CHAPTER Y.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7607, 17 January 1903, Page 1

CHAPTER Y.

AN EVENING AT THE TAI.ACE. And now behold the young Scotsman and ■ ids wife" amidst the roaring, life-teeming Ittreets of Ram Shri Ornra's capital— he fazing ahead with serious, thoughtful eyes ;. ahe turning with e,ager, curious glances to light and left. The bazaar especially, with its buzz of untold voices and its traffic that flowed on ever-changing as a kaleidoscope, was to her a source of constant interest. USTow it was. a jeweller's or silk merchant's chop that attracted her attention; now Bomo shoemaker or coppersmith, working ; away under a dirty stuped awning that leaned against the smoke-blackened walls of a marble temple or palace; now a naked, ashBmeared Fakir, squatting at a street corner . in a perfectly rigid attitude, or a blind old toeggar, thrusting out his alms bowl with, toiteous cries ; anon some nautch girls jostling against a yelling bhisti (water carrier) or vendor of sweetmeats, balancing an uneteady tray upon his turbamed head. Now «he and her. husband would ride aside to allow passage to a tonga drawn by cebu fcxen, or to a string of seemingly overi loaded camels, or to a see-sawing mountain W an elephant that rolled) the lesser'traifrte " iside as the ocean steamer parts the waves j>f the sea. Occasionally oiir friends met )Bome Thakoor (noble) with a following of jjpowaxs, shimmering with silk and s.tjeel and gold, or else a troop of the Maharajaiv's jjfed*barbaned bodyguard, jprancing with unconcealed contempt through the Hindu crowd, and staring with hiostile looks at the Europeans in passing. i When,', after a while, the girl began to feel fatigued, She and her husband diverted their course' towards the ever-open gates of [the Residency, where Hector paid a visit [to the eick Taed of his friend the secretary, I while Flora rested on the shaded stoop ithat overlooked the compound. After partaking with her of a tiffin "a deux"— 4he trusty doctor'; remaining invisible — the Scotsman said good-bye to the invalid, Whereupon "he and ; his wife remounted their animals and set out for the Sacred Tank the city, to view the famous purple fishes that gave Pritnagar its chief importance in the eyes of all devout Hindus. By ihe time they got back to town the som was fretting low in the sky; so, without tarrying by the way, they yode straight up to Ihe palace gates. The sentries . here to duty had evidently already received /heir instructions, for a non-commissioned bfficer at once stepped, "forward, making a profound obeisance, and seized the bridle of the planter's horse. The other men of the 'guard fell back,* and the hayildar. led the Europeans through the . resounding ■ >rchway on to a great, red, sanded courfcVapd, half filled with loitering soldiers, imstling courtiers, syces, mahouts, and countless other servants. 'Above the sea "of toads our frjen.ds saw the dazzling white facade of the splendid marble edifice that had sheltered untold generations of potentates/ Hindu arid Mohammedan alike. The touch. of the jatter had -left the mos,t con■lmi^ourtrapes;.,: .f 1 3Ht8-palace, xmce-ehticftiv^ Wt- in th^ Hindu' style, had gradually beeii' converted into a veritable masterpiece at lido-Saracenic architecture, than which jiot a finer specimen could be found in the jwhoie of the Deccah. ' To the rear of the jmaiace proper, with its" pilasters and niches *nd balconies, and carved-stone balustrades, its wonderful filigree open work and multicoloured inlaid patterns, the huge but graceful cupola of the palace-mosque climbed like p. golden pineapple into the pale blue ether; and thus stamped the whole with the hall-mark of Islam. The eye-aching idiite and gold of the buildings— the livings throbbing turquoise above: below, the blood-red court, with its crowds of gorge-ously-arrayed' humanity, flashing weapons, banners, ■ elephants And arched-crested, plumed steedsH-all this presented a combination of vivid, glowing life and colour in which a Gerome or a Verestchagin would fiave' revelled. ' But even as Flbra sat gazing in admiration upon this brilliant picture, the green-clad ChoMar (court usher) 'with his golden wand was seen parting the throng! and presently made his bow before the visitors, whom he invited to dismount. had often been the Maharajah's '■guest -in the olden days, and was familiar Vith all these scenes ; but not so his young Wife, who- took in • everything with the treated curiosity and pleasure. For a. moment, to be sure, she drew, closer her husband as' the sentries in the grand horseshoe portico flashed their cruel-looking tulwara in salute; but He' :>r's self-possessed carriage quickly Teaesured her. Has t forefinget touched the rim of his topi m dijjuified response, his grey hunter's . eyes meanwhile flirting from one to the other ■with a peculiarly attentive look. There was » vast difference. between these men and the soldiers lounging outside in the court: • the former were a promiscuous lot of condottieri and had apparently been recruited Irom every corner of India, their numbers including, besides the proud Rajputs who. officered them— Mahrattas, Ghoorkhas, Jats and Dogras, Bajaris,' Sikhs and Nairs from the extreme south. Their armament showed as much variety as there were racei— tulwawr, 'broadswords, scimitars, yataghans, lances, shields, battleaxes, flintlock and matchlock guns, Martini, Snider and Remjrigtcpi rifles. / These were the, ordinary troops of. 'Pritnagar, and a very different type 'from, those that guarded the palace gate. For this was a task that the Maharajah did not care to entrust to any but his 1 own Pnetorian Guard "of co-religionhts, ■which Was, carefully composedi of picked marksmen from Afgianisfcan and the hills around the Khyber Pass. These fellows, ■one more wild. and truculent-looking than the other, carried) splendid Lee-Metford rifles ;! Hector himself possessed not a finer Weapon of precision, although, ac an ardent disciple of Nimrod, he always made a point of investing in the latest improvements in the way of "shooting irons." None of ihese guards had ever looked upon the Maharajah's angresi friend with muoh favour, even in the old days; but the looks Vith which they now measured him as he tnd his wife passed inside were so frankly hostile and malevolent that Hector could, not help noticing the circumstance, But in Jtfaer resptcta the sentries' behaviour. was r^polite enough ; so that the Scotsman dismissed the half -formed idea of complaining £ armailly to the ruler. Still, he wondered whether tihe «rvants reflected their master's frame of mind, and whether their marked hostility ' was the outcome of » hint from "above." Nevertheless, fas face showed nought but -calm cc& - confidence as, preceded by the Ghobdar, he conducted Flora into . the '<dewan«i-thas (hall of audience). This arartment— ■ a huge, domed octagon with - alabaster walls inlaid with geometrical deBigns pf turquoise, agate, and mother-of-, pearl—was crammed with a perfect tulipfced pf 'inobles, courtiers, and officers in gorgeous costumes; but, heedless of this va«t assembly, the eyes of the visitors looked straight ahead ia a- stare of amazeVent- -For/ there, at the far end of the

hall, reclining among soft cushions on «. throne of ivory and beaten silver, sat their friend, Ram Shri Omia, 8.A., his left hand holding his .pearl-white sword, whilst his right arm lay caressingly across the neck of an enormous royal tiger. At first Flora, uneasy, but determined' not to show the white-" feather, walked on with a brave show of unconcern ; but presently, as f*he encountered the great green eyes of the monster cat and saw the huge white fangs laid bare in a snarl,' she changed colour and her steps began to falter. Hector, however, swallowing his own uncomfortable) sensations, quietly drew her arm through his and. led her up to the dais, with eyC3 firmly riveted upon the Maharajah. ! " Welcome — a thousand times welcome ! :So glad you have come! 1 ' commenced the I Prince, rising from ihis seat and releasing the tiger's golden collar to extend his hand. / "Excuse me, Maharajah," responded Hector in a tone that accorded ill with the other's cordial meeting, " b^t before I thank you for your welcome I shall feel much "obliged to you if you will be good enough to have that animal removed! from hero : my wife is not accustomed to the presence of such dangerous pets'." " Oh, certainly — by all means ! I must really apologise for my thoughtlessness," and/turning to some attendants, the Maharajah signed to them to take the beast away ; " not that there was the faintest need! for alarm," he continued) smilingly, as ho shook hands with the Europeans: " Roti is the best -mannered of his kindi and as tame as a fox-terrier." With, that be invited them be seated. • "He had need be," commented the Scotsman, rather caustically, "for just now he imitated the wild species to -perfection." "You see," explained Ram Shri. Omra, turning to Flora with an apologetic shrug, "it's all part and parcel of this wretched ' mummery in which I am obliged to take a reluctant part ! You remember what I told you "on board the Manchm*ia about barbaric ! splendour and co forth? I assure you I have no craving for tigers ; but the tamo tiger has bsen a feature of Pritnagar Court from tome immemorial, and I am expected to follow in my father's footsteps in this matter; as in others. Che fare? as they say in romantic Italy." His affectation of disgust with his surroundings had, however, long since begun to jar- upon. Flora's nerves ; and upon being thus challenged she made haste to change tho subject, which the Maharajah in. his turn quickly perceived. He had sufficient good taste tacitly to accept the rebuke. j "You must, be tired oufc arid. hungry after j your lon# ride," he remarked, rising again i and waving a si.ffn to his attendants; "permit; me to conduct you to the dining-room." He descended from the dais and politely offered his arm, to the young Englishwoman, who, after a hesitating glance at her husband, took it and accompanied her partner to an adjoining, hall, followed by Hector and the principal men of the Maharajah's suite, consisting of his grey-bearded Wazir (Prime Minister), some of his Thakoors, and a dozen Rajput officers of high rank. The planter, happening to glance over his shoulder, looted straight into the eyes of the possessor of the square chin and the fierce mopstaches, whom the Prince had called by the name of Govind) Lai— -the man whom Hector-' had seen in the carriage afc Bhundawal! The .-Rajput evidently stood high in the Maharajah's favour and bore | himself like a recognised favourite. The glance which he flung at the European in reply to the latter 'e look spoke of haughty defiance— ho attempt now of^-vadiog Ifechad takeif -root in our 'frie#aß?M^ii', : ;gvew fourfold intensified in that 'shoirt. :exbhange of glances';.. more 'than ever did be' 'believe Ehafc the mysterious man on the footboard of the railway carriage was identical with ijlani Shri ' Otora's favourite if this w&pe really the case, what was|«|sfo think of 'the master who, presumA^f?i%ad employed him a-^a spy? Butps}ls was no time for threshing the matter bsb; and 1 , all Hector could^lo under the circumstances was to stifle lita. emotions, whatever their nature, and to pretend that nothing was wrong. Only the Prince and his guests sat down to table ; the suite remained standing round in attitudes of easy attention. The Maharajah, being a Mohammedan, excused himself from joining them in their meal, and ■sat instead discoursing volubly. The young wife did not fail to notice that the dinner, which consisted of at least fifty different disnes, was served upon gold by attendants dressed in liveries of pale green satin, and that the wallahs who Went the round from time to time, sprinkling the diners with ottar of roses, wore electric-blue silk, with stars of gold embroidered upon their breasts. The scene was certainly a most picturesque one : the stalwart, serious j Britisher in. his kharki riding suit and tall, I spurred boots;' the beautiful, fresh coniplexioned giil, in : her tight-fitting 1 'habit of white pique ; and' the Maharajah, with his Italian complexion and black Velasquez beard set off. by his plumed, bejewelled turban and his kaftan of heliotrope silk, stiff with gold embroidery and flashing with inserted gems. The setting of this central picturer— consisting of the attendant semicircle df nobles and officers, each glittering like a Quetzal bird — was likewise most effective: In short, so far as the spectacular part of the entertainment was concerned, you could not have surpassed it r if you had ransacked both hemispheres for materiel. The Maharajah seemed to be in capital spirits, and kept chatting away with that brilliancy that 'had secured 1 him the entree to so many English, drawing-rooms in times gone by. Imagine Haroon-al-Rashid discussing in faultless Anglo-Saxon such varied and ultra-modern topics as the Henley Regatta ; the relationship of Gaelic tor Sanskrit; Wagner's "Ring der Nibelungcn " ; ' arid the latest book of tie most eensationa^ female .. writer in England, and ' you will' 1 .have a portrait of this ruler, as he struck the fancy of his European guests. Perr haps his conversation exhibited a stronger exotic flavour than hitherto ; but if so, this was merely in keeping with his general Oiientalieation, nor did either of his iisteners seem- to notice anything, out of the way. For the rest, Ram Shri Omra found' hiinr self compelled to\ sustain the burden of conversation well-nigh alone, for Flora felt worried on her husband's account, ar»d therefore only answered in monosyllables, whilst Hector, more preoccupied 1 than was his wont, scarcely once opened! lr? mouth.

Dinner over, Flora would have fain retired, for she felt really fatigued with, hex long ride, besides which she was desirous of, questioning her husband as to the reason of his silence. The Maharajah, however., represented to her that there" was to ba a regular ■ entertainment in honour of his guests, followed by fireworks; and as Hector, in answer to his wife's look of inquiry, merely gave a shrug, she consented to be conducted back to the Audience Hall. This had in the. meantime been lighted up; the throne had been removed, and in ite place stood three soft velvet lounges. Ram Shri Omra led his fair partner to the one in the middle, and then seated himself on tho couoh to the left, Hector taking the seat on hercright. The old Wazir, Govind Lai, and the remaindier of *he suite grouped themselves behind the trio, whilst the crowd of i courtiers arid officers of minor rank squatted on the carpets? that .. had been spread out for the purpose in the background) and along the walls. The Maharajah, having obtained the lady^s permission to smoke, ordered his -hookah to bo brought for himself and •: a. box of cheroots fpr the young planter. Then he clapped his hands ami -*W 'entoctaiianerit

began. It was the first of its kind that Flora had ever witnessed ; small wonder, then, that she gradually shook off her feeling of depression and watched the various performances with increasing* interest. The Nautchnis (dancing girls) — lithe, graceful, bronze-hued creatures, all gleaming with soft silks and gauzes, and jingling (if so rudo an illustration may be permitted) like an atajo of Spanish sumpter muleisv—wera succeeded by a troupe of juggk-rs whose tricks fairly staggered the English gdrl, so innocent of the waya of the East. A tall, grave-looking man (in whom Hector thought lie recognised Tippoo the Jfair, whose child he.h ad saved from the buffaloes earlier in tho day) flung a rope end into the air, where it remained, as if caught by some invisible hand; then a boy (it was indeed that same youngster!) began climbing up the rope and presently vanished from sight, having seemingly melted into thin air. ' Thereupon the man below exclaimed something and held out his hands ; and, in reply, down carae a large pineapple from nowhere and was deftly caught by the juggler— then a peach, a riielon, a bunch of grapes. Finally, the boy reappeared in mid-air, and caihe eliding down to the ground, nimbly as a monkey. His father calmly gathered up the rope, and, after a long and expressive gaze at Hector, retired and made way for some other performer, who astonished bhe spectators (and tho English girl in parti oular) by burying a , mango seed in a handful of soil, and then, before their very eyes, growing therefrom a perfect, though, diminutive, specimen of a mango tree, which was duly handed round for inspection. This wizard was succeeded by another who«> juggling feats would have turned Cinquevalli green with envy ; by , some performing dogs and monkeys ; and then again by Tippoo's little boy, who delighted and enthralled Flora by an exceedingly clever exhibition of rope-walking. Last "of all came the turn of the Sapwallah, (snake-charmer)— the identical old Machiavellian face whom our friends had seen before. Dumping down his basket in the middle of fhe floor, he squatted in front of it and commenced playing a shrill and unmelodious tune upon his toumril or\recd-pipe. Presently a flat head- with gleaming eyes and a. puffed-out neck appeared above the basket's edge, and then a great speckled cobra glided to the ground, followed by another and yet another, until a full dozen of these dangerous serpents were undulating on the red-and-■white tiled floor in front of- the musician. It was a most uncanny sight, and caused the Englishwoman to squirm uneasily upon her seat ; but the old sapwallah knew his trade ; he changed his three-note tune to a long, low, vibrating whistle in the same key; and as he did so the cobras, rearing up to theiT full length, glided .towards him and one by one twined themselves round his legs and arms and neck, until the man's figure Was almost hidden behind a, moving maze of glittering, scaly forms. Still playing, he raised himself upon his feet and stood facing the Maharajah and his guests, terrible as Red Kali herseli, under his poi-son-charged load of life. Loud applause greeted his performance, whereupon, crouching down again, he> once more changed his tune ; at the same time an assistant placed a huge bowl of buff aloe's milk close beside the basket, and one by one the cobras disengaged themselves, and wriggled towards the irresistible bait, from which they began to drink with avidity. When all had drunk themselves into a state of : fiem-stuaor, -the cham^'-st^pved^f^axd, 10&SX& reed pipe aside, and, picking up the snafe^s as if they had been so> many lengths 01 rope/ replaced them in their basket and covered them- up. ' w Thank heaven\ that nothing has happened!" sighed Flora when all was over; "I do detest those creepy, crawly things ; I have been quite ill with suspense." "In that case I owe you an apology for having permitted this item to be introduced at all," responded Rani Shri Omra politely : "I thought, however, that you would like to see a sapwallah at work, as you had '. never seen one before." "Oh," said Flora quickly, "it was very interesting indeed, and I thank j'ou very much for all the amusements you have providsd for us this evening. But with your permission, Maharajah, I should be glad now to withdraw." No Frenchman could have excelled the Maharajah's bow. "By all means, if it is your wi9h. Good-night to you, my dear Mrs Cameron, and pleasant dreams ! lam charmed to have been privileged to act as your host. Good night, Cameron, old chap; see you at Chota Hazri in tho morning!" . /