girl felt as if hovering -on the verge of some death of which she knew not the form or fashion, -save that it must be lingering, protracted, and horrible! - -Her past life, with all its peace, happiness, and ease, its gaiety, -luxury, brilliance, and good position, seemed to be, as it was -indeed, like a previous state of existence--as a dream; the horrible -present appeared alone the stern reality. Was her identity the same? -she asked of herself many, many times, in half-audible whispers; or -had she undergone that species of metempsychosis, or transmigration -of soul from the body of one being to the body of another, which is a -doctrine of the Indian Brahmins--of those Hindoos whom she was now -beginning to loathe? Was she no longer Mabel Trecarrel, a Christian -woman, a civilised European, who had a father, a sister, and so many -friends? Was the existence of Waller, or was her own, a myth? She -felt as if she was about to become insane, and, pressing her delicate -hands upon her throbbing temples, prayed God to preserve her senses, -whatever her ultimate fate might be. - -Surely, unknown to herself, she must have committed some great sin, -to be tortured thus, and thus punished, enduring here that she might -not endure hereafter, was her next idea. - -The six months or so which had elapsed since that stirring morning on -which the army, under its aged and dying general, with its mighty -encumbrance of camp-followers, began its homeward march for India -from the old familiar cantonments seemed as so many ages to Mabel -Trecarrel now! So many well-known faces and happy existences had -been swept away; so complete a change had come over all the few who -survived, and their prospects seemed so strange and dark. So much -misery, so many sent to untimely deaths--it could not be said to -their graves, as the Afghans never interred one of our dead. - -What did it all mean? Why did Heaven so persecute, or leave to their -fate, so many Christians in the hands of utter infidels? - -Voices again roused her to action--at least to listen. - -They were those of the Khond and the Hindoo conversing in Hindostanee. - -"So, so," said the former, chuckling, "all is over with Zohrab; he -can 'overbear' no longer." - -"Yes; the head he carried so proudly is gone to the gate of the -Char-chowk; but the Kuzzilbashes are still in the street, and I wish -they were gone to their own quarter." - -"Why?" - -"They may take a fancy to our heads, too." - -"Why, I say?" asked the Khond, fiercely. - -"Can you ask?--if the Feringhee woman is not forthcoming." - -"She is mine, and I have saved my two hundred tomauns." - -"How yours?" - -"Zohrab is gone; none seem to know that she is here; and you will be -silent, if you are wise. Ackbar Khan would like an excuse to plunder -a schroff so rich as you; hence you must, I know, be silent." - -The last words sounded more like a threat than an advice or an -entreaty, as the voice of the fierce Khond accentuated them; the sly -Hindoo, however, made some evasive response, and then Mabel heard him -draw on his slippers and tunic and shuffle from the room. Where he -went she knew not; but, after a time, with an exclamation of anger -and mistrust, the Khond tossed aside the mouth-piece of his -hubble-bubble, and followed him. - -So the Kuzzilbashes were still in the adjacent streets! Could she -but reach them! They were gallant and soldierly fellows, though, -till of late, as bitter foes of the British troops as any tribe in -the country. But now the politics of their Khan had begun to change, -and he had kept aloof from Ackbar and his interests. She once more -applied herself to the windows. Many dark figures were hovering -about in the street, and looking up at the house. Who or what these -people were she knew not. The courtyard was quite empty; but she -heard the clatter of hoofs and the clink of arms, as horsemen rode -hastily to and fro in the main thoroughfare that led to the bazaar. - -She was in perfect darkness now. - -She sought feebly to draw or push down the panel that separated her -from the dewan-khaneh; but the wooden bolt secured it beyond all the -efforts of her humble strength to force a way; and she feared to make -the least noise, lest, by being caught in the act of escaping, she -might only accelerate her own fate. - -Breathlessly she listened! - -Sounds passed at intervals through the large and scantily furnished -chambers of the slenderly built house. The floors being all -uncarpeted, and the windows without draperies, in the fashion of the -country, the edifice was liable to produce strange echoes, and Mabel -strove to gather from these something of good or bad augury as they -fell on her overstrained ear. - -Ah, were she but once more back in the hitherto abhorred fort of -Saleh Mohammed--back to the sad companionship of the hostages--to the -shelter and counsel of her own sex and people! In the power of the -Khond she felt, truly and terribly, that if they had much to dread -and to anticipate when in the fort, she had much that was more -immediate to dread now; that within every shade there may be a deeper -shadow. Rose could never know her fate, or how she had perished in -seeking to rejoin her; and she might have to die and never know the -story of the younger sister she loved so dearly. - -Suddenly, amid her sad reverie, she heard the sound of heavy boots, -the brown-tanned jorabs of Afghan horsemen, and the cadence of -various guttural voices in the dewan-khaneh. Then a red light -streamed through the jointings of the panelled wall. The wooden bolt -outside was shot back; the great central panel slid down in its -grooves, and within the square outline it left, framed as if in a -picture, with the red smoky glare of an upheld torch falling strongly -upon him, stood the tall and grim but most picturesque figure of the -old Khan of the Dooranees, Saleh Mohammed, with one brown bony hand -thrust into his yellow Cashmere girdle, and the other resting on the -jewelled hilt of his sheathed sabre. - -His bushy beard concealed alike the form of his mouth and chin; but -his slender hooked nose, with arching nostril, his shaggy brows, and -keen eagle-like eyes indicated firmness, decision, and rapidity of -thought and action. He wore a loose and ample chogah of scarlet -cloth, lined with fine fur, and richly embroidered; a short -matchlock, beautifully inlaid with mother-of-pearl, was slung upon -his back, with a silk handkerchief bound over its lock for -protection; his girdle bristled with the usual number of elaborate -knives, daggers, and pistols; and he wore a green turban to indicate -his assumed or acknowledged descent from the Prophet. - -With something of kindness mingled with sternness, he held out a hand -to the drooping Mabel, and raised her from her knees; for she was -half sitting and half reclining, hopelessly and weakly, against the -wooden partition; and he saw how pale and piteous she looked. Now -old Saleh had several wives and daughters of his own in a secluded -fort among the Siah Sung Hills, and he was not without some -promptings of human sympathy in his heart. - -"Come," said he; "with me you are safe, and shall go back to your -friends. From Shireen Khan I have been told how Zohrab, that liar -who is now hanging over hell by the tongue, deceived you." - -She thankfully placed her hand in that of the Dooranee chief, for, -after the tiger-like visage of the Khond, his bearded face and -venerable aspect were as those of a father to her, and most -gratefully she welcomed him. - -The hint of the Khond, that Ackbar Khan, or some of the other Khans, -whose number was legion in Cabul, might confiscate his substance and -appropriate his hard-won mohurs, tomauns, rupees, and good English -guineas, had not been lost on the quiet and acquisitive Hindoo -banker, who had straightway betaken him to Mohammed Saleh in the -street, just as he was collecting his men to depart, and, to make his -peace with all, had surrendered Mabel, while, for some reason known -to himself alone, he had no future fear of Ferishta Lodi's anger. - -As Mabel was too weak to ride on a side-saddle, and to walk was, of -course, impossible, a palanquin was soon procured, and in that she -was rapidly conveyed by four bearers in the fashion to which she was -quite accustomed, away from the city, under the shadow of the great -Bala Hissar, past the tomb of Baber, and round between the Siah Sung -Hills and the Cabul river, once more to the fort of Saleh Mohammed, -where, just as day was breaking, she was roused from a slumber that -was full of painful visions and nervous startings, to find herself -welcomed by pure English tongues and by the embraces of her -companions in misfortune, the lady hostages of Elphinstone's hapless -army. - -A severe illness, consequent on all her delicate frame had undergone, -now fell upon Mabel--a nervous illness, which her friends were -without the means of alleviating, when on the, to them, most -memorable 25th of August, came the cruel order of Ackbar Khan for the -immediate transmission of all to Toorkistan, where he had condemned -them all to sale and slavery--an order consequent on his fury at the -retention of Jellalabad, and the combined advance of General Pollock -and Sir Robert Sale upon Cabul. - -So on that day, by horse, on foot, on camels, or in dhooleys, the -hapless females and children, a few accompanied by husbands and -fathers, the sick, the wounded, and the ailing, all in misery, in -tears, and despair, under Saleh Mohammed and a strong guard of -Dooranees, set forth towards the frontier of the land where they were -to be scattered and lost to their friends and to freedom for -ever--the land of Toorkistan, a name so vaguely given to all that -vast, lawless, and uncivilized region that lies between the plateau -of Central Asia and the shores of the Caspian Sea! - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -ROSE IN A NEW CHARACTER. - -Lovers are more interesting to each other than they can ever possibly -prove to third or fourth parties; yet we cannot preserve the unity of -our story and lose sight of Denzil and Rose Trecarrel, whose case and -circumstances were altogether exceptional; for, certainly, few lovers -have been precisely situated as they were, in this age of the world -at least. - -Yet the course of their love was not fated to "run smooth," though, -in the care of Shireen Khan, no such perils menaced them as those -which beset Mabel and her companion, or, still more, those who were -the immediate prisoners of Ackbar, unless we refer to the watch kept -on the Kuzzilbash fort, by some of the fanatical Ghazees, who, on -discovering that Feringhee prisoners were there, thought to add to -their own chances of salvation by cutting them off. - -In this late affair with Zohrab, Shireen had permitted Denzil to go, -armed and mounted, with a party of twenty Kuzzilbashes in search of -him and Mabel, round by the hills of Beymaru, the borders of the Lake -of Istaliff, and other places over which he and Waller had hunted and -shot together, often in the more peaceful time that was past. After -his months of seclusion and useless inactivity, Denzil, apart from -the natural excitement and anxiety resulting from the object in -view--the rescue of Mabel and reunion of the sisters--felt a joyous -emotion on finding himself once more an armed man, astride a -magnificent horse, and spurring like the wind along the steep -mountain slopes, through fertile valley and foaming river, at the -head of twenty soldierly fellows, in fur caps with red bags, flaming -scarlet chogahs, and glittering lances. - -Shireen had perfect confidence in according to him this unusual -liberty, knowing, as he said drily to the Khanum, his wife, that -"while they retained the hen in the roost, the cock-bird would not go -far off." He was surprised, however, that Denzil, when on this -expedition, could by no means be persuaded to wear his remarkable -yellow silk robe, with the embroidered letters and sphynxes, which -was supposed to be his war dress, or to indicate his rank as a great -Nawab or Bahadoor of the Queen of England. - -In the ardour of the chase, Denzil took a wrong direction, and -over-exerted himself to repair the error; he rode with his party -beyond Loghur, and the reach of all probable places where the -abductor was likely to be found; and then, at a time when the -midsummer sun was intensely hot, and the atmosphere filled with -steamy and miasmatic exhalations from the rice-fields, he swam his -horse through three rivers, at points where the water rose nearly to -his neck. - -A fever and ague--nearly regular jungle-fever--combined with some -other ailment, were the result of this rashness; and on the second -day after, Denzil found himself prostrate on a bed of sickness. - -By the Khan, he and Rose had been duly informed of the narrow escapes -of her sister; of the wile by which she had been lured from the fort -of Saleh Mohammed, at whose rage and want of circumspection the more -wary Shireen laughed heartily; of the trickery and reckless valour of -Zohrab Zubberdust, and the horrible schemes of the Khond, happily -averted by the timidity and avarice of the Hindoo schroff; and Rose -felt grateful to Heaven--intensely so in her heart--that her "dear, -dear Mab" was safe once more, or comparatively so, in the -companionship of sorrow--for such she knew it must inevitably be, -with Lady Sale, her widowed daughter, the widow of the Envoy, and -other captives of Ackbar; though, by chances she had not foreseen, -their meeting was delayed--she could only hope and pray, for a time. - -These episodes and the tenour of the life they all led in the -sequestered fort, with the daily looking forward to some startling -event or catastrophe, a battle, a revolution, even an earthquake, as -a means to set them free, seemed to tame down and sadden much of -Rose's constitutional heedlessness; besides, the illness of Denzil -was a genuine source for present sorrow and growing anxiety. - -He was alternately in a burning fever and then in icy perspirations; -he had intense pains in the head and loins, a heavy sickness, a -weariness over all his limbs, a listlessness of spirit, a general -sinking and rapid wasting of the whole system, with a thirst that at -times could not be alleviated by the simple sangaree or sherbet, -i.e., lime-juice and sugar, prepared for him by the Khanum. Denzil -inherited from his mother, Constance Devereaux, a more delicate -physique and nervous organisation than that possessed by his hardier -father; hence he was the more calculated to succumb to the subtle -ailment that had fastened on him now; but neither he nor those about -him thought of danger yet. - -The old white-bearded and black-robed Hakeem, Aber Malee, who -attended the inhabitants of the fort, and came thither from the city -every other day, on his donkey, prescribed decoctions of honey, which -is recommended by the Koran as a sovereign "medicine for man." He -did more: with intense solemnity, he copied many texts or -prescriptions from the pages of the same book, on strips of -parchment, then washed them off into a cup of water from the holy -well at Baher's tomb, and gave it to his patient to swallow; but -whenever he departed, Rose or Denzil tossed them over the window; so, -left thus, altogether without medical attendance, the disease took a -deeper and more permanent root. - -Rose had now gladly relinquished the Afghan female dress. Amid the -plentiful supply of plunder of every kind gleaned up by the -Kuzzilbashes in the track of the retreating army, were several -overlands bullock-trunks and portmanteaus filled with clothing. -Among these, some of which had doubtless belonged to her own lady -friends, Rose was fain to make selections; thus, one evening in June, -when the sun was setting behind the black mountains, throwing across -the broad green valley where the Cabul winds, their shadows to where -the old cantonments lay, and tipping with fire the conical hill that -overhangs the distant city, while Denzil, who had been dosing -uneasily on his hard native bed, was looking with a haggard eye about -him, he saw Rose seated near, at an open window, on a low divan, -dressed in a most becoming fashion, and consequently looking much -more like her former self. - -And as his bed, in the usual Afghan fashion, lay simply on the floor, -which had no covering but a _satringee_, or piece of cotton carpet, -he could see the whole of her handsome figure, as she reclined a -cheek upon her dimpled hand, showing one lovely taper arm bare to the -white elbow, while alternately idling over the pages of a European -book and furtively watching him, as he had slept, lulled over by the -drowsy hum of myriad insects at the open casement, and among the -brilliantly flowered creepers that clambered round it, a sound like -the murmur of distant water, or of the wind in an ocean shell, but -very suggestive of heat, of lassitude, and repose; yet Denzil, though -he had slept, felt more weary than ever. - -"Rose," said he, faintly. - -"Dear Denzil--you are awake again, my poor pet; you sleep but by -snatches," said the girl, closing her book and sinking on her knees -beside his pillow, which, with ready and gentle hands, she -noiselessly rearranged. - -"I have been thinking, Rose--that--that----" he paused. - -"What? Do not exert yourself." - -"That my presence must be full of peril to you!" - -"To me---how?" - -"This illness may be an infectious one." - -"I scarcely think so, Denzil; and if it were," she added, with a -smile of inexpressible tenderness, "if it were--what then?" - -"It might seize on you, darling Rose. Let one of those Kuzzilbash -fellows attend me; their lives are of no consequence, while yours----" - -"Is of value only to myself." - -"And to me, Rose--to me; how unkind!" - -He raised himself feebly on his elbow, and gazed at her with eyes -expressive of love and admiration. - -"Why, Rose, how well you are looking this evening--quite a belle too, -or a 'swell,' if one may speak slang," said he, with affected -cheerfulness. - -"And you, too, Denzil," said she in the same manner, kindly assumed, -but with an arrested sob in her throat, for she saw that in reality -he was more and more wasted, hollow-cheeked, and large-eyed than -ever, and that the tendons of his hands stood sharply out in ridges, -distinct to the eye, quite like those of an old man. - -His full, deep, dark blue eyes had in them an unnatural lustre; his -fair, curly hair had the same golden tint as usual, when the falling -sunlight touched it; but the Indian brown and the jolly English bloom -had left his once-rounded cheeks together, and they were now pale and -hollow indeed; and though he was very fair, and his mother had been -dark in eye and jetty in tress, something in his face and expression -recalled her now to Rose's memory, as she had seen her on that day, -when she and Mabel had visited the villa at Porthellick, and, in the -vanity of the hour, flattered themselves that they had condescended -mightily in so doing. Could they then have foreseen the present time -and circumstances? - -She gazed at him with great sadness, and great love, too, in her eyes -and in her heart; while he, in turn, looked up to her with love and -admiration too, and with somewhat of anxiety for her future. - -She was attired so prettily and suitably; for the season was summer, -and the month was June. - -No longer hanging dishevelled in the Afghan fashion, the splendid -ripples of her bright auburn hair were coiled up by her own clever -fingers in the European mode, and smoothly braided, as she was wont -to have them in happier times, showing all the contour of her fine -head, her slender neck, and delicate ears. She wore a simple loose -dress of white muslin, spotted with the tiniest of red rose-buds; and -through the delicate texture of this fabric the curved outline of her -shoulders and her tapered arms could be traced, whiter than the gauzy -muslin itself--a piquant species of costume, which made old Shireen -stroke his beard and mutter, "_Barikillah!_" (excellent!), as -expressive of great satisfaction, not unmixed with more admiration -than the Khanum relished. - -Rose was destitute of all ornaments, for everything she once -possessed of that kind had long since been lost or taken from her. -Her feet were cased in tight silk stockings and beautiful little kid -boots, laced up in front, and they peeped from amid a wilderness of -white-edged petticoats, that lay wreath upon wreath like the leaves -of a rose in full bloom; and, altogether, she was such a figure as -Denzil had not seen since the jovial days when he and Bob Waller had -smoked the calumet of peace together in the old cantonments, and were -wont to promenade at the band-stand which stood in the centre -thereof; certainly she was quite unlike what one might expect to see -in the residence of the Khan of the Kuzzilbashes, where the ideas of -the middle ages, and darker epochs still, have not passed away, and -things are pretty much as they were in the days of Timour the Tartar. - -Rose seemed intuitively to read something of all this in the -expression of Denzil's face; for she smiled, and, with one of her old -coquettish glances, kissed the tips of her fingers to him. - -Circumstanced as they were, Rose, no doubt, in time past had talked a -great deal of nonsense, and, seeing how necessary she was to Denzil's -happiness, Shireen Khan had relinquished much of her society at chess -in his favour; but who ever scrutinises very closely all that a -pretty girl talks about, or what male listener, or lover especially, -would care to analyse the logic thereof? The parting of charming -lips is ever pleasant to look upon, and the music of a sweet English -female voice is ever pleasant to hear, and never so sweet or so -seductive as when far away from home. And so thought Denzil, as he -lay upon his pillow, with heavy eye, with aching temples, and -throbbing pulses, listening to the prattle of Rose Trecarrel. - -Some books, picked up in the burned cantonments, had also been -brought to Rose by the Khan, though he suggested that the Koran, with -its hundred and fourteen chapters, ought to suffice for all the -literary, legal, and medical necessities of mankind, and womankind -too. Among those stray volumes was a copy of "Lalla Rookh," with -poor Harry Burgoyne's autograph on the fly-leaf, and with this she -had read Denzil asleep, reading steadily on afterwards, and kindly -fearing to stop, lest by doing so she might awake him; but now, -without her ceasing, he had restlessly stirred and roused himself. - -He grudged, even by necessary sleep, to lose by day a moment of her -society; for they could converse silently, eye with eye, without -speaking; for to lovers there is a dear companionship, an eloquence -even, in silence; and now the girl gazed upon her care with her eyes -and her heart full of love and tenderness, all the more that he, by -perfect isolation, was so completely her own, and that she could -minister unto him, as only a woman, a loving and tender one, can tend -and minister to the suffering. - -It was very strange, all this! - -To Rose Trecarrel it had seemed as if, once upon a time, the world -was quite running over with lovers. Now, her world was, oddly -enough, narrowed to the boundary wall and grassy fausse-braye of -Shireen Khan's fort. That a girl, in her extreme youth, chances to -have been, like Rose, a flirt, is no proof that she is incapable of a -very deep and enduring affection; it is often quite the contrary, and -Rose was just a case in point. Here, with her and Denzil, the pretty -biter was _bitten_. "A flirt," says one, who wrote long ago, "is -merely a girl of more than common beauty and amiability, just -hovering on the verge which separates childhood from womanhood. She -is just awakening to a sense of her power, and finds an innocent -pleasure in the exercise of it. The blissful consciousness parts her -ripe lips with prouder breath, kindles her moist eyes with richer -lustre, and gives additional buoyancy and swan-like grace to all her -motions. She looks for homage at the hands of every man who -approaches her, and richly does she repay him with rosy smiles and -sparkling glances. There is no passion in all this." It is the -first trembling, unconscious existence of that sentiment which will -become love in time. And Rose's time had come! - -So had it been with her, though her flirtations had bordered too -often on actual coquetry, thereby overacting the flirt, incurring the -sneers of the piqued, and accusations of heartlessness and vanity, as -one who loved the love-making, but _not_ the lover. She had now -become a veritable Undine--the type of everything that is amiable and -beautiful, tender and true, in her sex. Yet we are constrained to -admit that much of this sudden change might have been brought about -by the dire pressure of unforeseen events and calamities. In her -late term of bitter experiences, she, and all about her, had learned -palpably, that those they loved most on earth were merely mortal, and -might be, or had been, torn from them by cruel and sudden deaths. - -In her new phase of life, how completely her former had passed -away--been forgotten, with its balls, parties, picnics, dejeuners, -and promenades; its selection of dresses and colours, flowers and -perfumes; its promenades and drives; its fun and jollity; its -gossips, flirtations, and folly! All existence seemed merged or -narrowed now in two circles or hopes--the health of Denzil, and their -mutual restoration to liberty and safety! - -All her girlish foibles had passed away, and the genuine woman came -to the surface, when perhaps too late; for Denzil seemed too surely -to be sinking fast, and unwittingly, when his mind wandered in the -delirium of fever, he murmured things that he had heard amid the -banter of the mess-bungalow, and elsewhere, that stung her repentant -heart, and drew tears from her eyes. - -"Rose--oh Rose," he would say, "it can't be true all that Jack -Polwhele said, and Harry Burgoyne, of the 37th, too--but they are -dead, poor fellows!--and Grahame, and Ravelstoke, and ever so many -more." - -"What did they say, Denzil?" - -"That you flirted with them all--oh, no, no, no! And then there is -my cousin Audley--if indeed he is my cousin," he added, through his -chattering teeth, "he cannot love you as I love you! He must have -made a fool of many a girl in his time, while I--I love but you--even -as I told you on that day by the lake, when you--you said--what did -she say?--ask her, Sybil," he would add, looking up vacantly, yet -earnestly; and then the conscience of the listener would be stirred -to find that her thoughtless follies were remembered at such a time. - -"In his soul, he doubts me still," she thought. "My poor Denzil, I -was only flirting, as most girls do. It was only fun," she added, -aloud. - -"Yes, I am poor, and junior in rank, I know," he replied, catching a -new idea from her words, "too poor for her to love me, Sybil; I heard -her tell that fellow, Audley, so; and he--ah! he is the heir of Lord -Lamorna!" - -"Denzil, dearest Denzil!" then Rose exclaimed, in a low and earnest -whisper, putting an arm caressingly round his neck, and her tremulous -lips close to his ear, "you are certain to have been promoted by this -time, and doubtless the Queen will give you the Order of the Dooranee -Empire. I feel sure of it," she added, little knowing that all this -had already taken place. - -But, at the moment she spoke, an access of fever and weakness came -over poor Denzil; his bloodshot eyes moved, but he made no response; -and a fear began to come over her that he was passing away--slipping -from her love and her care--perhaps already far beyond caring now -either for promotion or "a ribbon at the breast." - -How she repented the past pangs her heedlessness had cost this honest -heart, we need not say; but as her eyes fell on a verse of "Lalla -Rookh," underlined in some old flirtation of Burgoyne's, she applied -it to herself; for now - - "Far other feelings love hath brought; - Her soul all flame, her brow all sadness; - She now has but the one dear thought, - And thinks that o'er almost to madness." - -On one occasion he became almost insensible; but whether he slept or -had swooned, she knew not in her despair of heart; and none of -Shireen's household could aid her, by advice or otherwise. At -dressing a sabre-cut with myrrh, or stanching a bullet-hole with a -bunch of nettle-leaves as a styptic, any of them would have been -ready and skilful enough; but with such an ailment as that of Denzil, -they were as useless as children, and apt to attribute it to magic, -or the spell of some unseen and offended genii; while, as fatalists, -they were disposed to commit the event to God alone. - -So the sorrow and apprehension of the lonely girl grew daily greater. - -"And this is the only man I ever loved; yet through me, or my -sister's cause--through _us_--has death, perhaps, come untimely upon -him!" Rose would say, wildly and passionately, and in a low, -concentrated voice, as she flung herself at the foot of Denzil's bed; -while all the horror of anticipated loneliness, if he should be taken -away, and she left, came upon her. How bitterly now she felt -punished for all the little follies of the past! - -His ailment was, certainly, one under which a patient may linger a -long time--nay, may seem to get well, and then again be worse than -ever, but which, in the end, too often slays. Hence, it is no wonder -that the humble Hakeem, Abu Malec--who believed that a verse of the -Koran written, washed off, and swallowed with reverence, must form a -sovereign remedy, even for an obstinate and benighted infidel--should -stroke his beard in sore perplexity and great wonder, and mutter-- - -"Thus it is that Allah seals the hearts of those who are steeped in -ignorance! Their doctrines are as a worthless tree, the roots of -which run on the surface of the ground, and hath no stability, and -the blast of heaven will overturn." - -"A tiresome old pump! For Heaven's sake, keep him away, Rose!" would -be the comment of the sick subaltern. - -And the latter had at times a secret presentiment that he would never -leave the fort of Shireen Khan alive; yet the conviction was sweet -that Rose had loved him, ere he passed away. She would never forget -him now: he felt sure of that. She might love _another_ in time; but -would that matter to him? To die, ere she was restored to the -society and protection of Europeans, was to leave her most lonely and -widowed in heart, and was his keenest affliction; yet he kept it to -himself, having no desire to distress her unnecessarily, though his -ravings sometimes indicated the prevailing thought, and the fear he -saw was in her. - -"I don't think I shall die this bout, Rose darling. I cannot have a -very deadly fever! I rode only forty miles--twenty to Loghur, and -twenty back--on Shireen's old brute of a Tartar horse, and smoked -about ten cheroots; but they were execrable--picked up among the lost -baggage; and--and you know, dear mother, they are thorough -disinfectants any way. Oh, no--I can't have a deadly fever. I shall -soon be better, dear, dear mother!" - -Thus, Rose would learn that his wandering thoughts had flashed far, -far from her, till the clouds that oppressed his brain would pass -away, and, all ignorant of past delirium, he would welcome her -presence with loving jet forced smiles, and seek to assure her, in a -voice that grew more husky and more weak daily, "that he was -better--oh, so very much better;" adding, "Ah, if we had but Sybil -here--or, rather, if we did but know what has become of her!" - -"Sybil--ah, would that I could but know of her! But she shall be my -sister, Denzil; for too surely, I fear, we shall never see Mabel -more!" - -"Don't say so. You and Mabel shall both be happy, I hope, long, long -after----" he paused. - -"After what, darling?" - -"After all these sorrows have passed away," said he; and though it -was not thus he had meant to close the sentence, Rose read his secret -meaning in his mournful eyes. - -There were times when he lay quiet, breathing hard and shortly, but -quite apathetic to all around him; and other times when he moaned and -muttered of his broken and desolate home--a home now no more; of -Cornwall, its moors and cliffs; of wanderings in Italy--the peaks of -the Abruzzi and the banks of the Arno; of his parents and sister; of -Rose--ever and anon it was Rose, and the day by the Lake of Istaliff; -all oddly confused together, till the listener's heart was crushed, -and she prayed on her knees, with bowed head, that he might be spared -for her, or that, while her unfelt kisses were pressed upon his brow -and cheek, she too might catch the same fever, and that they might -die and be buried together under the green turf, outside the Afghan -fort, where the acacia-trees were tossing their light, feathery -foliage in the wind. - -So thus would the sleepless hours of many a weary night of watching -pass away; the boom of brass cannon, mellowed by distance, would come -from the far-off Bala Hissar, indicating that dawn was breaking, and -pale Rose Trecarrel would know that the slow lingering hours of -another day of heartless sorrow were before her. - -One noon, however, a little hope dawned in her breast! The Hakeem, -Abu Malec, arrived with a stranger, whose fair European face belied -his Afghan camise and brown leather boots. - -"A Feringhee doctor Sahib has come from Cabul," said Abu Malec, not -without a spice of professional jealousy in his tone, while, to the -infinite joy of Rose, he introduced Doctor C----, of the 54th -Infantry, one of those gallant and devoted medical officers, who -volunteered by lot cast on the drum-head, to remain behind in that -place of peril, and attend to the wants of our sick and wounded -soldiers; so now she devoutly hoped that Denzil would have some -better treatment than that which resulted from mere superstition and -a dogged belief in that fatalism which is eminently Mohammedan. - -The doctor, an old friend, greeted Rose kindly, and with genuine -warmth--to exist was cause for congratulation then; next he turned to -Denzil, and, after a brief examination, shook his head despondingly, -to the intense satisfaction of the Hakeem, Abu Malec. - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -WITH SALE'S BRIGADE. - -Since that ill-omened hour and time of dread excitement, when on the -disastrous day in January the ladies and other hostages were handed -over to Ackbar Khan, their friends and relatives even in Afghanistan -knew nothing of their actual safety--who were living, who were dead, -or who were mutilated or disgraced by insults worse than death, on -the route towards Toorkistan; and now the beginning of September had -come. - -It was only known that Ackbar's orders to Saleh Mohammed were, "to -hurry them on their journey, and to butcher all the sick, and those -for whom there might be no speedy conveyance." - -Eight months--eight weary and harassing months of eager longing, of -fierce excitement, and impatience to avenge the fallen and rescue the -helpless--had passed ere the junction between General Pollock's -troops and those of Sir Robert Sale was fully effected, and the -advance upon Cabul, so long resolved upon, was once more begun, while -Nott was pushing victoriously from Candahar on the same point, -leaving Ghuznee in smoking ruins behind him. - -To Waller's mind, Mabel, though an ever-prevailing thought, had -become a kind of myth by that time--existent, yet non-existent, for -separation was a species of living death; and he could but pray that -she was still living, though in the hands of Ackbar Khan. So a sad -memory to many a husband was the face of his wife; so to many a -father were the voice and smile of his child; and all knew that on -their own swords, and the valour and resolution of their comrades, -depended the chance of their all being ever reunited again. - -Waller looked older than he was wont to do--older than his years; for -he had become, like many others serving there, more grave and more -thoughtful now. Fun and merriment were unknown in Pollock's army, -and laughter, like many another luxury, was as scarce. With -haversacks, canteens, and purses empty, and hard fighting in front, -life looks far from rosy. Waller had more than once detected a most -decided and long grey hair in his carefully cultivated whiskers. A -grey hair!--when improvising the back of his hunting-watch as a -mirror: his own elaborate rosewood dressing-case, with silver-mounted -essence bottles--the parting gift of a rich aunt, from whom Bob had -"expectations," was now degraded to the duty of holding -cooking-spices and stuffs for pillaus and kabobs in the kitchen of a -Khan; but the grey hairs--once upon a time he should have twitched -them out. - -"Bah! what do they matter now?" said he, and finished his toilet by -clasping on his waist-belt. - -Waller felt more than ever, from personal causes, inspired by an -ardour in the performance of his duty, and speedily became -distinguished as one of the most active and gallant officers on the -staff of Sir Robert Sale, a veteran whose uninterrupted career of -service dated back to the battle of Malavelly, where Harris defeated -Tippoo Saib, and the storming of Seringapatam, in the closing year of -the preceding century. Sale commanded one division in our Army of -Vengeance,--for such it deemed itself; General M'Caskill, a stern and -resolute Scotsman, led the other; and the whole under General -Pollock, on being reinforced by Her Majesty 31st, the 33rd Native -Light Infantry, the 1st Light Cavalry, all clad in silver grey, and a -train of mountain guns (the ghalondazees of which wore picturesque -oriental dresses), commenced the march towards the mighty range of -mountains that lie between Jellalabad and Cabul. - -McCaskill was in such feeble health that the brave old fellow had to -proceed at the head of his division in a litter borne by four Hindoos. - -Experience had taught our leaders the mistake of having the usual -mighty encumbrances of camp-followers, the tenting and feeding of -which formed the curse of our Indian armies; so, in this instance, -such appendages were greatly reduced. For tents, the palls or little -marquees of the sepoys were substituted. Save a single change of -linen, the soldiers carried nothing in their knapsacks; the baggage -of the officers was cut down to the smallest extent--Waller carried -his in a valise at his saddle--and three or four had to sleep under -one marquee. All the sick and wounded were left under a guard in -Jellalabad; and thus the army was trimmed, pruned, and fined down to -the active, well-armed, and lightly accoutred fighting-men alone. - -Hence the camp had no longer the aspect usually presented by those of -our Indian forces, as these usually exhibit a motley collection of -coverings, to ward off the baleful dews of night or the scorching sun -by day. Here and there a superb suite of tents or marquees, -surrounded by squalid little erections of coloured calico, tattered -cloths and blankets stretched over sticks and poles, even palm leaves -being improvised when they could be had; and amid all these congeries -of variously coloured masses, the flags of chiefs and colonels, the -bells of arms, horses, oxen, camels, and elephants, pell mell! - -A final act of individual cruelty, perpetrated by Ackbar Khan on a -poor Hindoo--the same schroff, or banker, whom Mabel had seen in -Cabul--greatly exasperated all ranks against him. - -Hearing that our troops had begun their march, this man, whose -nationality and sympathies led him to favour their interests, when -making his way towards them, was overtaken, and brought before Ackbar -in the castle of Buddeeabad, and was there bitterly upbraided as a -traitor. - -"Throw him down," he cried to his Haozir-bashes, and then drew his -sabre. - -Believing he was about to be beheaded, the wretched Hindoo implored -mercy. - -"Hold him fast," said Ackbar, baring his right arm to the elbow. -"What, dog of an idolater, you wish to see the Feringhees, do you?" - -By two blows of his heavy sabre, which was inscribed by a verse from -the Koran, he hacked off the feet of the Hindoo above the ankles, and -said mockingly-- - -"_Now_ you may go where you will: throw him out of doors." - -Cast forth, faint and bleeding, the poor wretch, tore his -turban-cloth into strips and staunched with them the hemorrhage, -enabling him actually to crawl on his hands and knees to our -outposts, where his appearance excited the bitterest feelings in the -breasts of all the troops, European as well as native. - -Rumour stated that Ackbar Khan was filled with alarm and rage, either -of which might prompt him to execute some of his terrible threats on -the helpless hostages; and that he was prepared for any extremity, -and to lay the land waste, was evinced by the alarming noises that -were heard in the Passes, ere our march began, and by the sky above -the mountain-tops being nightly reddened by the blaze of burning -villages which he destroyed, so that neither food nor shelter might -be found by an advancing foe. - -At the hill of Gundamuck, where there is a walled village surrounded -by groves of cypresses, Waller saw, with some emotions of interest, -the cave in which he lurked after the last fatal stand was made -there, and vividly came back to memory the despair of the final -struggle. - -As our troops began to penetrate into the recesses of those -mountains, whose names and features were so calculated to inspire -mournful thoughts in all who looked on them (for there had a British -army marched in, never more to come forth, being literally swallowed -up), they found, as before, the ferocious Ghilzies again in position, -and in thousands ready to defend their native rocks with all their -native ardour, inflamed by past triumph, the hopes of future plunder, -by fanaticism and pleasant doses of bhang; and from steep to steep, -and from ridge to ridge, from tree to tree, and hill to hill, they -defended themselves, and fought or died with stubborn and resolute -bravery, harassing our troops in front, in rear, and on both flanks. -Yet on pushed our columns: the dying and the dead fell fast, and -remained a ghastly train to mark the rearward route; but every life -lost seemed but to add to the pluck and hardihood of the survivors. - -The sputtering fire of the long juzails, concentrating to a roar at -times, filled all these savage defiles with countless and incessant -puffs of white smoke, that started from among the grey impending -rocks, where the great yellow gourds, the purple grapes, and the -scarlet creepers grew in wild luxuriance; from dark and cavernous -fissures and the green groves of the pine and the plane tree. Every -beetling crag was fringed with curling smoke, and streaked with fire, -scaring the mountain eagles high into mid air, while with every shot -that helped to thin our ranks the shrill cry of _Allah Ackbar!_ (God -is mighty) was echoed from side to side, to die upward, yet, we -hoped, to find no echo in heaven. - -A little way within the eastern entrance to the series of defiles, at -the village of Jugdulluck, where the mountains are between five and -six thousand feet above the sea's level, there was a peculiarly -fierce encounter; for there the Afghans, led by the Arab Hadji -Abdallah Osman, and inflamed to religious fury by his precepts and -mad example, had fortified the summit of the Pass by earthworks and -some of our own captured cannon; but, mounting the steep heights on -each side, the 9th and 13th Regiments turned the flank of their -position, and by the bayonet drove away the defenders amid terrible -slaughter, neither side asking or hoping for quarter. - -From point to point at other places were fierce contests; and now, as -our soldiers opened up with the cold steel those Passes which had -been closed to all Europeans for the past eight months, their onward -march--a series of prolonged conflicts, in fact--exhibited to them an -awful and harrowing scene. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -THE BATTLE OF TIZEEN. - -From out of the Passes, dark and shadowing, the reverberating echoes -of the adverse musketry roused black clouds of vultures, with angry -croak and flapping wing. It would seem almost as if all the obscene -birds of Asia had been wont to seek, for months past, this ghastly -place--to make it their undisturbed rendezvous; and such, no doubt, -it had been, for there, - - "Without a grave, unknelled, uncoffined, and unknown," - -all belted and accoutred in the rags of their uniform, just as the -death-shots had struck them down, and as they had fallen over each -other in piles, lay the remains of Elphinstone's slaughtered army. - -Close in ranks, as when living, in some places lay the ghastly relics -of the dead. In one spot, where the last stand had been made by Her -Majesty's 44th Regiment, more than two hundred skeletons lay in one -horrid hecatomb; and in the shreds of red cloth that flapped in the -wind, the buttons and badges, sad and agonizing were the efforts made -by officers and men to recognise the remains of some dear and jovial -friend, some true and gallant comrade in the times that were gone; -and it was all the sadder to reflect that most of the fallen had been -cut off in their prime, or even before it, as from eighteen to -twenty-six years is the average age of our soldiers on service. - -In too many, if not nearly all, instances the remains were headless, -the skulls having been borne off as trophies by the various mountain -tribes; and in some places the white bones lay amid purple, crimson, -and golden beds of those sweetly scented violets which the Orientals -so often use to flavour their finest sherbets. - -For miles upon miles it was but a sad repetition of whitening bones, -fragments of uniforms, and ammunition paper, bleached by the wind and -rain and the snows of the past winter, together with the shrunken -remains of camels, horses, and yaboos, from which the baggage and -other trappings had long since been carried off; and ever and always -in mid air the croaking and flapping of the ravening vultures, long -unused to be disturbed by the living, in that valley of solitude and -silence, death and desolation. - -Like many others, with a swollen heart, set lips, and stern eyes, -Waller reined in his horse, and would look round him from time to -time, in places where the dead lay thicker than usual. Our now -victorious army was marching in thousands over their fallen comrades, -yet with them Waller felt himself alone, and a man possessed by one -harassing thought. - -_His_ comrades were lying among those bones, through which the rank -dog-grass was sprouting--the companions of many a pleasant hour, the -sharers of many a past danger. The object of the loving, the gentle, -the tender, and the peaceful in England far away lay there, abandoned -skeletons, exposed to the elements, to whiten and decay like the -fallen branches of the forest. - -Orderly and quiet at all times, a deeper silence fell upon our -advancing troops as they traversed this terrible scene, a silence -broken only by the dropping fire maintained by our advanced guard -with the enemy's rear, under Amen Oolah Khan, till the leading -brigade of the first division on the road from Khoord Cabul to Tizeen -began to ascend the shoulder of a vast green mountain, named the Huft -Kothul, where the narrow and tortuous pathway reaches its greatest -altitude, rising above even the white mists of the deep and dark -green valleys. - -Even there, a portion of the path is overlooked by the Castle of -Buddeeabad, which has a frontage of nearly eighty feet, and walls so -lofty that the mountaineers attributed its erection, of course, to -the genii, under Jan Ben Jan, who ruled the world before Adam came. -It belonged to the father-in-law of Ackbar Khan, a Ghilzie chief; and -there had the unfortunate old General Elphinstone looked his last -upon the setting sun. - -Under the immediate directions of Ackbar and of Amen Oolah, the -Afghans, particularly the Khyberees, in their yellow turbans, the -Ghilzies and others, were in vast force, and they poured down such a -storm of bullets from rock and bank, cleft and fissure, that the -whole air seemed alive with the hissing sound, as they passed over -and, too often fatally, through our ranks. - -"Thirteenth Light Infantry to the right!--Second Queen's to the -left--extend!" were the instant orders of Sir Robert Sale to Waller -and his other aide-de-camp or secretary, Sir Richmond Shakespere, a -gallant and enterprising officer, of whom more anon; and away they -galloped to have them executed. Waller rode, like most of the -cavalry men, with a bundle of green corn over his horse's flanks, to -serve alike as provender and to keep off the flies; but, as he -spurred on to the head of the 13th Regiment, a shot from a jingaul -tore it away, and scattered it to the wind. By the bad gunnery of -the Afghans, their cannon-balls ricocheted in a way that would have -delighted Marshal Vauban, who originally invented that mode of -rendering a round shot doubly dangerous, a half-charge causing it to -roll, rebound, maim, kill, and cause more disorder than if fired -point blank; and hence the origin of the name, as _ricoche_ signifies -simply "duck and drake," the name given by boys to the bounding of a -flat stone cast horizontally on the water. - -The two aides delivered their orders in safety to the advancing -battalions, and the commander of each gave his orders for "three -companies on the right (it was the left for the 13th) to extend from -the centre." Cheerily rang out the Kentish bugles, and away went the -skirmishers, confident in their supports, with wonderful rapidity, -though the men were falling fast on every hand. They spread over the -green sunny slopes to the right and left, firing as they proceeded -upward, and swept over the hills in beautiful order, till the central -gorge was passed; then closing in by companies, and then in line, -each regiment began to fix bayonets, and mutually to utter that -hearty "hurrah!" which is ever the inspiring prelude to a charge of -British troops. - -Brightly flashed the ridge of bayonets in the sunshine, as on right -and left the red battalions came wheeling down the grassy slopes at a -resolute and steady double. The Afghans, though armed with bayonets -too, never waited to cross them, but turned and fled, with howls of -rage and terror, abandoning two English pieces of artillery. - -Then rang out the trumpets sharp and shrill, and giving the reins to -their horses, the 3rd Light Dragoons, all in blue uniform, with white -puggerees over their shakos, their long, straight sword-blades -flashing and uplifted, their heads stooped, their teeth set with -energy, and every bronzed face flushed with ardour, spurred on their -way; and as they rushed past at racing speed, Bob Waller, impelled by -an irresistible impulse, joined them. It was, indeed, a race to be -the first in the task of vengeance; for here and there, unchecked and -unrestrained, the privates, if better mounted, would dart in front of -the officers, as the true English emulous spirit broke out, each -seeking madly to outride his comrades, and be passed by none--so on -swept our Light Dragoons like a living flood. - -Right and left the trenchant sword-blades went flashing downward in -the sun, only to be uplifted for another cut or thrust, the -blood-drops flying from them in the air. - -In the scattered conflict--for such it became, when the ranks of the -charging cavalry were broken open and loose, every file acting in the -slaughter independently for himself, and keeping but a slight eye on -the motions of his squadron leader--Waller's attention was attracted -by a horseman who seemed to be in high authority, and whose figure, -arms, and equipment were not unfamiliar to his eye. The Afghan was -undoubtedly a brave fellow, and splendidly mounted on a spirited -horse, the saddle and trappings of which were elaborately embossed -and tasselled with gold, while at his martingale were four long -flying tassels of white hair taken from the tails of wild oxen. He -had on his left arm a small round shield, adorned by four silver -knobs; a dagger was in his teeth, and in his right hand a long and -brightly headed lance, with which he had succeeded in unhorsing and -pinning more than one of the 3rd Light Dragoons to the earth. He was -just in the act of cruelly repassing this weapon through one who had -fallen on his face, and who, in his dying agony was tearing up the -turf with his hands and feet, when both Waller and Shakespere rode at -him simultaneously, and sword in hand. - -From the writhing and convulsed body he extricated his spear with -difficulty, and turned furiously to face them, glancing and pointing -it at each alternately. He wore a steel cap, engraved with gold; a -sliding bar through the front peak, fixed there with a screw, -protected his face; and in the knob that held his plume--a heron's -tuft--there gleamed a precious stone of great value. - -For an instant, quick as lightning, he relinquished his lance, -letting it drop in the sling behind, while he drew a pistol from his -scarlet silk girdle, and firing it at Shakespere, he hurled it -dexterously at Waller, who ducked as it whizzed over his head. -Recognising now, however, with whom he had to deal, he cried, -fearlessly and confidently-- - -"Shakespere, as a favour, leave this fellow to me, and, with God's -help, I shall polish him off as he deserves!" - -"Shumsheer-hu-dust! (come on, sword in hand). Dog! thy soul shall be -under the devil's jaw tonight!" cried the Afghan with fierce -defiance, as his horse curveted and pranced. - -He was Amen Oolah Khan, and a splendid and picturesque figure he -presented in his brightly coloured and flaming dress, through the -openings of which his shirt and sleeves of the finest chain-mail, -bright as silver or frostwork on a winter branch, were visible, and, -as Waller knew, impervious to the swords used in our service; at the -same time he remembered that his pistols had both been discharged, -and were still unloaded. - -Shakespere reined back his horse, ready, if necessary, to second -Waller, to whom he handed a pistol, on the Khan firing a second at -him. Thus armed, Waller took a steady aim and fired straight at the -head of his antagonist. The latter, to save himself, by a sharp use -of the spur and curb, made his horse rear up, so that the bullet -entered the throat and spine of the animal, which toppled forward -with its head between its knees, just as Amen Oolah was coming to the -charge with his lance, the point of which, by the downward sinking of -his horse, entered the turf so deeply, that, by the consequent -breaking of the shaft, he found himself tumbled ignominiously in a -heap from his saddle, and at the mercy of Waller, who, dashing at -him, rained blow after blow, without avail, upon his steel cap and -mailed shoulders. - -The sabre of Amen Oolah had been broken in some previous conflict; he -had but one weapon left, the long and deadly Afghan knife, which, as -a last resort, he had clenched in his teeth, and with this, while -uttering a hoarse cry of rage and defiance, mingled with a rancorous -malediction, he rushed at Waller, and strove to drag him from his -saddle, spitting at him like a viper the while, and adding, -exultingly, - -"Ha!--your women are away to Toorkistan, to be the slaves of the -Toorkomans--their slaves of the right hand!" - -Waller, a finished horseman, was not to be easily dislodged, for he -had twice the bulk and strength of his adversary. Twisting the reins -round his left arm, he grasped the wrist of the hand which held the -menacing knife, and by a single blow of his sword across the fingers, -compelled the Khan to drop it. Heavy curses came from his lips, but -never once the word _amaun_ (quarter); he knew it would be useless, -and he disdained to ask it. No thought of mercy had Waller in his -heart, for he knew that if defeated he should have met with none; and -on this man's hands there might he, for all he knew, the blood of -Mabel Trecarrel, perhaps, of others certainty, and such surmises, at -such a time, were maddening. - -Barehanded now, the Afghan struggled like a tiger with his powerful -adversary, whom he strove to unhorse. Waller endeavoured again and -again to run him through the body; but the Sheffield blade bent, and -failed to pierce the fine rings of the Oriental shirt of mail, so to -end the affair, he smote the Khan repeatedly on the face with the -hilt of his sword, but the helmet bar protected him; then, by making -his horse rear, he endeavoured to cast him off, or kick him under -foot. - -Stunned and confused, the savage Afghan at last sank downward, and by -some mischance got his head into the stirrup-leather of Waller, whose -left foot was unavoidably pressed upon his throat; and as the horse, -terrified by this unusual appendage, plunged wildly, and swerved -round and round, the wretched Khan was speedily strangled, and sank -into a state of insensibility, from which he never recovered, as a -couple of the 13th passed their fixed bayonets through his body, and -one tore off his beautiful steel cap, from which Waller afterwards -obtained the jewel--a sapphire of great value. - -The cap itself, which was studded with those turquoises that are -found in the mountains of Nishapour, in Khorassan, he tossed to the -two soldiers, who proceeded at once to poke them out with their -bayonets. - -"If I ever meet my Mabel again, this sapphire shall be a gift for -her!" thought Waller, with a sigh of weariness, for his victory -brought neither triumph nor regret to his heart. - -It was afterwards remembered, as a curious instance of retributive -justice, that Amen Oollah Khan should die in the battle of Tizeen, -almost by the same death as that to which he put his luckless elder -brother, that he might succeed to his inheritance--strangulation. - -The whole affair occupied only a few minutes; but, long ere it was -over, the cavalry had swept far in pursuit, and Waller found himself -almost alone. On one side was savage terror; on the other, civilized -men thirsty for justice and vengeance; and so on all sides the -turbaned hordes were stricken down by those who felt that to them was -left the task of atoning for the betrayal and death of friends, -comrades, and relatives; and there, on the heights of Tizeen, the -standard of Ackbar Khan was trod in the dust, never to rise again! - -Once more the sun went down in blood upon the passes of the -Khyberees; but once again they were open, and the way to Cabul was -clear. - -Resistance had ceased; scarcely a single juzail shot was fired next -day, when, after halting for the night, our infantry began their -march beyond Tizeen, traversing, as the despatch has it, "those -frightful ravines, now doubly frightful because of the heaps of dead -bodies with which the narrow way was choked." - -Another junction was made with the victorious troops of General Nott, -advancing from Candahar and Ghuznee; and once more the green and -lovely valley of Cabul, bounded by the snow-clad peaks of Kohistan, -and threaded by its blue and winding river, came into view beyond the -black rocky gorges of the Siah Sung; and the morning sun shone red -and brightly on leaden dome and marble minar, on the walls of the -city, and the vast castellated masses of the Bala Hissar. The -uncased colours of horse and foot, European and Native, rustling in -silk and embroidery, were given to the pleasant breeze; the fixed -bayonets in long lines came like a stream of glittering steel out of -the dark mountain passes; the bands struck up, and once again the -merry British drums woke the same echoes that, ages upon ages ago, -had replied to the clarions of the conquering Emperor Baber, of -Mohammed, of Ghuznee, and even of Alexander and his bare-kneed -Macedonians. - -But still where were the captive hostages--the women and children? - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -TO TOORKISTAN! - -The pen of Scott would have failed to describe, and the pencil of -Gustave Doré to depict, the anguish of the poor hostages, when, at -the behest of Ackbar, and at the very time the long prayed-for -succour was coming, they were compelled to set out on their sorrowful -journey towards the Land of Desert. - -"Oh, my poor children--my helpless lambs--my fatherless little ones!" -one would cry, folding in her loving arms her scared, pale, and -half-starved brood, gathering them to her while they were yet _her -own_, "even as a hen gathereth her chickens." - -"My husband--my husband! shall we never meet again?" - -"My poor 'Bob,' or 'Bill,' or, it might be, 'Tom,'" some soldier's -wife would exclaim, "I shall never see the likes of you more, -darling;" for though Tom perhaps drank all his pay, and gave Biddy -now and then "a taste of his buff belt," he "was an angel, compared -to a naygur, anyhow!" - -But the majority of the hostages were ladies, and some of them were -like Lady Macnaghten and Sir Robert Sale's daughter, who were -widows--who had lost alike husband and children, and mourned as those -only mourn who have no hope. And now many a quaint pet name, known -best in the nursery ami to the playfulness of the loving heart, was -mingled with the most solemn of prayers. - -"Death--death were better than this!" would be the despairing cry of -some; and, ere their sad journey ended, death came to more than one -of that devoted band. - -For in one or two instances, despite the piteous entreaties of the -ladies, some soldiers--those very men whom the 13th had subscribed -their rupees at the drum-head to ransom--whose weakness from wounds -or bodily illness rendered them incapable of riding or marching were -shot by the wayside, and left unburied, even as so many lamed horses -or diseased dogs which were useless might have been. One or two, who -were weary of life, entreated to have it ended thus, and all whom the -Dooranees destroyed thus in obedience to Ackbar's orders and the grim -law, perhaps, of necessity, died peacefully and piously--sick of -their present existence, and hopeful of the future; but the women -screamed, lamented, and prayed, seeking to muffle their ears when the -death-shots rang in the mountain wilderness. - -Mabel Trecarrel was weak and ailing too, but she was much too -valuable a species of commodity to be shot out of hand, like a poor -Feringhee soldier, even though quite as much a Kaffir and infidel as -he might be; so she was tenderly borne in a palanquin which had been -found in the cantonments, and which contained every comfort and -appliance for travelling--little drawers for holding clothes or food, -and even a mirror, though she never looked at it. - -Like a few more, she was silent in her grief, and found a refuge in -tears. - -The wedded wife might utter loudly and despairingly the name of her -husband, and the parent that of the dead or absent child, finding a -relief for the overcharged heart in sound; but, even in that terrible -time, the poor betrothed girl could only whisper, in the inmost -recesses of her breast, of the lover she never more might see, and -gaze backward with haggard eyes on the features of the landscape with -which they had both become familiar--the hills of Beymaru, the ridges -of the Black Rocks, and the smiling valley of Cabul, as they all -lessened and faded away in the distance, while slowly but surely, -under a watchful and most unscrupulous guard, the train of prisoners, -on active Tartar horses or plodding Afghan yaboos, in swinging -dhooleys and curtained litters of other kinds, wound among the -mountains on their way to Toorkistan, the frontiers of which were -only about a week's journey distant. - -And what was the prospect before them? - -Separation and distribution, to be bartered for horses, or sold into -slavery and degradation; the few men among them, irrespective of -rank, to be the bondsmen, syces, carpet-spreaders, and grooms, hewers -of wood and drawers of water: the women, if young, to be the veriest -slaves of ignorant and unlettered masters, as yet unseen and unknown; -if old, to become nurses and drudges to the women of the Usbec -Tartars: and all these were Christians, and civilised subjects of the -Queen; many of them accomplished, highly bred, nobly born, and -tenderly nurtured. - -Terrible were the emotions of the English mother, who, circumstanced -thus, looked on her pure and innocent daughters and thought of what a -week might bring forth! - -Yet such were the fates before them--the fates that even the quickest -marching of our troops might fail to avert; for were not the Afghans, -as they heard, again disputing every inch of the Passes with a -desperation which proved that Lord Auckland's policy, and that of the -"peace at any price party" at home, would never have availed with -those who deemed diplomacy but cowardly cunning, treaties as trash, -bribes as fair "loot," and all war as legal fraud? - -The lamentations of the women at times, when mingled and united (for -grief is very infectious), roused even the usually phlegmatic Saleh -Mohammed, who rode in the centre of the caravan, perched between the -humps of a very high camel. - -"In the land to which you are going, of course, you shall find -neither Jinnistan, the Country of Delight, nor its capital, the City -of Precious Stones; neither will fruits and sweet cakes drop into -your mouths, as if you sat under the blessed tree of Toaba, which is -watered by the rivers of paradise," said he, half scoffingly; "but -you will see the vast sandy waste of the Kirghisian desert, which to -the thirsty looks like a silvery sea in the distance; and some of you -may happily see the city of Souzak, which contains five hundred -houses of stone, and I doubt if the Queen of the Feringhees has so -many in her little island. Barikillah! and you will see the black -tents and the fleecy flocks of the Usbec Tartars, for they are -numerous as leaves in the vale of Cashmere." - -And thus he sought to console them when, on the evening of the first -day's journey, they halted at Killi-Hadji, on the Ghuznee road (only -seven miles westward from Cabul), and so called from the killi, or -fort of mud that guards its cluster of huts. It was approached by -narrow and tortuous lanes overhung by shady mulberry-trees; and -there, beside the walls of the fort, they bivouacked for the night. - -The deep crimson glory of sunset was over; but the flush of the -western sky lengthened far the purple shadows of tree, and rock, and -hut, even of the tall camels, ere they knelt to rest, across the -scene of the bivouac, which was not without its strong aspect of the -quaint and picturesque, albeit the sad eyes of those who looked -thereon were sick of such elements, as being associated with all -their most unmerited miseries. - -Unbitted, with leather tobrahs, or nose-bags filled with barley, -hanging from their heads, the patient horses were eating, while the -hardier yaboos grazed the long grass that grew in the lanes and waste -places. - -Fires were lighted, and around them all of the Dooranee guard, who -were not posted in the chain of sentinels, sat cross-legged, smoking -hempseed, cleaning their arms, fixing fresh flints or dry matches to -their musket-locks; others were industriously picking out of their -furred poshteens those active insects of the genus _pulex_, called by -the Arabians "the father of leapers," while the flesh of a camel, -which had been shot by the way, as useless--its feet being wounded -and sore--sputtered and broiled on the embers for supper, and the -light from the flames fell in strong gleams and patches on the -strange equipment, the swarthy turbaned faces, and gleaming eyes of -those wild fellows, whose shawl-girdles bristled with arms and -powder-flasks, and some four hundred of whom were furnished with -muskets and bayonets. - -A spear stuck upright in the earth--its sharp point glittering like a -tiny red star--indicated the head-quarters, where, muffled in his -poshteen and ample chogah, with a piece of thick xummul folded under -him, Saleh Mohammed Khan, propped against the saddle of his camel, -prepared, with pipe in mouth, to dose away the hours of the short -August night. - -Most, if not nearly all, the lady captives, wore now, of necessity, -the Afghan travelling-dress, a large sheet shrouding the entire form, -having a bourkha, or veil of white muslin, furnished with two holes -to peep through; and with those who, muffled thus, sat in kujawurs, -or camel-litters, the semblance of their orientalism was complete. - -From time to time, dried branches or cass--a prickly furze grass -which grows in bunches--were cast upon the fire, causing the flames -to shoot up anew, on the pale faces of the prisoners and the dark -faces of their guards, till at last the embers died out and the white -ashes alone remained; and such was the scene which, like a species of -phantasmagoria, met the eyes of Mabel Trecarrel, when, in the still -watches of the night, she drew back the curtains of her palanquin and -looked forth occasionally. But the stars began to pale in the sky; -its blue gave place to opal tints; the sun arose, and after the -Mohammedans had said their prayers with their faces towards Mecca, -and the Christians with their eyes bent towards the earth or to -heaven, once more the heartless march was resumed, in the same order -as on the preceding day, through a pass in the mountains, and from -thence across the beautiful valley of Maidan. - -Saleh Mohammed, though a Khan, having once been a Soubadar in Captain -Hopkins's Afghan Levy (from which he had deserted to the party of -Ackbar Khan, at the beginning of the troubles), had some ideas of -military order and show: thus he had at the head of the caravan--for -it resembled nothing else--six Hindostanees, furnished with some of -our drums and bugles gleaned up in the Khyber Pass, and with these -they made the most horrible noises for several miles at the -commencement and close of each day's march; but even this medley of -discordant sounds failed to extract the faintest smile from the -hostages--even from Major Pottinger and the few soldiers--so sunk -were they in heart and spirit now. - -In the Maidan valley they rode between fields of golden grain -bordered by towering poplars and pale willows. Bare, bleak-looking -mountains undulated in the distance, and the poor ladies eyed them -wistfully. - -Were these the borders of dreaded Toorkistan? - -They proved, however, to be only a portion of the Indian Caucasus, -the extremity of which, the Koh-i-baba, a snow-clad peak, rises to -the height of sixteen thousand feet above the level of the Indian Sea. - -That night Saleh Mohammed chose a pleasant halting-place for them, -influenced by some sudden emotion of pity. There they were supplied -with plums, wild cherries, peaches, and the white apricot which has -the flavour of rose water. But ere morning there was an alarm; a -confused discharge of musketry was fired in every direction at -random, all round the bivouac; one or two bullets whistled through -it. A dhooley-wallah was shot dead, and several red arrows, barbed -and bearded, stuck quivering in the turf; yells were heard, and then -a furious galloping of horses passing swiftly away in the distance. - -It was a chupao--a night attack planned by some of the Hazarees, a -wild and independent Tartar tribe, whose thatched huts lie sunk and -unseen on the hill slopes, and on whose confines they had halted. -They are all good archers, and, though armed with the matchlock, -usually prefer the bow. - -They are bitter foes of the Afghans, and had hoped, by making a dash, -to cut off some of their prisoners; but Saleh Mohammed was too wary -for them, and on that evening had doubled his guards ere the sun went -down. - -The 2nd of September found the train traversing the Kaloo Mountain, -one in height only inferior to the Koh-i-baba. From thence, over a -vast chaos of wild and terrific hilly peaks that spread beneath them -like the pointed waves of a petrified sea, they could view, at last, -and afar off, the plains of Toorkistan--the land of their future -bondage; and anew the wail of grief and woe rose from them at the -sight. - -The following day, that the absurd might not be wanting amid their -misery, to the surprise of all, Saleh Mohammed appeared mounted on -his camel, not in his usual amplitude of turban, with his flowing -chogah and Cashmere shawls, but with his lean, shrunken, and bony -figure buttoned up in a tight regimental blue surtout, with gold -shoulder-scales, and crimson sash, frog-belt, and sword, all of which -had whilom belonged to Jack Polwhele, of the Cornish Light Infantry, -a tiny forage cap (which Jack used to wear very much over his right -ear) being perched on the back of his bald head, while the chin-strap -came uncomfortably only below the tip of his high hooked nose; and -thus arrayed he prepared to meet and, as he hoped, duly to impress -Zoolficar Khan, the governor of the town of Bameean, where the first -halt was to be made for further and final orders from Ackbar, as to -whether the hostages should be sold or slain; for now their custodian -began to have some strange doubts upon the subject, and now his -victims were fairly out of Afghanistan and in the land of the -Tartars, nine days of monotonous and arduous journey distant from -Cabul. - -We have lately seen the kind of mercy meted out to helpless hostages -by Communal savages in the boasted city of Paris--the self-styled -centre of civilization--and so may fairly tremble for the fate of -those who were in the hands of Asiatic fanatics on the western slopes -of the Hindoo-Kush. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -MABEL'S PRESENTIMENT. - -Mabel Trecarrel seemed to see or to feel the image of Waller become -more vividly impressed upon her mind, now, as every day's journey, as -every hour, and every mile towards the deserts of Great Tartary, -increased the perils of her own situation, and seemed to add to the -difficulties, if not entirely to close all the chances, of their ever -meeting again on this earth; and as Bameean, a rock-hewn city, the -Thebes of the East, and geographically situated in Persia, began to -rise before the caravan, when it wound down from the Akrobat Pass, a -deeper chill fell on her heart, for she had a solemn presentiment -creeping over her that there all her sorrows, if not those of her -companions too, should be ended. - -A laborious progress of several miles, during which her now weary -dhooley-wallahs staggered and reeled with fatigue, brought them from -the mountain slopes into a plain, damp, muddy, and marshy, where from -the plashy soil there rose a mist through which the city seemed to -shimmer and loom, shadowy and ghost-like. A great portion of this -plain was waste, and hence believed to be the abode of ghouls, -afreets, and demons, who, in the dark and twilight, sought to lure -the children of Adam to unknown but terrible doom. - -A gust of wind careering over the waste from the Pass, rolled away, -like a veil of gauze, the shroud which had half concealed the place -they were approaching; and with a mournful and sickly interest, not -unmixed with anticipated dread, Mabel and her friends surveyed the -city of Bameean. - -Rising terrace over terrace on the green acclivities of an insulated -mountain, the bolder features and details shining in the ruddy -sunlight, the intermediate spaces sunk in sombre shadow, it exhibited -a series of the most wonderfully excavated mansions, temples, and -ornamental caverns (the abodes of its ancient and nameless -inhabitants), to the number of more than twelve thousand, covering a -slope of eight miles in extent. - -Many of those rock-hewn edifices, carved out of the living stone -which supports the mountain, and are the chief portions of its -foundation and structure, have beautiful friezes and entablatures, -domes and cupolas, with elaborately arched doors and windows. Others -are mere dens and caverns, with square air-holes; but towering over -all are many colossal figures, more particularly two--a woman one -hundred and twenty feet high, and another of a man, forty feet -higher--all hewn out of the face of a lofty cliff. - -By what race, or when, those mighty and wondrous works of art were -formed, at such vast labour, no human record, not even a tradition, -remains to tell; their origin is shrouded by a veil of mystery, like -that of the ruined cities of Yucatan; so whether they are relics of -Bhuddism, or were hewn in the third century, during the dynasty of -the Sassanides, has nothing to do with our story. But the poor -hostages, as they were conveyed past those silent, dark, and empty -temples, abandoned now to the jackal, the serpent, and the flying -fox, with the towering and gigantic apparitions of the stone colossi -lookingly grimly down in silence, felt strange emotions of chilly awe -come over them--the ladies especially. To Mabel Trecarrel, in her -weak and nervous state, the scene proved too much; she became -hysterical, and wept and laughed at the same moment, to the great -perplexity of Saleh Mohammed, who was quite unused to such -exhibitions among the ladies of _his_ zenanali. - -Though stormed by Jenghiz Khan and his hordes, in 1220, after a -vigorous resistance, this rock-hewn city, by its materials and -massiveness, could suffer little; yet it was subsequently deserted by -all its inhabitants, who named it "Maublig," or the _unfortunate_. -After that time, its history sank into utter obscurity; its -once-fertile plain reverted to a desert state once more; yet -unchanged as when Bameean was in its zenith, its river of the same -name flows past the caverned mountain, on its silent way to the snowy -wastes where its waters mingle with those of the Oxus. - -In this remote place the captives were all, as usual, enclosed in a -walled fort which contained a few hovels of mud, where in darkness -and damp they strove to make themselves as comfortable as -circumstances permitted, with blankets, xummuls, and the saddles on -which they had ridden. - -The Dooranees of Saleh Mohammed had to keep sure watch and ward -there, for the Usbec Tartars are the predominating people, and, -though divided into many tribes, they are all rigid Soonees, with but -small favour for the Afghans; and the prisoners soon learned that the -unusual costume of Saleh Mohammed, instead of inspiring Zoolficar -Khan, as he had expected, with wonder, only excited in that sturdy -Toorkoman an emotion of contempt, that a Mussulman should so far -degrade himself by adopting, even for a day, the dress of a -Feringhee--a Kaffir; and they had something approaching to hasty -words on the subject, when, on the first evening of their meeting, -those dignitaries sat together on the same carpet under a date tree -in the garden of the fort, while slaves supplied them with hot -coffee, wheat pillau, pipes, and tobacco. - -There, too, had Mabel been borne on a pallet, by the express -permission of the Khan, that she might enjoy the sunshine; there was, -he knew, no chance of her attempting to escape; and to prevent any -covetous Toorkoman from playing tricks with the tender wares -entrusted to him, he had a double chain of sentinels with loaded -muskets planted round them, as Zoolficar Khan could perceive when -reconnoitring the place, which was outside the city of Bameean, but -immediately under the shadow of its temples and rock-hewn giants; for -Zoolficar, having learned that Saleh Mohammed was proceeding towards -the deserts with the captives to sell, to punish the men of their -tribe for interference in the affairs of Afghanistan, was not -indisposed to have the first selection from among them, and had -resolved to look over "the lot" with a purchaser's eye. - -He had already, over their pipes and coffee, broached the subject to -Saleh Mohammed; but the latter, undecided in everything, save that he -had to halt where he was for fresh orders from the Sirdir, Ackbar -Khan, would not as yet listen to any proposals for selling or -bartering, and eventually dozed off asleep, with the amber mouthpiece -of the hubble-bubble in his mouth, leaving Zoolficar Khan to amuse -himself as best he might. - -Mabel, weary and faint with her long journey of nine consecutive -days, though borne easily and carefully enough in a palanquin, lay -listlessly and drowsily pillowed on her pallet, under the cool and -pleasant shade of an acacia tree. Near her stood a tiny pagoda of -white marble, carved as minutely and elaborately as a Chinese ivory -puzzle; and before it was a tank wherein were floating some of the -beautiful red lotus, the flowers of which far exceed in size and -beauty those of the ordinary water-lily. - -The slender, drooping, and fibrous branches of the acacia tree, so -graceful in their forms and so tender in their texture, cast a -partial shadow over her, and, as they moved slowly to and fro in the -soft evening wind, by their rocking or oscillating motion predisposed -her to slumber; and so, ere long, she slept, but slept only to dream -of the past--the happy, happy past, for keenly did she and all who -were with her realise now that "it is the eternal looking back in -this world that forms the staple of all our misery." - -Anon, she dreamed of the monotonous swinging of her palanquin, and -the doggrel songs by which the poor half-nude bearers sought to -beguile their toil and cheer the mountain way; now it was of Waller, -with his fair English face, his handsome winning eyes, and frank, -jovial manner, retorting some of the banter of Polwhele or Burgoyne. -She was at her piano; he was hanging over her as of old, and their -whispers mingled, though fears suggested that the horrible Quasimodo, -the Khond, with his cat-like moustaches and mouth that resembled a -red gash, was concealed somewhere close by; then she heard cries and -shots--they were attacked by Hazarees, Ghazees, Ghilzies, or some -other dark-coloured wretches; and with a little scream she started -and awoke, to find that her veil had been rudely withdrawn--uplifted, -in fact--in the hand of a man who stood under the acacia tree, and -had been leisurely surveying her in her sleep with eyes expressive of -inspection and satisfaction. - -She shuddered, and a low cry of fear escaped her; for she knew by the -cast of his face, by his air and equipment, that the stranger was a -Toorkoman--the first who had come--by his unwelcome presence bringing -fresh perils, as she knew, to all the English ladies; yet he was a -handsome fellow, not much over five-and-twenty, and so like Zohrab -Zubberdust in aspect and bearing, that they might have passed for -brothers. - -Mabel feebly struggled into a sitting posture, and, snatching her -veil from his hand, looked steadily, perhaps a little defiantly, at -Zoolficar Khan; for he it was who, when his older host dozed off, to -dream of plunder and paradise, had proceeded to make a reconnaissance -of whatever might be seen of the prisoners and their guards; for it -might yet suit his interests or his fancy to cut off the whole -caravan in a night or so. Thus, a few paces from where Saleh -Mohammed was sleeping in the sunshine had brought him unexpectedly on -Mabel! - -He was a dashing fellow, whose dress was not the least remarkable -thing about him. His trowsers, of ample dimensions, were of bright -blue cloth, very baggy, and thrust into short yellow boots; he had on -three collarless jackets, all of different hues, and richly fringed -and laced; a large turban of silk of every colour, with a white -heron's plume, to indicate that he was a chief; a shawl girdle, with -sword, dagger, and long-barrelled awkward Turkish pistols stuck -therein, completed his attire. His keen, sharp Tartar features, -though suggestive of good humour by their general expression, were -not, however, without much of cunning, rakish insolence, and the bold -effrontery incident to a lawless state of society, a knowledge of -power, and much of contempt or indifference for the feelings of -others. He looked every inch one of those wild - - "Toorkomans, countless as their flocks, led forth - From th' aromatic pastures of the north; - Wild warriors of the Turquoise hills, and those - Who dwell beyond the everlasting snows - Of Hindoo Koosh, in stormy freedom bred, - Their fort the rock, their camp the torrent's bed!" - -He simply gave the scared Mabel a smile, full of confidence and saucy -meaning, and then turned away, leaving her a prey to emotions of -fear--a fear that might have been all the greater had she heard what -passed between him and Saleh Mohammed at the time when she, trembling -in heart and feeble in limb, crept back to the ladies' huts to tell -them, with lips blanched by terror, that "the first Toorkoman had -come!" - -And stronger than ever grew her presentiment within her. - -The craving to hear of the movements of the three British armies -which they knew to be still in Afghanistan was strong as ever in the -hearts of the captives--to hear the last, ere a barrier rose between -them and their past life; and that barrier seemed now to be the -mighty chain of Hindoo Koosh rising between them and the way to India -and to home. Long had they hoped against hope. Nott, and Pollock, -and Sale--where were they and their soldiers? What were they doing? -For the Dooranees would tell nothing. Had they and their forces been -destroyed in detail, even as Elphinstone's had been? Those yells and -noisy discharges of musketry, in which the captors at times indulged -in honour of alleged victories over the three Kaffir Sirdirs, on -tidings brought by wandering hadjis, filthy faquirs, and dancing -dervishes, could they be justified? Alas! fate seemed to have done -its worst! - -Surmises were become threadbare; invention was worn out. Each of the -poor captives had striven, by suggestions of probabilities and by -efforts of imagination, to flatter themselves and buoy up the hearts -of others; but all seemed at an end now. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -THE GOVERNOR OF BAMEEAN. - -Waking up Saleh Mohammed without much ceremony, the young Toorkoman -chief proceeded to business at once, but in a very cunning way, -commencing with another subject, like a wily lawyer seeking to lure -and throw a witness off his guard. - -"After a nine days' journey, Khan, you must be short of provisions?" -said he. - -"Oh, fear not for our presence here in Bameean," replied Saleh -Mohammed, leisurely sucking at his hubble-bubble, the light of which -had gone out; "every tobrah full of oats, every maund of ottah and -rice, we require shall be duly paid for." - -"You mistake me; I did not mean that." - -"What then? Bismillah! we are rich: the spoil of the Kaffir dogs who -come to Cabul has made us happy." - -Zoolficar's almond-shaped eyes glistened with covetousness on hearing -this. He reflected: the Dooranees were not quite five hundred -strong, and he could bring a thousand Tartar horsemen into the field; -hence, why might not all this plunder so freely spoken of, and these -slaves, two of whom he had seen (and they were so white and -handsome!), be his? - -"You propose to remain here for some days, aga?" he resumed, seating -himself cross-legged, and playing with the silken tassel of his sabre. - -"Yes." - -"Waiting for orders from Ackbar Khan?" - -"Yes." - -"His final firmaun, I think you said?" - -"Yes." - -"To advance or retire?" - -"Yes." - -"If he has proved signally victorious?" queried Zoolficar sharply, as -he grew impatient of these mere affirmatives, which were resorted to -by the other merely to give him time to think and sift the other's -purpose. - -"Wallah billah--victorious." - -"Yes--which, under Allah, we cannot doubt?" - -"Well, aga." - -"Then his orders will be to sell these hostages, I suppose?" - -"Yes--perhaps." - -"Where, Khan?--here in Bameean?" - -"No; they will bring larger prices nearer Bokhara." - -"But if he is not victorious?" suggested Zoolficar. - -"Staferillah! Then we must leave the event to fate; or my orders may -be----" and here even Saleh Mohammed paused ere he made the atrocious -admission that hovered on his tongue. - -"What--what?" - -"To behead them. Ackbar has sworn that none should live to tell the -tale of those who came up the Khyber Pass; and I must own that his -sparing these surprised me." - -There was a pause, after which the Governor of Baraeean said-- - -"And when may you expect those final orders?" - -"Or tidings, let us call them." - -"Well, well, aga, this is playing with words." - -"Tidings that shall guide me may come without orders," replied Saleh -Mohammed, glancing at the green flag of Ackbar which was flying on -the fort, and then half closing his eyes to watch the other keenly, -and as if to read in his face the drift of all these questions. "You -surely take a deep interest in these Kaffirs, Zoolficar Khan?" he -added. - -"I take an interest, at least, in two whom I have seen--in one -particularly." - -"The Hindoo ayah in the red garment?" suggested Saleh, pointing with -the amber mouthpiece of his pipe to an old nurse who was passing, -with two of the captive children. - -"The devil--no! One who is beautiful as the rose with the hundred -leaves--one with a skin as fair as if she had bathed in the waters of -Cashmere; an idol more lovely than ever adorned the house of Azor! -She was under yonder tree asleep, when I lifted her veil and looked -on her." - -"Allah Ackbar--now we have it!" exclaimed Saleh Mohammed, with -something between irritation and amusement. "Well, know, aga, that -to quote a Parsee or Hindoo banker's book in lieu of Hafiz might be -more to the purpose." - -"Perhaps so: we have more metal in our scabbards than in our purses, -in the desert here." - -"They have tempers, these Feringhee women, I can tell you," said the -Dooranee, with a quiet laugh. - -"So have ours, for the matter of that, and are free enough with their -slipper heel on a man's beard at times." - -"Ah! all women, I dare say, are like the apples of Istkahar, one half -sweet and one half sour," said the old Khan, shaking his long beard. - -"You must seek the well of youth again," rejoined the young -Toorkoman, laughing. "There is another Kaffir damsel whose voice -sounded sweetly, as if she had tasted of the leaves that shadow the -tomb of Tan-Sien," he continued, using in his ordinary conversation -figures and phraseology that seem no way far-fetched to an Oriental; -"yes, aga, tender and soft, for I heard her sing her two children to -sleep in yonder hut. Yet she may never have been in Gwalior," added -Zoolficar; for the lady was an officer's widow, young and pretty, -with two poor sickly babes; and the _tomb_ he referred to was that of -the famous musician, who once flourished at the court of the Emperor -Ackbar, and the leaves of a tree near which are supposed to impart, -when eaten, a wondrous melody to the human voice. - -"Then am I to understand that you have set eyes upon both these -prisoners?" asked Saleh Mohammed, his keen black eyes becoming very -round, as he seemed to make up more fully to the matter in hand. - -"Please God, I have. In a word," said Zoolficar Khan, lowering his -voice, "I shall give you a purse of five hundred tomauns for them -both--peaceably, and help you to plunder the Hazarees on your way -home." - -"And what of the Sirdir?" - -"Tell him they died on the way: moreover, I don't want the two -children--you may keep them." - -This liberality failed to find any approbation in Saleh Mohammed, who -affected to look indignant, and exclaimed-- - -"I am Saleh Mohammed Khan, chief of the Dooranees, and not a -slave-dealer, staferillah!--God forbid!" - -"Neither is Ackbar Khan--a son of the royal house of Afghanistan; yet -he has sent hither those people for sale, in _your_ charge--for sale -to the Toorkomans; and what am I?" - -"I have no final orders--as yet," replied the Khan, doggedly. - -"For their disposal, you mean?" - -"No." - -"For what, then?" - -"Simply to halt here; to act peaceably, but watchfully, Zoolficar -Khan--_watchfully_," replied the other in a pointed manner; "and -hourly now I may expect a cossid with a firmaun from Cabul." - -"The Hazarees are in arms in your rear, and, ere your cossid comes, -there may be a chupao in the night, and the fort may be looted." - -"By them, or your people?" - -"Nay, I said not mine, aga." - -"But you thought it," was the blunt response. - -"Who, save Allah, may pretend to know what another man thinks?" - -"Well, we are prepared alike to protect ourselves and to keep or -slay; yea--for it may come to that--to slay, root and branch, those -Kaffir hostages. I would not betray my trust, were you Kedar Khan -with all his wealth!" continued Saleh Mohammed, flushing red, and -speaking as earnestly as if he really felt all he said, while -referring to that ancient king of Toorkistan, whose fabled riches -were so great, that when on the march he had always before him seven -hundred horsemen, with battle-axes of silver, and the same number -behind, with battle-axes of gold. - -So far as slaughter was concerned, if that sequel were necessary, -Zoolficar Khan felt sure that Saleh Mohammed would keep his word; and -he was about to retire partially baffled, with his mind full of -visions for securing the plunder by a midnight attack on the -Dooranees, either while in the fort or when on the march; and he was -casting a furtive glance to where he had last seen Mabel, combining -it with a low salaam to his host, when, ere he could take his leave, -a strange figure on a foam-covered yaboo rode furiously into the fort -and dismounted before them. He was almost nude; his lean body, -reduced to bone and brawn, was powdered with sandal-wood ashes; his -hair hung in vast volume over his back and shoulders; his only -garment was a pair of goatskin breeches; a gourd for water hung by a -strap over his shoulder, and this, together with a long Afghan knife, -a large wooden rosary of ninety-nine beads, and a knotted staff, -completed his equipment. - -"Lah-allah-mahmoud-resoul-Allah!" he yelled, flourishing the staff as -he sprang from his shaggy yaboo. - -"We know that well enough, Osman Abdallah," said the Dooranee chief, -impatiently, to the Arab Hadji, for it was he who came thus suddenly, -like a flash of lightning; "but from whence come you?" - -"Cabul; or the mountains near it, rather." - -"To me?" - -"Yes, Khan, with a message from the Sirdir," replied this fierce, -wild, ubiquitous being, whose skin bore yet the scarcely healed marks -of Waller's sword-thrust, as he drew from his girdle a sorely soiled -scrap of paper, and bowed his head reverentially over it; for the -bearer of a letter from such a personage as the Prince Ackbar must -treat the document with as much respect as if he himself were present. - -"And what of the Sirdir?" asked Saleh, starting forward. - -"Allah kerim; he has been defeated by the Kaffir's dogs at -Tizeen--routed by Pollock Sahib--totally!" - -"Silence, fool!" cried the Dooranee, with a swift, fierce glance at -the Toorkoman, as he snatched from the hands of the Hadji, and -without a word of greeting or thanks, the little scroll, and then -opened it deliberately and slowly, as if the disposal of a flock of -sheep were the matter in hand, and not the lives or deaths, the -captivity or liberty, of so many helpless human beings. The missive -contained but three words, and the seal of Ackbar-- - -"_March to Kooloom._" - -And Zoolficar Khan, who peeped over his shoulder without ceremony, -had read it too. The beetle brows of Saleh Mohammed were close over -his fiery eyes, as he said, haughtily-- - -"Where is this place? I may ask, as you have read the name." - -"Kooloom--it is a steep, rugged, and perilous journey, Khan." - -"And what am I to do when I get there?" asked Saleh Mohammed, -ponderingly, of himself, and not of his companion. - -"But you are not yet there," said the latter, in a low voice. - -"How--what do you mean?" - -"The way may be beset. Have I not said that it is perilous?" - -"Well, perhaps we shall not go," replied the other, with an -unfathomable smile; and with low salaams they separated, each quite -ready for and prepared to outwit the other. - -One fact they had both learned: Ackbar Khan was defeated, and not -victorious! - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -THE ALARM. - -"Then you have seen the fighting against the Kaffirs, I suppose?" -asked Saleh Mohammed, grimly. - -"Seen! Nay, Khan, I fought against them in person; at Jugdulluck, -the defence of the village was entrusted to me----" - -"And lost by a Hadji," said the Khan, with a sneer. - -"Yes, even as the heights of Tizeen were lost by a Khan," retorted -the other. - -"A Khan--who?" - -"Amen Oolah--who was killed there." - -"Was the slaughter great?" - -"Of the Faithful, mean you?" - -"Yes: I ask not of the Kaffirs--may their white faces be confounded!" - -"The slaughter might remind Azrael, and the angels who looked on us, -of the Prophet when he fought at Bedr. It was not so great, of -course, as that of the Feringhees when they left Cabul; for Ackbar's -orders were then, that but one should be left alive, if even that; -but the white smoke, as it rolled on the wind, along the green sides -of the hills, and ascended skyward out of the deep, dark Passes, was -like that which shall precede the last day, and for two moons fill -all space, from the east to the west, from the rising to the setting -of the sun." - -"Silence!" grumbled Saleh Mohammed, who was full of earnest thought, -and in no mood for religious canting just then, as the orders of -Ackbar and the collateral news of his defeat perplexed, while the -hints and covert threats of the Governor of Bameean alarmed and -irritated him. "So this is all you know, Hadji Osman?" - -"All, save that I have a letter for Pottinger Sahib." - -"From whom?" asked the chief, sharply. - -"Shireen Khan, of the Kuzzilbashes." - -"Fool! why not speak of this before? Yet perhaps it is as well that -yonder Toorkonian dog is gone," exclaimed Saleh Mohammed, as he -impetuously tore the missive from the hand of the cunning Hadji, who -probably knew its contents; for a most singular leer came into his -repulsive face, as he watched the dark visage of the Dooranee, -seeming all the darker in the twilight now; for the golden flush was -dying in the west, and its fading light fell faintly on the rock-hewn -edifices and wondrous colossi that towered on the hill-slope above -the fort, one half of which was sunk in shadow. - -The Arab Hadji, as his creed inculcated, loathed the infidels, but -this loathing did not extend to their loot and treasures; he was not -indifferent to their wines and other good things (in secret, of -course), and he loved their golden English guineas and shining -rupees--their shekels and talents of silver--quite as much as any of -"the cloth" (not that he indulged in that commodity), the reverend -faquirs, doctors, and dervishes of enlightened Feringhistan; so, for -"a consideration," he had actually brought a message to a "Kaffir," -concerning the redemption of his companions. The letter briefly -detailed the victory of General Pollock at Tizeen, placing beyond a -doubt the rout of Ackbar, and his flight to Kohistan, and suggested -that the Major, in his own name and those of five other British -officers, who were prisoners with him, should offer to Saleh Mohammed -the sum of twenty thousand rupees as a ransom for all--especially the -ladies and children--the sum to be paid down on their release; and a -glow of triumph, satisfaction, and avarice filled the keen eyes and -face of the old Dooranee as he read over the words carefully thrice; -and then stroking his mighty beard, as if making a promise to -himself, and seeming already to feel the rupees loading his girdle, -he exclaimed-- - -"Shabash! Allah keerim! (Very good! God is merciful!) The Major -Sahib will act like a sensible man, and trust to my generosity. The -game of Ackbar--whose dog is _he_ now?--is about played out at Cabul; -he is checkmated--has not a move on the board. So Saleh Mohammed may -as well act mercifully, and treat with the Feringhee Major for the -ransom of his people." - -The night was passed as usual, after prayers were over, in stupor or -the wonted listlessness of despair, by the captives, who were crowded -all together in the mud hovels of the fort, their Dooranee guards -lying outside in their chogahs, poshteens, and horsecloths; but in -the morning they saw with surprise that a new flag--a scarlet -one--had replaced the sacred green, which had floated on the outer -wall at sunset. - -And each asked of the other what might this portend? It was the -signal that Saleh Mohammed had revolted from the cause of Ackbar -Khan; but of what his own movements or measures were to be they knew -nothing yet. This new feature in affairs bewildered and baffled the -ulterior views of Zoolficar Khan, who was still more surprised when, -soon after dawn, the old Dooranee, with a detachment of his people, -sallied from the fort, attacked and captured--not, however, without -resistance, some sharp firing, and use of the sabre--a whole convoy -of provisions which passed en route for Bokhara--an act of daring for -which he found it difficult to account, as it would be sure to rouse -the terrible Emir of that kingdom again these intruders in -Toorkistan; but doubtless, thought Zoolficar, the Afghan must know -his own plans and power best. - -Loth, however, not to pick up something in the broils or forays that -were so likely to ensue, he began gradually to muster his Toorkoman -followers, desiring them to draw to a head in a wood near the Bameean -river, about nightfall, to watch the Dooranees in the fort, and to -gall or attack them either in advancing or retiring therefrom; but, -ere dark came, there occurred what was to him a fresh source of -surprise, and to Saleh Mohammed of serious alarm, while it chilled -with a new-born fear the hearts of the prisoners, to whom Major -Pottinger had now communicated his letter, his promises and plans, -with all the tidings of the Hadji, thereby for a time exciting their -wildest and most joyous anticipations (at a moment when hope had sunk -to its lowest ebb) of freedom and restoration to the world: so -friends were rushing to congratulate friends, and weeping with -happiness, mothers were wildly clasping their children to their -breast, and all were giving thanks to God. - -Affecting ignorance of any change that had taken place in the mind of -the Dooranee, towards evening Zoolficar Khan in all his bravery, but -alone, rode to the gate of the fort, when, greatly to his wrath, he -was denied admittance by Saleh Mohammed in person. - -"Take care lest you are the dupe of your own fortune," said he -haughtily. - -"Covet not the goods of another, aga," responded Saleh, who had now -resumed his Oriental amplitude of costume. - -"Are we to understand that you have abandoned the cause of Ackbar?" - -"Fate has done so--wallah billah--why should not I?" - -"How now about Khedar Khan and his riches, O Saleh Mohammed the -Incorruptible?" laughed the Toorkoman. - -"Dare you mock me?" asked the Dooranee, scowling, with his hand on a -pistol. - -"No; but what means all this change since yesterday?" - -"It means that what is good for me may be bad for you? Who can read -the book of destiny? The same flower which gives a sweet to the bee -gives poison to reptiles?" - -"Does all this mean that you will neither sell nor barter?" asked -Zoolficar, shaking haughtily his huge turban and white heron's plume. - -"Exactly--that I will do neither," replied the Dooranee, with a -mocking laugh. - -"Then, by the hand of the Prophet, there perhaps come those who may -deprive you of all you possess!" exclaimed the young Toorkoman, with -fierce triumph, as he pointed suddenly along the road that led -towards the Akrobat Pass. - -The sun, now in the west, was shedding a lovely golden light along -the brilliantly green slopes of the mighty mountains, whose -snow-capped peaks stood up sharply defined, cold and white, against -the deep, pure blue of the sky. The barren and desolate Akrobat -Pass, overhung by rocks of slate and limestone, yawned like a dark -fissure between the masses of the impending hills, and out of it a -cloud of white dust was now seen to roll, spreading like mist, and -increasing in magnitude like the vapour released by the fisherman in -the Arabian story from the vase of yellow copper on the seashore. - -On and on it came--onward and downward into the plain where the -Bameean river winds, and where the silent city of the Colossi towers -upon its rock-hewn hill. - -Bright points began to flash and gleam ever and and anon out of this -coming cloud of dust--points that could not be mistaken by a -soldier's eye,--and speedily the whole advancing mass assumed the -undoubted aspect of a great body of armed horsemen, whose tall spears -shone like stars, as they came on at full speed from the mountains! - -"Hazarees--wild Hazarees or Eimauks--by Allah!" exclaimed the -Toorkoman, gathering his reins in his hands; "a chupao--an attack on -you, Saleh Mohammed! Now look to your damsels and spoil, for you -will be looted of every kusira!"* - - -* An Afghan coin, worth about .083 of a penny, English. - - -With a shout of exultation and defiance, he wheeled round his horse, -and galloped away towards the wood and river. - -The Arab Hadji, Osman, declared these newcomers to be some Usbec -cavalry, whom he had seen but yesterday encamped by the side of the -river Balkh. - -"Kosh gelding! Usbecs, Toorkomans, or Hazarees,--let them come and -welcome; they shall not find us unprepared!" exclaimed Saleh Mohammed -through his clenched teeth, while his black eyes shot fire, and he -rushed away for his weapons, and, by all the horrible din that his -Hindostanee drummers and buglers could make, summoned his -quaint-looking followers to arms; for, in that lawless land, he knew -not whose swords might be uplifted against them now, as the downfall -of Ackbar would encourage all to make spoil of his adherents. Even -in the kingdom of Afghanistan there were bitter quarrels, and the -tribes were all divided against each other now. - -In a moment the fort became a scene of the most unwonted bustle. The -Dooranees are one of the bravest of the Afghan clans, and this party -of them prepared to make a resolute defence, and, if necessary, to -sell their lives as dearly as possible. Muskets, matchlocks, and -jingalls were loaded on every hand. The gate of the fort was hastily -closed and barricaded behind with earth, and an old brass 9-pounder -gun, covered with Indian characters--a perilous and too probably -honeycombed piece of ordnance, which was found in the place--was -propped on a heap of stones, just inside the entrance, where it was -loaded with bottles, nails, and other missiles, to sweep a storming -party. - -Meanwhile all the European male prisoners, under Major Pottinger, -were now armed to make common cause with their late guards; and among -them many a pale cheek flushed, and many a hollow eye lighted up once -more, at the prospect of a conflict, though the weapons with which -our poor fellows were armed were only quaint matchlocks, rusty -tulwars, and old notched Afghan sabres. - -And now in front of the column of advancing horse, two cavaliers came -galloping on at headlong speed, far before all their comrades, whose -ranks were loose and confused, and all unlike Europeans; so Saleh -Mohammed, his face darkened by a scowl, his eyes glistening like -those of a rattlesnake, and his white beard floating on the wind, -crouched behind the old and mouldering wall, adjusting with his own -hands a clumsy jingall, or swivel wall-piece, with the iron one-pound -shot of which he was prepared to empty the saddle of one of those two -adventurous riders--he cared not a jot which. - -Thus far we have followed Anglo-Indian history; and now to resume -more particularly our own narrative. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -TOO LATE! - -When Doctor C----, though the anxious and watchful eyes of Rose -Trecarrel were bent upon him, had shaken his head so despondingly, -and thereby gratified the professional spleen of the long-bearded Abu -Malec, he had done so involuntarily, and from sincere medical -misgivings that his aid had been summoned when too late; and with -tears in her eyes, did Rose needlessly assure him that, until she had -seen him enter the sick room, she knew not of his existence, or that -he had been permitted to survive. - -To this he replied by taking both her hands kindly within his own, -for he was a warm-hearted Scottish Highlander, and in turn assuring -her that, "until brought to the fort of Shireen Khan by the Hakeem, -he also had been ignorant of the vicinity of her and her companion; -but without proper medicines," he added, "little could be done--now -especially." - -Yet she hoped much. He gave her valuable advice, and the Khanum, -too, and promised to return without delay, and with certain -prescriptions, made up from his little store kept in Cabul for the -few wounded soldiers who were hostages there. He rode off, and -Rose's blessings and gratitude went with him. No curiosity as to the -relations of the nurse and patient--peculiar though their -circumstances--prompted a question from the doctor. That Rose should -attend the sick officer seemed only humane and natural. Who other so -suitable was nigh? And to find one more European--a friend -especially--surviving, was source of pleasure enough! - -The doctor retired; but, instead of hours, days went by, and he -returned no more; for on the very evening of his visit he was seized -and despatched, with all the rest, under Saleh Mohammed, to -Toorkistan. In another place the doctor was thus enabled to be of -much value to Mabel Trecarrel, and _en route_ towards the desert did -much to alleviate her sufferings, and restore her health; but the -assurance he gave her that he had seen her sister and Denzil -Devereaux too, and that they were safe--perfectly safe--in the -powerful protection of Shireen Khan, did more to this end than all -his prescriptions. - -But his advice ultimately availed but little the patient he left -behind, for Denzil grew worse--sank more and more daily; he had but -the superstition and follies or quackery of Abu Malec to interpose -between him and eternity. - -Terribly was Rose sensible of all this, as she sat and watched by the -young man's bedside in that desolate room of the fort; for it was -intensely desolate and comfortless, an Afghan noble's ideas of luxury -and splendour being inferior to those possessed by an English groom. -Save the bed on which he lay, two European chairs and a trunk brought -from the plunder of the cantonments, it was as destitute of furniture -as the cell of a prison; and, as if in such a cell, daily the square -outline of the window was seen to fall with the yellow sunshine on -the same part of the wall, and thence pass upward obliquely as the -sun went round, till it faded away at the corner, and then next day -it appeared again, without change. - -And there sat the once-gay, bright, and heedless Rose Trecarrel, the -belle of the ball, of the hunting-meet, of the race-course, and the -garrison, with a choking sensation in her throat, and a clamorous -fear in her heart, Denzil's hot, throbbing hand often clasped in one -of hers, while the other strayed caressingly over his once-thick -hair, or what remained of it, for by order of Doctor C----, she had -shorn it short--shorter even than the regimental pattern; and so -would she sit, watching the winning young fellow, who loved her so -well--he, whose figure might have served a sculptor for an Antinous -in its perfection of form, wasting away before her, with a terrible -certainty that God's hand could alone stay the event; and whom she -had but lately seen in all the full roundness of youth and health, -with a face animated by a very different expression from that now -shown by the hollow, wan, and hectic-like mask which lay listlessly -on the pillow--listlessly save when his eyes met hers, and then they -filled or grew moist with tenderness and gratitude, emotions that -were not unmixed by a fear that the pest, if such it was, that preyed -on him might fasten next on her. Then _who_ should watch over Rose, -as she had watched over him, like a sister or a mother? - -His head, in consequence of the blow he had received from the -pistol-butt of the fallen Afghan--the wretch he had sought to succour -in the Khyber Pass--was doubtless the seat of some secret injury; for -not unfrequently he placed his hand thereon and sighed heavily, while -a dimness would overspread his sight, and there came over him a -faintness from which Rose, by the use of a fan and some cooling -essences--the Khanum had plenty of them--would seek to revive him, -and again his loving eyes would look into hers. - -"Ah, you know me again," she would say, in a low soft voice, and with -a smile of affected cheerfulness; "you are to be spared to me, after -all, Denzil--we shall live and die together." - -"Nay--not die together, Rose: don't say die together, darling." - -"Why?" - -"That would be too early--for you, at least." - -"You deem me less prepared than yourself, Denzil. Perhaps I am; yet -what have I to live for now?" - -"Do not talk so, Rose." - -"God will take pity on us, Denzil, and will make you well and whole -yet," she would reply, and kiss the aching head that rested on her -kind and tender bosom; and with all the young girl's love, something -of the emotion almost of maternal care and protection stole into her -heart, as she watched him thus; he clung to her so, and was so gentle -and so helpless. - -"If--if--after this" (he did not say, "after I am gone," lest he -should pain her even by words)--"if, Rose, after all this, you should -ever meet my sister--my dear little Sybil--you will tell her of -me--talk to her about me, talk of all I endured, and be a sister to -her, for my sake--won't you, Rose?" - -"I will, Denzil--I shall, please God." - -"Oh yes--yes; one who has been so good to me, could not fail to be -good to her, and to love her for her own sake--for mine perhaps." - -And then Denzil would look half vacantly, half wildly up to the -ceiling, and marvel hopefully yet apprehensively in his heart where -was now that homeless sister, so loved and petted at Porthellick, and -whom we last saw crouching by the old cottage door near the stone -avenue, on that morning when her mother died, and when the cold grey -mist was rolling from the purple moorland along the green slopes of -the Row Tor and Bron Welli. - -Alas! her story Denzil knew not, and might never, never, know it. - -But he was beginning now to know and to feel that "the God who was -but a dim and awful abstraction before" seemed very close and nigh. -No fear was in his heart, however: he was very calm and courageous, -save when he thought of Rose's future, and how lonely and lost she -should be when he was gone. This reflection alone brought tears from -him; it wrung his heart, and made him the more keenly desire to live. - -No Bible or Book of Common Prayer had Rose wherewith to console -either the sufferer or herself; all such had gone at the plunder of -the cantonments and the baggage, and had likely figured as cartridge -paper at Jugdulluck and Tizeen; but no printed or hackneyed formulæ -could equal in depth or earnestness the silent yet heartfelt prayers -she put up for Denzil and herself. - -"My poor Denzil--poor boy! I never deserved that you should love me -so much: I have thought so a thousand times!" Rose would whisper -fervently, and, heedless of any danger from fever, and perhaps -courting it, place his brow caressingly in her neck, and kiss his -temples, as if he were a child, telling him to "take courage, and -have no fear." - -"Fear! why should I fear death, Rose?" he would respond, speaking -quickly, yet with difficulty--speaking thus perhaps to accustom -himself to the topic, or to accustom her, we know not which; "why -should I fear death, since I know not what it is? Why fear that -which no human being can avert or avoid, and which so many better, -braver, and nobler than I have so lately proved and tested in yonder -Passes?--aye, Rose, my mother too, at home--my father on the -sea--Sybil perhaps--all!" - -Then his utterance became incoherent, his voice broken, and Rose felt -as if her heart were broken too; for when he spoke thus, there spread -over his young face a wondrous brightness, a great calm; and the girl -held her breath, in fear, if not awe, for she read there an -expression of peace that denoted the end was near. - -All was very still in the great square Afghan fort and in the Khan's -garden without. - -The summer sun shone brightly, and the birds, but chiefly the -melodious pagoda-thrush--the king of the Indian feathered -choristers--was there; and the flowers, the wondrous roses of Cabul, -were exhaling their sweetest perfume. There the world, nature at -least, looked gay and bright and beautiful; but here, a young life, -that no human skill, prayer, or affection could detain, was ebbing -away so surely as the sea ebbs from its shore, but not like the sea -to return. - -If Denzil died, what had she to live for? So thought the heedless -belle, the half coquette, the whole flirt, of a few months past; but -such were "the uses" or the results of adversity. Was not the end of -all things nigh? Without Denzil Devereaux and his love, so tender, -passionate, and true, what would the world be? and her world, of -late, had been so small and sad! This love had been all in all to -her; and now all seemed nearly over, and nothing could be left to her -but forlorn exile and the gloom of despair. - -As there is in memory "a species of mental long-sightedness, which, -though blind to the object close beside you, can reach the blue -mountains and the starry skies which lie full many a league away," so -it was with Denzil; and now far from that bare and desolate vaulted -room in the Afghan fort, from the mountains of black rock that -overshadowed it, and all their harassing associations, even from the -presence of the bright-haired and pale-faced girl who so lovingly -watched and soothed his pillow, the mind of the young officer flashed -back, as if touched by an electric wire, to his once-happy home. -Again his manly father's smile approved of some task or feat of skill -performed by bridle, gun, or rod; again his mother's dark eyes seemed -to look softly into his; the willowed valley (that opened between -steep and ruin-crowned cliffs towards the billowy Cornish sea), the -little world of all his childhood's cares and joys, was with him now, -and with that world he was mingling over again in fancy, though death -and distress had been there as elsewhere; the hearth was desolate, or -strangers sat around it; their household gods were scattered, and -home was home no longer, save in the heart, the memory, of the dying -exile. - -And so, for a time, his thoughts were far away even from Rose and the -present scene. Far from the images that were full of the warlike and -perilous present, he was revelling in the past, and talked fluently, -confidently, and smilingly with the absent, the lost, and the dead. -Often he said-- - -"Lift my head, dearest mother; place your kind arm round my neck and -kiss me once again." - -And Rose obeyed him, and he seemed to smile upward into her face; and -yet he knew her not, or saw another there. - -Then he talked deliriously of his father's rights, of his mother's -wrongs, and of his cousin, Audley Trevelyan, till his voice sank into -whispers and anon ceased. - -This was what Shakspeare describes as the - - "Vanity of sickness! fierce extremes, - In their continuance, will not feel themselves. - Death having preyed upon the outward parts, - Leaves them invisible; and his siege is now - Against the mind, which he pricks and wounds - With many legions of strange fantasies, - Which, in their throng and press to that last hold, - Confound themselves." - - -He fell asleep; and, without prolonging our description further, -suffice it that poor Denzil never woke again, but passed peacefully -away... - -Rose sat for a time in a stupor, like one in a dream. Summoned by -her first wild cry, the Khanum was by her side now. - -Denzil, so long her care, her soul, her all, lay there, it would -seem, as usual--lay there as she had seen him for many days; yet why -was it that his presence, and that rigid angularity and stillness of -outline, so appalled her now? - -As the crisis so evidently had drawn near, strongly and wildly in the -girl's heart came the crave for medical, for religious, for any -Christian aid or advice; but there none could be had, any more than -if she had stood by the savage shores of the Albert Nyanza; and now -the dread crisis was past! - -So, from time to time the pale girl found herself gazing on the paler -face of the dead--of him who had so loved her--gazing with that -mingled emotion of incredulity, wonder, and terror, awe and sorrow, -which passeth all experience or description. - -There was no change in the air; there was no change in the light: one -was still and calm, and laden with perfume; the other as bright and -clear as ever: and the blaze of yellow sunshine poured into the room -precisely as it did an hour ago; but now it fell on the face of the -dead! - -And the clear voice of the pagoda-thrush sang on; but how -monotonously now! - -Rose was stunned, and sat crouching on the floor, with her face -covered by her hands, her head between her knees, and her bright -dishevelled hair falling forward in silky volume well nigh to her -feet. Ignorant of what to say, or how to soothe grief so passionate, -the Khanum, unveiled, hung over her in kindness of heart, but with -one prevailing idea--that the death of an idolater must be very -terrible; that already the fiends must be contesting for the -possession of his soul; that the prescribed portion of the Koran had -not been read to him; and even if it had been, what would it avail -now, till that day when the solid mountains and the soft white clouds -should be rolled away together by the blast of the trumpet of Azrael? - -So his last thoughts had been of his dead mother, as Rose remembered, -and not of her. Her father was dead; Mabel was gone to Toorkistan, -too surely beyond ransom or redemption: oh, why was _she_ left to -live? - -If the _sense of exile_ is so strong in the heart of the -Anglo-Indian, even amid all the luxuries and splendours of Calcutta, -the city of palaces--amid the gaieties and frivolities of -Chowringhee,--what must that sense have been to the heart of this -lonely English girl, far away beyond Peshawur, the gate of Western -India, beyond the Indus, fifteen hundred English miles, as the crow -flies, "up-country," from the mouth of the Hooghley and the shore of -Bengal--where the railway whistle will long be unheard, and where -Murray, Cook, and Bradshaw may never yet be known! - -Notwithstanding all that Rose had undergone of late, and all that she -had schooled herself to anticipate as but too probable, she was still -unable fully to realise the actual extent of the misfortunes that -threatened her. Much of that deep misery which Sybil had endured -elsewhere, when crouching in the damp and mist outside her mother's -door, came over Rose's spirit now. Henceforward, she felt that life -must be objectless; that safety or pursuit, freedom or captivity, sea -or land, must be all alike to her; and for a time her poor brain, so -long oppressed by successive sorrows and excitements, became almost -unconscious of external impressions, and she sat as one in a dream, -hearing only the buzz of the summer flies and the voice of the -pagoda-thrush. - -Suddenly another sound seemed to mingle with the notes of the birds; -it came on the air from a great distance. She started and looked -wildly up--her once-clear hazel eyes all bloodshot and tearless now. - -What was it? what _is_ it? for the sound was there, and she seemed to -hear it still, and the Khanum heard it too! - -Nearer it came, and nearer. - -It was the sound of drums--drums beaten in regular marching cadence, -coming on the wind of evening down from the rocky pass in the hills -of Siah Sung. - -Oh, there could be no mistake in the measure--British troops were -coming on; and how welcome once would that sound have been to the -young soldier who lay on his pallet there, and whose ear could hear -the English drum no more! - -She started to the window, and looked forth to the black mountains, -which, though distant from it, towered high above the Kuzzilbashes' -fort. The dark Pass lay there, its shadows seeming blue rather than -any other tint, as the receding rays of the setting sun left it -behind; but her eyes were dim with weeping and with watching now, so -Rose, with all her pulseless eagerness, failed to see the serried -bayonets, the shot-riven colours tossing in the breeze, or the moving -ranks in scarlet, that showed where the victorious brigades of -Pollock, Sale, and Nott were once more defiling down into the plain -that led to humbled Cabul. - -Welcome though their sound, they had come, alas, _too late_! - -The drums were still ringing in her ears; and this familiar sound, -like the voices of old friends, caused her now to weep plentifully. -Once again she turned to the bed where Denzil lay so pale and still, -his sharpened features acutely defined in the last light of the sun; -and she felt in her heart as she pressed her interlaced hands on her -lips, seeking to crush down emotion-- - - "So the dream it is fled, and the day it is done, - And my lips still murmur the name of one - Who will never come back to me!" - - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -THE PURSUIT. - -The same evening of this event saw the Union Jack floating on the -summit of the Bala Hissar, and our troops in or around Cabul, in the -narrow and once-crowded thoroughfares of which--even in the spacious -and once-brilliant bazaar--the most desolate silence prevailed. The -houses of Sir Alexander Burnes, of Sir William Macnaghten, and all -other British residents were now mere heaps of ashes, and their -once-beautiful gardens were waste. Human bones lay in some; whose -they were none knew, but they remained among the parterres of flowers -as terrible mementos of the past. - -Having, among many other trophies, the magnificent and ancient gates -of Hindoo Somnath with them, the victorious troops of General Nott -were encamped around the stately marble tomb of the Emperor Baber, -where the British were watering their horses at the Holy Well, -quietly cooking their rations of fat-tailed dhoombas or of beef, -newly shot, flayed, and cut up, after a long route; and the natives -were gravely boiling their rice and otta; while the staff officers, -Generals Pollock, Sale, Nott, Macaskill, and others, some on foot and -some on horseback, were in deep conference about a map of Western -India, and Bokhara, and as to where the hostages were, and what was -to be done for their relief, if they still lived. - -Waller, who in his energy and anxiety had come on with the advanced -guard of cavalry, looked around him with peculiar sadness. Save -Doctor Brydone and one or two others, he alone seemed to survive of -all the original Cabul force; and every feature of the place before -him was full of melancholy memories and suggestions of those he could -never see again, and of the past that could come no more. - -To Sir Richmond Shakespere, his new friend, he could not resist the -temptation of speaking affectionately and regretfully of the dead, -and the places associated with them. He found a relief to his mind -in doing so. - -"A time may come," said he, as they sat in their saddles twisting up -cigarettes, and passing a flask of Cabul wine between them, while the -syces gave each of their unbitted nags a tobrah of fresh corn, "when -these Passes of the Khyber Mountains may be as familiar to the -English tourist as those of Glencoe and Killycrankie are now--for -there was a day when even the land beyond them was a terra incognita -to us; and a time may come when the lines of railway shall extend -from Lahore even to Peshawar--ay, and further--perhaps to the gates -of Herat--though it may not be our luck to see it; but I can scarcely -realise that in our age of the world, an age usually so prosaic and -deemed matter-of-fact, men should see and undergo all that we have -undergone and seen, and in a space of time so short too!" - -Would a quiet home, a peaceful life, after a happy marriage, ever be -the lot of him and Mabel? Loving her fondly and tenderly, with all -the strength that separation, dread, and doubt and sorrow, could add -to the secret tie between them, he had almost ceased to have visions -of her associated with admonitions and prayer from a lawn-sleeved -ecclesiastic; a merry marriage-breakfast; a bride in her white bonnet -and delicate laces, and smiling bridesmaids in tulle. Such -day-dreams had been his at one time; but amid rapine and slaughter, -battle and suffering, they had become dim and indistinct, if not -forgotten! - -"Yes, Waller," replied his companion, after a pause, "a British -army--we have actually seen a British army, with all its accessories -and appurtenances, exterminated at one fell swoop!" - -"All this place is full of peculiarly sad memories to me, Sir -Richmond." - -"Doubtless; and, like me, you won't be sorry when we all turn our -backs on it for ever, as we shall do soon." - -"True. See! yonder lie our cantonments, ruined walls and blackened -ashes now; beyond them are the hills where, with my company--not one -man of which is now surviving, myself excepted--I scoured the -fanatical Ghazees from rock to rock, and far over the Cabul river, so -victoriously! Here, by that old tomb and ruined musjid, we once had -a jolly picnic: half the fellows in the garrison, and all the ladies -were there--the band of the poor 44th too. By Jove! I can still see -the scattered fragments of broken bottles and chicken bones lying -among the grass." - -"I have felt something of this regret when coming on the remembered -scene of an old pig-sticking party or bivouac," replied Sir Richmond, -with a half-smile at the unwonted earnestness of Waller, who had -seemed to him always a remarkably cool and self-possessed man of the -world; but he knew not the deeper cause he had for feeling in these -matters. "You may say, as an old poem has it-- - - 'Now the long tubes no longer wisdom quaff, - Or jolly soldiers raise the jocund laugh; - The scene is changed, but scattered fragments tell - Where Bacchanalian joys were wont to dwell.' - -Is it not so, Waller?" - -"By this road I smoked a last cigar with Jack Polwhele, of ours, and -Harry Burgoyne, of the 37th," resumed Waller. He remembered, but he -did not care to add, how broadly they had bantered him about Mabel -Trecarrel on the evening in question. "And all round here," he -resumed, pursuing his own thoughts aloud, "are the scenes of many a -pleasant ride and happy drive. Here I betted and lost a box of -gloves with the Trecarrels." - -"You seem to have always been betting on something with those ladies, -and with a gentleman's privilege of losing." - -"It was on the Envoy's blood mare against Jack Polwhele's bay filly, -in the race when Daly, of the 4th Dragoons, won the sword given by -Shah Sujah," said Waller, colouring a little. "There, by those -cypresses, I once met the sisters half fainting, one day, with heat, -their palanquin placed in the shade by the gasping dhooley-wallahs; -so, at the risk of a brain fever, I galloped to the Char-chowk for a -flask of Persian rose-water, fans, and so forth." - -"The Trecarrels again! By the way, it seems to me," said the other, -"that of all the friends you have lost, those two young ladies--one -especially----" - -What the military secretary of General Pollock was about to say, with -a somewhat meaning smile, we know not, save that he was heightening -the colour of Waller's face by his pause; but a change was given to -the conversation by the opportune arrival of Shireen Khan, of the -Kuzzilbashes, mounted, as usual, on his tall camel, and accompanied -by a few well-appointed horsemen. He had ascertained that -"Shakespere Sahib" was the _katib_, or secretary, to the victorious -Feringhee general, and had come to tender, through him, his services -to the family of the fallen Shah, to the conquerors, to the Queen -they served, and, generally, to the powers that were uppermost. - -Many of the Afghan chiefs, who, with their people, had acted most -savagely against us, were now extremely anxious to make their peace -with General Pollock; and though it can scarcely be said that towards -the end (after his own jealousy of Ackbar's influence, fear of his -growing power that curbed all private ambition, caused a coolness in -the Sirdir's cause) Shireen and his Kuzzilbashes had been our most -bitter enemies, yet he and they were among the first now to meet and -welcome the conquerors of Ackbar, against whom they had turned, not -as we have seen Saleh Mohammed meanly do, in the time of his -undoubted humiliation and defeat, but when in the zenith of his -power; and now this wary old fellow, who played the game of life as -carefully and coolly as ever he played that of chess, knew that the -protection he had afforded to Rose Trecarrel and to Denzil--the -supposed Nawab--must prove his best moves on the board--his trump -cards, in fact; and as a conclusive offer of friendship, he now -offered six hundred chosen Kuzzilbash horsemen to follow on the track -of Saleh Mohammed, and rescue the whole of the prisoners, a duty on -which Shakespere and Waller at once joyfully volunteered to accompany -them. - -"Shabash!" he exclaimed, stroking his beard in token of faith and -promise, "punah-be-Kodah!--it is as good as done; and the head of the -Dooranee dog shall replace that of the Envoy in the Char-chowk!" - -Waller soon divined that the lady now residing in Shireen's fort must -be no other than the younger daughter of "the Sirdir Trecarrel," who -was spirited away on the retreat through the Passes, on that night -when the Shah's 6th Regiment deserted; but of who "the Nawab" could -be he had not the faintest idea, until he and Shakespere galloped -there, saw the living and the dead, and heard all their sad story -unravelled. - -With her head, sick and aching, nestling on the broad shoulder of Bob -Waller, as if he was her only and dearest brother, Rose told all her -story without reserve, and it moved Waller and his companion deeply, -to see a handsome and once-bright English girl so crushed and reduced -by grief and long-suffering; yet her case was only one of many in the -history of that disastrous war. She ended by imploring them to lose -no time in following the track of those who had borne off her sister -and the other hostages. - -No words or entreaties of hers were necessary to urge either Waller -or Shakespere on this exciting path; and instant action became all -the more imperative when Shireen announced that he had sure tidings -from Taj Mohammed Khan, and also from Nouradeen Lal, the farmer, who -had been purchasing horses on the frontier, that all the lawless -Hazarees were in arms to cut off the entire convoy; and that if a -junction were once effected between them and the Toorkomans of -Zoolficar Khan, all hope of rescue would be at an end. - -The permission of the general was, of course, at once asked and -accorded, and it was arranged, that, immediately upon their -departure, a body of cavalry and light infantry should follow with -all speed to second and support them. - -Kind-hearted Bob Waller waited only to attend the obsequies of his -young comrade (while the Kuzzilbashes were preparing); and over these -we shall hasten, though of all the Cabul army he was, perhaps, the -only one interred with the honours of war; the battle-smoke had been -the pall, the wolf and the raven the sextons, of all the rest! - -The spot chosen was a little way outside the Kuzzilbashes' fort, on -the sunny and green grassy slope of a hill, where a grove of wild -cherry-trees rendered the place pleasant to the eye. From her window -Rose could alike see and hear the rapid ceremony; for by the stern -pressure of circumstances it was both brief and rapid. No prayer was -said; no service performed; no solemn dropping of dust upon dust; no -requiem was there, but the drums as they beat the "Point of War," -after the last notes of the Dead March had died away. - -The quick, formal commands of the officer came distinctly to her -overstrained ear, as the hurriedly constructed coffin of unblackened -deal, covered by the colour of the 44th Regiment, was being lowered, -as she knew, for ever, into its narrow bed; the steel ramrods rang in -the distance like silver bells, and flashed in the sunshine; then a -volley rang sharply in the air, finding a terrible echo in her heart, -while the thin blue smoke eddied upward in the sunshine; another and -another succeeded, and Rose--the widowed in spirit--as she crouched -on her knees, knew then that all was over, and the smoke of the last -farewell volley would be curling amid the damp mould that was now to -cover her lost one. - -Anon the drums beat merrily as the firing party, after closing their -ranks, wheeled off by sections, with bayonets fixed, and Denzil -Devereaux was left alone in his solitary and unmarked grave, just as -the sun set in all his evening beauty; and a double gloom sank over -the soul of Rose Trecarrel. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -THE HOSTAGES. - -Swiftly rode Shakespere, Waller, and their six hundred Kuzzilbashes -on their errand of mercy, and midnight saw them far from the -mountains that look down on Cabul. Of all his five thousand horse, -old Shireen had certainly chosen the flower. All these men rode -their own chargers, and all were armed with lance and sword, -matchlock and pistols; all had their persons bristling with the usual -number of daggers, knives, powder-flasks, and bullet-bags, in which -the Afghan warrior delights to invest himself; and all wore the -peculiar cap from which they take their name--a low squat busby, of -black lambs'-wool, not unlike those now worn by our Hussars, and -having, like them, a bag of scarlet cloth hanging from the crown -thereof. - -To avoid all suspicion or attention _en route_, Waller and Shakespere -had cast their uniforms aside, and rode at their head _à la -Kussilbashe_, dressed in poshteen and chogah, and armed with lance -and sabre. - -The discovery of Rose Trecarrel--an event so unexpected and unlooked -for after all that had occurred--seemed to Waller as an omen of -future good fortune, and his naturally buoyant spirits rose as he -rode on. The expedition was full of excitement, especially for a -time: it was an act of courage, mercy, and chivalry, that all Britain -should eventually hear of; and Mabel was at the bourne, for which -they were all bound. Even poor Denzil, so recently interred, was -partially forgotten: soldiers cannot brood long over the casualties -of war, especially while amid them; and Denzil's death was only one -item in a strife that had now seen nearly fifty thousand perish on -both sides. - -However, let it not for a moment be thought that Waller was careless -of his friend's untimely end, his memory, or his strange story; for, -ere he left Rose, he had promised that as soon as he could write, or -get "down country" again, one of his first acts should be to seek out -and succour "this only sister" of whom poor Devereaux had always -spoken so much and so affectionately. - -When he parted from Rose, leaving her in the safe and more congenial -protection afforded by the European camp, she had not been without -one predominant fear. As friends had come too late to save or -succour Denzil, they might now, perhaps, be too late to rescue Mabel -and her companions from this new conjunction of enemies against them, -even in Toorkistan. Besides, Ackbar the Terrible, with the ruins of -his infuriated army, was to fall back on the deserts by the way of -Bameean, and thus, to avoid him, the two British officers, with their -Kuzzilbashes, at one time made a judicious detour among the hills. - -At Killi-Hadji, they found traces of the first halt made by the -caravan outside the old fort, where a shepherd had, as he told them, -seen the captives; thence by the mountain pass and the fair valley of -Maidan, where a Hadji bound afoot for the shrine of Ahmed Shah at -Candahar, the scene of many a pilgrimage, told them that the risk -they ran was great, as the Hazarees were undoubtedly drawing to a -head in the Balkh; and this was far from reassuring, as they were -conscious of having far outridden their promised supports. - -"Let us push on, for God's sake!" was ever Waller's impatient -exclamation at every halt, however brief; and even Sir Richmond -Shakespere, with all his activity and energy, was at times amused by -the restlessness of one who seemed by nature to be a rather quiet and -easy-going Englishman. - -"These are tough rations, certainly," said he, as they halted for the -last time near the Kaloo Mountain, and masticated a piece of kid -broiled on a ramrod at a hasty fire (broiled ere the flesh of the -shot animal had time to cool), and washed it down by a draught from -the nearest stream. - -"Tough, certainly; but we get all that is good for us." - -"If not more," added Shakespere, pithily; "for this is feeding like -savages--or Toorkomans, who drink the blood of their horses." - -"At a halt, when marching up country, I always used, if possible, -like a knowing bachelor, to tiff with a married man." - -"Why?" - -"You will be sure to find that he has some daintily made sandwiches, -cold fowl, or so forth, in his haversack: the women, God bless them, -always look after these little things. But that is all over now; we -are no longer in Hindostan. A little time must solve all this--the -safety of our friends----" added Waller, looking thoughtfully to the -distant landscape; and as if repenting of a momentary lightness of -heart, "I would give all I have in the world----" - -"Say all you owe," suggested Shakespere, smiling. - -"Well, Sir Richmond, that would be a round sum perhaps--to see them -all within musket shot of us. As for ransom, I have but my sword at -their service. I can't do even a bill on a Hindoo schroff, or raise -money on a whisker, as John de Castro did at Goa; but I can polish -off a few of those savages, as they deserve to be." - -The dawn of a second day saw them descending the mighty ridges of the -Indian Caucasus, and a picturesque body they were, with their bright -particoloured garments floating backward on the wind; their black fur -caps with scarlet bags, their dark, keen visages and sable beards, -their polished weapons and tall tasselled lances flashing in the -uprisen sun, as they galloped, without much order certainly, at an -easy but swinging pace, over green waste and grey rocky plateau, up -one hill-side and down another, now splashing merrily, and more than -girth deep, through the clear, sparkling current of some brawling -mountain nullah whose waters had been imbridged since Time was -born--their horses light in body, with high withers, fine and -muscular limbs, square foreheads, small ears, and brilliant eyes, and -to all appearance fall of speed, spirit, and a strength that seemed -never to flag. - -And sooth to say, the gallant Kuzzilbashes took every care to -preserve those qualities so desirable alike for pursuit or flight. - -At every brief halt, they were carefully unbitted, unsaddled, -groomed, and lightly fed, and picketed in the old Indian fashion, -with the V-ended heel-rope fastened round both hind fetlocks and -secured to a single pin; near cuts over the hills were taken, but -rivers were never forded or swum, unless the horses were perfectly -cool; once or twice, pieces of goat's flesh were rolled round their -bridle-bits; and hence by all this care, the cattle of the whole -troop, unblown and ungalled, were in excellent order, when, on the -fourth day--for their progress had been swifter than that of Saleh -Mohammed, as they were unincumbered by women, children, camels, and -ponies--they left the Kaloo Mountain behind, and ere long, without -seeing aught of Hazarees or Toorkomans, though always prepared for -them, they came in sight of Bameean, towering on its green mountain, -its elaborate but silent temples and great solemn giants of stone -reddened by the bright flood of light shed far across the plain by -the sun, which was setting amid a sea of clouds that were all of -crimson flame. - -In deepest purple the shadows fell far eastward; the gleam of arms -appeared on the walls of the old fort in the foreground, when Waller -and Sir Richmond Shakespere darted forward, by a vigorous use of the -spur, far outstripping their less enthusiastic followers. After they -had carefully reconnoitred the fort through their field-glasses, -Shakespere began to rein in his horse, and check its pace. - -"Waller," said he, "a red flag has replaced Ackbar's invariable -green, one on the fort. We had better parley." - -"But we have neither trumpet nor drum." - -"Nor would those fellows understand the sound of either, if we had; -but look out--pull up, or, by Heaven, we shall be fired upon! You -are rash, Waller, and in action seem quite to lose your head." - -"But my hand is ever steady--ay, as if this sword were but a cricket -bat," retorted Waller, whose blue eyes were sparkling with light. - -"True, my dear fellow; but to be potted now, when within arm's length -of those we have risked so much to save, would be a sad mistake." - -"Egad, yes; and that old devil with his jingall--for a jingall it -is--may speedily send one of us into that place so vaguely known as -the next world," responded Waller, as he tied a white handkerchief to -the point of his sword, and then Saleh Mohammed Khan was seen to -unwind and wave the cloth of his turban in response. - -By this action they knew that all idea of resistance was at an end, -and that they should be received as friends. The gates of the fort -were unbarricaded and thrown open, and many of the ladies now began -to appear, timidly but curiously and expectantly, thronging forward -to meet those whom they had been told were come "to meet and to save -them." - -Waller, who had manifested an air of blunt and soldierly resolution -and energy up to this period, now felt his emotions somewhat -overpowering, or perhaps he wished to see and hear something of -Mabel, before making himself known; so checking his horse, he -permitted Sir Richmond Shakespere, as his leader, to ride forward. - -Lifting his Kuzzilbash cap, his frank English face, though sunburned -and lined, beaming with pleasure and joy the while, - -"Rejoice," he cried, enthusiastically, "rejoice, ladies! Your -delivery is accomplished. Dear ladies and comrades, all your fears -and your sufferings are at an end!" - -There was no loud or noisy response; the emotions of all were too -deep and heartfelt for such utterances; and, with feelings which no -description can convey to the imagination, Waller and Shakespere -found themselves surrounded by the captives, male and female, exactly -one hundred and six in number, of all ranks--captives whom by their -energy, activity, and rapid expedition they had saved from a fate -that might never have been known; for the news of their arrival -caused Hazarees and Toorkomans alike to disperse, and even Zoolficar -Khan abandoned all idea of attempting to carry them off. - -The happiest moments of existence are perhaps the most difficult to -delineate on paper; but Bob Waller, as he folded Mabel Trecarrel -sobbing hysterically to his breast, laughing and weeping at the same -moment, despite and heedless of all the eyes that looked thereon--he -a thorough-bred Englishman, and as such innately abhorrent of "a -scene"--forgot the crowd, the Kuzzilbashes, the Dooranees, the -grinning grooms and dhooley-wallahs--he forgot all in the joy of the -moment, or by a chain of thought remembered only a passage of -"Othello," when, in garrison theatricals, he had once figured as the -Moor, with Harry Burgoyne for a Desdemona-- - - "If it were now to die, - 'Twere now to be most happy; for I fear - My soul hath her content so absolute - That not another comfort like to this - Succeeds in unknown fate." - -And Sir Richmond Shakespere, as he stood smiling by the centre and -blissful-looking group (now beginning clamorously to pour questions -upon him), ladies and officers, hollow-eyed, haggard, and pale, began -to perceive what had made Captain Robert Waller, of the Cornish Light -Infantry, take so deep an interest in the Trecarrels, and why he had -been the most active, energetic, and, so far as danger went, the most -reckless staff officer during our perilous advance up the Passes and -in the subsequent pursuit. - -Waller did not find Mabel quite so much changed as he had feared she -might be; yet she was the wreck of what she had been in happier -times--the tall, full-bosomed, and statuesque-looking English girl, -with clear, calm, bright, and confident eyes. The latter were still -bright, but their lustre was unnatural; their expression was a wild -and hunted one; her colour was gone, and her cheeks were deathly -pale. But all in the group of hostages were alike in those respects. -For many months, had they not been daily, sometimes hourly, face to -face with death? - -But Waller, as she hung on his breast and looked with eyes upturned -upon him, had never seemed so handsome in her sight: his form and -face were to her as the beau-ideal of Saxon manliness and beauty; but -his complexion, once nearly as fair as her own, was burned red now, -by the exposure consequent to the two last campaigns; his forehead -clear and open, his nose straight, his mouth large perhaps, but -well-shaped and laughing; and then he had in greater luxuriance than -ever his long, fair, fly-away whiskers; and, save his Afghan dress, -he looked every inch the jolly, frank, and burly Bob Waller of other -times, especially when, as if he thought "the scene" had lasted long -enough, he drew Mabel's arm through his, led her a little way apart, -and proceeded leisurely to prepare a cigar for smoking. - -"So Bob, dear, dear Bob, my presentiment has come true after all," -she exclaimed; "and this horrid Bameean has seen the end of all our -sorrows!" - -"But it was not such an end as this your foreboding heart had -anticipated, Mabel," replied Waller, caressing her hand in his, and -pressing it against his heart. - -Major Pottinger, who had now the command, ordered that all must -prepare at once to quit Bameean, and avoid further risks by falling -back on their supports, lest Ackbar Khan might come on them after all. - -To lessen the chance of that, however, the wily Saleh Mohammed, who -knew by sure intelligence from his scouts that Ackbar was to proceed, -with the relics of his army, through the Akrobat Pass into the Balkh, -advised that all should take a circuitous route towards Cabul; and -this suggestion was at once adopted by the now-happy hostages and the -escort. - -Two days afterwards, as they were traversing the summit of a little -mountain pass, their long and winding train of horse and foot guarded -by Kuzzilbash Lancers and the wilder-looking Dooranees, they came -suddenly in sight of those whom General Pollock had sent to meet and, -if necessary, to succour them. - -These were Her Majesty's 3rd Light Dragoons, the 1st Bengal Cavalry, -and Captain Backhouse's train of mountain guns, all led by Sir Robert -Sale in person; and who might describe the joy of that meeting, when -the rescued hostages cast their eager eyes and hands towards them in -joy, and when they saw the old familiar uniforms covering all the -green slope, while the cavalry came galloping and the infantry -rushing tumultuously towards them! - -The dragoons sprang from their horses, the infantry broke their -ranks, and the men of the 13th Light Infantry crowded round the wife -of their colonel and the other rescued ladies, holding out their hard -brown hands in welcome; eyes were glistening, lips quivering, and -many a hurrah was, for a time, half choked by emotion and sympathy, -while officers and soldiers again and again shook hands like brothers -that had been long parted. - -Friends now met friends from whom they had been so long and painfully -separated; wives threw themselves exultingly and passionately into -the arms of their husbands; daughters leaned upon their fathers' -breasts and wept. Many there were whose widowed hearts had none to -meet them there; and many an orphan child stretched forth its little -hands to the ranks wherein its father marched no more, though some -might give a kiss or a caress to "Tom Brown's little 'un--Tom that -was killed at Ghuznee," or to the "little lass of Corporal -Smith--poor Jack that was killed with his missus at Khoord Cabul;" -but these sad episodes were soon forgotten amid the general joy. - -Wheeled round on the mountain slope, the artillery thundered forth a -royal salute; muskets and swords were brandished in the sunshine; -caps tossed up, to be caught and tossed up again; reiterated English -cheers woke the echoes of the hills of Jubeaiz, which seemed to -repeat the sounds of joy to the winds again and again. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -THE DURBAR. - -"Coincidence," saith Ouida, "is a god that greatly influences human -affairs;" and the sequel to our story will prove the truth of this -trite aphorism, when we now change the scene from Cabul to our -cantonment, in the territory between the Sutledge and the Jumna--to -the Court Sanatorium of Bengal--the country mansion of the -Governor-General at Simla, a beautiful little town of some five -hundred houses, built on the slope of the mighty Himalayas, where, -amid a veritable forest of oak, evergreens, and rhododendron, and the -loveliest flora a temperate zone can produce, surrounded by that -wondrous assemblage of snow-covered peaks that rise in every -imaginable shape (a portion of those bulwarks of the world, that -slope from the left bank of the Indus away to the steppes of Tartary -and the marshes of Siberia), the representative of the Queen retires -periodically to refresh exhausted nature, and mature the plans of -government in those cool and pleasant recesses, where the punkah is -no longer requisite; where one may sleep without dread of mosquitos -and green bugs, nor welcome cold tea at noon as preferable to iced -champagne. - -By the time that Audley Trevelyan had reached this occasional seat of -government--the Balmoral of India--Lord Auckland, whose vacillation -and mismanagement of the Cabul campaign gave great umbrage, had -returned to Britain, and another Governor-General had arrived--one -who boldly stigmatised the Afghan project of his predecessor (now -created an earl) "as a folly, and that it yet remained to be seen -whether it might not prove a crime;" and so Audley presented, of -necessity, the reports and Jellalabad despatches of Sir Robert Sale -to this new Viceroy, whose firmness of character and past promise as -a statesman gave a guerdon that we should yet retrieve all that we -had lost of prestige beyond the Indus; to which end he took the -executive power from the weak hands of those secretaries to whom it -had been previously committed, and resolved to wield it himself, -though he found in India a treasury well-nigh empty, an army -exasperated, and the hearts of men depressed by fears for the future. - -But tidings of the storming of Ghuznee by General Nott, of the -advance upon Cabul, the recapture of it after our victory at Tizeen, -and the rescue of the hostages, followed so quickly upon each other -to Simla, that soon after the arrival of Audley, he was informed that -as there would be no necessity for his return to Jellalabad, he was -to remain provisionally attached to the staff, either till he could -rejoin his regiment, or our troops re-entered the Punjaub--a little -slice of India, having a population equal to all that of England. So -by this arrangement he found himself a mere idler, a dangler attached -to the Viceregal court, where now the glorious war that Napier was to -inaugurate against the treacherous Ameers of Scinde was schemed out, -and where a series of reviews, dinners, balls, and a durbar, or -assembly of the native princes, was proposed to welcome Pollock's -troops when they came down country, and were once again, as the -Viceroy expressed it, in "our native territories;" and the programme -of all those gayeties was to be fully arranged when his lady and -other ladies of the mimic court arrived, after the rainy season, -which continues there from June till the middle of September, was -nearly over. - -On the first day of October, when her ladyship and the suite were to -arrive, the durbar of native princes was to be held, and the final -proclamation of the Governor-General concerning the affairs of -Afghanistan was to be read aloud and issued. As this was but an -instance of Anglo-Indian pageantry, though Audley Trevelyan rode amid -the brilliant staff of his Excellency, and it all led to something of -more interest, we shall only notice it briefly. - -The durbar was, indeed, a magnificent spectacle! On a great plateau -of brilliant green, smooth as English turf, that lies near the ridge -which is crowned by the white plastered mansions of Simla, dotted -here and there and finally bordered by dark clumps of heavily -foliaged oaks, towering rhododendrons, and over all by mighty, -spire-like Himalayan pines; it took place under a clear and lovely -sky, and the locality was indeed picturesque and impressive; for in -the distance, as a background, towered that wonderful sea of -snow-clad peaks, covered with eternal whiteness--peaks between which -lie the deep paths and passes that lead to Chinese Tartary, the -wilderness of Lop, and the deserts of Gobi. Here and there amid the -green clumps and gardens full of rare trees and lovely flowers, a -white marble dome, or a tall and needle-like minaret, each stone -thereof a miracle of carving, broke the line of the clear blue -cloudless sky. - -On this auspicious occasion all the Rajahs, Maharajahs, chiefs, -Maliks, Sirdirs, and other men of rank, from the protected Sikh -territory that lies between the Sutledge and the Jumna, and even from -beyond it, were present with their trains of followers, in all the -gorgeous richness of oriental costume, bright with plumage, silks, -and satins, brilliant with arms and the jewels of a land where -sapphires and diamonds, rubies and opals, seem to be plentiful as -pebbles are by the wayside in Europe. - -At the extreme end of the plateau stood the lofty, parti-coloured -tent of the Viceroy, with its cords of silk and cotton; within it was -placed a dais that was spread with cloth of gold, and covered by a -crimson canopy. On each side of his throne, ranged in the form of an -ellipse, were divans or seats for six hundred Indians of the highest -rank, while all the officers of the garrison, the guards, and the -staff, in their full uniform, with all their medals and orders, added -to the splendour of the spectacle, when chief after chief was -introduced, duly presented, and marshalled to his seat in succession, -amid the sound of many trumpets. - -Opposite this ellipse were ranged their followers, on foot or -horseback; and immediately in the centre of all, were drawn up in -line more than fifty elephants, stolid, and well-nigh motionless, -trapped in velvet and gold from the saddle to their huge, unwieldy -feet, bearing lofty and gilded howdahs, some like castles of silver, -wherein were the wives and families of some of the princes present. -All around glittered spears and arms; scores of dancing-girls were -there too, richly dressed, singing the soft monotonous airs of the -land in Persic or Hindoo-Persic; and a mighty throng of -copper-coloured natives, turbaned and scantily clad in a cummerbund -or the dhottie at most, made up minor accessories of the general -picture. - -Over all this, Audley, on foot and leaning on his sword, was looking, -glass in eye, with somewhat of the listlessness of the _blasé_ -Englishman; for he had been amid scenes so stirring of late, that -mere pageantry failed alike to impress or interest him. Neither -cared he, assuredly, for the address of the Governor-General, who was -announcing in the Oordoo language that, the disasters in Afghanistan -having been fully avenged, the army of the Queen would be withdrawn -for ever to the eastern bank of the Sutledge; then his glances began -to wander over the bright group of English ladies, so brilliantly -dressed, so exquisitely fair, to the eye accustomed so long to Indian -dusk, and who now attended the recently arrived wife of the -representative of British royalty. - -Among them was one whose face and figure woke a strong interest in -his heart. Her dress was very plain, even to simplicity--too much so -for such a place; her ornaments were very few, all of jet, and rather -meagre. All this his practised eye could take in at a glance; but -there was something about her that fascinated and riveted his -attention. - -Not much over nineteen, apparently, and rather petite in stature, she -looked consequently younger--more girlish than her years; but her -figure was graceful, her air indescribably high-bred, and having in -it a hauteur that, being quite unconscious, was becoming. Her eyes -were dark, her lashes long and black, her complexion colourless and -pure, and her thick hair was in waves and masses, dressed Audley -scarcely knew in what fashion, but in a somewhat negligent mode that -was sorely bewitching. - -Her face was always half turned away from where he stood; for she, -utterly oblivious of the Oordoo harangue of his Excellency, was -toying with her fan or the white silk tassels of her gloves, while -chatting gaily, confidently, and with a downcast smile to a young -officer of the Anglo-Indian Staff, and clad in the gorgeous uniform -of the Bengal Irregular Cavalry. - -That she was a beautiful girl, a little proud, perhaps, of the -_sang-azure_ in her veins, was pretty evident; that she might be -impulsive, too, and quick to ire, was also evident, from the little -impatient glances she gave about her, by a quivering of the white -eyelid, and an occasional short respiration; that she might be a -little passionate too, if thwarted, was suggested by the curve of her -lips and chin. For the critical eye of Master Audley Trevelyan saw -all this; but his spirit was seriously perplexed: he had certainly -seen this attractive little fair one before--but where? - -He was about to turn and ask some one near concerning her, when a -hand was laid on his shoulder, and a young officer, whose new scarlet -coat, untarnished epaulettes, and fair ruddy face announced him fresh -from Europe, said smilingly, - -"Ah, Trevelyan, how d'ye do?--remember me, don't you?" - -"I think so: surely we met at Maidstone, when I first joined." - -"Maidstone! why, you griff, I should think so. Don't you remember -leaving us at Allahabad, after Jack Delamere died?" - -"By Jove, Stapylton--Stapylton, of the 14th! How are you, old -fellow?" - -"The same;" and they shook hands, as he now recognised a brother -subaltern of his old Hussar corps. - -"And you are here on the staff?" said Stapylton. - -"Like yourself; but _pro tem._ till sent off to headquarters. You -came up country with her ladyship?" - -"Ah--yes." - -"Who is that lovely girl near her?" - -"Which?" - -"She in the white silk, and lace trimmed with black--a kind of second -mourning I take it to be." - -"Oh, you needn't ask with any interested views. A proud, reserved -minx is that little party; but she has been going the pace with that -fellow of the Irregular Horse, to whom she is talking and smiling -now, and did so all the way out overland. It was an awful case of -spoon in the Red Sea, just where Pharaoh was swallowed up; and the -Viceroy's wife is very anxious to make a match of it, as a plea for -an extra ball." - -"But who is she?" - -"Oh, some interesting orphan." - -"But her name?" - -"A Miss Devereaux--Sybil Devereaux. I made an acrostic on it off the -Point de Galle," added the ex-Hussar, as the object of their mutual -interest turned at that moment casually towards them, and for the -first time looked fully in their direction; and then Audley, while he -almost held his breath, recognised the dark eyes, the minute little -face, the firm lips, and even now could hear the once-familiar voice -of Sybil; but she was talking smilingly to another; and as the words -of the heedless Stapylton began to rankle in his heart, something of -anger, jealousy and pique mingled with his astonishment. - -Another was now playing with Sybil the very part that he had done at -Cabul with Rose, to the exasperation of poor Denzil, whom, for months -before he really died, Sybil had schooled herself to number as among -the slain in Afghanistan; hence her little jet ornaments and black -trimmings, the only tribute she could pay his memory now. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -THE LAMP OF LOVE. - -And this fellow of the Irregular Horse--this fellow who was so -insufferably good-looking, and seemed to know it too--this -interloper, for so Audley Trevelyan chose to consider him--what -manner of advances had he already made, and how had she received -them, on that overland route, so perilous from the propinquity and -the hourly chances it affords of acquaintance ripening into -friendship, and of friendship into love? - -Was he only to meet her unexpectedly, and, by that strange influence -of coincidence already referred to, to find himself supplemented, it -might be, and on the verge of losing, if he had not -already--deservedly as he felt--lost her? - -Did it never occur to the Honourable Mr. Audley Trevelyan that, -separating as they did, there were a thousand chances to one against -their ever meeting again in this world, and, more than all, the world -of India? - -He watched long and anxiously; there was no sign of her seeing or -recognising him, and, placed where they were, apart, he had neither -excuse nor opportunity for drawing nearer her. The durbar closed at -last; a banquet, solemn and magnificent, followed; then, on lumbering -elephants and beautiful horses, the various dignitaries withdrew, -each followed by his noisy and half-nude _suwarri_. A small but -select evening party of Europeans was invited that night to the house -of the Viceroy; thither went Audley; and there, as he had quite -anticipated, they met, not in the suite of rooms, however, but in the -magnificent gardens, where there was a display of those wonderful -rockets, stars, wooden shells that burst in mid air, displaying a -thousand prismatic hues, and many others of those pyrotechnic -efforts, in which the Indians so peculiarly excel. - -In a walk of the garden, while actually seeking for her, he met Sybil -face to face, but leaning on the arm of the same brilliantly dressed -officer; for no uniform is more gorgeous or lavish than that of the -Irregular Horse, for fancy, vanity, and the army-tailor "run riot" -together. He was carrying his cap under his other arm, and seemed -entirely satisfied with himself and his companion, in whose pretty -ear he was whispering, while smiling, with all the provoking air of a -privileged man. - -"Ah, Miss Devereaux--you surely remember me?" said Audley, bowing -low, with a flush on his brow, and, despite all his efforts, an -unmistakable sickly smile in his face. - -Sybil grew a trifle paler, as she presented her hand, with a far from -startled expression; for she had been quite aware that he was -somewhere about the Viceregal Court, and therefore, to her, the -meeting was not quite so unexpected. - -"You do not seem surprised?" said he. - -"Why should I, Mr. Trevelyan, when I knew that you were here?" she -replied with perfect candour; "but I am so--so delighted--indeed I -am, Audley;" then perceiving that there was an undoubted awkwardness -in all this, she coloured, while her eyes sparkled with vexation, and -she introduced the two gentlemen rather nervously by name, and then -added, in an explanatory tone, to the cavalry officer, "He is quite -an old friend, believe me--the same who saved my life. Surely I told -you?" - -"I am not aware--oh yes--perhaps," drawled the other: "at Cairo, was -it not?" - -"No, no--in Cornwall." - -"But it was in Cairo you told me, when we visited the citadel by -moonlight----" - -"And we are, as I said, such old friends," she added hastily. - -"That, doubtless, you will have much to say to each other. Permit -me; for I am perhaps _de trop_," interrupted the other, twirling a -moustache, and looking somewhat cloudy; "but I shall hope to see you -ere the trumpets announce supper;" and with a smiling bow he resigned -Sybil to Audley's proffered arm, and retired with a good grace to -join another group. - -"Sybil," said Audley, after a half-minute's pause, during which he -had been surveying her with fond and loving eyes, "by what singular -incidence of the stars are we blessed by meeting thus!" - -"You may well ask, if such you feel it to be," she replied calmly, -and her voice made his heart vibrate as she spoke; "yet it is simple -and prosaic enough. I am here solely by the influence of misfortune." - -"Misfortune?" - -"Yes." - -"Oh, explain." - -"When poor mamma died, what was left for me but to eat the bread of -dependence?--and I am a dependent now." - -"Sybil!" - -"I came to India as that which you find me." - -"And that is----" - -"The humble friend--the companion, for it is nothing more in plain -English--of the Governor-General's lady. Mamma gone--Denzil, too, in -Afghanistan--was I not fortunate in finding such a home?" - -"My poor Sybil," exclaimed Audley, gnawing his moustache and pressing -her soft hand and arm against his side. Then he became silent, as -the past and present, for a little, held his soul in thrall; and far -from the brilliant fête of the Anglo-Indian Court his mind flashed -back to other days, and he saw again only Sybil Devereaux and the -purple moorland, the solemn rock-pillar, the lonely tarn, with its -osier isles, the long-legged heron and the blue kingfisher amid its -green reedy sedges, and in the soft sunlight the grey granite earns -cast their shadows on the lee, as when he had seen her on that day -when first they met; and much of shame for himself and for his father -mingled with the memory and his emotion. - -But there was a change here! - -The poor, pale girl, who had so anxiously and wearily sought to sell -her pencilled sketches and water-coloured drawings in the shops of -the little market town, who so often with an aching heart took them -back, through the mist and the rain and the wind, to the humble -cottage where her mother lay dying, was now in a very different -sphere, richly though modestly dressed, easy in air and bearing, -perfectly self-possessed, surrounded by wealth and rank, yet with all -the secret pride of her little heart, nieek, gentle, and happy in -aspect. - -She, too, was silent for a time, during which she glanced at him -covertly and timidly. - -"Here again was Audley," was the thought of her heart; "did he love -her still? Had he truly loved her, even _then_?" was the next -thought, and her heart half answered, "Yes--he had loved her, but -only as the worldly love;" and this fear, this half-conviction, -dashed her present joy. Yet no woman wishes to believe, or cares to -admit even to herself, that the power she once exerted over a man's -heart can, under any circumstances, pass altogether away. - -"Sybil," said he, "you, any more than I, cannot have forgotten all -our past, and the scenes where we met--the wild shore, the -precipices, the grey granite rocks of our own Cornwall; and that -awful hour in the Pixies' Cave, too--can you have forgotten that?" - -"Far from it, Audley,--I have forgotten nothing; and now I must -remember the difference of rank that places us so far--so very far -apart," she added with a strange flash in her eye and a quiver in her -short upper lip. - -"Come this way, dear Sybil. I have much to say--to talk with you -about--but we must be alone;" and he led her down a less frequented -walk, apart from the company, the strains of the military music, the -coloured lights and lanterns that hung in garlands and festoons from -tree to tree, and the soaring fireworks that ever and anon filled the -soft dewy air with the splendour of many-lined brilliance. - -"Will this not seem marked?" asked Sybil nervously and almost -haughtily. - -"How?" - -"I must beware of attracting notice now--here especially; and you are -no longer the mere Audley Trevelyan of other times." - -"Then, dearest, who the deuce am I?" asked he, laughing. - -Sybil had seen the Hindoo maidens--slender, graceful, and dark-eyed -girls--launching their love-lamps from the ghauts upon the sacred -waters of the Ganges--watching them with thrills of alternate joy and -fear, as they floated away under the glorious silver radiance of the -Indian moon. She had heard their wails of sorrow if the flame -flickered out and died; or their merry shouts and songs of glee if -they floated steadily and burned truly and bravely. Audley's -affection had been to her as a light in her path that had vanished; -but now her love-lamp seemed to be lit again; for Audley, with -admirable tact, conversed with her as if on their old and former -footing, expressing only what he felt--the purest and deepest joy at -thus suddenly meeting her again, and he had too much good taste to -make the slightest reference to the gossip of his friend Stapylton, -the ex-Hussar, though certainly he had neither forgotten it, nor the -unpleasantly offhand mode in which it had been communicated to him. - -"But how strange--to come to India, my dear girl, of all places in -the world! What led you to think of it?" he asked. - -"Have I not already told you? I did not think of it: chance threw -the offer in my way; and I had two sufficient reasons, at least, for -accepting of it." - -"And these--bless them, say I!--these were----" - -"That my brother, dear Denzil, was here--here then, at least." - -"And I--too?" - -"I do not say so--least of all must I say so now; and then Lady -----'s offers were most advantageous to a penniless girl like me. -You and, more than all, your father, deemed me no suitable match for -you, when we were in England--when I was an inmate of my parent's -house at Porthellick. You see, I speak quite plainly, Audley, and as -one who is quite alone in the world; now, when by death and--and -misfortune, I am reduced to eat the bread of dependence, the matter -is worse than ever." - -"But you love me still, Sybil--do you not!" - -She was silent and trembling now. - -"Speak," he urged; "you do love me still?" - -"Yes, Audley." - -"And will marry me, Sybil!" - -"No." - -"You love another then--another in secret?" - -"No--one may not, cannot, love two." - -But Audley thought of Stapylton and that devilish Irregular Horseman, -and struck the heel of his glazed boot viciously into the gravel of -the path. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV. - -CONCLUSION. - -After a panse he resumed-- - -"There is something in your tone, Sybil, that I do not understand. -Doubtless your heart has much to accuse me of; but I have been the -victim of circumstances, of my father's odd whimsical views--his -selfishness, in fact; but here I can cast all such at defiance," he -added, gathering courage as he perceived that she still wore on her -hand--and what a pretty plump little hand it was!--his diamond -betrothal ring--the diamond that whilom had figured as an eye of -Vishnu, till Sergeant Treherne poked it out with his bayonet at Agra. -"Listen, dearest Sybil; we are far away from England with all its -insular and provincial prejudices--away from those local influences -which my family exercised over me--my father's hostility, my mother's -sneers, and so forth. I am secure of staff appointments--better -these than casual loot or batta, I can tell you. I am independent of -home allowances; and, to talk solidly and plainly, can think now in -earnest of matrimony. Listen to me, Sybil;" and glancing hastily -about, he tried to slip an arm round her, but she nimbly eluded him, -and said-- - -"Then you have not heard the news we brought up country with us!" - -"News!" - -"Yes--my poor Audley." - -"About what?" - -"Your change of circumstances." - -"Mine!--dearest Sybil, what can you mean?" - -"Your succession to the title." - -"Circumstances--title!--explain, in Heaven's name, Sybil." - -She then told him that his father had died suddenly--died, as the -_Morning Post_ announced, in the same library at Rhoscadzhel, and -somewhat in the same manner, as his late uncle, when he was in the -act of composing a long and elaborate paper legally reviewing the -merits of the Afghan war; another grave had been opened and closed in -the family tomb; another escutcheon hung on the porte-cochère of the -princely old manor-house; and that he, Audley Trevelyan, was now Lord -Lamorna, as the Governor-General would doubtless announce to him on -the morrow. - -And in his lonely tomb beside the Kuzzilbash fort lay one who could -never dispute the family honours with him, and whose sorrows and -repinings were past for evermore. - -Audley was overwhelmed for a few minutes by this unexpected -intelligence. There had been no great love, no strong tie, no fine -yet unseen ligament, between father and son; yet the dead man _was_ -his father, and he knew had ever been proud of him. He was shocked, -but not deeply grieved; and "some natural tears he shed:" no more. - -His father, however, prudential and unscrupulous in his children's -interests, had always been cold, prosaic, undemonstrative, and -unloveable to them and to all. Hence he passed away, having so -little individuality that the blank made by his absence left no -craving, and required no filling up; but, nevertheless, for a time, -his cold, pale eyes and equally cold, glittering spectacle-glasses -came vividly back to his son's memory. - -Audley was, however, to say the least of it, so much disconcerted by -the news Sybil had given him, that he lacked sufficient energy to -retain her when she was swept from his side by the officer of the -Irregulars, on a theatrical flourish of the vice-regal trumpets -announcing that the supper-rooms were open. - -The course of balls and other entertainments that followed the durbar -and the news from Cabul were attended by neither Sybil nor Audley, -now recognised and congratulated by all the European society at Simla -as Lord Lamorna, and by the Viceroy, who offered him all the leave he -might require to settle his affairs at home. Sybil had her brother's -recent death to plead; and she looked forward with intense interest -to seeing Waller, and to the returning army, though Denzil was no -longer in its ranks. - -They heard at Simla, how General Pollock had dismounted or destroyed -every cannon in the Balla Hissar and in the city, and given to the -flames the Mosque of the Feringhees, an edifice built by the vanity -of Ackbar to consecrate and commemorate the sanguinary destruction of -Elphinstone's army; the great bazaar also, once the emporium of the -Eastern world; and how all the castles and forts of the khans and -chiefs had likewise been given to the flames; how the sky was -reddened for days and nights, and that the fiery gleam of the burning -city was still visible on the close of the fourth day, when our rear -guard was defiling through the mountains of Bhootkak on their -homeward route to the Sutledge. Thus was the massacre of Khoord -Cabul finally avenged; but, as Sybil thought in her heart, "would it -restore the dead!" - -Their graves, unmarked and unconsecrated, and the ruined city alone -remained to tell of the strife that had been. A touching address, -signed by all the ladies whom his energy and activity had done so -much to rescue, was delivered to Sir Richmond Shakespere; and with -Taj Mohammed Khan, the discarded Wuzeer of Cabul, a beggared fugitive -and exile, as the sole friend who accompanied them, our troops came -down on their homeward way, laden with spoil, and among it the great -gates of Somnath, an object of adoration to the Hindoos; and thus -ended the fatal war in Afghanistan. - -Audley had been duly informed by letters, that his brother-officer, -Waller, and the Trecarrels were also coming down country, and should -ere long be at Ferozpore or Simla; and Sybil, who had now heard all -the story of Rose and Denzil, longed, with a longing that no words -can describe, to see her. - -There is no emotion in this world more delightful, and nothing -perhaps more beautiful, than a young girl's first dream of love; for -a young man's first affair of the heart is even different in some -respects. It is so full of innocence, of simplicity and truth, if -the girl is pure and ingenuous; it is so full, also, of a new-born -mystery, a charm, and a world of thought, of chance and risk, where -there may be triumph or defeat, victory or failure, sorrow perhaps, -and joy perhaps--but still she hopes, above all, a delight and -happiness hitherto unknown. Hence it becomes absorbing; and such had -been Sybil's love for Audley at home when she had the shelter of her -mother's breast, and such for a time it had been after they were to -all appearance so hopelessly separated; and now, after a lull, or -being for a space, as it were, suppressed and crushed well-nigh out, -by change, by distance, time, and travel,--now the love-lamp shone -again. - -And Audley, ere he had heard of his succession to that title which -should have been Denzil's, had fated Denzil lived, had made her an -abrupt but formal proposal of his hand. Would he renew it now? - -She was not left long in doubt; for under the cognizance and with the -express approbation of the wife of the Viceroy, who deemed herself in -the place of mother and protectress to Sybil, he renewed his offer, -and then the lady judiciously left the cousins--for such he had told -her they were--to settle the matter between them. - -"Ah, Audley," said Sybil, "too well do you know how I am situated; -what or whom have I to cling to in this world--but you, perhaps?" she -added, with a low voice, while her breast heaved, and her -half-averted face was full of passionate tenderness. "Now that my -poor Denzil is gone, nor kith, nor kin, nor inheritance--what can I -offer you in return!" - -"Yourself, darling; what more do I ask in this world!" he said, in a -low and earnest voice, as he gradually drew her nearer him; and as -her hand went caressingly on his neck, it seemed to him a dearer -collar than either the Bath or Garter could be, for "what is all the -glory of the world compared with the joy of thus meeting--thus having -those we love?" - -"Now, Sybil," said he, "you find how difficult it is to forget that -one has loved----" - -"And been beloved," murmured the girl. - -"More than all by such a pure-souled heart as yours. You remember -our first meeting by the tarn?" - -"Could I ever forget it?" - -"And our learned disquisition on flirtation, too. How odd it seems -now, darling." - -"And dear old Rajah--you have not our rough, shaggy _introducteur_ -with you," said Sybil, smiling. - -"Poor dog, no. I left him at home in Rhoscadzhel, and, somehow, he -is dead; that is all I know about it--so Gartha told me in a letter." - -"All who love me die--even the poor dog. Surely they would be kind -to your pet, for your sake." - -"They--well, I don't know--doubtless." - -Audley cared not to say that, by his lady-mother's orders, the dog -had been destroyed as a nuisance--the last legacy of his comrade, -poor Delamere, who died in the jungle. - -"Ah, if my dear Denzil had lived to see this day!" said the happy -girl, after a pause that was full of thought. - -"Sybil, God knows how for your sake, even at the time when I never, -never, hoped to see you more, I sought to protect and love your -brother; but he repelled, avoided, and seemed to loathe me. Yet he -saved my life in the Khyber Pass. It was through sorrow for his -mother--and--and, perhaps, love for Rose Trecarrel; for he would be -jealous of me, among other things, poor lad!" - -"And she--she?" - -"Rose was very heedless, Sybil; but, after all Bob Waller has -written, let us not talk of the past now. You will learn to love her -well, I know." - -"I hope so: I must--I shall, for Denzil's sake." - -"My sweet little love!--my Sybil, so tender and so true!" exclaimed -Audley, pressing her with ardour to his breast. - -But a short time ago, Sybil had been hoping that she would forget -him; hoping, while journeying towards the land where he was--the land -of the Sun--she who long since should have been his wife. She had -striven for forgetfulness, hopelessly, yet with something of -earnestness in the desire; and now that she had heard his voice -again, the old spell was upon her--the spell of past hours, of -remembered days--the spell of her lover's presence; and to be with -him, the girl acknowledged in her heart, was to be in heaven again! - -But now, we fear that we have intruded upon them quite long enough. - -And so, till the time came when they should be joined by Waller and -the Trecarrels (for companionship, it had been arranged that they -should all take the journey by dawk and river-steamer, and then the -overland route home together), the days passed pleasantly and swiftly -at delightful Simla, in rides and drives among its wonderful scenery; -where the netted bramble, the great strawberry, and giant fern -covered all the rocks; the soft peach, the dark plum, the rosy apple, -and the golden pear grew wild; and the dark-green pines, vast in -proportion as the stupendous Himalayas, from whence they sprang, cast -a solemn shadow over all, making deep and leafy recesses where the -monkey swung by his tail, the buffalo browsed at noon, the leopard -and the wild hog lurked for their food; by mountain villages that -clustered near the fortified dwelling of the chieftain whose tower -was built like the cone of an English glass house; by hill and vale, -rock and stream, where flocks were grazing, watched by shepherds, -quaint and savage-looking as their rural god, the son of Mercury, and -by Thibet mastiffs, that reminded Sybil of her lover's four-footed -friend, the Rajah of past days; and ever and anon, as they drove, or -rode, or rambled, they talked, as lovers will do, of their future -home in Cornwall, with all its associations so dear to them, and now -so far away, and so they would marvel - - "What feet trod paths that now no more - Their feet together tread? - How in the twilight looked the shore? - Was still the sea outspread - Beneath the sky, a silent plain, - Of silver lamps that wax and wane? - What ships went sailing by the strand - Of that fair consecrated land?" - - -Waller arrived at Simla to find himself gazetted in the _Bengal -Hurkaru_ as major, and to get, like Audley, his glittering Order of -the Dooranee Empire from the hands of the Viceroy; therefore he hung -it round the white neck of Mabel, while Rose fell heiress to that -which should, had he survived, have been her father's decoration. - -So the schemes, the plotting with the wretched solicitor, Sharkley, -and all the avarice of Downie Trevelyan availed him nothing in one -sense; for now the daughter of that Constance Devereaux he had so -cruelly wronged was coming home to Rhoscadzhel as the bride of his -son, and in her own hereditary place as the Lady of Lamorna. - -It is but justice to his memory, however, to record, that having some -premonition or presentiment that death was near, or might come on him -as it came on his older kinsman, something of the spirit of the -Christian and the gentleman got the better of the more cold-blooded -and sordid training of the lawyer; and Downie wrote out, sealed up, -and left a confession concerning the two papers he had obtained and -destroyed; and this document was found tied up with his will, in the -library of Rhoscadzhel, by Messrs. Gorbelly and Culverhole, his -astounded solicitors. Not that any act of roguery surprised them, -but only the folly of any man ever committing the admission thereof -to ink and paper. - -Audley and Sybil were but one couple out of several especially among -the rescuers and the rescued, who were seized with matrimonial -fancies to make Simla gay, after the retreat from Cabul--the result -of propinquity, perhaps, and the system of chances. We may briefly -state that they were married by the chaplain of the Governor-General, -who gave the bride away; and not long after, Waller gave Mabel's -marriage-ring a guard, wherein was set a jewel, the envy of all the -ladies there--the sapphire which he had plucked from the steel cap of -Amen Oolah Khan at the Battle of Tizeen. - -At Simla Rose was thus twice a bridesmaid, and a lovely one she -looked. - -But was Rose ever married in the end? some may ask; for such a girl -could not be without offers, especially in India. We have only to -add, that the once-gay and heedless Rose Trecarrel is unwedded still. - -On many a grey earn and lofty and rugged headland in Cornwall were -fires, lighted by the miners and peasantry but chiefly about -Rhoscadzhel--beacons so bright in honour of the new lord and lady, -that they shone far over land and sea, and in such numbers that the -Guebres and fire-worshippers of old, could they have seen them, might -have deemed that the adoration of the Fire-god was again in its -glory, as when the Scilly Isles were consecrated to the sun; and -Derrick Braddon, who, on the strength of recent changes, had -installed himself as a species of deputy-governor or major-domo at -Rhoscadzhel, had a deep carouse, in which he was fully assisted by -Messrs. Jasper Funnel, old Boxer, and others of the plush-breeched -and aiguilletted fraternity. - -Meanwhile, those whose fortunes we have followed throughout the -campaign of Western India and the retreat from Cabul were speeding -homeward, and when from the coast of Orissa they saw the steamer -awaiting them in the rough and dangerous roadstead of Balasore, where -usually the Calcutta pilots leave the home-bound ships, they hailed -the bright blue world of waters as an old friend; for, to our -island-born, "the sea, the sea," is what it was to the returning -Greeks of old Xenophon! - -"Now, Mabel," said Waller, as with, a lorgnette in her pretty hand, -she surveyed the roadstead--the plain gold hoop on that hand being in -Bob Waller's eyes the most charming trinket there, "a few weeks more, -and all these foreign seas and shores will be left far behind; we -shall be home at our little place that looks from Cornwall on the -apple-bowers of Devon. Ha! Trevelyan, you and I shall then each sit -down under his own vine and fig-tree in peace, and enjoy a quiet -weed, like the patriarch of old--if the said patriarch ever possessed -one. What say you, my Lady Lamorna?" he added, as he assisted -Sybil's light figure to spring from the handsome and well-hung -carriage in which they had travelled from Calcutta. - -Sybil only smiled, and looked joyously at the sea, as she threw up -the white lace veil of her bridal bonnet; and Audley, too, was gazing -on the sea. - -"Waller, we have undergone much," said he--"days of danger, and -nights of anguish, yet we have survived them all, and been true to -the end, and in the past have fully realised the force of the maxim -that-- - - 'Come what come may, - _Time and the Hour_ runs through the roughest day.'" - - - -THE END. - - - -BRADBURY, EVANS, AND CO., PRINTERS, WHITEFRIARS - - - - - - - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ONLY AN ENSIGN, VOLUME 3 (OF 3) *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<table> - <tr><td>Title:</td><td>Only an Ensign, Volume 3 (of 3)</td></tr> - <tr><td></td><td>A Tale of the Retreat from Cabul</td></tr> -</table> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: James Grant</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: January 10, 2021 [eBook #64254]</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Character set encoding: UTF-8</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Produced by: Al Haines</div> - -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ONLY AN ENSIGN, VOLUME 3 (OF 3) ***</div> - -<h1> -<br /><br /> - ONLY AN ENSIGN<br /> -</h1> - -<p class="t3b"> - A Tale of the Retreat from Cabul.<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="t2"> - BY JAMES GRANT,<br /> -</p> - -<p class="t4"> - AUTHOR OF "THE ROMANCE OF WAR," "FIRST LOVE AND LAST LOVE,"<br /> - "LADY WEDDERBURN'S WISH," ETC.<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="t3"> - IN THREE VOLUMES.<br /> -<br /> - VOL. III.<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="t4"> - "Come what come may,<br /> - Time and the Hour runs through the roughest day."—<i>Macbeth.</i><br /> -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="t3"> - LONDON:<br /> - TINSLEY BROTHERS, 18, CATHERINE ST., STRAND.<br /> - 1871.<br /> - [<i>All Rights Reserved.</i>]<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="t4"> - LONDON:<br /> - BRADBURY, EVANS, AND CO., PRINTERS, WHITEFRIARS.<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="t3b"> - CONTENTS.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> - CHAP.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> - I.—<a href="#chap01">PAR NOBILE FRATRUM!</a><br /> - II.—<a href="#chap02">DOWNIE'S REFLECTIONS</a><br /> - III.—<a href="#chap03">MR. W. S. SHARKLEY'S PLOT</a><br /> - IV.—<a href="#chap04">THE HOPE OF THE DEAD</a><br /> - V.—<a href="#chap05">RETRIBUTION</a><br /> - VI.—<a href="#chap06">AT JELLALABAD</a><br /> - VII.—<a href="#chap07">THE SCHEME OF ZOHRAB</a><br /> - VIII.—<a href="#chap08">MABEL DELUDED</a><br /> - IX.—<a href="#chap09">BY THE HILLS OF BEYMAROO</a><br /> - X.—<a href="#chap10">AGAIN IN CABUL</a><br /> - XI.—<a href="#chap11">THE ABODE OF THE KHOND</a><br /> - XII.—<a href="#chap12">THE SHADE WITHIN THE SHADOW</a><br /> - XIII.—<a href="#chap13">ROSE IN A NEW CHARACTER</a><br /> - XIV.—<a href="#chap14">WITH SALE'S BRIGADE</a><br /> - XV.—<a href="#chap15">THE BATTLE OF TIZEEN</a><br /> - XVI.—<a href="#chap16">TO TOORKISTAN!</a><br /> - XVII.—<a href="#chap17">MABEL'S PRESENTIMENT</a><br /> - XVIII.—<a href="#chap18">THE GOVERNOR OF BAMEEAN</a><br /> - XIX.—<a href="#chap19">THE ALARM</a><br /> - XX.—<a href="#chap20">TOO LATE!</a><br /> - XXI.—<a href="#chap21">THE PURSUIT</a><br /> - XXII.—<a href="#chap22">THE HOSTAGES</a><br /> - XXIII.—<a href="#chap23">THE DURBAR</a><br /> - XXIV.—<a href="#chap24">THE LAMP OF LOVE</a><br /> - XXV.—<a href="#chap25">CONCLUSION</a><br /> -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap01"></a></p> - -<p class="t2"> -ONLY AN ENSIGN. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER I. -<br /><br /> -PAR NOBILE FRATRUM! -</h3> - -<p> -"So, fellow, I am expected by you to swallow this -'tale of a tub,' which has been invented or revived -solely for the purposes of monetary extortion!" -exclaimed Downie Trevelyan, with the most intense and -crushing hauteur, as he lay back in the same luxurious -easy chair in which his uncle died, and played -with his rich gold eye-glass and watered silk riband. -</p> - -<p> -"It ain't a tale of a tub, my lord; but of the wreck -of a <i>steamer</i>—the steamer <i>Admiral</i> of Montreal," -replied Sharkley, meekly and sententiously. -</p> - -<p> -Downie surveyed him through his double eyeglass, -thinking that Sharkley was laughing covertly -at him; but no such thought was hovering in the -mind of that personage, who was not much of a -laugher at any time, save when he had successfully -outwitted or jockeyed any one. He seemed very ill -at ease, and sat on the extreme edge of a handsome -brass-nailed morocco chair, with his tall shiny hat -placed upon his knees, and his long, bare, -dirty-looking fingers played the while somewhat -nervously on the crown thereof, as he glanced -alternately and irresolutely from the speaker to the -titular Lady Lamorna, who was also eyeing him, -as a species of natural curiosity, through her glass, -and whose absence he devoutly wished, but feared -to hint that she might withdraw. -</p> - -<p> -She was reclining languidly on a sofa, with her -fan, her lace handkerchief, her agate scent-bottle, -and her everlasting half-cut novel—she was never -known to read one quite through—lying beside her; -and she had only relinquished her chief employment -of toying with Bijou, her waspish Maltese spaniel -(which nestled in a little basket of mother-of-pearl, -lined with white satin), when an aiguletted valet had -ushered in "Mr. W. S. Sharkley, Solicitor." -</p> - -<p> -"Leave us, Gartha, please," said her husband; "I -must speak with this person alone." -</p> - -<p> -Curiosity was never a prominent feature in the -character of Downie's wife, who was too languid, -lazy, or aristocratically indifferent to care about -anything; so, with a proud sweep of her ample -dress, she at once withdrew, followed by the gaze of -the relieved Sharkley, who had a professional -dislike for speaking before witnesses. -</p> - -<p> -Mr. Sharkley's present surroundings were not -calculated to add to his personal ease. The library -at Rhoscadzhel—the same room in which poor -Constance and Sybil had undergone, in presence -of the pitying General Trecarrel, that humiliating -interview, the bitterness of which the wife had never -forgotten even to her dying hour, and in which -Richard had, some time previously, found Downie -by their dead uncle's side, with that suspicious-looking -document in his hand, the history of which -the former was too brotherly, too gentlemanly, and -delicate ever to inquire about—the library, we say, -was stately, spacious, and elegant enough, with its -shelves of dark oak, filled by rare works in gay -bindings, glittering in the sunlight; with the white -marble busts of the great and learned of other days, -looking stolidly down from the florid cornice that -crowned the cases; with its massive and splendid -furniture, gay with bright morocco and gilt nails; -with the stained coats of arms, the koithgath and -the seahorse of the Trevelyans, repeated again and -again on the row of oriels that opened on one side, -showing the far extent of field and chace, green -upland and greener woodland, the present owner of -which now sat eyeing him coldly, hostilely, and with -that undoubted air and bearing which mark the -high-bred and well-born gentleman—all combined -to make the mean visitor feel very ill at ease. -</p> - -<p> -He mentally contrasted these surroundings with -those of his own dingy office, with its docquets of -papers, dirty in aspect as in their contents; its old -battered charter-boxes filled with the misfortunes -of half the adjacent villages—a room, to many a -hob-nailed client and grimy miner, more terrible -than the torture chamber of the Spanish -Inquisition—and the comparison roused envy and -covetousness keenly in his heart, together with an emotion -of malicious satisfaction, that he had it in his power -perhaps to deprive of all this wealth, luxury, and -rank, the cold, calm, and pale-faced personage who -eyed him from time to time with his false and -haughty smile—an expression that, ere long, passed -away, and then his visage became rigid and stony -as that of the Comandatore in Don Giovanni, for -whatever he might feel, it was not a difficult thing -for a man who possessed such habitual habits of -self-command as Downie Trevelyan, to appear at -ease when he was far from being so. Yet Sharkley's -mission tried him to the utmost, whatever real pride -or temper he possessed. -</p> - -<p> -"My lord," resumed the solicitor, while the -revengeful emotion was in his heart—"if, indeed, -you are entitled to be called 'my lord'——" -</p> - -<p> -"Fellow, what <i>do</i> you mean by this studied -insolence?" demanded Downie, putting his hand on -a silver bell, which, however, he did not ring, an -indecision that caused a mocking smile to pass over -the face of Sharkley, while the iris of his eyes -dilated and shrunk as usual. "You are, I know, -Sharkley the—aw, well I must say it—the low -practitioner who got up by forgery and otherwise—don't -look round, sir, we have no witnesses—the -case of the adventuress Devereaux against -me and my family. So what brings you here now?" -</p> - -<p> -"To tell you what I was beginning to state—the -story of the wreck, by which your brother -Richard, Lord Lamorna, perished at sea; and to -prove that the certificate of his marriage with Miss -Constance Devereaux, daughter of a merchant -trader in the city of Montreal, has been discovered -and safely preserved, and is here in Cornwall now, -together with his lordship's will." -</p> - -<p> -Sharkley spoke with malicious bitterness, and -Downie paused for a moment ere he said,— -</p> - -<p> -"You have seen them?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes." -</p> - -<p> -"Well, when I see those documents I shall -believe in their existence—till then, you must hold -me excused; but even their existence does not -prove either their legality or authenticity. This -is merely some new scheme to extort money," -added Downie, almost passionately; "but it shall -not succeed! That unhappy woman is dead—she -died of paralysis I have heard—the victim, I doubt -not, of her own evil passions. Her son—" -</p> - -<p> -"Your nephew, is with the army in India. Her -daughter—" -</p> - -<p> -"Has disappeared," said Downie, almost exultingly, -"too probably taking a leaf out of her charming -mamma's book; and the army in Afghanistan -has been destroyed—my son Audley's letters and -the public papers assure me of that." -</p> - -<p> -"Yet your lordship would like to see the -documents?" -</p> - -<p> -"Or what may seem to be the documents—certainly; -in whose hands are they—yours?" -</p> - -<p> -"No—in those of one who may be less your -lordship's friend—Derrick Braddon." -</p> - -<p> -"Braddon!" said Downie, growing if possible -paler than usual; "Braddon, my brother's favourite -servant, who was in all his secrets, and was with -him in the Cornish regiment?" -</p> - -<p> -"The same, my lord." -</p> - -<p> -"D—n—but this looks ill!" stammered Downie, -thrown off his guard. -</p> - -<p> -"For your lordship—very," said Sharkley with -a covert smile. -</p> - -<p> -Downie felt that he had forgot himself, so he -said, -</p> - -<p> -"Of course, this Braddon will show—perhaps -deliver them to me." -</p> - -<p> -"You are the last man on earth to whom he will -now either show or deliver them. Be assured of -that." -</p> - -<p> -"For what reason, sir?" -</p> - -<p> -"The account he received from his sister and -old Mike Treherne of your treatment of—well, -I suppose we must call her yet—Mrs. Devereaux." -</p> - -<p> -Downie's steel-gray eyes stared coldly, glassily, -and spitefully at Sharkley. He longed for the -power to pulverise, to annihilate him by a glance. -He loathed and hated, yet feared this low-bred -legal reptile, for he felt that he, and all his family, -were somehow in his power. Yet he could not -quite abandon his first position of indignant denial -and proud incredulity. -</p> - -<p> -He spread a sheet of foolscap paper before him, -and making a broad margin on the left side thereof, -an old office habit that still adhered to him, like -many more that were less harmless, he dipped a -pen in the inkstand, as if to make memoranda, -and balancing his gold glasses on the bridge of his -sharp slender nose, said, while looking keenly over -them, -</p> - -<p> -"Attend to <i>me</i>, sir—please. When was this -pretended discovery made?" -</p> - -<p> -"Some nine months ago." -</p> - -<p> -"Where—I say, where?" -</p> - -<p> -"At Montreal, in the chapel where this Latour, -of whom we have heard so much, was curate." -</p> - -<p> -"A rascally scheme—a forgery in which you -have a share." -</p> - -<p> -"Take care, my lord—I'll file a bill against you." -</p> - -<p> -"You forget, scoundrel, that we are without -witnesses." -</p> - -<p> -"Well—there are a pair of us," was the impudent -rejoinder; "but what good might such a scheme -ever do an old pensioner like Derrick Braddon?" -</p> - -<p> -"I do not pretend to fathom—for who can?—the -secret motives of people of that class," said Downie, -haughtily. -</p> - -<p> -"Ay—or for that of it, any class," added -Sharkley, as he shrugged his high bony shoulders. -</p> - -<p> -"Relate to me, succinctly and clearly, all that this -man has told you," said Downie Trevelyan, dipping -his pen again in the silver inkstand; and as -Sharkley proceeded, he listened to the narrative -of his brother's sufferings and terrible death with -impatience, and without other interest than that -it served to prove his non-existence by a competent -witness, who, were it necessary, might bring others -of the crew who were present on the wreck, and had -escaped in a boat. -</p> - -<p> -Ere the whole story was ended, Downie was -ghastly pale, and tremulous with the mingled -emotions of rage and fear, doubt and mortification. He -felt certain that in all this there must lie -something to be laid further open, or be, if possible, -crushed; and on being reassured by Sharkley that -Derrick Braddon would "surrender the documents -only with his life——" -</p> - -<p> -"We must not think of violence, Mr. Sharkley," -said he, coldly and mildly. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, it ain't much in my line, my lord—though -I have more than once got damages when a client -struck me." -</p> - -<p> -"We must have recourse to stratagem or bribery. -For myself, I cannot, and shall not, come in personal -contact with any man who is so insolent as to -mistrust me, nor is it beseeming I should do so. To -you I shall entrust the task of securing and placing -before me those alleged papers, for legal investigation, -at your earliest convenience. For this, you -shall receive the sum of two thousand pounds; -of this," he added, lowering his voice, "I shall -give you, in the first place, a cheque for five -hundred." -</p> - -<p> -The eyes of Sharkley flashed, dilated, shrunk, and -dilated again, when he heard the sum mentioned; -and rubbing his gorilla-like hands together, he said, -with a chuckle peculiarly his own,— -</p> - -<p> -"Never fear for me, my lord; I'll work a hole for -him—this Derrick Braddon. He spoke insultingly -of <i>the</i> profession last night—but I'll work a hole for -him." -</p> - -<p> -With an emotion of angry contempt, which he -strove in vain to conceal, Downie gave him a cheque -for the first instalment of his bribe, taking care that -it was a <i>crossed</i> one, payable only at his own bankers, -so that if there was any trickery in this matter, he -might be able to recall or trace it. -</p> - -<p> -Sharkley carefully placed it in the recesses of a -greasy-looking black pocket-book, tied with red tape, -and saying something, with a cringing smile, to the -effect that he had "in his time, paid many a fee to -counsel, but never before received one in return," -bowed himself out, with slavish and reiterated -promises of fealty, discretion, and fulfilment of the task -in hand; but he quitted the stately porte-cochère, -and long shady avenue of Rhoscadzhel, with very -vague ideas, as yet, of how he was to win the -additional fifteen hundred pounds. -</p> - -<p> -So parted those brothers learned in the law. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap02"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER II. -<br /><br /> -DOWNIE'S REFLECTIONS. -</h3> - -<p> -His odious visitor and tempter gone, Downie sat -long, sunk in reverie. He lay back in the -softly-cushioned chair, with his eyes vacantly and dreamily -gazing through the lozenged panes, between the -moulded mullions of the oriel windows, to where -the sunlight fell in bright patches between the -spreading oaks and elms, on the green sward of -the chace, to where the brown deer nestled cosily -among the tender ferns of spring, and to the distant -isles of Scilly, afar in the deep blue sea; but he -saw nothing of all these. His mind was completely -inverted, and his thoughts were turned inward. -"The wildest novel," says Ouida, "was never half -so wild as the real state of many a human life, that -to superficial eyes looks serene and placid and -uneventful enough; but life is just the same as in the -ages of Oedipus' agony and the Orestes' crime." -</p> - -<p> -Doubtless, the reader thought it very barbarous in -the fierce Mohammedan Amen Oollah Khan to twist -off his elder brother's head, and so secure his -inheritance; but had the civilised Christian, Downie, been -in the Khan's place, he would have acted precisely -in the same way. The men's instincts were the -same; the modes of achievement only different. -</p> - -<p> -But a month before this, and Downie, at his club -in Pall Mall, had read with exultation, that, of all -General Elphinstone's army, his own son, Audley, -and Doctor Brydone, of the Shah's 6th Regiment, -had alone reached Jellalabad. Little cared he who -perished on that disastrous retreat, so that his son -was safe, for, selfish though he was, he loved well -and dearly that son, his successor—the holder of a -young life that was to stretch, perhaps, for half a -century beyond his own shorter span. Now it had -chanced that on the very morning of this remarkable -visit, he had seen, with disgust, in the <i>Times</i>, -that, among those alleged to be safe in the hands of -an Afghan chief "was Ensign Denzil Devereaux, -of the Cornish Light Infantry, an officer, who, -according to a letter received from Taj Mohammed -Khan the Wuzeer, had succeeded in saving a colour -of Her Majesty's 44th Regiment." -</p> - -<p> -The daughter, whose artful plans upon his son's -affections he had, as he conceived, so cleverly -thwarted—the daughter Sybil gone no one knew -whither; the son, a captive in a barbarous land -beyond the Indian frontier, and their mother dead, -the little family of Richard Trevelyan seemed on -the verge of being quietly blotted out altogether; -and now here was this ill-omened Derrick Braddon, -this Old Man of the Sea, come suddenly on the tapis, -with his confounded papers! -</p> - -<p> -General Elphinstone had died in the hands of -the Afghans; so might Denzil; or he and the -other survivors or hostages might yet be slain -or—unless rescued by the troops from Candahar or -Jellalabad—be sold by Ackbar Khan (as Downie -had heard in his place in the House) to the chiefs in -Toorkistan, after which they would never be heard -of more. Oh, thought Downie, that I could but -correspond with this Shireen Khan of the -Kuzzilbashes; doubtless such a worthy would "not be -above taking a retaining fee." -</p> - -<p> -By the dreadful slaughter in the Khyber Pass, -and the capture of all the ladies and children, the -sympathies, indignation, and passions of the people -were keenly roused at home; thus if Denzil returned -at this crisis, with the slightest military <i>éclat</i>, it -would greatly favour any claims he might advance. -</p> - -<p> -If the documents were genuine and could be -proved so in a court of Law—or Justice (these being -distinctly separate), were his title, his own honour -(as Downie thought it), the honour, wealth, and -position, privileges and prospects of his wife and -children, to be at the mercy of a mercenary wretch -like Schotten Sharkley; or of a broken-down, -wandering, and obscure Chelsea pensioner, who -possessed the papers in question? -</p> - -<p> -It was maddening even for one so cold in blood—so -cautious and so slimy in his proceedings, as -Mr. Downie Trevelyan. He had no great talents, but -only instinct and cunning; barrister though he was, -the cunning of the pettifogger. A legal education -had developed all that were corrupt and vile in his -nature. A country squire, Downie would have been -a blackleg on the turf and a grinding landlord; a -tradesman, he would have been far from being an -honest one; a soldier, he might have been a poltroon -and a malingerer; a legal man, he was—exactly -what we find him, a master in subtlety, with a heart -of stone. In the same luxurious chair in which he -was now seated in fierce and bitter reverie, he had -sat and regarded his brother's widow, in her pale and -picturesque beauty, and watched the torture of her -heart with something of the half amused expression -of a cat when playing with the poor little mouse of -which it intends to make a repast; and now he sat -there shrinking from vague terrors of the future, -and in abhorrence of suspense; but there was a -species of dogged courage which he could summon -to meet any legal emergency or danger, if he would -but know its full extent. He was in the dark as -yet, and his heart writhed within him at the prospect -of coming peril, even as that of Constance had -been wrung by the emotions of sorrow and -unmerited shame. -</p> - -<p> -He knew himself to be degraded by acting the -part of a conspirator in all this; yet how much was -at stake! No family in ancient Cornwall was older -in history or tradition than his, and none was more -honoured: yet here by intrigue, fatality, and the -debasing influence of association was he, the twelfth -Lord Lamorna, the coadjutor of a man whose father -had been a poor rat-catcher, and, if report said true, -a felon. He felt as if on Damien's bed of steel, or -as if the velvet cushions of his chair had been -stuffed with long iron nails, and he repeated bitterly -aloud,— -</p> - -<p> -"What! am I to be but a <i>locum tenens</i> after all—and -to whom? Denzil Devereaux—this <i>filius nullius</i>, -this son of an adventuress, or of nobody perhaps!" -</p> - -<p> -The grave, grim, and somewhat grotesque portraits -of Launcelot, Lord Lamorna, in Cavalier dress—he -who hid from Fairfax's troopers in the Trewoofe; -of Lord Henry, with beard, ruff, and ribbed -armour, who was Governor of Rougemont in Devon, -and whose scruples did not find him favour with -the "Virgin" Queen; and even of his late uncle, -with his George IV. wig, false teeth, and -brass-buttoned blue swallow-tail, seemed to look coldly -and contemptuously down on him. -</p> - -<p> -"Pshaw!" muttered Downie, "am I a fool or a -child to be swayed by such fancies?—I should think -not; the days of superstition are gone!" -</p> - -<p> -Yet he felt an influence, or something, he knew -not what, and averted his stealthy eyes from the -painted faces of the honester dead. -</p> - -<p> -The irony of the malevolent and the vulgar; the -gossip and surmises of the anonymous press; the -"Honourable" cut from Audley's name in the -Army List, the Peerage, and elsewhere, and -from that of his daughter Gartha, who was just -about to be brought out, and had begun to anticipate, -with all a young beauty's pleasure, the glories of -her first presentation at Court, were all before him -now. -</p> - -<p> -To have felt, enjoyed, and to lose all the sweets -of rank, of wealth, of power, and patronage; the -worship of the empty world, the slavish snobbery -of trade, to have been congratulated by all the -begowned and bewigged members of the Inns of Court, -and by all his tenantry, for nothing—all this -proved too much for Downie's brain, and certainly -too much for his heart. It was intolerable. -</p> - -<p> -He thought of his cold, unimpressionable, pale-faced, -and aristocratic wife deprived of her place -(not of rank, for she was a peer's daughter), through -that "Canadian connection" of Richard's, as they -were wont to term poor Constance—an issue to be -tried at the bar, every legal celebrity of the day -perhaps retained in the cause; money wasted, bets -made, and speculation rife; himself eventually shut -out from a sphere in which he had begun to figure, -and to figure well! Would, he thought, that the -sea had swallowed up Braddon, even as it had done -his master! Would that some Afghan bullet might -lay low this upstart lad, this Denzil Devereaux, and -then his claims and papers might be laughed to -scorn! Downie had never been without a secret -dread of hearing more of Constance and her marriage, -and that one day or other it might admit of -legal proof, and now the dread was close and palpable. -</p> - -<p> -He cherished a dire vengeance against his dead -brother, for what he deemed his duplicity in -contracting such a marriage, unknown to all; and in -his unjust ire forgot their late uncle's insane family -pride, which was the real cause of all that had -occurred. -</p> - -<p> -Novelists, dramatists, and humourists, are usually -severe upon the legal profession; yet in our -narrative, Downie and his agent Sharkley are given but -as types of a bad class of men. Far be it from us -to think evil generally of that vast body from -whose ranks have sprung so many brilliant orators, -statesmen, and writers, especially in England; -though Lord Brougham, in his Autobiography, -designates the law as "the cursedest of all cursed -professions," and even Sir Walter Scott, a member of -the Scottish College of Justice, where the practice -is loose, often barbarous and antiquated, wrote in -his personal memoirs, that he liked it little at first, -and it pleased God to make that little less upon -further acquaintance; for the spirit and chicanery -of the profession are liable to develop to the full -that which the Irish, not inaptly, term "the black -drop" which is in so many human hearts. -</p> - -<p> -Downie Trevelyan sat long buried in thoughts -that galled and wrung his spirit of self-love, till the -house-bell rang, sleek Mr. Jasper Funnel with his -amplitude of paunch and white waistcoat came to -announce that "luncheon was served," and Mr. Boxer, -powdered and braided elaborately, came to -ascertain at what time "her ladyship wished the -carriage;" and even these trivial incidents, by their -suggestiveness, were not without adding fuel to his -evil instincts and passions. -</p> - -<p> -Three entire days passed away—days of keen -suspense and intense irritation to Downie, though -far from being impulsive by nature, yet he heard -nothing of his tool or agent, whom he began to -doubt, fearing that he had pocketed the five -hundred pounds, or obtained the documents thereby, -and gone over with them to the enemy. But just -as the third evening was closing in, and when, seated -in the library alone, he was considering how he -should find some means of communicating with -Sharkley—write he would not, being much too -eautious and legal to commit himself in that way, -forgetting also that the other would be equally -so—the door was thrown noiselessly open, and a servant -as before announced "Mr. W. S. Sharkley, Solicitor," -and the cadaverous and unwholesome-looking -attorney, in his rusty black suit, sidled with a -cringing air into the room, his pale visage and cat-like -eyes wearing an unfathomable expression, in which -one could neither read success nor defeat. -</p> - -<p> -"Be seated, Mr. Sharkley," said his host, adding -in a low voice, and with a piercing glance, when the -door was completely closed, and striving to conceal -his agitation, "You have the papers, I presume?" -</p> - -<p> -"Your lordship shall hear," replied the other, -who, prior to saying more, opened the door suddenly -and sharply, to see that no "Jeames" had his -curious ear at the keyhole, and then resumed his -seat. -</p> - -<p> -But before relating all that took place at this -interview, we must go back a little in our story, to -detail that which Mr. Sharkley would have termed -his <i>modus operandi</i> in the matter. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap03"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER III. -<br /><br /> -MR. W. S. SHARKLEY'S PLOT. -</h3> - -<p> -As Sharkley travelled back towards the little -mining hamlet, where the Trevanion Arms stood -conspicuously where two roads branched off, one -towards Lanteglos, and the other towards the sea, -he revolved in his cunning mind several projects for -obtaining possession of the papers; but knowing -that the old soldier mistrusted him, that he was -quite aware of their value, and that he was as -obstinate in his resolution to preserve them, as he -was faithful and true to the son of Richard Trevelyan, -there was an extreme difficulty in deciding -on any one line or plan for proper or honest action, -so knavery alone had scope. -</p> - -<p> -Could he, out of the five hundred pounds received -to account, but bribe Derrick Braddon to lend the -papers ostensibly for a time, receiving in return a -receipt in a feigned handwriting, with a forged or -fancy signature, so totally unlike that used by the -solicitor, that he might afterwards safely repudiate -the document, and deny he had ever written it! -</p> - -<p> -To attempt to possess them by main force never -came within the scope of Sharkley's imagination, -for the old soldier was strong and wiry as a young -bull, and had been famous as a wrestler in his -youth; and then force was illegal, whatever craft might be. -</p> - -<p> -Ultimately he resolved to ignore the subject of -the papers, and seem to forget all about them; to -talk on other matters, military if possible (though -such were not much in Sharkley's way), and thus -endeavour to throw Braddon off his guard, and -hence get them into his possession by a very simple -process—one neither romantic nor melo-dramatic, -but resorted to frequently enough by the lawless, in -London and elsewhere—in fact by drugging his -victim; and for this purpose, by affecting illness -and deceiving a medical man, he provided himself -with ample means by the way. -</p> - -<p> -Quitting the railway he hastened on foot next day -towards the picturesque little tavern, his only fear -being that Derrick might have suddenly changed -his mind, and being somewhat erratic now, have -gone elsewhere. -</p> - -<p> -As he walked onward, immersed in his own selfish -thoughts, scheming out the investment of the two -thousand pounds, perhaps of more, for why should -he not wring or screw more out of his employer's -purse?—it was ample enough!—the beauty of the -spring evening and of the surrounding scenery had -no soothing effect on the heart of this human reptile. -The picturesque banks of the winding Camel, then -rolling brown in full flood from recent rains; -Boscastle on its steep hill, overlooking deep and furzy -hollows, and its inlet or creek where the blue sea -lay sparkling in light under the storm-beaten -headlands and desolate cliffs; away in the distance on -another hand, the craggy ridges of Bron Welli, and -the Row Tor all reddened by the setting sun, were -unnoticed by Sharkley, who ere long found himself -under the pretty porch and swinging sign-board of -the little inn (all smothered in its bright greenery, -budding flowers, and birds' nests), where the scene of -his nefarious operations lay. -</p> - -<p> -A frocked wagoner, ruddy and jolly, whipping up -his sleek horses with one hand while wiping the -froth of the last tankard from his mouth with the -other, departed from the door with his team as -Sharkley entered and heard a voice that was -familiar, singing vociferously upstairs. -</p> - -<p> -"Who is the musical party?" asked he of the -round-headed, short-necked and barrel-shaped -landlord, whose comely paunch was covered by a white -apron. -</p> - -<p> -"Your friend the old pensioner, Mr. Sharkley," -replied the other, "and main noisy he be." -</p> - -<p> -"Friend?" said Sharkley nervously; "he ain't a -friend of mine—only a kind of client in a humble -way." -</p> - -<p> -"I wouldn't have given such, house-room; but -trade is bad—the coaches are all off the road now, -and business be all taken by the rail to Launceston, -Bodmin, and elsewhere." -</p> - -<p> -"Has he been drinking?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes." -</p> - -<p> -"Pretty freely?" asked Sharpley hopefully. -</p> - -<p> -"Well—yes; we're licensed to get drunk on the -premises." -</p> - -<p> -"Come," thought the emissary, "this is -encouraging! His intellect," he added aloud, "is -weak; after a time he grows furious and is apt to -accuse people of robbing him, especially of certain -papers of which he imagines himself the custodian; -it is quite a monomania." -</p> - -<p> -"A what, sur?" -</p> - -<p> -"A monomania." -</p> - -<p> -"I hopes as he don't bite; but any way," said the -landlord, who had vague ideas of hydrophobia, "I had -better turn him out at once, as I want no bobberies -here." -</p> - -<p> -"No—no; that would be precipitate. I shall try -to soothe him over; besides, I have express business -with him to-night." -</p> - -<p> -"But if he won't be soothed?" asked Boniface, -anxiously. -</p> - -<p> -"Then you have the police station at hand." -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile they could hear Derrick above them, -drumming on the bare table with a pint-pot, and -singing some barrack-room ditty of which the -elegant refrain was always,— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - "Stick to the colour, boys, while there's a rag on it,<br /> - And tickle them behind with a touch of the bagonet:<br /> - So, love, farewell, for <i>all</i> for a-marching!"<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -As Sharkley entered, it was evident that the old -soldier, whose voice rose at times into a shrill, -discordant, and hideous falsetto, had been imbibing -pretty freely; his weather-beaten face was flushed, -his eyes watery, and his voice somewhat husky, -but he was in excellent humour with himself and -all the world. The visitor's sharp eyes took in -the whole details of the little room occupied by -his victim; a small window, which he knew to be -twelve feet from a flower-bed outside; a bed in a -corner; two Windsor chairs, a table and wash-stand, -all of the most humble construction; these, with -Derrick's tiny carpet-bag and walking staff, -comprised its furniture. -</p> - -<p> -"Come along, Master Sharkley—glad to see you—glad -to see any one—it's dreary work drinking -alone. This is my billet, and there is a shot in -the locker yet—help yourself," he added, pushing a -large three-handled tankard of ale across the table. -</p> - -<p> -"Thank you, Braddon," replied the other, careful -to omit the prefix of "Mr.," which Derrick always -resented, "and you must share mine with me. -Have you heard the news?" -</p> - -<p> -"From where—India?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes." -</p> - -<p> -"And what are they that I have not heard—tell -me that, Mr. Sharkley—what are they that -I have not heard?" said Braddon with the -angry emphasis assumed at times unnecessarily -by the inebriated. -</p> - -<p> -"Is it that your young master is shut up -among the Afghans, and likely, I fear, to remain -so?" -</p> - -<p> -"Her Majesty the Queen don't think so—no, -sir—d—n me, whatever you, and such as you, may -think," responded Derrick, becoming suddenly -sulky and gloomy. -</p> - -<p> -"Who do you mean, Braddon?" asked the other, -drinking, and eying him keenly over his pewter-pot. -</p> - -<p> -"Did you see to-day's Gazette?" -</p> - -<p> -"The Bankruptcy list?" -</p> - -<p> -"Bankrupts be—" roared Braddon, contemptuously, -striking his clenched hand on the deal table; -"no—the <i>War Office Gazette</i>." -</p> - -<p> -Mr. W. S. Sharkley faintly and timidly indicated -that as it was a part of the newspapers which -possessed but small interest for him, he certainly had -not seen it. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, that is strange now," said Derrick; -"it is almost the only bit of a paper I ever -read." -</p> - -<p> -"It ain't very lively, I should think." -</p> - -<p> -"Ain't it—well, had you looked there to-day, you -would have seen that young master Denzil—that -is my Lord Lamorna as should be—has been -gazetted to a Lieutenancy in the old Cornish—yes, -in the-old-Cornish-Light-Infantry!" added Derrick, -running five words into one. -</p> - -<p> -"Indeed! but he may die in the hands of the -enemy for all that—though I hope not." -</p> - -<p> -"Give me your hand, Mr. Sharkley, for that -wish," said Derrick, with tipsy solemnity; "moreover, -he is to have the third class of the Dooranee -Empire, whatever the dickens that may be. I've -drawed my pension to-day, Mr. Sharkley, and I -mean to spend every penny of it in wetting the -young master's new commission, and the Dooranee -Empire to boot. Try the beer again—it's home-brewed, -and a first-rate quencher—here's-his-jolly -good-health!" -</p> - -<p> -"So say I—his jolly good health." -</p> - -<p> -"With three times three!" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes," added Sharkley, as he wrung the -pensioner's proffered hand, "and three to that." -</p> - -<p> -Derrick, who, though winding up the day on -beer, had commenced it with brandy, was fast -becoming more noisy and confused, to his wary -visitor's intense satisfaction. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes—yes—master Denzil will escape all and -come home safe, please God," said Derrick, -becoming sad and sentimental for a minute; "yet in -my time I heard many a fellow—yes, many a -fellow—before we went into action, or were just looking -to our locks, and getting the cartridges loose, say -to another, 'write for me,' to my father, or mother, -or it might be 'poor Bess, or Nora,' meaning his -wife, 'in case I get knocked on the head;' and I -have seen them shot in their belts within ten -minutes after. I often think—yes, by jingo I -do—that a man sometimes knows when death is a-nigh -him, for I have heard some say they were sure -they'd be shot, and shot they were sure enough; -while others—I for one—were always sure they'd -escape. It's what we soldiers call a presentiment; -but of course, you, as a lawyer, can know nothing -about it. With sixty rounds of ammunition at his -back, a poor fellow will have a better chance of -seeing Heaven than if he died with a blue bagfull -of writs and rubbish." -</p> - -<p> -Then Derrick indulged in a tipsy fit of laughter, -mingled with tears, as he said, -</p> - -<p> -"You'd have died o' laughing, Mr. Sharkley, if -you'd seen the captain my master one day—but -perhaps you don't care about stories?" -</p> - -<p> -"By all means, Braddon," replied Sharkley, -feeling in his vest pocket with a fore-finger and -thumb for a phial which lurked there; "I dearly -love to hear an old soldier's yarn." -</p> - -<p> -"Well, it was when we were fighting against the -rebels in Canada—the rebels under Papineau. We -were only a handful, as the saying is—a handful of -British troops, and they were thousands in -number—discontented French, Irish Rapparees, and Yankee -sympathisers, armed with everything they could lay -hands on; but we licked them at St. Denis and -St. Charles, on the Chamblay river—yes, and lastly -at Napierville, under General Sir John Colborne; -and pretty maddish we Cornish lads were at them, for -they had just got one of our officers, a poor young -fellow named Lieutenant George Weir, into their -savage hands by treachery, after which they tied -him to a cart-tail, and cut him into joints with his -own sword. Well—where was I?—at Napierville. -We were lying in a field in extended order to avoid -the discharge of a field gun or two, that the devils -had got into position against us, when a ball from -one ploughed up the turf in a very open place, -and Captain Trevelyan seated himself right in the -furrow it had made, and proceeded to light a cigar, -laughing as he did so. -</p> - -<p> -" Are you wise to sit there, right in the line of -fire?' asked the colonel, looking down from his -horse. -</p> - -<p> -"'Yes,' says my master. -</p> - -<p> -"'How so?' -</p> - -<p> -"Master took the cigar between his fingers, -and while watching the smoke curling upwards, -said, -</p> - -<p> -"'You see, colonel, that another cannon ball is -extremely unlikely to pass in the same place; two -never go after each other thus.' -</p> - -<p> -"But he had barely spoken, ere the shako was -torn off his head by a second shot from the field -piece; so everybody laughed, while he scrambled -out of the furrow, looking rather white and -confused, though pretending to think it as good a joke -as any one else—that was funny, wasn't it!" -</p> - -<p> -So, while Derrick lay back and laughed heartily -at his own reminiscence, Sharkley, quick as lightning, -poured into his tankard a little phial-full of -morphine, a colourless but powerful narcotic -extracted from opium. He then took an opportunity -of casting the phial into the fire unseen, and by the -aid of the poker effectually concealed it. -</p> - -<p> -"What a fine thing it would have been for -Mr. Downie Trevelyan if that rebel shot had been a -little lower down—eh, Derrick?" said he, chuckling. -</p> - -<p> -"Not while the proud old lord lived, for he ever -loved my master best." -</p> - -<p> -"But he is in possession now—and that, you -know, is nine points of the law." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes—and he has a heart as hard as Cornish -granite," said Braddon, grinding his set teeth; -"aye, hard as the Logan Stone of Treryn Dinas! -Here is confusion to him and all such!" he added, -energetically, as he drained the drugged tankard to -the dregs; "if such a fellow were in the army, he'd -be better known to the Provost Marshal than to the -Colonel or Adjutant, and would soon find himself at -shot-drill, with B.C. branded on his side. But here's -Mr. Denzil's jolly good-health-and-hooray-for-the-Dooranee-Empire!" -he continued, and applied the -empty tankard mechanically to his lips, while his -eyes began to roll, as the four corners of the room -seemed to be in pursuit of each other round him. -"I dreamt I was on the wreck last night—ugh! and -saw the black fins of the sea-lawyers, sticking -up all about us." -</p> - -<p> -"Sea-lawyers—what may they be?" -</p> - -<p> -"Sharks," replied Braddon, his eyes glaring with -a curious expression, that hovered between fun and -ferocity, at his companion, whose figure seemed -suddenly to waver, and then to multiply. -</p> - -<p> -"Ha, ha, very good; an old soldier must have -his joke." -</p> - -<p> -"So had my master, when he sat in the fur-ur-urrow -made by the shell. You see, we were engaged -with Canada rebels at Napierville—ville—yes -exactly, at Naperville, when a twelve-pound -shot——" -</p> - -<p> -He was proceeding, with twitching mouth and -thickened utterance, to relate the whole anecdote -deliberately over again, when Sharkley, who saw -that he was becoming so fatuously tipsy that further -concealment was useless, rose impatiently, and -abruptly left the room, to give the landlord some -fresh hints for his future guidance. -</p> - -<p> -"Halt! come back here—here, you sir—I say!" -exclaimed Braddon, in a low, fierce, and husky -voice, as this sudden and unexplained movement -seemed to rouse all his suspicions and quicken his -perceptive qualities; but in attempting to leave his -chair he fell heavily on the floor. -</p> - -<p> -He grew ghastly pale as he staggered into a -sitting posture. Tipsy and stupefied though he -was, some strange conviction of treachery came over -him; he staggered, or dragged himself, partly on his -hands and knees, towards the bed, and drawing from -his breast-pocket the tin case, with the documents -so treasured, by a last effort of strength and of -judgment, thrust it between the mattress and -palliasse, and flung himself above it. -</p> - -<p> -Then, as the powerful narcotic he had imbibed -overspread all his faculties, he sank into a deep and -dreamless but snorting slumber, that in its heaviness -almost boded death! -</p> - -<p class="t3"> -* * * * * -</p> - -<p> -The noon of the next day was far advanced when -poor old Derrick awoke to consciousness, but could, -with extreme difficulty, remember where he was. A -throat parched, as if fire was scorching it; an -overpowering headache and throbbing of the temples; -hot and tremulous hands, with an intense thirst, -served to warn him that he must have been overnight, -that which he had not been for many a year, -very tipsy and "totally unfit for duty." -</p> - -<p> -He staggered up in search of a water-jug, and then -found that he had lain abed with his clothes on. A -pleasant breeze came through the open window; the -waves of the bright blue sea were rolling against -Tintagel cliffs and up Boscastle creek; hundreds of -birds were twittering in the warm spring sunshine -about the clematis and briar that covered all the -tavern walls, and the hum of the bee came softly -and gratefully to his ear, as he strove to recall the -events of the past night. -</p> - -<p> -Sharkley!—it had been spent with Sharkley the -solicitor, and where now was he? -</p> - -<p> -The papers! He mechanically put his trembling -hand to his coat pocket, and then, as a pang of fear -shot through his heart, under the mattress. -</p> - -<p> -They were not there; vacantly he groped and -gasped, as recollections flashed upon him, and the -chain of ideas became more distinct; madly he -tossed up all the bedding and scattered it about. -The case was gone, and with it the precious papers, -too, were gone—GONE! -</p> - -<p> -Sobered in an instant by this overwhelming -catastrophe—most terribly sobered—a hoarse cry of -mingled rage and despair escaped him. The landlord, -who had been listening for an outbreak of some -kind, now came promptly up. -</p> - -<p> -"Beast, drunkard, fool that I have been!" exclaimed -Derrick, in bitter accents of self-reprobation; -"this is how I have kept my promise to a -dying master—duped by the first scoundrel who -came across me! I have been juggled—drugged, -perhaps—then juggled, and robbed after!" -</p> - -<p> -"Robbed of what?" asked the burly landlord, -laughing. -</p> - -<p> -"Papers—my master's papers," groaned Derrick. -</p> - -<p> -"Bah—I thought as much; now look ye here, old -fellow——" -</p> - -<p> -"Robbed by a low lawyer," continued Derrick, -hoarsely; "and no fiend begotten in hell can be -lower in the scale of humanity or more dangerous to -peaceful society. Oh, how often has poor master -said so," he added, waxing magniloquent, and almost -beside himself with grief and rage; "how often -have I heard him say, 'I have had so much to do -with lawyers, that I have lost all proper abhorrence -for their master, the devil.'" -</p> - -<p> -"Now, I ain't going to stand any o' this nonsense—just -you clear out," said the landlord, peremptorily. -</p> - -<p> -Then as his passionate Cornish temper got the -better of his reason, Derrick on hearing this -suddenly seized Jack Trevanion's successor by the -throat, and dashing him on the floor, accused him -of being art and part, or an aider and abettor of the -robbery, in which, to say truth, he was not. His -cries speedily brought the county constabulary, to -whom, by Sharkley's advice, he had previously given -a hint, and before the sun was well in the west, -honest Derrick Braddon was raving almost with -madness and despair under safe keeping in the -nearest station house. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap04"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER IV. -<br /><br /> -THE HOPE OF THE DEAD. -</h3> - -<p> -The disappearance of the papers which had so -terrible an effect upon the nervous system, and -usually iron frame of Derrick Braddon, is accounted -for by the circumstance that Sharkley on returning -to see how matters were progressing in the room, -lingered for a moment by the half-opened door, and -saw his dupe pale, gasping, muttering, and though -half-senseless, yet conscious enough to feel a -necessity for providing against any trickery or -future contingency, in the act of concealing the tin -case among his bedding, from whence it was -speedily drawn, after he had flung himself in sleepy -torpor above it; and then stealing softly down stairs -with the prize, Sharkley paid his bill and departed -without loss of time and in high spirits, delighted -with his own success. -</p> - -<p> -Too wary to start westward in the direction of -Rhoscadzhel, he made an ostentatious display of -departing by a hired dog-cart for his own residence, -at the village or small market town (which was -afflicted by his presence) in quite an opposite -direction. From thence, by a circuitous route, -he now revisited his employer, and hence the -delay which occasioned the latter so much torture -and anxiety. -</p> - -<p> -"Two thousand—a beggarly sum!" thought -Sharkley, scornfully and covetously, as he walked -up the stately and over-arching avenue, and found -himself under the groined arches of the -<i>porte-cochère</i>, the pavement of which was of black and -white tesselated marble; "why should I not -demand double the sum, or more—yes, or more—he -is in my power, in my power, is he not?" he -continued, with vicious joy, through his set teeth, -while his eyes filled with green light, and the -glow of avarice grew in his flinty heart, though -even the first sum mentioned was a princely one -to him. -</p> - -<p> -Clutching the tin case with a vulture-like grasp, -he broadly and coarsely hinted his wish to Downie, -who sat in his library chair, pale, nervous, and -striving to conceal his emotion, while hearing a -narration of the late proceedings at the Trevanion -Arms; and hastily drawing a cheque book towards -him, be filled up another bank order, saying,— -</p> - -<p> -"There, sir, this is a cheque for two thousand -pounds; surely two thousand five hundred are quite -enough for all you have done in procuring for my -inspection, documents which may prove but as so -much waste paper after all." -</p> - -<p> -"Their examination will prove that such is not -the case," said Sharkley, as he gave one of his ugly -smiles, scrutinised the document, and slowly and -carefully consigned it to where its predecessor lay, -in the greasy old pocket-book, wherein many a -time and oft the hard-won earnings of the poor, -the unfortunate and confiding, had been -swallowed up. When Downie had heard briefly -and rapidly a narration of the means by which -the papers had been abstracted, he rather shrunk -with disgust from a contemplation of them; -they seemed so disreputable, so felonious and -vile! -</p> - -<p> -He had vaguely hoped that by the more constitutional -and legal plans of bribery and corruption -Mr. W. S. Sharkley might have received them from the -custodier; but now they were in his hands and he -was all impatience, tremulous with eagerness, and -spectacles on nose, to peruse them, and test their -value by that legal knowledge which he undoubtedly -possessed. -</p> - -<p> -His fingers, white and delicate, and on one of -which sparkled the magnificent diamond ring which -his late uncle had received when on his Russian -embassy, literally trembled and shook, as if with -ague, when he opened the old battered and -well-worn tin case. The first document drawn forth had -a somewhat unpromising appearance; it was sorely -soiled, frayed, and seemed to have been frequently -handled. -</p> - -<p> -"What the deuce is this, Mr. Sharkley?" asked -Downie, with some contempt of tone. -</p> - -<p> -"Can't say, my lord—never saw such a thing -before; it ain't a writ or a summons, surely!" -</p> - -<p> -It was simply a soldier's "Parchment Certificate," -and ran thus:— -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="t3"> - <i>Cornish Regiment of Light Infantry.</i><br /> -</p> - -<p> -"These are to certify that Derrick Braddon, -Private, was born in the Parish of Gulval, Duchy -of Cornwall; was enlisted there for the said -corps, &c., was five years in the West Indies, -ten in North America, and six at Gibraltar; -was twice wounded in action with the Canadian -rebels, and has been granted a pension of one -shilling per diem. A well conducted soldier, of -unexceptionably good character." Then followed -the signature of his colonel and some other -formula. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -"Pshaw!" said Downie, tossing it aside; but the -more wary Sharkley, to obliterate all links or proofs -of conspiracy, deposited it carefully in the fire, -when it shrivelled up and vanished; so the little -record of his twenty-one years' faithful service, of -his two wounds, and his good character, attested by -his colonel, whom he had ever looked up to as a -demigod, and which Derrick had borne about with -him as Gil Blas did his patent of nobility, was lost -to him for ever. -</p> - -<p> -But more than ever did Downie's hands tremble -when he drew forth the other documents; when he -saw their tenor, and by the mode in which they -were framed, worded, stamped, and signed, he was -compelled to recognise their undoubted authority! -A sigh of mingled rage and relief escaped him; but, -as yet, no thought of compunction. He glanced at -the fire, at the papers, and at Sharkley, more than -once in succession, and hesitated either to move or -speak. He began to feel now that the lingering of -his emissary in his presence, when no longer wanted, -was intolerable; but he was too politic to destroy -the papers before him, though no other witness was -present. -</p> - -<p> -Full of secret motives themselves, each of these -men, by habit and profession, was ever liable to -suspect secret motives in every one else; and each -was now desirous to be out of the other's presence; -Downie, of course, most of all. The lower in rank -and more contemptible in character, perhaps was -less so, having somewhat of the vulgar toady's -desire to linger in the presence and atmosphere of -one he deemed a greater, certainly more wealthy, -and a titled man; till the latter said with a stiff -bow full of significance,— -</p> - -<p> -"I thank you, sir, and have paid you; these are -the documents I wished to possess." -</p> - -<p> -"I am glad your lordship is pleased with my -humble services," replied Sharkley, but still -tarrying irresolutely. -</p> - -<p> -"Is there anything more you have to communicate -to me?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, my lord." -</p> - -<p> -"Then I have the—I must wish you good evening." -</p> - -<p> -Sharkley brushed his shiny hat with his dusty -handkerchief, and the wish for a further gratuity -was hovering on his lips. -</p> - -<p> -"You have been well paid for your services, -surely?" -</p> - -<p> -"Quite, my lord—that is—but—" -</p> - -<p> -"No one has seen those papers, I presume?" -asked Downie. -</p> - -<p> -"As I have Heaven to answer to, no eye has looked -on them while in my hands—my own excepted." -</p> - -<p> -"Good—I am busy—you may go," said Downie, -haughtily, and as he had apparently quite recovered -his composure, he rang the bell, and a servant -appeared. -</p> - -<p> -"Shew this—person out, please," said Downie. -</p> - -<p> -And in a moment more Sharkley was gone. The -door closed, and they little suspected they were -never to meet again. -</p> - -<p> -"Thank God, he is gone! Useful though the -scoundrel has been, and but for his discovery of -those papers we know not what may have happened, -his presence was suffocating me!" thought -Downie. -</p> - -<p> -The perceptions of the latter were sufficiently -keen to have his <i>amour propre</i> wounded by a -peculiar sneering tone and more confident bearing in -Sharkley; there had been a companionship in the -task in hand, which lowered him to the level of the -other, and the blunt rejoinder he had used so -recently—"there are a pair of us," still rankled in -his memory. Thus he had felt that he could not get -rid of him too soon, or too politely to all -appearance; and with a grimace of mingled satisfaction -and contempt, he saw the solicitor's thin, ungainly -figure lessening as he shambled down the long and -beautiful avenue of elms and oaks, which ended at -the grey stone pillars, that were surmounted each -by a grotesque koithgath, <i>sejant</i>, with its four paws -resting on a shield, charged with a Cavallo Marino, -rising from the sea. -</p> - -<p> -"And <i>now</i> for another and final perusal of these -most accursed papers!" said Downie Trevelyan, -huskily. -</p> - -<p> -The first was the certificate of marriage, between -Richard Pencarrow Trevelyan, Captain in the -Cornish Light Infantry, and Constance Devereaux of -Montreal, duly by banns, at the chapel of Père -Latour. Then followed the date, and attestation, -to the effect, "that the above named parties were -this day married by me, as hereby certified, at -Ste. Marie de Montreal. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> - "C. LATOUR, <i>Catholic Curé</i>,<br /> - "BAPTISTE OLIVIER, <i>Acolyte</i>.<br /> - "DERRICK BRADDON, <i>Private<br /> - Cornish Light Infantry</i>.<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -"JEHAN DURASSIER, <i>Sacristan</i>." -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -About this document there could not be a shadow -of a doubt—even the water-mark was anterior to the -date, and the brow of Downie grew very dark as he -read it; darker still grew that expression of -malevolent wrath, and more swollen were the veins of his -temples as he turned to the next document, which -purported to be the "Last Will and Testament of -Richard Pencarrow, Lord Lamorna," and which -after the usual dry formula concerning his just debts, -testamentary and funeral expenses, continued, "<i>I -give, devise, and bequeath</i> unto Constance Devereaux, -Lady Lamorna, my wife," the entire property, (then -followed a careful enumeration thereof,) into which -he had come by the death of his uncle Audley, Lord -Lamorna, for the term of her natural life; and after -her death to their children Denzil and Sybil -absolutely, in the several portions to follow. The -reader Downie (to whom a handsome bequest was -made), General Trecarrel, and the Rector of -Porthellick were named as Executors, and then followed -the duly witnessed signature of the Testator, written -in a bold hand LAMORNA, and dated at Montreal, -about nine months before. -</p> - -<p> -"Hah!" exclaimed Downie, through his clenched -teeth; "here is that in my hand, which, were Audley -a wicked or undutiful son, might effect wonders at -Rhoscadzhel, and furnish all England with food for -gossip and surmise; but that shall never, never be; -nor shall son nor daughter of that Canadian adventuress -ever place their heads under this roof tree of -ours!" -</p> - -<p> -And as he spoke, he fiercely crumpled up the will -and the certificate together. -</p> - -<p> -Then he paused, spread them out upon his writing -table, and smoothing them over, read them carefully -over again. As he did so, the handsome face, the -honest smile and manly figure of his brother -Richard came upbraidingly to memory; there were -thoughts of other and long-remembered days of -happy boyhood, of their fishing, their bird-nesting -expeditions, and of an old garret in which they were -wont to play when the days were wet, or the snow -lay deep on the hills. How was it, that, till now -forgotten, the old garret roof, with its rafters big -and brown, and which seemed then such a fine old -place for sport, with the very sound of its echoes, -and of the rain without as it came pouring down to -gorge the stone gutters of the old house, came -back to memory now, with Richard's face and -voice, out of the mists of nearly half a century? -"It was one of those flashes of the soul that -for a moment unshroud to us the dark depths -of the past." Thus he really wavered in purpose, -and actually thought of concealing the documents -in his strong box, to the end that there -they might be found after his death, and after he -had enjoyed the title for what remained to him of -life. -</p> - -<p> -Would not such duplicity be unfair to his own -sons, and to his daughter? was the next reflection. -</p> - -<p> -And if fate permitted Denzil to escape the -perils of the Afghan war, was the son of that -mysterious little woman, or was her -daughter—the daughter of one whom he doubted not, -and wished not to doubt—had entrapped his -silly brother into a secret marriage, in a remote -and sequestered chapel, and whose memory he -actually loathed—ever to rule and reside in -Rhoscadzhel? -</p> - -<p> -No—a thousand times no! Then muttering the -lines from Shakespeare,— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - "Let not our babbling dreams affright our souls.<br /> - Conscience is but a word that cowards use,<br /> - Devised at first to keep the strong in awe:"<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -he drew near the resplendent grate of burnished -steel, and resolutely casting in both documents, -thrust them with the aid of the poker deep among -the fuel, and they speedily perished. The deed was -done, and could no more be recalled than the last -year's melted snow! -</p> - -<p> -He watched the last sparks die out in the tinder -ashes of those papers, on the preservation and -production of which so much depended, so much was -won and lost; and a sigh of relief was blended with -his angry laugh. -</p> - -<p> -He felt that then, indeed, the richly carpeted -floor beneath his feet; the gilded roof above his -head, the sweet, soft landscape—one unusually -so for bold and rugged Cornwall—that stretched -away in the soft, hazy, and yellow twilight, and -all that he had been on the verge of losing, -were again more surely his, and the heritage of -his children, and of theirs in the time to come, -and that none "of Banquo's line"—none of that -strange woman's blood, could ever eject them -now! -</p> - -<p> -Even Derrick's old tin-case—lest, if found, it -should lead to a trace or suspicion of where the -papers had gone—he carefully, and with a legal -caution worthy of his satellite the solicitor, beat out -of all shape with his heel and threw into the fire, -heaping the coals upon it. -</p> - -<p> -This was perhaps needless in Downie Trevelyan, -that smooth, smug, closely shaven, and white-shirted -lawyer-lord, that man of legal facts and stern -truths, so abstemious, temperate, and regular in his -habits and attendance at church, and to all the -outward tokens of worldly rectitude. Do what he -might, none could, would, or dare believe evil of -him! -</p> - -<p> -Yet, after the excitement he had undergone, -there were moments when he felt but partially -satisfied with himself, till force of habit -resumed its sway—moments when he remained sunk -in thought, with his eyes fixed on that portion -of the sea and sky where the sun had set, while -the sombre twilight deepened around, and strange -shadows were cast by the oriels across the library -floor. -</p> - -<p> -"For what have I done this thing?" thought he; -"for my children of course, rather than for myself. -I would that I had not been tempted, for nothing -on earth remains for ever—nothing!" And as he -muttered thus, his eyes rested on the distant Isles -of Scilly that loomed like dark purple spots in the -golden sea, which yet weltered in the ruddy glory -of the sun that had set, and he reflected, he knew -not why, for it was not Downie's wont, on the -mutability of all human things and wishes, of the change -that inexorable Time for ever brought about, and of -the futility of all that man might attempt to do in -the hope of perpetuity; for did not even the mighty -sea and firm land change places in the fulness of -years! -</p> - -<p> -"Where now was all the land tradition named as -Lyonesse of old—the vast tract which stretched -from the eastern shore of Mount's Bay, even to what -are now the Isles of Scilly, on which his dreamy -eyes were fixed—the land where once, in story and -in verse we are told, -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - "That all day long the noise of battle rolled<br /> - Among the mountains by the winter sea;<br /> - Until king Arthur's Table, man by man,<br /> - Had fall'n in Lyonesse about their lord."<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -There, where now he saw the sea rolling between -the rocky isles and the Land's End, were once green -waving woods and verdant meadows, lands that -were arable, mills whose busy wheels revolved in -streams now passed away, and one hundred-and-forty -parish churches, whose bells summoned the -people to prayer, but which are all now—if we are -to believe William of Worcester—submerged by -the encroaching sea; yet whether gradually, or -by one mighty throe of nature, on that day when -the first of the line of Trevelyan swain his -wonderful horse from the north-western isle, back to -the rent and riven land, we know not, but so the -story runs. -</p> - -<p> -From, these day-dreams, such as he was seldom -used to indulge in, Downie's mind rapidly reverted -to practical considerations. -</p> - -<p> -"Two thousand five hundred pounds in two -cheques!" he muttered; "will not my bankers, -and more than all, Gorbelly and Culverhole, my -solicitors, wonder what singular service a creature -such as this William Schotten Sharkley can -possibly have rendered me, to receive so large a -sum? If that drunken old soldier, Braddon, tells -this story of his last meeting with Sharkley, and -the subsequent loss of the papers, and permits -himself to make a noise about them, may there not -be many who, while remembering the former affair, -by putting this and that together, will patch up a -scandalous story after all? Bah—let them; there -lie the proofs!" he added, glancing with a fierce -and vindictive smile at the fragments of black -tinder which yet fluttered in the grate. -</p> - -<p> -So perished, at his remorseless hands, all the -past hopes of the tender and affectionate dead, and -all the present hopes of the living—of Richard -and his wife who were buried so far apart—of -Denzil and his sister, who were separated by fate, -by peril, and so many thousand miles of land -and sea! -</p> - -<p> -But our story may have a sequel for all that. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap05"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER V. -<br /><br /> -RETRIBUTION. -</h3> - -<p> -Greatly to the surprise of the granter, the two -cheques for 500<i>l.</i> and 2000<i>l.</i> respectively, were -never presented at his bankers, and Mr. Sharkley -returned no more to his office; that dingy chamber -of torture, with its dusty dockets, ink-spotted -table, and tin charter-boxes arranged in formal -rows upon an iron frame, and its damp discoloured -walls, ornamented by time-tables, bills of sale, and -fly-blown prospectuses, knew him never again; and -days, weeks, and months rolled on, but he was -never seen by human eye after the time he issued -from the lodge-gate of Rhoscadzhel, and the -keeper, with a contemptuous bang, clanked it -behind him. -</p> - -<p> -When Derrick heard of his disappearance, he felt -convinced more than ever that he had abstracted -his papers; but believed he had started with them -to India, perhaps to make capital out of Denzil. -Some who knew what the solicitor's legal course -had been, thought of a dark and speedy end having -befallen him; others surmised that the fear of -certain trickeries, or "errors in practice," had -caused him suddenly to depart for America; but -all were wide of the truth. -</p> - -<p> -Lord Lamorna knew not what to think, but maintained -a dead and rigid silence as to his ever having -had any meeting or transaction with the missing -man in any way; and as many hated, and none -regretted Mr. W. S. Sharkley, his existence was -speedily forgotten in that district, and it was not -until long after that a light was thrown on the -mystery that enveloped his disappearance. -</p> - -<p> -Much money, chiefly that of others, had passed -through Sharkley's hands in his time, and much -of it, as a matter of course, was never accounted -for by him; but he had never before possessed -so large a sum at once, and certainly seldom -one so easily won, as that presented to him by -the titular Lord Lamorna. All the exultation that -avarice, covetousness, and successful roguery can -inspire glowed in his arid heart, and he walked -slowly onward, immersed in thoughts peculiarly his -own, as to the mode in which he would invest it, -and foresaw how it must and should double, treble, -and quadruple itself ere long; how lands, and -houses, messuages and tenements, mills and -meadows, should all become his; and so he wove -his golden visions, even as Alnaschar in the -Arabian fable wove his over the basket of frail and -brittle glass; and as he proceeded, ever and anon -he felt, with a grimace of satisfaction, for the -pocket-book containing his beloved cheques. -</p> - -<p> -Some miles of country lay between Rhoscadzhel -and Penzance, where he meant to take the railway -for his own place. As his penurious spirit had -prevented him from hiring a vehicle, he pursued the -way on foot; but he sometimes lost it, darkness -having set in, and yet he saw nothing of the lights -of the town. He had, in his mental abstraction, -walked, or wandered on, he scarcely knew whither, -and he only paused from time to time to uplift his -clenched hands, to mutter and sigh in angry bitterness -of spirit that he had not extracted more from -Downie Trevelyan, when he had it in his power to -put on the screw with vigour, and anon he would -ponder as to whether he had not been too -precipitate, and whether he had done a wise thing in -selling to him the interests of young Denzil, as -these might have proved pecuniarily more valuable; -but then poor Denzil was so far away, and from all -Sharkley could hear and read in the newspapers, -he might never see England more. For the first -time in his life, Mr. Sharkley found himself taking -an interest in our Indian military affairs. -</p> - -<p> -Some of the deep lanes bordered by those high -stone walls peculiar to Cornwall, were left behind, -and also many a pretty cottage, in the gardens of -which, the fragrant myrtle, the gay fuchsia with its -drooping petals, and the hydrangea, flourish all the -year round; and now he was roused by the sound -of the sea breaking at a distance round the -promontory from which Penzance takes its name—the holy -headland of the ancient Cornish men. From a -slight eminence which he was traversing, he could -see, but at a distance also, the lights of the town -twinkling amid the moorland haze, and that at the -harbour head, sending long rays of tremulous -radiance far across Mount's Bay; then as the pathway -dipped down into a furzy hollow, he lost sight of -them. He was still within half a mile of the shore, -but was traversing a bleak and uneven moorland, -and on his right lay a scene of peculiar desolation, -encumbered by masses of vast granite rock, here -and there tipped by the cold green light of a pale -crescent moon, that rose from the wild waste of the -vast Atlantic. -</p> - -<p> -Suddenly something like a black hole yawned -before him; a gasping, half-stifled cry escaped -him; he stumbled and fell—<i>where</i>? -</p> - -<p> -Mechanically and involuntarily, acting more like -a machine than a human being, he had in falling -grasped something, he knew not what, and clutching -at it madly, tenaciously, yea desperately, he -clung thereto, swinging he knew not where or -how, over space; but soon the conviction that -forced itself upon him, was sufficient to make the -hairs of his scalp bristle up, and a perspiration, -cold as snow, to start from the pores of his -skin. -</p> - -<p> -Old mines may seem somehow to have a certain -connection with the story or destiny of Sybil -Devereaux, if not of her brother Denzil, and the -betrayer of both their interests, who now found -himself swinging by the branch of a frail -gorsebush, over the mouth of the ancient shaft of an -abandoned one—a shaft, the depth of which he -knew not, and dared not to contemplate! He only -knew that in Cornwall they were usually the -deepest in the known world. -</p> - -<p> -If few persons who are uninitiated, descend the -shaft of an ordinary coal-pit, amid all the careful -appliances of engineering, without a keen sense of -vague danger, what must have been the emotions of -the wretch who, with arms perpendicularly above -his head, and legs outspread, wildly and vainly -seeking to catch some footing, swung pendent -over the black profundity that vanished away into -the bowels of the earth below, perhaps, for all he -knew, nearly a mile in depth! -</p> - -<p> -It was beneath him he knew; the quiet stars -were above; no aid was near; there was no sound -in the air, and none near him, save the dreadful -beating of his heart, and a roaring, hissing sound -in his ears. -</p> - -<p> -In this awful situation, after his first exclamation -of deadly and palsied fear, not a word, not a -whisper—only sighs—escaped him. He had never prayed -in his life, and knew not how to do so now. The -blessed name of God had been often on his cruel -lips, in many a matter-of-fact affidavit, and in many -an affirmation, made falsely, but never in his heart; -so now, he never thought of God or devil, of heaven -nor hell, his only fear was death—extinction! -</p> - -<p> -And there he swung, every respiration a gasping, -sobbing sigh, every pulsation a sharp pang; he had -not the power to groan; as yet his long, lean, bony -hands were not weary; but the branch might rend, -the gorse bush uproot, and <i>then</i>—— -</p> - -<p> -Nevertheless he made wild and desperate efforts -to escape the dreadful peril, by writhing his body -upward, as his head was only some four feet below -the edge of the upper rim or course of crumbling -brickwork, which lined the circular shaft, and often -he felt his toes scratch the wall, and heard the -fragments detached thereby pass whizzing downwards; -but he never heard the ascending sound of -the fall below—because below was far, far down -indeed! -</p> - -<p> -The silence was dreary—awful: he dared not -look beneath, for nothing was to be seen there but -the blackness of utter profundity; he could only -gaze upward to where the placid stars that sparkled -in the blue dome of heaven, seemed to be winking -at him. He dared not cry, lest he should waste his -breath and failing strength; and had he attempted -to do so the sound would have died on his parched -and quivering lips. -</p> - -<p> -In every pulsation he lived his lifetime over -again, and all the secret crimes of that lifetime -were, perhaps, being atoned for now. -</p> - -<p> -The widows who, without avail or winning pity, -had wept, (in that inquisitorial camera de los tormentos, -his "office,"), for the loss of the hard-won -savings of dead husbands, their children's bread; -wretches from under whose emaciated forms he had -dragged the bare pallet, leaving them to die on a -bed of cinders, and all in form and process of law; -the strong and brave spirited men, who had lifted -up their hard hands and hoarsely cursed him, ere -they betook them to the parish union or worse; -the starvelings who had perhaps gained their suits, -but only in their last coats; the crimes that some -had committed through the poverty and despair he -had brought upon them; the unsuspecting, into -whose private and monetary matters he had wormed -himself by specious offers of gratuitous assistance -and advice—a special legal snare—by the open and -too often secret appropriation of valuable papers; -and by the thousand wiles and crooks of policy -known only to that curse of society, the low legal -practitioner, seemed all to rise before him like a -black cloud now; and out of that cloud, the faces -of his pale victims seemed to mock, jibe, and -jabber at him. -</p> - -<p> -And there, too, were the handwritings he had -imitated, the signatures he had forged, the sham -accounts he had fabricated against the wealthy or -the needy, the ignorant and the wary alike; but -Sharkley felt no real penitence, for he knew not that -he had committed any sin. Had he not always -kept the shady side of the law? and, if rescued, -would he not return to his sharp practice thereof as -usual? Yet he felt, as the moments sped on, a -strange agony creeping into his soul: -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - "So writhes the mind Remorse hath riven,<br /> - Unfit for earth, undoomed for heaven,<br /> - Darkness above, despair beneath,<br /> - Around it flame, within it death!"<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -The bush bending under his weight, hung more -perpendicularly now, and thus Sharkley's knees, -for the first time, grazed till they were skinned and -bloody against the rough brickwork. Was the root -yielding? Oh no, no; forbid it fate! He must -live—live—<i>live</i>; he was not fit to die—and thus, -too! The cold, salt perspiration, wrung by agony, -flowed from the roots of his hair, till it well nigh -blinded him, and tears, for even a creature such as -he can weep, began to mingle with them. They -were perfectly genuine, however, as Master William -S. Sharkley wept the probabilities of his own -untimely demise. -</p> - -<p> -He had once been on a coroner's inquest. It sat -in the principal room of a village inn, upon some -human bones—nearly an entire skeleton—found in -an old, disused, and partially filled-up pit. He -remembered their aspect, so like a few white, -bleached winter branches, as they lay on a sheet on -the dining-table. He could recall the surmises -of the jurors. Did the person fall? Had he, or -she—for even sex was doubtful then—been -murdered? or had it been a case of suicide? None -might say. -</p> - -<p> -The poor bones of the dead alone could have -told, and they were voiceless. All was mystery, -and yet the story of some forgotten life, of some -unknown crime, or hidden sorrow, lay there; the -story that man could never, never know. -</p> - -<p> -This episode had long since been forgotten by -Sharkley; and now, in an instant, it flashed vividly -before him, adding poignancy to the keen horrors of -his situation. Was such a fate to be his? -</p> - -<p> -He could distinctly see the upper ledge of bricks, -as he looked upward from where, though he had not -swung above three minutes, he seemed to have been -for an eternity now; and though he knew not how -to pray, he thought that he could spend the -remainder of his life happily there, if but permitted -to rest his toes upon that narrow ledge, as a place -for footing, as now his arms seemed about to be rent -from his shoulders. His eyes were closed for a -time, and he scarcely dared to breathe—still less to -think. -</p> - -<p> -Sharkley was not a dreamer; he had too little -imagination, and had only intense cunning and the -instincts that accompany it; so he had never known -what a nightmare is; yet the few minutes of his -present existence seemed to be only such. He had -still sense enough to perceive, that the wild and -frenzied efforts he made at intervals to writhe his -body up, were loosening the root of the gorse-bush, -and he strove in the dusky light, but strove in vain, -to see <i>how much</i> he had yet to depend upon; and -then he hung quite still and pendant, with a glare -in his starting eyeballs, and a sensation as if of -palsy in his heart. -</p> - -<p> -His arms were stiffening fast, his fingers were -relaxing, and his spine felt as if a sharply pointed -knife was traversing it; he knew that the end was -nigh—most fearfully nigh—and his tongue clove to -the roof of his mouth, though it was dry as a -parched pea. -</p> - -<p> -Oh for one grasp of a human hand; the sound of -any voice; the sight of a human face ere he passed -away for ever! -</p> - -<p> -There was a sudden sound of tearing as the gorse-root -parted from the soil; he felt himself slipping -through space, the cold air rushed whistling upward, -and he vanished, prayerless, breathless, and despairing, -from the light of the blessed stars, and then the -black mouth of the shaft seemed vacant. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap06"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER VI. -<br /><br /> -AT JELLALABAD. -</h3> - -<p> -Downie Trevelyan's applications to the War -Office, the Horse Guards, to the Military Secretary -for the Home Department of the East India Company, -and even questions asked in his place in the -House of Lords, were unremitting for a time, on the -affairs of Afghanistan, as he wished to elicit some -information concerning the safety of his son, and the -probable <i>non</i>-safety of Lieutenant Devereaux, more -particularly; but he totally failed in extracting more -than vague generalities, or that one was believed to -be safe with Sir Robert Sale's garrison in Jellalabad; -and that the other was supposed to be a prisoner of -war with many others. How long he might remain -so, if surviving, or how long he had remained so, if -dead, no one could tell; but dark rumours had -reached Peshawur, that the male hostages had been -beheaded in the Char Chowk of Cabul, while the -females had been sold to the Tartars. -</p> - -<p> -On the assassination of the Shah Sujah, whose -ally we had so foolishly become by the mistaken -policy of the Earl of Auckland, the prince, his son, -had gained possession of the Bala Hissar, the guns -and garrison of which gave him for a time full sway -over the city of Cabul, when he made the cunning, -plotting, and ambitious Ackbar Khan his Vizier. -</p> - -<p> -The latter, however, always on the watch, and by -nature suspicious, intercepted a letter written by his -young master to General Nott, who commanded our -troops in Candahar. This contained some amicable -proposals, quite at variance with the inborn hate -and rancour which Ackbar bore the English; and -hence a quarrel ensued at the new court. -</p> - -<p> -The prince demanded that the hostages, male -and female—the fair Saxon beauty of some of the -latter was supposed to have some influence in the -request—left by the deceased General Elphinstone, -should be delivered up to him, without question or -delay. -</p> - -<p> -Ackbar sternly refused to comply, and it was on -this that the young Shah wrote to General Nott, -urging him to march at once on Cabul to release -the captives; and, moreover, to free the city from -the interference and overweening tyranny of Sirdir, -who thereupon resolved to take strong measures, -and, with the aid of Amen Oollah Khan, Zohrab -Zubberdust, and some others, made his new -Sovereign captive. The latter escaped by making a -hole in the roof of his prison; a purse of mohurs, a -sharp sword, and a fleet horse, enabled him to reach -in safety the cantonments of the British General, to -whom he gave a sad detail of the miseries to which -the prisoners, especially the delicate ladies, were -subjected. -</p> - -<p> -This movement was nearly the means of causing -the destruction of all who were left at Ackbar's -mercy. All communication between them and the -troops in Jellalabad was cut off more strictly and -hopelessly than ever; and Ackbar Khan swore by -the Black Stone of Mecca, and by many a solemn -and fearful oath, that "the moment he should hear -of the approach of British troops again towards -Cabul, the hostages should, each and all, man, -woman, and child alike, be sold as slaves to the -Usbec Tartars! And remember," he added, with -clenched teeth and flashing eyes, to Zohrab the -Overbearing, and others who heard him; "that my -word is precious to me, even as the <i>Mohur -Solimani</i>—the seal of Solomon Jared was to him!" -</p> - -<p> -This was the signet of the fifth monarch of the -world after Adam; and the holder thereof had, for -the time, the entire command of the elements, of all -demons, and all created things. -</p> - -<p> -"Now," he exclaimed, with fierce vehemence, "I -cannot violate my oath, for as the sixteenth chapter -of the Koran says, '<i>I have made God a witness over -me!</i>'" -</p> - -<p> -Hence, perhaps, the rumour that came to Peshawur, -and thus any attempt to save or succour them, -would, it seemed, but accelerate their ruin, for if -once removed to Khoordistan, they should never, -never be heard of more, nor could they be traced -among the nomadic tribes who dwell in that vast -region of Western Asia, known as the "country of -the Khoords." -</p> - -<p> -The last that, as yet, was known of them, was -that they were all in charge of an old Khan, named -Saleh Mohammed, and shut up in a fortress three -miles from Cabul. There they were kept in horrible -suspense as to their future fate; and to them -now were added nine of our officers who had fallen -into Ackbar's hands, when, in the month of August, -he recaptured the city of Ghuznee. -</p> - -<p> -How many Christian companions in misfortune -were with the Ladies Sale and Macnaghten, the -garrisons in Jellalabad and Candahar knew not; -neither did they know who, out of the original -number taken in the passes, were surviving now -those sufferings of mind and body which they all -had to undergo. Among them was one poor lady, -the widow of an officer, who had the care of eight -young children, to add to her mental misery. -</p> - -<p> -The steady and unexpected refusal of Sir Robert -Sale to evacuate Jellalabad, completely baulked all -the plans of Ackbar Khan, who supplemented his -threatening messages by investing the city in person -at the head of two thousand five hundred horse and -six thousand five hundred juzailchees; but fortunately -Sir Robert had collected provisions for three -months, and made a vigorous defence, though the -lives or liberties of the hostages, among whom were -his own wife and daughter, were held in the balance, -and he trusted only to his artillery, the bayonets -and the stout hearts of his little garrison, who, in -addition to the assaults and missiles of the Afghans, -had to contend with earthquakes; for in one month -more than a hundred of those throes of nature -shook the city, crumbling beneath their feet the old -walls they were defending. -</p> - -<p> -In daily expectation of being relieved, Sale's stout -English heart never failed him, for he had learned -through our faithful friend, Taj Mohammed, the -ex-vizier, that Colonel Wild, with a force, was marching -to his aid from one quarter, while General Pollock -was crossing the Punjaub from another. Yet a long -time, he knew, must elapse before the latter could -traverse six hundred miles; and ere long came the -tidings that Wild had totally failed, either by force -of arms or dint of bribery, to achieve a march -through the now doubly terrible Khyber Pass. -</p> - -<p> -General Nott, however, held out in Candahar, -and, on receiving some supplies and reinforcements; -he was ready to co-operate with Sale and Pollock in -a joint advance upon Cabul, to rescue the hostages -at all hazards, or, if too late for that, to avenge their -fate and the fate of our slaughtered army by a -terrible retribution. -</p> - -<p> -A severe defeat sustained by Ackbar Khan, when -Sale, on the 7th of August, made a resolute sortie -and cut his army to pieces, taking two standards, -four of our guns lost at Cabul, all his stores and -tents, relieved Jellalabad of his presence; and in -this state were matters while Waller and Audley -Trevelyan were serving there, doing any duty on -which they might be ordered, foraging, trenching, and -skirmishing, for they were unattached to any regiment; -and the former was still ignorant as to the fate of -his <i>fiancée</i>, the bright-faced and auburn-haired Mabel -Trecarrel, and equally so as to that of her sister -and his friend Denzil. He had long since reckoned -the two latter as with the dead, and mourned for -them as such; for he knew nothing of their being -retained as special "loot" by Shereen Khan, who -now kept himself aloof from Ackbar, of whom he -had conceived a truly Oriental jealousy and mistrust. -</p> - -<p> -Though so near them, Waller knew no more concerning -the number, treatment, or the safety of the -hostages held for the evacuation of the city he had -assisted to defend, than those to whom Downie -Trevelyan was applying in London—perhaps less. -</p> - -<p> -To the original number of captives were now -added thirty more, from the following circumstance, -which in some of its details is curiously illustrative -of the cunning and avaricious nature of the Afghan -mountaineers. A pretended friendly <i>cossid</i>, or -messenger, arrived at Jellalabad, bearer of a letter from -Captain Souter, of Her Majesty's 44th Regiment, -dated from a village near the hill of Gundamuck, -detailing the last stand made there by the few -unhappy survivors of Elphinstone's army, and adding -that he and Major Griffiths, of the 37th Regiment, -were the prisoners of a chief who, on a sufficient -ransom being paid—a thousand rupees for each—would -send them to Jellalabad with their heads on their -shoulders. The brave fellows of the 13th Light -Infantry instantly subscribed a thousand rupees at -the drum-head; a thousand more were collected -with difficulty by their now-impoverished officers; -and then came a proposal to ransom twenty-eight -privates of the 13th and 44th Regiments, who were -in the hands of the same chief, for a <i>lac</i> of rupees. -By incredible efforts, and by encroachment on the -military chest, this sum was sent with certain -messengers, who, by a previously concerted scheme, -were waylaid and robbed of it by men sent by -Ackbar Khan, who, seizing the thirty Europeans, -added them to the other hostages whose lives or -liberties were to pay for the surrender of -Jellalabad! -</p> - -<p> -The poor soldiers had given all they possessed in -the world, save their kits and ammunition, to save -their comrades from perilous bondage, and had given -it in vain. They had but the consolation of having -done for the best. -</p> - -<p> -Amid even the exciting bustle of military duty, -the reflections of Waller were sometimes intolerable. -He could never for a moment forget. Though -he was not, as a matter-of-fact young English officer, -prone to flights of romantic fancy, imagination -would force upon him with poignant horror all that -Mabel might be forced to endure at the hands of -those on whose mercy she and her companions were -cast by a fate that none could have foreseen, -especially during the pleasant days of the year that was -passed at Cabul, when the race-course, the band-stand, -picnics, hunting-parties, morning drives, and rides -to see Sinclair's boat upon the lake, tiffin parties at -noon, others for whist or music in the evening, made -up the round of European social life there, ere -Mohammed Ackbar Khan came to the surface again -with his deep-laid plots for aggrandisement and -revenge. -</p> - -<p> -Mabel Trecarrel, his affianced wife, so gently -soft and lady-like—her image was ever before him, -her voice ever in his ear, and the varying expressions -of her clear grey eyes, with all her winning -ways, came keenly and vividly to memory, more -especially in the lonely watches of the night, when -muffled in his poshteen, with only a Chinsurrah -cheroot to soothe his nerves and keep him warm, -he trod from post to post visiting his sentinels, or -listened for the sounds that might precede an -Afghan assault, or perhaps an earthquake; for the -troops had both to encounter, though often nothing -came but the melancholy howl of the jackal on the -night wind, as it sighed over the vast plain around -the city of Jellalabad—the Zarang of the historians -of Alexander. -</p> - -<p> -He had frequent thoughts of returning to Cabul -in disguise as an Afghan. He had already been -pretty successful in his Protean attempts to conceal -his identity; but Sir Robert Sale would by no means -accord him permission to risk his life again in a -manner so perilous; so, as partial inactivity was -maddening to him, after Ackbar Khan's defeat had -left all the avenues from the city open, he volunteered, -if furnished with a suitable escort, to ride to -Candahar, and urge on General Nott the policy of -instantly advancing. Sir Robert Sale agreed to -this, and furnished him with a despatch and a guard -of twenty Native Cavalry; so Bob Waller departed, -actually in high spirits, thankful that even in this -small way he was doing something that might -ultimately lead to the recapture of Cabul, and, more -than all, the rescue of her he loved. -</p> - -<p> -At a quick pace he crossed the arid desert that -surrounds the city, and ascended into the -well-wooded and magnificent mountain ranges that rise -all around it, but more especially to the westward, -whither his route lay, and his spirits rose as his -party spurred onward. "What pleasure there is in -a gallop!" says Paul Ferroll; "the object is before -one, at which to arrive quickly; the still air becomes -a wind marking the swiftness of one's pace—the -fleet horse is his own master, yet one's slave; the -bodily employment leaves care, thought, and time -behind. One feels the pleasure of danger, because -there might be danger, and yet there may be none." -</p> - -<p> -So thought Waller, as he careered at the head of -his party, with a cigar between his teeth, the which -to keep alight while riding at full speed, he had -previously dipped in saltpetre, a camp-fashion -peculiar to India. -</p> - -<p> -Candahar is distant from Jellalabad two hundred -and seventy British miles, and, considering the state -of the whole country, the undertaking, at the head -of twenty horse, was a brave and arduous one; but -Waller confidently set out on his expedition, after -having carefully inspected his escort of picked men, -and personally examined their arms, ammunition, -and saddlery, as he knew not whom they might meet, -or have to encounter. -</p> - -<p> -By a curious coincidence, on the very day he -bade adieu to his brother-officer, Audley Trevelyan, -and other friends, to urge and effect a junction of -the forces, a fresh and loud burst of indignation -against the now-desponding Indian Executive was -excited in the minds of Sale's troops by the arrival -of a messenger with a startling proposal from the -Governor-General, Auckland, to the effect that -Jellalabad was <i>not</i> a place to retain any longer; -that a retreat was to be made from there to Peshawur; -that, in effect, the whole of Afghanistan was -to be—as Ackbar Khan wished it—abandoned by -our forces, and that the helpless women and children, -wounded and sick, at Cabul, were to be left at the -mercy of irresponsible barbarians until rescued by -quiet negotiations or a judicious distribution of -money; and thus to have peace at any price, leaving -our disgraces without remedy, our revenge -unaccomplished, and our prestige destroyed—in that -quarter of the world at least! -</p> - -<p> -Even the English women who were captives in -Afghanistan knew better than this; for, amid the -earnest prayers which they put up for their liberation, -they ever seemed to know that it was "not to -be obtained by negotiation and ransom, <i>but by hard -fighting</i>," and they had more trust in the bayonets -of Sale's Brigade than in all the diplomatists in -London or Calcutta. -</p> - -<p> -Fortunately, ere all these disastrous -arrangements could be made, a new Governor-General in -the person of Lord Ellenborough arrived, and to -him Sir Robert Sale despatched Audley Trevelyan -with a letter descriptive of his plans, and giving -details of his force; and on this mission, with a -few attendants, our young staff officer and his -companion departed by the way of Peshawur, the gate -of Western India, on a long and arduous journey -of nearly five hundred miles, by Rawul Pindee -and Umritsur, to Simla, on the slopes of the -Himalayas—a journey to be performed by horse -and elephant, as the occasion might suit; for the -railway to Lahore had not as yet sent up its whistle -in the realms of Runjeet Sing. -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile Waller was proceeding in precisely an -opposite direction. Compelled to avoid Ghuznee, -which was now in the hands of the Afghans under -Ameen Oollah Khan, he and his escort, the -half-Rissallah of Native Horse, travelled among the -mountains, unnoticed and uncared for by the -nomadic dwellers in black tents, whose temporary -settlements dotted the green slopes. His sowars -all wore turbans in lieu of light-cavalry helmets; -and as he too had one, with it, his poshteen, and -now weather-beaten visage, he passed as a native -chief of some kind; and the route they traversed -was sometimes as beautiful as picturesque villages, -long shady lanes overarched by mulberry-trees, -orchards of plums, apples, pomegranates, and those -great cherries which were introduced by the -Emperor Baber, could make it. And so on they -rode, by Kurraba and Killaut, till they reached -Candahar in safety; and thankful indeed was -honest Bob Waller when from the hills, amid the -plain, he beheld the city, with its fortress -crowning a precipitous rock, its long low walls of -sun-dried brick, and the gilded cupola that shrines the -tomb of Ahmed Shah, once "the Pearl of his age," -the object of many a Dooranee's prayer, and around -which so many recluses spend the remainder of -their lives in repeating the Koran over and over -again without end. -</p> - -<p> -There Waller was welcomed by the gallant -General Nott, whom he found full of stern resolution -and high in hope for the future, for he was -on the very eve of marching with seven thousand -well-tried and well-trained troops to the aid of his -friend Sale; and on the 15th of August the -movement was made, <i>en route</i> recapturing Ghuznee. -It was stormed, and the Afghans again driven out -at the point of the bayonet. The whole place was -dismantled; and, among others, Waller had the -pleasure of standing where no "unbeliever" ever -stood before, in the tomb of the Sultan Mahmud, -which is entirely of white marble and sculptured -over with Arabic verses from the Koran. Around -it, beneath the mighty cupola stand thrones of -mother-of-pearl; and upon the slab that covers his -grave lies the mace he used in battle, with a head -of iron, so heavy that few men now-a-days can use it. -The gates of this tomb were miracles of carving -and beauty; they were of that hard yellow timber -known as sandal-wood, which grows on the coast of -Malabar and in the Indian Archipelago, and is -highly esteemed for its fragrant perfume and as a -material for cabinet work. Those gates had been -brought as trophies from the famous Hindoo -temple of Somnath in Goojerat, when sacked by -Mahmud in his last expedition during the tenth -century; and after hanging on his tomb for eight -hundred years, they were now torn down by order of -General Nott, and carried off by our victorious -troops, for restoration on their original site. -</p> - -<p> -Prior to all this, General Pollock with his army -had reached Jellalabad, which he entered under a -joyful salute of sixteen pieces of cannon, and then -"forward!" was the word heard on all sides, -"forward to Cabul!" -</p> - -<p> -Then it was seen how the weather-beaten and -hollow faces of our jaded soldiers brightened with -joy and ardour, with a flush for vengeance too; -for certain tidings came that, prior to this -long-delayed* junction having been effected, the -relentless Ackbar, true to his oath, had hurried off all -his captives, male and female, in charge of Saleh -Mohammed towards the confines of savage -Toorkistan—tidings heard by many a husband, father, -and lover with despair and rage!..... -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -* It was with something of waggery, perhaps, that the band of -the 13th Light Infantry, on this occasion, welcomed Pollock, by -playing the old Scottish melody, -</p> - -<p class="footnote"> - "Oh, but you've been lang o' comin',<br /> - Lang, lang, lang o' comin'."<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap07"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER VII. -<br /><br /> -THE SCHEME OF ZOHRAB. -</h3> - -<p> -Time, to the young, seems but a slow and cold -comforter (alas! how different it must appear to -the old); so Denzil knew that, though sluggish, -time must eventually bring about some change -in the captivity he was enduring in the hands -of Shireen Khan—a mode of life that, but for the -sweet companionship of Rose, would have been -simply so intolerable that he should certainly -have attempted to escape even at the risk of -death. -</p> - -<p> -In perfect ignorance of all that was passing in -the outer world of far-away Europe, of India, and -even Afghanistan, they and the other hostages, -from whom they were, happily for themselves, kept -apart, knew nothing of all that was passing -elsewhere, or of the plans that were forming and the -hopes that grew for their rescue or release. -</p> - -<p> -We say, happily they were sequestered from those -who were in the hands of Ackbar Khan: thus they -were not harassed by dreadful and incessant doubts -of their future fate, especially the vague and terrible -one of transmission to Toorkistan; for the old -Kuzzilbash lord treated them kindly, and, to the -best of his resources, hospitably, confidently -believing that it was his personal interest to do so, -as the gaily embroidered regimental colour of the -44th, or East Essex, in which Denzil purposely -aired his figure occasionally in the garden of the -fort, still impressed him with the idea that he had -secured a great Feringhee Nawab whom the Queen -or Company might ransom, or who might prove a -powerful friend to him if reverses came upon Cabul, -and not a poor Ensign, or Lieutenant, as Denzil -was now; though he knew not that, consequent to -slaughter, death by disease, and so forth, he had -now been promoted in the corps. -</p> - -<p> -Chess-playing was the great bond between old -Shireen and the bright laughing Rose, whom he -treated with infinitely more care and tenderness than -either of his own daughters; but to Denzil he would -frequently say in his hoarse, guttural, and most -unmusical language, between the whiffs of his -silk-bound and silver-cupped hubble-bubble— -</p> - -<p> -"I am thy friend; yet remember that friendship -with unbelievers is forbidden by the Koran, -especially with Jews or Christians; for saith the fifth -chapter, 'Are they not friends one with another?' -and they will corrupt us, their alms being like the -icy winds which blow on the fields of the perverse, -and blast their corn in the ear." -</p> - -<p> -Denzil could not repress an impatient grimace -under a smile, for it was the Koran—always and -ever the Koran—among these Afghans; every casual -remark or idea suggested a quotation from or a -reference to it, so that the Khanum could not dye -her nails, adjust her veil, put pepper in the kabobs, -or chillis among the pillau of rice, without a -reference to something that was said or done on a -similar occasion by the Holy Camel-driver of -Mecca,—their whole conversation being interlarded -with pious sayings, like that of the Scottish -Covenanters or English Puritans of old. -</p> - -<p> -Isolated as they were in that lonely Afghan fort, -surrounded by towering green hills, the interest that -Denzil and Rose had in each other grew daily and -hourly deeper; so that at last she learned to love -him—yes, actually to love him—as fondly as he had -ever loved her, and to feel little emotions of pique -and jealousy when he strove to address the daughters -of the house and teach them a very strange kind of -broken English. -</p> - -<p> -Propinquity and a just appreciation of his -sterling character achieved this for him, and he felt -supremely happy in the conviction of this returned -love, though the end of it yet was difficult to foresee. -</p> - -<p> -But it was such a divine happiness to dream -softly on for the present, shut in there as they were -alone for themselves apparently, and, as it seemed, -"the world forgetting, by the world forgot." Denzil's -doubts of her were gone now; yet Rose had the -power to conceal for a long time the gradual change -in her own sentiments and secret thoughts from -him who had inspired them; for the coquette was -loth to admit that she had succumbed at last. -</p> - -<p> -Denzil had contrived, after innumerable essays, in -the most remarkable species of polyglot language, -to make old Shireen comprehend that they had not, -as yet, been married before a Cadi (or Moollah, as -the Christians are), and had to wait the permission -of others. On this he stroked his vast beard in token -of assent, and thrice muttered "Shabash!" with -great solemnity, meaning, "Well-done—agreed." -</p> - -<p> -Rose had lost much of her heedlessness of manner -now; her latest flirtation, which had been with -Audley Trevelyan, was utterly forgotten, as many -others had been; and the quaint Afghan dress she -was compelled by the exigencies of her scanty -wardrobe to wear—to wit, a yellow chemise of silk -embroidered with black, trousers of fine white muslin, -which revealed through its thin texture the roundness -of each tapered ankle, with her veil floating -loose, in token of her being unmarried, did not -afford her much room for coquetry, although it -afforded scope for her old waggery, and her long -unbound auburn tresses, that spread over her -shoulders in brilliant ripples, she was wont to ridicule -as a <i>coiffure à la sauvage</i>, though one with which -Denzil's fingers—when unobserved by the Afghan -household, he and she could ramble among the -parterres, rosaries, and shrubberies of the Khan's -garden—were never weary of toying. -</p> - -<p> -"You will tire of this life, as I do, and more -soon of waiting too," said she one day. -</p> - -<p> -"I shall wait and be faithful to you, Rose, even as -I was taught at school Jacob was to Rachel," he -replied, fondly caressing her hands in his. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh! that is much more solemn than Paul and -Virginia," said she laughing; "but, for Heaven's -sake, don't imitate our dingy friends here in pious -quotations." -</p> - -<p> -When Rose Trecarrel calmly learned to know -herself, she found upon consideration, and came to -the conclusion, that it was not mere admiration for -Denzil's handsome person and earnest winning -manner; it was not gratitude for his steady faith -to herself, it was not the charm of propinquity, -nor the emotion of self-flattery at his passion,—that -it was not any of these singly, but all put -together, that made her love him so dearly now, -and wonder at her heedless blindness in the time -that was past. -</p> - -<p> -Save Zohrab Zubberdust, that handsome, reckless, -and wandering Mohammedan soldier of fortune, -no visitor at this time came to the fort; and he was -openly permitted to see Rose with the other ladies -of the family, and occasionally to converse and -smoke a cherry-stick pipe with Denzil, who deemed -it rash on the part of Shireen to permit them—Rose -and himself—to be seen so freely by one -who was a paid follower of Ackbar Khan; but the -leader of five thousand mounted Kuzzilbash spearmen -doubtless felt himself pretty independent in -action now. Moreover, since Ackbar's signal defeat -before the walls of Jellalabad, his influence had -been lessening in Cabul and all the surrounding -country; and Zohrab, like many other "khans," -who had only their swords and pistols, and, like -many other Afghan snobs, that title to maintain, -was beginning to wax cool in his service, even as -the funds ebbed in his treasury; for Ackbar now -had but one hope of replenishing these—the ransom -or sale of the captives left in his hands, and each -head of these he reckoned at so many mohurs of -gold. -</p> - -<p> -It was from some casual remarks of Zohrab that -Rose and Denzil first learned, with mingled -emotions of satisfaction and fear, compassion and hope, -that so many more hostages, male and female, were -in the hands of Ackbar, and that their own hopes -of rescue or ransom were thereby increased. -</p> - -<p> -Rose, through the medium of the Khan and of -Denzil, overwhelmed Zubberdust with questions as -to who these prisoners were. Was her father among -them? No description he gave her answered to -that of the burly, bronzed, and grizzle-haired -"Sirdir Trecarrel;" but there was <i>one</i> "mem -sahib," whose appearance tallied so closely in -stature, face, eyes, and colour of hair with her own, -that knowing as she did all the ladies who had -been in the cantonments, Rose could not doubt -but that she was Mabel—Mabel, her dear and -only sister, who must have been within a few miles -of her all those weary, anxious months, and yet -neither could know of the other's existence; for -Mabel, like all who were with Elphinstone's -ill-fated host, had now learned to number all who had -loved her with the dead. -</p> - -<p> -Now it happened that Zohrab Zubberdust had -frequently seen Mabel Trecarrel among the -hostages, and been struck by her beauty. Indeed, -Ackbar Khan, who cared not for such personal -attributes as she possessed, and was long since -past all soft emotions now, or, indeed, any save -those of ferocity, ambition, and avarice, had -frequently indicated her to Ameen Oollah Khan and -others as the one upon whom he put most value, -and for whom he expected the largest sum from -a certain Toorkoman chief whom he named, and -who was in the habit of purchasing or exchanging -horses for such pleasant commodities; for -at that precise time, or in that year of Queen -Victoria's reign, Mohammed Ackbar could scarcely -realise as a probability the fact that the year -1871 would see a descendant of the Great -Mogul—he who was lord of Persia, Transoxana, and -Hindostan—one of the royal race of Delhi, -sentenced in a Feringhee court of law, by a cadi in -a tow wig, to four years' imprisonment with hard -labour "for burying a slave-girl" in the city of -Benares! So, -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - "Manners with fortunes, humours turn with climes,<br /> - Tenets with books, and principles with times!"<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -Thus Zohrab, perceiving that the power and -influence of Ackbar had been daily growing less in -Cabul, especially since the flight of the young Shah -to the British General, had begun to dream of -possessing himself of this rare European beauty, -and departing with her, his horse and lance, in -search of "fresh fields and pastures new," and, if -possible, of another paymaster; perchance to the -court of the Emir of Bokhara, the Shah of Persia, -or some one else, alike beyond the ken of Ackbar -and the influence of the Feringhees and their -queen. In this intention, Zohrab felt the less -compunction, that Ackbar had of late permitted his -pay to be in arrears several <i>tillas</i> of gold. -</p> - -<p> -But how to get her quietly out of his power, -still more how to get her out of the immediate -care and wardship of such a wary old soldier and -chief as Saleh Mohammed, to whom the especial -keeping of the hostages had been confided by -the Sirdir, were the two principal difficulties of -Zohrab. -</p> - -<p> -He hoped to achieve much through the real or -supposed relationship to Rose, with whom he -conversed freely, at times, on this and other -subjects (Denzil acting as their interpreter), and -from him she gradually learned much of which -Shireen and his household had, perhaps, kept her -in ignorance—the state of affairs before Jellalabad -and in the Passes. -</p> - -<p> -"Are not the poor dead creatures buried there?" -Rose once asked, while many a face and voice came -back to memory. -</p> - -<p> -"Buried? a few—but not deep," replied Zohrab, -evasively. -</p> - -<p> -"How—what mean you?" -</p> - -<p> -"Because, as I rode through the Pass but yesterday, -my horse's hoofs turned up great pieces of -human flesh, while the jackals and hyaenas have -been busy with the rest; they are dry bones now." -</p> - -<p> -Rose tremulously clasped her white hands and -shuddered. -</p> - -<p> -"And those bones," was the sententious remark -of Shireen, who was listening, "not even the voice -of Ezekiel could, as we are told it once did, call -back to life, as it called the dead Israelites of -old." -</p> - -<p> -"A fortunate thing for us, Khan," said the -irreverent Zohrab, laughingly. -</p> - -<p> -"Why?" -</p> - -<p> -"I mean, if the result was to be the same; for all -arose and lived for years after; and is it not written -that they moved among living men with a stench -and colour of corpses, and had to wear garments -blackened with pitch?" -</p> - -<p> -"That weary Koran again!" murmured Rose; -while the Khan frowned, and, to change the subject, -said, -</p> - -<p> -"Tell us, Zohrab, more about the Feringhee damsel -whom this lady deems must be her sister, and your -plans regarding her." -</p> - -<p> -"I fear she could not be prevailed upon to trust -herself to me under any pretext, or to leave the -companionship of her friends in misfortune without -some assurance that she who is with you, Khan -Shireen, is indeed her sister in blood." -</p> - -<p> -"Most true," said Shireen, running his brown -fingers through his dense beard with an air of -perplexity. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, that may be easily arranged," said Denzil, -full of hope at the prospect of seeing Mabel, -of the joy it would afford Rose, and the wish to -learn from her own lips all that had happened -to so many dear friends since that terrible day -when so many thousands perished, and so many -were separated never to meet more. Thus, he -suggested that Rose should entrust Zohrab with a -note to be delivered, on the first convenient -opportunity, to Mabel, or the lady who was supposed to -be she. Zohrab did not care about her identity -the value of a cowrie-shell, provided his own plans -succeeded. -</p> - -<p> -"And you shall bring her here without delay?" -said Shireen, while he knit his bushy and impending -eyebrows. -</p> - -<p> -"Where else would she be safe, Khan?" -</p> - -<p> -"Not with you, at all events," was the dubious -response. -</p> - -<p> -Zohrab coloured perceptibly, and a covert gleam -flashed in his glossy black eyes, as he said, -</p> - -<p> -"My head may answer for this project, Khan, if -I am taken." -</p> - -<p> -"Taken—how? Do you mean to fly?" asked -Shireen, with another keen glance. -</p> - -<p> -"Nay—nay; not if I can help it," stammered -Zohrab, who saw that the Khan's sunken eyes were -full of strange light. -</p> - -<p> -"If it becomes known that she is here, the fact -will embroil me with Ackbar; but, bah! what -matter is it?" said Shireen, proudly. "The city -is divided against him, and he knows I can bring -five thousand red caps into the field; and she will -be one more prisoner for Shireen of the Kuzzilbashes!" -he muttered under his beard. "Go then, -Zohrab; go and prosper." -</p> - -<p> -"May I not accompany him?" asked Denzil, -eagerly, as for months he had never been beyond -the wall and ditch of the fort, and he longed to make -a reconnaissance with a future eye to escape. -</p> - -<p> -"Nay," said Zohrab, "you know not what you -propose, Sahib. Your presence would but encumber -me, and add to the lady's peril: it is not to -be thought of." -</p> - -<p> -Rose added her entreaties that he would not -think of it either; for she might lose her lover, and -not regain her sister, so suddenly, so recently, heard -of; and then an emphatic and brief command from -the Khan ended the matter, so far as poor Denzil -was concerned, and he felt himself compelled to -succumb. -</p> - -<p> -Writing materials, such as the Afghans use, the -strong fibrous paper, a reed split for a pen, with -deep black and perfumed Indian ink, were soon -brought; and Rose, with a prayerful emotion in her -fluttering heart, and a hand that more than once -almost failed in its office, so great was her -excitement, wrote a single line assuring Mabel that she, -herself, was safe, and to "confide in the bearer of -this, who would bring her to where she was -residing;" and with this tiny missive—which he -placed to his lips and then to his forehead in token -of faith, while his black eyes flashed with an -expression which Rose saw, but failed to analyse—safely -deposited in the folds of his turban, Zohrab took -his departure; and with a heartfelt invocation for -his success on her lips, Rose heard the sound of -the hoofs of his swift Tartar horse die away on -the road that led towards the dark rocky hills of -Siah Sung. -</p> - -<p> -"Shabash! such children of burnt fathers those -Feringhees are!" said Zohrab, laughing as he -galloped along. "Well, well, let me enjoy the world -ere I become the prey of the world!" -</p> - -<p> -Zohrab had promised to return with the lady, or, -if without her, to bring some sure tidings, not later -than the evening of the second day; but the evening -sun of the third had reddened and died out on the -mountain peaks, the third, the fourth, the fifth, and -a whole week passed away, yet there came no word -or sign from Zohrab, and never more did he cross -the threshold of Shireen's dwelling! -</p> - -<p> -Had he been discovered and slain by Saleh -Mohammed, or what had happened? -</p> - -<p> -Rose wept, for the tender hope, so suddenly lighted -in her impulsive heart, only to be as suddenly -extinguished; but as yet no suspicion of treachery -on the part of Zohrab Zubberdust had entered the -minds of her or Denzil, whatever Shireen Khan, as -an Afghan naturally prone to suspicion, may have -thought. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap08"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER VIII. -<br /><br /> -MABEL DELUDED. -</h3> - -<p> -On receiving the note from Rose Trecarrel, the -cunning Zohrab, full of his own nefarious plans, -had ridden straight from the white-walled fort of -Shireen Khan to that commanded by Saleh Mohammed, -which is situated exactly three miles from -Cabul, amid a well-cultivated country; and there, -knowing well the time when, after hearing morning -prayers read according to the service of the Church -of England by one lady who had preserved her -"Book of Common Prayer," the poor captives, with -the children who were among them, were wont to -take an airing in the garden, he chose the occasion; -for, as he was aware, Saleh Mohammed, kneeling -upon a piece of black xummul, under the shadow of -a great cypress, would be also at <i>his</i> orisons, and -telling over his string of ninety-nine sandal-wood -beads, with his face bowed towards the <i>west</i>, as is -the custom in India and Persia. The precept of -the Koran is, that when men pray they shall turn -towards the Kaaba, or holy house of Mecca; and, -consequently, throughout the whole Moslem world, -indicators are put up to enable the faithful to fulfil -this stringent injunction. So selecting, we say, a -time when the grim old commandant of the fort was -deep in his orisons, with his head bowed, and his -silver beard floating over the weapons with which his -Cashmere girdle bristled—for the modern Afghan -(like the Scottish Highlander of old) is never found -unarmed, even by his own fireside—he made a sign -to Mabel that he wished to speak with her; but he -had to repeat this salaam more than once ere she -understood him, as she was intently toying with and -caressing a little boy, whose parents had perished -in the late disasters, and who clung specially to her -alone. -</p> - -<p> -Mabel, pale and colourless now more than was -her wont, though she never had possessed a -complexion so brilliant as her sister Rose, bowed to -Zohrab, whom she little more than knew by sight, -and by the force of local custom was lowering her -veil (for she, too, like all the rest, now wore the -Afghan female dress) and turning away, when -Zohrab placed a hand on his lips, and, making a -motion indicative of entreaty, silence, and haste, -held up the tiny note of Rose. -</p> - -<p> -On this Mabel's pale cheek flushed; she hesitated, -and many ideas shot swiftly through her mind, -while she glanced hastily about her, to see who -observed them. Was this note some plot for her -release and the release of her friends—some political -or military stratagem? Had it tidings of her -father's burial—for she knew that he had fallen in -the Pass—of the army, of those who were in Jellalabad? -Was it a love-letter? Zohrab Zubberdust -was certainly very handsome; her woman's eye -admitted that. This idea occurred last of all; yet the -note might be from Waller—dear Bob Waller, with -his fair honest face and ample whiskers. All these -thoughts passed like lightning through her mind -as she took the missive, which was written on a -small piece of paper, folded triangularly and without -an address. -</p> - -<p> -Then, as she opened it, a half-stifled cry of mingled -astonishment and rapture escaped her. -</p> - -<p> -"Rose, it is from Rose; she yet lives! Oh, my God, -I thank Thee! I thank Thee!—she yet lives, but -where?" she exclaimed, in a voice rendered low by -excess of emotion, as she burst into tears, and read -again and again the few words her sister had written. -</p> - -<p> -Zohrab was attentively observing her. He saw -how pure and beautiful she was; how unlike aught -that he had ever looked upon before—even the -fairest, softest, and most languishing maids of Iraun; -for Mabel was an English girl, above the middle -height, and fully rounded in all her proportions. -All that he had heard of houris, of those black-eyed -girls of paradise, the special care of the Angel -Zamiyad, seemed to be embodied in her who was -before him. Her quiet eyes seemed wondrously -soft, clear, and pleading in expression, to one -accustomed ever to the black, beady orbs of the Orientals; -and as he gazed, he felt bewildered, bewitched by -the idea that in a little time, if he was wary, all this -fair beauty might be his—his as completely as his -horse and sabre! -</p> - -<p> -"My sister! my dear, dear sister!" exclaimed -Mabel, impulsively, kissing the note and pressing -it to her breast. "Oh, I must tell of this. Lady -Sale, Lady Sale!" she exclaimed, looking around -her; but Zohrab laid a hand on her arm, and a -finger on his lip significantly. -</p> - -<p> -"Lady Sahib," said he, in a low guttural voice, -"you will go with me?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, yes—oh yes; but how? to where?—and I -must confer with my friends and the Khan, Saleh -Mohammed." -</p> - -<p> -"Nay; to do so would ruin all." -</p> - -<p> -"With my friends, surely?" -</p> - -<p> -"Nay; that too would be unwise: to none." -</p> - -<p> -"None?" -</p> - -<p> -"I repeat, none," said Zohrab, whose habit of -mind, like that of all Orientals, was inclined to -suspicion, secresy, and mistrust. -</p> - -<p> -"Why?" asked Mabel. -</p> - -<p> -"Does not your letter tell you?" -</p> - -<p> -"No—but can I—ought I to—to——" she paused -and glanced irresolutely towards the group of her -companions in misfortune, who were generally -clustered round the chief matrons of their party, Lady -Sale and the widowed Lady Macnaghten; and the -idea flashed upon her mind that she might be unwise -to leave the shelter of their presence and society, -and trust herself to this Afghan warrior. But, then, -had not Rose bade her confide in him? -</p> - -<p> -"Where is my sister, and with whom?" she asked. -</p> - -<p> -"I can only tell you that she is in perfect safety," -replied Zubberdust, unwilling in that locality to -compromise himself by mentioning the name of -Shireen Khan. -</p> - -<p> -"I shall be silent, and go with you," said Mabel, -making an effort to master her deep and varied -emotions. -</p> - -<p> -"When?" -</p> - -<p> -"Now—this instant, if you choose." -</p> - -<p> -"That is impossible. At dusk, when the sun is -set, I shall be here again on this spot, and take you -to her. Till then, be silent, and confide in none: -to talk may ruin all!" said Zubberdust, whose active -mind had already conceived a plan for outwitting -Saleh Mohammed and his guard of Dooranees, who -watched the walls of the fort from the four round -towers which terminated each angle, and on each of -which was mounted a nine-pounder gun taken from -our old cantonments. -</p> - -<p> -Too wary to remain needlessly in her company, -with all her allurements, now that his pretended -mission was partly performed, and thereby draw the -eyes of the observant or suspicious upon them, and -more particularly upon himself, he at once withdrew, -leaving poor Mabel, who naturally was intensely -anxious to question him further, overwhelmed by -emotions which she longed eagerly to share by -confidence with her friends; for news of any European, -especially of one who belonged to the little circle of -English society at Cabul, must prove dear and of -deepest interest to them all. Yet had not this -mysterious messenger impressed upon her, that if -she was to see her sister, to rejoin her, and hear the -story of her wonderful disappearance at the mouth -of the Khyber Pass, if she would soothe, console, it -might be protect her, she must be silent? -</p> - -<p> -Slowly passed the day in the fort of Saleh -Mohammed. The tall and leafy poplars, the slender -white minars, the four towers of the fort, which was -a perfect parallelogram, and the wooded and rocky -hills that overlooked them all, cast their shadows -across the plain (through which the Cabul winds -towards the Indus) gradually in a circle, and then, -when stretching far due westward, they gradually -faded away; the snow-capped peaks of the Hindu-Kush, -the mighty Indian Caucasus, rose cold and -pale against the clear blue sky, where the stars were -twinkling out in succession; and with a nervous -anxiety, which she found it almost impossible to -control, Mabel Trecarrel stole away, with mingled -emotions, from the apartments assigned to the lady -hostages—emotions of sorrow, half of shame for her -silence concerning the project she had in hand, and -her enforced reticence to those who loved her, and -had ever been so kind to her amid their own heavy -afflictions—compunction for the honest alarm her -absence would certainty occasion them on the morrow; -but hope and joy in the anticipated reunion with her -sister soon swept all such minor thoughts away, and -she longed and thirsted for the embrace and -companionship of Rose, to whom, though the difference in -their years was but small, she had ever been a species -of mother and monitress—never so much as when -in their happy English home in Cornwall, far away! -</p> - -<p> -Since their strange separation on that fatal morning, -when their poor father, in his despair and sorrow, -galloped rearward to perish in the skirmish, how -much must the pretty, the once-playful, and -coquettish Rose have to tell; and how much had she, -herself, to impart in return! -</p> - -<p> -Her heart beat almost painfully, when, on approaching -the appointed spot for the last time, she -saw the figure of Zohrab Zubberdust standing quite -motionless under the shadow of the great cypress, -where in the morning Saleh Mohammed had knelt at -prayer. He wore his steel cap (with its neck-flap -of mail), on which the starlight glinted; he had a -small round gilded shield slung on his back by a -leather belt; his poshteen was buttoned up close to -his throat, and he was, as usual, fully armed; but -in one hand he carried a large, loose chogah, or -man's cloak, of dull-coloured red cloth; and now -Mabel felt that the decisive moment had, indeed, all -but arrived: beyond that, her ideas were vague in -the extreme, and her breathing became but a series -of hurried and thick respirations. -</p> - -<p> -"Is all safe? is all ready—prepared?" she asked, -in a broken voice. -</p> - -<p> -"Inshallah—all," replied the taciturn Mahommedan, -who, like all of his race and religion, had -few words to spare. -</p> - -<p> -The idea of escaping by ladders of rope or wood -had never seemed to him as possible. The walls of -the fort were twenty-five feet high, and surrounded -by a deep wet ditch, the water of which came by a -canal, through a rice-field, from the Cabul river. -Its only gate was guarded by a party of Saleh -Mohammed's men, under a Naick (or subaltern), -with whom Zohrab was very intimate; and beyond -or outside these barriers he had left his horse -haltered (in sight of the sentinels), and so that it -could not stir from the place, as the only portion of -the gate which the Naick was permitted to open -was the <i>kikree</i>, or wicket, through which but one at -a time could pass. -</p> - -<p> -Zohrab Zubberdust, scarcely daring to trust himself -to look on Mabel's fair, anxious, and imploring -face, lest it might bewilder him from his fixed -purpose, took from his steel cap the white turban cloth -he wore twisted round it, and, speedily forming it -into a single turban with a falling end, placed it on -her head. He enveloped her in the ample chogah, -hiding half her face, gave her his sabre to place -under her arm, and the simple disguise was complete; -for, in the dusk now, none could perceive that -she wore slippers in lieu of the brown leather jorabs -or ankle-boots of the Afghans; and looking every -inch a taller and perhaps a manlier Osmanlie than -himself, Mabel walked leisurely by his side -towards the gate, where, as watch-words, parole, and -countersign were alike unknown to the guard, -fortunately none were required of them; but her -emotions almost stifled her, when she saw the black, -keen, and glossy eyes of the Dooranees surveying -her, as they leaned leisurely on their long juzails, -which were furnished with socket bayonets nearly a -yard in length. -</p> - -<p> -She moved mechanically, like one in a dream, and -the circumstance of striking her head as she failed -to stoop low enough in passing through the wicket -added to her confusion; nor was she quite aware -that they had been permitted to pass free and -unquestioned, as two men, by the Naick, to whom -Zohrab made some jesting remark about the -"awkwardness of his friend," until she saw behind her -the lofty white walls of the fort gleaming in the -pale starlight, their loopholes and outline reflected -downward, in the slimy wet ditch where water-lilies -were floating in profusion. -</p> - -<p> -Unhaltering his horse and mounting, her new -companion desired her, with more impressiveness than -tenderness of tone—for the former was his habit, -and the moment was a perilous and exciting one—to -walk on by his side a little way, as if they were -conversing, and thereby to lull any suspicion in the -minds of such Dooranees as might be observing -them; for they were still within an unpleasant -distance of the long rifles of those who were posted on -the towers of the fort; and still more were they -within range of those ginjauls which are still used -in India, and are precisely similar to the swivel -wall-pieces invented long ago by Marshal Vauban, -and throw a pound ball to a vast distance. -</p> - -<p> -On descending the other side of an intervening -eminence, that was covered by wild sugar-canes and -aromatic shrubs, the leaves of which were tossing -in the evening breeze, he curtly desired her to place -her right foot upon his left within the stirrup-iron, -and then, with the aid of his hand, he readily placed -her on the holsters of his saddle before him. He -now applied the spurs with vigour to his strong, -active, and long-bodied Tartar horse, and, with a -speed which its double burden certainly served to -diminish, it began quickly to leave behind the -dreaded fort of Mohammed Saleh. -</p> - -<p> -As the latter began to sink and lessen in the distance, -Mabel Trecarrel felt as if there was a strange -and dreamy unreality about all this episode. Many -an officer and Indian Sowar had ridden into the -Khoord Cabul Pass with his wife or his children -before him, even as she was now borne by Zohrab; -she had heard and seen many wild and terrible -things since her father, with other officers of the -Company's service, had come, in an evil hour, "up -country," to command Shah Sujah's Native -Contingent; she had read and heard of many such -adventures, escapes, flights, and abductions in -romance and reality; but what might be her fate -now, if this should prove to be the latter—an -abduction of herself—some trick of which she had -permitted herself to become the too-ready victim? -</p> - -<p> -She was in a land where the people were prone to -wild and predatory habits, and, moreover, were -masters in trickery, cunning, and cruelty. Had -she been deceived? she asked of herself, when -she felt the strong, sinewy, and bony arm of -Zohrab tightening round her waist, while his wiry -little horse, with its fierce nose and muscular neck -outstretched, and its dancing mane streaming behind -like a tiny smoke-wreath, sped on and on, she -knew not whither! -</p> - -<p> -Had she been deceived, was the ever-recurring -dread, when the handwriting was that of Rose, -beyond all doubt? But written when? or had Rose -been deluded? Was this horseman the person in -whom she had been desired "to confide," or had he -stolen the note from another?—perhaps, after killing -him! Those Afghans were such subtle tricksters -that she felt her mistrust equalled only by her -loathing of them all. -</p> - -<p> -Mabel asked herself all these tormenting -questions when, perhaps, too late; and she knew that, -whether armed or unarmed, Heaven had never -intended her to be a heroine, or to play the part of -one: she felt a conviction that she was merely "an -every-day young lady," and that if "much more of -this kind of thing went, she must die of fright." -</p> - -<p> -Just as she came to this conclusion an involuntary -cry escaped her. The boom of a cannon—one of -Her Majesty's nine-pounders, of which the Khan had -possessed himself—pealed out on the calm still -atmosphere of the Indian evening, now deepening into -night. Another and another followed, waking the -echoes of the woods and hills; and, though distant -now, each red flash momentarily lit up the sky. They -came from the fort of Saleh Mohammed to alarm -the country; and still further to effect this and -announce the escape of a prisoner, a vast quantity -of those wonderful and beautiful crimson, blue, -green, and golden lights, in the manufacture of -which all Oriental pyrotechnists excel so -particularly, were shot off in every direction from the -walls, showering upward and downward like falling -stars, describing brilliant arcs through the cloudless -sky; and with an exclamation on his bearded mouth, -expressive of mockery and malison with fierce -exultation mingled, Zohrab Zubberdust looked back for -a moment, while his black eyes flashed fire in the -reflected light. -</p> - -<p> -"Hah!" he muttered, "dog of a Dooranee, may -the grave of the slave that bore thee be defiled!" -</p> - -<p> -And while one hand tightened around his prize, -with the other he urged his horse to greater speed -than ever. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap09"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER IX. -<br /><br /> -BY THE HILLS OF BEYMARU. -</h3> - -<p> -As they proceeded, past groves of drooping willows, -past rows of leafy poplars, rice-fields where -pools of water glittered in the starlight, and past -where clumps of the flowering oleaster filled the -air with delicious perfume, Mabel began to recognise -the features of the landscape, and knew by the -familiar locality that she was once more within a -very short distance of Cabul. Again, in the light -of the rising moon, as she sailed, white and silvery, -above the black jagged crests of the Siah Sung, -Mabel Trecarrel could recognise the burned and -devastated cantonments, where in flame and ruin -the fragile bungalows, the compounds of once-trim -hedgerows, and all, had passed away,—the bare -boundary walls and angular bastions alone -remaining. She saw the site of her father's pretty -villa, a place of so many pleasant and happy -memories—the daily lounge of all the young officers -of the garrison; and there, too, were the remains of -the Residency, where Sir William Macnaghten, as -the Queen's representative, dispensed hospitality to -all. Yonder were the hills and village of Beymaru; -and further off a few red lights that twinkled high -in air announced the Bala Hissar, the present -residence of Ackbar Khan; but to take her in that -direction formed then no part of the plans of Zohrab -Zubberdust. -</p> - -<p> -He rode straight towards a lonely place which lay -between the Beymaru Hills and the Lake of Istaliff; -and as the locality grew more and more sequestered -he slackened the speed of his horse, now weary and -foam-flaked. After a time he drew up, and, requesting -her to alight, lifted her to the ground, and politely -and gently urged her to rest herself for a little space. -</p> - -<p> -"My sister?" said Mabel, tremulously. -</p> - -<p> -"Is not here," replied he. -</p> - -<p> -"But where, then?" -</p> - -<p> -"Patience yet a while," said he with a smile, -which she could not perceive; while he, to be -prepared for any emergency, proceeded at once to shift -his saddle, rub down his horse with a handful of -dry grass, give it a mouthful or two from a certain -kind of cake which he carried in his girdle; and -then he looked to his bridle, stirrup-leather, and -the charges of his pistols. Accustomed to arms and -strife of late, Mabel looked quietly on, taking all -the preparations for uncertain contingencies as -mere matters of course. -</p> - -<p> -Breathless and weary with her strange mode of -progression, she had seated herself on a stone close -by; and while the careful rider was grooming his -steed and making him drink a little of the shining -waters of the long narrow lake, she looked anxiously -around her, surmising when or in what manner of -habitation she should find her sister. Not a house -or homestead, not even the black tent of a mountain -shepherd, was in sight. On all sides the lonely -green and silent hills towered up in the quiet -moonlight, and the still, calm lake reflected their -undulating outlines downward in its starry depth. -</p> - -<p> -The holly-oak, the wild almond, and the khinjuck -tree, which distils myrrh, and in that warlike land -of cuts and slashes is in great repute for healing -sabre wounds, the homely dog-rose, the sweet-briar, -the juniper bush, and the wild geranium, all -grew among the clefts of the rocks in luxuriant -masses; while sheets of wild tulips waved their -gorgeous cups among the green sedges by the lake. -</p> - -<p> -Not far from where she sat was a grove, which -she remembered to have been the scene of a -once-happy picnic party, of which Bob Waller was one. -She recognised the place now. She knew it was a -lonely solitude, that in summer was ever full of the -perfume of dewy branches, fresh leaves, and opening -flowers; but the immediate spot where they had -halted had been anciently used as a burying-ground. -A portion of an old temple, covered by luxuriant -creepers, lay there, and two magnificent cypresses -still towered skyward amid the half-flattened mounds -and sinking grave-stones of the long-forgotten dead. -The remains of a little musjid, or place for prayer, -long since ruined by some savage and idolatrous -Khonds, who came down from the hills, lay there -among the débris, which included a shattered well, -built by some pious Moslem of old. The water -from it gurgled past her feet towards the lake, and -she remembered how Waller had placed the bottles -of champagne and red Cabul wine in the runnel to -cool them. -</p> - -<p> -And now, as if contrasting the joyous past with -the bitter present, a shudder came over Mabel. She -held out her pale hand, which looked like ivory in -the moonlight, and said to Zohrab, as he approached -her— -</p> - -<p> -"It is a gloomy place, this. Is my sister far -from here?" -</p> - -<p> -"About five coss," said he, confidently; and he -spoke the truth, and charmed by seeing her -outstretched hand, an action which betokened reliance or -trust—he flattered himself, perhaps, regard—he took -a seat by her side, and then Mabel began to view him -with positive distrust and uneasiness. She said— -</p> - -<p> -"Five coss—ten miles yet! Let us go at once, then!" -</p> - -<p> -"Stay," said he, "let us rest a little. You -are—nay, must be weary;" and arresting her attempt to -rise with a hand upon her arm, he drew nearer her; -and sooth to say, though he was confident in -bearing, bravely embroidered in apparel, and had a -handsome exterior, Zohrab Zubberdust was but an -indifferent love-maker, and knew not how to go -about it, with a "Feringhee mem sahib" least of -all. He was puzzled, and made a pause, during -which Mabel's large, clear, grey eyes regarded him -curiously, warily, and half sternly. -</p> - -<p> -As the mistress of her father's late extensive -household, with its great retinue of native servants -(each of whom had half a dozen others to perform -his or her work), and, as such, coming hourly in -contact with the dealers and others in the bazaars -and elsewhere, Mabel Trecarrel had, of necessity, -picked up a knowledge of the Hindostanee and the -Afghan, far beyond her heedless sister Rose, who, -as these were neither the languages of flirtation -or the flowers, scarcely made any attempt to do so; -hence Mabel could converse with Zohrab with -considerable fluency. -</p> - -<p> -Her beauty was as soft and as bright as that of -Rose, but it was less girlish and of a much higher -and more statuesque character; so "Zohrab the -Overbearing" now felt himself rather at a loss to -account for the emotion of awe—we have no other -name for it—with which she inspired him. The -point, the time, and the place when he should -have her all to himself had arrived, true to all -his calculations and beyond his hopes; and yet his -tongue and spirit failed him, as if a spell were -upon him. -</p> - -<p> -In his lawless roving life, now serving the -Khan of Khiva, on the eastern shores of the -Caspian Sea, now the Emir of Bhokara, far away -beyond the waters of the Oxus, and lastly Ackbar -Khan, he had, in predatory war, carried off many -a girl with all her wealth of bracelets and bangles, -the spoil of his spear and sabre, trussing her up -behind him like the fodder or oats for his Tartar -nag; but never had he felt before as he did now, -for, unlike the maids of the desert, the Feringhee -failed to accept the situation. He felt perplexed—secretly -enraged, and yet he murmured half to himself -and half to her, as his dark face and darker -gleaming eyes drew nearer hers— -</p> - -<p> -"The whiteness of her bosom surpasses the egg -of the ostrich or the leaf of the lily, and her breath -is sweet as the roses of Irem—yea, as those of -Zulistan! Listen to me," he added abruptly, in -a louder and sharper tone, and in his figurative -language; "fair daughter of love, give ear. You -have won my heart, my love, my soul, subduing -me—even Zohrab! Learn in turn to be subdued, -submissive, and obedient. Happy is he who shall -call you wife; and that happy man—is Zohrab!" -</p> - -<p> -The intense bewilderment of poor Mabel increased -to extreme fear at those words, so absurdly -inflated, yet so blunt in import, and she shrunk -back, but could not turn from the dark, glittering -eyes that gleamed with a serpent-like fascination -into hers. -</p> - -<p> -So she <i>had</i> been deluded after all, and her worst -anticipations were about to be realised at last! -Zohrab grasped her left hand with his right, and -planting his left cheek on the other hand, with an -elbow on his knee, began to take courage, and, -surveying her steadily, to speak more distinctly -and with an admiring smile; for the silence of the -night was around them, and no sound came on -the wind that moaned past the grove or the great -cypresses close by; so from the silence, perhaps, -he gathered confidence, if, indeed, he really -required it. -</p> - -<p> -"Allah has been good to us," said he, "exceedingly -good, in creating such beautiful beings as -women to please us. You are more beautiful than -any I have seen—too much so to be left to gladden -a Kaffir's heart; so you shall remain with me, and -be the light of my eyes." -</p> - -<p> -"Wretch!—fool that I have been! Rose, Rose!" -gasped Mabel, scarcely knowing what she said. -</p> - -<p> -"I love you," he resumed softly, while his hot -clasp tightened on her hand, and his lips approached -her ear; "you hear—and understand me?" -</p> - -<p> -"You love me!" exclaimed Mabel rashly, with -proud scorn in her tone, despite the deadly fear -that gathered in her heart, and while her eyes -flashed with an expression to which the Oriental -was quite unaccustomed in a captive woman. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, I love you—I, Zohrab," was the somewhat -egotistical response. -</p> - -<p> -"You know not what love is; but, even if you -did, you shall not dare to talk of it to me. That -you may have a fancy, I can quite well understand; -but a fancy, or a passion, and love are very -different things. What do you, or what can you, -know of me?" -</p> - -<p> -"That you are beautiful: what more is required?" -</p> - -<p> -"Enough of this—I am weary. Take me instantly -to my sister, or back to my friends who -are with Saleh Mohammed; for if I were to -denounce you to Ackbar Khan, how much think you -your head would be worth?" -</p> - -<p> -"Much less than yours, certainly." -</p> - -<p> -"And at what does he—this <i>other</i> barbarian—value -me?" -</p> - -<p> -"At the price of six Toorkoman horses, perhaps," -was the half-angry response; "while to me -you are priceless, beyond life itself. Denounce me -to Ackbar Khan—would you?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes." -</p> - -<p> -His teeth glistened under his jet moustache as -he replied— -</p> - -<p> -"Those stones and trees alone hear us; so now -let me tell you, Kaffir girl, that you weary me; by -the five blessed Keys of Knowledge, you do!" and, -as he spoke, he started to his feet, and by an angry -twist of his embroidered girdle threw his jewelled -sabre behind him. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, this is becoming frightful!" moaned Mabel, -clasping her hands and looking wildly round her; -"what will become of me now? Papa, Rose, are we -never to meet again?" -</p> - -<p> -Oh, if big, burly Bob Waller, with his six feet and -odd inches of stature, were only there! Could he -but know of her misery of mind—her dire extremity! -but would he ever know? God alone could tell! -</p> - -<p> -There is much that is touching in the helplessness -of any woman, but more than all a beautiful -one, though we, whose lines are cast in pleasant -places, and in a land of well-organized police, may -seldom see it—a clinging, imploring expression of -eye, when all is soul and depth of heart, and strength -avails not. But Zohrab Zubberdust felt nothing of -this. She on whom he looked might be pure as -Diana, "chaste as Eve on the morning of her -innocence," yet, as a Mohammedan, he had a secret -contempt for her—perhaps a doubt of her—as a -Kaffir woman. He was only inspired by the -emotions of triumph and passion, by the sure -conviction that this fair Feringhee, this daughter of a -vanquished tribe, this outcast unbeliever, so lovely -in her whiteness of skin, her purity of complexion, -and wondrous colour of hair, in her roundness of -limb, and in stature so far surpassing all the maids -of the twenty-one Afghan clans or races, was his—<i>his</i> -property—to become the slave of his will or his -cruelty, as it pleased him! -</p> - -<p> -Of the paradox that woman's weakness is her -strength, with the Christian man, Zohrab knew -nothing, and felt less; yet he tried to act the lover -in a melodramatic fashion, by making high-flown -speeches, and assuring her, again and again, that he -loved her "as the only Prophet of God loved -Ayesha, his favourite wife, the mother of all the -Faithful," and much more to the same purpose, till -amid the wind that sighed through the trees, and -shook the wild tulips and lilies by the lake, the -quickened ear of Mabel caught a distant sound; and -then one of those shrill cries of despair, that women -alone can give, escaped her. -</p> - -<p> -A fierce malediction from the lips of Zohrab -mingled with it, for he dreaded Saleh Mohammed; -and in a few moments more the clink of hoofs was -heard; then Zohrab sternly drew a pistol from his -girdle, and unsheathed his sabre like a flash of fire -in the moonlight. The blade glittered like his own -eyes, as he glared alternately from Mabel to where -the sounds came; and by his keen, wild expression -and fierce quivering nostrils, she saw with terror, -that a very slight matter might turn his wrath and -his weapons against herself. -</p> - -<p> -"Here comes aid—Saleh Mohammed perhaps! -Help, help, in the name of God!" she cried, -recklessly. -</p> - -<p> -Zohrab uttered a sound like a hiss, and placed -the cold back of his sabre across her throat, implying -thereby, "Silence, or death;" and at that instant, -four Afghan horsemen came galloping up, and reined -in their nags. -</p> - -<p> -"Bismillah," said the leader, a venerable, burly, -and silver-bearded man, in a huge turban. -</p> - -<p> -"Bismillah," responded Zohrab, using also the -expression of salutation customary to the country -(and which means no more than "good evening" or -"good e'en" may do with us), yet regarding the -stranger with a somewhat resentful and tiger-like -expression of eye for his unwelcome interruption. -</p> - -<p> -"What, Zohrab Zubberdust, is this thou?" -exclaimed the other. -</p> - -<p> -"Shabash—it is I; and you—are Nouradeen Lal!" -said the would-be lover, as he recognised his -acquaintance, the hill-farmer, whose ploughman, perforce, -Waller had been; "whence come you?" -</p> - -<p> -"From Cabul, where I have been with many an -arroba of corn for the Sirdir, who expects to be -besieged by the Kaffirs from Jellalabad. Oh! and -so you are at your old tricks again," continued the -farmer, with a somewhat unoriental burst of laughter; -"you are not content to wait for the spouses of -musk and amber in their couches of pearl—the -black-eyed girls with their scarfs of green!" -</p> - -<p> -"Allah Keerem, but he is fortunate," said another, -looking admiringly on Mabel; "most fortunate! -She is fair and white as the virgins of paradise -can be." -</p> - -<p> -"But her cry sounded like the bay of a goorg to -the rising moon; and we thought you were an -afreet—the Ghoul Babian, or some such horror; for -here are graves close by!" -</p> - -<p> -"Nouradeen Lal is not complimentary," said the -other speaker, who, by his steel cap, spear, and -shield of rhinoceros hide, seemed to be a -Hazir-bashi, or one of Ackbar's body-guard, "if he -compare the damsel's voice to the cry of a wolf." -</p> - -<p> -"But why did she cry? You were not ill-using -her, I hope," said the old farmer, peering down at -Mabel's face from under his broad circular turban. -</p> - -<p> -"For the love of God—your God as well as mine—save -me from this man!" said Mabel, clinging to -the stirrup-leather of the farmer, whose venerable -appearance encouraged her, and who placed his -strong brown hand on her head encouragingly and -protectingly. -</p> - -<p> -"I dare you to interfere!" exclaimed Zohrab, -hoarse with passion, as he drew from his girdle the -long brass pistol he had just half cocked and -replaced there. -</p> - -<p> -"And why so?" asked the Hazir-bashi, who -seemed quite ready for a brawl, and perhaps the -appropriation of the girl. -</p> - -<p> -"Because she is—my wife." -</p> - -<p> -"Your wife!" exclaimed Nouradeen, withdrawing -his hand abruptly, and swerving round his horse, so -that Mabel nearly fell to the ground. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes; we were married before the Cadi: and now -she would seek to repudiate me, and return to her -own accursed people," said the artful Zohrab; for -marriage among the Mohammedans is exclusively a -civil ceremony, performed before a Cadi, or -magistrate, and not by an Imaum or any other minister -of religion, with which it has nothing to do. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, believe not a word of this; it is false—false!" -implored Mabel, with desperation in her tone. -</p> - -<p> -"It is true; and thou, Kaffir, liest! Silence, silence, -or I will kill thee!" hissed Zohrab in her ear; and -she felt that he was but too capable of putting his -threat into execution. "Interfere not with us, I -charge you; but leave us, and remember what the -fourth chapter of the Koran says, 'If a woman fear -ill-usage or aversion from her husband, it shall be -no crime in them if they settle the matter amicably -between themselves; for a reconciliation is better -than a separation;' therefore leave us to agree -amicably, as the Prophet hath advised." -</p> - -<p> -"And the same chapter, good Zohrab, tells us -how we may chastise such wives as are contumacious, -and those captives, too, whom our right hand may -possess," said the farmer; "so farewell, and may -the steps of you both be fortunate," he added, as he -and his three companions galloped laughingly away, -and with a wail, as if from her heart, Mabel found -herself alone once more in the moonlight -solitude—alone with her unscrupulous companion. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap10"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER X. -<br /><br /> -AGAIN IN CABUL. -</h3> - -<p> -A change had now come over him; he had grown -sullen and thoughtful; but even this mood of mind -she preferred to his obnoxious and intrusive tenderness. -He stood silently and gloomily eyeing her for -a time. -</p> - -<p> -Will it be believed that, too probably, he was -actually pondering whether or not policy and his -own future safety required that he should pistol or -sabre this helpless creature, whom a minute before -he had been professing so ardently to love? He -could not help speculating on what <i>might</i> have been -the sequel, regarding himself, had her wild and -despairing cry, instead of bringing up a stupid old -mountain farmer, like Nouradeen Lal, summoned -to the spot the ferocious Dooranee horsemen of Saleh -Mohammed, who was bound to account for the -prisoners, dead or alive, body for body, to Ackbar -Khan. He knew that by this time all the roads -diverging from Cabul would be beset in every -direction by the horsemen of Saleh Mohammed and -the Sirdir; that, sooner or later, some of these -would meet and question the farmer returning to -his home among the hills, and the information he -and the Hazir-bashi must give, would soon bring a -mounted Rissallah round by Beymaru in search -and pursuit; so his own bold measures were instantly -taken. -</p> - -<p> -In Cabul would he and his prize alone be safe, -and, as he hoped, unsought for a time at least; and -there he resolved to convey her, ere day broke, and -to conceal her in the house of one who he knew -would be faithful to him—a man named Ferishta -Lodi, who had been sutler to the Shah's Goorka -Regiment, and whose life he had spared, and whose -escape he had connived at, when the whole of that -luckless battalion was massacred in cold blood, by -the Afghans at Charekar. -</p> - -<p> -Sternly he commanded her again to mount before -him, and, aware that resistance and entreaty were -alike futile, the unhappy girl, crushed in spirit, -weeping heavily, and feeling utterly lost and -helpless, obeyed; and once more their progress was -resumed, but at a slower pace, as Zohrab was -evidently husbanding the strength of his wearied -horse. Day was breaking as they passed, -unquestioned, through the Kohistan Gate of Cabul; -but its light was yet grey and dim jis they traversed -the narrow, dark, and high-walled tortuous streets, -to some obscure quarter perfectly unknown to -Mabel. -</p> - -<p> -A few persons passed them, some going to market -in the Char-chowk, others afield to tend the trellised -vines; but she dared neither speak nor show her -pallid face. She might find mercy at the hands of -Zohrab, but none among the rabble of Cabul, where -the miserable remains of the Queen's Envoy yet -hung unburied in the great bazaar. -</p> - -<p> -Mabel knew but too well, by observation and -experience, the nature of the nation among whom -she now found herself—alone. Nearly forty years -had made no change on the people, since a Scottish -traveller described them; and his pithy account may -be summed up in the following quotation:— -</p> - -<p> -"If a man could be transported to Afghanistan -without passing through the dominions of Turkey, -Persia, or Tartary, he would be amazed by the -wide and unfrequented deserts and the mountains -covered with perennial snow. Even in the cultivated -part of the country he would discover a wild -assemblage of hills and wastes, unmarked by -enclosures, not embellished by trees, and destitute of -navigable canals, public roads, and all the great and -elaborate productions of human refinement and -industry. He would find the towns few and far -distant from each other; he would look in vain for -inns and other conveniences, which a traveller would -meet with in the wildest parts of Great Britain. -Yet he would sometimes be delighted with the fertility -and population of particular plains and valleys, -where he would see the productions of Europe -mingled in profusion with those of the torrid zone, -and the land tilled with an industry and judgment -nowhere surpassed. He would see the inhabitants -accompanying their flocks in tents or villages, to -which the terraced roofs and mud walls give an -appearance entirely novel. He would be struck -with their high and harsh features, their sun-burnt -countenances, their long beards, loose garments, -and shaggy cloaks of skins. When he entered into -society, he would notice the absence of all courts of -justice, and of everything like an organised police. -He would be surprised at the fluctuation and utter -instability of every civil institution. He would find -it difficult to comprehend how a nation could -subsist in such disorder, and pity those who were -compelled to pass their days amid such scenes, and -whose minds were trained by their unhappy situation -to fraud and violence, to rapine, deceit, and -cruel revenge. Yet he could not fail to admire -their lofty and martial spirit, their hospitality, -their bold and simple manners, equally removed -from the suppleness of the citizen and the rusticity -of the clown. In short," he adds, a stormy -independence of spirit, which leads them to declare, -"'We are content with fierce discord; we are -content with alarm; we are content with bloodshed; -but we shall <i>never be content</i> with a master!'" -</p> - -<p> -Mabel gave herself up more than ever for lost on -finding herself within the fatal walls of Cabul; a -benumbed and despairing emotion crept over her heart, -and all her energies seemed away from her. She -found herself lifted from horseback in a paved court -that was dark, damp, and gloomy, and in the centre of -which a fountain was plashing monotonously. She -felt herself borne indoors somewhere, she knew not -by whom, and then she fainted for a little time. -</p> - -<p> -She had been carried into one of those apartments -which open by a large sliding panel off the -dewan-khaneh, the principal hall or receiving-room -of a Cabul house. She had been there deposited at -length on a soft mattrass, which was simply spread -on the floor, as in that country bedsteads and sofas -are unlike unknown. So people there both sleep -and sit on the floor, unless in the case of persons -of rank, who may seat themselves cross-legged on a -divan. -</p> - -<p> -Though prettily ornamented with carving, stucco, -and painting, in this room there was a total absence -of those invariable sentences from the Koran, woven -among arabesques, which mark an Oriental mansion; -but in lieu thereof were some in a language -of which Mabel's weary eyes could make nothing. -These were lines from the Vedas of the Hindoos; -and in three little niches, most elaborately carved, -were the three monstrous statuettes of the god who -is worshipped by so many millions under the names -of Vishnu, Siva, and Brama; for the house to which -she had been conveyed belonged partly to Ferishta -Lodi, the ex-Sutler, who now kept a shop in the -great bazaar, and to a Hindoo, one of those same -schroffs, or bankers, through whom the luckless -General Elphinstone and his staff had negotiated -the enormous sum which was paid to procure our -peaceful march through the Passes—and paid for -our slaughtered troops—in vain. -</p> - -<p> -The Hindoo banker and the Khond were alike -absent; but the wife of the former, a soft-eyed and -gentle little woman, with massive golden bangles on -her wrists and glittering anklets round her ankles, -assisted the somewhat awkward and decidedly -bewildered Zohrab in the task of recovering Mabel, by -plentifully besprinkling her face, neck, and hands -with cool and delightfully perfumed water from a -large flask covered with elaborate silver filagree -work. The Hindoo woman, who knew that the -visitor was a helpless Feringhee captive, worked at -her humane duty in silence, and without venturing -to ask any questions. -</p> - -<p> -A quivering of the long eyelashes, a spasmodic -twitching of the handsomely cut mouth, as she -heaved a long and deep sigh, showed that animation -was returning. Slowly, indeed, did Mabel—though -a girl with naturally a good physique and splendid -constitution—struggle back to life and consciousness. -Her beautiful face was pale as marble now; -all complexion, save that of alabaster, was gone; -cold and white she was, and her brilliant auburn -hair in silky masses rolled over her shoulders and -bosom, which heaved painfully, for every respiration -was a sigh. -</p> - -<p> -To the admiring and undoubtedly appreciative -eyes of the enterprising Zohrab she presented a -powerful contrast to the dusky little Hindoo woman, -on whose ridgy shoulder her head was drooping, -and whose fingers, of bronze-like hue, seemed -absolutely black when placed upon the pure snowy arm -of the English girl; for in aspect, race, and costume -(a shapeless and indescribable garment of red -cotton) the wife of the schroff was unchanged from -what her ancestors had been in the days of Menon -the Lawgiver. -</p> - -<p> -As Mabel gradually became conscious, she sat -up and gently repelled the services of the Hindoo -woman. Then she burst into tears. This relieved -her; and then she began to look around her, and to -remember where she was—in fatal Cabul; and in -whose hands—those of the lying, treacherous, and -unscrupulous Zohrab Zubberdust! -</p> - -<p> -For what was she yet reserved? This was her -first thought. The slender chances of escape were -the next; but escape from walled and guarded -Cabul! and to where or to whom could she go for -succour? To the bones of the dead, who lay in the -passes of the Khyber mountains! -</p> - -<p> -Thirst—intense thirst, the result of over-wrought -emotions, of deep and bitter anxiety, and of all she -had undergone mentally and bodily, made her ask -Zohrab imploringly for something to quench it; -and in a few moments the Hindoo woman brought -her, on a scarlet Burmese salver, a china cup filled -with deliciously iced water and white Cabul wine, -which is not unlike full-bodied Madeira; with this -refreshing beverage was a cake of Cabul apricots, -folded in rice paper, the most luscious of all dried -fruit, and which the Afghans have no less than -fourteen distinct modes of conserving. To these -she added a small slice of sweet Bokhara melon—the -true melon of Toorkistan—we say a small slice, as -they are of such enormous bulk, that two are -sometimes a sufficient load for a donkey. -</p> - -<p> -Revived by these delicate viands, and feeling a -necessity for action, Mabel began in plaintive and -piteous accents to urge upon Zohrab the chances of -pecuniary reward, if he would set her at liberty -near Jellalabad, or if he would even restore her to -the perilous guardianship of Saleh Mohammed; for -to be once more among the English hostages, his -prisoners, was to be, at least, among dear friends. -</p> - -<p> -But Zohrab listened in sullen and tantalising -silence, gnawing the curled ends of his long -moustaches the while. Now that he had her in Cabul, -he saw but slender chances of getting her out of it -for a time. Gossips might speak of her presence -there (was it not already known to the Hindoo -woman?), and so inculpate him with Ackbar Khan, -whose vengeance would be swift, sharp, and sure. -And now he was beginning to revolve in his own -mind, whether or not his best policy would be to -take his horse and quit the country for Khiva, -Cashmere, or Beloochistan—all were many miles -away, the latter three hundred and more—leaving -Mabel in the hands of the banker and merchant, -to keep or deliver up, as they chose. Yet when he -thought of the peculiar <i>creed</i> of the Khond he -shuddered; and she looked so beautiful, so gentle, -and was withal so helpless, that he wavered in his -selfish purpose, and the temptation of hoping to -win her made him pause in forming any decided -resolution; so the noon of the first day passed -slowly and uneventfully on. -</p> - -<p> -He knew that Mabel, as an European woman, -dared make no attempt to escape, or even to show -her face at a window; so he had no necessity either -to watch or to warn her when he left her. -</p> - -<p> -In tears and silence she lay on her pallet, her -head propped upon pillows; near her the Hindoo -woman had kindly placed a vase of fresh flowers, a -feather fan, and a flask of essences; and then, left -to herself for hours, she could but wait, and weep, -and pray at intervals, dreading the coming night. -</p> - -<p> -Some of the sounds without in Cabul were not -unfamiliar to her; she had often heard them -before, when driving through the central street in -the carriage, or when riding with the other ladies of -the garrison. Again, at stated times, she heard the -shrill cries from the minarets and summits of the -mosques proclaim that the hour for prayer had -arrived; for the Moslems observe this frequently -daily. "Glorify God," says the Koran, "when the -evening overtaketh you, and when you rise in the -morning; and unto Him be praise in heaven and -on earth: and at sunset, and when you rest at -noon, for prayer is the pillar of religion, and key of -paradise." -</p> - -<p> -Once she peeped forth between the parted -shutters and blinds, shrinking back timidly as she -did so, lest her pale white face should catch a casual -passer's eye, and elicit a yell of recognition and of -thirst for Christian blood. There the street below -was dark and narrow; the clumsy wooden pipes -projected far over, to carry off the rain from the -roofs, which were flat and terraced; the walls were -high, black, and almost windowless. Such was her -view on one side. The other opened to a paved -court, overlooked by houses built of sun-dried -brick, rough stones, and red clay. Four mulberry-trees -grew there, with a white marble fountain in -the midst; and near it were some grizzly-bearded -Afghans of mature years, in long, flowing garments, -smoking and playing marbles, exactly as children -do in Europe. Another party, also of full-grown -men, were hopping against each other, on their -right legs, grasping their left feet with their right -hands. They seemed all pleasant fellows, hilarious -and in high good humour; yet she dared neither to -seek their aid, nor to trust to their compassion. In -her eyes, they were but as so many tigers at play! -</p> - -<p> -The circumstance of her being deemed the -prisoner, the slave, or peculiar property of such -a formidable soldier as Zohrab Zubberdust secured -her from all interruption on the part of his male -friends, the Khond and the Hindoo schroff, who -jointly occupied the house in which he had placed -her, and which was situated at the bottom of a narrow -alley (opening off the main street that led to the Char -Chowk, or great bazaar), a regular cul-de-sac, where -many Khonds lived together, congregating precisely -as the Irish do in the towns of England and -Scotland; but this was deemed no peculiarity in Cabul, -where the city was apportioned in quarters, to the -different tribes of the Afghan people, the most -formidably fortified being that of the Kuzzilbashes. -</p> - -<p> -As evening drew on, Mabel became aware of a -conversation that was proceeding in the next room; -and, as she could from time to time detect the voice -of Zohrab, she thought herself fully excusable in -listening, which she could do with ease, as the -partitions of the apartments which opened off the -dewan-khaneh were all of them boarding panelled. -</p> - -<p> -In one place a knot had dropped out, and to the -convenient orifice made thereby, as she breathlessly -applied her ear and eye alternately, she heard and -saw all that was passing, and in some respects more -than she cared to know, as much that she did hear -only added to her repugnance and terror of those on -whose mercy she found herself cast by an unhappy fate. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap11"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XI. -<br /><br /> -THE ABODE OF THE KHOND. -</h3> - -<p> -Seated on the floor were Zohrab Zubberdust and -two other men. -</p> - -<p> -One was the Hindoo banker. He was slight in -figure, with diminutive hands and feet; like all his -vast race, he was of a dark-brown colour, with -straight black hair, that seemed almost blue when -the light struck it, hanging straight and lankly behind -his large ears—an undoubted worshipper of Brama, -of the monkey god, and of all those unnumbered -idols that for forty centuries have been the objects -of adoration to millions upon millions—even before -the Temple of Juggernaut was built. He sat cross-legged -on a <i>nummud</i>, or carpet of red frieze, above -which was spread a yellow calico covering. A -cushion supported his back. He had cast off his -headdress, slippers, and tunic—the day had been -warm—and all save his loose dhottee, or what passed for -unmentionables. He had the eye of Siva painted -in the centre of his forehead (the eye that, by -winking once, involved the world in darkness for a -thousand years), thereby adding to the diabolical -grotesquerie of his visage; and he was occupied -from time to time by indulgence in the "eighth -sensual delight" of the Hindoos—chewing -betel-nut, a hot and aromatic stimulant. -</p> - -<p> -The other interesting native of India who sat -beside him, smoking hempseed and bhang in a -handsome hubble-bubble, which had snake-like coils -covered with red and gold-coloured thread rising -from a stem of silver, shaped like a trumpet, was -Ferishta Lodi, the Khond, whose attire consisted of -little more than the amount indulged in by his -Hindoo friend; but, unlike the puny latter, he was -a man of powerful and muscular frame, great in -stature, and terribly hideous in face and figure. He -was rather pale-complexioned, for a Khond; but -his visage bars description, for ugliness of contour -and expression,—it was that of a tiger, but a tiger -pitted with small-pox, the few wiry bristles of his -moustache that stuck fiercely out from his long, -upper lip, the fiery carbuncular red of his eyes, with -two long and sharp side tusks, completing the illusion -or resemblance. -</p> - -<p> -Looking wonderfully handsome by contrast to -those two men, Zohrab lounged between them, -propped against the wall by a soft cushion; his -bright steel cap, his beautiful Persian sabre, and -gilded pistols lay near him; he had a long cherry-pipe -stick in his mouth, and close by was a flask of -Cabul wine, in which, natheless the wise precepts of -Him of Mecca, he was indulging, greatly to Mabel's -apprehension, somewhat freely. -</p> - -<p> -"And so, Ferishta," said he, "the infernal -Kuzzilbashes are in search of me too, you -say?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes—aga; three rissallahs, at least." -</p> - -<p> -"From where?" -</p> - -<p> -"Shireen's fort." -</p> - -<p> -"And led by whom?" -</p> - -<p> -"The Khan Shireen in person." -</p> - -<p> -"But how know you that they are after me?" -</p> - -<p> -"Because I heard Shireen say, when he met -Mohammed Saleh near Baber's tomb, that had he -not been certain that the false plotter was -Overhearing Zohrab, he might imagine that an evil -spirit, like Sakkar, had assumed his shape and voice, -to delude them both, and the Feringhee woman -too. But that is all bosh; for who believes in such -things now?" -</p> - -<p> -The dark eyes of Zohrab sparkled dangerously. -He might have pardoned some such slighting speech -in a devout Hindoo, even in a Christian; but in a -Jew, or one professing the horrible tenets of a -Khond, he could not let it pass without remark. -</p> - -<p> -"Dare you say that the evil spirit, Sakkar, did not -once assume the shape of Solomon, on possessing -himself of his magic signet, and alter all the laws of -the world for forty days and nights?" -</p> - -<p> -"I dare say nothing about it," replied the other, -sulkily: "I am a Khond." -</p> - -<p> -"And, as such, accursed of God!" muttered -Zohrah, under his teeth; for at that precise juncture -of his affairs he could afford to quarrel with -none—his present hosts least of all. -</p> - -<p> -The banker looked uneasy, and crammed into his -mouth an extra allowance of the eighth delight, -ever the solace of the Hindoo race, and held in such -estimation that Ferishta, the Moslem historian, -writing in 1609, when describing the magnitude of -the Indian city of Canaye, says that it contained -thirty thousand shops for the sale of betel-nut -alone. -</p> - -<p> -Zohrab, though he sometimes broke the laws of -the Koran, just as many an excellent Christian, or -one who perfectly believes himself to be such, may -transgress the laws of his Bible, loathed the -unbelieving Khond, as he should have loathed a Jew or a -fire-worshipping Gueber; but, circumstanced as he -was, he felt himself compelled to listen to a speech -like the following; for the Khonds are a low race of -idolaters, and glory in announcing themselves as such, -and in decrying the gentler creeds of others. -</p> - -<p> -"The faith of your prophet would never have -suited us, Aga Zohrab, though we cannot say, like -the Bedouins, we have no water in the desert, and -therefore cannot perform ablutions, as we have wells, -and to spare, in our sacred groves; but like those -Bedouins, our people, who dwell in rocks and on -the mountains, have no money, therefore we cannot -give alms; while the forty days' fast of Hamad an -must prove useless to poor people who fast all the -year round; and if the presence of God be everywhere, -why go all the way to seek Him in a black -stone at Mecca? Besides, your prophet, like that -of the Feringhees, teaches, I am told, repentance—a -perilous institute, for may not a man say, 'I may -commit a thousand crimes, and, if I repent me, I -may be forgiven; and as it will thus be no worse -for me, I may as well continue to sin and enjoy -myself even unto the end!' Is it not so, aga?" -</p> - -<p> -Zohrab, more of a soldier than a logician, and -readier with his sabre than his tongue, was unable -quite to follow the strange argument of the Khond; -he could only glare at him with bent brows and -dilated nostrils, while asserting angrily that which -had nothing exactly to do with the matter—that he -believed devoutly in the power and miracles of his -Prophet—that the waters gushed at will from the -fingers of the latter—that he was conveyed by a -mysterious animal, called a Borak, from Mecca to -Jerusalem—that in one night he performed a -journey of ten thousand years—that a holy pigeon, -sent from heaven, whispered revelations in his ear,—not -to pick peas thereat, as the accursed Kaffirs -asserted,—that he proselytised the Genii, and did -many more incredible things: to all of which the -Hindoo, whose beliefs were altogether of a different -kind, listened with the stolid aspect of one of his -own bronze idols; but the Khond did so with covert -mockery on his terrible face; while poor Mabel -dreaded a growing quarrel, as it was evident that -the fiery and impatient Zohrab abhorred the -companionship and protection of Ferishta Lodi; for he -was a reckless soldier, valuing his own life little, and -the lives of others less. -</p> - -<p> -It was evident that, in the heat of the present -discussion, he had forgotten all about her, till -suddenly the Khond said— -</p> - -<p> -"We talk too loud, aga, and may be overheard. -I told you who were on your track——" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes; and by the eight gates of paradise, and -the seven gates of hell, I am not likely to forget -them!" -</p> - -<p> -"Well, have you taken means to ensure flight?" -</p> - -<p> -"Wherefor?" asked Zohrab fiercely. -</p> - -<p> -"I mean, if traced." -</p> - -<p> -"I have my sword and horse," was the curt reply. -</p> - -<p> -"But the Feringhee woman?" -</p> - -<p> -"Allah! I had all but forgotten her!" said -Zohrab, starting. -</p> - -<p> -"Right: sacrifice your property for your life, -and your life for your religion; but make not -yourself the captive of a woman. Now, if traced, -what, I ask, of the Kaffir slave?" -</p> - -<p> -"By the soul of the Prophet!" exclaimed Zohrab, -in great and sudden perplexity, "what can I do, -but leave her here?" -</p> - -<p> -"Sell her to the young Shah: she is worth a -thousand mohurs," suggested the Hindoo banker. -</p> - -<p> -"The coward has fled," said Zohrab. -</p> - -<p> -"She is beautiful as the one he lost, and whom -he mourned so much that it required the whole -seraglio to console him." -</p> - -<p> -"Poor fellow!" sneered Zohrab. -</p> - -<p> -"I will buy her of you for two hundred tomauns, -paid down," said the Khond. "Money is useful to -those who are fugitives." -</p> - -<p> -"Buy her—for a wife?" asked Zubberdust, -changing colour. The Khond laughed; and his -laugh was as the growl of some strange animal, -as he replied— -</p> - -<p> -"No: a Khond marries a Khond." -</p> - -<p> -"For what, then?" -</p> - -<p> -"The purposes of that religion we have been -discussing just now," replied the other, deliberately -and in a low voice. -</p> - -<p> -Mabel heard this suggestion without exactly -comprehending what it meant at the time; but she -could see that a crimson flush of shame and -passion came over the dark face of Zohrab; his eyes -literally sparkled and flashed with the fury of deep -and sudden passion, as he sprang to his feet, -snatched up his sabre and half drew it, choking -with intensity of utterance, ere he could speak; -for the Khonds are a race of cruel and barbarous -idolaters, who live in the more inaccessible -mountain ranges of India, and were quite unknown till -the beginning of her present Majesty's reign, when, -by the military operations undertaken in Goomsoor -and on the Chilka Lake—a long and narrow inlet -from the sea—and when our troops from thence -ascended the range of Ghauts, we made the -acquaintance of this most ancient but hitherto -unknown race of aborigines, whose religion, a distinct -Theism, with a subordinate demonology, requires -(as Captain Macpherson first discovered) a human -sacrifice periodically to the godhead, the fetish -or spirit whom they style Boora Penna, or the -Source of Good, who created all things by casting -five handfuls of earth around him; but, like more -enlightened folks, the Khonds have their schismatics -and sceptics, who dispute bitterly, and hate each -other as cordially as Christians can do,—but about -the origin of mountains, meteors, and whirlwinds, -where the rivers come from, where they go to, and -so forth. -</p> - -<p> -It is to Tari, the wife of this Boora Penna, that -the propitiatory human sacrifices are periodically -offered (in groves which are dark, gloomy, and -deemed holy as those of our Druids were in -Europe), amid the most horrible rites, roasting -over a slow fire, for one, about the time when the -ground is cropped, so that each family may procure -and bury a little of the victim's flesh in the soil, -to ensure prosperity, and avert the malignity of -the goddess, who otherwise might blast their rice, -maize, or vines; and the immolation takes place amid -wild jollity, deep drunkenness, and debauchery. -</p> - -<p> -Aware of the complete isolation and helplessness -of Mabel, the Khond saw how readily and -easily he had a victim at hand; and what could -prove more acceptable to Tari than the young, -beautiful, and pure daughter of an alien race and -creed? And the Hindoo schroff, accustomed to -the incessant infanticide practised by his people, -and their death-festivals at Juggernaut, saw nothing -remarkable in the matter, and sat chewing his -betel-nut with perfect equanimity. -</p> - -<p> -Not so Zohrab Zubberdust! His passion knew -no bounds. He had sprung to his feet, and fully -unsheathed his sabre. -</p> - -<p> -"May thy mother's grave be defiled—if indeed -such be possible, O dog of an idolater!" he -exclaimed, and was about to cut him down; and -doubtless might have sliced his head in two, like a -pumpkin, but for sudden sounds in the now partially -darkened street without, that arrested the unlifted -sabre. -</p> - -<p> -These were the loud murmur of a multitude, the -barking of pariah dogs, the trampling of horses, the -voices of men in authority, and other undoubted -tokens of the house being surrounded. -</p> - -<p> -The glittering blade of Zohrab drooped for a -moment. He passed his left hand across his brow. -Then he smiled with proud disdain as he placed his -steel cap on his head, and twisted the turban-cloth -around it. Next he drew a pistol from his belt, -while the diminutive Hindoo became pea-green -with fear, and an expression of almost mad ferocity -seemed to pass over the face and to swell the great -chest of the Khond, Ferishta Lodi. Danger and -death were at hand, he knew; but not on whom -they might fall. -</p> - -<p> -Zohrab rushed to a window on one side. The -narrow alley was filled by a mass of armed men on -foot and on horseback. He saw the mail-shirts of -the Hazir-bashis, the flashing of weapons, and the -red smoky light of the matches in the locks of the -juzails. He hurried to another window; it opened -to the court where the mulberry-trees grew. It -was full of red-capped Kuzzilbashes, mounted and -accoutred, some carrying red flashing torches; and -high amid the excited and bristling throng towered -old Shireen Khan on his favourite camel. He was -brandishing his long lance, and gesticulating -violently to Saleh Mohammed, who was mounted on a -beautiful white Tartar horse. -</p> - -<p> -The opening of the window caused them and -many others to look up. Then Zohrab was seen -and recognised by several. -</p> - -<p> -"Dog, whose father has been damned! at last, -at last, we have thee!" hissed Saleh Mohammed, -through his dense beard, as he shook his sabre -upward; and a yell from his people followed, -mingled with the thunder of mallets on the -entrance door. -</p> - -<p> -"Dog of a Dooranee thief, take that!" cried the -reckless Zohrab, firing his long pistol full at Saleh -Mohammed (beside whom a man fell dead), and -then taking his measures in an instant, he rushed -from the room, and ascending by a narrow stair to -the roof of the house, which he knew to be flat, by -superhuman strength he tore up the ladder, cutting -off pursuit—for a mere wooden ladder it was—and -tossed it on the heads of the armed throng below. -A number of large clay vases, filled with gigantic -geraniums and other flowers, with four cross-legged -marble idols of Siva, Deva, Vishnu, and Brama, the -property of the banker, he hurled down in quick -succession also, to increase the danger and -confusion; and each, as it fell crashing upon the -turbaned heads, the brown upturned faces, and fierce -eyes that gleamed in the torchlight below, elicited a -storm of yells and the useless explosion of several -rifles which were levelled upward, and the balls -from which either starred upon the walls or whistled -harmlessly away into the darkness. -</p> - -<p> -Zohrab, brave as a lion, now almost leisurely -reloaded his long pistol, and felt the edge and point -of his sabre with the forefinger of his left hand. -It was an old Ispahan sword—one of those famous -blades made and tempered by Zaman, the pupil of -Asad. Formed of Akbarer steel, it rung like a -bell, and Zohrab valued this sword as second only -to his own soul. He had taken it in battle from an -old Beloochee, who was following Mehrib Khan -to the siege of Khelat, and it was valued at two -thousand rupees. Many times had that good weapon -saved his life; it had ever been at his side by -day, or under his pillow by night; and now he kissed -it tenderly, with fervour in his heart and a prayer -on his lips, for a knowledge came over him that, -though he might escape, the end seemed close and -nigh. He looked to the sky; it was enveloped in -masses of flying clouds. -</p> - -<p> -"Ha!" he exclaimed, hopefully, "the star of -Zohrab may yet again shine out in God's blessed -firmament!" -</p> - -<p> -Then he looked over the sea of flat-terraced roofs -that spread around him, and from amid which the -round, dark domes of the mosques and the greater -mass of the Bala Hissar—rock, tower, and rampart, -tier upon tier—stood abruptly up; and over these -roofs he knew that he must make his way, if he -would escape some dreadful death, such as -impalement by a hot ramrod prior to decapitation; for -Ackbar Khan and Saleh Mohammed would accord -him small mercy indeed. -</p> - -<p> -"Kill him!" -</p> - -<p> -"Slay the ghorumsaug!" -</p> - -<p> -"Drink his blood!" -</p> - -<p> -"Death to the Sooni!" cried some. -</p> - -<p> -"Death to the follower of Shi!" cried others, -equally at random. Such were some of the shouts -that loaded the night air in the streets below, where -the blue gleaming of keen sabres, of tall lances, and -long juzail-bayonets was incessant; for not only was -the house, but even the alley itself was environed on -all hands. -</p> - -<p> -"A <i>chupao</i>* with a vengeance!" muttered Zohrab, -as by one vigorous bound he leaped from the roof -on which he stood to that of the opposite street, the -distance between being little more than six or seven -feet. The action was not unseen; a heavy volley -of rifle-shot whizzed upward—we say, <i>whizzed</i>, for -the bullets were round, not conical. There was a -furious spurring of horses, a rush of the crowd, and -many armed men now entered the houses, to make -their way upon the roofs, and to attack or capture -him there; but Zohrah, light, active, and lithe, only -waited to draw breath, ere he sprang across the -deep, dark gulf of another narrow street, then -another, and another. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -* Night attack. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -Meanwhile, forgotten and left to herself, Mabel, -with terror, heard all these hostile sounds dying -away in the distance. Her just indignation at -Zubberdust for the cruel trick he had played, and the -new dangers amid which he had left her, had now -passed away; and amid the fears she had for her -own future fate, she was too womanly, too generous, -and too tender of heart, not to feel intense -compassion for a single human being—a brave young man, -too—hunted in this terrible fashion from house-top -to house-top, like a wild animal. Yet she could but -tremble, cower on her knees, utter pious invocations -in whispers, and, pausing, listen fearfully to the -dropping fire of shots and the occasional yells in -echoing streets without, till a firm and bold grasp -was laid upon her tender arm. She looked up, and -found herself looked down upon by the hideous face -of the Khond, then lighted up by an indescribable -expression. She remembered all she had -overheard, and all she had read in "Macpherson's -Religion of the Khonds," and she became well-nigh -palsied with fear. -</p> - -<p> -"O my God!" she exclaimed, and closed her -eyes. Then, that she might see no more of that -horrible visage, being dressed like an Afghan woman, -she instantly lowered her veil, according to the -custom which has prevailed in the East ever since -the days when "Rebekah took one, when she -perceived Isaac coming towards her, and covered -herself;" but with a fierce, mocking laugh, the Khond -tore it off, and, after surveying her fully and boldly, -went out, securing the panel of the room behind -him by a strong wooden bolt. -</p> - -<p> -Four, five, even seven streets were crossed in -mid air, in a succession of flying leaps, by Zohrab -successfully, when, just as breath was beginning to -fail him, a shot from a juzail ripped up his right -thigh, rending the muscles fearfully, and the blood -from a lacerated artery issued in a torrent from the -wound. -</p> - -<p> -"May the snares of Satan and the thunder-smitten -be on the head of him who fired the shot!" -moaned Zohrab, as he reeled and staggered, unable -to leap again, while on the flat-terraced roof of a -house he had left there came swarming up several -dismounted Dooranees, armed with rifles, swords, -and pistols. -</p> - -<p> -He faced furiously about: the roof was perfectly -open, for there was neither cornice nor parapet to -crouch behind. He fired both his pistols, and -with each shot a man dropped in quick succession. -At the same moment several balls were fired at him; -three struck him in the body, and he sank -half-powerless on his knees, but in weakness—<i>not</i> -supplication. He hurled his pistols at his destroyers, -and then, lest any of them should ever possess his -beloved Ispahan sword, he snapped the blade across -his knee as if it had been brittle glass, and cast the -glittering fragments among the crowd below. -</p> - -<p> -In a piercing voice he exclaimed, as he threw up -his arms. "Ei dereeghâ, ei dereeghâ, oo ei dereegh! -Would to Thee, O God, that I had never been -tempted—had never seen her!" and then inspired -by what emotion we know not, unless it were to seek -succour for Mabel, and to have her saved from the -terrible Khond, he took off the cloth of his turban, -the last appeal a Mohammedan can make when -imploring mercy for himself or a friend, and was -waving it above his head, when a ball pierced his -brain; he gave a convulsive bound upwards, and fell -dead and mangled into the street below. -</p> - -<p> -In half an hour after this, the head of "Zohrab -the Overbearing" was placed in the public Charchowk, -beside that of the unfortunate baronet, Sir -William Macnaghten. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap12"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XII. -<br /><br /> -THE SHADE WITHIN THE SHADOW. -</h3> - -<p> -So one more dreadful tragedy had been enacted -in that land of bloodshed! -</p> - -<p> -Barbarous though she deemed the Mohammedan -Afghans, she was to find herself in the grasp of -those who were more barbarous still—for whose -depth of cruelty there was no name—the Khonds, -a race or tribe whose sacrifices of human life, -though not offered up in such numbers as those -of the Thugs, were done in a fashion quite as -secret, and known only to themselves, and whose -existence, like that of those subtle assassins, had -become only known to the Indian Government of -late years. -</p> - -<p> -Powerless in the hands of Ferishta Lodi, the girl -felt as if hovering on the verge of some death of -which she knew not the form or fashion, save that -it must be lingering, protracted, and horrible! -</p> - -<p> -Her past life, with all its peace, happiness, and -ease, its gaiety, luxury, brilliance, and good position, -seemed to be, as it was indeed, like a previous state -of existence—as a dream; the horrible present -appeared alone the stern reality. Was her identity -the same? she asked of herself many, many times, -in half-audible whispers; or had she undergone -that species of metempsychosis, or transmigration -of soul from the body of one being to the body -of another, which is a doctrine of the Indian -Brahmins—of those Hindoos whom she was now -beginning to loathe? Was she no longer Mabel -Trecarrel, a Christian woman, a civilised European, -who had a father, a sister, and so many friends? -Was the existence of Waller, or was her own, a -myth? She felt as if she was about to become -insane, and, pressing her delicate hands upon her -throbbing temples, prayed God to preserve her -senses, whatever her ultimate fate might be. -</p> - -<p> -Surely, unknown to herself, she must have -committed some great sin, to be tortured thus, -and thus punished, enduring here that she might -not endure hereafter, was her next idea. -</p> - -<p> -The six months or so which had elapsed since -that stirring morning on which the army, under its -aged and dying general, with its mighty -encumbrance of camp-followers, began its homeward -march for India from the old familiar cantonments -seemed as so many ages to Mabel Trecarrel now! -So many well-known faces and happy existences -had been swept away; so complete a change had -come over all the few who survived, and their -prospects seemed so strange and dark. So much -misery, so many sent to untimely deaths—it could -not be said to their graves, as the Afghans never -interred one of our dead. -</p> - -<p> -What did it all mean? Why did Heaven so -persecute, or leave to their fate, so many Christians -in the hands of utter infidels? -</p> - -<p> -Voices again roused her to action—at least to -listen. -</p> - -<p> -They were those of the Khond and the Hindoo -conversing in Hindostanee. -</p> - -<p> -"So, so," said the former, chuckling, "all is over -with Zohrab; he can 'overbear' no longer." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes; the head he carried so proudly is gone to -the gate of the Char-chowk; but the Kuzzilbashes -are still in the street, and I wish they were gone to -their own quarter." -</p> - -<p> -"Why?" -</p> - -<p> -"They may take a fancy to our heads, too." -</p> - -<p> -"Why, I say?" asked the Khond, fiercely. -</p> - -<p> -"Can you ask?—if the Feringhee woman is not -forthcoming." -</p> - -<p> -"She is mine, and I have saved my two hundred -tomauns." -</p> - -<p> -"How yours?" -</p> - -<p> -"Zohrab is gone; none seem to know that she is -here; and you will be silent, if you are wise. -Ackbar Khan would like an excuse to plunder a -schroff so rich as you; hence you must, I know, be -silent." -</p> - -<p> -The last words sounded more like a threat than -an advice or an entreaty, as the voice of the fierce -Khond accentuated them; the sly Hindoo, however, -made some evasive response, and then Mabel -heard him draw on his slippers and tunic and -shuffle from the room. Where he went she knew -not; but, after a time, with an exclamation of -anger and mistrust, the Khond tossed aside the -mouth-piece of his hubble-bubble, and followed -him. -</p> - -<p> -So the Kuzzilbashes were still in the adjacent -streets! Could she but reach them! They were -gallant and soldierly fellows, though, till of late, -as bitter foes of the British troops as any tribe -in the country. But now the politics of their -Khan had begun to change, and he had kept -aloof from Ackbar and his interests. She once -more applied herself to the windows. Many dark -figures were hovering about in the street, and -looking up at the house. Who or what these -people were she knew not. The courtyard was -quite empty; but she heard the clatter of hoofs -and the clink of arms, as horsemen rode hastily to -and fro in the main thoroughfare that led to the -bazaar. -</p> - -<p> -She was in perfect darkness now. -</p> - -<p> -She sought feebly to draw or push down the -panel that separated her from the dewan-khaneh; -but the wooden bolt secured it beyond all the efforts -of her humble strength to force a way; and she -feared to make the least noise, lest, by being caught -in the act of escaping, she might only accelerate her -own fate. -</p> - -<p> -Breathlessly she listened! -</p> - -<p> -Sounds passed at intervals through the large -and scantily furnished chambers of the slenderly -built house. The floors being all uncarpeted, and -the windows without draperies, in the fashion of -the country, the edifice was liable to produce -strange echoes, and Mabel strove to gather from -these something of good or bad augury as they fell -on her overstrained ear. -</p> - -<p> -Ah, were she but once more back in the hitherto -abhorred fort of Saleh Mohammed—back to the -sad companionship of the hostages—to the shelter -and counsel of her own sex and people! In the -power of the Khond she felt, truly and terribly, -that if they had much to dread and to anticipate -when in the fort, she had much that was more -immediate to dread now; that within every shade -there may be a deeper shadow. Rose could never -know her fate, or how she had perished in seeking -to rejoin her; and she might have to die and never -know the story of the younger sister she loved so -dearly. -</p> - -<p> -Suddenly, amid her sad reverie, she heard the -sound of heavy boots, the brown-tanned jorabs of -Afghan horsemen, and the cadence of various -guttural voices in the dewan-khaneh. Then a -red light streamed through the jointings of the -panelled wall. The wooden bolt outside was shot -back; the great central panel slid down in its -grooves, and within the square outline it left, -framed as if in a picture, with the red smoky glare -of an upheld torch falling strongly upon him, stood -the tall and grim but most picturesque figure of the -old Khan of the Dooranees, Saleh Mohammed, with -one brown bony hand thrust into his yellow Cashmere -girdle, and the other resting on the jewelled -hilt of his sheathed sabre. -</p> - -<p> -His bushy beard concealed alike the form of his -mouth and chin; but his slender hooked nose, with -arching nostril, his shaggy brows, and keen eagle-like -eyes indicated firmness, decision, and rapidity -of thought and action. He wore a loose and ample -chogah of scarlet cloth, lined with fine fur, and -richly embroidered; a short matchlock, beautifully -inlaid with mother-of-pearl, was slung upon his -back, with a silk handkerchief bound over its lock -for protection; his girdle bristled with the usual -number of elaborate knives, daggers, and pistols; -and he wore a green turban to indicate his assumed -or acknowledged descent from the Prophet. -</p> - -<p> -With something of kindness mingled with sternness, -he held out a hand to the drooping Mabel, -and raised her from her knees; for she was half -sitting and half reclining, hopelessly and weakly, -against the wooden partition; and he saw how pale -and piteous she looked. Now old Saleh had several -wives and daughters of his own in a secluded fort -among the Siah Sung Hills, and he was not -without some promptings of human sympathy in his -heart. -</p> - -<p> -"Come," said he; "with me you are safe, and -shall go back to your friends. From Shireen Khan -I have been told how Zohrab, that liar who is now -hanging over hell by the tongue, deceived you." -</p> - -<p> -She thankfully placed her hand in that of the -Dooranee chief, for, after the tiger-like visage of the -Khond, his bearded face and venerable aspect were -as those of a father to her, and most gratefully she -welcomed him. -</p> - -<p> -The hint of the Khond, that Ackbar Khan, or -some of the other Khans, whose number was legion -in Cabul, might confiscate his substance and -appropriate his hard-won mohurs, tomauns, rupees, and -good English guineas, had not been lost on the -quiet and acquisitive Hindoo banker, who had -straightway betaken him to Mohammed Saleh in -the street, just as he was collecting his men to -depart, and, to make his peace with all, had -surrendered Mabel, while, for some reason known to -himself alone, he had no future fear of Ferishta -Lodi's anger. -</p> - -<p> -As Mabel was too weak to ride on a side-saddle, -and to walk was, of course, impossible, a palanquin -was soon procured, and in that she was rapidly -conveyed by four bearers in the fashion to which -she was quite accustomed, away from the city, under -the shadow of the great Bala Hissar, past the tomb -of Baber, and round between the Siah Sung Hills -and the Cabul river, once more to the fort of Saleh -Mohammed, where, just as day was breaking, she -was roused from a slumber that was full of painful -visions and nervous startings, to find herself -welcomed by pure English tongues and by the -embraces of her companions in misfortune, the lady -hostages of Elphinstone's hapless army. -</p> - -<p> -A severe illness, consequent on all her delicate -frame had undergone, now fell upon Mabel—a -nervous illness, which her friends were without the -means of alleviating, when on the, to them, most -memorable 25th of August, came the cruel order -of Ackbar Khan for the immediate transmission of -all to Toorkistan, where he had condemned them all -to sale and slavery—an order consequent on his fury -at the retention of Jellalabad, and the combined -advance of General Pollock and Sir Robert Sale upon -Cabul. -</p> - -<p> -So on that day, by horse, on foot, on camels, or -in dhooleys, the hapless females and children, a few -accompanied by husbands and fathers, the sick, the -wounded, and the ailing, all in misery, in tears, and -despair, under Saleh Mohammed and a strong -guard of Dooranees, set forth towards the frontier -of the land where they were to be scattered and lost -to their friends and to freedom for ever—the land of -Toorkistan, a name so vaguely given to all that vast, -lawless, and uncivilized region that lies between the -plateau of Central Asia and the shores of the -Caspian Sea! -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap13"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XIII. -<br /><br /> -ROSE IN A NEW CHARACTER. -</h3> - -<p> -Lovers are more interesting to each other than -they can ever possibly prove to third or fourth -parties; yet we cannot preserve the unity of our -story and lose sight of Denzil and Rose Trecarrel, -whose case and circumstances were altogether -exceptional; for, certainly, few lovers have been -precisely situated as they were, in this age of the world -at least. -</p> - -<p> -Yet the course of their love was not fated to "run -smooth," though, in the care of Shireen Khan, no -such perils menaced them as those which beset -Mabel and her companion, or, still more, those who -were the immediate prisoners of Ackbar, unless we -refer to the watch kept on the Kuzzilbash fort, by -some of the fanatical Ghazees, who, on discovering -that Feringhee prisoners were there, thought to add -to their own chances of salvation by cutting them off. -</p> - -<p> -In this late affair with Zohrab, Shireen had -permitted Denzil to go, armed and mounted, with a -party of twenty Kuzzilbashes in search of him and -Mabel, round by the hills of Beymaru, the borders -of the Lake of Istaliff, and other places over which -he and Waller had hunted and shot together, often -in the more peaceful time that was past. After his -months of seclusion and useless inactivity, Denzil, -apart from the natural excitement and anxiety -resulting from the object in view—the rescue of Mabel -and reunion of the sisters—felt a joyous emotion on -finding himself once more an armed man, astride a -magnificent horse, and spurring like the wind along -the steep mountain slopes, through fertile valley -and foaming river, at the head of twenty soldierly -fellows, in fur caps with red bags, flaming scarlet -chogahs, and glittering lances. -</p> - -<p> -Shireen had perfect confidence in according to -him this unusual liberty, knowing, as he said drily -to the Khanum, his wife, that "while they retained -the hen in the roost, the cock-bird would not go far -off." He was surprised, however, that Denzil, when -on this expedition, could by no means be persuaded -to wear his remarkable yellow silk robe, with the -embroidered letters and sphynxes, which was supposed -to be his war dress, or to indicate his rank -as a great Nawab or Bahadoor of the Queen of -England. -</p> - -<p> -In the ardour of the chase, Denzil took a wrong -direction, and over-exerted himself to repair the -error; he rode with his party beyond Loghur, and -the reach of all probable places where the abductor -was likely to be found; and then, at a time when -the midsummer sun was intensely hot, and the -atmosphere filled with steamy and miasmatic exhalations -from the rice-fields, he swam his horse through -three rivers, at points where the water rose nearly -to his neck. -</p> - -<p> -A fever and ague—nearly regular jungle-fever—combined -with some other ailment, were the result -of this rashness; and on the second day after, Denzil -found himself prostrate on a bed of sickness. -</p> - -<p> -By the Khan, he and Rose had been duly informed -of the narrow escapes of her sister; of the wile -by which she had been lured from the fort of Saleh -Mohammed, at whose rage and want of circumspection -the more wary Shireen laughed heartily; of the -trickery and reckless valour of Zohrab Zubberdust, -and the horrible schemes of the Khond, happily -averted by the timidity and avarice of the Hindoo -schroff; and Rose felt grateful to Heaven—intensely -so in her heart—that her "dear, dear -Mab" was safe once more, or comparatively so, in -the companionship of sorrow—for such she knew it -must inevitably be, with Lady Sale, her widowed -daughter, the widow of the Envoy, and other -captives of Ackbar; though, by chances she had not -foreseen, their meeting was delayed—she could only -hope and pray, for a time. -</p> - -<p> -These episodes and the tenour of the life they all -led in the sequestered fort, with the daily looking -forward to some startling event or catastrophe, a -battle, a revolution, even an earthquake, as a means -to set them free, seemed to tame down and sadden -much of Rose's constitutional heedlessness; besides, -the illness of Denzil was a genuine source for -present sorrow and growing anxiety. -</p> - -<p> -He was alternately in a burning fever and then in -icy perspirations; he had intense pains in the head -and loins, a heavy sickness, a weariness over all his -limbs, a listlessness of spirit, a general sinking and -rapid wasting of the whole system, with a thirst -that at times could not be alleviated by the simple -sangaree or sherbet, i.e., lime-juice and sugar, -prepared for him by the Khanum. Denzil inherited -from his mother, Constance Devereaux, a more -delicate physique and nervous organisation than -that possessed by his hardier father; hence he was -the more calculated to succumb to the subtle -ailment that had fastened on him now; but neither he -nor those about him thought of danger yet. -</p> - -<p> -The old white-bearded and black-robed Hakeem, -Aber Malee, who attended the inhabitants of the -fort, and came thither from the city every other day, -on his donkey, prescribed decoctions of honey, -which is recommended by the Koran as a sovereign -"medicine for man." He did more: with intense -solemnity, he copied many texts or prescriptions -from the pages of the same book, on strips of parchment, -then washed them off into a cup of water from -the holy well at Baher's tomb, and gave it to his -patient to swallow; but whenever he departed, Rose -or Denzil tossed them over the window; so, left -thus, altogether without medical attendance, the -disease took a deeper and more permanent root. -</p> - -<p> -Rose had now gladly relinquished the Afghan -female dress. Amid the plentiful supply of plunder -of every kind gleaned up by the Kuzzilbashes in the -track of the retreating army, were several overlands -bullock-trunks and portmanteaus filled with clothing. -Among these, some of which had doubtless belonged -to her own lady friends, Rose was fain to make -selections; thus, one evening in June, when the sun -was setting behind the black mountains, throwing -across the broad green valley where the Cabul -winds, their shadows to where the old cantonments -lay, and tipping with fire the conical hill that -overhangs the distant city, while Denzil, who had been -dosing uneasily on his hard native bed, was looking -with a haggard eye about him, he saw Rose seated -near, at an open window, on a low divan, dressed in -a most becoming fashion, and consequently looking -much more like her former self. -</p> - -<p> -And as his bed, in the usual Afghan fashion, lay -simply on the floor, which had no covering but a -<i>satringee</i>, or piece of cotton carpet, he could see the -whole of her handsome figure, as she reclined a -cheek upon her dimpled hand, showing one lovely -taper arm bare to the white elbow, while alternately -idling over the pages of a European book and furtively -watching him, as he had slept, lulled over by -the drowsy hum of myriad insects at the open -casement, and among the brilliantly flowered -creepers that clambered round it, a sound like the -murmur of distant water, or of the wind in an ocean -shell, but very suggestive of heat, of lassitude, and -repose; yet Denzil, though he had slept, felt more -weary than ever. -</p> - -<p> -"Rose," said he, faintly. -</p> - -<p> -"Dear Denzil—you are awake again, my poor -pet; you sleep but by snatches," said the girl, -closing her book and sinking on her knees beside -his pillow, which, with ready and gentle hands, she -noiselessly rearranged. -</p> - -<p> -"I have been thinking, Rose—that—that——" he -paused. -</p> - -<p> -"What? Do not exert yourself." -</p> - -<p> -"That my presence must be full of peril to you!" -</p> - -<p> -"To me—-how?" -</p> - -<p> -"This illness may be an infectious one." -</p> - -<p> -"I scarcely think so, Denzil; and if it were," she -added, with a smile of inexpressible tenderness, "if -it were—what then?" -</p> - -<p> -"It might seize on you, darling Rose. Let one of -those Kuzzilbash fellows attend me; their lives are -of no consequence, while yours——" -</p> - -<p> -"Is of value only to myself." -</p> - -<p> -"And to me, Rose—to me; how unkind!" -</p> - -<p> -He raised himself feebly on his elbow, and gazed -at her with eyes expressive of love and admiration. -</p> - -<p> -"Why, Rose, how well you are looking this -evening—quite a belle too, or a 'swell,' if one may -speak slang," said he, with affected cheerfulness. -</p> - -<p> -"And you, too, Denzil," said she in the same -manner, kindly assumed, but with an arrested sob in -her throat, for she saw that in reality he was more -and more wasted, hollow-cheeked, and large-eyed -than ever, and that the tendons of his hands stood -sharply out in ridges, distinct to the eye, quite like -those of an old man. -</p> - -<p> -His full, deep, dark blue eyes had in them an -unnatural lustre; his fair, curly hair had the same -golden tint as usual, when the falling sunlight -touched it; but the Indian brown and the jolly -English bloom had left his once-rounded cheeks -together, and they were now pale and hollow indeed; -and though he was very fair, and his mother had -been dark in eye and jetty in tress, something in -his face and expression recalled her now to Rose's -memory, as she had seen her on that day, when she -and Mabel had visited the villa at Porthellick, and, -in the vanity of the hour, flattered themselves that -they had condescended mightily in so doing. Could -they then have foreseen the present time and -circumstances? -</p> - -<p> -She gazed at him with great sadness, and -great love, too, in her eyes and in her heart; -while he, in turn, looked up to her with love and -admiration too, and with somewhat of anxiety for -her future. -</p> - -<p> -She was attired so prettily and suitably; for the -season was summer, and the month was June. -</p> - -<p> -No longer hanging dishevelled in the Afghan -fashion, the splendid ripples of her bright auburn -hair were coiled up by her own clever fingers in the -European mode, and smoothly braided, as she was -wont to have them in happier times, showing all -the contour of her fine head, her slender neck, and -delicate ears. She wore a simple loose dress of white -muslin, spotted with the tiniest of red rose-buds; -and through the delicate texture of this fabric the -curved outline of her shoulders and her tapered -arms could be traced, whiter than the gauzy muslin -itself—a piquant species of costume, which made -old Shireen stroke his beard and mutter, "<i>Barikillah!</i>" -(excellent!), as expressive of great satisfaction, -not unmixed with more admiration than the -Khanum relished. -</p> - -<p> -Rose was destitute of all ornaments, for -everything she once possessed of that kind had long since -been lost or taken from her. Her feet were cased -in tight silk stockings and beautiful little kid boots, -laced up in front, and they peeped from amid a -wilderness of white-edged petticoats, that lay wreath -upon wreath like the leaves of a rose in full bloom; -and, altogether, she was such a figure as Denzil had -not seen since the jovial days when he and Bob -Waller had smoked the calumet of peace together in -the old cantonments, and were wont to promenade at -the band-stand which stood in the centre thereof; -certainly she was quite unlike what one might -expect to see in the residence of the Khan of the -Kuzzilbashes, where the ideas of the middle ages, -and darker epochs still, have not passed away, and -things are pretty much as they were in the days of -Timour the Tartar. -</p> - -<p> -Rose seemed intuitively to read something of all -this in the expression of Denzil's face; for she -smiled, and, with one of her old coquettish glances, -kissed the tips of her fingers to him. -</p> - -<p> -Circumstanced as they were, Rose, no doubt, in -time past had talked a great deal of nonsense, and, -seeing how necessary she was to Denzil's happiness, -Shireen Khan had relinquished much of her society -at chess in his favour; but who ever scrutinises very -closely all that a pretty girl talks about, or what -male listener, or lover especially, would care to -analyse the logic thereof? The parting of charming -lips is ever pleasant to look upon, and the music of -a sweet English female voice is ever pleasant to -hear, and never so sweet or so seductive as when -far away from home. And so thought Denzil, -as he lay upon his pillow, with heavy eye, with -aching temples, and throbbing pulses, listening to -the prattle of Rose Trecarrel. -</p> - -<p> -Some books, picked up in the burned cantonments, -had also been brought to Rose by the -Khan, though he suggested that the Koran, with its -hundred and fourteen chapters, ought to suffice for -all the literary, legal, and medical necessities of -mankind, and womankind too. Among those stray -volumes was a copy of "Lalla Rookh," with poor -Harry Burgoyne's autograph on the fly-leaf, and -with this she had read Denzil asleep, reading -steadily on afterwards, and kindly fearing to stop, -lest by doing so she might awake him; but now, -without her ceasing, he had restlessly stirred and -roused himself. -</p> - -<p> -He grudged, even by necessary sleep, to lose by -day a moment of her society; for they could converse -silently, eye with eye, without speaking; for to -lovers there is a dear companionship, an eloquence -even, in silence; and now the girl gazed upon her -care with her eyes and her heart full of love and -tenderness, all the more that he, by perfect isolation, -was so completely her own, and that she could -minister unto him, as only a woman, a loving -and tender one, can tend and minister to the -suffering. -</p> - -<p> -It was very strange, all this! -</p> - -<p> -To Rose Trecarrel it had seemed as if, once upon -a time, the world was quite running over with lovers. -Now, her world was, oddly enough, narrowed to the -boundary wall and grassy fausse-braye of Shireen -Khan's fort. That a girl, in her extreme youth, -chances to have been, like Rose, a flirt, is no proof -that she is incapable of a very deep and enduring -affection; it is often quite the contrary, and Rose -was just a case in point. Here, with her and Denzil, -the pretty biter was <i>bitten</i>. "A flirt," says one, -who wrote long ago, "is merely a girl of more than -common beauty and amiability, just hovering on the -verge which separates childhood from womanhood. -She is just awakening to a sense of her power, and -finds an innocent pleasure in the exercise of it. -The blissful consciousness parts her ripe lips with -prouder breath, kindles her moist eyes with richer -lustre, and gives additional buoyancy and swan-like -grace to all her motions. She looks for homage at -the hands of every man who approaches her, and -richly does she repay him with rosy smiles and -sparkling glances. There is no passion in all this." It -is the first trembling, unconscious existence of -that sentiment which will become love in time. And -Rose's time had come! -</p> - -<p> -So had it been with her, though her flirtations -had bordered too often on actual coquetry, thereby -overacting the flirt, incurring the sneers of the -piqued, and accusations of heartlessness and vanity, -as one who loved the love-making, but <i>not</i> the lover. -She had now become a veritable Undine—the type -of everything that is amiable and beautiful, tender -and true, in her sex. Yet we are constrained to -admit that much of this sudden change might have -been brought about by the dire pressure of -unforeseen events and calamities. In her late term of -bitter experiences, she, and all about her, had -learned palpably, that those they loved most on -earth were merely mortal, and might be, or had been, -torn from them by cruel and sudden deaths. -</p> - -<p> -In her new phase of life, how completely her -former had passed away—been forgotten, with its -balls, parties, picnics, dejeuners, and promenades; -its selection of dresses and colours, flowers and -perfumes; its promenades and drives; its fun and -jollity; its gossips, flirtations, and folly! All -existence seemed merged or narrowed now in two -circles or hopes—the health of Denzil, and their -mutual restoration to liberty and safety! -</p> - -<p> -All her girlish foibles had passed away, and the -genuine woman came to the surface, when perhaps -too late; for Denzil seemed too surely to be sinking -fast, and unwittingly, when his mind wandered in -the delirium of fever, he murmured things that he -had heard amid the banter of the mess-bungalow, -and elsewhere, that stung her repentant heart, and -drew tears from her eyes. -</p> - -<p> -"Rose—oh Rose," he would say, "it can't be -true all that Jack Polwhele said, and Harry -Burgoyne, of the 37th, too—but they are dead, poor -fellows!—and Grahame, and Ravelstoke, and ever -so many more." -</p> - -<p> -"What did they say, Denzil?" -</p> - -<p> -"That you flirted with them all—oh, no, no, no! -And then there is my cousin Audley—if indeed he -is my cousin," he added, through his chattering -teeth, "he cannot love you as I love you! He must -have made a fool of many a girl in his time, while -I—I love but you—even as I told you on that day -by the lake, when you—you said—what did she -say?—ask her, Sybil," he would add, looking up -vacantly, yet earnestly; and then the conscience of -the listener would be stirred to find that her -thoughtless follies were remembered at such a -time. -</p> - -<p> -"In his soul, he doubts me still," she thought. -"My poor Denzil, I was only flirting, as most girls -do. It was only fun," she added, aloud. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, I am poor, and junior in rank, I know," he -replied, catching a new idea from her words, "too -poor for her to love me, Sybil; I heard her tell that -fellow, Audley, so; and he—ah! he is the heir of -Lord Lamorna!" -</p> - -<p> -"Denzil, dearest Denzil!" then Rose exclaimed, -in a low and earnest whisper, putting an arm -caressingly round his neck, and her tremulous lips -close to his ear, "you are certain to have been -promoted by this time, and doubtless the Queen -will give you the Order of the Dooranee Empire. I -feel sure of it," she added, little knowing that all -this had already taken place. -</p> - -<p> -But, at the moment she spoke, an access of fever -and weakness came over poor Denzil; his bloodshot -eyes moved, but he made no response; and a fear -began to come over her that he was passing away—slipping -from her love and her care—perhaps already -far beyond caring now either for promotion or "a -ribbon at the breast." -</p> - -<p> -How she repented the past pangs her heedlessness -had cost this honest heart, we need not say; but as -her eyes fell on a verse of "Lalla Rookh," underlined -in some old flirtation of Burgoyne's, she -applied it to herself; for now -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - "Far other feelings love hath brought;<br /> - Her soul all flame, her brow all sadness;<br /> - She now has but the one dear thought,<br /> - And thinks that o'er almost to madness."<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -On one occasion he became almost insensible; but -whether he slept or had swooned, she knew not in her -despair of heart; and none of Shireen's household -could aid her, by advice or otherwise. At dressing -a sabre-cut with myrrh, or stanching a bullet-hole -with a bunch of nettle-leaves as a styptic, any of -them would have been ready and skilful enough; but -with such an ailment as that of Denzil, they were -as useless as children, and apt to attribute it to -magic, or the spell of some unseen and offended -genii; while, as fatalists, they were disposed to -commit the event to God alone. -</p> - -<p> -So the sorrow and apprehension of the lonely girl -grew daily greater. -</p> - -<p> -"And this is the only man I ever loved; yet -through me, or my sister's cause—through <i>us</i>—has -death, perhaps, come untimely upon him!" Rose -would say, wildly and passionately, and in a low, -concentrated voice, as she flung herself at the foot -of Denzil's bed; while all the horror of anticipated -loneliness, if he should be taken away, and she left, -came upon her. How bitterly now she felt punished -for all the little follies of the past! -</p> - -<p> -His ailment was, certainly, one under which a -patient may linger a long time—nay, may seem to -get well, and then again be worse than ever, but -which, in the end, too often slays. Hence, it is no -wonder that the humble Hakeem, Abu Malec—who -believed that a verse of the Koran written, washed -off, and swallowed with reverence, must form a -sovereign remedy, even for an obstinate and -benighted infidel—should stroke his beard in sore -perplexity and great wonder, and mutter— -</p> - -<p> -"Thus it is that Allah seals the hearts of those -who are steeped in ignorance! Their doctrines are -as a worthless tree, the roots of which run on the -surface of the ground, and hath no stability, and the -blast of heaven will overturn." -</p> - -<p> -"A tiresome old pump! For Heaven's sake, keep -him away, Rose!" would be the comment of the sick -subaltern. -</p> - -<p> -And the latter had at times a secret presentiment -that he would never leave the fort of Shireen Khan -alive; yet the conviction was sweet that Rose had -loved him, ere he passed away. She would never -forget him now: he felt sure of that. She might -love <i>another</i> in time; but would that matter to him? -To die, ere she was restored to the society and -protection of Europeans, was to leave her most lonely -and widowed in heart, and was his keenest affliction; -yet he kept it to himself, having no desire to distress -her unnecessarily, though his ravings sometimes -indicated the prevailing thought, and the fear he -saw was in her. -</p> - -<p> -"I don't think I shall die this bout, Rose darling. -I cannot have a very deadly fever! I rode only -forty miles—twenty to Loghur, and twenty back—on -Shireen's old brute of a Tartar horse, and smoked -about ten cheroots; but they were execrable—picked -up among the lost baggage; and—and you -know, dear mother, they are thorough disinfectants -any way. Oh, no—I can't have a deadly fever. I -shall soon be better, dear, dear mother!" -</p> - -<p> -Thus, Rose would learn that his wandering -thoughts had flashed far, far from her, till the clouds -that oppressed his brain would pass away, and, all -ignorant of past delirium, he would welcome her -presence with loving jet forced smiles, and seek to -assure her, in a voice that grew more husky and -more weak daily, "that he was better—oh, so very -much better;" adding, "Ah, if we had but Sybil -here—or, rather, if we did but know what has become -of her!" -</p> - -<p> -"Sybil—ah, would that I could but know of her! -But she shall be my sister, Denzil; for too surely, I -fear, we shall never see Mabel more!" -</p> - -<p> -"Don't say so. You and Mabel shall both be -happy, I hope, long, long after——" he paused. -</p> - -<p> -"After what, darling?" -</p> - -<p> -"After all these sorrows have passed away," said -he; and though it was not thus he had meant to -close the sentence, Rose read his secret meaning in -his mournful eyes. -</p> - -<p> -There were times when he lay quiet, breathing -hard and shortly, but quite apathetic to all around -him; and other times when he moaned and muttered -of his broken and desolate home—a home now no -more; of Cornwall, its moors and cliffs; of -wanderings in Italy—the peaks of the Abruzzi and the -banks of the Arno; of his parents and sister; of -Rose—ever and anon it was Rose, and the day by -the Lake of Istaliff; all oddly confused together, till -the listener's heart was crushed, and she prayed on -her knees, with bowed head, that he might be spared -for her, or that, while her unfelt kisses were pressed -upon his brow and cheek, she too might catch the -same fever, and that they might die and be buried -together under the green turf, outside the Afghan -fort, where the acacia-trees were tossing their light, -feathery foliage in the wind. -</p> - -<p> -So thus would the sleepless hours of many a weary -night of watching pass away; the boom of brass -cannon, mellowed by distance, would come from the -far-off Bala Hissar, indicating that dawn was -breaking, and pale Rose Trecarrel would know that the -slow lingering hours of another day of heartless -sorrow were before her. -</p> - -<p> -One noon, however, a little hope dawned in her -breast! The Hakeem, Abu Malec, arrived with a -stranger, whose fair European face belied his Afghan -camise and brown leather boots. -</p> - -<p> -"A Feringhee doctor Sahib has come from -Cabul," said Abu Malec, not without a spice of -professional jealousy in his tone, while, to the infinite -joy of Rose, he introduced Doctor C——, of the -54th Infantry, one of those gallant and devoted -medical officers, who volunteered by lot cast on the -drum-head, to remain behind in that place of peril, -and attend to the wants of our sick and wounded -soldiers; so now she devoutly hoped that Denzil -would have some better treatment than that which -resulted from mere superstition and a dogged belief -in that fatalism which is eminently Mohammedan. -</p> - -<p> -The doctor, an old friend, greeted Rose kindly, -and with genuine warmth—to exist was cause for -congratulation then; next he turned to Denzil, and, -after a brief examination, shook his head despondingly, -to the intense satisfaction of the Hakeem, Abu -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap14"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XIV. -<br /><br /> -WITH SALE'S BRIGADE. -</h3> - -<p> -Since that ill-omened hour and time of dread -excitement, when on the disastrous day in January the -ladies and other hostages were handed over to Ackbar -Khan, their friends and relatives even in Afghanistan -knew nothing of their actual safety—who were -living, who were dead, or who were mutilated or -disgraced by insults worse than death, on the route -towards Toorkistan; and now the beginning of -September had come. -</p> - -<p> -It was only known that Ackbar's orders to Saleh -Mohammed were, "to hurry them on their journey, -and to butcher all the sick, and those for whom -there might be no speedy conveyance." -</p> - -<p> -Eight months—eight weary and harassing months -of eager longing, of fierce excitement, and impatience -to avenge the fallen and rescue the helpless—had -passed ere the junction between General -Pollock's troops and those of Sir Robert Sale was -fully effected, and the advance upon Cabul, so long -resolved upon, was once more begun, while Nott was -pushing victoriously from Candahar on the same -point, leaving Ghuznee in smoking ruins behind -him. -</p> - -<p> -To Waller's mind, Mabel, though an ever-prevailing -thought, had become a kind of myth by that -time—existent, yet non-existent, for separation was -a species of living death; and he could but pray that -she was still living, though in the hands of Ackbar -Khan. So a sad memory to many a husband was -the face of his wife; so to many a father were the -voice and smile of his child; and all knew that on -their own swords, and the valour and resolution of -their comrades, depended the chance of their all -being ever reunited again. -</p> - -<p> -Waller looked older than he was wont to do—older -than his years; for he had become, like many others -serving there, more grave and more thoughtful now. -Fun and merriment were unknown in Pollock's -army, and laughter, like many another luxury, was -as scarce. With haversacks, canteens, and purses -empty, and hard fighting in front, life looks far -from rosy. Waller had more than once detected -a most decided and long grey hair in his carefully -cultivated whiskers. A grey hair!—when improvising -the back of his hunting-watch as a mirror: his -own elaborate rosewood dressing-case, with silver-mounted -essence bottles—the parting gift of a rich -aunt, from whom Bob had "expectations," was now -degraded to the duty of holding cooking-spices and -stuffs for pillaus and kabobs in the kitchen of a -Khan; but the grey hairs—once upon a time he -should have twitched them out. -</p> - -<p> -"Bah! what do they matter now?" said he, and -finished his toilet by clasping on his waist-belt. -</p> - -<p> -Waller felt more than ever, from personal causes, -inspired by an ardour in the performance of his duty, -and speedily became distinguished as one of the -most active and gallant officers on the staff of Sir -Robert Sale, a veteran whose uninterrupted career -of service dated back to the battle of Malavelly, -where Harris defeated Tippoo Saib, and the storming -of Seringapatam, in the closing year of the preceding -century. Sale commanded one division in our -Army of Vengeance,—for such it deemed itself; -General M'Caskill, a stern and resolute Scotsman, -led the other; and the whole under General Pollock, -on being reinforced by Her Majesty 31st, the 33rd -Native Light Infantry, the 1st Light Cavalry, all -clad in silver grey, and a train of mountain guns -(the ghalondazees of which wore picturesque oriental -dresses), commenced the march towards the mighty -range of mountains that lie between Jellalabad and -Cabul. -</p> - -<p> -McCaskill was in such feeble health that the brave -old fellow had to proceed at the head of his division -in a litter borne by four Hindoos. -</p> - -<p> -Experience had taught our leaders the mistake of -having the usual mighty encumbrances of camp-followers, -the tenting and feeding of which formed -the curse of our Indian armies; so, in this instance, -such appendages were greatly reduced. For tents, -the palls or little marquees of the sepoys were -substituted. Save a single change of linen, the soldiers -carried nothing in their knapsacks; the baggage of -the officers was cut down to the smallest -extent—Waller carried his in a valise at his saddle—and -three or four had to sleep under one marquee. All -the sick and wounded were left under a guard in -Jellalabad; and thus the army was trimmed, pruned, -and fined down to the active, well-armed, and lightly -accoutred fighting-men alone. -</p> - -<p> -Hence the camp had no longer the aspect usually -presented by those of our Indian forces, as these -usually exhibit a motley collection of coverings, to -ward off the baleful dews of night or the scorching -sun by day. Here and there a superb suite of tents -or marquees, surrounded by squalid little erections -of coloured calico, tattered cloths and blankets -stretched over sticks and poles, even palm leaves -being improvised when they could be had; and -amid all these congeries of variously coloured masses, -the flags of chiefs and colonels, the bells of arms, -horses, oxen, camels, and elephants, pell mell! -</p> - -<p> -A final act of individual cruelty, perpetrated by -Ackbar Khan on a poor Hindoo—the same schroff, -or banker, whom Mabel had seen in Cabul—greatly -exasperated all ranks against him. -</p> - -<p> -Hearing that our troops had begun their march, -this man, whose nationality and sympathies led him -to favour their interests, when making his way -towards them, was overtaken, and brought before -Ackbar in the castle of Buddeeabad, and was there -bitterly upbraided as a traitor. -</p> - -<p> -"Throw him down," he cried to his Haozir-bashes, -and then drew his sabre. -</p> - -<p> -Believing he was about to be beheaded, the -wretched Hindoo implored mercy. -</p> - -<p> -"Hold him fast," said Ackbar, baring his right -arm to the elbow. "What, dog of an idolater, you -wish to see the Feringhees, do you?" -</p> - -<p> -By two blows of his heavy sabre, which was -inscribed by a verse from the Koran, he hacked off -the feet of the Hindoo above the ankles, and said -mockingly— -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Now</i> you may go where you will: throw him -out of doors." -</p> - -<p> -Cast forth, faint and bleeding, the poor wretch, -tore his turban-cloth into strips and staunched with -them the hemorrhage, enabling him actually to crawl -on his hands and knees to our outposts, where his -appearance excited the bitterest feelings in the breasts -of all the troops, European as well as native. -</p> - -<p> -Rumour stated that Ackbar Khan was filled with -alarm and rage, either of which might prompt -him to execute some of his terrible threats on the -helpless hostages; and that he was prepared for any -extremity, and to lay the land waste, was evinced by -the alarming noises that were heard in the Passes, -ere our march began, and by the sky above the -mountain-tops being nightly reddened by the blaze -of burning villages which he destroyed, so that neither -food nor shelter might be found by an advancing foe. -</p> - -<p> -At the hill of Gundamuck, where there is a walled -village surrounded by groves of cypresses, Waller -saw, with some emotions of interest, the cave in -which he lurked after the last fatal stand was made -there, and vividly came back to memory the despair -of the final struggle. -</p> - -<p> -As our troops began to penetrate into the recesses -of those mountains, whose names and features were -so calculated to inspire mournful thoughts in all -who looked on them (for there had a British army -marched in, never more to come forth, being literally -swallowed up), they found, as before, the ferocious -Ghilzies again in position, and in thousands ready -to defend their native rocks with all their native -ardour, inflamed by past triumph, the hopes of -future plunder, by fanaticism and pleasant doses of -bhang; and from steep to steep, and from ridge to -ridge, from tree to tree, and hill to hill, they defended -themselves, and fought or died with stubborn and -resolute bravery, harassing our troops in front, in -rear, and on both flanks. Yet on pushed our columns: -the dying and the dead fell fast, and remained a -ghastly train to mark the rearward route; but every -life lost seemed but to add to the pluck and -hardihood of the survivors. -</p> - -<p> -The sputtering fire of the long juzails, concentrating -to a roar at times, filled all these savage defiles -with countless and incessant puffs of white smoke, -that started from among the grey impending rocks, -where the great yellow gourds, the purple grapes, -and the scarlet creepers grew in wild luxuriance; -from dark and cavernous fissures and the green -groves of the pine and the plane tree. Every -beetling crag was fringed with curling smoke, and -streaked with fire, scaring the mountain eagles high -into mid air, while with every shot that helped to -thin our ranks the shrill cry of <i>Allah Ackbar!</i> (God -is mighty) was echoed from side to side, to die -upward, yet, we hoped, to find no echo in heaven. -</p> - -<p> -A little way within the eastern entrance to the -series of defiles, at the village of Jugdulluck, where -the mountains are between five and six thousand -feet above the sea's level, there was a peculiarly -fierce encounter; for there the Afghans, led by the -Arab Hadji Abdallah Osman, and inflamed to -religious fury by his precepts and mad example, -had fortified the summit of the Pass by earthworks -and some of our own captured cannon; but, mounting -the steep heights on each side, the 9th and 13th -Regiments turned the flank of their position, and -by the bayonet drove away the defenders amid -terrible slaughter, neither side asking or hoping for -quarter. -</p> - -<p> -From point to point at other places were fierce -contests; and now, as our soldiers opened up with -the cold steel those Passes which had been closed -to all Europeans for the past eight months, their -onward march—a series of prolonged conflicts, in -fact—exhibited to them an awful and harrowing -scene. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap15"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XV. -<br /><br /> -THE BATTLE OF TIZEEN. -</h3> - -<p> -From out of the Passes, dark and shadowing, the -reverberating echoes of the adverse musketry roused -black clouds of vultures, with angry croak and -flapping wing. It would seem almost as if all the -obscene birds of Asia had been wont to seek, for -months past, this ghastly place—to make it their -undisturbed rendezvous; and such, no doubt, it had -been, for there, -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - "Without a grave, unknelled, uncoffined, and unknown,"<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -all belted and accoutred in the rags of their uniform, -just as the death-shots had struck them down, and -as they had fallen over each other in piles, lay the -remains of Elphinstone's slaughtered army. -</p> - -<p> -Close in ranks, as when living, in some places -lay the ghastly relics of the dead. In one spot, -where the last stand had been made by Her -Majesty's 44th Regiment, more than two hundred -skeletons lay in one horrid hecatomb; and in -the shreds of red cloth that flapped in the wind, -the buttons and badges, sad and agonizing were -the efforts made by officers and men to recognise -the remains of some dear and jovial friend, some -true and gallant comrade in the times that were -gone; and it was all the sadder to reflect that most -of the fallen had been cut off in their prime, or even -before it, as from eighteen to twenty-six years is the -average age of our soldiers on service. -</p> - -<p> -In too many, if not nearly all, instances the -remains were headless, the skulls having been borne -off as trophies by the various mountain tribes; and -in some places the white bones lay amid purple, -crimson, and golden beds of those sweetly scented -violets which the Orientals so often use to flavour -their finest sherbets. -</p> - -<p> -For miles upon miles it was but a sad repetition -of whitening bones, fragments of uniforms, and -ammunition paper, bleached by the wind and rain -and the snows of the past winter, together with the -shrunken remains of camels, horses, and yaboos, -from which the baggage and other trappings had -long since been carried off; and ever and always in -mid air the croaking and flapping of the ravening -vultures, long unused to be disturbed by the living, -in that valley of solitude and silence, death and -desolation. -</p> - -<p> -Like many others, with a swollen heart, set lips, -and stern eyes, Waller reined in his horse, and -would look round him from time to time, in places -where the dead lay thicker than usual. Our now -victorious army was marching in thousands over -their fallen comrades, yet with them Waller felt -himself alone, and a man possessed by one -harassing thought. -</p> - -<p> -<i>His</i> comrades were lying among those bones, -through which the rank dog-grass was sprouting—the -companions of many a pleasant hour, the -sharers of many a past danger. The object of the -loving, the gentle, the tender, and the peaceful in -England far away lay there, abandoned skeletons, -exposed to the elements, to whiten and decay like -the fallen branches of the forest. -</p> - -<p> -Orderly and quiet at all times, a deeper silence -fell upon our advancing troops as they traversed -this terrible scene, a silence broken only by the -dropping fire maintained by our advanced guard -with the enemy's rear, under Amen Oolah Khan, -till the leading brigade of the first division on the -road from Khoord Cabul to Tizeen began to ascend -the shoulder of a vast green mountain, named the -Huft Kothul, where the narrow and tortuous -pathway reaches its greatest altitude, rising above -even the white mists of the deep and dark green -valleys. -</p> - -<p> -Even there, a portion of the path is overlooked -by the Castle of Buddeeabad, which has a frontage -of nearly eighty feet, and walls so lofty that the -mountaineers attributed its erection, of course, to -the genii, under Jan Ben Jan, who ruled the world -before Adam came. It belonged to the father-in-law -of Ackbar Khan, a Ghilzie chief; and there had -the unfortunate old General Elphinstone looked his -last upon the setting sun. -</p> - -<p> -Under the immediate directions of Ackbar and of -Amen Oolah, the Afghans, particularly the -Khyberees, in their yellow turbans, the Ghilzies and -others, were in vast force, and they poured down -such a storm of bullets from rock and bank, cleft -and fissure, that the whole air seemed alive with the -hissing sound, as they passed over and, too often -fatally, through our ranks. -</p> - -<p> -"Thirteenth Light Infantry to the right!—Second -Queen's to the left—extend!" were the -instant orders of Sir Robert Sale to Waller and his -other aide-de-camp or secretary, Sir Richmond -Shakespere, a gallant and enterprising officer, of -whom more anon; and away they galloped to have -them executed. Waller rode, like most of the cavalry -men, with a bundle of green corn over his horse's -flanks, to serve alike as provender and to keep off the -flies; but, as he spurred on to the head of the 13th -Regiment, a shot from a jingaul tore it away, and -scattered it to the wind. By the bad gunnery of -the Afghans, their cannon-balls ricocheted in a way -that would have delighted Marshal Vauban, who -originally invented that mode of rendering a round -shot doubly dangerous, a half-charge causing it to -roll, rebound, maim, kill, and cause more disorder -than if fired point blank; and hence the origin of -the name, as <i>ricoche</i> signifies simply "duck and -drake," the name given by boys to the bounding of -a flat stone cast horizontally on the water. -</p> - -<p> -The two aides delivered their orders in safety to -the advancing battalions, and the commander of -each gave his orders for "three companies on the -right (it was the left for the 13th) to extend from -the centre." Cheerily rang out the Kentish bugles, -and away went the skirmishers, confident in their -supports, with wonderful rapidity, though the men -were falling fast on every hand. They spread over -the green sunny slopes to the right and left, firing -as they proceeded upward, and swept over the hills -in beautiful order, till the central gorge was passed; -then closing in by companies, and then in line, each -regiment began to fix bayonets, and mutually to -utter that hearty "hurrah!" which is ever the -inspiring prelude to a charge of British troops. -</p> - -<p> -Brightly flashed the ridge of bayonets in the -sunshine, as on right and left the red battalions -came wheeling down the grassy slopes at a resolute -and steady double. The Afghans, though armed -with bayonets too, never waited to cross them, but -turned and fled, with howls of rage and terror, -abandoning two English pieces of artillery. -</p> - -<p> -Then rang out the trumpets sharp and shrill, and -giving the reins to their horses, the 3rd Light -Dragoons, all in blue uniform, with white puggerees -over their shakos, their long, straight sword-blades -flashing and uplifted, their heads stooped, their -teeth set with energy, and every bronzed face -flushed with ardour, spurred on their way; and as -they rushed past at racing speed, Bob Waller, -impelled by an irresistible impulse, joined them. It -was, indeed, a race to be the first in the task of -vengeance; for here and there, unchecked and -unrestrained, the privates, if better mounted, would -dart in front of the officers, as the true English -emulous spirit broke out, each seeking madly to -outride his comrades, and be passed by none—so -on swept our Light Dragoons like a living flood. -</p> - -<p> -Right and left the trenchant sword-blades went -flashing downward in the sun, only to be uplifted -for another cut or thrust, the blood-drops flying -from them in the air. -</p> - -<p> -In the scattered conflict—for such it became, when -the ranks of the charging cavalry were broken open -and loose, every file acting in the slaughter -independently for himself, and keeping but a slight eye -on the motions of his squadron leader—Waller's -attention was attracted by a horseman who seemed -to be in high authority, and whose figure, arms, and -equipment were not unfamiliar to his eye. The -Afghan was undoubtedly a brave fellow, and -splendidly mounted on a spirited horse, the saddle -and trappings of which were elaborately embossed -and tasselled with gold, while at his martingale were -four long flying tassels of white hair taken from the -tails of wild oxen. He had on his left arm a small -round shield, adorned by four silver knobs; a dagger -was in his teeth, and in his right hand a long and -brightly headed lance, with which he had succeeded -in unhorsing and pinning more than one of the 3rd -Light Dragoons to the earth. He was just in the -act of cruelly repassing this weapon through one -who had fallen on his face, and who, in his dying -agony was tearing up the turf with his hands and -feet, when both Waller and Shakespere rode at him -simultaneously, and sword in hand. -</p> - -<p> -From the writhing and convulsed body he -extricated his spear with difficulty, and turned -furiously to face them, glancing and pointing it -at each alternately. He wore a steel cap, engraved -with gold; a sliding bar through the front peak, -fixed there with a screw, protected his face; and in -the knob that held his plume—a heron's tuft—there -gleamed a precious stone of great value. -</p> - -<p> -For an instant, quick as lightning, he relinquished -his lance, letting it drop in the sling behind, while -he drew a pistol from his scarlet silk girdle, and -firing it at Shakespere, he hurled it dexterously at -Waller, who ducked as it whizzed over his head. -Recognising now, however, with whom he had to -deal, he cried, fearlessly and confidently— -</p> - -<p> -"Shakespere, as a favour, leave this fellow to -me, and, with God's help, I shall polish him off as -he deserves!" -</p> - -<p> -"Shumsheer-hu-dust! (come on, sword in hand). -Dog! thy soul shall be under the devil's jaw tonight!" -cried the Afghan with fierce defiance, as his -horse curveted and pranced. -</p> - -<p> -He was Amen Oolah Khan, and a splendid and -picturesque figure he presented in his brightly -coloured and flaming dress, through the openings of -which his shirt and sleeves of the finest chain-mail, -bright as silver or frostwork on a winter branch, -were visible, and, as Waller knew, impervious to the -swords used in our service; at the same time he -remembered that his pistols had both been -discharged, and were still unloaded. -</p> - -<p> -Shakespere reined back his horse, ready, if -necessary, to second Waller, to whom he handed a -pistol, on the Khan firing a second at him. Thus -armed, Waller took a steady aim and fired straight -at the head of his antagonist. The latter, to save -himself, by a sharp use of the spur and curb, made -his horse rear up, so that the bullet entered the -throat and spine of the animal, which toppled -forward with its head between its knees, just as -Amen Oolah was coming to the charge with his -lance, the point of which, by the downward -sinking of his horse, entered the turf so deeply, -that, by the consequent breaking of the shaft, -he found himself tumbled ignominiously in a -heap from his saddle, and at the mercy of Waller, -who, dashing at him, rained blow after blow, -without avail, upon his steel cap and mailed -shoulders. -</p> - -<p> -The sabre of Amen Oolah had been broken in -some previous conflict; he had but one weapon left, -the long and deadly Afghan knife, which, as a last -resort, he had clenched in his teeth, and with this, -while uttering a hoarse cry of rage and defiance, -mingled with a rancorous malediction, he rushed at -Waller, and strove to drag him from his saddle, -spitting at him like a viper the while, and adding, -exultingly, -</p> - -<p> -"Ha!—your women are away to Toorkistan, to -be the slaves of the Toorkomans—their slaves of -the right hand!" -</p> - -<p> -Waller, a finished horseman, was not to be easily -dislodged, for he had twice the bulk and strength of -his adversary. Twisting the reins round his left -arm, he grasped the wrist of the hand which held -the menacing knife, and by a single blow of his -sword across the fingers, compelled the Khan to -drop it. Heavy curses came from his lips, but -never once the word <i>amaun</i> (quarter); he knew it -would be useless, and he disdained to ask it. No -thought of mercy had Waller in his heart, for he -knew that if defeated he should have met with none; -and on this man's hands there might he, for all he -knew, the blood of Mabel Trecarrel, perhaps, of -others certainty, and such surmises, at such a time, -were maddening. -</p> - -<p> -Barehanded now, the Afghan struggled like a -tiger with his powerful adversary, whom he strove -to unhorse. Waller endeavoured again and again -to run him through the body; but the Sheffield -blade bent, and failed to pierce the fine rings of the -Oriental shirt of mail, so to end the affair, he -smote the Khan repeatedly on the face with the hilt -of his sword, but the helmet bar protected him; -then, by making his horse rear, he endeavoured to -cast him off, or kick him under foot. -</p> - -<p> -Stunned and confused, the savage Afghan at last -sank downward, and by some mischance got his -head into the stirrup-leather of Waller, whose left -foot was unavoidably pressed upon his throat; and -as the horse, terrified by this unusual appendage, -plunged wildly, and swerved round and round, the -wretched Khan was speedily strangled, and sank -into a state of insensibility, from which he never -recovered, as a couple of the 13th passed their fixed -bayonets through his body, and one tore off his -beautiful steel cap, from which Waller afterwards -obtained the jewel—a sapphire of great value. -</p> - -<p> -The cap itself, which was studded with those -turquoises that are found in the mountains of -Nishapour, in Khorassan, he tossed to the two -soldiers, who proceeded at once to poke them out -with their bayonets. -</p> - -<p> -"If I ever meet my Mabel again, this sapphire -shall be a gift for her!" thought Waller, with a -sigh of weariness, for his victory brought neither -triumph nor regret to his heart. -</p> - -<p> -It was afterwards remembered, as a curious -instance of retributive justice, that Amen Oollah -Khan should die in the battle of Tizeen, almost by -the same death as that to which he put his luckless -elder brother, that he might succeed to his -inheritance—strangulation. -</p> - -<p> -The whole affair occupied only a few minutes; -but, long ere it was over, the cavalry had swept far -in pursuit, and Waller found himself almost alone. -On one side was savage terror; on the other, -civilized men thirsty for justice and vengeance; and -so on all sides the turbaned hordes were stricken -down by those who felt that to them was left the -task of atoning for the betrayal and death of -friends, comrades, and relatives; and there, on the -heights of Tizeen, the standard of Ackbar Khan was -trod in the dust, never to rise again! -</p> - -<p> -Once more the sun went down in blood upon the -passes of the Khyberees; but once again they -were open, and the way to Cabul was clear. -</p> - -<p> -Resistance had ceased; scarcely a single juzail -shot was fired next day, when, after halting for the -night, our infantry began their march beyond Tizeen, -traversing, as the despatch has it, "those frightful -ravines, now doubly frightful because of the heaps -of dead bodies with which the narrow way was -choked." -</p> - -<p> -Another junction was made with the victorious -troops of General Nott, advancing from Candahar -and Ghuznee; and once more the green and lovely -valley of Cabul, bounded by the snow-clad peaks of -Kohistan, and threaded by its blue and winding -river, came into view beyond the black rocky -gorges of the Siah Sung; and the morning sun -shone red and brightly on leaden dome and marble -minar, on the walls of the city, and the vast -castellated masses of the Bala Hissar. The -uncased colours of horse and foot, European and -Native, rustling in silk and embroidery, were given -to the pleasant breeze; the fixed bayonets in long -lines came like a stream of glittering steel out of the -dark mountain passes; the bands struck up, and -once again the merry British drums woke the same -echoes that, ages upon ages ago, had replied to the -clarions of the conquering Emperor Baber, of -Mohammed, of Ghuznee, and even of Alexander and -his bare-kneed Macedonians. -</p> - -<p> -But still where were the captive hostages—the -women and children? -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap16"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XVI. -<br /><br /> -TO TOORKISTAN! -</h3> - -<p> -The pen of Scott would have failed to describe, -and the pencil of Gustave Doré to depict, the -anguish of the poor hostages, when, at the behest -of Ackbar, and at the very time the long prayed-for -succour was coming, they were compelled to set out -on their sorrowful journey towards the Land of -Desert. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, my poor children—my helpless lambs—my -fatherless little ones!" one would cry, folding in -her loving arms her scared, pale, and half-starved -brood, gathering them to her while they were yet -<i>her own</i>, "even as a hen gathereth her chickens." -</p> - -<p> -"My husband—my husband! shall we never meet -again?" -</p> - -<p> -"My poor 'Bob,' or 'Bill,' or, it might be, -'Tom,'" some soldier's wife would exclaim, "I -shall never see the likes of you more, darling;" for -though Tom perhaps drank all his pay, and gave -Biddy now and then "a taste of his buff belt," he -"was an angel, compared to a naygur, anyhow!" -</p> - -<p> -But the majority of the hostages were ladies, and -some of them were like Lady Macnaghten and Sir -Robert Sale's daughter, who were widows—who had -lost alike husband and children, and mourned as -those only mourn who have no hope. And now -many a quaint pet name, known best in the nursery -ami to the playfulness of the loving heart, was -mingled with the most solemn of prayers. -</p> - -<p> -"Death—death were better than this!" would be -the despairing cry of some; and, ere their sad -journey ended, death came to more than one of -that devoted band. -</p> - -<p> -For in one or two instances, despite the piteous -entreaties of the ladies, some soldiers—those very -men whom the 13th had subscribed their rupees at -the drum-head to ransom—whose weakness from -wounds or bodily illness rendered them incapable of -riding or marching were shot by the wayside, and -left unburied, even as so many lamed horses or -diseased dogs which were useless might have been. -One or two, who were weary of life, entreated to have -it ended thus, and all whom the Dooranees destroyed -thus in obedience to Ackbar's orders and the grim -law, perhaps, of necessity, died peacefully and -piously—sick of their present existence, and hopeful -of the future; but the women screamed, lamented, -and prayed, seeking to muffle their ears when the -death-shots rang in the mountain wilderness. -</p> - -<p> -Mabel Trecarrel was weak and ailing too, but she -was much too valuable a species of commodity to be -shot out of hand, like a poor Feringhee soldier, even -though quite as much a Kaffir and infidel as he -might be; so she was tenderly borne in a palanquin -which had been found in the cantonments, and -which contained every comfort and appliance for -travelling—little drawers for holding clothes or -food, and even a mirror, though she never looked -at it. -</p> - -<p> -Like a few more, she was silent in her grief, and -found a refuge in tears. -</p> - -<p> -The wedded wife might utter loudly and despairingly -the name of her husband, and the parent that -of the dead or absent child, finding a relief for the -overcharged heart in sound; but, even in that terrible -time, the poor betrothed girl could only whisper, -in the inmost recesses of her breast, of the lover she -never more might see, and gaze backward with -haggard eyes on the features of the landscape with -which they had both become familiar—the hills of -Beymaru, the ridges of the Black Rocks, and the -smiling valley of Cabul, as they all lessened and -faded away in the distance, while slowly but surely, -under a watchful and most unscrupulous guard, the -train of prisoners, on active Tartar horses or -plodding Afghan yaboos, in swinging dhooleys and -curtained litters of other kinds, wound among the -mountains on their way to Toorkistan, the frontiers -of which were only about a week's journey -distant. -</p> - -<p> -And what was the prospect before them? -</p> - -<p> -Separation and distribution, to be bartered for -horses, or sold into slavery and degradation; the few -men among them, irrespective of rank, to be the -bondsmen, syces, carpet-spreaders, and grooms, -hewers of wood and drawers of water: the women, -if young, to be the veriest slaves of ignorant and -unlettered masters, as yet unseen and unknown; -if old, to become nurses and drudges to the women -of the Usbec Tartars: and all these were Christians, -and civilised subjects of the Queen; many of them -accomplished, highly bred, nobly born, and tenderly -nurtured. -</p> - -<p> -Terrible were the emotions of the English -mother, who, circumstanced thus, looked on her -pure and innocent daughters and thought of what -a week might bring forth! -</p> - -<p> -Yet such were the fates before them—the fates -that even the quickest marching of our troops might -fail to avert; for were not the Afghans, as they -heard, again disputing every inch of the Passes -with a desperation which proved that Lord Auckland's -policy, and that of the "peace at any price -party" at home, would never have availed with those -who deemed diplomacy but cowardly cunning, -treaties as trash, bribes as fair "loot," and all war as -legal fraud? -</p> - -<p> -The lamentations of the women at times, when -mingled and united (for grief is very infectious), -roused even the usually phlegmatic Saleh -Mohammed, who rode in the centre of the caravan, -perched between the humps of a very high camel. -</p> - -<p> -"In the land to which you are going, of course, -you shall find neither Jinnistan, the Country of -Delight, nor its capital, the City of Precious -Stones; neither will fruits and sweet cakes drop -into your mouths, as if you sat under the blessed -tree of Toaba, which is watered by the rivers of -paradise," said he, half scoffingly; "but you will -see the vast sandy waste of the Kirghisian desert, -which to the thirsty looks like a silvery sea in the -distance; and some of you may happily see the -city of Souzak, which contains five hundred houses -of stone, and I doubt if the Queen of the Feringhees -has so many in her little island. Barikillah! and -you will see the black tents and the fleecy flocks of -the Usbec Tartars, for they are numerous as leaves -in the vale of Cashmere." -</p> - -<p> -And thus he sought to console them when, on the -evening of the first day's journey, they halted at -Killi-Hadji, on the Ghuznee road (only seven miles -westward from Cabul), and so called from the killi, -or fort of mud that guards its cluster of huts. It -was approached by narrow and tortuous lanes -overhung by shady mulberry-trees; and there, beside -the walls of the fort, they bivouacked for the night. -</p> - -<p> -The deep crimson glory of sunset was over; but -the flush of the western sky lengthened far the -purple shadows of tree, and rock, and hut, even of -the tall camels, ere they knelt to rest, across the -scene of the bivouac, which was not without its -strong aspect of the quaint and picturesque, albeit -the sad eyes of those who looked thereon were sick -of such elements, as being associated with all their -most unmerited miseries. -</p> - -<p> -Unbitted, with leather tobrahs, or nose-bags filled -with barley, hanging from their heads, the patient -horses were eating, while the hardier yaboos grazed -the long grass that grew in the lanes and waste -places. -</p> - -<p> -Fires were lighted, and around them all of the -Dooranee guard, who were not posted in the chain -of sentinels, sat cross-legged, smoking hempseed, -cleaning their arms, fixing fresh flints or dry -matches to their musket-locks; others were industriously -picking out of their furred poshteens those -active insects of the genus <i>pulex</i>, called by the -Arabians "the father of leapers," while the flesh of -a camel, which had been shot by the way, as -useless—its feet being wounded and sore—sputtered and -broiled on the embers for supper, and the light from -the flames fell in strong gleams and patches on the -strange equipment, the swarthy turbaned faces, and -gleaming eyes of those wild fellows, whose -shawl-girdles bristled with arms and powder-flasks, and -some four hundred of whom were furnished with -muskets and bayonets. -</p> - -<p> -A spear stuck upright in the earth—its sharp -point glittering like a tiny red star—indicated the -head-quarters, where, muffled in his poshteen and -ample chogah, with a piece of thick xummul folded -under him, Saleh Mohammed Khan, propped -against the saddle of his camel, prepared, with -pipe in mouth, to dose away the hours of the short -August night. -</p> - -<p> -Most, if not nearly all, the lady captives, wore now, -of necessity, the Afghan travelling-dress, a large sheet -shrouding the entire form, having a bourkha, or veil -of white muslin, furnished with two holes to peep -through; and with those who, muffled thus, sat in -kujawurs, or camel-litters, the semblance of their -orientalism was complete. -</p> - -<p> -From time to time, dried branches or cass—a -prickly furze grass which grows in bunches—were -cast upon the fire, causing the flames to shoot up -anew, on the pale faces of the prisoners and the -dark faces of their guards, till at last the embers -died out and the white ashes alone remained; and -such was the scene which, like a species of -phantasmagoria, met the eyes of Mabel Trecarrel, when, in -the still watches of the night, she drew back the -curtains of her palanquin and looked forth -occasionally. But the stars began to pale in the sky; -its blue gave place to opal tints; the sun arose, and -after the Mohammedans had said their prayers with -their faces towards Mecca, and the Christians with -their eyes bent towards the earth or to heaven, -once more the heartless march was resumed, in the -same order as on the preceding day, through a pass in -the mountains, and from thence across the beautiful -valley of Maidan. -</p> - -<p> -Saleh Mohammed, though a Khan, having once -been a Soubadar in Captain Hopkins's Afghan Levy -(from which he had deserted to the party of Ackbar -Khan, at the beginning of the troubles), had some -ideas of military order and show: thus he had at -the head of the caravan—for it resembled nothing -else—six Hindostanees, furnished with some of our -drums and bugles gleaned up in the Khyber Pass, -and with these they made the most horrible noises -for several miles at the commencement and close of -each day's march; but even this medley of discordant -sounds failed to extract the faintest smile from -the hostages—even from Major Pottinger and the -few soldiers—so sunk were they in heart and spirit -now. -</p> - -<p> -In the Maidan valley they rode between fields of -golden grain bordered by towering poplars and pale -willows. Bare, bleak-looking mountains undulated -in the distance, and the poor ladies eyed them -wistfully. -</p> - -<p> -Were these the borders of dreaded Toorkistan? -</p> - -<p> -They proved, however, to be only a portion of the -Indian Caucasus, the extremity of which, the Koh-i-baba, -a snow-clad peak, rises to the height of sixteen -thousand feet above the level of the Indian Sea. -</p> - -<p> -That night Saleh Mohammed chose a pleasant -halting-place for them, influenced by some sudden -emotion of pity. There they were supplied with -plums, wild cherries, peaches, and the white apricot -which has the flavour of rose water. But ere -morning there was an alarm; a confused discharge of -musketry was fired in every direction at random, all -round the bivouac; one or two bullets whistled -through it. A dhooley-wallah was shot dead, and -several red arrows, barbed and bearded, stuck -quivering in the turf; yells were heard, and then a -furious galloping of horses passing swiftly away in -the distance. -</p> - -<p> -It was a chupao—a night attack planned by some -of the Hazarees, a wild and independent Tartar -tribe, whose thatched huts lie sunk and unseen on -the hill slopes, and on whose confines they had -halted. They are all good archers, and, though -armed with the matchlock, usually prefer the bow. -</p> - -<p> -They are bitter foes of the Afghans, and had -hoped, by making a dash, to cut off some of their -prisoners; but Saleh Mohammed was too wary for -them, and on that evening had doubled his guards -ere the sun went down. -</p> - -<p> -The 2nd of September found the train traversing -the Kaloo Mountain, one in height only inferior to -the Koh-i-baba. From thence, over a vast chaos of -wild and terrific hilly peaks that spread beneath -them like the pointed waves of a petrified sea, they -could view, at last, and afar off, the plains of -Toorkistan—the land of their future bondage; and anew -the wail of grief and woe rose from them at the -sight. -</p> - -<p> -The following day, that the absurd might not be -wanting amid their misery, to the surprise of all, -Saleh Mohammed appeared mounted on his camel, -not in his usual amplitude of turban, with his -flowing chogah and Cashmere shawls, but with his -lean, shrunken, and bony figure buttoned up in a -tight regimental blue surtout, with gold shoulder-scales, -and crimson sash, frog-belt, and sword, all of -which had whilom belonged to Jack Polwhele, of the -Cornish Light Infantry, a tiny forage cap (which -Jack used to wear very much over his right ear) -being perched on the back of his bald head, while -the chin-strap came uncomfortably only below the -tip of his high hooked nose; and thus arrayed he -prepared to meet and, as he hoped, duly to impress -Zoolficar Khan, the governor of the town of -Bameean, where the first halt was to be made for -further and final orders from Ackbar, as to whether -the hostages should be sold or slain; for now their -custodian began to have some strange doubts upon -the subject, and now his victims were fairly out of -Afghanistan and in the land of the Tartars, nine -days of monotonous and arduous journey distant -from Cabul. -</p> - -<p> -We have lately seen the kind of mercy meted out -to helpless hostages by Communal savages in the -boasted city of Paris—the self-styled centre of -civilization—and so may fairly tremble for the fate -of those who were in the hands of Asiatic fanatics -on the western slopes of the Hindoo-Kush. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap17"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XVII. -<br /><br /> -MABEL'S PRESENTIMENT. -</h3> - -<p> -Mabel Trecarrel seemed to see or to feel the -image of Waller become more vividly impressed -upon her mind, now, as every day's journey, as every -hour, and every mile towards the deserts of Great -Tartary, increased the perils of her own situation, -and seemed to add to the difficulties, if not entirely -to close all the chances, of their ever meeting again -on this earth; and as Bameean, a rock-hewn city, -the Thebes of the East, and geographically situated -in Persia, began to rise before the caravan, when it -wound down from the Akrobat Pass, a deeper chill -fell on her heart, for she had a solemn presentiment -creeping over her that there all her sorrows, if not -those of her companions too, should be ended. -</p> - -<p> -A laborious progress of several miles, during -which her now weary dhooley-wallahs staggered and -reeled with fatigue, brought them from the mountain -slopes into a plain, damp, muddy, and marshy, -where from the plashy soil there rose a mist -through which the city seemed to shimmer and loom, -shadowy and ghost-like. A great portion of this -plain was waste, and hence believed to be the abode -of ghouls, afreets, and demons, who, in the dark -and twilight, sought to lure the children of Adam to -unknown but terrible doom. -</p> - -<p> -A gust of wind careering over the waste from the -Pass, rolled away, like a veil of gauze, the shroud -which had half concealed the place they were -approaching; and with a mournful and sickly -interest, not unmixed with anticipated dread, Mabel -and her friends surveyed the city of Bameean. -</p> - -<p> -Rising terrace over terrace on the green acclivities -of an insulated mountain, the bolder features and -details shining in the ruddy sunlight, the intermediate -spaces sunk in sombre shadow, it exhibited a -series of the most wonderfully excavated mansions, -temples, and ornamental caverns (the abodes of its -ancient and nameless inhabitants), to the number of -more than twelve thousand, covering a slope of eight -miles in extent. -</p> - -<p> -Many of those rock-hewn edifices, carved out of -the living stone which supports the mountain, and -are the chief portions of its foundation and structure, -have beautiful friezes and entablatures, domes and -cupolas, with elaborately arched doors and windows. -Others are mere dens and caverns, with square -air-holes; but towering over all are many colossal -figures, more particularly two—a woman one -hundred and twenty feet high, and another of a man, -forty feet higher—all hewn out of the face of a lofty -cliff. -</p> - -<p> -By what race, or when, those mighty and wondrous -works of art were formed, at such vast labour, -no human record, not even a tradition, remains to -tell; their origin is shrouded by a veil of mystery, -like that of the ruined cities of Yucatan; so whether -they are relics of Bhuddism, or were hewn in the -third century, during the dynasty of the Sassanides, -has nothing to do with our story. But the poor -hostages, as they were conveyed past those silent, -dark, and empty temples, abandoned now to the -jackal, the serpent, and the flying fox, with the -towering and gigantic apparitions of the stone colossi -lookingly grimly down in silence, felt strange -emotions of chilly awe come over them—the ladies -especially. To Mabel Trecarrel, in her weak and -nervous state, the scene proved too much; she -became hysterical, and wept and laughed at the -same moment, to the great perplexity of Saleh -Mohammed, who was quite unused to such -exhibitions among the ladies of <i>his</i> zenanali. -</p> - -<p> -Though stormed by Jenghiz Khan and his hordes, -in 1220, after a vigorous resistance, this rock-hewn -city, by its materials and massiveness, could suffer -little; yet it was subsequently deserted by all its -inhabitants, who named it "Maublig," or the -<i>unfortunate</i>. After that time, its history sank into -utter obscurity; its once-fertile plain reverted to a -desert state once more; yet unchanged as when -Bameean was in its zenith, its river of the same -name flows past the caverned mountain, on its silent -way to the snowy wastes where its waters mingle -with those of the Oxus. -</p> - -<p> -In this remote place the captives were all, as -usual, enclosed in a walled fort which contained a -few hovels of mud, where in darkness and damp they -strove to make themselves as comfortable as -circumstances permitted, with blankets, xummuls, and the -saddles on which they had ridden. -</p> - -<p> -The Dooranees of Saleh Mohammed had to keep -sure watch and ward there, for the Usbec Tartars -are the predominating people, and, though divided -into many tribes, they are all rigid Soonees, with -but small favour for the Afghans; and the prisoners -soon learned that the unusual costume of Saleh -Mohammed, instead of inspiring Zoolficar Khan, -as he had expected, with wonder, only excited -in that sturdy Toorkoman an emotion of -contempt, that a Mussulman should so far degrade -himself by adopting, even for a day, the dress -of a Feringhee—a Kaffir; and they had -something approaching to hasty words on the -subject, when, on the first evening of their meeting, -those dignitaries sat together on the same carpet -under a date tree in the garden of the fort, while -slaves supplied them with hot coffee, wheat pillau, -pipes, and tobacco. -</p> - -<p> -There, too, had Mabel been borne on a pallet, by -the express permission of the Khan, that she might -enjoy the sunshine; there was, he knew, no chance -of her attempting to escape; and to prevent any -covetous Toorkoman from playing tricks with the -tender wares entrusted to him, he had a double -chain of sentinels with loaded muskets planted -round them, as Zoolficar Khan could perceive when -reconnoitring the place, which was outside the city -of Bameean, but immediately under the shadow of -its temples and rock-hewn giants; for Zoolficar, -having learned that Saleh Mohammed was proceeding -towards the deserts with the captives to -sell, to punish the men of their tribe for -interference in the affairs of Afghanistan, was not -indisposed to have the first selection from among -them, and had resolved to look over "the lot" with -a purchaser's eye. -</p> - -<p> -He had already, over their pipes and coffee, -broached the subject to Saleh Mohammed; but the -latter, undecided in everything, save that he had to -halt where he was for fresh orders from the Sirdir, -Ackbar Khan, would not as yet listen to any -proposals for selling or bartering, and eventually dozed -off asleep, with the amber mouthpiece of the -hubble-bubble in his mouth, leaving Zoolficar Khan to -amuse himself as best he might. -</p> - -<p> -Mabel, weary and faint with her long journey of -nine consecutive days, though borne easily and -carefully enough in a palanquin, lay listlessly and -drowsily pillowed on her pallet, under the cool and -pleasant shade of an acacia tree. Near her stood -a tiny pagoda of white marble, carved as minutely -and elaborately as a Chinese ivory puzzle; and -before it was a tank wherein were floating some of -the beautiful red lotus, the flowers of which far -exceed in size and beauty those of the ordinary -water-lily. -</p> - -<p> -The slender, drooping, and fibrous branches of the -acacia tree, so graceful in their forms and so tender -in their texture, cast a partial shadow over her, and, -as they moved slowly to and fro in the soft evening -wind, by their rocking or oscillating motion predisposed -her to slumber; and so, ere long, she slept, -but slept only to dream of the past—the happy, -happy past, for keenly did she and all who were with -her realise now that "it is the eternal looking -back in this world that forms the staple of all our -misery." -</p> - -<p> -Anon, she dreamed of the monotonous swinging of -her palanquin, and the doggrel songs by which the -poor half-nude bearers sought to beguile their toil -and cheer the mountain way; now it was of Waller, -with his fair English face, his handsome winning -eyes, and frank, jovial manner, retorting some of the -banter of Polwhele or Burgoyne. She was at her -piano; he was hanging over her as of old, and their -whispers mingled, though fears suggested that the -horrible Quasimodo, the Khond, with his cat-like -moustaches and mouth that resembled a red gash, -was concealed somewhere close by; then she heard -cries and shots—they were attacked by Hazarees, -Ghazees, Ghilzies, or some other dark-coloured -wretches; and with a little scream she started and -awoke, to find that her veil had been rudely -withdrawn—uplifted, in fact—in the hand of a man who -stood under the acacia tree, and had been leisurely -surveying her in her sleep with eyes expressive of -inspection and satisfaction. -</p> - -<p> -She shuddered, and a low cry of fear escaped her; -for she knew by the cast of his face, by his air and -equipment, that the stranger was a Toorkoman—the -first who had come—by his unwelcome presence -bringing fresh perils, as she knew, to all the English -ladies; yet he was a handsome fellow, not much over -five-and-twenty, and so like Zohrab Zubberdust in -aspect and bearing, that they might have passed for -brothers. -</p> - -<p> -Mabel feebly struggled into a sitting posture, and, -snatching her veil from his hand, looked steadily, -perhaps a little defiantly, at Zoolficar Khan; for he it -was who, when his older host dozed off, to dream -of plunder and paradise, had proceeded to make a -reconnaissance of whatever might be seen of the -prisoners and their guards; for it might yet suit his -interests or his fancy to cut off the whole caravan -in a night or so. Thus, a few paces from where Saleh -Mohammed was sleeping in the sunshine had -brought him unexpectedly on Mabel! -</p> - -<p> -He was a dashing fellow, whose dress was not the -least remarkable thing about him. His trowsers, of -ample dimensions, were of bright blue cloth, very -baggy, and thrust into short yellow boots; he had -on three collarless jackets, all of different hues, -and richly fringed and laced; a large turban of -silk of every colour, with a white heron's plume, to -indicate that he was a chief; a shawl girdle, with -sword, dagger, and long-barrelled awkward Turkish -pistols stuck therein, completed his attire. His -keen, sharp Tartar features, though suggestive of -good humour by their general expression, were not, -however, without much of cunning, rakish insolence, -and the bold effrontery incident to a lawless state of -society, a knowledge of power, and much of contempt -or indifference for the feelings of others. He -looked every inch one of those wild -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - "Toorkomans, countless as their flocks, led forth<br /> - From th' aromatic pastures of the north;<br /> - Wild warriors of the Turquoise hills, and those<br /> - Who dwell beyond the everlasting snows<br /> - Of Hindoo Koosh, in stormy freedom bred,<br /> - Their fort the rock, their camp the torrent's bed!"<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -He simply gave the scared Mabel a smile, full of -confidence and saucy meaning, and then turned -away, leaving her a prey to emotions of fear—a -fear that might have been all the greater had she -heard what passed between him and Saleh -Mohammed at the time when she, trembling in heart -and feeble in limb, crept back to the ladies' huts to -tell them, with lips blanched by terror, that "the -first Toorkoman had come!" -</p> - -<p> -And stronger than ever grew her presentiment -within her. -</p> - -<p> -The craving to hear of the movements of the -three British armies which they knew to be still in -Afghanistan was strong as ever in the hearts of the -captives—to hear the last, ere a barrier rose -between them and their past life; and that barrier -seemed now to be the mighty chain of Hindoo Koosh -rising between them and the way to India and to -home. Long had they hoped against hope. Nott, -and Pollock, and Sale—where were they and their -soldiers? What were they doing? For the Dooranees -would tell nothing. Had they and their forces been -destroyed in detail, even as Elphinstone's had been? -Those yells and noisy discharges of musketry, in -which the captors at times indulged in honour of -alleged victories over the three Kaffir Sirdirs, on -tidings brought by wandering hadjis, filthy faquirs, -and dancing dervishes, could they be justified? -Alas! fate seemed to have done its worst! -</p> - -<p> -Surmises were become threadbare; invention was -worn out. Each of the poor captives had striven, -by suggestions of probabilities and by efforts of -imagination, to flatter themselves and buoy up the -hearts of others; but all seemed at an end now. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap18"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XVIII. -<br /><br /> -THE GOVERNOR OF BAMEEAN. -</h3> - -<p> -Waking up Saleh Mohammed without much -ceremony, the young Toorkoman chief proceeded to -business at once, but in a very cunning way, -commencing with another subject, like a wily lawyer -seeking to lure and throw a witness off his guard. -</p> - -<p> -"After a nine days' journey, Khan, you must be -short of provisions?" said he. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, fear not for our presence here in Bameean," -replied Saleh Mohammed, leisurely sucking at his -hubble-bubble, the light of which had gone out; -"every tobrah full of oats, every maund of ottah -and rice, we require shall be duly paid for." -</p> - -<p> -"You mistake me; I did not mean that." -</p> - -<p> -"What then? Bismillah! we are rich: the spoil -of the Kaffir dogs who come to Cabul has made us -happy." -</p> - -<p> -Zoolficar's almond-shaped eyes glistened with -covetousness on hearing this. He reflected: the -Dooranees were not quite five hundred strong, and -he could bring a thousand Tartar horsemen into the -field; hence, why might not all this plunder so -freely spoken of, and these slaves, two of whom he -had seen (and they were so white and handsome!), -be his? -</p> - -<p> -"You propose to remain here for some days, -aga?" he resumed, seating himself cross-legged, -and playing with the silken tassel of his sabre. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes." -</p> - -<p> -"Waiting for orders from Ackbar Khan?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes." -</p> - -<p> -"His final firmaun, I think you said?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes." -</p> - -<p> -"To advance or retire?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes." -</p> - -<p> -"If he has proved signally victorious?" queried -Zoolficar sharply, as he grew impatient of these mere -affirmatives, which were resorted to by the other -merely to give him time to think and sift the other's -purpose. -</p> - -<p> -"Wallah billah—victorious." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes—which, under Allah, we cannot doubt?" -</p> - -<p> -"Well, aga." -</p> - -<p> -"Then his orders will be to sell these hostages, I -suppose?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes—perhaps." -</p> - -<p> -"Where, Khan?—here in Bameean?" -</p> - -<p> -"No; they will bring larger prices nearer Bokhara." -</p> - -<p> -"But if he is not victorious?" suggested Zoolficar. -</p> - -<p> -"Staferillah! Then we must leave the event to -fate; or my orders may be——" and here even Saleh -Mohammed paused ere he made the atrocious -admission that hovered on his tongue. -</p> - -<p> -"What—what?" -</p> - -<p> -"To behead them. Ackbar has sworn that none -should live to tell the tale of those who came up the -Khyber Pass; and I must own that his sparing these -surprised me." -</p> - -<p> -There was a pause, after which the Governor of -Baraeean said— -</p> - -<p> -"And when may you expect those final orders?" -</p> - -<p> -"Or tidings, let us call them." -</p> - -<p> -"Well, well, aga, this is playing with words." -</p> - -<p> -"Tidings that shall guide me may come without -orders," replied Saleh Mohammed, glancing at the -green flag of Ackbar which was flying on the fort, -and then half closing his eyes to watch the other -keenly, and as if to read in his face the drift of all -these questions. "You surely take a deep interest -in these Kaffirs, Zoolficar Khan?" he added. -</p> - -<p> -"I take an interest, at least, in two whom I have -seen—in one particularly." -</p> - -<p> -"The Hindoo ayah in the red garment?" suggested -Saleh, pointing with the amber mouthpiece -of his pipe to an old nurse who was passing, with -two of the captive children. -</p> - -<p> -"The devil—no! One who is beautiful as the rose -with the hundred leaves—one with a skin as fair as -if she had bathed in the waters of Cashmere; an -idol more lovely than ever adorned the house of -Azor! She was under yonder tree asleep, when I -lifted her veil and looked on her." -</p> - -<p> -"Allah Ackbar—now we have it!" exclaimed -Saleh Mohammed, with something between irritation -and amusement. "Well, know, aga, that to -quote a Parsee or Hindoo banker's book in lieu of -Hafiz might be more to the purpose." -</p> - -<p> -"Perhaps so: we have more metal in our scabbards -than in our purses, in the desert here." -</p> - -<p> -"They have tempers, these Feringhee women, I -can tell you," said the Dooranee, with a quiet laugh. -</p> - -<p> -"So have ours, for the matter of that, and are -free enough with their slipper heel on a man's beard -at times." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! all women, I dare say, are like the apples -of Istkahar, one half sweet and one half sour," said -the old Khan, shaking his long beard. -</p> - -<p> -"You must seek the well of youth again," rejoined -the young Toorkoman, laughing. "There is another -Kaffir damsel whose voice sounded sweetly, as if she -had tasted of the leaves that shadow the tomb of -Tan-Sien," he continued, using in his ordinary -conversation figures and phraseology that seem no way -far-fetched to an Oriental; "yes, aga, tender and -soft, for I heard her sing her two children to sleep -in yonder hut. Yet she may never have been in -Gwalior," added Zoolficar; for the lady was an -officer's widow, young and pretty, with two poor -sickly babes; and the <i>tomb</i> he referred to was that of -the famous musician, who once flourished at the -court of the Emperor Ackbar, and the leaves of a -tree near which are supposed to impart, when eaten, -a wondrous melody to the human voice. -</p> - -<p> -"Then am I to understand that you have set eyes -upon both these prisoners?" asked Saleh Mohammed, -his keen black eyes becoming very round, as -he seemed to make up more fully to the matter in -hand. -</p> - -<p> -"Please God, I have. In a word," said Zoolficar -Khan, lowering his voice, "I shall give you a purse -of five hundred tomauns for them both—peaceably, -and help you to plunder the Hazarees on your way -home." -</p> - -<p> -"And what of the Sirdir?" -</p> - -<p> -"Tell him they died on the way: moreover, I -don't want the two children—you may keep them." -</p> - -<p> -This liberality failed to find any approbation in -Saleh Mohammed, who affected to look indignant, -and exclaimed— -</p> - -<p> -"I am Saleh Mohammed Khan, chief of the -Dooranees, and not a slave-dealer, staferillah!—God -forbid!" -</p> - -<p> -"Neither is Ackbar Khan—a son of the royal -house of Afghanistan; yet he has sent hither those -people for sale, in <i>your</i> charge—for sale to the -Toorkomans; and what am I?" -</p> - -<p> -"I have no final orders—as yet," replied the -Khan, doggedly. -</p> - -<p> -"For their disposal, you mean?" -</p> - -<p> -"No." -</p> - -<p> -"For what, then?" -</p> - -<p> -"Simply to halt here; to act peaceably, but watchfully, -Zoolficar Khan—<i>watchfully</i>," replied the other -in a pointed manner; "and hourly now I may -expect a cossid with a firmaun from Cabul." -</p> - -<p> -"The Hazarees are in arms in your rear, and, ere -your cossid comes, there may be a chupao in the -night, and the fort may be looted." -</p> - -<p> -"By them, or your people?" -</p> - -<p> -"Nay, I said not mine, aga." -</p> - -<p> -"But you thought it," was the blunt response. -</p> - -<p> -"Who, save Allah, may pretend to know what -another man thinks?" -</p> - -<p> -"Well, we are prepared alike to protect ourselves -and to keep or slay; yea—for it may come to that—to -slay, root and branch, those Kaffir hostages. I -would not betray my trust, were you Kedar Khan -with all his wealth!" continued Saleh Mohammed, -flushing red, and speaking as earnestly as if he -really felt all he said, while referring to that ancient -king of Toorkistan, whose fabled riches were so -great, that when on the march he had always before -him seven hundred horsemen, with battle-axes of -silver, and the same number behind, with battle-axes -of gold. -</p> - -<p> -So far as slaughter was concerned, if that sequel -were necessary, Zoolficar Khan felt sure that Saleh -Mohammed would keep his word; and he was about to -retire partially baffled, with his mind full of visions -for securing the plunder by a midnight attack on -the Dooranees, either while in the fort or when on -the march; and he was casting a furtive glance to -where he had last seen Mabel, combining it with a -low salaam to his host, when, ere he could take his -leave, a strange figure on a foam-covered yaboo -rode furiously into the fort and dismounted before -them. He was almost nude; his lean body, reduced -to bone and brawn, was powdered with sandal-wood -ashes; his hair hung in vast volume over his back -and shoulders; his only garment was a pair of -goatskin breeches; a gourd for water hung by a strap -over his shoulder, and this, together with a long -Afghan knife, a large wooden rosary of ninety-nine -beads, and a knotted staff, completed his equipment. -</p> - -<p> -"Lah-allah-mahmoud-resoul-Allah!" he yelled, -flourishing the staff as he sprang from his shaggy -yaboo. -</p> - -<p> -"We know that well enough, Osman Abdallah," -said the Dooranee chief, impatiently, to the Arab -Hadji, for it was he who came thus suddenly, like a -flash of lightning; "but from whence come you?" -</p> - -<p> -"Cabul; or the mountains near it, rather." -</p> - -<p> -"To me?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, Khan, with a message from the Sirdir," -replied this fierce, wild, ubiquitous being, whose -skin bore yet the scarcely healed marks of Waller's -sword-thrust, as he drew from his girdle a sorely -soiled scrap of paper, and bowed his head reverentially -over it; for the bearer of a letter from such -a personage as the Prince Ackbar must treat the -document with as much respect as if he himself -were present. -</p> - -<p> -"And what of the Sirdir?" asked Saleh, starting -forward. -</p> - -<p> -"Allah kerim; he has been defeated by the -Kaffir's dogs at Tizeen—routed by Pollock -Sahib—totally!" -</p> - -<p> -"Silence, fool!" cried the Dooranee, with a swift, -fierce glance at the Toorkoman, as he snatched from -the hands of the Hadji, and without a word of -greeting or thanks, the little scroll, and then opened -it deliberately and slowly, as if the disposal of a -flock of sheep were the matter in hand, and not -the lives or deaths, the captivity or liberty, of so -many helpless human beings. The missive contained -but three words, and the seal of Ackbar— -</p> - -<p> -"<i>March to Kooloom.</i>" -</p> - -<p> -And Zoolficar Khan, who peeped over his -shoulder without ceremony, had read it too. The -beetle brows of Saleh Mohammed were close over -his fiery eyes, as he said, haughtily— -</p> - -<p> -"Where is this place? I may ask, as you have -read the name." -</p> - -<p> -"Kooloom—it is a steep, rugged, and perilous -journey, Khan." -</p> - -<p> -"And what am I to do when I get there?" asked -Saleh Mohammed, ponderingly, of himself, and not -of his companion. -</p> - -<p> -"But you are not yet there," said the latter, in a -low voice. -</p> - -<p> -"How—what do you mean?" -</p> - -<p> -"The way may be beset. Have I not said that it -is perilous?" -</p> - -<p> -"Well, perhaps we shall not go," replied the -other, with an unfathomable smile; and with low -salaams they separated, each quite ready for and -prepared to outwit the other. -</p> - -<p> -One fact they had both learned: Ackbar Khan -was defeated, and not victorious! -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap19"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XIX. -<br /><br /> -THE ALARM. -</h3> - -<p> -"Then you have seen the fighting against the -Kaffirs, I suppose?" asked Saleh Mohammed, -grimly. -</p> - -<p> -"Seen! Nay, Khan, I fought against them in -person; at Jugdulluck, the defence of the village -was entrusted to me——" -</p> - -<p> -"And lost by a Hadji," said the Khan, with a -sneer. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, even as the heights of Tizeen were lost by -a Khan," retorted the other. -</p> - -<p> -"A Khan—who?" -</p> - -<p> -"Amen Oolah—who was killed there." -</p> - -<p> -"Was the slaughter great?" -</p> - -<p> -"Of the Faithful, mean you?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes: I ask not of the Kaffirs—may their white -faces be confounded!" -</p> - -<p> -"The slaughter might remind Azrael, and the -angels who looked on us, of the Prophet when he -fought at Bedr. It was not so great, of course, as -that of the Feringhees when they left Cabul; for -Ackbar's orders were then, that but one should be -left alive, if even that; but the white smoke, as it -rolled on the wind, along the green sides of the hills, -and ascended skyward out of the deep, dark Passes, -was like that which shall precede the last day, and -for two moons fill all space, from the east to the -west, from the rising to the setting of the sun." -</p> - -<p> -"Silence!" grumbled Saleh Mohammed, who was -full of earnest thought, and in no mood for religious -canting just then, as the orders of Ackbar and the -collateral news of his defeat perplexed, while the -hints and covert threats of the Governor of -Bameean alarmed and irritated him. "So this is -all you know, Hadji Osman?" -</p> - -<p> -"All, save that I have a letter for Pottinger -Sahib." -</p> - -<p> -"From whom?" asked the chief, sharply. -</p> - -<p> -"Shireen Khan, of the Kuzzilbashes." -</p> - -<p> -"Fool! why not speak of this before? Yet -perhaps it is as well that yonder Toorkonian dog is -gone," exclaimed Saleh Mohammed, as he -impetuously tore the missive from the hand of the -cunning Hadji, who probably knew its contents; for -a most singular leer came into his repulsive face, as -he watched the dark visage of the Dooranee, seeming -all the darker in the twilight now; for the golden -flush was dying in the west, and its fading light fell -faintly on the rock-hewn edifices and wondrous -colossi that towered on the hill-slope above the fort, -one half of which was sunk in shadow. -</p> - -<p> -The Arab Hadji, as his creed inculcated, loathed -the infidels, but this loathing did not extend to -their loot and treasures; he was not indifferent to -their wines and other good things (in secret, of -course), and he loved their golden English guineas -and shining rupees—their shekels and talents of -silver—quite as much as any of "the cloth" (not -that he indulged in that commodity), the reverend -faquirs, doctors, and dervishes of enlightened -Feringhistan; so, for "a consideration," he had -actually brought a message to a "Kaffir," concerning -the redemption of his companions. The letter -briefly detailed the victory of General Pollock at -Tizeen, placing beyond a doubt the rout of Ackbar, -and his flight to Kohistan, and suggested that the -Major, in his own name and those of five other -British officers, who were prisoners with him, should -offer to Saleh Mohammed the sum of twenty -thousand rupees as a ransom for all—especially the -ladies and children—the sum to be paid down on -their release; and a glow of triumph, satisfaction, -and avarice filled the keen eyes and face of the old -Dooranee as he read over the words carefully thrice; -and then stroking his mighty beard, as if making a -promise to himself, and seeming already to feel the -rupees loading his girdle, he exclaimed— -</p> - -<p> -"Shabash! Allah keerim! (Very good! God -is merciful!) The Major Sahib will act like a -sensible man, and trust to my generosity. The -game of Ackbar—whose dog is <i>he</i> now?—is about -played out at Cabul; he is checkmated—has not a -move on the board. So Saleh Mohammed may as -well act mercifully, and treat with the Feringhee -Major for the ransom of his people." -</p> - -<p> -The night was passed as usual, after prayers were -over, in stupor or the wonted listlessness of despair, -by the captives, who were crowded all together in -the mud hovels of the fort, their Dooranee guards -lying outside in their chogahs, poshteens, and -horsecloths; but in the morning they saw with surprise -that a new flag—a scarlet one—had replaced the -sacred green, which had floated on the outer wall at -sunset. -</p> - -<p> -And each asked of the other what might this -portend? It was the signal that Saleh Mohammed -had revolted from the cause of Ackbar Khan; but -of what his own movements or measures were to be -they knew nothing yet. This new feature in affairs -bewildered and baffled the ulterior views of -Zoolficar Khan, who was still more surprised when, soon -after dawn, the old Dooranee, with a detachment of -his people, sallied from the fort, attacked and -captured—not, however, without resistance, some sharp firing, -and use of the sabre—a whole convoy of provisions -which passed en route for Bokhara—an act of daring -for which he found it difficult to account, as it would -be sure to rouse the terrible Emir of that kingdom -again these intruders in Toorkistan; but doubtless, -thought Zoolficar, the Afghan must know his own -plans and power best. -</p> - -<p> -Loth, however, not to pick up something in the -broils or forays that were so likely to ensue, he -began gradually to muster his Toorkoman followers, -desiring them to draw to a head in a wood near the -Bameean river, about nightfall, to watch the -Dooranees in the fort, and to gall or attack them either -in advancing or retiring therefrom; but, ere dark -came, there occurred what was to him a fresh source -of surprise, and to Saleh Mohammed of serious -alarm, while it chilled with a new-born fear the -hearts of the prisoners, to whom Major Pottinger -had now communicated his letter, his promises and -plans, with all the tidings of the Hadji, thereby for -a time exciting their wildest and most joyous -anticipations (at a moment when hope had sunk to its -lowest ebb) of freedom and restoration to the -world: so friends were rushing to congratulate -friends, and weeping with happiness, mothers were -wildly clasping their children to their breast, and -all were giving thanks to God. -</p> - -<p> -Affecting ignorance of any change that had taken -place in the mind of the Dooranee, towards evening -Zoolficar Khan in all his bravery, but alone, rode to -the gate of the fort, when, greatly to his wrath, he -was denied admittance by Saleh Mohammed in -person. -</p> - -<p> -"Take care lest you are the dupe of your own -fortune," said he haughtily. -</p> - -<p> -"Covet not the goods of another, aga," responded -Saleh, who had now resumed his Oriental amplitude -of costume. -</p> - -<p> -"Are we to understand that you have abandoned -the cause of Ackbar?" -</p> - -<p> -"Fate has done so—wallah billah—why should not I?" -</p> - -<p> -"How now about Khedar Khan and his riches, -O Saleh Mohammed the Incorruptible?" laughed -the Toorkoman. -</p> - -<p> -"Dare you mock me?" asked the Dooranee, -scowling, with his hand on a pistol. -</p> - -<p> -"No; but what means all this change since yesterday?" -</p> - -<p> -"It means that what is good for me may be bad -for you? Who can read the book of destiny? -The same flower which gives a sweet to the bee -gives poison to reptiles?" -</p> - -<p> -"Does all this mean that you will neither sell nor -barter?" asked Zoolficar, shaking haughtily his -huge turban and white heron's plume. -</p> - -<p> -"Exactly—that I will do neither," replied the -Dooranee, with a mocking laugh. -</p> - -<p> -"Then, by the hand of the Prophet, there -perhaps come those who may deprive you of all -you possess!" exclaimed the young Toorkoman, -with fierce triumph, as he pointed suddenly along -the road that led towards the Akrobat Pass. -</p> - -<p> -The sun, now in the west, was shedding a lovely -golden light along the brilliantly green slopes of the -mighty mountains, whose snow-capped peaks stood -up sharply defined, cold and white, against the -deep, pure blue of the sky. The barren and -desolate Akrobat Pass, overhung by rocks of slate -and limestone, yawned like a dark fissure between -the masses of the impending hills, and out of it a -cloud of white dust was now seen to roll, spreading -like mist, and increasing in magnitude like the -vapour released by the fisherman in the Arabian -story from the vase of yellow copper on the -seashore. -</p> - -<p> -On and on it came—onward and downward into -the plain where the Bameean river winds, and where -the silent city of the Colossi towers upon its -rock-hewn hill. -</p> - -<p> -Bright points began to flash and gleam ever and -and anon out of this coming cloud of dust—points -that could not be mistaken by a soldier's eye,—and -speedily the whole advancing mass assumed the -undoubted aspect of a great body of armed horsemen, -whose tall spears shone like stars, as they -came on at full speed from the mountains! -</p> - -<p> -"Hazarees—wild Hazarees or Eimauks—by Allah!" -exclaimed the Toorkoman, gathering his reins -in his hands; "a chupao—an attack on you, Saleh -Mohammed! Now look to your damsels and spoil, -for you will be looted of every kusira!"* -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p class="footnote"> -* An Afghan coin, worth about .083 of a penny, English. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -With a shout of exultation and defiance, he wheeled -round his horse, and galloped away towards the -wood and river. -</p> - -<p> -The Arab Hadji, Osman, declared these newcomers -to be some Usbec cavalry, whom he had seen -but yesterday encamped by the side of the river -Balkh. -</p> - -<p> -"Kosh gelding! Usbecs, Toorkomans, or -Hazarees,—let them come and welcome; they shall -not find us unprepared!" exclaimed Saleh -Mohammed through his clenched teeth, while his -black eyes shot fire, and he rushed away for his -weapons, and, by all the horrible din that his -Hindostanee drummers and buglers could make, -summoned his quaint-looking followers to arms; -for, in that lawless land, he knew not whose swords -might be uplifted against them now, as the downfall -of Ackbar would encourage all to make spoil of his -adherents. Even in the kingdom of Afghanistan -there were bitter quarrels, and the tribes were all -divided against each other now. -</p> - -<p> -In a moment the fort became a scene of the most -unwonted bustle. The Dooranees are one of the -bravest of the Afghan clans, and this party of them -prepared to make a resolute defence, and, if -necessary, to sell their lives as dearly as possible. -Muskets, matchlocks, and jingalls were loaded -on every hand. The gate of the fort was hastily -closed and barricaded behind with earth, and an -old brass 9-pounder gun, covered with Indian -characters—a perilous and too probably honeycombed -piece of ordnance, which was found in the -place—was propped on a heap of stones, just inside -the entrance, where it was loaded with bottles, nails, -and other missiles, to sweep a storming party. -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile all the European male prisoners, under -Major Pottinger, were now armed to make common -cause with their late guards; and among them many -a pale cheek flushed, and many a hollow eye lighted -up once more, at the prospect of a conflict, though -the weapons with which our poor fellows were -armed were only quaint matchlocks, rusty tulwars, -and old notched Afghan sabres. -</p> - -<p> -And now in front of the column of advancing -horse, two cavaliers came galloping on at headlong -speed, far before all their comrades, whose -ranks were loose and confused, and all unlike -Europeans; so Saleh Mohammed, his face darkened by a -scowl, his eyes glistening like those of a rattlesnake, -and his white beard floating on the wind, crouched -behind the old and mouldering wall, adjusting with -his own hands a clumsy jingall, or swivel wall-piece, -with the iron one-pound shot of which he was -prepared to empty the saddle of one of those two -adventurous riders—he cared not a jot which. -</p> - -<p> -Thus far we have followed Anglo-Indian history; -and now to resume more particularly our own -narrative. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap20"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XX. -<br /><br /> -TOO LATE! -</h3> - -<p> -When Doctor C——, though the anxious and -watchful eyes of Rose Trecarrel were bent upon -him, had shaken his head so despondingly, and -thereby gratified the professional spleen of the -long-bearded Abu Malec, he had done so -involuntarily, and from sincere medical misgivings -that his aid had been summoned when too late; -and with tears in her eyes, did Rose needlessly -assure him that, until she had seen him enter the -sick room, she knew not of his existence, or that he -had been permitted to survive. -</p> - -<p> -To this he replied by taking both her hands -kindly within his own, for he was a warm-hearted -Scottish Highlander, and in turn assuring her that, -"until brought to the fort of Shireen Khan by the -Hakeem, he also had been ignorant of the vicinity -of her and her companion; but without proper -medicines," he added, "little could be done—now -especially." -</p> - -<p> -Yet she hoped much. He gave her valuable -advice, and the Khanum, too, and promised to -return without delay, and with certain prescriptions, -made up from his little store kept in Cabul for the -few wounded soldiers who were hostages there. -He rode off, and Rose's blessings and gratitude -went with him. No curiosity as to the relations -of the nurse and patient—peculiar though their -circumstances—prompted a question from the -doctor. That Rose should attend the sick officer -seemed only humane and natural. Who other so -suitable was nigh? And to find one more European—a -friend especially—surviving, was source of -pleasure enough! -</p> - -<p> -The doctor retired; but, instead of hours, days -went by, and he returned no more; for on the very -evening of his visit he was seized and despatched, -with all the rest, under Saleh Mohammed, to -Toorkistan. In another place the doctor was thus -enabled to be of much value to Mabel Trecarrel, -and <i>en route</i> towards the desert did much to -alleviate her sufferings, and restore her health; but -the assurance he gave her that he had seen her -sister and Denzil Devereaux too, and that they -were safe—perfectly safe—in the powerful protection -of Shireen Khan, did more to this end than -all his prescriptions. -</p> - -<p> -But his advice ultimately availed but little the -patient he left behind, for Denzil grew worse—sank -more and more daily; he had but the superstition -and follies or quackery of Abu Malec to interpose -between him and eternity. -</p> - -<p> -Terribly was Rose sensible of all this, as she sat -and watched by the young man's bedside in that -desolate room of the fort; for it was intensely -desolate and comfortless, an Afghan noble's ideas -of luxury and splendour being inferior to those -possessed by an English groom. Save the bed on -which he lay, two European chairs and a trunk -brought from the plunder of the cantonments, it was -as destitute of furniture as the cell of a prison; and, -as if in such a cell, daily the square outline of the -window was seen to fall with the yellow sunshine on -the same part of the wall, and thence pass upward -obliquely as the sun went round, till it faded away -at the corner, and then next day it appeared again, -without change. -</p> - -<p> -And there sat the once-gay, bright, and heedless -Rose Trecarrel, the belle of the ball, of the -hunting-meet, of the race-course, and the garrison, -with a choking sensation in her throat, and -a clamorous fear in her heart, Denzil's hot, -throbbing hand often clasped in one of hers, while -the other strayed caressingly over his once-thick -hair, or what remained of it, for by order of Doctor -C——, she had shorn it short—shorter even than -the regimental pattern; and so would she sit, -watching the winning young fellow, who loved her -so well—he, whose figure might have served a -sculptor for an Antinous in its perfection of -form, wasting away before her, with a terrible -certainty that God's hand could alone stay the -event; and whom she had but lately seen in all -the full roundness of youth and health, with a -face animated by a very different expression from -that now shown by the hollow, wan, and hectic-like -mask which lay listlessly on the pillow—listlessly -save when his eyes met hers, and then they filled -or grew moist with tenderness and gratitude, -emotions that were not unmixed by a fear that -the pest, if such it was, that preyed on him might -fasten next on her. Then <i>who</i> should watch over -Rose, as she had watched over him, like a sister or -a mother? -</p> - -<p> -His head, in consequence of the blow he had -received from the pistol-butt of the fallen Afghan—the -wretch he had sought to succour in the Khyber -Pass—was doubtless the seat of some secret injury; -for not unfrequently he placed his hand thereon and -sighed heavily, while a dimness would overspread -his sight, and there came over him a faintness from -which Rose, by the use of a fan and some cooling -essences—the Khanum had plenty of them—would -seek to revive him, and again his loving eyes would -look into hers. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, you know me again," she would say, in a -low soft voice, and with a smile of affected -cheerfulness; "you are to be spared to me, after all, -Denzil—we shall live and die together." -</p> - -<p> -"Nay—not die together, Rose: don't say die -together, darling." -</p> - -<p> -"Why?" -</p> - -<p> -"That would be too early—for you, at least." -</p> - -<p> -"You deem me less prepared than yourself, -Denzil. Perhaps I am; yet what have I to live for -now?" -</p> - -<p> -"Do not talk so, Rose." -</p> - -<p> -"God will take pity on us, Denzil, and will make -you well and whole yet," she would reply, and kiss -the aching head that rested on her kind and tender -bosom; and with all the young girl's love, something -of the emotion almost of maternal care and protection -stole into her heart, as she watched him thus; -he clung to her so, and was so gentle and so helpless. -</p> - -<p> -"If—if—after this" (he did not say, "after I am -gone," lest he should pain her even by words)—"if, -Rose, after all this, you should ever meet my sister—my -dear little Sybil—you will tell her of me—talk -to her about me, talk of all I endured, and be a -sister to her, for my sake—won't you, Rose?" -</p> - -<p> -"I will, Denzil—I shall, please God." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh yes—yes; one who has been so good to me, -could not fail to be good to her, and to love her for -her own sake—for mine perhaps." -</p> - -<p> -And then Denzil would look half vacantly, half -wildly up to the ceiling, and marvel hopefully yet -apprehensively in his heart where was now that -homeless sister, so loved and petted at Porthellick, -and whom we last saw crouching by the old cottage -door near the stone avenue, on that morning when -her mother died, and when the cold grey mist was -rolling from the purple moorland along the green -slopes of the Row Tor and Bron Welli. -</p> - -<p> -Alas! her story Denzil knew not, and might never, -never, know it. -</p> - -<p> -But he was beginning now to know and to feel -that "the God who was but a dim and awful -abstraction before" seemed very close and nigh. No -fear was in his heart, however: he was very calm -and courageous, save when he thought of Rose's -future, and how lonely and lost she should be when -he was gone. This reflection alone brought tears -from him; it wrung his heart, and made him the -more keenly desire to live. -</p> - -<p> -No Bible or Book of Common Prayer had Rose -wherewith to console either the sufferer or herself; -all such had gone at the plunder of the cantonments -and the baggage, and had likely figured as cartridge -paper at Jugdulluck and Tizeen; but no printed or -hackneyed formulæ could equal in depth or -earnestness the silent yet heartfelt prayers she put up for -Denzil and herself. -</p> - -<p> -"My poor Denzil—poor boy! I never deserved -that you should love me so much: I have thought -so a thousand times!" Rose would whisper fervently, -and, heedless of any danger from fever, and -perhaps courting it, place his brow caressingly in -her neck, and kiss his temples, as if he were a -child, telling him to "take courage, and have no -fear." -</p> - -<p> -"Fear! why should I fear death, Rose?" he -would respond, speaking quickly, yet with -difficulty—speaking thus perhaps to accustom himself to the -topic, or to accustom her, we know not which; -"why should I fear death, since I know not what it -is? Why fear that which no human being can -avert or avoid, and which so many better, braver, -and nobler than I have so lately proved and tested -in yonder Passes?—aye, Rose, my mother too, at -home—my father on the sea—Sybil perhaps—all!" -</p> - -<p> -Then his utterance became incoherent, his voice -broken, and Rose felt as if her heart were broken -too; for when he spoke thus, there spread over his -young face a wondrous brightness, a great calm; and -the girl held her breath, in fear, if not awe, for she -read there an expression of peace that denoted the -end was near. -</p> - -<p> -All was very still in the great square Afghan fort -and in the Khan's garden without. -</p> - -<p> -The summer sun shone brightly, and the birds, -but chiefly the melodious pagoda-thrush—the king -of the Indian feathered choristers—was there; and -the flowers, the wondrous roses of Cabul, were -exhaling their sweetest perfume. There the world, -nature at least, looked gay and bright and beautiful; -but here, a young life, that no human skill, prayer, -or affection could detain, was ebbing away so surely -as the sea ebbs from its shore, but not like the sea -to return. -</p> - -<p> -If Denzil died, what had she to live for? So -thought the heedless belle, the half coquette, the -whole flirt, of a few months past; but such were -"the uses" or the results of adversity. Was not -the end of all things nigh? Without Denzil Devereaux -and his love, so tender, passionate, and true, -what would the world be? and her world, of late, -had been so small and sad! This love had been all -in all to her; and now all seemed nearly over, and -nothing could be left to her but forlorn exile and the -gloom of despair. -</p> - -<p> -As there is in memory "a species of mental -long-sightedness, which, though blind to the object close -beside you, can reach the blue mountains and the -starry skies which lie full many a league away," so -it was with Denzil; and now far from that bare and -desolate vaulted room in the Afghan fort, from the -mountains of black rock that overshadowed it, and -all their harassing associations, even from the -presence of the bright-haired and pale-faced girl who so -lovingly watched and soothed his pillow, the mind -of the young officer flashed back, as if touched by -an electric wire, to his once-happy home. Again his -manly father's smile approved of some task or feat -of skill performed by bridle, gun, or rod; again his -mother's dark eyes seemed to look softly into his; -the willowed valley (that opened between steep and -ruin-crowned cliffs towards the billowy Cornish sea), -the little world of all his childhood's cares and joys, -was with him now, and with that world he was -mingling over again in fancy, though death and -distress had been there as elsewhere; the hearth -was desolate, or strangers sat around it; their -household gods were scattered, and home was home no -longer, save in the heart, the memory, of the dying -exile. -</p> - -<p> -And so, for a time, his thoughts were far away -even from Rose and the present scene. Far from the -images that were full of the warlike and perilous -present, he was revelling in the past, and talked -fluently, confidently, and smilingly with the absent, -the lost, and the dead. Often he said— -</p> - -<p> -"Lift my head, dearest mother; place your kind -arm round my neck and kiss me once again." -</p> - -<p> -And Rose obeyed him, and he seemed to smile -upward into her face; and yet he knew her not, or -saw another there. -</p> - -<p> -Then he talked deliriously of his father's rights, -of his mother's wrongs, and of his cousin, Audley -Trevelyan, till his voice sank into whispers and -anon ceased. -</p> - -<p> -This was what Shakspeare describes as the -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - "Vanity of sickness! fierce extremes,<br /> - In their continuance, will not feel themselves.<br /> - Death having preyed upon the outward parts,<br /> - Leaves them invisible; and his siege is now<br /> - Against the mind, which he pricks and wounds<br /> - With many legions of strange fantasies,<br /> - Which, in their throng and press to that last hold,<br /> - Confound themselves."<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -He fell asleep; and, without prolonging our -description further, suffice it that poor Denzil never -woke again, but passed peacefully away... -</p> - -<p> -Rose sat for a time in a stupor, like one in a -dream. Summoned by her first wild cry, the Khanum -was by her side now. -</p> - -<p> -Denzil, so long her care, her soul, her all, lay -there, it would seem, as usual—lay there as she had -seen him for many days; yet why was it that his -presence, and that rigid angularity and stillness of -outline, so appalled her now? -</p> - -<p> -As the crisis so evidently had drawn near, strongly -and wildly in the girl's heart came the crave for -medical, for religious, for any Christian aid or -advice; but there none could be had, any more than -if she had stood by the savage shores of the Albert -Nyanza; and now the dread crisis was past! -</p> - -<p> -So, from time to time the pale girl found herself -gazing on the paler face of the dead—of him who -had so loved her—gazing with that mingled emotion -of incredulity, wonder, and terror, awe and sorrow, -which passeth all experience or description. -</p> - -<p> -There was no change in the air; there was no -change in the light: one was still and calm, and -laden with perfume; the other as bright and clear -as ever: and the blaze of yellow sunshine poured -into the room precisely as it did an hour ago; but -now it fell on the face of the dead! -</p> - -<p> -And the clear voice of the pagoda-thrush sang -on; but how monotonously now! -</p> - -<p> -Rose was stunned, and sat crouching on the floor, -with her face covered by her hands, her head between -her knees, and her bright dishevelled hair falling -forward in silky volume well nigh to her feet. -Ignorant of what to say, or how to soothe grief so -passionate, the Khanum, unveiled, hung over her in -kindness of heart, but with one prevailing idea—that -the death of an idolater must be very terrible; -that already the fiends must be contesting for the -possession of his soul; that the prescribed portion -of the Koran had not been read to him; and even if -it had been, what would it avail now, till that day -when the solid mountains and the soft white clouds -should be rolled away together by the blast of the -trumpet of Azrael? -</p> - -<p> -So his last thoughts had been of his dead mother, -as Rose remembered, and not of her. Her father -was dead; Mabel was gone to Toorkistan, too surely -beyond ransom or redemption: oh, why was <i>she</i> -left to live? -</p> - -<p> -If the <i>sense of exile</i> is so strong in the heart of -the Anglo-Indian, even amid all the luxuries and -splendours of Calcutta, the city of palaces—amid -the gaieties and frivolities of Chowringhee,—what -must that sense have been to the heart of this -lonely English girl, far away beyond Peshawur, the -gate of Western India, beyond the Indus, fifteen -hundred English miles, as the crow flies, -"up-country," from the mouth of the Hooghley and the -shore of Bengal—where the railway whistle will -long be unheard, and where Murray, Cook, and -Bradshaw may never yet be known! -</p> - -<p> -Notwithstanding all that Rose had undergone of -late, and all that she had schooled herself to anticipate -as but too probable, she was still unable fully -to realise the actual extent of the misfortunes that -threatened her. Much of that deep misery which -Sybil had endured elsewhere, when crouching in the -damp and mist outside her mother's door, came -over Rose's spirit now. Henceforward, she felt -that life must be objectless; that safety or pursuit, -freedom or captivity, sea or land, must be all alike -to her; and for a time her poor brain, so long -oppressed by successive sorrows and excitements, -became almost unconscious of external impressions, -and she sat as one in a dream, hearing only the -buzz of the summer flies and the voice of the -pagoda-thrush. -</p> - -<p> -Suddenly another sound seemed to mingle with -the notes of the birds; it came on the air from a -great distance. She started and looked wildly up—her -once-clear hazel eyes all bloodshot and tearless -now. -</p> - -<p> -What was it? what <i>is</i> it? for the sound was there, -and she seemed to hear it still, and the Khanum -heard it too! -</p> - -<p> -Nearer it came, and nearer. -</p> - -<p> -It was the sound of drums—drums beaten in -regular marching cadence, coming on the wind of -evening down from the rocky pass in the hills of -Siah Sung. -</p> - -<p> -Oh, there could be no mistake in the measure—British -troops were coming on; and how welcome -once would that sound have been to the young -soldier who lay on his pallet there, and whose ear -could hear the English drum no more! -</p> - -<p> -She started to the window, and looked forth to the -black mountains, which, though distant from it, -towered high above the Kuzzilbashes' fort. The -dark Pass lay there, its shadows seeming blue rather -than any other tint, as the receding rays of the -setting sun left it behind; but her eyes were dim -with weeping and with watching now, so Rose, -with all her pulseless eagerness, failed to see the -serried bayonets, the shot-riven colours tossing in -the breeze, or the moving ranks in scarlet, that -showed where the victorious brigades of Pollock, -Sale, and Nott were once more defiling down into -the plain that led to humbled Cabul. -</p> - -<p> -Welcome though their sound, they had come, alas, -<i>too late</i>! -</p> - -<p> -The drums were still ringing in her ears; and this -familiar sound, like the voices of old friends, caused -her now to weep plentifully. Once again she turned -to the bed where Denzil lay so pale and still, his -sharpened features acutely defined in the last light -of the sun; and she felt in her heart as she pressed -her interlaced hands on her lips, seeking to crush -down emotion— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - "So the dream it is fled, and the day it is done,<br /> - And my lips still murmur the name of one<br /> - Who will never come back to me!"<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap21"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XXI. -<br /><br /> -THE PURSUIT. -</h3> - -<p> -The same evening of this event saw the Union -Jack floating on the summit of the Bala Hissar, and -our troops in or around Cabul, in the narrow and -once-crowded thoroughfares of which—even in the -spacious and once-brilliant bazaar—the most desolate -silence prevailed. The houses of Sir Alexander -Burnes, of Sir William Macnaghten, and all other -British residents were now mere heaps of ashes, -and their once-beautiful gardens were waste. Human -bones lay in some; whose they were none knew, but -they remained among the parterres of flowers as -terrible mementos of the past. -</p> - -<p> -Having, among many other trophies, the magnificent -and ancient gates of Hindoo Somnath with -them, the victorious troops of General Nott were -encamped around the stately marble tomb of the -Emperor Baber, where the British were watering -their horses at the Holy Well, quietly cooking their -rations of fat-tailed dhoombas or of beef, newly -shot, flayed, and cut up, after a long route; and the -natives were gravely boiling their rice and otta; -while the staff officers, Generals Pollock, Sale, Nott, -Macaskill, and others, some on foot and some on -horseback, were in deep conference about a map of -Western India, and Bokhara, and as to where the -hostages were, and what was to be done for their -relief, if they still lived. -</p> - -<p> -Waller, who in his energy and anxiety had come -on with the advanced guard of cavalry, looked -around him with peculiar sadness. Save Doctor -Brydone and one or two others, he alone seemed to -survive of all the original Cabul force; and every -feature of the place before him was full of -melancholy memories and suggestions of those he could -never see again, and of the past that could come no -more. -</p> - -<p> -To Sir Richmond Shakespere, his new friend, -he could not resist the temptation of speaking -affectionately and regretfully of the dead, and the -places associated with them. He found a relief to -his mind in doing so. -</p> - -<p> -"A time may come," said he, as they sat in their -saddles twisting up cigarettes, and passing a flask -of Cabul wine between them, while the syces gave -each of their unbitted nags a tobrah of fresh corn, -"when these Passes of the Khyber Mountains may -be as familiar to the English tourist as those of -Glencoe and Killycrankie are now—for there was a -day when even the land beyond them was a terra -incognita to us; and a time may come when the -lines of railway shall extend from Lahore even to -Peshawar—ay, and further—perhaps to the gates -of Herat—though it may not be our luck to see it; -but I can scarcely realise that in our age of the -world, an age usually so prosaic and deemed -matter-of-fact, men should see and undergo all that -we have undergone and seen, and in a space of -time so short too!" -</p> - -<p> -Would a quiet home, a peaceful life, after a happy -marriage, ever be the lot of him and Mabel? Loving -her fondly and tenderly, with all the strength that -separation, dread, and doubt and sorrow, could add -to the secret tie between them, he had almost ceased -to have visions of her associated with admonitions -and prayer from a lawn-sleeved ecclesiastic; a merry -marriage-breakfast; a bride in her white bonnet -and delicate laces, and smiling bridesmaids in tulle. -Such day-dreams had been his at one time; but -amid rapine and slaughter, battle and suffering, they -had become dim and indistinct, if not forgotten! -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, Waller," replied his companion, after a -pause, "a British army—we have actually seen a -British army, with all its accessories and -appurtenances, exterminated at one fell swoop!" -</p> - -<p> -"All this place is full of peculiarly sad memories -to me, Sir Richmond." -</p> - -<p> -"Doubtless; and, like me, you won't be sorry -when we all turn our backs on it for ever, as we -shall do soon." -</p> - -<p> -"True. See! yonder lie our cantonments, ruined -walls and blackened ashes now; beyond them are -the hills where, with my company—not one man of -which is now surviving, myself excepted—I scoured -the fanatical Ghazees from rock to rock, and far -over the Cabul river, so victoriously! Here, by -that old tomb and ruined musjid, we once had a -jolly picnic: half the fellows in the garrison, and all -the ladies were there—the band of the poor 44th -too. By Jove! I can still see the scattered -fragments of broken bottles and chicken bones lying -among the grass." -</p> - -<p> -"I have felt something of this regret when -coming on the remembered scene of an old pig-sticking -party or bivouac," replied Sir Richmond, -with a half-smile at the unwonted earnestness of -Waller, who had seemed to him always a remarkably -cool and self-possessed man of the world; but -he knew not the deeper cause he had for feeling in -these matters. "You may say, as an old poem has it— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - 'Now the long tubes no longer wisdom quaff,<br /> - Or jolly soldiers raise the jocund laugh;<br /> - The scene is changed, but scattered fragments tell<br /> - Where Bacchanalian joys were wont to dwell.'<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -Is it not so, Waller?" -</p> - -<p> -"By this road I smoked a last cigar with Jack -Polwhele, of ours, and Harry Burgoyne, of the -37th," resumed Waller. He remembered, but he did -not care to add, how broadly they had bantered him -about Mabel Trecarrel on the evening in question. -"And all round here," he resumed, pursuing his -own thoughts aloud, "are the scenes of many a -pleasant ride and happy drive. Here I betted and -lost a box of gloves with the Trecarrels." -</p> - -<p> -"You seem to have always been betting on -something with those ladies, and with a gentleman's -privilege of losing." -</p> - -<p> -"It was on the Envoy's blood mare against Jack -Polwhele's bay filly, in the race when Daly, of the -4th Dragoons, won the sword given by Shah -Sujah," said Waller, colouring a little. "There, -by those cypresses, I once met the sisters half -fainting, one day, with heat, their palanquin placed -in the shade by the gasping dhooley-wallahs; so, at -the risk of a brain fever, I galloped to the Char-chowk -for a flask of Persian rose-water, fans, and so -forth." -</p> - -<p> -"The Trecarrels again! By the way, it seems to -me," said the other, "that of all the friends you -have lost, those two young ladies—one especially——" -</p> - -<p> -What the military secretary of General Pollock -was about to say, with a somewhat meaning smile, we -know not, save that he was heightening the colour -of Waller's face by his pause; but a change was -given to the conversation by the opportune arrival -of Shireen Khan, of the Kuzzilbashes, mounted, as -usual, on his tall camel, and accompanied by a few -well-appointed horsemen. He had ascertained that -"Shakespere Sahib" was the <i>katib</i>, or secretary, to -the victorious Feringhee general, and had come to -tender, through him, his services to the family of -the fallen Shah, to the conquerors, to the Queen -they served, and, generally, to the powers that were -uppermost. -</p> - -<p> -Many of the Afghan chiefs, who, with their -people, had acted most savagely against us, -were now extremely anxious to make their peace -with General Pollock; and though it can scarcely -be said that towards the end (after his own -jealousy of Ackbar's influence, fear of his growing -power that curbed all private ambition, caused -a coolness in the Sirdir's cause) Shireen and his -Kuzzilbashes had been our most bitter enemies, -yet he and they were among the first now to -meet and welcome the conquerors of Ackbar, -against whom they had turned, not as we have -seen Saleh Mohammed meanly do, in the time -of his undoubted humiliation and defeat, but when -in the zenith of his power; and now this wary old -fellow, who played the game of life as carefully and -coolly as ever he played that of chess, knew that the -protection he had afforded to Rose Trecarrel and to -Denzil—the supposed Nawab—must prove his best -moves on the board—his trump cards, in fact; and -as a conclusive offer of friendship, he now offered -six hundred chosen Kuzzilbash horsemen to follow -on the track of Saleh Mohammed, and rescue the -whole of the prisoners, a duty on which Shakespere -and Waller at once joyfully volunteered to -accompany them. -</p> - -<p> -"Shabash!" he exclaimed, stroking his beard in -token of faith and promise, "punah-be-Kodah!—it -is as good as done; and the head of the Dooranee -dog shall replace that of the Envoy in the Char-chowk!" -</p> - -<p> -Waller soon divined that the lady now residing in -Shireen's fort must be no other than the younger -daughter of "the Sirdir Trecarrel," who was spirited -away on the retreat through the Passes, on that -night when the Shah's 6th Regiment deserted; but -of who "the Nawab" could be he had not the -faintest idea, until he and Shakespere galloped -there, saw the living and the dead, and heard all -their sad story unravelled. -</p> - -<p> -With her head, sick and aching, nestling on the -broad shoulder of Bob Waller, as if he was her -only and dearest brother, Rose told all her story -without reserve, and it moved Waller and his -companion deeply, to see a handsome and once-bright -English girl so crushed and reduced by grief and -long-suffering; yet her case was only one of many -in the history of that disastrous war. She ended -by imploring them to lose no time in following the -track of those who had borne off her sister and the -other hostages. -</p> - -<p> -No words or entreaties of hers were necessary to -urge either Waller or Shakespere on this exciting -path; and instant action became all the more -imperative when Shireen announced that he had sure -tidings from Taj Mohammed Khan, and also from -Nouradeen Lal, the farmer, who had been purchasing -horses on the frontier, that all the lawless Hazarees -were in arms to cut off the entire convoy; and that -if a junction were once effected between them and -the Toorkomans of Zoolficar Khan, all hope of -rescue would be at an end. -</p> - -<p> -The permission of the general was, of course, -at once asked and accorded, and it was arranged, -that, immediately upon their departure, a body of -cavalry and light infantry should follow with all -speed to second and support them. -</p> - -<p> -Kind-hearted Bob Waller waited only to attend -the obsequies of his young comrade (while the -Kuzzilbashes were preparing); and over these we -shall hasten, though of all the Cabul army he was, -perhaps, the only one interred with the honours of -war; the battle-smoke had been the pall, the wolf -and the raven the sextons, of all the rest! -</p> - -<p> -The spot chosen was a little way outside the -Kuzzilbashes' fort, on the sunny and green grassy -slope of a hill, where a grove of wild cherry-trees -rendered the place pleasant to the eye. From her -window Rose could alike see and hear the rapid -ceremony; for by the stern pressure of circumstances -it was both brief and rapid. No prayer was said; -no service performed; no solemn dropping of dust -upon dust; no requiem was there, but the drums as -they beat the "Point of War," after the last notes -of the Dead March had died away. -</p> - -<p> -The quick, formal commands of the officer came -distinctly to her overstrained ear, as the hurriedly -constructed coffin of unblackened deal, covered by -the colour of the 44th Regiment, was being lowered, -as she knew, for ever, into its narrow bed; the steel -ramrods rang in the distance like silver bells, and -flashed in the sunshine; then a volley rang sharply -in the air, finding a terrible echo in her heart, -while the thin blue smoke eddied upward in the -sunshine; another and another succeeded, and -Rose—the widowed in spirit—as she crouched on -her knees, knew then that all was over, and the -smoke of the last farewell volley would be curling -amid the damp mould that was now to cover her -lost one. -</p> - -<p> -Anon the drums beat merrily as the firing party, -after closing their ranks, wheeled off by sections, -with bayonets fixed, and Denzil Devereaux was left -alone in his solitary and unmarked grave, just as -the sun set in all his evening beauty; and a double -gloom sank over the soul of Rose Trecarrel. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap22"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XXII. -<br /><br /> -THE HOSTAGES. -</h3> - -<p> -Swiftly rode Shakespere, Waller, and their six -hundred Kuzzilbashes on their errand of mercy, and -midnight saw them far from the mountains that -look down on Cabul. Of all his five thousand -horse, old Shireen had certainly chosen the flower. -All these men rode their own chargers, and all were -armed with lance and sword, matchlock and pistols; -all had their persons bristling with the usual -number of daggers, knives, powder-flasks, and -bullet-bags, in which the Afghan warrior delights to invest -himself; and all wore the peculiar cap from which -they take their name—a low squat busby, of black -lambs'-wool, not unlike those now worn by our -Hussars, and having, like them, a bag of scarlet cloth -hanging from the crown thereof. -</p> - -<p> -To avoid all suspicion or attention <i>en route</i>, -Waller and Shakespere had cast their uniforms -aside, and rode at their head <i>à la Kussilbashe</i>, -dressed in poshteen and chogah, and armed with -lance and sabre. -</p> - -<p> -The discovery of Rose Trecarrel—an event so -unexpected and unlooked for after all that had -occurred—seemed to Waller as an omen of future good -fortune, and his naturally buoyant spirits rose as he -rode on. The expedition was full of excitement, -especially for a time: it was an act of courage, -mercy, and chivalry, that all Britain should -eventually hear of; and Mabel was at the bourne, for -which they were all bound. Even poor Denzil, so -recently interred, was partially forgotten: soldiers -cannot brood long over the casualties of war, -especially while amid them; and Denzil's death was -only one item in a strife that had now seen nearly -fifty thousand perish on both sides. -</p> - -<p> -However, let it not for a moment be thought that -Waller was careless of his friend's untimely end, his -memory, or his strange story; for, ere he left Rose, -he had promised that as soon as he could write, or -get "down country" again, one of his first acts -should be to seek out and succour "this only sister" -of whom poor Devereaux had always spoken so much -and so affectionately. -</p> - -<p> -When he parted from Rose, leaving her in the -safe and more congenial protection afforded by the -European camp, she had not been without one -predominant fear. As friends had come too late to save -or succour Denzil, they might now, perhaps, be too -late to rescue Mabel and her companions from this -new conjunction of enemies against them, even in -Toorkistan. Besides, Ackbar the Terrible, with the -ruins of his infuriated army, was to fall back on the -deserts by the way of Bameean, and thus, to avoid -him, the two British officers, with their Kuzzilbashes, -at one time made a judicious detour among -the hills. -</p> - -<p> -At Killi-Hadji, they found traces of the first halt -made by the caravan outside the old fort, where a -shepherd had, as he told them, seen the captives; -thence by the mountain pass and the fair valley of -Maidan, where a Hadji bound afoot for the shrine of -Ahmed Shah at Candahar, the scene of many a -pilgrimage, told them that the risk they ran was -great, as the Hazarees were undoubtedly drawing to -a head in the Balkh; and this was far from -reassuring, as they were conscious of having far -outridden their promised supports. -</p> - -<p> -"Let us push on, for God's sake!" was ever Waller's -impatient exclamation at every halt, however brief; -and even Sir Richmond Shakespere, with all his -activity and energy, was at times amused by the -restlessness of one who seemed by nature to be a -rather quiet and easy-going Englishman. -</p> - -<p> -"These are tough rations, certainly," said he, as -they halted for the last time near the Kaloo -Mountain, and masticated a piece of kid broiled on a -ramrod at a hasty fire (broiled ere the flesh of the -shot animal had time to cool), and washed it down -by a draught from the nearest stream. -</p> - -<p> -"Tough, certainly; but we get all that is good -for us." -</p> - -<p> -"If not more," added Shakespere, pithily; "for -this is feeding like savages—or Toorkomans, who -drink the blood of their horses." -</p> - -<p> -"At a halt, when marching up country, I always -used, if possible, like a knowing bachelor, to tiff -with a married man." -</p> - -<p> -"Why?" -</p> - -<p> -"You will be sure to find that he has some daintily -made sandwiches, cold fowl, or so forth, in his -haversack: the women, God bless them, always -look after these little things. But that is all over -now; we are no longer in Hindostan. A little time -must solve all this—the safety of our friends——" -added Waller, looking thoughtfully to the distant -landscape; and as if repenting of a momentary -lightness of heart, "I would give all I have in the -world——" -</p> - -<p> -"Say all you owe," suggested Shakespere, smiling. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, Sir Richmond, that would be a round sum -perhaps—to see them all within musket shot of us. -As for ransom, I have but my sword at their service. -I can't do even a bill on a Hindoo schroff, or raise -money on a whisker, as John de Castro did at Goa; -but I can polish off a few of those savages, as they -deserve to be." -</p> - -<p> -The dawn of a second day saw them descending -the mighty ridges of the Indian Caucasus, and a -picturesque body they were, with their bright -particoloured garments floating backward on the wind; -their black fur caps with scarlet bags, their dark, -keen visages and sable beards, their polished -weapons and tall tasselled lances flashing in the -uprisen sun, as they galloped, without much order -certainly, at an easy but swinging pace, over green -waste and grey rocky plateau, up one hill-side and -down another, now splashing merrily, and more -than girth deep, through the clear, sparkling current -of some brawling mountain nullah whose waters -had been imbridged since Time was born—their -horses light in body, with high withers, fine and -muscular limbs, square foreheads, small ears, and -brilliant eyes, and to all appearance fall of speed, -spirit, and a strength that seemed never to flag. -</p> - -<p> -And sooth to say, the gallant Kuzzilbashes took -every care to preserve those qualities so desirable -alike for pursuit or flight. -</p> - -<p> -At every brief halt, they were carefully unbitted, -unsaddled, groomed, and lightly fed, and picketed in -the old Indian fashion, with the V-ended heel-rope -fastened round both hind fetlocks and secured to a -single pin; near cuts over the hills were taken, but -rivers were never forded or swum, unless the horses -were perfectly cool; once or twice, pieces of goat's -flesh were rolled round their bridle-bits; and hence -by all this care, the cattle of the whole troop, -unblown and ungalled, were in excellent order, when, -on the fourth day—for their progress had been -swifter than that of Saleh Mohammed, as they were -unincumbered by women, children, camels, and -ponies—they left the Kaloo Mountain behind, and -ere long, without seeing aught of Hazarees or -Toorkomans, though always prepared for them, they -came in sight of Bameean, towering on its green -mountain, its elaborate but silent temples and great -solemn giants of stone reddened by the bright flood -of light shed far across the plain by the sun, which -was setting amid a sea of clouds that were all of -crimson flame. -</p> - -<p> -In deepest purple the shadows fell far eastward; -the gleam of arms appeared on the walls of the old -fort in the foreground, when Waller and Sir -Richmond Shakespere darted forward, by a vigorous -use of the spur, far outstripping their less -enthusiastic followers. After they had carefully -reconnoitred the fort through their field-glasses, -Shakespere began to rein in his horse, and check its -pace. -</p> - -<p> -"Waller," said he, "a red flag has replaced -Ackbar's invariable green, one on the fort. We had -better parley." -</p> - -<p> -"But we have neither trumpet nor drum." -</p> - -<p> -"Nor would those fellows understand the sound -of either, if we had; but look out—pull up, or, by -Heaven, we shall be fired upon! You are rash, -Waller, and in action seem quite to lose your head." -</p> - -<p> -"But my hand is ever steady—ay, as if this -sword were but a cricket bat," retorted Waller, -whose blue eyes were sparkling with light. -</p> - -<p> -"True, my dear fellow; but to be potted now, -when within arm's length of those we have risked so -much to save, would be a sad mistake." -</p> - -<p> -"Egad, yes; and that old devil with his jingall—for -a jingall it is—may speedily send one of us into -that place so vaguely known as the next world," -responded Waller, as he tied a white handkerchief -to the point of his sword, and then Saleh Mohammed -Khan was seen to unwind and wave the cloth -of his turban in response. -</p> - -<p> -By this action they knew that all idea of resistance -was at an end, and that they should be received -as friends. The gates of the fort were unbarricaded -and thrown open, and many of the ladies now began -to appear, timidly but curiously and expectantly, -thronging forward to meet those whom they had -been told were come "to meet and to save them." -</p> - -<p> -Waller, who had manifested an air of blunt and -soldierly resolution and energy up to this period, -now felt his emotions somewhat overpowering, or -perhaps he wished to see and hear something of -Mabel, before making himself known; so checking -his horse, he permitted Sir Richmond Shakespere, -as his leader, to ride forward. -</p> - -<p> -Lifting his Kuzzilbash cap, his frank English -face, though sunburned and lined, beaming with -pleasure and joy the while, -</p> - -<p> -"Rejoice," he cried, enthusiastically, "rejoice, -ladies! Your delivery is accomplished. Dear ladies -and comrades, all your fears and your sufferings are -at an end!" -</p> - -<p> -There was no loud or noisy response; the emotions -of all were too deep and heartfelt for such -utterances; and, with feelings which no description can -convey to the imagination, Waller and Shakespere -found themselves surrounded by the captives, male -and female, exactly one hundred and six in number, -of all ranks—captives whom by their energy, -activity, and rapid expedition they had saved from a -fate that might never have been known; for the -news of their arrival caused Hazarees and -Toorkomans alike to disperse, and even Zoolficar Khan -abandoned all idea of attempting to carry them off. -</p> - -<p> -The happiest moments of existence are perhaps -the most difficult to delineate on paper; but Bob -Waller, as he folded Mabel Trecarrel sobbing -hysterically to his breast, laughing and weeping at -the same moment, despite and heedless of all the -eyes that looked thereon—he a thorough-bred -Englishman, and as such innately abhorrent of "a -scene"—forgot the crowd, the Kuzzilbashes, the -Dooranees, the grinning grooms and dhooley-wallahs—he -forgot all in the joy of the moment, or -by a chain of thought remembered only a passage of -"Othello," when, in garrison theatricals, he had -once figured as the Moor, with Harry Burgoyne for -a Desdemona— -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - "If it were now to die,<br /> - 'Twere now to be most happy; for I fear<br /> - My soul hath her content so absolute<br /> - That not another comfort like to this<br /> - Succeeds in unknown fate."<br /> -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -And Sir Richmond Shakespere, as he stood smiling -by the centre and blissful-looking group (now -beginning clamorously to pour questions upon him), ladies -and officers, hollow-eyed, haggard, and pale, began -to perceive what had made Captain Robert Waller, -of the Cornish Light Infantry, take so deep an -interest in the Trecarrels, and why he had been the -most active, energetic, and, so far as danger went, -the most reckless staff officer during our perilous -advance up the Passes and in the subsequent -pursuit. -</p> - -<p> -Waller did not find Mabel quite so much changed -as he had feared she might be; yet she was the -wreck of what she had been in happier times—the -tall, full-bosomed, and statuesque-looking English -girl, with clear, calm, bright, and confident eyes. -The latter were still bright, but their lustre was -unnatural; their expression was a wild and hunted -one; her colour was gone, and her cheeks were -deathly pale. But all in the group of hostages were -alike in those respects. For many months, had they -not been daily, sometimes hourly, face to face with -death? -</p> - -<p> -But Waller, as she hung on his breast and looked -with eyes upturned upon him, had never seemed -so handsome in her sight: his form and face were -to her as the beau-ideal of Saxon manliness and -beauty; but his complexion, once nearly as fair -as her own, was burned red now, by the exposure -consequent to the two last campaigns; his forehead -clear and open, his nose straight, his mouth large -perhaps, but well-shaped and laughing; and then he -had in greater luxuriance than ever his long, fair, -fly-away whiskers; and, save his Afghan dress, he -looked every inch the jolly, frank, and burly Bob -Waller of other times, especially when, as if he -thought "the scene" had lasted long enough, he -drew Mabel's arm through his, led her a little way -apart, and proceeded leisurely to prepare a cigar for -smoking. -</p> - -<p> -"So Bob, dear, dear Bob, my presentiment has -come true after all," she exclaimed; "and this -horrid Bameean has seen the end of all our sorrows!" -</p> - -<p> -"But it was not such an end as this your -foreboding heart had anticipated, Mabel," replied -Waller, caressing her hand in his, and pressing it -against his heart. -</p> - -<p> -Major Pottinger, who had now the command, -ordered that all must prepare at once to quit -Bameean, and avoid further risks by falling back -on their supports, lest Ackbar Khan might come on -them after all. -</p> - -<p> -To lessen the chance of that, however, the wily -Saleh Mohammed, who knew by sure intelligence -from his scouts that Ackbar was to proceed, with -the relics of his army, through the Akrobat Pass into -the Balkh, advised that all should take a circuitous -route towards Cabul; and this suggestion was at -once adopted by the now-happy hostages and the -escort. -</p> - -<p> -Two days afterwards, as they were traversing the -summit of a little mountain pass, their long and -winding train of horse and foot guarded by -Kuzzilbash Lancers and the wilder-looking Dooranees, -they came suddenly in sight of those whom General -Pollock had sent to meet and, if necessary, to -succour them. -</p> - -<p> -These were Her Majesty's 3rd Light Dragoons, -the 1st Bengal Cavalry, and Captain Backhouse's -train of mountain guns, all led by Sir Robert Sale -in person; and who might describe the joy of that -meeting, when the rescued hostages cast their eager -eyes and hands towards them in joy, and when they -saw the old familiar uniforms covering all the green -slope, while the cavalry came galloping and the -infantry rushing tumultuously towards them! -</p> - -<p> -The dragoons sprang from their horses, the -infantry broke their ranks, and the men of the 13th -Light Infantry crowded round the wife of their -colonel and the other rescued ladies, holding out -their hard brown hands in welcome; eyes -were glistening, lips quivering, and many a hurrah -was, for a time, half choked by emotion and -sympathy, while officers and soldiers again and again -shook hands like brothers that had been long parted. -</p> - -<p> -Friends now met friends from whom they had been -so long and painfully separated; wives threw -themselves exultingly and passionately into the arms of -their husbands; daughters leaned upon their fathers' -breasts and wept. Many there were whose widowed -hearts had none to meet them there; and many an -orphan child stretched forth its little hands to the -ranks wherein its father marched no more, though -some might give a kiss or a caress to "Tom Brown's -little 'un—Tom that was killed at Ghuznee," or to the -"little lass of Corporal Smith—poor Jack that was -killed with his missus at Khoord Cabul;" but -these sad episodes were soon forgotten amid the -general joy. -</p> - -<p> -Wheeled round on the mountain slope, the artillery -thundered forth a royal salute; muskets and -swords were brandished in the sunshine; caps -tossed up, to be caught and tossed up again; reiterated -English cheers woke the echoes of the hills of -Jubeaiz, which seemed to repeat the sounds of joy -to the winds again and again. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap23"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XXIII. -<br /><br /> -THE DURBAR. -</h3> - -<p> -"Coincidence," saith Ouida, "is a god that greatly -influences human affairs;" and the sequel to our -story will prove the truth of this trite aphorism, -when we now change the scene from Cabul to our -cantonment, in the territory between the Sutledge -and the Jumna—to the Court Sanatorium of Bengal—the -country mansion of the Governor-General at -Simla, a beautiful little town of some five hundred -houses, built on the slope of the mighty Himalayas, -where, amid a veritable forest of oak, evergreens, -and rhododendron, and the loveliest flora a temperate -zone can produce, surrounded by that wondrous -assemblage of snow-covered peaks that rise in every -imaginable shape (a portion of those bulwarks of the -world, that slope from the left bank of the Indus -away to the steppes of Tartary and the marshes -of Siberia), the representative of the Queen retires -periodically to refresh exhausted nature, and mature -the plans of government in those cool and pleasant -recesses, where the punkah is no longer requisite; -where one may sleep without dread of mosquitos -and green bugs, nor welcome cold tea at noon as -preferable to iced champagne. -</p> - -<p> -By the time that Audley Trevelyan had reached -this occasional seat of government—the Balmoral of -India—Lord Auckland, whose vacillation and -mismanagement of the Cabul campaign gave great -umbrage, had returned to Britain, and another -Governor-General had arrived—one who boldly -stigmatised the Afghan project of his predecessor -(now created an earl) "as a folly, and that it yet -remained to be seen whether it might not prove -a crime;" and so Audley presented, of necessity, -the reports and Jellalabad despatches of Sir Robert -Sale to this new Viceroy, whose firmness of -character and past promise as a statesman gave a -guerdon that we should yet retrieve all that we had -lost of prestige beyond the Indus; to which end -he took the executive power from the weak hands of -those secretaries to whom it had been previously -committed, and resolved to wield it himself, though -he found in India a treasury well-nigh empty, an -army exasperated, and the hearts of men depressed -by fears for the future. -</p> - -<p> -But tidings of the storming of Ghuznee by -General Nott, of the advance upon Cabul, the -recapture of it after our victory at Tizeen, and the -rescue of the hostages, followed so quickly upon each -other to Simla, that soon after the arrival of Audley, -he was informed that as there would be no necessity -for his return to Jellalabad, he was to remain -provisionally attached to the staff, either till he could -rejoin his regiment, or our troops re-entered the -Punjaub—a little slice of India, having a population -equal to all that of England. So by this -arrangement he found himself a mere idler, a dangler -attached to the Viceregal court, where now the -glorious war that Napier was to inaugurate against -the treacherous Ameers of Scinde was schemed out, -and where a series of reviews, dinners, balls, and a -durbar, or assembly of the native princes, was -proposed to welcome Pollock's troops when they came -down country, and were once again, as the Viceroy -expressed it, in "our native territories;" and the -programme of all those gayeties was to be fully -arranged when his lady and other ladies of the -mimic court arrived, after the rainy season, which -continues there from June till the middle of -September, was nearly over. -</p> - -<p> -On the first day of October, when her ladyship -and the suite were to arrive, the durbar of native -princes was to be held, and the final proclamation of -the Governor-General concerning the affairs of -Afghanistan was to be read aloud and issued. As this -was but an instance of Anglo-Indian pageantry, -though Audley Trevelyan rode amid the brilliant staff -of his Excellency, and it all led to something of -more interest, we shall only notice it briefly. -</p> - -<p> -The durbar was, indeed, a magnificent spectacle! -On a great plateau of brilliant green, smooth as -English turf, that lies near the ridge which is crowned -by the white plastered mansions of Simla, dotted -here and there and finally bordered by dark clumps -of heavily foliaged oaks, towering rhododendrons, -and over all by mighty, spire-like Himalayan pines; -it took place under a clear and lovely sky, and the -locality was indeed picturesque and impressive; for -in the distance, as a background, towered that -wonderful sea of snow-clad peaks, covered with -eternal whiteness—peaks between which lie the -deep paths and passes that lead to Chinese Tartary, -the wilderness of Lop, and the deserts of Gobi. -Here and there amid the green clumps and gardens -full of rare trees and lovely flowers, a white marble -dome, or a tall and needle-like minaret, each stone -thereof a miracle of carving, broke the line of the -clear blue cloudless sky. -</p> - -<p> -On this auspicious occasion all the Rajahs, -Maharajahs, chiefs, Maliks, Sirdirs, and other men of -rank, from the protected Sikh territory that lies -between the Sutledge and the Jumna, and even from -beyond it, were present with their trains of followers, -in all the gorgeous richness of oriental costume, -bright with plumage, silks, and satins, brilliant with -arms and the jewels of a land where sapphires and -diamonds, rubies and opals, seem to be plentiful as -pebbles are by the wayside in Europe. -</p> - -<p> -At the extreme end of the plateau stood the lofty, -parti-coloured tent of the Viceroy, with its cords of -silk and cotton; within it was placed a dais that was -spread with cloth of gold, and covered by a crimson -canopy. On each side of his throne, ranged in the -form of an ellipse, were divans or seats for six -hundred Indians of the highest rank, while all the -officers of the garrison, the guards, and the staff, in -their full uniform, with all their medals and orders, -added to the splendour of the spectacle, when chief -after chief was introduced, duly presented, and -marshalled to his seat in succession, amid the sound -of many trumpets. -</p> - -<p> -Opposite this ellipse were ranged their followers, -on foot or horseback; and immediately in the -centre of all, were drawn up in line more than fifty -elephants, stolid, and well-nigh motionless, trapped -in velvet and gold from the saddle to their huge, -unwieldy feet, bearing lofty and gilded howdahs, some -like castles of silver, wherein were the wives and -families of some of the princes present. All around -glittered spears and arms; scores of dancing-girls -were there too, richly dressed, singing the soft -monotonous airs of the land in Persic or -Hindoo-Persic; and a mighty throng of copper-coloured -natives, turbaned and scantily clad in a cummerbund -or the dhottie at most, made up minor accessories of -the general picture. -</p> - -<p> -Over all this, Audley, on foot and leaning on his -sword, was looking, glass in eye, with somewhat of -the listlessness of the <i>blasé</i> Englishman; for he had -been amid scenes so stirring of late, that mere -pageantry failed alike to impress or interest him. -Neither cared he, assuredly, for the address of the -Governor-General, who was announcing in the -Oordoo language that, the disasters in Afghanistan -having been fully avenged, the army of the Queen -would be withdrawn for ever to the eastern bank of -the Sutledge; then his glances began to wander -over the bright group of English ladies, so brilliantly -dressed, so exquisitely fair, to the eye accustomed -so long to Indian dusk, and who now attended the -recently arrived wife of the representative of British -royalty. -</p> - -<p> -Among them was one whose face and figure woke -a strong interest in his heart. Her dress was very -plain, even to simplicity—too much so for such a -place; her ornaments were very few, all of jet, and -rather meagre. All this his practised eye could take -in at a glance; but there was something about her -that fascinated and riveted his attention. -</p> - -<p> -Not much over nineteen, apparently, and rather -petite in stature, she looked consequently younger—more -girlish than her years; but her figure was -graceful, her air indescribably high-bred, and having -in it a hauteur that, being quite unconscious, was -becoming. Her eyes were dark, her lashes long and -black, her complexion colourless and pure, and her -thick hair was in waves and masses, dressed Audley -scarcely knew in what fashion, but in a somewhat -negligent mode that was sorely bewitching. -</p> - -<p> -Her face was always half turned away from where -he stood; for she, utterly oblivious of the Oordoo -harangue of his Excellency, was toying with her fan -or the white silk tassels of her gloves, while chatting -gaily, confidently, and with a downcast smile to -a young officer of the Anglo-Indian Staff, and clad -in the gorgeous uniform of the Bengal Irregular -Cavalry. -</p> - -<p> -That she was a beautiful girl, a little proud, -perhaps, of the <i>sang-azure</i> in her veins, was pretty -evident; that she might be impulsive, too, and quick to -ire, was also evident, from the little impatient glances -she gave about her, by a quivering of the white -eyelid, and an occasional short respiration; that she -might be a little passionate too, if thwarted, was -suggested by the curve of her lips and chin. For the -critical eye of Master Audley Trevelyan saw all this; -but his spirit was seriously perplexed: he had certainly -seen this attractive little fair one before—but -where? -</p> - -<p> -He was about to turn and ask some one near -concerning her, when a hand was laid on his shoulder, -and a young officer, whose new scarlet coat, untarnished -epaulettes, and fair ruddy face announced -him fresh from Europe, said smilingly, -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, Trevelyan, how d'ye do?—remember me, -don't you?" -</p> - -<p> -"I think so: surely we met at Maidstone, when I -first joined." -</p> - -<p> -"Maidstone! why, you griff, I should think so. -Don't you remember leaving us at Allahabad, after -Jack Delamere died?" -</p> - -<p> -"By Jove, Stapylton—Stapylton, of the 14th! -How are you, old fellow?" -</p> - -<p> -"The same;" and they shook hands, as he now -recognised a brother subaltern of his old Hussar -corps. -</p> - -<p> -"And you are here on the staff?" said Stapylton. -</p> - -<p> -"Like yourself; but <i>pro tem.</i> till sent off to -headquarters. You came up country with her -ladyship?" -</p> - -<p> -"Ah—yes." -</p> - -<p> -"Who is that lovely girl near her?" -</p> - -<p> -"Which?" -</p> - -<p> -"She in the white silk, and lace trimmed with -black—a kind of second mourning I take it -to be." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, you needn't ask with any interested views. -A proud, reserved minx is that little party; but she -has been going the pace with that fellow of the -Irregular Horse, to whom she is talking and smiling -now, and did so all the way out overland. It was an -awful case of spoon in the Red Sea, just where -Pharaoh was swallowed up; and the Viceroy's wife -is very anxious to make a match of it, as a plea for -an extra ball." -</p> - -<p> -"But who is she?" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, some interesting orphan." -</p> - -<p> -"But her name?" -</p> - -<p> -"A Miss Devereaux—Sybil Devereaux. I made -an acrostic on it off the Point de Galle," added the -ex-Hussar, as the object of their mutual interest -turned at that moment casually towards them, and -for the first time looked fully in their direction; and -then Audley, while he almost held his breath, -recognised the dark eyes, the minute little face, the -firm lips, and even now could hear the once-familiar -voice of Sybil; but she was talking smilingly to -another; and as the words of the heedless Stapylton -began to rankle in his heart, something of anger, -jealousy and pique mingled with his astonishment. -</p> - -<p> -Another was now playing with Sybil the very part -that he had done at Cabul with Rose, to the -exasperation of poor Denzil, whom, for months before -he really died, Sybil had schooled herself to number -as among the slain in Afghanistan; hence her little -jet ornaments and black trimmings, the only tribute -she could pay his memory now. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap24"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XXIV. -<br /><br /> -THE LAMP OF LOVE. -</h3> - -<p> -And this fellow of the Irregular Horse—this -fellow who was so insufferably good-looking, and -seemed to know it too—this interloper, for so -Audley Trevelyan chose to consider him—what -manner of advances had he already made, and -how had she received them, on that overland route, -so perilous from the propinquity and the hourly -chances it affords of acquaintance ripening into -friendship, and of friendship into love? -</p> - -<p> -Was he only to meet her unexpectedly, and, by -that strange influence of coincidence already -referred to, to find himself supplemented, it might be, -and on the verge of losing, if he had not -already—deservedly as he felt—lost her? -</p> - -<p> -Did it never occur to the Honourable Mr. Audley -Trevelyan that, separating as they did, there were a -thousand chances to one against their ever meeting -again in this world, and, more than all, the world of -India? -</p> - -<p> -He watched long and anxiously; there was no -sign of her seeing or recognising him, and, placed -where they were, apart, he had neither excuse nor -opportunity for drawing nearer her. The durbar -closed at last; a banquet, solemn and magnificent, -followed; then, on lumbering elephants and beautiful -horses, the various dignitaries withdrew, each -followed by his noisy and half-nude <i>suwarri</i>. A -small but select evening party of Europeans was -invited that night to the house of the Viceroy; -thither went Audley; and there, as he had quite -anticipated, they met, not in the suite of rooms, -however, but in the magnificent gardens, where there was -a display of those wonderful rockets, stars, wooden -shells that burst in mid air, displaying a thousand -prismatic hues, and many others of those pyrotechnic -efforts, in which the Indians so peculiarly -excel. -</p> - -<p> -In a walk of the garden, while actually seeking -for her, he met Sybil face to face, but leaning on -the arm of the same brilliantly dressed officer; for -no uniform is more gorgeous or lavish than that -of the Irregular Horse, for fancy, vanity, and the -army-tailor "run riot" together. He was carrying -his cap under his other arm, and seemed entirely -satisfied with himself and his companion, in whose -pretty ear he was whispering, while smiling, with all -the provoking air of a privileged man. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, Miss Devereaux—you surely remember -me?" said Audley, bowing low, with a flush on his -brow, and, despite all his efforts, an unmistakable -sickly smile in his face. -</p> - -<p> -Sybil grew a trifle paler, as she presented her -hand, with a far from startled expression; for she -had been quite aware that he was somewhere about -the Viceregal Court, and therefore, to her, the -meeting was not quite so unexpected. -</p> - -<p> -"You do not seem surprised?" said he. -</p> - -<p> -"Why should I, Mr. Trevelyan, when I knew -that you were here?" she replied with perfect -candour; "but I am so—so delighted—indeed I -am, Audley;" then perceiving that there was an -undoubted awkwardness in all this, she coloured, -while her eyes sparkled with vexation, and she -introduced the two gentlemen rather nervously by -name, and then added, in an explanatory tone, to -the cavalry officer, "He is quite an old friend, -believe me—the same who saved my life. Surely I -told you?" -</p> - -<p> -"I am not aware—oh yes—perhaps," drawled the -other: "at Cairo, was it not?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, no—in Cornwall." -</p> - -<p> -"But it was in Cairo you told me, when we -visited the citadel by moonlight——" -</p> - -<p> -"And we are, as I said, such old friends," she -added hastily. -</p> - -<p> -"That, doubtless, you will have much to say to -each other. Permit me; for I am perhaps <i>de trop</i>," -interrupted the other, twirling a moustache, and -looking somewhat cloudy; "but I shall hope to see -you ere the trumpets announce supper;" and with -a smiling bow he resigned Sybil to Audley's -proffered arm, and retired with a good grace to join -another group. -</p> - -<p> -"Sybil," said Audley, after a half-minute's pause, -during which he had been surveying her with fond -and loving eyes, "by what singular incidence of the -stars are we blessed by meeting thus!" -</p> - -<p> -"You may well ask, if such you feel it to be," she -replied calmly, and her voice made his heart vibrate -as she spoke; "yet it is simple and prosaic -enough. I am here solely by the influence of -misfortune." -</p> - -<p> -"Misfortune?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, explain." -</p> - -<p> -"When poor mamma died, what was left for me -but to eat the bread of dependence?—and I am a -dependent now." -</p> - -<p> -"Sybil!" -</p> - -<p> -"I came to India as that which you find me." -</p> - -<p> -"And that is——" -</p> - -<p> -"The humble friend—the companion, for it is -nothing more in plain English—of the -Governor-General's lady. Mamma gone—Denzil, too, in -Afghanistan—was I not fortunate in finding such -a home?" -</p> - -<p> -"My poor Sybil," exclaimed Audley, gnawing -his moustache and pressing her soft hand and arm -against his side. Then he became silent, as the -past and present, for a little, held his soul in thrall; -and far from the brilliant fête of the Anglo-Indian -Court his mind flashed back to other days, and he -saw again only Sybil Devereaux and the purple -moorland, the solemn rock-pillar, the lonely tarn, -with its osier isles, the long-legged heron and the -blue kingfisher amid its green reedy sedges, and in -the soft sunlight the grey granite earns cast their -shadows on the lee, as when he had seen her on -that day when first they met; and much of shame -for himself and for his father mingled with the -memory and his emotion. -</p> - -<p> -But there was a change here! -</p> - -<p> -The poor, pale girl, who had so anxiously and -wearily sought to sell her pencilled sketches and -water-coloured drawings in the shops of the little -market town, who so often with an aching heart -took them back, through the mist and the rain -and the wind, to the humble cottage where her -mother lay dying, was now in a very different -sphere, richly though modestly dressed, easy in air -and bearing, perfectly self-possessed, surrounded -by wealth and rank, yet with all the secret pride -of her little heart, nieek, gentle, and happy in -aspect. -</p> - -<p> -She, too, was silent for a time, during which she -glanced at him covertly and timidly. -</p> - -<p> -"Here again was Audley," was the thought of -her heart; "did he love her still? Had he truly -loved her, even <i>then</i>?" was the next thought, and -her heart half answered, "Yes—he had loved her, -but only as the worldly love;" and this fear, this -half-conviction, dashed her present joy. Yet no -woman wishes to believe, or cares to admit even -to herself, that the power she once exerted over -a man's heart can, under any circumstances, pass -altogether away. -</p> - -<p> -"Sybil," said he, "you, any more than I, cannot -have forgotten all our past, and the scenes where -we met—the wild shore, the precipices, the grey -granite rocks of our own Cornwall; and that awful -hour in the Pixies' Cave, too—can you have forgotten -that?" -</p> - -<p> -"Far from it, Audley,—I have forgotten nothing; -and now I must remember the difference of rank -that places us so far—so very far apart," she added -with a strange flash in her eye and a quiver in her -short upper lip. -</p> - -<p> -"Come this way, dear Sybil. I have much to -say—to talk with you about—but we must be -alone;" and he led her down a less frequented -walk, apart from the company, the strains of the -military music, the coloured lights and lanterns -that hung in garlands and festoons from tree to -tree, and the soaring fireworks that ever and anon -filled the soft dewy air with the splendour of -many-lined brilliance. -</p> - -<p> -"Will this not seem marked?" asked Sybil -nervously and almost haughtily. -</p> - -<p> -"How?" -</p> - -<p> -"I must beware of attracting notice now—here -especially; and you are no longer the mere Audley -Trevelyan of other times." -</p> - -<p> -"Then, dearest, who the deuce am I?" asked he, -laughing. -</p> - -<p> -Sybil had seen the Hindoo maidens—slender, -graceful, and dark-eyed girls—launching their -love-lamps from the ghauts upon the sacred waters of -the Ganges—watching them with thrills of alternate -joy and fear, as they floated away under the glorious -silver radiance of the Indian moon. She had heard -their wails of sorrow if the flame flickered out and -died; or their merry shouts and songs of glee -if they floated steadily and burned truly and -bravely. Audley's affection had been to her as -a light in her path that had vanished; but now -her love-lamp seemed to be lit again; for Audley, -with admirable tact, conversed with her as if on -their old and former footing, expressing only what -he felt—the purest and deepest joy at thus suddenly -meeting her again, and he had too much good taste -to make the slightest reference to the gossip of his -friend Stapylton, the ex-Hussar, though certainly he -had neither forgotten it, nor the unpleasantly -offhand mode in which it had been communicated to him. -</p> - -<p> -"But how strange—to come to India, my dear -girl, of all places in the world! What led you to -think of it?" he asked. -</p> - -<p> -"Have I not already told you? I did not think -of it: chance threw the offer in my way; and I had -two sufficient reasons, at least, for accepting of it." -</p> - -<p> -"And these—bless them, say I!—these were——" -</p> - -<p> -"That my brother, dear Denzil, was here—here -then, at least." -</p> - -<p> -"And I—too?" -</p> - -<p> -"I do not say so—least of all must I say so now; -and then Lady ——'s offers were most advantageous -to a penniless girl like me. You and, more than all, -your father, deemed me no suitable match for you, -when we were in England—when I was an inmate -of my parent's house at Porthellick. You see, I -speak quite plainly, Audley, and as one who is quite -alone in the world; now, when by death and—and -misfortune, I am reduced to eat the bread of -dependence, the matter is worse than ever." -</p> - -<p> -"But you love me still, Sybil—do you not!" -</p> - -<p> -She was silent and trembling now. -</p> - -<p> -"Speak," he urged; "you do love me still?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, Audley." -</p> - -<p> -"And will marry me, Sybil!" -</p> - -<p> -"No." -</p> - -<p> -"You love another then—another in secret?" -</p> - -<p> -"No—one may not, cannot, love two." -</p> - -<p> -But Audley thought of Stapylton and that devilish -Irregular Horseman, and struck the heel of his glazed -boot viciously into the gravel of the path. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<p><a id="chap25"></a></p> - -<h3> -CHAPTER XXV. -<br /><br /> -CONCLUSION. -</h3> - -<p> -After a panse he resumed— -</p> - -<p> -"There is something in your tone, Sybil, that I -do not understand. Doubtless your heart has much -to accuse me of; but I have been the victim of -circumstances, of my father's odd whimsical views—his -selfishness, in fact; but here I can cast all such at -defiance," he added, gathering courage as he -perceived that she still wore on her hand—and what a -pretty plump little hand it was!—his diamond -betrothal ring—the diamond that whilom had figured as -an eye of Vishnu, till Sergeant Treherne poked it out -with his bayonet at Agra. "Listen, dearest Sybil; -we are far away from England with all its insular -and provincial prejudices—away from those local -influences which my family exercised over me—my -father's hostility, my mother's sneers, and so forth. -I am secure of staff appointments—better these than -casual loot or batta, I can tell you. I am -independent of home allowances; and, to talk solidly and -plainly, can think now in earnest of matrimony. -Listen to me, Sybil;" and glancing hastily about, he -tried to slip an arm round her, but she nimbly -eluded him, and said— -</p> - -<p> -"Then you have not heard the news we brought -up country with us!" -</p> - -<p> -"News!" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes—my poor Audley." -</p> - -<p> -"About what?" -</p> - -<p> -"Your change of circumstances." -</p> - -<p> -"Mine!—dearest Sybil, what can you mean?" -</p> - -<p> -"Your succession to the title." -</p> - -<p> -"Circumstances—title!—explain, in Heaven's -name, Sybil." -</p> - -<p> -She then told him that his father had died -suddenly—died, as the <i>Morning Post</i> announced, in the -same library at Rhoscadzhel, and somewhat in the -same manner, as his late uncle, when he was in the -act of composing a long and elaborate paper legally -reviewing the merits of the Afghan war; another -grave had been opened and closed in the family -tomb; another escutcheon hung on the porte-cochère -of the princely old manor-house; and that he, Audley -Trevelyan, was now Lord Lamorna, as the Governor-General -would doubtless announce to him on the -morrow. -</p> - -<p> -And in his lonely tomb beside the Kuzzilbash -fort lay one who could never dispute the family -honours with him, and whose sorrows and repinings -were past for evermore. -</p> - -<p> -Audley was overwhelmed for a few minutes by -this unexpected intelligence. There had been no -great love, no strong tie, no fine yet unseen -ligament, between father and son; yet the dead man -<i>was</i> his father, and he knew had ever been proud of -him. He was shocked, but not deeply grieved; and -"some natural tears he shed:" no more. -</p> - -<p> -His father, however, prudential and unscrupulous -in his children's interests, had always been cold, -prosaic, undemonstrative, and unloveable to them -and to all. Hence he passed away, having so little -individuality that the blank made by his absence left -no craving, and required no filling up; but, -nevertheless, for a time, his cold, pale eyes and equally -cold, glittering spectacle-glasses came vividly back -to his son's memory. -</p> - -<p> -Audley was, however, to say the least of it, so -much disconcerted by the news Sybil had given -him, that he lacked sufficient energy to retain her -when she was swept from his side by the officer of -the Irregulars, on a theatrical flourish of the -vice-regal trumpets announcing that the supper-rooms -were open. -</p> - -<p> -The course of balls and other entertainments that -followed the durbar and the news from Cabul were -attended by neither Sybil nor Audley, now -recognised and congratulated by all the European society -at Simla as Lord Lamorna, and by the Viceroy, who -offered him all the leave he might require to settle -his affairs at home. Sybil had her brother's recent -death to plead; and she looked forward with intense -interest to seeing Waller, and to the returning army, -though Denzil was no longer in its ranks. -</p> - -<p> -They heard at Simla, how General Pollock had -dismounted or destroyed every cannon in the Balla -Hissar and in the city, and given to the flames the -Mosque of the Feringhees, an edifice built by the -vanity of Ackbar to consecrate and commemorate -the sanguinary destruction of Elphinstone's army; -the great bazaar also, once the emporium of the -Eastern world; and how all the castles and forts of -the khans and chiefs had likewise been given to the -flames; how the sky was reddened for days and -nights, and that the fiery gleam of the burning city -was still visible on the close of the fourth day, when -our rear guard was defiling through the mountains of -Bhootkak on their homeward route to the Sutledge. -Thus was the massacre of Khoord Cabul finally -avenged; but, as Sybil thought in her heart, "would -it restore the dead!" -</p> - -<p> -Their graves, unmarked and unconsecrated, and -the ruined city alone remained to tell of the strife -that had been. A touching address, signed by all -the ladies whom his energy and activity had done so -much to rescue, was delivered to Sir Richmond -Shakespere; and with Taj Mohammed Khan, the -discarded Wuzeer of Cabul, a beggared fugitive and -exile, as the sole friend who accompanied them, -our troops came down on their homeward way, -laden with spoil, and among it the great gates of -Somnath, an object of adoration to the Hindoos; -and thus ended the fatal war in Afghanistan. -</p> - -<p> -Audley had been duly informed by letters, that -his brother-officer, Waller, and the Trecarrels were -also coming down country, and should ere long be -at Ferozpore or Simla; and Sybil, who had now -heard all the story of Rose and Denzil, longed, with -a longing that no words can describe, to see her. -</p> - -<p> -There is no emotion in this world more delightful, -and nothing perhaps more beautiful, than a young -girl's first dream of love; for a young man's first -affair of the heart is even different in some respects. -It is so full of innocence, of simplicity and truth, if -the girl is pure and ingenuous; it is so full, also, of -a new-born mystery, a charm, and a world of thought, -of chance and risk, where there may be triumph or -defeat, victory or failure, sorrow perhaps, and joy -perhaps—but still she hopes, above all, a delight -and happiness hitherto unknown. Hence it becomes -absorbing; and such had been Sybil's love for -Audley at home when she had the shelter of her -mother's breast, and such for a time it had been -after they were to all appearance so hopelessly -separated; and now, after a lull, or being for a space, -as it were, suppressed and crushed well-nigh out, -by change, by distance, time, and travel,—now the -love-lamp shone again. -</p> - -<p> -And Audley, ere he had heard of his succession -to that title which should have been Denzil's, had -fated Denzil lived, had made her an abrupt but -formal proposal of his hand. Would he renew it -now? -</p> - -<p> -She was not left long in doubt; for under the -cognizance and with the express approbation of the -wife of the Viceroy, who deemed herself in the place -of mother and protectress to Sybil, he renewed his -offer, and then the lady judiciously left the cousins—for -such he had told her they were—to settle the -matter between them. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, Audley," said Sybil, "too well do you know -how I am situated; what or whom have I to cling -to in this world—but you, perhaps?" she added, with -a low voice, while her breast heaved, and her -half-averted face was full of passionate tenderness. -"Now that my poor Denzil is gone, nor kith, nor -kin, nor inheritance—what can I offer you in -return!" -</p> - -<p> -"Yourself, darling; what more do I ask in this -world!" he said, in a low and earnest voice, as he -gradually drew her nearer him; and as her hand -went caressingly on his neck, it seemed to him a -dearer collar than either the Bath or Garter could -be, for "what is all the glory of the world compared -with the joy of thus meeting—thus having those we -love?" -</p> - -<p> -"Now, Sybil," said he, "you find how difficult it -is to forget that one has loved——" -</p> - -<p> -"And been beloved," murmured the girl. -</p> - -<p> -"More than all by such a pure-souled heart as -yours. You remember our first meeting by the -tarn?" -</p> - -<p> -"Could I ever forget it?" -</p> - -<p> -"And our learned disquisition on flirtation, too. -How odd it seems now, darling." -</p> - -<p> -"And dear old Rajah—you have not our -rough, shaggy <i>introducteur</i> with you," said Sybil, -smiling. -</p> - -<p> -"Poor dog, no. I left him at home in Rhoscadzhel, -and, somehow, he is dead; that is all I know -about it—so Gartha told me in a letter." -</p> - -<p> -"All who love me die—even the poor dog. -Surely they would be kind to your pet, for your -sake." -</p> - -<p> -"They—well, I don't know—doubtless." -</p> - -<p> -Audley cared not to say that, by his lady-mother's -orders, the dog had been destroyed as a nuisance—the -last legacy of his comrade, poor Delamere, who -died in the jungle. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, if my dear Denzil had lived to see this -day!" said the happy girl, after a pause that was -full of thought. -</p> - -<p> -"Sybil, God knows how for your sake, even at -the time when I never, never, hoped to see you -more, I sought to protect and love your brother; -but he repelled, avoided, and seemed to loathe me. -Yet he saved my life in the Khyber Pass. It was -through sorrow for his mother—and—and, perhaps, -love for Rose Trecarrel; for he would be jealous of -me, among other things, poor lad!" -</p> - -<p> -"And she—she?" -</p> - -<p> -"Rose was very heedless, Sybil; but, after -all Bob Waller has written, let us not talk of -the past now. You will learn to love her well, I -know." -</p> - -<p> -"I hope so: I must—I shall, for Denzil's sake." -</p> - -<p> -"My sweet little love!—my Sybil, so tender and -so true!" exclaimed Audley, pressing her with -ardour to his breast. -</p> - -<p> -But a short time ago, Sybil had been hoping that -she would forget him; hoping, while journeying -towards the land where he was—the land of the -Sun—she who long since should have been his wife. -She had striven for forgetfulness, hopelessly, yet -with something of earnestness in the desire; and -now that she had heard his voice again, the old spell -was upon her—the spell of past hours, of remembered -days—the spell of her lover's presence; and -to be with him, the girl acknowledged in her heart, -was to be in heaven again! -</p> - -<p> -But now, we fear that we have intruded upon -them quite long enough. -</p> - -<p> -And so, till the time came when they should be -joined by Waller and the Trecarrels (for -companionship, it had been arranged that they should -all take the journey by dawk and river-steamer, -and then the overland route home together), the -days passed pleasantly and swiftly at delightful -Simla, in rides and drives among its wonderful -scenery; where the netted bramble, the great strawberry, -and giant fern covered all the rocks; the soft -peach, the dark plum, the rosy apple, and the golden -pear grew wild; and the dark-green pines, vast in -proportion as the stupendous Himalayas, from -whence they sprang, cast a solemn shadow over -all, making deep and leafy recesses where the -monkey swung by his tail, the buffalo browsed at -noon, the leopard and the wild hog lurked for their -food; by mountain villages that clustered near the -fortified dwelling of the chieftain whose tower was -built like the cone of an English glass house; -by hill and vale, rock and stream, where flocks -were grazing, watched by shepherds, quaint and -savage-looking as their rural god, the son of -Mercury, and by Thibet mastiffs, that reminded -Sybil of her lover's four-footed friend, the Rajah of -past days; and ever and anon, as they drove, or -rode, or rambled, they talked, as lovers will do, of -their future home in Cornwall, with all its associations -so dear to them, and now so far away, and so -they would marvel -</p> - -<p class="poem"> - "What feet trod paths that now no more<br /> - Their feet together tread?<br /> - How in the twilight looked the shore?<br /> - Was still the sea outspread<br /> - Beneath the sky, a silent plain,<br /> - Of silver lamps that wax and wane?<br /> - What ships went sailing by the strand<br /> - Of that fair consecrated land?"<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -Waller arrived at Simla to find himself gazetted -in the <i>Bengal Hurkaru</i> as major, and to get, -like Audley, his glittering Order of the Dooranee -Empire from the hands of the Viceroy; therefore -he hung it round the white neck of Mabel, while -Rose fell heiress to that which should, had he -survived, have been her father's decoration. -</p> - -<p> -So the schemes, the plotting with the wretched -solicitor, Sharkley, and all the avarice of Downie -Trevelyan availed him nothing in one sense; for -now the daughter of that Constance Devereaux -he had so cruelly wronged was coming home to -Rhoscadzhel as the bride of his son, and in her own -hereditary place as the Lady of Lamorna. -</p> - -<p> -It is but justice to his memory, however, to -record, that having some premonition or presentiment -that death was near, or might come on him as it -came on his older kinsman, something of the spirit -of the Christian and the gentleman got the better -of the more cold-blooded and sordid training of the -lawyer; and Downie wrote out, sealed up, and left -a confession concerning the two papers he had -obtained and destroyed; and this document was -found tied up with his will, in the library of -Rhoscadzhel, by Messrs. Gorbelly and Culverhole, his -astounded solicitors. Not that any act of roguery -surprised them, but only the folly of any man -ever committing the admission thereof to ink and -paper. -</p> - -<p> -Audley and Sybil were but one couple out of -several especially among the rescuers and the rescued, -who were seized with matrimonial fancies to make -Simla gay, after the retreat from Cabul—the result -of propinquity, perhaps, and the system of chances. -We may briefly state that they were married by the -chaplain of the Governor-General, who gave the -bride away; and not long after, Waller gave Mabel's -marriage-ring a guard, wherein was set a jewel, the -envy of all the ladies there—the sapphire which he -had plucked from the steel cap of Amen Oolah -Khan at the Battle of Tizeen. -</p> - -<p> -At Simla Rose was thus twice a bridesmaid, and -a lovely one she looked. -</p> - -<p> -But was Rose ever married in the end? some may -ask; for such a girl could not be without offers, -especially in India. We have only to add, that the -once-gay and heedless Rose Trecarrel is unwedded -still. -</p> - -<p> -On many a grey earn and lofty and rugged headland -in Cornwall were fires, lighted by the miners -and peasantry but chiefly about Rhoscadzhel—beacons -so bright in honour of the new lord and lady, -that they shone far over land and sea, and in such -numbers that the Guebres and fire-worshippers of -old, could they have seen them, might have deemed -that the adoration of the Fire-god was again in its -glory, as when the Scilly Isles were consecrated to -the sun; and Derrick Braddon, who, on the strength -of recent changes, had installed himself as a species -of deputy-governor or major-domo at Rhoscadzhel, -had a deep carouse, in which he was fully assisted -by Messrs. Jasper Funnel, old Boxer, and others of -the plush-breeched and aiguilletted fraternity. -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile, those whose fortunes we have followed -throughout the campaign of Western India and the -retreat from Cabul were speeding homeward, and -when from the coast of Orissa they saw the steamer -awaiting them in the rough and dangerous -roadstead of Balasore, where usually the Calcutta pilots -leave the home-bound ships, they hailed the bright -blue world of waters as an old friend; for, to our -island-born, "the sea, the sea," is what it was to -the returning Greeks of old Xenophon! -</p> - -<p> -"Now, Mabel," said Waller, as with, a lorgnette -in her pretty hand, she surveyed the roadstead—the -plain gold hoop on that hand being in Bob -Waller's eyes the most charming trinket there, "a -few weeks more, and all these foreign seas and shores -will be left far behind; we shall be home at our -little place that looks from Cornwall on the -apple-bowers of Devon. Ha! Trevelyan, you and I shall -then each sit down under his own vine and fig-tree in -peace, and enjoy a quiet weed, like the patriarch of -old—if the said patriarch ever possessed one. What -say you, my Lady Lamorna?" he added, as he -assisted Sybil's light figure to spring from the -handsome and well-hung carriage in which they had -travelled from Calcutta. -</p> - -<p> -Sybil only smiled, and looked joyously at the sea, -as she threw up the white lace veil of her bridal -bonnet; and Audley, too, was gazing on the -sea. -</p> - -<p> -"Waller, we have undergone much," said he—"days -of danger, and nights of anguish, yet we have -survived them all, and been true to the end, and -in the past have fully realised the force of the maxim -that— -</p> - -<p class="t3"> - 'Come what come may,<br /> - <i>Time and the Hour</i> runs through the roughest day.'"<br /> -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="t3"> -THE END. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /></p> - -<p class="t4"> -BRADBURY, EVANS, AND CO., PRINTERS, WHITEFRIARS -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ONLY AN ENSIGN, VOLUME 3 (OF 3) ***</div> -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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