Beadle's Half Dime Library (no. 265) (1882 08 22)
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sal mm mm) mR | | . . ie hn Leal! n Lal t m el C Lalellall allel! Z ms rary WT SSNS NETS Va AA OWR= Foam Pres Se ell eRe FEE “Tee ) eS oval ial a I i $2.50 a year. _Entered at the Post Office at New York, N. ¥., at Second Class Mail Rates. —_ ys OOO ighted In 1882 by BEADLE AND ADAMS. gin August 22, 1882, - Sin os , PUBLISHED WEEK LY BY BEADLE AND ADAMS, Pri 9 Vol. 1 Num a No. 98 WILLIAM seer, x ss ae 5 i ae a 0. 265. THE TIGER TAMER: or, r. THE : LEAGUE OF OF THE JUNGLE. BY CAPTAIN | FREDERICK WHITTAKER, AUTHOR OF “THE LOST CAPTAIN,” “‘THE SWORD HUNTERS,” “‘THE DUMB’ PAGE,” “LANCE AND LASSO,” ETC., ETC, ay Ne al VAY @ ce it i aN Sh ¥ SA f GS . a 1 HN Ti ‘ Tr a ils mh ETE e ST ‘ if my y f | th | \ A Ok 14 a \ \)\ | ven | : i i bata tanh MIA VW QP ea: Ld A) iB y THE TIGER TAMER ENTERED THE ARENA WITH A BOUND, JUST AS THE TIGER CROUCHED TO SPRING AT THE RAJAB.
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2 ——— The Tiger Tamer, The Tiger Tamer; 0 The League of the Jungle. A TALE OF INDIA. BY CAPT. FREDERICK. WHITTAKER, AUTHOR OF “THE BOY BEDOUINS,” “THE LOST CAPTAIN,” “‘ THE SEA CAT,” ETC., ETC, CHAPTER I. THE KING OF THE JUNGLE. THE city of Jagpore was full of excitement, and the people were crowding to the show given them by the Rajah Rum Sing.* All round the inclosure of the amphitheater men and women were packed in row on row under the edgy looking down tu see the wild beasts fight. The Rajah himself, a fat, sensual-looking personage, blazing with jewels and surrounded by the high officers of his court, sat in the royal box, and had been pleased to express his approval by a nod, when the rhinoceros killed the elephant. Now, however, a hush came on all the specta- tors, for it was known that the erect attraction of the day wasco.ving. Even the Rajah raised himself till he sat nearly upright in his chair, and deigned to inquire of the vizier, Khoda ‘Who is this fellow that is wry Light of the world,” answered the obsequi- ous*minister, ‘‘ be is said to be the greatest tiger- tamer in Hindostan; a man who goes into the oe le alone and captures wild tigers single: nded. He iscome to us from the city of Delhi, and is “goth tym, mg asarajab. He calls oimself indeed the King of the Jungle. “Ha!” said the great man, lazily; ‘‘ we will see what he can do, Khoda,” The vizier bowed lower than before, and fidg- eted about, as if he wanted to say something. The Rajah observed it, and asked: \ “Well, Khoda, do you know anything more about this great tiger-tamer?”’ ‘“‘Resplendency of all. glory,” replied the vizier, with another salaam, ‘‘it is said that the man is a magician who has dealings with the Evil One himself, by which he has power over the beasts of the jungle, and all say that he has the evil eye.” This timesthe great chief sat bolt upright and opened his own eyes wide, : ‘* By the beard of the great Mogul,” he ex- claimed, angrily, ‘‘if that be so, we will soo prove him. Let him come in at once.” v The vizier, a tall, thin man, with an evil-look- ing face, salaamed, once more, and gave a signal. Instantly the cymbals and trumpets sounded, a door at the end of the arena was opened, and into the inclosure bounded a huge tigress, with a collar round her neck, graceful and brilliant, lashing her sides wlth her taii. The people gave a great shout of admiration and excitement, for they had never before seen such a magnificent creature issue from a cage. Tho great size and brilliant markings showed that she was full grown, and the muscular limbs, shining in the sun, told of perfect health and strength. There stood the tigressa moment, as if astonished by the sudden clamor, slowly waving her tail from side to side and peering at the audience; then, with a rapid, sinuous mo- tion, the great beast Be across the arena, and coming to the foot of the palisades, ran round, looking eagerly up at the people and uttering low growls, as if lorging to be among them. So terrible was t er, hungry look, that a dead stillness fell on all theaudience, and even the fat, sensual Rajah stirred uneasily in his chair. The es were high enough to stop the spring of any ordinary tiger, and made of hard, slippery bamboo, so that climbing up seemed out of the question; nevertheless every one seemed to be afraid as this gold-and-black- striped monster crept round and round, lookin for an opening; and the stillness was universal, Presently the tigress halted right in front of the box of the great Ram Sing himself; and the Rajah so far forgot his dignity that he turned pale under his olive skin. ® creature crouched down, with great green eyes fixed hungrily on the fat body of the prince, and crept back, poormig her tail slowly from side to side, as if to gain distance for a spring, for she * Indian Princes are variously called Rajahs and Nawaubs, tp log, or into Nabobs. The loftiest title is that of Maha-Rajah, or “‘ Rajah of Rajahs.” Ram ee Hindeo word for Lord, and is found in mest dian titles, as also Sing or Lion, which is very eommon. began to quiver from side to side, just as a cat might do, watching for a mouse. e Rajah Ram Sing sat like a statue, his eyes fixed on those of the tigress, his face of a gray pallor, while the sweat stood out on his orehead in beads. ‘There in the midst of all his power, with courtiers and guards round him, swords and ars on every side, jewels, satins, gold and velvet blazing on the sight, the king of the city and the queen of the = le looked each other in the eye and the fab quailed before the royal Least. But he was not alone in his terror, for all near him were still as death, and the bravest of his swordsmen shook with fear. Then the ti- gress uttered a low hun growl, and the next moment leaped full at the royal box. Well was it for the Rajah Ram Sin day that the palisades on his side of the arena were taller than elsewhere, for the bound of the on nearly carried it to the top, and the great brute spread out her fearful talons with such force that they pierced the hard polished shells of the bamboo palings, and she actually hung there a moment, looking over the top, ae three feet of the sacred person of the ah. shrill scream of terror burst from all the cece and the guards of the prince shrunk ck with loud yells, while Khoda Khan crouched tere be ind the chair of his master, as the fat Rajah fell back, limp and helpless, his eyes glaring with a horrible fas- cination, as they had from the first, into those of the tigress. Then followed a long pause of intense anxie- ty, the animal retaining its grasp with des- perate tenacity, turning its head from side to side and growling hungrily, amid a dead still- on that ness. The silence was suddenly interrupted by a young man in the Rajah’s box, in white clothes of European cut. is white fdce, light hair tawny mustache and blue eyes, contrasted stro ly with the bronzed skins of the Hindoos and Ma omedans around him, and his courage seemed no less different, for he arose cooWy, smoking a cheroot, made two steps down, be- side the Rajah and faced the tiger boldly, rais- ing a bamboo cane as if he intended to strike the beass, However, he refrained from the blow, for he saw that the great claws were slowly relaxing their hold ori tha’ the creature was about to drop, which, sure enough, it did in another moment, and resumed its hungry round of the arena, ons in the same tones of ferocity. But in the mean time the people and guards were beginning to recover from their first stu- r of terror, encouraged by the coolness of the ‘Burra Sahib,” or ‘‘ ar gentleman,” as they called the white man by the Rajah’s chair.., When he called for a sword, a dozen men ran preare, armed with round shields of rhinoceros . hide and curved ‘‘tulwars” or swords, sharp as razors. They were the Rajah’s professional sword-players, mon so expert witb their keen wea at they can cut a lemon in half lying on the bare pa'm of a man’s hand without so much as scratching the skin, while they can sever the head of a bull buffalo from its body ata le blow. These fellows began to feel ashamed of their cowardice, and came in front of the Rajah’s box, offering to strike at the ani- mal’s paws if it leaped up again, But the white stranger waved them back. “Give me a sword,” he said. ‘* You fellows are more.in the way than anything. J can take care of his Highness.” ‘‘Go away, dogs,” observed the Rajah, him- self, in the tone of a surly despot as he was. ‘““'The Major Sahib is worth all the rest of you. Give him a sword.” The mortified professionals retired in silence, and Khoda Khan dre~ his own Damascus scimitar, which he handed to the young man, just as the ti $ came creeping alon in, and crotched once more before the ajah’s a But the animal was never destined to make its second spring. Just as it was lashing its tail more and more rapidly and settling into posi- tion, a second figure bounded into the arena, a man of great hight and framed like a Hercules, whose swelling muscles were plainly revealed by his scanty dress, His face was one of great beauty, with black lustrous eyes, regular fea- tures, a clear olive complexion, and a long silky black mustache falling each side of a shaven chin, while the black curls of his hair touched his shoulders, confined by a gold band orna- mented with a tall white plume. His magnifi- cent bust was only half-concealed by a short sleeveless jacket of cloth-of-gold, that glittered with every motion of his body, while the short drawers of the same material that he wore around his loins constituted his only other eov- ering. Arms and legs, brawny and bare, were ornamented with bracelets and anklets that flashed with jewels as bright as those of the Ma- harajah himself, and he bore in his hand a heavy whip of rhinoceros hide, with a handle of gold crusted with jewels, This brilliant and startling figure entered the arena with a bound, just as the tiger crouched to spring at the Rajah for the second time; then, quick as a flash, the new-comer ran across the inclosure to the beast and struck it with his whip a blow that resounded throughout the lace. y Startled by the sudden assault, for the tamer had run as silently asa cat, the tigress uttered a roar of terror and fled away to the palings, crouching there, no longer as if ferocious, but evidently frightened to death. Then it was that a tremendous shout of ap- plause rent the air, and voices began to mk ** Well done, Govinda, King of the Jungle!” The tiger-tamer stood in the midst of the arena with a proud smile on his face, listening to the plaudits; and then, fixing his eyes on the Ra- jab, he salaamed with a profound obeisance. © great man, whose nerves had not yet recov- ered their equanimity, looked angrily at him, ve any encouraging nod of reply; but Major Charlton, the young stranger w had shown so much courage, spoke aloud to him- self in his own tongue: “By Jove, that’s the handsomest fellow I’ve seen since I came to India.” The Rajah heard him; for, like most high caste Hindoos, he understood English, and replied: “Sahib, dat man is cian and has evil eye, His tiger near kill me. [ punish him.” Charlton turned and stared at the Hindoo rince fora moment, but he said not a word; for he had been long enough in India to know that it was useless to argue with a native digni- tary against cruelty. He quietly returned the scimitar of Khoda Khan to the vizier, went back to the seat from whence he had oy ag to the rescue of the Rajah, and watched the fur- ther doings of the tiger-tamer. The great Govinda looked straight at the Ra- jah as soon as the brief colloquy with Charlton was over, and salaamed a second time. A sec- ond time the salute was unacknowledged, and a cold cruel smile gathered on the lips of Khoda Khan as he looked down. . Then the tiger-tamer, with a proud, angry look, as if he were the equal of any prince in the world, turned away, walked to the middle of the arena, and held up his whip to his tigress calling out: ‘* Here, Seevah, here’” The great brute, lately so ferocious, cowered ney | the palings and hesitated to move, as ; “Here, I say!”. cried the tamer, sh as he did so he cracked his whip an stamp. Instantly the tigress began to creep slowly toward him, flat against the-ground, as in mor- tal terror, till her master threw the whip down before her and snapped his fingers, saying in a kinder tone: r ‘* Bring it, Seevah, bring it, good girl!” The burst of applause that followed, as the huge beast obediently picked the whip, and then, as if reassured, rose up and walked grave- ly to her master, was genuine and well-deserv- ed. The tigress seemed to be completely trans- formed, as she stood by the tamer's side, boldin the whip in her mouth, rubbing her arched bac against Govinda, and slowly waving her tail fee pet cat, while the man tted her head. Then Govinda took the whip from the apimal and walked right up in front of the royal box, where he spoke in a low tone to his grim charge. Instantly Seevah began to crouch and wl as before, while the tamer made his third obei- sance. This time the Rajab/hastily answered it, and a proud smile of triumph crossed the tamer’s countenance. Hespoke once more to the tigress and turned away, when the animal at once ceased her threatening demonstrations and fol- ly, and gavea lowed him. Govinda raised his whipin the air, * ’ over it, with the docility sh r ipa an bel hee his back in the sand, and the icked him up by the waistband and pod m round the arena, amid the Cheers of the multitude. Then came the most wonderful feat of all, which brought even from Major Charlton a cry of surprise, although that gentleman had seem and the tigress lea of a dog, again an almost everything to be seen in a voyage round - the world,
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Govinda stood in the midst of the arena and called out: ; “Ali! Ali! Hither, child! Seevah is hun- !’ eo Phen into the arena gravely walked a beauti- ful little boy, very nearly white, as young chil- dren often are in:India. This little fellow did not seem to be over five or six years old; and his big black eyes, long dark curls, and beauti- ful face, was set off by a dress similar to that of the tiger-tamer. Small as he was, this midget carried on his head a great silver dish longer than himself, and the plate was heaped with pieces of meat smothered in bo !ed rice.* The beautiful child walked gravely across the arena past the tigress, who stood in the center beside Govinda. When he neared the animal, Seevah began to roar loud] y with eagerness, but did not offer to touch either child or meat, though her tail lashed violently. The child went to the front of the Rajah’s box, laid his load on the ground, and gravely executed a deep obeisance. Even the sullen prince could not withstand the ll of the child’s artless grace and beauty, and he eagerly , saying: jeaned forwar gz ell done, by the beard of the ‘* Well done! great Mogul!” As he spoke, he hastily took off one of his yee bracelets and threw it down to the child, ttle Ali picked it up, salaamed profoundly a second time, and then raised his dish and ap- proached the tiger. A moment later, Seevah was taking food from the child’s hand as gently as a trained cat, without so much as a growl, while little Ali occasionally reproved his charge for eager- pee slapping the creature’s face with a tiny Cheer after cheer went agin the arena at ¥° sight,.and even the jah smiled, while jor, Charlton was enthusiastic. At last the plata was empty, and the child picked i: up and = to the tigress, who took it in her stron aws, the trainer standing silently by with folded arms all the while, and not even speak- ing fo his beast, mn, when it seemed as if nothing further could be done to prove the complete control of master over brute, the child slap the tigress on the side and said something which the spec- tators could not catch, Instantly, Seevah lay down, and the little one pled her brawny neck in the loose folds of skin with two tiny hands, clambering up on the animal’s back, Then up rose. Seevah, guided by the child slapping her mighty jaws, and walked to the Rajah’s box for the last. time, no longer to threaten. Little Ali kissed his hand to the Prince, who returned the salute with perfect enthusjasm, throwing the child, a second brace- let. Instantly, the ti , without any signal, lay down, and allowed the child to dismount, pick pp the bracelet and resume his seat in tri- umph, Then out of the arena marched the terrible beast, with slow, stately steps, proudly wavin her tail, till the dark entrance of the cage hid child and tiger together. Not till then did-the t tiger-tamer ad- vance to make his parting salaam, and this time it was graciously returned by the Rajah, who ee ore sie oon cian or no & gran er. Then Govinda oe slowly from the arena. CHAPTER II. THE LEAGUE OF THE STRANGLERS. OvTswE of the city of J re, on that same night, the full moon looked silently down on a vast expanse of forest and jungle, hemming in the cultivated fields that surrounded the walls of the town. Away out in the midst of the jungle, several miles from the city, stretched one of those huge tanks or reservvirs, over a mile square, which had been erected in the days of the Moguls. It had long since fallen into ruins, and most of its waters had escaped, * The means by which tigers are retained in per- fect docility in some parts of India is very simple and not practiced by the wild beast tamers of civilized countries. It consists in bringing up the creature from a cub on boiled rice and buffalo little boiled meat, never allowing it to taste raw flesh. Indian travelers relate tha. it is quite common! for the faxsrs, or begging riests of India, to keep such tame i and be followed by them to the yaaees in their begging ERS the beast never being either chained or caged. isis a different method alto- gether from that employed in subduing wild tigers, described in subsequent chapters.—Eb, utter, with a ; Tamer. The Tiger the only remnant being a small pond in the midst of a plain of tall grass, where the wild beasts came to drink. : Tigers and leopards, wolves and jackals, were plentiful in the jungle all round this an- cient tank, and it was rarely visited save by the shekarrees or native hunters, and by them only in the daytime, for the place was sup to be haunted by evil spirits as well as beasts. Nevertheless, on the night of the day on which the tiger-tamer had appeared in the Jag- lowe amphitheater, the forms of men were to seen threading the jungle toward the — pond, coming from different quarters, but all going to the same point, where a little tent s in the midst of the plain by the pond, an evident place of rendezvous for the silent mid- night wanderers in the jungle. ithin the tent sat »n old man, with a long white beard—a p+ rsen of venerable and be- nevo >t appearance, in the robes of a profes- sion: | teacher, called a moonshee, This old man wid not seem to be at all afraid at his soli- tary position in the jungle, though the distant roaring of was by no means unfrequent. He sat cross- on the ground before a square pit dugin the midst of the tent, in the bottom of which stood a lamp of peculiar form. It was a cocoanut shell filled with oil, in which rested two wicks, lighted at both ends and ar- ranged im a cross so as to give four lights. The watcher sat motionless before this ae with his eyes fixed on the intersection of the cross, and muttered to himself rapidly certain prayers in wuich the namesof ‘‘ Kalee! Kalee/ Calcutta Walee!” were frequently repeated. Presently the midnight wanderers began to drop in, and each as he entered squatted be- fore the lamp in the pit, and sat staring at it, mumbling his weird invocations to Kalee, till seven men were thus gathered. They seemed to be of all ranks in society, for the gleaming mail and helmet of the sol- dier, the gold and velvet of the courtier, the simple white robe of the moonshee, and the bare brown skin and dirty waist-eloth of the bullock driver, were to be seen in that circle, in apparent equality, muttering prayers to the es ess of war and pestilence, the terrible Ka- ea, whose temple stands in Calcutta. ‘Oh! Kaleo! Great Kalee! Lady of Cal- cutta! Grant us thy help to-night, and give us a sign, whether we shall prosper on our under- taking or not!” So ran the burden of the prayer, as they sat round the four lights, and then the old man who seemed to be chief among them, rose and held up his hand, when all were silent. ‘* Are we all here?” he asked. ** All but the pupil,” answered a@ tall, thin man in rich garments, whose keen, malicious face was very like that of Khoda Khan, the Rajah’s minister, ‘She will come with the sacrifice. Hark!” As he spoke, a soft rustling in the grass out- side was heard, and the figure of a woman, rich- ly dressed, with her head swathed in a thick vail, entered the tent, maine mw cord two black goats, without a speck of white on their bodies or limbs. Immediately every man in the tent was on his feet amid.a solemn silence, The muttering of prayers ceased, and all directions were given by signs, ‘The vailed woman turned the heads of the goats toward the square pit, within which the mystic lamp was burning, and the whole mty watched them intently, when it was seen hat they must have both recently come out of the water, for they were dripping wet. It seemed but a trivial circumstance, but every one in the tent stood staring at the two animals, asif much depended on their behavior. Pres- ently one of the goats shook off the water ina shower of spray, and a deep sigh of relief burst from every human being in the circle, The old man motioned*to the soldier, who handed him erce his razor-like tulwar or sword; and a moment later the animals’ heads were drawn forward, and they were neatly beheaded, the blood bein carefully caught in the pit, where it collecte around the shell of the mystic lamp. Then it was that the silence was first broken by the old priest, who said: “The pad accepts the sacrifice and tells us to go forth and kill more Brethren; the great Kale* is hungry and needs sacrifices of men. Who is there that has any victims to offer?’ The thin man in rich garments spoke first: ‘‘T have one, the white stranger who is cap- tain of the guards of the Rajah of Jagpore. He rides out alone in the jungle, and he is young. He carries all his wealth with him in jewels, hidden away.” 3 ‘‘ But he is a Frank,” objected the old man. ‘*The goddess would not that we kill Franks, for the great queen beyond the seas knows her subjects, and we cannot sacrifice them without being found out.” This man comes from another country, called America, where they have no king, and no one to look after their people,” replied the thin man, eagerly. ‘‘ He carries a lac* of rupees in jewels.”’ A grunt of approval came from the circle, —_ Boe old man bowed his head, and said, slowly: ‘*The next,” said the voice of the Vailed wo- man, ‘‘ is the tiger-tamer, Govinda.” There was an evident sensation at this name for every one in the circle started and looked frightened. ““Who shall be his executioner?’ at length demanded the chief, solemnly. ‘*T claim the office,” answered the muffled tones from behind the vail; ‘‘for I alone can Ici]l the man,” ‘‘Tt may not be,” said the old priest, decided- ly. ‘The man is known to all our brotherhood, but we have never yet tried him but we have failed. The sacred mattock has broken and the slayer for him.” “ Hast thou yet slain a man?’ inquired the deep tones of the priest, solemnly, “T have not, but my father was the first strangler of his day,” responded the vailed one, poly ‘“He was the man who pulled down the Rajah of Benares from his horse, single- handed, in the Jungle, and he it was who t made me drink of the terrible goor.” As the woman pronounced the last words, she shuddered violently, and the assertion seemed to produce a profound impression on her hearers. “Tf she has drunken of the mystic goor, the dess has claimed her for her own,” said the hin man, his face bid 3 a vie ag A “* Lot her be tried on the Major Sahib,” growl- ed the soldier. ‘‘ He will be an easy prey toa woman, and she will gain experience, “And why do you wish to be the executioner of Govinda?” asked the white-bearded priest, after a pause, Clear and hard came the answer, in low, in- tense tones: ‘‘ He killed my father. The goddess has given him to me,” ‘Be it so,” said the old man, reverently bow- ing his head. ‘‘ Let the omens decide it, To work with the victims.” He produced from under his long robe a small implement resembling a mattock in shape, and gave it to the thin man to hold,. Then he re- moved the mystic lamp from the pit, and cast in the carcasses of the two animals, in dead silence, when the thin man proceeded to fill up the pit with the mattock, in the same solemn manner as that observed at the sacrifice, When the earth was completely smoothed down, the occupants of the tent passed over it in a menas- ured, rhythmic sort of dance, chanting a low song to Kalee; the vailed woman alone remain- ing motionless. en, on a sudden, the light was blown out, and the whole party rushed out of the tent into the open moonlight, where they began to cry epee Kalee once more, till they fad called rice. After that, every one stood stock-still for » short time, facing the moon and intently listen- ing for a sound in the silent jungle. Presently came. Far off to the left in the jungle sounded the loud roar of a tiger, and the silent circle was ap- parently agitated by emotions of greesenxeyy, the vailed woman in particular trembling vio- lently. Almost immediately the roar was an- swered from the opposite quarter, and the watchers fell on their knees in the moonlight and poured forth low but aaa prayers to the terrible goddess, their faces glowing with fanat- ical enthusiasm and joy. While they were still kneeling, the old mam rose and spoke aloud ina measured, solemn voice: ¢ : “The goddess is propitious at last, and the victims will be sacrificed. The first will be the white soldier that they call the Major Sahib, and the one to slay him is here,” *The rupee is the current ccin of India, worth about sixty cents American. A lac is a hundred thousand rupees, worth sixty thousand dollars.
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4 The Tiger Tamer. As he the vail silk, doubled to a length of about two feet, and knotted in a peculiar way. ‘‘I will be thy holder of hands, and Khoda shall carry the holy mattock,” he concluded, ‘‘the /russee given by the goddess Kalee to dig the graves of the vic- tims. The others shall attend thee, and Kalee shall prosper the sacrifice. When the soldier is main, Govinda shall follow, for the goddess has said it. Disperse!” Without another word, he strode away, and one by one the silent figures arose and stole af- = him through the jungle in the direction of a re. s they did so, a man who had been lying hid- den in the grass behind the tent rose to his feet and watched them, muttering: ‘The omens have deceived ye, for I have seen the victims.’* Then Govinda, the tiger-tamer, followed the trail toward Jagpore. CHAPTER III. THE RAJAH RAM SING. Tae Rajah had finished his dinner and was enjoying himself with his ministers and guests in his palace. Everything that wealth and bar- baric magnificence could supply to please the senses was around him, He lay on pillows of cloth-of- gold, his fat body robed in the coolest and softest of cambric worked with gold thread, * while the diamond aigrette of his turban gleam- ed like a star. He was smoking the most deli- cate Latakeeah tobacco from the snaky stem of a splendid hookah, and a gold cup of sherbet stood beside him, while a bevy of graceful Nautch-girlst were dancing before him. And yer the great man did not seem to be happy, for is face wore an expression of decided ill-tem- - Major Charlton, smoking another hookah, was seated at a little distance in an American cane rocking-chair, one of the odd contrasts to be seen in most native palaces, where French clocks and Yankee notions; Sheffield pistols and Damascus scimitars; suits of Saracen chain- armor and brand-new Paris pianos, jumbled to- gether in quaint confusion, tell of the conflict of deas in modern India, trying to imitate its English conquerors. Charlton was the only man seated save the Rajah, for the ministers of the Prince were obliged to wait on him bare- footed and standing. Behind the couch of the Rajah, with the usual obsequious smile on his lip, was Khoda Khan, the prime minister; and to him the gréat man addressed his first audible remark since dinner, “Send away those girls. They can’t dance better than so many cows,” . The minister rushed forward with officious ‘geal, and fell on the. poor dancing-girls, shout- *Get out, fools, His Highness says you dance like cows. Away with you.” Whereat the poor girls fled in dismay, and the grea t man rewarded Khoda’s efforts with a “You are an ass, Khoda Khan. Find some- Lm, ad amuse me, I am tired and have a pain ere, d the Rajah laid his hand on his stomach and groaned, while the corners of his mouth went down lower than ever, Major Charlton smiled slightly under his tawny mustache, as he muttered to himself: **Dyspepsia, and no wonder.” But the great man’s ear was quick, and he eried out, in English: “What the debbil you say, major? You gow like cd dog with bone. Shiver my tim- rs! speak out.” “T was saying,” replied the white gentleman, calmly. “that your Highnesshad dyspepsia. It is common in my country.” The Rajah’s face cleared and he sat up, for he liked to be considered an invalid. * The Phansigars or Thugs of India believe that if any buman being not one of their own order, sees the mysticlamp when they are making their offering to ee, or finds the victims, or if the shadow of any living thing falls on the offering, some great misfor- tune will overtake them within the year. They also believe that any person, not a Thug, who drinks of ‘the mystic goor, a secret bev of the goddess, can never leave them, but must follow the ae mes of strangling forever: $ Pregesdenal dancing girls of India. “What dippepsia?” he inquired. ‘‘ Youhave itin Ameriky! Hey?’ Chariton smiled, for the Prince’s English, hav- ing been learned in former days from a drunken sailor who had strayed to Jagpore and been made chief minister, was decidedly of the ruder order. But since the death of that estimable personage, Jack Jones, alias Shacka Khan, from delirium tremens, Rajah Ram Sing had always been proud of his English. *“T never had dyspepsia myself,” answered Charlton; ‘‘but many ple have it in my country, and there is nothing so good for it as air and exercise. Your Highness should take a ride every day.” ‘*Dat’s de ticket,” assented the great man, er ‘* Begin—let me see—next week.” Then he sunk listlessly back, and observed to Khoda Khan, in his native tongue: * Well, have you found anything to amuse me} “Light of the world,” replied the minister, salaaming deeply, ‘‘ I would suggest that your Highness have a little fun with this great tiger- tamer, who has the boldness to call himself King of the Jungle. Would it not be well to put his powers to the test? He has one beast under very good control. Suppose we try him with Burrhea,” The Rajah actually started and smiled, ‘You area genius, Khoda;” he said, cheer- fully. ‘‘Burrhea isa bad beast. Send for him and this Govinda at once and have the cage brought out into the inner court. We will go there,” Major Charlton heard all that passed, for he understood the language perfectly; and his face grew grave. He knew Burrhea tobe the largest und most ferocious tiger in the Prince’s menage- rie—a brute so vicious that it had only the da before mangled a keeper who was giving it food. The tiger had made a sudden pass between the bars of its ¢ and clawed the man’s scalp off with one stroke, as if in pure malice, and then went on feeding, quietly. The Rajah seemed now to be so much pleased at the prospect of seeing a fight between Burrhea and the King of the Jungle, that he actually rose up and waddled away to the inner court of the palace, while a dozen attendants started off to execute his orders and bring the tiger and his tamer to- gether. Major Charlton followed the Prince slowly, with a frown on bis face. ‘By heavens!” he muttered, ‘‘it’s too bad to set that grand fellow at this brute without any preparation, If I see any signs of danger Ill in- terfere, if I lose my place for it.” But he said not! ng aloud, for he knew the Rajah’s disposition and his own influence too well to speak at the wrong time. Meantime the whole of the attendants had followed the t man down a cool marble cor- ridor to the side of an inner court that resem- bled a huge well, about thirty feet deep and sixty broad lined and paved with stone, and circular inform. At the sides of this pit, open- ing on the court below, were several iron doors; and around the top ran a gallery which led to the zenana or woman’s part of the palace. The Rajah found his soft couch already laid for him at the edge of this ery, and he had hardly taken his seat before the lofty form of Govin the tiger-tamer, escorted by several slaves, an masitg his child by the hand, approached im. The Rajah looked lazily up, scanned the tall figure of the ‘‘ King of the Jungle” for a mo- ment, and then nodded, as: the other salaamed profoundly before bim. “You call yourself King of the Jungle, I hear,” he observed, sardonically. “1 call myself Govinda, the servant of the Merciful One,” replied the tamer, in a deep, sweet voice. ‘‘Men call me Jungle Rajah, Ti- ger King, and such titles; I only answer to the name of the Slave of the Merciful One.” ‘* Well, well, you think yourself one of the greatest men in the world,” said the Rajah, sneeringly. ‘* You think you can conquer any tiger living.” ‘1 can do nothing save by the will of the Merciful One,” said the-tamer, reverently. “‘ He closes the mouths of beasts, and gives courage to the heart of man.” ‘* Well, we shall see if he will give you help now,” said the Rajah, with the same cold sneer. ‘*T wish you to go down to that court and tame my best tiger, Burrhea. They are bringing in hiscage now. There he is,” As he.spoke, one of the iron doors opposite opened, and the end of a cage on wheels was shoved out, within which leaped and ramped a great gaunt tiger, uttering fearful roars of rage. ee The tamer looked quietly at the beast, and the next moment a long — and hook were let down from above, which lifted up the end of the cage like a portcullis. Charlton uttered a stifled angry oath as the tiger lea out into the pit and ran raging around, while the iron door slammed-to, as the cage vanished. If Seevah had been a magnificent tiger, Bur- rhea was evidently a ferociousone, and his = look told that he was hungry, as he ran round and round the pit, leaping up and falling bac in vain attempts to scale the hard stone. ‘Well, Govinda, Slave of the Merciful,” asked the Prince, sarcastically, ‘‘can you tame that tiger before us all?” ovinda looked calmly and reflectively at the raging beast below, and then replied: ‘Ihave done it already. I know the tiger. He came to your Highness a present from the King of Delhi, and your Higbness’s stupid ser- vants have spoiled his temper. I shall have to tame him again, unless he knows my voice.” “Go down to him, then,” said the Rajah, coldly. ‘‘ And to see that you do not escape the ordeal, let your child stay here.” As he spoke, he made a sign to Khoda Khan. The latter said something, in a low voice, to the slaves who surrounded Govinda, in a slang phases, that Charlton did not understand. t sounded to him like: ‘tLook after the straw.” Instantly, four men were on the tiger-tamer,, each seizing one of his limbs, assaulting him so suddenly that he was helplessly thrown on his face, while the boy was snatched away from him to the side of the Rajah. The tiger-tamer, in this helpless condition, was carried back, and Charlton noticed that he did not attempt to struggle, but kept his eyes: fixed on the Rajah, silently. Then the young man glanced at Khoda Khan and beheld that: individual’s face transformed, as it were, to the face of a fiend, his black eyes glaring wildly, while his fingers clinched and unclinched ner- vously on a scarf which he held in his hand be- hind the chair of the Rajah. He seemed as if crazy to fly at the prostrate Govinda, for some reason crother. Involuntarily, the young man. rose from the carpet on which he had been sit- ting and stepped between the two, looking Kho- da full in the eye. . ‘‘ What are you going todo?” he asked, sternly. Instantly, the face of the wily vizier cleared. up and he bowed low, saying: ** Nothing, Sahib, nothing.” As he quickly tucked away in his girdle the ends of the little scarf he had been twisting in his fingers, Charlton noticed that one end was knotted, but that was all; when Khoda Khan said, in the same low tones which had produced the seizure of Govinda: ‘Prophet Mohammed,” wee care 3 the men who had hold of the tiger- tamer:let him go and set him on his feet, while they: flitted away down the corridor into the palaée, as if they feared wre} seen, but not be- fore the late prisoner had looked keenly at. eyery one, as they fled. ell, Govir-da,” said the Rajah, who had watched all this pore episode with his cruel smile, ‘‘are you y to go down to the tiger?” ay am ready, your Highness,” said the other, as calmly as ever; ‘‘ but I need my son with —_ or else to have time to make my prepara- ions, ‘“* Your son will stay with me,” said the Prince, coldly; ‘“‘but you shall have what time you necd. Godown.” Without a word, the tiger-tamer bowed low, turned and left the presence, when Charlton rf forward, and said boldly, in English: ‘Your Highness must not hurt the child.” The Rajah looked at him a moment, doubt- fully and then replied: “T don’t want to hurt the child, major. I like him. I a him for hookah-bearer. As he spoke, he put his arm around the little fellow and patted him affectionately. The child had been perfectly still all the time, with a coolness strange in his years, the result of fre- uently performing before crowds, and when the great man fondled him, he turned a serious pair of dark eyes on the Rajah Ram Sing and smiled slightly. Then the smile faded away into a look of anxiety as he gazed down into the court at Burrhea, who was ramping around like a fiend. Charlton felt just as anxious himself, and the suspense became agonizing to him as he noticed the evident terror ef the child and waited for the appearance of Govinda below. Minute after minute but still no tiger-tamer, and the Rajah uneasily on his coueh. ~ a
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"tO MON RR e ter OOo hm TT eo” . ‘*Go after him,” he said to Khoda Khan, ‘ or sy after him, and have the door to the secret ssage ready to.open if Burrhea get- the worst Pf it.” The vizier bowed and retired with a triumph- ant smile. As he passed Charlton, he sneered slightly and said: ‘We shall soon see whose star is brightest, thine or mine, American Sahib.” CHAPTER IV. TAMING A TIGER, CHARLTON was for a moment puzzled. He knew that Khoda Khan was jealous of his in- fluence with the Rajah, but the minister had never before dared to show open hostility. ‘Charlton had lived in India several years, and had entered the service of this native prince to train and command his guards, which he had done so well that be had become indispensable. As an American, there was something mysteri- ous about him to the Hindoos, which added to the awe with which he was regarded; and he had always made the sensual tyrant treat him as respectfully as the British Resident,* with whom Charlton was on excellent terms. Yet to-day Khoda Khan dared to sneer at him. While he was thinking over the circumstance, a sudden hush in the court below showed that something had taken the tiger’s attention, for it had ceased roariug and had its eyes fixed on one of the iron doors. A moment later, came three thundering knocks: the door flew open, and into the court stalked Govinda, the tiger-tamer, car- wane in his hand an iron rod instead of bis whi Tnetariity. Burrbea crouched down, and the man strode toward him, shouting, in stentorian ones: ‘* Down, Burrhea, down! Couch, sir!” The animal seemed to be puzzled to know ‘what to do, and hesitated, as Pit it half-recog- nized the voice, till the tamer was within two or three feet, when it uttered an angry snarl, rose up, and ‘made a Savage claw at fovinda, like a huge cat. Up went the black rod, touch- ing the paw, and Burrhea uttered a "furious roar and eaped back, snarling and spitting, but evidently cowed. ‘‘ Hot irons!” muttered Charlton, as he recog- nized the effect, but the next moment his atten- ‘tion was again "riveted on Govinda, The tiger was by no means conquered, for it snarled and roared furiously; but theundaunted tamer followed it, thrusting the hissing iron right into the angry jaws, till Burrhea fairly turned tail and fled, Govinda following the ‘beast up and scolding rived all the time. The Rajah smiled with pleasure, for the ex- citing scene made him forget his dyspepsia; and ‘30 the tamer chased the tiger round the court till he came tothe narrow door by which he had entered. Burrhea made a dash for this door but was intercepted by his conqueror, who dis- appeared for a moment, only to return with a second rod, glowing fiery red at the tip, in one hand, and his great whip in the other. ‘As he came out, Govinda gave a backward kick to the iron door and closed it with a bang, thus shutting himself in with the monster. That done, he went at Burrhea fiercely, shoutin all ing, and striking at him, but met at every pass ‘by the terrible iron in the hands of the fearless Govinda. As soon as the animal turned, the trainer used his whip with fearful effect, cuttin bloody gashes in the onto asf yellow hide, mo | driving the creature round the court. In another moment, Burrhea stopped and ‘crouched, as if to spring, uttering a roar more ferocious than ever, which was stopped by the iron held firmly to the nose of the tiger. In- stantly, the roar en to a cry of pain, down went the nose of the brute to the ground, and Burrhea turned over on his back, uttering a pe- culiar whining sound and holding up bis paws in the air likea dog begging for mercy. Then Govinda, the tiger-tamer, drew back to ‘the middle of the court, and held up his whip. ‘‘Come, Burrhea!” he cried, and stamped his ‘foot hard. : Instantly, the animal obeyed, cowering with ear. * The British Government keeps a minister at the ' court of every prince in India, called the *' Resident,” w'sose office is to watch the doings of the natives ~~ report if there is any danger to British power, nt alld among them. Though nominally independ- od hese princes pay tribute to Calcutta, and the ‘ oe ‘of the Resident is almost unlimited, though orders are always put into the form of * advice” or “‘requests’? to the native Rajah, or Nawaub. or whatever he may be called. the time, the tiger growling, roar-, _The ‘Tiger Tamer. “By Jove! he’s done it!” cried ‘Chariton, gone ful 3" ae ag yet,” answered the Rajah himself. ‘Loo He pointed down, and Charlton saw a door open in the side of the court. Burrhea saw it, too, and was off like a flash through the o opening before the tamer, taken by surprise, could inter- cept the brute. he Rajah Ram Sing laughed in his cold, heartless manner, and_it was echoed by the oily chuckle of Khoda Khan, who glided to his place beside the Prince’s chair just as the tiger vanished. “That passage goes under Jagpore out into the jungle,” said the Rajah, coolly. “ We shall see if your friend there can catch Burrhea and bring him back to mesingle-banded, for I swear < the head of Mohammed that I will keep this ild till he does.” Chariton made no reply. Govinda stood for a moment staring at the open door and the dark passage beyond, like one thunderstruck, Then the tamer turned and ‘ro aloud to the Rajah: ‘*T can tame tigers,” he said, proudly, ‘* but not traitors. Your men have let the beast es- cape. ‘Tl ordered them,” replied the Rajah, coolly. ‘“You must go and bring Burrhea back alone. You call yourself the King of the Jungle; let us see if you can quell Burrhea now, with no hot irons to help you.” The tamer looked up into the eyes of the Pri Haid a firmly as if he had been his equal or su Pri Fit, *he retorted, ‘‘the Koransaith, ‘Wo to him that doth wrong to the innocent; ‘Allah will avenge it.’ What if I failin my quest?” ‘Then you will never see your child again,” replied the Rajah’s cold, cruel tones, ‘I shall epg ur tigress and the boy till you brin back Burrhea. Your road lies yonder, throug that door.” As he spoke, he pointed to the dark door through which Burrhea had just vanished. Govinda smiled bitterly. ‘*Perhaps I know better where yonder pass age leads than you think,” he retorted, in signi cant tones. “But let it pass. I will ca bog Burrhea, but I must have Seevah and Ali to help me. I swear on the faith of a_true be- liever to bring them back to you. Will you let them come?” “Consider, your Highness,” cried Charlton, in English, ‘it is not much the poor fellow asks, Let him have bis child and his ti igress,”’ “Go to the debbil,” roared the despot, an- grily, the veins in his throat swelling and his ace turning parple witn rage. ‘‘ What—shiver my toplights—who are you? Son of a sea-cook —IL kick you out!” Chariton could hardly help laughing, even in the serious nature of the situation, at the Prince’s seaport slang, and he answered in the native lang zuage: et Pthe r man have what he asks, for my sake sous ighness.”’ you to train soldiers, not for advice,” cried the Rajab, furiously, “Here is my ad- viser, the vizier, Khoda ‘Khan. Yonder man is a magician who has the evil eye, Send him away.” Then turning to the court, he bel- lowell: “Go, dog! Fetch Burrhea or lose your ti- gress, your child, and your head.” “1 will give up neither,” shouted back the now angry tiger-tamer. ‘‘ You keep Seevah! Fool, J loosed her before ITwentin. Hark!” He blew on a small whistle hung from his neck a Jong shri] call, and it was instantly an- over ed by a loud roar "from the interior of ‘the alace. : The Rajah started and shrunk back on his pillows, ashy pale and quaking with fear, for ths direction of the sound told that Govinda spoke truly. - Seevah was loose in the palace! Khoda Khan fled, uttering howls of terror, and the whole crowd of the attendants ran in all directions, leaving their master alone with Charlton and the child Ali. Only the Ameri- can stood his ground, and even he turned pale and trembled as he heard the roars of the great beast, coming nearer and nearer. However, with the instinct of a soldier to de- fend the man whose bread he eat, Charlton ran to the side of the Rajah, who still lay quakin a and unable to move; and snatching u ea a shiel and sword, stood over bim to protect Again Govinda whistled, and Charlton could hear the heavy body of the tigress racing through the passages, while she roared loudly; and the frantic shrieks and shuuts of men and women showed that Seevah was already among = them, Then came a sudden rush of peopl falling peak in their efforts to escape and screaming wildly, while over the press ree the huge tigress, with her back and tai like a cat at play, and bounded to the ed, the court, where she stood looking down a ad master, roaring louder than ever. Chariton gazed at the picture like one fascin- ated: it was so grandly beautiful, till the tamer made a sign and the tigress ceased to roar. Then she stood there, looking down, while a dead silence fell on the whole pee i bg midst of which the tiger-tamer i te, e to Ch at of a snr ton, in very good English, like edu“ated man. ‘* Major Charlton,” he cried, “T am not what I seem, but you have done your best for me, seeming as I was. You shall be rewarded yet. Here, Seevah!” Instantly, the great tigress leaped down into the court and rubbed up against her master, “ Major Charlton, ” continued the mysterious tiger-tamer, ‘ ‘dare’ you brave the Rajah and let me down my child?” “T can and will,” answered the’ soldier, boldly, As {7 spoke, he threw down his weapons, took the child in his arms and carried it to the edge of the pit. The sheer, smooth descent of the walls puzzled him a little, but he was a man of ready expedients. Ina twinkling, he had snatched off the enor- mous turban of one of the frighteried atten- dants, who still lay on his face quaking, and pulled out a strip of more than a ei yards of white calico. aah eh one end hastily round the child’s waist, he let it down to the father, who stood below, little Ali being per- fectly quiet and brave all the time. . In a moment more, Govinda had caught the boy to his heart. Then he turned round to Charlton. **T will remember this,” he cried. “M time, remember my words: Beware o " Khod Khan and the Thugs! Ishall return |’ Then tigress, man and child vanished bale itt the dark portal, just as the Rajah looked up from his swoon of terror. CHAPTER VY. THUGGER., Fie [ists gg Seta piebe ye rere Pyro , a agpore, was a oavy eae man . i with gray h air and San with a and a face burned to the spin Boye of alee an Indian sun. He had been the Residen nearly twent Lr enrss and in all that tithe for never quarreled with the Rajah. On the day after the flight of Govinda with his child through the secret passage, Sir D: las was seated in his priya cabinet at the Real- dency, and rae to him was Major Charl- ton, aig Ame commander of the Rajah’s guards, The Resident wore his loose * sleep-clothes,” a shirt and trowsers of white cotton, as ev body does in India during the hot time of ° and he layin a grass hammock fanning himself; but for all that, the sbarp old fellow was wide awake and listening attentively to Charlton, The American was attired in asort of mili- tary uniform, with a crimson sash, and w heavily armed with revolvers and a swor while the turbaned helmet that he held on his knee and his spurred boots showed that he ays just ridden in, spite of the heat of the day, to see the Resident. ‘“T sent for you, major,” began Sir Dou las, ‘to Joarn the rights of this matter of the tamer esterday. Did you see the man?” **T did, sir.’ “Do you know anything about him? Did he look like a low-caste fellow? I’m told that he speaks English as well as a Rajah? What’s your opinion?” ‘He certainly spoke English to ey, and his last words were very remarkable C) told me to beware of Khoda Khan and the Thugs. Sir Douglas McGregor sat up in his hammenk’ “Say that again, major.” Charlton repeated the words. “Well, well, who’d have thought it!” ejacu- lated the old Scot, sinking back again. ‘I’ve been watching for those scoundrels for years, and here’s a stranger comes and gives me the clew ina word. Ye know who the Thugs are, of coorse?” ‘‘T have heard of them, Sir Pongiess pan I thought that the British ph Soh gh ane nearly stam them out of existence. used to — murder native travelers all over gy ia, I be- lieve, but never touched avy Europeans—is it. not so?”
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& > The Tiger Tamer. “Ye’re partly right and partly wrong, m young friend,” answered the aid Resident, dryly: ‘*’You’ve been in India only four years, I believe—” ** Five, Sir Douglas.” “‘ Well, five then. I’ye been here forty, and I remember when Thu was so common that you couldn’t swear that every man ye met was not in league with the straggling imps. We drove them out of the British provinces, but you can’t keep these brutes of Rajahs and Na- waubs from winking at them. I’ve been hunt- ing for evidences of Thuggee here for some time, and—but never mind. Tell me about this tiger-tamer. How came he to get into trouble with the Rajah?” Charlton, thus urged, gave a short account of the matter, to which Sir Douglas listened at- tentively, every wrinkle in the thoughtful Scotch face working into queer grimaces. When Charlton described the strange behavior of the Prime Minister at the seizure of Govinda the, old man gave a grunt of assurance, and said: “Ay, ay, Khoda’s an old Bhurtote, and ached to be at his trade,” “ What’s a Bhurtote, Sir Douglas?” “The chief strangler. They have men to seize the victim that they call Shwmseeas ; and the oldest man of the crowd, and the most ex- pert, is the Bhurtote, that holds the roomal.” ** And what’s that, sir?” “The handkerchief, turban, sash, anything that does the business, my young friend,” re- plied the Resident, dryly. ‘‘God send you may never find out by sad experience what it ‘*But they’d never dare to attack me, Sir Douglas,” observed the soldier, somewhat dis- dainfully. ‘‘I am well armed; and _ besides, they neyer kill Europeans,” “They never did, till the mutiny,” answered Sir Douglas, impressively. ‘“‘How many men disappeared then that were never heard of again? All were laid to sepoys, and the sere killed a good many, I'll admit; but I tell ye, major, that since the mutiny Thuggee is in every native kingdom, more or less. I only trust to one thing to put it down here—the Ra- eh is a dupe, I believe, and not in league with Choda Khan, so we may hone to influence him to good, if we can open his eyes.” ‘*T fear that is impossible,” said Charlton, sadly, ‘‘He has not shown any anger against me for giving back the child to Govinda, but I can see that he ischanged. My only reliance is that he cannot find another man that will do what I’ve done for his army.” Sir Douglas winked at him slyly, and gavea dry little cough. “Did you know that he had sent Khoda Khan to see me this morning to ask me to recommend another officer in your plaze?”’ he asked, quietly. Charlton started, and turned red with anger. “No? The ungrateful dog! I’llsave him the trouble. I'll go back now and resign my post at once. Thank God I’ve other friends, The Nawaub of Bundelcund has offered me a higher salary.” “Yell do nae sic thing,” responded Sir Douglas, with a chuckle. ‘‘ I’m: not going to have some French or Italian cut-throat sent here to stir up revolutions. Ye’re a Yankee, major, but ye’re a gentleman, and her Majesty’s government gee to keep a man here that will not breed trouble. I tauld Khoda Khan as much, and the auld fox went off with a flea in his lug, as the saying is,” Chariton rose ‘an paced the floor, fuming, and hardly reconciled to the advice of the Resident, but the old minister continued, vely: a lve a few words of advice to give you, major. Go back, and you'll find Khoda Khan and the Rajah as civil and affectionate as cats purring for cream. Don’t trust them, Keep among your troops, do your business, and take two or three sowars (troopers) with ye whenever ye ride out. Good-morning. No,stop. If you see that Govinda in the jungle on your ey back, send me a note by a sowar and tell Govinda I want to see him. Ye understand? And don’t let any strangers ride with you on our way back, specially if they are unarmed. ood-by, sir.” The old Resident turned a his ham- mock without more ceremony, af& closed his eyes, while Charlton, wno Was u>#jto his odd ways, took up his sword in his next to prevedt any clatter, and walked quietly out of the room. As he suddenly opened the door into the dark corridor that led through the middle of the house, a patter of bare feet and the flutter of a white ent turning a corner of the passa told thac some one had been listening at the keyhole, CHAPTER VI. THE KING OF THE JUNGLE. Out in the midst of the wildest part of the jungle, where the cover was most impenetrable a small open space existed, heavil carpeted with long grass and surrounded by dense thick- ets. The towering teak trees spréad their gigantic crown above it, high in the air, where thousands of birds made their nests and where the breeze stirred at intervals in the hottest of the day, The cries of pelicans, storks, cranes and flamingoes, passing to and fro overhead, showed that it was near water, while a great sandstone rock, hollowed at the side intoa sort of shallow cave, offered equal probability of the lair of some wild beast. The trees were full of monkeys and parrots, chattering to each other, while the harsh cries of the cocks in- creased the likelihood of beasts o prey, pea- cocks being notoriously common in the haunts of such creatures. Altogether it was what East Indians call a ‘*tigerish” place; and when we add that a strong musky smell was plainly to be perceived in the air, it will not be surprising to find some dangerous beast in the midst of the little clear- ing. Mr enough there was one—a tigress—a grand creature, standing as tall as a small cow, her bright golden hide striped with the most intense velvety black, making a fine picture in the midst of the natural arena, as she stood with her back slightly arched, waving the curve of her tail slowly to and fro. he looked placid and rather lazy, as if she had just risen from sleep, and presently yawned and stretched her lim just as a cat might do, blinking sleepily with er great green eyes. But the most remarkable feature about this huge beast was that she seemed to be under hu- man control, for she wore round her neck a broad collar of steel chainwork, bearing an in- scription in Sanscrit letters, woven in goldwire into the chainwork. From this collar depended a heavy chain of steel, which was fastened to the trunk of a small tree close by. Further- more, not three feet from the great beast in the shade of the rock lay little Ali, the son of Go- vinda the tiger-tamer, fast asleep on a leopard- skin, while on the opposite side of the inclosure, a short stumpy female elephant, with a pad on her back, browsed pce on a bundle of rice-stalks cast on the ground before her. A heap of baggage, the various ag peg of the showman’s art, evinced the fact cbat this elephant was probably used to transport the baggage of Govinda, the tiger-tamer, and that personage himself stood near the great rock, in a space about six feet square, from which the grass had been carefully cut away and the sods turned over. The reason of these precautions was shown in the presence of a small portable furnace of sheet-iron, like that of a traveling tinker, which was flaming away at a great rate and would infallibly have set fire to the jungle had it not been thus protected, for the hot sea- son was almost at an end, and the grass was as dry as tinder. n the little furnace a pot was boiling, and all round the fire projected the handles of the tamer’s irons, which he always kept at a white- heat in the jungle for his own protection, Govinda st thoughtfully y the fire, look- ing at the slec ping child and the great tigress alternately, an : apparently nearly oblivious to the sightsand oundsaround him. The King of the Jungle wr’ in the heart of his kingdom where he knet well no human being but himself was likely to penetrate, and he had forgotten himself in a reverie. ** How much of a man’s os cam depends on riches!” he said, aloud. ‘‘When I was a child like him, I wes a prince, with slaves to run to every wish; and yet I was not as happy as he is to-day, who knows no home but the wild jungle, no friend but the beasts of the field. hy then do I pursue my purpose to reg the forest for the city, the hard ground for the golden throne? Who knows? The sage says that—” He stopped suddenly in his moralizing, for it was a peculiarity of the man to have all his senses wide awake even when most thoughtful, and he had noticed a sudden change in Seevah’s demeanor, The sleepy green eyes of the tigress had opened into an intent glare, &med on the distant jungle; and her ears were standing erect, while she snuffed the air. ha watched her face and smiled to him- self, “AsI thoggpts ” he soliloquized; ‘‘ she seents Burrhea, and the -for nothing brute is com- ing. I must have him for the honor af my call- ing. though I hardly know why.” he tigress snuffed the air eagerly and walked forward to the end of her chain, where she be- oo to paw the ground. Then her great sides eaved in spasmodic sighs, when she sudden) lifted her head and commenced to roar alou into the depths of the jungle, calling with her mi 1) voice till the echoes rung again. Litt e Ali stretched himself on his leopard- skin, opened his eyes and rose up, without seem- ing at all frightened at the tremendous noise made by the animal, but he came to Govinda at a si rom the tamer and stood ready to obey his directions. Then they watched Seevah, whose cavernous growls and roars became louder every moment, while the great beast.bounded impatiently to and fro at the end of her chain. ohm A they heard an oe ag roar, far away in the jungle; and instantly Seevah be- came perfectly still and laid herself down at the end of her chain, with her great head against the ground, listening. The distant roaring of the tiger lasted for nearly two minutes, during all which time See- vah made no sign; but when it ceased, the mighty creature arose again and answered the call of her mate with fearful effect. ‘‘Hark! What was that sound?” Govinda’s counte ance changed as he caught up his child in his arms, and ran to the foot of a great teak tree. The roaring of a third tiger, loud and men- acing, from another quarter, showed that a rival had arisen to dispute the claims of Burrhea, if it were he that had answered Seevah! ‘Go up, child, and stay there till I call thes,” said Govinda, hastily, and then it might be seen that a series of spikes made of the points of bamboo shoots, nearly as hard as iron, had been driven into the sides of the teak tree, mente & sort of ladder leading up among the lofty branches, Little Ali, with a coolness that showed that he was accustomed to danger, ran up this curious ladder, which is much used in the East Indies by the wilder tribes of savages, The ends of the spikes were secured by strips of ratan to a long boo, flexible and strong, which formed. a railing outside; and the poy had no trouble in ascending to a safe position in the forks of the branches, from whence he could look down into the jungle unseen, eantime, Govinda, the tiger-tamer, returned to his little furnace, and stood there with an irom in each hand, listening intently. The sweat stood out on his brow in great drops, for he knew that he was about to experience a great peril, but the firm set of his jaw showed that he had re- solved to confront it. Meantime, the tigress had become perfectly quiet, and lay down at the end of her chain, stretching herself with an air of great luxury and satisfaction, occasionally passing her fore~ paws over her face, as if washing. The two tigers outside in the jungle continued to roar to each other in tones of great ferocity, coming nearer and nearer momentarily. Govinda kept his eyes roving over the jungle coverts, where now everything was as still as death, save for the nd voices of the two rivals, challenging each other to bottle. When they were silent, the stillness was oppressive, for birds and monkeys had alike fled away before the royal creatures in their anger, and only one man remained to brave them. Presently came a crash in the urletbrosh, and out feapedicn fine tiger, roaring loudly, as he bounded into the midst of the clearing and looked around him, lashing his tail. Govinda withdréw both irons from tne fire and watched the beast get and as he did so the tiger caught sight of the tigress, and in- stantly wheeled toward her and crouched, silent as death. But ere another instant had passed a second roar and the crashing of bushes announced that the rival was coming, and Govinda > a sigh of relief as the well-known form of Burrhea, still wearing the spiked collar of the Rajah of Jagpore, burst into the clearing, and dashed at the wild tiger. The other beast instantly wheeled to meet Burrhea, and the two halted within thirty feet of each other, and crouched to the earth, their green eyes glaring, their tailsslapping from side to side with a vicious motion, while they trem- bled with rage and impatience as they settled into their positions to spring. Govinda thrust back his irons into the fire, folded his arms, and wa‘ched them calmly. He: _, == = - =.
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mew page ng het bm Page pk him at resent, an i enjoy the spec- acle of’ the battle, So also did Seevah, for the artful creature actually seemed as if she were laughing at the combatants, as she yawned and stretched, striking her tail against the ground with short taps of lazy pleasure, asshe looked at the tigers fighting for her sake. Presently, with a grand roar, both of the beasts rose into the air in a simultaneous spring and came together tooth and nail, reared alo like two giants wrestling, each flying at the other’s throat. They were nearly evenly matched, Burrhea a little the largest, but gaunted and weakened b ong confinement, while the wild tiger was full of native vigor. To balance the account, Bur- rhea wore a great spiked collar that prevented the other beast from catching his throat fairly, and the wild tiger was reduced to a neck-hold, not so dangerous. For the first minute, strangled roars and snarls of fury, with the crunching of jaws and the sound of the great talons tearing at the tough lfides of the two beasts, made a pandemonium of sounds indescribably terrible. After that, both tigers were silent, their gripe having set- tled, and they stood erect on their hind-legs, wrestling and swaying to and fro for the mas- tery. Then Govinda noticed that the wild tiger had worked his nose under the collar of Burrhea, and had gaifted his gripe to the throat of the Rajah’s beast, while Burrhea was slowly falling back, The tigress saw it, too, and sat up as if interested, watching the battle. Govinda withdrew both irons from the fire again, and advanced toward the fighting ani- mals, just as Burrhea, with a strangled howl of pain, f and fear commingled, fell over back- ward, with the other tiger at his throat. Now they rolled over, clawing and biting, the wild tiger slowly but surely getting the other under- neath him, Burrhea growing weaker and weaker. At last it became evident that the battle was over, the cage-tiger conquered, and likely to be killed at once. Then, on a sudden, Govinda rushed forward, unnoticed in the fighting, till he planted both irons beside the nose of the wild tiger. The effect was instantaneous and ludicrous. The great beast that had laughed at the claws ant teeth of Burrhea, shonghs great gashes seamed its golden hide and blood covered the ground, quailed before the sudden and exquisite torture of the hot irons on the most sensitive part of its body. Instantly it let go Burrhea with aroar of pain, and fled in utter dismay, followed by Govinda for several steps, applying the gl-wing rods to accelerate its pace. This he did so effectively, that the tiger bounded away in perfect dismay, the tiger-tamer shout- ing at the top of his voice all the time till the animal had quite disappeared. Then Govinda returned to.where the beaten Burrhea was lying covered with blood, half of one ear hanging loose, great patches of hide torn off, a gash in the throac that seemed enough to kill any creature, and, altogether, the ap pearance of a wt pee are demuralized tiger, who had had enough of it for one day. The animal had half raised itself as the tamer ;came to it, but sunk back, exhausted and moan- fing. Evabela spoke to it, and Burrhea seemed to know his voice, for the beast cowered and crouched. ‘* He will not escape now,” quoth Govinda to himself, as he went to his stores and fetched forth a steel chain, as strong as that worn by Seevah. ; He came back to Burrhea, who lay apparent- ly dying, and stirred up the tiger with his foot while he fastened the chain to the spiked collar of the beast. ’ Then he went to the fire for another iron, came back, and called to Burrhea to rise, which the wounded tiger did, slowly and with diffi- culty, at a touch of the glowing iron, crawling across the arena to the foot of a tree, where Go- vinda fastened the chain toa huge root, and Burrhea lay down as if completely worn out, Thé tamer then disappeared in the brush, and soon returned, carrying a pail of water, which he set before the tiger, who lapped it eagerly and with manifest gratitude. After that, the beast allowed Govinda to handle it with impu- nity, and even to examine the wound in its throat, which he washed carefully and soothed by placing a wet piece of cotton on the inside of the eollar to prevent its chafing. Burrhea seem- ed to be er old habits of tameness, which Govinda known him to possess at Dethi, and when the tamer brought him a dish T The Tiger Tamer. 7 of boiled rice swimming in buffalo butter, such as Seevah was fed on, the poor wounded brute did not disdain to touch it. Then Govinda seemed satisfied, and observed, as he drew back: *‘ Before I have had you a week, my fine fel- low, you shall be as quiet as Seevah, and bear Ali as well, or I will know the reason,” He walked back to his fire and replaced his irons, then went to the tigress, who seemed somewhat uneasy, and drove her back to the trunk of her tree with his great whip, prepare | her sternly till she lay down, looking guilty an ashamed, Then he called down Ali and made him feed the tigress, which the boy did with amt | after which Govinda took him over to make the acquaintance of Burrhea, carrying some scra) of meat, which the wounded tiger accepted rom the child without any signs of feroci Govinda stood close by, iron in hand, ready to punish the smallest exhibition of insub- ordination, and was not satisfied until he had made the tiger submit to be handled by the child. Even then he burned the beast severely on the paw, when he detected it putting out its talons from their sheath. He had finished his first lesson on the wounded tiger and taken Ali away, when he heard a noise that caused him to start. It was the distant gallop of a horse on the turf, and it seemed to surprise Govinda, ‘On the old Benares road!” he muttered. ‘© Who can it be?” He turned to Ali. ‘Up the ladder again, boy, and stay till I come Back. I must see who is there.” Ali obeyed silently, and Govinda loosed See- vah from the tree and started forward on arun, holding the tigress by the chain with one hand, his whip in the other, as he dashed into the cover and disappeared. He had been gone not more than a minute, when two men, black and nearly naked, save for a turban and waist-cloth, stole out of the jungle on the opposite side and approached the re. ‘The tiger is chained, he cannot harm us,” said one, inalow tone. ‘‘ We may get both if we are quick, for she will kill the soldier for us, that the goddess may have her will.” ‘* But how shall we get him ?” asked the other. ‘*Take the child,” responded the first. ‘‘ He will come after him, and then we shall have him, But we must be quick or he will be back with his brute.” began to climb the ladder in haste, and the child, active as a cat, stole away among the branches aboves keeping the trunk between him and his pursuers, ahd striving to keep out of their sight, for as yet they only knew that he had gone up the tree, but could not see him, CHAPTER VII. THE RANEE LUCHMER. THE great cool corridors of the Residency, crossing the house from side to side and causing aslight breeze at all times, opened on a wide veranda that ran round the whole building. As Charlton stepped out on the shady side of the house, he found this veranda strewn with the prostrate forms of twenty or thirty native ser- vants, in their white dresses, all snoring away in chorus, but no sign was visible of the eaves- dropper who had fled from him. Outside was a broad expanse of yellow grass, burnt up by the sun, but dotted here and there with green patches under the shelter of the clumps of trees that ornamented the lawn. Under one of these clumps stood his own gray Arab stallion, Alborak, held by a trooper of the Rajah’s guards, who recognized his chief and promptly brought up the animal. Alborak, like most horses in India, owing to the mingled cowardice and tricks of the native grooms, was full of vice, and had to be held by the head when he was mounted, greet- ing Charlton with an ill-tempered side kick a he came. However, the long spurs of the young officer pretty soon reduced the animal to obedi- ence, when Alborak flew over the lawn at the top of his speed, and in a very few minutes was out of the glaring sun and into the cool shadow of a tope or grove of mango trees beyond. The Residency was three or four miles from the city of Jagpore, and on the opposite side from that on which the palace of the Rajah was situated. The royal palace was perched on the brow of a lofty hill, with steep sides toward the town, and was surrounded by the walls of an old forti- fication, built in the days before —— was formidable, but nevertheless garnished with big guns, that frowned down over the town. There were two ways tothe Palace of Pears, one through the crowded bazars of the it- self, the other around the walls, called the Jun- le Road. It was down this road that Charlton k his way on that morning, partly to esca the fearful heat of the open p n, and partly gain time to cogitate over his tion and com- mand his temper. He felt furiously with Khéda Khan and the Rajah, and ‘at the same | time a dull sense of impending evil came over him, to make him hesitate about breaking out openly. He slackened the pace of his horse as soon as he reached the shade of the mango trees, and rode slowly along toward the jungle, fol- lowed by his oe yet ; ; Charlton had often hunted round Jeapcre, and knew that deer and antelopes, wild rs and hares, tigers, wolves, jackals and foxes, were in plenty near the Jungle Road. rmed and mounted as he was, he had no fears for his own safety, and rode tranquilly along, buried in his thoughts, till the cover on each side of the road became denser than ever, the surput grass giving way to bushes, under trunks of teak and ironwood trees that towered in the air a hundred feet and more. Every now and then a little glade presented itself to the view running into the jangle, and flocks of ante- lopes started out in affright from the grass in which they were lying asleep, roused Ls hap click of Alborak’s shoes on the road. Over vm the harsh cries of the peacocks and the cooing o wild pigeons were incessant, as the birds called to each other, and chattering troops of monkeys scampered across the road every now and then as he er them, impudent because sel- dom hunted. Charlton hardly noticed all these ae which he had seen so often on the jungle road; but he presently started, as the sound of horses’ feet behind him announced that some one w: errs ys § him. Instinctively he shoved the butts of his revolvers forward in his sash, and reined up Alborak to look round. a He beheld only an old white-bearded moon- shee, or professional teacher, mounted on a donkey, pottering along after him, while be- hind the old man came two bearers on foot carrying a palanquin, followed by two vailed women on donkeys. The old moonshee was making signals to him to stop, and hurrying his donkey with a stick, as if he wished to speak to the young soldier; and Charlton, who knew the old fellow by sight asa very respectable teacher of Hindos- tanee and Persian, by the name of Mirza Baba, felt somewhat ashamed of his involuntary mo- tion toward his pistols. ‘By Jove,” he muttered, ‘old McGregor’s stories of Thugs are making me nervous. 8 old fellow can’t be one, anyway, and the rest are women, all but the bearers,’ So he halted till old Mirza Baba came up, — and saluted him kindly, saying: ‘* Well, Mirza, what’s the matter?” ** Oh, sahib, Burra Sahib!” cried the old man in tones of great terror, ‘‘ we are undone unless your resplendency can save us. Here is the ee Luchmee* on a pilgrimage to Benares. covered with jewels, and her guards have left her at the edge of the Prey saying they are afraid of the me a nd the Rape will go on, in spite of all I can say—I, who am only a r scribe,” Charlton looked a little surprised, but very an : ' “Where are these guards, and how many are ~ there?” he asked, sharply. ‘‘They were five matchlock-men that came on from the last village,” answered the moon- shee, trembling. ‘‘If your resplendency will only send your orderly to drive them back, perhaps they will come on.” ** You're better off without them than with them,” said Charlton, dryly. ‘‘Such fellows arenouse. What do they fear, the fools?” “The Thugs, great lord, the Thugs,” was all the old man could answer. ‘‘They have killed many people in this very jungle.” » Charlton started. ese Thugs seemed to meet him at every turn that day. He looked around and noticed that they were in a very lonely spot, near a bridge which spanned a dry ravine that crossed the road a little further on. He deliberated a few moments, and then his — generous nature triumphed over his selfish- ness. ‘“‘T will see the Ranee safe out of this jungle *Lady Luchmee. Begum is the tifle of a princess. Ranee Main noble edie ‘ /
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g to the next village on the Benares road myself,” he said at last. Then he turned to his orderly. ‘Ride at speed to the barracks,” began the oung chief, ‘‘and.tell the Jemahdar (captain) osend Sirdar Hamet Khan with twenty sowars (troopers) out on the Benares road after me. I sball need the escort as I return at night, if they don’t reach me before. Go!” The orderly, a swarthy, black-bearded fellow in the brilliant dress of the Maharajah’s horse, laid his band on his head in token of obedience and galloped off, when Charlton turned to his companions, and said curtly: ‘‘Go on, moonshee, keep your party ahead, and goas fast as you can, Thugs, if any are here, attack from behind, so I'll Geing up the rear, 4 The old moonshee was profuse in his expres- sions of gratitude, which Chariton soon cut short, and the little party moved on at a jog trot, the young soldier dropping well to the As they went on, ths road grew wilder and wilder, till they came to the crossing that led to Jagpore; after which it descended into a long valley between two lo’ y banks, thick] clothed with jungle, and became the,road to the Holy City of Benares, This was very seldom used, as the pilgrims usually went by another rouf@ that did not approach nearer than fifty miles to Jag- pore, and, ia consequence, the way was, for the most part, overgrown with long grass, that made prozress slow and laborious, They straggled along for perhaps a couple of miles, the two bearers going slower and slower, tul at last they stopped, set down the palanquin, and entered into a warm dispute with the old moonshee as to the possibility of proceeding any further. Charlton rode forward and sternly ordered them to take up their load, which they sullenly did, and wenton a little further. Then, on a sudden, they dropped their poles, and bolt- ed off into the jungle, being hidden in an instant by the tall surput grass, where it was hopeless for a horse to follow them. Instinctively Charlton drew a revolver, but before he could cover either of the men, the were out of sight, and there ho sat on the road, with three women, an old man, and three don- keys to take care of, besides a palanquin with- out bearers. “Oh, Sahib, Burra Sahib!” cried the old moonshee, as he surveyed the scens, ‘* waatever shall we do now?” a Why, we must turn back to Jagpore, of course,” said Charlton, crossly. ‘‘ When the es- cort comes up, we’ll soon find bearers.” Then he muttered to himself in English: ‘‘ Deuce take this Ranee Luchmee and her stupid old pilgrimage, I suppose the old woman wants to pray for some sick cat, ® had taken it for granted, it will be seen, that the tenant cf the palanquin was some wrinkled princess as fat asa prize-pig, of whose like be had seen several specimens before. What was bis surprise, therefore, when one of the sweetest voices in the world addressed him from within the abandoned vehicle, saying: ‘*Tf the Sahib does.n t object, I will ride be- hind him to the next station, sothat wecan get on faster, and so the Sahib can return before dark to Jagpore.” As the Ranee spoke, she parted the curtains of the palanquin, with a brown arm of wonderful shapelinessand grace, none the less effective for _ being adorned with two magnificent bracelets, set with large diamonds, and looked out at Charlton. . The young soldier started, for he had never seen a more lovely face in India, with its great black eyes, soft and lustrous, satin folds of black hair parted over the brow and twined with ropes of pearls, pouting red lips curving into a emile, and showing brilliant white teeth. The . quaint effect of a gold nose-ring, set through a - hole in one nostril and falling over the mouth, eould not destroy the beauty of the dark face, though it made it odd and piquante. Ti-8 Ranee Luchmee looked at the young sol- dier and smiled, and Charlton could not help smiling in reply. ‘\1f the princess will accept my escort, I shal be proud to carry her,” he said, courteously; ' *‘but [ fear she will be unable to mount my horse, for he’s very vicious.” Ranee Luchmee laughed merrily. ‘Oh, [am used to that,’ sbe answered, and | in a trico, out of the palanquin sprung one of the lightest and most graceful figures Charlton had ever seen, except among the Nautch-Girls or professional dancers. © ladies of high caste in India are mostly fat and unwieldy, on account of their lazy eee 4 __ Tho habits, and are consequently far from attractive to white men; but’ the Ranee Luchmee would have been called beautiful anywhere. She was dressed in the most gorgeous manner, glittering with gold and jewels, and wore no vail, unlike her attendants. As Charlton hesitated what to do to help her to mount, the gay lady called out: **Bring your horse beside the pulled (palan- quin), and I’ll show you how we do it.” Charlton understood her object; for the roof of the palkee, as it stood on the ground, was about four feet high, and strong enough to bear her weight. He turned his horse sidewise to the now empty vehicle, and the Ranee clapped her hands, gave a short run and a bound. Presto! She was on the top of the palkee, and in another moment had leaped to the croup of Charlton’s Arab, while she clasped the young soldier round the waist with the beautiful brown arms he had admired so much, and cried with a musical laugh: “Now, Burra Sahib Lerai-Wallah (Great Lord in battle). You are the captive of Luchmee, for all your valor. Will you stay here?” Charlton was not insensible to the beauty of this gay Ranee with the’ free manners, which he laid to the account of her riches and conse- quent freedom from restraint, so he answered as gayly: Beautiful Luchmee, I am content to be your captive forever, if you will turn back to Jagpore, instead of going on tu this stupid pil- grimage.” ‘* Would you really like me to turn back with you?’ she asked, in a coaxing tone, allowing her cbeek to brush his as he turned round to look at her. Charlton stared into her eyes for a moment and then turned away with a slight shiver as if he felt cold. The-innocent-looking old moon- shee had pushed his donkey up beside him, and the two women were coming closer. There was a strange snaky glitter in. the Ranee Luchmee’s eyes that he could not under- stand. He felt her arms unclasping from his waist and noticed that she was fumbling at her sash. Then, all on a’ sudden, the old moonshee. made a grasp at his sword arm, calling out, ina loud tone: ** Hookah boor lao! (Fill your pipe.)” The meaning of the words was never made plain, for at that moment Alborak, irritated at the too close approach of the donkeys, lashed out right and left, upsetting palkee, donkeys and all, and throwing the Runee nearly off, so that she had to cling to Charlton’s waist for support. Then the vicious beast took the bit in his teeth and ran away at full speed on the Benares road, leaving Mirza Baba tearing his beard and cursing. F “receanie 4 the old man recovered himself and said: ‘“‘Away, brethren, The goddess cannot lie, for she gave us the omens. We were not quick enough at the jirnre,* tut Luchmee will have him yet, for he is young, and she is beautiful and the daughter of the king of all stranglers, Buksba Khan, on whose head be blessings. Scatter all.” Ina moment he and the pretended women had leaped off their donkeys, with an activity that told them to be vigorous men, dropped their eumbrous clothes in the grass, and darted off into the jungle, attired only in turbans and waist cloths, striking across for the place where they knew that the road curved round, to inter- cept Charlton. Meantime, Alborak flew along at such a pace that Charlton had much ado to control him with both hands, and the Ranee clung to his waist with the ease of a practiced horsewoman while he reduced the horse to obedience. Her eyes were gleaming strangely, and she clutched in her hand, where it had rested since she had drawn it forth, the terrible roomal, or noose, with the sacred goorchat, or knot, tied by the high-p:iest of Kalee. The American, all unconscious of the besuti- ful demon he bore bebind him, busied himself with Alborak, and at last pulled him up to a walk. Then, with a sudden dextrous move- ment, the girl threw the fatal scarf over his head, and a moment later, was twisting the noose with the ferocity of a tigres", pulling the young soldier, despite arms and valor, back Neg the croup of his horse, choking and power- ess. | *The signal to dispatch the victim used by the Thugs, who employ a regular slang, like our thieves’ gibberish_ ; ‘ CHAPTER VIII. A NARROW ESCAPE, NEVER yet in all his life had Charlton been so hard bestead as therein the wild jungle alone with the beautiful demon who had so suddenly attacked him. The noose of the fatal scarf was arranged with the Thug siip-knot which Luch- mee had pushed close to the nape of his neck in her first motion, and into which she had insert- ed her long slender fingers from below, in such a way that she could give a complete turn of the wrist, twisting the roomal tight, with noth- ing more to do but to cling there, a passive weight, without letting go. : The young soldier felt his senses failing him fromthe terrible pressure on his throat and in- stinctively dropped his bridle and threw up both hands in a desperate endeavor to loose himself from the gripe of theroomal, Ashe did so, Luchmee gathered herself up on the horse's croup with an agility that told of the profes- sional acrobat, and sprung off with all her strength, pulling hard at Charlton’s throat. fn his dazed and Where state he allowed himself to be dragged off his horse, still tuggin at the scarf, and fell on the grass at the feet o Luchmee, Alborak galloping madly away to- ward Jagpore. Ashe came down, the beautiful demon with a dexterity peculiar to the tribe of fanatics to which she belonged, managed to tura bim over on his face, and in a moment more was kneel- ing on his back with one knee, the other drawn up so ss to set ber heel on his neck, while she pulled and t wisted at thescarf with all her force. In vain Charlton wrenched blindly and weak- ly at the strangling noose, for a black cloud swam before his eyes, and he was no longer sen- sible even of who had attacked bim, so much were his faculties absorbed in the vague feeling that he was choking somehow. Then be found himself growing weaker and weaker, while the — of the suffocation seemed to be leaving im. His hands fell from the noose, powerless on the earth, and he seemed to be falling asleep quietly and peacefully. As he sunk into the in- sensibilixy that precedes death, he was faintly aware of the loud roar of a tiger close by and then he knew no more, How long he lay insensible be could not tell, but he woke up to find himself on his back on the grass, looking up at the frgnntic figure of Govinda the tiger-tamer, while Seevah stood by her master, staring at the soldier with a wistful expression, as if undecided whether to consider him an enemy or not. Instinctively Charlton’s hands went up to his throat, and the noose was gone, though he himself felt so weak that he could not eep up his arm. Govinda looked down at him and smiled as he said in English: “You have been preserved im a wonderful manner, Major Charltov, Seevab and I came just in time to save your life. Women have nm fatal to mankind since the days of the | Father Adam of whom your sacred booksspeak, though we Hindoos believe differently. This woman is Luchmee, Queen of the Nautch-girls, as they call her, the most beautiful and the wickedest woman in Jndia. You should haye known better than to take her up behind you. Can you rise now?” Charlton heard the husky rattle of his own breath as he slowly drew it in, and he made an effort to rise from the grcund, which was frus- trated by his extreme weakness. Govinda ex- posture, when the young man felt a great dea better, and began to Icok around him. 3 He started, and the blood rushed to bis heart, * as he saw Luchmee lying on the ground not six feet fiom him, her hands bound fast with the very scarf she had used to strangle hm, but otherwise unfettered, though she jay crouched together as if in mortal terror, still as death, only ber wonderful dark eyes, large and piteous as those of a dying antelope, roving from his faco to that of the tiger-tamer asif asking for mercy. The secret of ber passive condition was explained a moment later when the girl incau- tiously moved her head to shake off an intrusive musketo. Instantly Seevah uttered one of her furious cavernous growls, sounding as if they came from the bowels of the earth, and made a motion toward Luchmee asif about to annibi- late her. The girl shrunk together in mortal terror, the sweat rolling down in streams from her dark face; but a word from Govinda re- stored the animal’s placidity, and C! | ‘on be- an to understand the secret of the * .'® at- ck on the Rajah of Jagpore, in wo winpai- theater. The tigress had been taught to display on occasion a ferocity that Govinda was careful to [mit to mere show, in order to retain his control over her. / tended his hand and assisted him up toa rie *
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1 J - Shame to strike a woman, een perenne 0 ee gare. Nevertheless, the tones of the animal were so ‘terribly real that the yourg soldier forgot his weakness and tottered up to his feet, where he yg swaying to and fro, supported by Covin- a After a few minutes the weakness went: off and he began to feel sympath , for Luchmee: the girl looked so helpless and beautiful. cleared his throat and tried to speak voice came hoarse and low, so that hardly hear himself. “What are you going to do with her?” he asked, **She ought to be hung to yonder tree in her own noose,” said the tamer, sternly. ‘“* Her father was Buksha Kban, a notorious Thug leader, who boasted that he could pull any cava- lier from his horse, single-handed. with me once, and i he could caught him with my sword vo that Tripped epen his chest like the door of a | house, He taught her well, for she is a queen among her fellows of the Navtch girls, and has ruined more men in India than the Enchantress who devoured children alive.” “But she is already punished,” urged Charl- ton, on whose face the piteous, pleading dark eyes were already producing their effect, Govinda turned and regarded him intently, then shrugged bis shoulders, “So!” he said, dryly, * the spell of Luchmee pie you, it seems; and you will not be warn- @ Charlton’s color came faintly into his face as he replied: ‘*She has failed in her attempt, and I shall never be in danger from her again, for I shall know her and she dare not approach me.” Govinda laughed sardonically, “Where is your horse?” be asked. “You had him here, and now you are oo foot. How will you get back to Jagpore, with the Thugs after you and the sun low in the sky? Do you think they will give you up now that you know thom? Man, I tell you that the moment you stir fifty feet from this tigre+s of mine, you are in danger, until your herse comes back,” “But, if I wait here long enough, there ‘is a party of my men coming up for me,” urged ‘Charlton. The tamer’s countenance cleared up at once, and he seemed to be much relieved as he heard the distant trampling of horse, that announced the approach of the escort. “Very well,” said he, gravely; ‘‘then I will leave you to them, and take Seevah with me, for she cannot endure horses. As for this wo- man, leave her to me, and I will take her to “the je and execute justice on her.” “Nay, not so, good Govinda,” cried Charl- ton, eagerly, for the pleading dark eyes were beginning to have their effect on him. “She has not harmed you, but me. Give her to me, and I will answer that she is harmless.” ‘As you will,” answered Govinda, shortly. “T hope you may not repert it.” He turned away into the jungle, followed by Seevah, leaving Charlton standing in the road ty oe peosirese girl, dust — hn ek of the ajah’s guard came into sight, galloping u and leading Alborak. ope Ba Charlton’s mind was agitated by a tempest of emotions as his men ap reaction: ; gratitude for his escape; a mixture of anger and admira- tion toward the strange assailant whose beauti- ful fingers had brought his pride so low, and a determination to punish her in bis own way. **Stand up,” he said to her, while his men were still some distance off, and the girl sprung to her feet, with the ease and agility of her long gymnastic training. “I g your life,” be said, quietly, to ber. sought mine, but in my conntry we hold it Will you ever at- tempt my life again?” uchmee’s beautiful eyes filled with tears, as she fell on her knees and ejaculated: _ “Never, great lord, never. Forgive poor Luchmee, and she will be your slave forever and ever, to do all my lord’s wishes.” ‘“Will you come back with me to Jagpore in the midst of my soldiers and give up the names of your accomplices?” asked Charlton, Sen began to bitterl uechmee weep bitterly. * Anything, eee dreed lord. The wicked old moonshee, Mirza Baba, deceived me, and I wil] tell you al!.” “You shay!” said Charlton, sternly. ‘for I shall take yoo Sir Douglas McGregor myself. ’ Instantly, Liachmee’s countenance changed to an expression of alarm. “The Ingleez Sahib! No, no! The Rajah! e can judge me.” ‘*He can do no such thing,” said Charlton, He y but bis | He tried it | | | i The. Tiger Famerr sharply, ‘‘!. believe be is in league with you, You go to Sir Douglas,” The horses were coming up fast, when Luchmee suddenly started to her feet, Hag as she was, and cricd, with a scornful augh: ‘Take me then to bim, Burra Sahib Lerai- Wallab! Fool, do you think you can take the queen of the Nautch-girls?” Then she fled into the jungle, leaving Char!- ton gazing after her like a fool, for he had al- lowed ber to get away, and was still too weak to follow on foot, Just then his men came thundering up Jeading Alborak, and many were the expressions of de- light at his safety uttered b ‘i the swarthy Mahratta horsemen, who had been frightened to death by the spectacle of the riderless steed, forthey adored Charlton. However, they received little or no satisfac- tion from their chief as to his adventures, until he had called for a flask of arrack and taken a long pull of the fiery liquor. ‘This seemed to restore his strength at once, by toning up bis nervous system, which alone had suffered eek fs the strangling of Luchmee. ‘| have been set on by Thugs'and rescued by Govinda the tiger-tamer,” was his cnly ex- planation. ‘*Search the jungle here for a wo- man and bring ber to me,” The men uttered a cheer and rushed {nto the jungle on Luchmee’s track, hacking a path for themselves with their keen tulwars, but unable to effect anything without great difficulty. Then, for the first time, barlton became aware of a strong smell of smoke from the jungle behind him, in which (tovinda had dis- appeared, and he heard the l ud crackling of flames mingled with the cries 0; wild beasts. Tho jungle was on fire! CHAPTER IX. A JUNGLE FIR, To say that Charlton was startied at the dis- covery of the jungle being on fire is not enough. For a moment his heart seemed to stand still with terror, for he knew at once that he and all with him were in the most frightful peril. The tall surput grass which grows in the jungle to a length of eight or nine feet, was arched by the intense heat of the long summer uto yellow hay, dry as tinder, while most of the underbrush was more or less vy ithered, Only the tall teak trees remained gisen and fresh above, for their roots struck deep down to the springs below. As for the bamboo thickets, Charlton could hear th m crackling as Icud as distant musketry, as the flames explodec' the air contained in their hollow joints, and tu ‘ned their juices into steam. Already, as he looked back, dense cloud of smoke were driving over the read to Jagpore, and far away down its course he could see tire red flames leaping from the jungle border, an! licking os the grassin the road. It was ona imp*ssible to return to Jagpore, except through the fire. Could he stay where he was? He looked up at the jungle, and the look an- swered his question ere it was well formed in his mind. é¢ could see nothing but a dense cloud of smoke not a hundred feet off, through which red tongues of flame were shooting up to a hizht of thirty or forty feet. It was clear that he must flee on the road to Benares if he hoped to save his life, even for a little while, He had no need to issue an order, for his men saw the peril as well as he, and the Sirdar Hamet Khan, his trusty lieutenant, called out to him: ** We must ride for the tank of Sultan Tippoo, or we shail be burnt alive, Sabib.” No sooner were the words out of his mouth, than the whole party turned their horses’ heads and tore away at breakneck speed on the road to Benares, For some minutes they were racing with the fire, which they could hear tearing through the jungle about a hundred yards on their right, though it did not seem to be approaching the road. One reason of this was that the ground rose upin that direction and that the flames naturally crept up bill faster than down the slope, but Charlton noticed that the road climbed a little hill ahead of them, and knew that the ground fell away to the right into a low valley full of matted surput grass and dry bushes, As he thought of this, he dug his spurs into Alborak, and the whole party flew rather than alloped up the hill till they came to the top, fore them lay a steep, stony nul/ah or ravine, crossing the road at the foot of the declivity, bare of vegetation and running down toward a SS ee SS ee ee 2 eee eee ee Ee ee Se eee ee Se Ee Se ee e+ 8 eS 2 ee 2 ee a eee eee ee oo et & ‘broad, glittering sheet of water, kno s ‘‘ the tank oF Sultan Tippoo,” TA Fetohe © Te. sort of wild water-fow! of all kinds, .... They were none too soon inreaching the wit of the hill, for as they. did so Chariton hea a. a lond, roaring noise, and looking back saw that , the fire had reached the valle grass, lea’ across it and sweeping up the hill wath the sp of an express-train, The horses squealed with new terror, dashing away, reckless of control, toward the stony ra- vine and the distant pond, in the blind instinct of all hunted anima!s to take to water... Away they elattered through the ravine, and as they did so the fire reached the top, and the smoke came whirling down, on their heads, choking and blinding them. They galloped on, following a rough path, only sensible of the fact that there was no vegetation round them, and that they were therefore safe from a fiery death, though suffocation seemed almost as im- minent as ever. They could hear that the flames had leaped the ravine and were tearing along toward Benares, and then Charlton saw. through the smoke the gleam of the waters in the tank of Sultan Tippoo, and heard the mad rushing of the wild beasts of the jungle, driven from their pe by the flames toward the protecting agoon, few moments fater Alborak was standin knee-deep in the tank, trembling violently and panting with his rapid gallop, while all round the horsemen were cowering and splashing ti- gers and a a wolves and deér, qAcesis and uffalces, wild boars and hares, side by side and regardless of each other, huddled together in a common terror, and gazing panic-stricken at the black clouds of smoke that came drivi over the lake, shutting out the sunlight an making every thing murky, Charlton could not bear to look long on _ac- count of the acrid character of the smoke, which injured his eyes, but be noticed that the flames were less and less conspicuous, and a hoarse rumbling of thunder began to be audible, At once he comprehended that a new dang was coming, by no means uncommon in India. The heat of the jungle-fire had operated to dis- turb the nice balance of the atmosphere preva- Jent at the end of the hot season, and an Indian tempest was approaching, to put an end to the fire, Charlton had seen these tempests before, and he knew that the rain came down in sheets, flooding the country in a few minutes and rais- ing rivers twenty or thirty feet ia a single our. And he remembered that he was in the mouth of a ravine at least seventy feet deep, made by the action of water in just such tempests! He had not very long to think, for in another moment a terribie darkness fell over the scene, a gloom as of midnight, and Charlton knew, though he could not see it, that the great black | tornado-cloud was sweeping across the zenith . and pute out the sun, But still the firekept on roaring away,andthe . smoke settled thicker than ever over the scene, weighed down by the CRpy entire sultry air that preceded the storm, The soldiers could hardly breathe, and Charlton was fain to imitate the — blind instinct of the wild bersts, by slipping off his horse and bringing his face down to the very edge of the water to secure a breath of air. sn he came down he rested his hand on some ani- mal’s back, and found bimself beside a wild tiger, that was huddled up close to a deer and hiding itself beneath the waters in an agony of fear. Alborak was so completely quieted by the same potent spell that be did not offer to kick his master; so there was the whole mass of animals and men in this strange fellowship, while overhead swept along the majestic torna- do-cloud. f Presently a broad white flash, blinding iu its intensity, illumined the scene, and Charlton saw the clouds of smoke, the burning trees, the huddled animals and the awe-stricken faces of — his own men as plainly as if there were no vail between them and him. Then the darkness and the crash of the thunder came together, and down came the rain, in an apparently solid sheet of water. Tho relief from the previous sense of suffoca- tion was almost instantaneous, and for a few moments the coolness of the rain seemed ain ba ful; but as soon as tho mighty tempest beaten down fire and smoke with its own ov: mastering force, a new peril arose. The ani- mals seemed to be sensible of it, for they began to move out of the lake, serambling confus along, and Charlton realized the reason when be , felt the waters rising rapidly to his armpity, «
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10 pe they had only teuched his waist be- ere. The darkness was as intense as ever, save when the flashes of electricity made the scene momentarily visible, and Charlton saw by one of these gleams that his men were trying to fol- low the example of the animals, moving to higher ground. As quickly as he could, he <limbed on Alborak, gave the intelligent Arab his head and quickly realized that the horse’s in- stinct was taking them both to safety, for he felt the water falling lower and lower, as Alborak splashed mione. By the occasional gleam of the lightning, he became aware that he was climb- ing a bank into the burnt jungle, where skeleton trees waved their blackened arms in the midst of the tempest, and where the ground was fet- lock deepin gray a hes, rapidly turning to mud, His men were all round him, and Hamet Khan shrieked into his ear amid the roar of the tem- tsome words of comfort and advice which @ failed to understand, . Then a great black cloud seemed to come leaping down the hill where he was, and in a moment the whole party was stricken by a cold blast of wind, laden with sharp hailstones and mud, that caught man and horse as if they had been straws and smote them to the earth or whirled them away into the lake. Charlton felt himself going helplessly, and in another moment he was out in the lake, parted from his horse and struggling against the waves raised by the tornado, Instinctively, he struck out, and his hands touched something hard and floating, which he recognized as the trunk of a tree. With the d ration of a drowning man, he clung to it, and had the satisfaction of feeling that the cold blast was passing over, followed by an- other from an opposite quarter that felt as if it came from the mouth of a steam boiler, wet and hot. Bad as this last was, it was not so intolerable as the cold blast, and he made shift to crawl up on the floating log when he felt himself com- paratively secure from immediate death, and able to watch the abating tempest. As he gazed around him at the blue-black velvety clouds, driving past overhead, seeming- ly a few feet above him, a white flash of light- ning revealed to him that the log had other oc- cupants, and that one of them was a human figure. Hecrawled along the log during the next interval of darkness, and the flash that followed illumined the well-known figure of Luchmee, the Queen of the Nautch-girls, her gay robes torn to tatters, her hair hanging loose and bedraggled over her shoulders, while close beside her cowered a leopard, crowdin up against her asif anxious for sympathy an scropanicatp in the presence of the common anger. Luchmee’s back was turned to the young soldier, and she did not seem to be aware of at presence till he was near enough to touch ud Then, amid the vivid flashes of the lightning and the crashing of the Indian thunder, Charl- ton laid his hand on Luchmee’s shoulder, and she turned, with a violent start, and recognized the man she had tried to murder! The beautiful demon, alone with the soldier in the midst of the tempest, shrunk down and cowered close to the wild beast, covering her face with ber hands asif to shut out the sight, while the faint atte at the northern edge of oy clouds showed that the storm was beginning CHAPTER X. THROUGH THE TEMPEST. Wuen the two men who had intruded into Govinda’s lonely kingdom in the jungle began to climb the tree, little Ali was already high up among the branches, and hiding behind the main trunk. The child. brought upin the jun- gle, had much of the instinct of a wild animal, and behaved toward bis pursuers just as a squirrel would do, slowly and silently circling the trunk as he listened to the men climbing, and always keeping the tree between them and himself. Now and then he wou'd peep round over the forks ot the branches to watch, and no- ticed that his enemies were bunting for him as if they did not know where to look. These men were none other than the two pretended bearers of Luchmee, who had slipped into the jungle and both were of course members of the gang of Thugs that owned Mirza Baba for their high They were, in spite of their mean ap- pearance, men of distinction in their peculiar sect, and their previous presence at the invoca- tion to Kalee showed that they were either no- r. The Tiger Tam ted stranglers or the sons ef such, since no com- mon Thug can partake of the mysteries of the baleful goddess till he has killed a victim. These men seemed decidedly anxious now, for they feared the return of Govinda and his ti- gress. ‘« Where can the child be, Tantia?’ asked one, angrily. ‘He must be here,” replied the other in a low tone; ‘‘for I saw him mount the tree. The imp is hiding. Look up, and we will separate.” The two climbed higher on separate limbs, and began to explore the recesses of the branch- es with their eyes, being rewarded very soon by the sight of little Ali, crouched against the tree like a squirrel, trying to hide in the foliage. A savage oath from the Thugs and a er scrambling followed tbe discovery; when Ali casting aside all thoughts of concealment, ut- tered a shriek of terror and began to climb for dear life. : But, up ina tree of the size of the teak, the long arms and legs of his pursuers gave them a decided advantage, as they could seize at each effort branches twice as far apart as those pos- sible to the boy, and at last they had hunted him to the base of a long, slender branch, from whence there seemed to be no escape. With the blind instinct of a hunted animal, Ali strove to protract the pursuit, and the poor little mite clung to the extremity of the branch among the leaves, the slender limb bending over ani swinging to and fro with his weight, while his pursuers did not dare to follow him. ‘Curse the imp! We shall lose him,” growled Tantia, savagely. ‘‘Go below and catch him, when I bend down on the branch.” His brother Thug nodded, and scrambled down the tree to another limb, immediately be- low that on which the child swayed to and fro. Tantia bore his weight on the branch when the end slowly declined toward the arms of his ex- pectant confederate. Little Ali gave a wild shriek of terror and climbed up again, just asa squirrel might do, about half-way between the two men, Then Tantia gave an angry curse and bore still more heavily. “ Crack !” and down went child and branch together, hanging by about half the wood, but swinging close to the bole of the tree, when the active Thug below made a grasp and caught the boy by the leg, jerking him vielently down into his arms, As he did so, the sound of horses’ feet on the Benares road announced the arrival of Charl- ton s escort, and Tantia hastily cried out: ‘* Sweep the floor |” The peculiar slang of the Thugs is so con- stantly practiced that it becomes a part of their nature, and both men understood the sig- nal to hide themselves. Down the tiee the came in desperate haste, lugging the child wit them, Ali no longer shrieking, for his instinct told him that such a course would only insure him rough treatment. They came duwn into the clearing, and stood stilla minute to listen. The trampling of horses on the Benares road was passing round the curve, and they realized that the escort would soon come up to what they hoped to be the dead body of Charlton. On a sudden, little Ali, who had been quite quiet, uttered a shrill scream and wriggled out of the arms of his captor, running toward the bushes where Burrhea was chain Instantly, the scream was answered by the royal voice of the tigress Seevah, coming to his he 4 from afar. oth of the Thngs darted after him in pursuit, and came up with the child at the edge of the jungle, when one of them caught him up again, and both turned to flee across the clearing to- ward Jagpore. As they passed the furnace, Tantia kicked it over into the long grass, with a savage oath, and then away oT the Thugs toward Jag- pore. The flames leaped up in the grass behind them and soon formed a perfect barrier between them and the pursuit they feared, while at the same ane ey raged after the two men with equal rapidity. Govinda, tearing through the bushes to the rescue of his boy, was met by the awful vision of the jrngle on fire, and found himself half-suf- focated by the smoke, while the rushing of frightened animals through the’ underwood an- nounced that the fire had eaeey gained enough headway to defy human control. The frantic father pressed forward a few ste till he could go no further, when he seemed recognize that his efforts were useless, Seevah was ‘pulling him back with her chain; while Burrhea and the baggage elophant, roused to superhuman exertions by the new danger, came tearing through the covert, trailing their broken chains and roaring with terror. With a deep groan of mingled agony and fury, the trainer turned to flee, and found himself the midst of a frightened mob of animals, mak- ing for the tank of Sultan Tippoo, one end of which was close behind his retreat. In a few moments he was down in the water, with the tiger and tigress cromting close to him in their desire for companionship, while the splashing of bodies all round them showed where new fugitives were taking refuge. The storm-cloud did not eome over that part of the lake so quickly as at the other end; and Go- vinda, with his face close to the water, could see the horsemen ride down the ravine at the other side of the tank. Then the tornado swept on from the diree tion of Benares, to the north, and Govinda dragged himself from the water and out over the still warm mud, produced by the rain and ashes commingled, on bis way to the clearing that he had lately occupied witb his baggage. The wind howled and roared through the blackened branches of the great teak trees; the rain came down in sheets of water, min- gled with hailstones that stung sharply on his naked body; but still the stalwart tiger-tamer rushed on, leading the tigress and searching for his child. A blinding flash of lightning revealed the late clearing, now surrounded with blackened trees and heaps of ashes. He saw the great teak, where the ladder had lately been, and its trunk was scorched with the fire, the leaves withered to a hight of some sixty feet, and only the lofty top towering still unbarmed in the air. e father looked up in vain into the trce for a moving figure. ‘““Who knows?” he cried aloud, ‘the may have been up high above the fire, and be stilt stupefied with the smoke.” ith that idea, he began to shout, at the top of his voice; and the tigress raised her grand war-notes, mingling with the thunder in the darkness and storm. No answer came, and presently a broad flash of light made all the jungle clear as mid- day, when a jagged thunderbolt, zigzagnin across the sky and darting from the midst o the black clouds above, struck the lofty tree spared by the fire, and clove it in twain with a loud crash. Then at last Govinda broke down and fell on his knees, sobbing out: *¢ Ali! Ali! my child is gone.” Crash went the noble teak tree, as the tor- nado struck it at that moment, leveling it to the earth, and Seevah flattened herself out as the wind swept over her, while Govinda in- stioghively threw himself on his face in the gray mud. The fury of the tornado passed over them as they a there, as it had over Charlton; and then at last the light broke from the north, and the tamer knew that the storm was breaking as quickly as it bad come, He rose up, and as he did so the ti snuffed the air eagerly toward the south, from whence the wind was now blowing with much less force, Govinda started and watched ber, for the beast began to utter a peculiar purring sound that she never manifested toward any but himself or the child. Tho tigress snuffed still more eagerly and be- gan to tug at her chain, and a spasm of hope passed over the countenance of the trainer. “‘ He was not in the tree,” be cried, aloud. ‘We will find him yet!” Then man and tigress rushed over the ashes and mud on the trail of the lost child. CHAPTER XI. AFTER STORM, CALM. Tue storm was over. It passed off as sud- denly as it had come on, but all round the tank of Sultan Tippoo a scene of black desolation resented itself. Only the lofty teak trees were Jett standing, and they were frequently scorched to the very summits by the darting flames from the feathery bamboo thickets that bad served as fuel to the flame. A broad swath of leveled trees told of the path of the tornado, following the side of a hill that overlooked the tank, and zigzagging to and fro like a worm fence. The shores of the tank were strewn with dead bodies of avimals, and more than one of Charlton’s troopers bad been seriously burt by the tem- est. The rest, a disconsolate band, their cloth- ing in tatters, their bodies, and those of their horses, covered with gashes from the sharp stones, presented a sorry appearance, as they searched along the shore for their commander, The lately dry ravine was now us foaming toy
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oe i ee ee ~~ ie ~ 2 Ot FW tiwe @ . rent, twenty feet deep in the center, and Charl- rong ae that the log on which he, Lachmee and the leopard were floating, was about a hun- dred feet from the shore, toward which the cur- rent from the ravine was. g it. He felt for his pistols to shoot the leopard, but the weapons were so wet that he feared to use them and drew his sword instead, with which he drove the beast into the water, hav- ing the pleasure of seeing it swim away to shore as soon as the light became strong enough to show where they were. Then the afternoon sun shone out as hot as ever, and he found him- self alone on the log with the cowering Luch- mee, The girl had not spoken a word since she first recognized him, only shrinking down into the center of a fork of the tree, as if she were over- come with terror and shame, Charlton stood up and shouted to his men whom he saw searobing for him, and soon had the gratification of watching them ride toward the whither the log was mies § “See, Luchmee,” he observed; “the will of the goddess Kalee, in whom your tribe trust, is that you should be my he epi You fled to the jungle, and it was burnt over your head. You escaped the fire in the ravine, and the tor- rent carried you away to me. Now you will come with me to the Resident of Jagpore.” Luchmee shive1 but made no reply, and the soldier continued more kindly: “Why did you try to kill me? I never harmed you. On the contrary, Iam so little angry with you now, that if you will swear never to attempt my life a in, and to give me the names of your accomplices, I will guaran- tee your f om.” Luchmee looked up as if she did not under- eerie is foll speak,” she replied. “TI kn ‘ ou » she replied, ow the laws of the Franks, and they will kill me. It is just, for f failed, and the goddess has pun- ished me for pride.” “ And yet I say that if you will swear to tell bs truth, you shall go free,” responded Charl- “T will swear nothing,” retorted the woman, ng “Tf you wish to kill me, do so. It is a a n ey were close to the bank now, and one of the troopers held out his long lance, which Charl- ton seized and drew bimself to shore. To his great delight, the vicious but enduring Alborak was there, not much the worse for his buffeting by the storm, though the blood flowed from sev- eral cuts on his om} Charlton mounted and held owt his hand to Luchmee, “Come up in front this time,” he said. “I wish to be sure of you.” Silently and sullenly the girl obeyed; the troopers staring at her with ill-concealed won- der, but saying she Then Charlton set off to return to J agpore, a sadder and wiser man than when he left Sir Douglas McGregor that morning, his uniform dripping wet and in tatters, his body bruised and cut in morethan one place, but carrying on his saddle bow the renowned Luchmee, Queen of the Nautch-girls, with the reputation of be- a, Sy wickedest woman in India. @ sun was already low in the sky as they rode along the top of the ravine into the old Be- nares road, and they could see with at dis- tinctness the place where the storm had arrested the fire. The flames had not burned more than three-quarters of an hour, but in that short space of time they had destroyed several square miles of forest till a black line against the green- ish brown of the distant jungle showed where the storm-king had beaten down the fire-king. They had no difficulty in riding over ground lately covered with impenetrable jungle. The fire had made aclean sweep of and bushes, and only the tree-trunks, black and charred, sone like grim sentries watching over the deso- ation. Into the Benares road Charlton and his escort trotted, and set out on their return to Jagpore, as the sun set. Inside of ten minutes thereafter it was dark, for the moon had not risen, the stars were hidden by driving clouds, and the eastern twilight is always of the briefest dura- tion. , Charlton kept a firm grasp on the waist of Luchmee, for he well knew that the dancing girls of India are peculiarly supple and strong, and he did not wish to have his prey escape him a second time. However the girl made no attempt te free herself while they were in the burnt jungle, knowing well that she conld not hope to hide from the horsemen. The Tiger Tamer. True to his promise, Charlton took the road to the Residency, and approached the junds with Luchmee still a sate prisoner. Then the girl seemed to grow very uneasy, for she twisted and fidgeted so much that Charlton said vate! fe ‘* Be still, or I will hand you over to the Sir- dar Humet, to be bound.” ““Oh, Sahib, dear, kind Sahib,” whispered the dulcet tones of the beautiful Nautch-girl, close to his ear, ‘‘let me go this time and I swear by the holy bie nie Mohammed, by the t Bramah and Vishnoo, by the great Queen of Calcutta, that I will never try to harm you again! Sweet Sahib, I did not know you were so brave and handsome. Poor Luchmee will be re slave forever, to serve you night and day ou will only take her to Jagpore, and not before this old man. He is a magician and bi a devil, they say.” barlton hesitated. He was young and not insensible to the voice of flattery, and moreover he thought he knew all about the Thugs by this time, and how to control them. ‘Will you swear by the goddess Kalee to be true to me and help me punish your accom- plices?” he asked, sternly, with a vision in his mind of astonishing Sir Douglas by his revela- tions. “*T will tell you all,” said Luchmee earnestly; and she allowed her head to drop on his breast while she wept softly and kissed the buttons of his uniform in the most humble manner. The were near the Residency when this happened, and Charlton relented so far that he passed it and rode right into the town of Jagporethrough the ancient gates, where he had to knoek loudly before the guards would admit them. Once inside, he felt quite safe, for the people of Jagpore, as a rule, were devoted to him; and as he rode through the silent and deserted bazars, he met the men of his own patrol, who greeted him with a respectful salaam as he passed on to the palace gate. Everything was alive there, for the Rajah had a habit of turning night into day, not un- common in tyrants of all countries. Charlton dismissed his escort and went to his own quarters, followed submissively by Luch- mee, Many were the stares and winks they encountered on their passage, but these were all made behind Charlton’s back, for the Ma- jor Sabib was regarded with great awe in the lace. Once in his own quarters, he called his kit- muggar, or steward, a necessity in all Eastern households, and gave Luchmee in charge to him. The Hindoo expressed no surprise at the presence of an exceedingly beautiful woman with jewels worth a rajah’s ransom; but smiled when his master told him to bring forth a dress fit for a Nautch-girl. ‘““The Sahib knows that none but the Rajah keeps Nautch-girls,” he answered. ‘I can bor- row a dress from the mother of the dancers,* but only as a favor to the Sahib.” “Don’t, then,” said Charlton, briefly; and then, as the man left the room, he turned to Luchmee, who stood with downcast eyes and hands folded on her bosom, the picture of mod- est resignation. “They tell me you are the best dancer in In- dia,” he said. ‘Tam going to make you dance before the Rajah, and I want you to observe all the courtiers and tell me if you know any of them to be Thugs. Can you doit?” Luchmee looked up and smiled. “JT will do anything for you,” she answered, softly. ‘You have given me my life twice, when you might have taken it, and even J can be grateful for that. I will dance before the Fe for you; and the chief Thug in the room will be the man to whom J throw a rose.” As she spoke, the steward returned with a long face. ‘*The old woman will lend no dresses. She has the impudence to say that if the me Sahib wishes the girl to dance before the Rajah he must fee the mother handsomely.” *The Nautch-girls. or Bayadéres of India, are a regular caste and divided into troops of a dozen or so under an old woman called the Dhya, or Mother of the Dancers, who makes all contracts for them, like the leader of-a band. The girls are of two kinds: 1st, Temple Bayadéres, who are attached to the temples and execute the sacred dances, as an act of religion; and 2d, free Nautch-girls, who roam the country or remain in the cities where they bave a reputation. The most beautiful and accom- lished, like the once renowned Nikee of Delhi and na of Allahabad, are entirely free and pay their own musicians. Luchmee belonged to this small but favored class. 1 —s ——— laughed, and took off a ring from s finger. ‘“Take this woman to the Dhya, give her this ring, and tell her to let Luchmee do as she wishes,” The steward bowed to the floor and vanished with Luchmee. Half an hour later, Major Charlton, in his handsomest uniform, his sword-belt and but- tons — with jewels, entered the Rajah’s rand saloon, where the great man lolled ona van, surrounded by his courtiers, Ram Sing greeted the soldier at once, with the most effusive cordiality. CHAPTER XII. THE QUEEN OF THE NAUTCH-GIRLS. “‘ AHA, major, where have you been? Shiver my timbers, ole boy, howabyah?* bellowed the Rajah Ram Sing, in his peculiar English, hold- ing out his hand. ‘‘Had a jungle fire and a storm, and half the bazar unroofed—and—oh, boppery bop ! (nonsense). Sit down and take a glass o’ sham.’ It was evident that the Rajah was already about “‘ half-seas-over,” in drinking phrase; and as he was good-natured in his cups up to a cer- tain point, Chariton laughed and obeyed the mandate to take some champagne. It was hand- ed to him by one of the Prince’s female slaves; for that evening, except the courtiers, there seemed bo be no men visible. As the American set down his glass, he observed: “*T was out in the fire’and storm myself, your Highness, and came near being killed, I losta man out of my escort, seriously hurt, but jus able to ride into the city.” “Let ’em go. Men’s plenty,” hiccuped tho august ruler of Jagpore. ‘ Women’s plenty, too,” he added, with a drunken leer. ‘‘ Hear you picked one up.” “Who told your Highness?” demanded Charl- ton sharply. ‘‘ Who criticises my actions here?” He had determined, since his visit to Sir Douglas, to try and oe the Rajah into a quarrel, that he might find a pretext to throw up his position and go to the Nawaub of Bundel- cund; but the Rajah seemed to be unusually good-natured that night. “Tt was Khoda an,” he answered; “ old Khoda, that ass, Khoda. Nobody minds him, ouknow. Here he is to speak for himself. Eh, hoda?” He had relapsed into Hindoostanee, and Charlton fixed his eyes on the vizier menac- ingly. Khoda Khan cringed, bowed, smiled, and rub- bed his hands, as he advanced obsequiously to the American. “YT am sure I meant nothing,” he began. ‘One of my men told me that he saw the Major Sahib enter the palace, followed by a woman unvailed, conte many jewels; and I sup- posed that the Sahib was falling into our little ways at last.” 6 leered at Charlton with his evil eyes in a manner full of wicked significauce, fay the sol- dier felt his cheek flaming as he thought of the interpetration put on bis conduct. As for the Rajab, he roared with laughter, and cried out: “The Major Sahib is like the rest of us. Who is she, major?” “The woman I brought to the palace is a Nautch-girl, to dance before your Highness,” re- sponded Chariton, stiffly. ‘If you will see her, you will agree that 1 have done well for you.” The Rajah yawned. ** Boppery oh Is that all? I am tired of Nautch-girls. She must be out of the common to please me.” “She ts out of the common,” answered Charl- ton, ‘If your Highness will give the signal, you oa “Oh, very well,” said the Rajah, lazily. “Call them in.” gadis He evidently did not expect much, for the general run of Indian dancing-girls execute the same maneuvers over and over again, so as to weary the es who bas seen them more than once. ow and then, however, an excep- tion appears, who becomes the rage in a town or province, demanding and reeeiving as much as six hundred dollars a night for her perform- ances, and being petted and féted like our own queens of the ballet. Of such, as Charlton had often heard, was Luchmee, who bad obtained the name of ‘* Queen of the Nautch-girls,” and it was with some curiosity that he now awaited her appearance. He knew that she would prob- ably excite great jealousy among the Rajah’s dancing-girls, and wondered whether they *The Rajah probably meant “ How are you!” _
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maw consent to play fer and otherwise help er He clapped his hands, the signal agreed on be- tween hips and Luchmee, Soe gona Yak the room in front of them was cleared of le, while the Rajah’s slaves stretched a aceshantte cloth over the floor to make a perfect back- ound for the dancer’s figure. en entered ve girls, dressed in the most gorgeous gar- ments, Three of them were the musicians, and two bore long torches of some resinous wood, soaked in saltpeter, which burned with a very brilliant flame and emitted a strong aromatic odor. The torch-bearers took their, places in silence at either side of the stage, while the mu- sicians sat down and began to play a soft melan- choly air on a lute, accompanied by two tam- bourines. Tbe effect of this odd music was quite soothing, for the tambourines made a sort of dull murmuring bass to the tinkling of the lute, while the three girls sung in low, cooing voices one of the songs of the Nautch-girls. "he Rajah yawned; he had beard that sort of thing we. Still the song went on for more than a minute, andno Luchmee made her a rance, The great, white saloon with its bril- iant lights stretched out before them, opening on the broad stone-paved veranda that led into the garden, where the moon was just rising He and angry-looking, between the marble pit rs, For an unusual time the singers kept on with their plaintive ballad, which told of the sorrows of a girl abandoned by her lover; and then, just as the Rajah aes ee the third time, the music changed to a lively air, and Luchmee glided iu- to sight as noiselessly as a spirit, and stood at _ end of the room, facing her audience proud- ane defiantly, as if challenging their admira- othe Rajah car a yawning and stared, while a dead silence fell on the room. As for Charl- ton, he sat wonder-stricken, for Luchmee, if she had been beautiful before, was now positively bewitching. The Queen of the Nautch-girls was literally blazing with jewels, and the light of the torches held by the girls flashed on a diamond or em- erald at every motion of her body. m the hips to the ankles she was covered with heav skirts and full trowsers of cloth of gold, but her feet were bare, save that every toe was orna- mented with a broad gold ring, set with dia- monds, while heavy gold bangles, furnished with bells, decorated her ankles, Her bust was partially revealed by a little sleeveless jacket littering with jewels, while arms, neck an m were covered with ornaments, and her earrings and nose ring were of thin gold wire, strung with pearls and diamonds, Luchmee’s long black hair, twined with strings of pearls hung down her ‘pack, and she held in her han a rose, There she stood, silent as a spirit, one ype slightly advanced, a proud smile on her li whee ed at the court assembled to ¢ cies netier whole attitude seemed to say: ‘‘Heref am. Refuse toapplaud if you dare,” Abs Rajah clapped his hands vigorously, and outec ‘ alt Bravo! Major Sahib, this is differ- ent to the rest.’ Then all were silent, for Luchmee began her dance it € was not like the ballet of Europe, for the Nautcb-girls never lift their feet fairly from the floor, except to mark the musical time with their bells. Noiselessly the girl glided forward to the middle of the room and stood swaying her arms above her head, with the rose waving in figures in time to the music; and then began a singular dance, slowly turning round, while a2 2 and arms undulated with a serpentine mo- tia full of grace into all sorts of difficult curves. Now Luchmee began to show what she could do, for the dance seemed to be a pantomime of coquetry and enticement. When she came forward with her eyes glowing ae partes arms raised above her he tripping, as ight as a fairy, not a suund could be heard the tinkling of the guitar, for her bare feet made no noise an the white carpet. She seemed to be flying a kite, for her eyes were fixed on the air and she moved her arms as it balancing the toy ve her, then suddenly stooped an ran back, with hands close to the ground, as if the kite were falling and she trying to save ft. She was in fact executing the ‘‘ kite-dance,” the most celebrated of the Bayadéres’ tomimes, and the action was so vivid tbat Charlton ed voluntarily looked up, asif he expected to see the sky above his head. Then Luchmee tripped forward again and and stood swaying her y PARI. Tiger stitenwl ES eT et back till ber long hair swept the floor, ber frame as sinuous as that of asnake. Anon she sprung wp to an attitude full of pride and seemed as if about to follow the kite, floating away across the room with arms extended like wings, Charlton had seen the kite-dance many times before, but never executed with such be- witching grace as that shown by Luchmee; and be was not surprised to flud that the Rajah was deligh The great man sat with his eyes riveted on the swaying figure, and his features worked in a way that showed him to be completely en- tranced, till the dance was nearly over. Charl- ton in bis own interest and excitement bad al- most forgotten the object he had in view in bringing Luchmee to the palace till this ha pened, and then the Queen of the Nautch-gir glided forward near the circle, flirting the rose which she had made do duty in the kite panto- adn asif she were hesitating to whom to throw Then Charlton remembered, and glanced keenly round at his companions to watch their behavior; for he felt sure that the rose would be thrown to Khoda Kbap. To bis surprise, how- ever, Luchmee paid no attention to the vizier, but dropped the flower at the feet of the Rajah himself, and then turned and flitted away trom the room, Charlton started and rose. from his seat, for the fat Rajah, intoxicated with delight, rose up applauding vigorously, but lost his balance in the effort and measured his length on the white carpet, where he rolled about, unable to rise, The American, profiting by the confusion that ensued, slip from the saloon by a side-door and thence into the moonlit garden into which Luchmee had vanished. He had not gone ten steps when he met Go- vinda, the tiger-tamer, face to face. CHAPTER XIII. THE ZENANA GARDEN. CHARLTON was running heedlessly Becedies 7 the garden. when Govinda suddenly appeared before him, and he started back wit an a fhivol- untary exclamation of wonder when he saw the tall figure of the tigertamer. In a moment Govin oh right hand was on his shoulder, while the finger of the other was laid on his lips as a —_ of caution which the soldier readily under- Govinda pointed through the shrubbery before them into the brilliantly lighted saloon. The — uious Khoda Khan, assisted by the slaves, was lifting the Rajah from the floor and supporting him to his seat, but Luchmee had vanished. Then the tiger- -tamer drew Charlton pve into the dark recesses of the garden, till were pena gt out of ear-shot of the palace, ond sainatend = Have you seen the child?” ‘* What child?” asked Charlton, inamazement, for he knew nothing of the other’s loss. * Ali,” said the ver in a trembling voice; “my little one, my, bo y! He is in this palace somew here, for teabked his captors to the ate,” ‘*] have not seen him,” answered Charlton. “*T have but just come in, since the fire and the storm. Tell me how you lost him?” Thus urged, the tamer in a few hurried sen- tences, gave the soldier an outline of the cap- ture of Ali and the scenting of the child by the tigress, and continued: ‘I followed them to the edge of the burned ungle and found that two men had carried him off straight down the road to the palace gate. He has been taken by the same gang of Thugs which had Luchmee for their queen, and they ‘belong here, in this accursed house.” “Did you watch Luchmee just now?” asked Charlton. “Tf the Thugs brought the child hither, she knows of his hiding-place, and can help us better than any one else to get him back if he be here.” ear uttered an impatient sound of dis- “She help us! She is more likely to snare us, like a witch as she is. Will you never learn that she is not to be trusted, no matter what she says or does?” **On the contrary,” answered Charlton, rather warmly, “she has prowed faithful to me since I gave her back her life. She has promised to tell me the names of her accom- ces, n" ‘* Tt is needless; I know them myself, for I hid behind their tent, only the “— before last, when they held their feast to lee,” respond- ed Govinda’s stern tones, “I ean give you the names of every one of them, whenever you want em. win you tell them to Sir Douglas?” asked Charlton, eagerly. ‘‘He told me te wanted to see you, by the by.” The tiger-tamer started in his turn. “To see me} Sir Douglas McGregor! Why?” _ ‘Nay, that I know not. He sent for me to ace about you, asked all sorts of questions, wished me to tell you to come and see him, I forgot all about it till now.” Govinda seemed to relapse into deep and bit- He pentenn, as he stood there in the moon- ight ‘To see me!” he muttered; *‘ to see me, whom the ey once drove into—” e stopped abruptly and glanced suspiciously at Charlton, asif he had said too much before the ‘American: and then, once more, he seemed to pemenster the loss of his child, for he broke ou x ‘But what care I for these English? My child is gone, and the Rajah bas him, Major Charl- ton, you helped me once—will you help me again?” “Tf I can, I will,” said the soldier, earnestly ; “but I see not how Tcan, If Luchmee—” ‘‘Tuchmes is a witch, a sorceress, a geal " interrupted Govinda, impatiently. “T tell she cannot be trusted. No one can— fal what’s that?” He broke off as suddenly as he had inter- rupted. All the time that he was talking, Charlton had noticed that his eyes were roam- ing over the nag and Bp his thoughts seemed to be away. Now he at d and lis- tened intently. Charlton follow is example, but could hear nothing. Nevertheless, Govinda slowly turned round his face toward a thicket of bushes that stood behind them, and scanned it keenly with his eyes, as if he expected to find something. Presently he crouched down to the earth al- most in the attitude of one of his own tigers, and crept into the thicket. Charlton hardl realized what he was doing ere the athletic figure was hidden under the overhanging foli- age, and Govinda had disappeared, as sudden! and noiselessly as he had come, leaving Charl- ton apparently alone in the garden. Then, for the first time, the American began to realize that be might be in a delicate position himself. In the confusion that attended Mi Be ah’s accident, and in his own anxiety to Luchmee, he had run out into the garden, fovatting that this part of the fs ben in was sacred to the zenana of the Rajah. other words, he was in the women’s quarter of 7 pe and liable any moment to meet one f the Rajah’s zenana guards, armed with georte just as sharp as razors, and instructed to kill on sight any man they found in the grounds of the zenana. Govinda had taken him into a remote part of the garden, where thickets of the thorny In- dian fig and acacia were dense and shadowy. Charlton had never been there before, there were no walks to guide bim over the turf, and the bushes were so high that he could not see the palace. Striving to remember its direc- tion, he stole through between the thickets as silently as he could, glancing round apprehen- sively and keeping the hilt of his sword ready to his hand. Presently the sharp line of the summit of a wall loomed up before him between the trees, ane De knew he had come to the edge of the arden ‘*Tt will do for a point of departure,” he mut- tered; ‘for if I don’t meet any women, I can climb over into the city at the very worst,” © knew that the wall before him was the same which surrounded the fortress palace of the Rajah, and that, once outside, he could only meet his own pat trols. The soldier paused in the shadow of the wall, listened and looked round. All was silent, but he saw something moving among the busbes, and a moment later the graceful figure of Luch- mee ars sh out beside him, and steod smiling archl aL Sahib, “4 rg the girl, ‘‘are you not afraid the guards will take you and cut you to eces “Not while you are here,” responded Charl- ton, gravely. ‘‘I have given you your life and you cannot t imperil mine without being false to your oath.” Luchmee laughed in low rich tones, and ressed closer to him. *‘T would not have you hurt for aH my life,” she said, sweetly, **T told you I was your slave, and I am,’ ‘*Tell me thon,” replied Charltou, ‘‘ whether |
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you have seen in the zenama a Bttle boy, the son of'Govinda. He was stolen from his father to day and Govinda thinks he is here.” He ts here,” responded Luchmee, quietly; **but Govinda will never get him.” **7 want him,” said Charlton, firmly. ‘“ You promised to serve me: take me to the boy.” Luchmee smiled in a dubious manner. “He is in the midst of the zenana, with urmed slaves all round him. You could not make three steps within the door without being cut to pieces.” ‘“ Well, then, tell me where he is kept and who has him,” persisted the soldier. “He is kept in the room of the Dhya, the Mother of the Dancers, and they say he is to be taught to play on the lute and sing with the dancers, ’Tis a pretty child and sings well.” As she spoke Luchmee turned away and stood listening a moment, when she suddenly pulled him, whispering: ““The zenana guard is coming. They must have missed you from the saloon. I will’ hide you, if you will trust me.” “1 would sooner trust myself and my own guard,” he replied. ‘‘I trust no one here since you have told me that the Rajah himself is in league with the Thugs. Good-by.” As he’spoke, be caught hold of the branch of a tree ard swung himself upto the top of the wall. As he paused there a moment, the gleam of torches through the foliage admonished him that the guards were approaching, and silently he dropped into the dry moat outside. Meantime Luchmee stood in the rden watching his exit and looking vexed. icked and wily as she was, there had been something im the generosity and forgiveness of the young soldier that had touched Luchmee’s heart that day, and the wickedest womun in India was for the time as anxious for the safety of Charlton as @ young girl for her first lover. As she's there, the zenana guards, black hideous slaves with naked swords in their hands, came searching through the garden, and Luchmee shrunk back into the bushes with the instinct of concealment, Hardly was she hidden, before she felt her- self seized by a powerful hand which com- pressed her throat, and the next moment the (Jueen of the Nautch-girls was borne to the earth by Govinda the tiger-tamer, who had been hiding under the bushes with all the patience and silence of one of his own animals, He remained kneeling beside her under the shade of the bushes, his right hand compress- ing her throat while he glared menacingly down at her; and eealo, as when she lay neath the tiger, Luchmee quailed and was si- lent. The garden patrol came by, the slaves chattering away, and passed within ten feet of the thicket where they lay concealed, but the Nautch-girl did not dare to open her lips while Govinda’s eyes were on her. She felt that her deliverance was passing away as the guard vanished, but she did not dare to move, and there she lay till they had sone out of sight and hearing. Then Govinda oosened his grasp and said, in low, stern tones: ‘* Rise and take me to Ali.” Trembling from head to foot, the girl rose and whispered: “Yes, my lord, yes, oh Rajah of Rajahs! I will take you there at once.” ** Not so fast,” responded the tamer, quietly. ‘*T don’t want to be killed before my time. De- scribe me the spot, and I will put you where fs. will be safe, with Seevah to guard you, till come.” Luchmee sunk on her knees in fresh terror, ‘‘Not with the tiger, my lord, not with the tiger! Spare me that, and I will swear_to be tue; ay, on the holy ax of the Goddess Kalee, who punishes perjury.” Govinda looked down at her, keenly. ‘*Did you and your comrades think you were upseen when you sacrificed?’ he demanded, in scornful tones. ‘‘ Fools, ye thought the omens were good when the tigers roared left and right, but ye forgot to look in the grass behind the tent, I tell you, Kaleo is angry and Phe will have no luck against me or the Major Sahib.” Luchmee stared at him with dilating eyes, all the latent superstition of her nature alarmed at the news he gave her and completely overcome with terror, ** Rise,” continued the tamer, imperiously: “* and lead me to the place you told the Major Sahib about.” Luchmee obeyed as if stupeflied with terror, to Kalee is, accord- * hile sac i Tobe seen while rific eng sangha ing to the superstition of the to disaster and failure in the coming expedition, and took him through the garden to where the women’s wing of the palaces before them. Then, from the shelter of a thicket, the girl inted out to him the open windows of a long, ow room, extending from the main building and surrounded by a veranda, This room was but very dimly lighted, and its floor was cov- ered with sleeping figures, “There is the child,” whispered Luchmee, pointing toa groupin the center of the room. ‘The Dhya has him there, and there are four slaves ready to spring up armed at the first sound.” ‘* Very good,” he responded. ‘Go in there and bring him out for me, You can do it with- out exciting suspicion.” > Luchmee stood aghast at the proposition. ‘*T, great lord! hy, they would kill me as soon as you, for I am a stranger among them.” ‘* Nevertheless,” answered the tamer, with a grim smile, ‘I wish you to goin. If you pre- pa ys to go, I will leave you in charge of See- vah ! As he spoke, he snapped his fingers, and Luch- mee quivered all over as she distinguished for the first time the briliant markings of the tigress, crawling like a snake over the turf close beside them, the great eyes of the creature glowing like coals in the darkness. ‘*T will go, great lord, I will go,” she faltered; and at once stole away tow the room of the dancers, while Govinda and the tigress watched from outside. CHAPTER XIV. A NIGHT OF DANGER, Wuen Charlton dropped into the moat be- side the palace wall he heard the clatter of horses’ hoofs in one of the streets of the city, and at once ran toward the sound, fancying it to be one of his patrols. He had only to cross about a hundred feet of open ground round the fort ere he came into the bazar, and soon per- ceived the torches of the mounted party he had heard, coming toward him from the gates of the city. As this party drew nearer, some- thing in its appearance made the soldier slip aside into a doorway and bare his sword. It was not any of his patrols: on the con- trary, it was that eminently respectable old scoundrel, Mirza Baba, on his donkey, followed by two men in the dress of Parsee scribes simi- larly mounted, while a couple of torch-bearers on foot ran abead, Charlton settled himself into his doorway and waited, sword in hand. He had resolved to arrest this old Thug and find out whence he came; but as the party drew nearer he noticed that both the torch-bearers were armed, and he concluded not to risk anything in the absence of the patrol. Presently Mirza Baba poets him, and al- most at the same moment he heard the distant callof his own men answering each other as the different pa rols met. Without more hesitation he sprung out into the street, se Mirza Baba’s donkey by the bridle, and shouted: ‘*Aalt, you villain! I arrest you! Patrol! hither!” To his surprise Mirza Baba made no resist- ance of any sort. He simply sat still on his donkey and ejaculated: “Sahib, Sahib, are you mad? What have I done?” The trotting of horses announced the approach of the soldiers, and Charlton turned to the torcb- bearers (stout fellows), who were beginning to move dangerously close, “Stand back!” he said; and to enforce his words made a cut at the nearest which induced the man to spring back in alarm. The other, at a silent sign from Mirza Baba, also re- treated, just as the patrol rode round the cor- ner of the street and came clattering toward em. ‘Take all these fellows in, and put them in the guard-house,” said Charlton, sternly, to the havidar or sergeant in ome of the party. ‘“fhey are the same band of Thugs that nearly killed me to-day, and the Rajah will punish them. He said this stoutly enough, though in his heart he knew .-ell that the punishment was improbable, for .uchmee had by her signal shown him that the Rajah himself was in league with the mer owever, he was de- termined not to let slip the present opportunity for exposure of the infamous practices of the sect, so he sent in Mirza the guard- house with his whole party. The old man was loud in his complaints of the Sahib’s cruel treatment, and plead bard for his release when they were once inside the guard- room, ‘Indeed and truly, Sahib, I never saw th Ranee before ,and TI know her not. she be a Thug, she isa stranger to us, and we are not responsible for her,” - “Then why did you catch my arm this morn. ing?” asked Charlton, sharply. ‘ Cease to tell lies, old man, for your time has come, Take him away, iron him well, and lock the cell door on him,” One by one the prisoners, sup to be Thugs, were brought forward and examined, while the guards were directed to look at them carefully so as to know them again, and then Charlton retired to his own quarters, tired with the day’s excitement and wishing to sleep. Hoe was not destined, however, to reach his couch that night without more trouble on his mind, for as he entered his room he found a note lying right in the center of his table. Opening it, he was confronted by the follow- ing words: “You think you are safe: you were never in greater peril of your life than you willbe to-night." There was no signature and nothing what- ever to point to the writer. The language of the letter was common Hindoostanee, and that was an additional mystery. Sir Douglas or Govinda—so Charlton thought—would have written in English. He sat and turned over this mysterious missive, and his heart beat quick as he thought over its contents, It was past twelve o’cl ck; the palace as still as death; and there lay this menacing scroll, telling him a he was already in imminent danger of his 8. It was enough to frighten the bravest of men, and Charlton felt decidedly nervous as he lanced round, He had a large room, rather re of furniture; with tiled floor, strewn with carpets and rugs; a table and two camp chairs; a divan running round the room, That was all; except the antique lamp which swung from the ceiling by a brass chain and lighted up the apartment. There was no furniture behind which an assassin might secrete himself, only one small window, about seven feet above the floor, and a low door. ‘** Nonsense!’ muttered the young man to him- self. ‘‘This is some trick to scare me. Let them come; I will te ready.” He went to his chest and brought out his revolvers, which he occupied himself in putting into serviceable order, and then sat down in his large camp arm-chair and began to read. Like many another man, in like cases, Charl- ton forgot the effects of fatigue on a person in ahotroom, His chamber was unusually warm owing to its having been shut up all day and not allowed to cool off at sunset, Insensibl the print began to swim before his eyes, h head nodded and fell forward, and at last he dropped his book from his knees to the floor with a loud bang, which woke him up with a start. Instinctively he snatched up his pistols and wheeled round to look behind him, so much was he impressed with the idea of Thugs coming from the rear, But nothing save the empty room met his view as he searched from wall to door, and he felt ashamed of his fears as he laid down his pistols again. This time he settled himself into a more com- fortable position in bis chair, with the idea of taking a short nap, relying on his quickness of ear to inform him if anything stirred near him. Gradually his eyes closed, and in a few minutes he was fast asleep, his head lying on the back of the chair with the throat bare and exposed. His hands had fallen by his side, and the pis- ~ tols lay on the table before him, when the door of the room epened slowly and noiselessly, and a dark face looked in, The new-comer gazed at the sleeping soldier for several seconds in silence, and then entered the room in bare feet, as noiselessly as a cat, fol- lowed by two others. Had Charlton been awake he would have recognized Khoda Khan, Mirza Baba and one of the sullen torch-bearers; but, as it was, he lay helpless before them, un- conscious of evil. The dark, evil face of Khoda Khan was con- vulsed by a smile of triumph as he looked at his enemy asleep. He stole into the room to the table and picked up the two revolvers so softly that neither made any sound. As he didso, Mirza Baba and the torch bearer stole to the rear of the sleeping man, and the assassins were ready for their prey. Already Khoda’s eyes began to flash, and he tting out the fatal roomal from his gir- dle, when the open note on the table caught his eye and he snatched it up and read it. Tho
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14 . wards seemed to co 8 t effect on him for be shook all over and motioned to Mirza to The old moonshee did so, and seemed equally troubled at something. He made a silent sig- nal to Khoda Khan that he must lay down the pecs 7 a but the vizier obstinately shook 2. At this moment Charlton stirred in his sleep and his eyes opened wide with the fixed, va- cant look of a somnambulist. All three of the anne saw the action, though all were out of the field of vision; and all three immediately sank to the floor silently and rapidly, like so many cats afraid of being seen. The soldier yawned and laid down his head on the table, oe his folded arms, evi- dently unconscious that any one else was in the room. Then Kboda Khan rose up, and signaled to his two companions, who rose with him. It was evident that the work was to be done at once, if at all. The vizier held the fatal searf in his hand, and motioned to the others. As Charlton was sitting, it was not sible to draw the noose round his head, and it became necessary to induce him te change his posi- tion. Mirza Baba took his station at the right, the torch-bearer to the left, and both stood with their long lean hands working nervously in the ote getting ready to clutch the arms of the vic- Khoda opened the noose and poised himself behind Charlton’s chair ready to cast, when suddenly the long melancholy howl of a wolf echoed from the open space outside the fort, and quavered in a dyiug cadence on the air. The effect was magical on the Thugs as on Charit-n. It woke the soldier, but it seemed to strike the assassins with utter dismay. “The chimama/ the chimama/!” cried all three in tones of extreme terror. ‘‘ The god- dess is angry!” Instantly the burly torch-bearer sprung for- ward and dashed the lamp to the ground, leav- ing the place in utter darkness, when all three fied from Charlton’s chamber silently and swiftly, as they did everything, leaving the soldier by himself, bewildered and dazed. He had seen a black, half-naked figure over- throw the lamp; had heard the patter of bare feet; but that was all. Instinctively he felt for his ean They were gone! Then he drew his saber, sharp as a razor, and n to whirl it in circles round his head in the dark, imagining himself surrounded, while he shouted for the guar2. He had not long to call when a light shone from the passage outside, for his quarters were near the guard-room. The havildar ran in with several troopers, carrying torches and looking stupid as if just roused from sleep, which was the case. Charlton’s nerves were much shocked by the sudden event. There was something in a secret mysterious peril like that which threatened him which appalls the bravest; and he shook a good deal as he searched for traces of the assas- sins. None were found, except his pistols, laid down in the passage before the door; and the Mpeg was quite puzzled. = in the world did they not kill me with them, if they wished to,” he asked the havildar, an old gray-bearded sepoy of many years’ ser- vice. ** Because they are Thugs,” replied the old man, gravely. ‘“‘They do their work in silence, or not atall, Sahib. Praise the great gods that made the wolf how] beneath the window, for no Thug will go on after such an omen,” Charlton started, as a thought struck him. ‘« Are the prisoners safe?” he asked, and with- ~ out waiting for an answer he ran to the guard- room to look for himself. As he had e ted, the cell doors were opened, and all the prisoners were gone. Then, for the first time since he had been in the service of the Rajah of Jagpore, Charlton began to suspect the fidelity of his own men, as he asked: “ Who stood sentry here ?” The havildar trembled and turned pale under his dark skin as he pointed to a recumbent ure in the corner, “It was Moduree Sing,” he faltered; ‘‘ and here he lies.” Charlton advanced and looked down. There lay the body of Moduree Sing, one of the best soldiers in his troop, with features swollen and distorted, showing that the poor fellow had died of strangulation. After a series of questions and cross-questions, he found that the men had all been asleep in the The Tiger Tamer. -room as usual, Moduree standing rd the passage eutside; that no one had heard anything till the how] of the wolf awoke them, and that then they found the room looking the same as usual, Charlton, with the corpse of poor Moduree lying before him, could no longer suspect his own men. It was clear that the Thugs had been released by some person well acquainted with the palace, and his suspicions naturally rested on Khoda Khan, as the person most likely to know, CHAPTER XV. PLOT AND COUNTERPLOT. Wuen Luchmée entered the room of the Nauteh-girls, she knew that she was in grave peril. Nothing but the still more fearful men- ace of the tigress outside drove her in. She knew that the Rajah’s dancing-girls all hated her for her beauty and the triumph she had won that night; and thatif one of them waked she would surely be exposed. She saw the slavesof the Zenana Guard lying by the door with their razor-like tulwars chained to their wrists; and although she did not fear immediate death from them, she expected at least rough treatment, and perhaps a severe beating with bamboos; for Nautch-girls meet with little consideration in India. Her only reliance lay in her. own silence and swiftness of motion, and she stooped down at the threshold and took the little bells from her anklets as she thought of this. Silent and agile as when she danced before the Rajah, the girl stepped over the rds at the doorway and found herself in the room where the dancers lay on the floor, muffled in their great night- cloaks and shawls. Luchmee passed between the sleepers till she came to the middle of the room where the an- cient hag, called the ‘‘ Mother of the Dancers,” slept on a raised couch, covered with soft cush- ions. At each side of the couch but below its level, lay an armed slave, black and hideous, his naked sword gleaming in the lamplight; but on the couch itself, nestled up by the old woman, was little Ali, fast asleep. The child looked ver pretty and innocent as he lay there, with the traces of recent tears on his cheeks, but Luchmee only thought to herself what a nuisance it was that be was not awake, However, her quick wits devised a way to wake him without alarming the rest. She felt a sort of interest in the child, though she hated the father bitterly, but just at that moment fear of the tigress was the most prominent feature in her mind. Going to the foot of the couch she laid her band on the bare foot of the little one, gave a slight pull and then stood up with her finger on ber lips, ready to catch Ali’s eye. : As she expected, the boy woke immediately and looked up at her, without crying, for his Bohemian life had sharpened his wits. Lucbmee signed to him to rise and follow her, pointing to the window as shedid so. Silent as a cat, Ali left the side of the sleeping Dhya, and stood up at the end of the couch, looking to- ward the window. The grim head of Seevah the tigress was there, as the huga creature, yeared on her hind- legs, with her forepaws on the sill, looked into the zenana. Ali smiled and held out his arms, for he saw the face of Govinda behind that of the tigress; and at that moment Seevah could contain her joy no longer, but uttered a series of loud roars and leaped into the room, waving her tail tri- umphantly. In an instant all was confusion. Guards and girls alike scrambled up, the women shrieking dismally and falling back on the floor, the euaxcs running away in dismay, shouting for elp. Right through the press trotted the grim- sacrifice to Kalee with the most renowned stranglers in India. She was actuated in this partly by hatred to Govinda, whom she had followed so long, and partly by the fascination which the murderous worship of the goddess Kalee seems to exercise on all of that singular body uf devotees and criminals, the Thugs or Phanigars of India. Now she made up her mind to escape from the venana; for, used to a free and wandering life, she did not covet the favor of the Rajah, and had only consented to dance before him from a species of vanity common to her profession, the desire to score a new tri- ulph. oreover, the dissolute and fickle creature had taken a strange fancy to the young soldier whom she had failed to murder that very morn- ing, and had capriciously determined that, since she might not kill him, no one else should. With this thought in her mind, Luchmee wan- dered through the zenana till she came to aside door which led into the men’s quarters, and this she quietly opened and glided t ough. Behind her in the zenana she knew there was a great commotion, but in the other half of the palace all was still as Ceath, the courtiers asleep, the Rajah dead drunk and snoring, the guards ex- tended in the passages, oblivious to cares of their watch in the absence of the Major Sahib. As Luchmee went on, however, she spied one moving figure, which she soon found to be that of Khoda Khan; and instantly it flashed on her mind that he was probably after Charlton. She knew that Khoda was ignorant of her own failure, that he himself had proposed Charlton as a victim, and that any person once doomed by the Thugs was sure to be followed patiently and relentlessly, for days, weeks and months, if it became saath pot till the oppor- tunity of execution was foun Instantly, with all the caprice of her sex and calling, the Nautch-girl made up her mind to baffle Khoda. ‘*They gave the Sahib to me, and no one else shall have him,” said the girl to herself, with a strange mixture of superstition and pity. ‘‘If the goddess wants him, J will give him to her, but no man shall take his life. Light as a tripping bird, she followed Khoda through a side postern into the tower, and saw, with him, the unexpected capture of Mirza Baba by Charlton. When the soldier seized Mirza’s bridle, Khoda was not fifty feet bebind him, and Charlton little knew how much he owed to the timely appearance of the patrol that night. The torch-bearers had seen Khoda; and, obeying his signal, were about to seize the American, when his own vigorous cuts were seconded by the gallop of the troopers, All this was seen by Luchmee as she crouched in o neighboring doorway, and her admiration for Charlton increased when she saw.the dreaded Thugs quail before his sword. s fe is my Rustam, my hero great in battle,” muttered the girl, proud y ‘* No one shall give him to Kalee but myself.” She watched the capture of Mirza and his party with perfect complacency therefore, and only turned her attention toward Khoda Khan. he wily Thug rv carefully concealed in the doorway till the patrol had passed up the street, when he stole out and followed it in the black shadow of the houses. As silent as himself Luchmee pursued them all to the gates, and saw, with Khoda, the entrance of the x Then the traitorous minister of the Rajah turned away to the little postern from which he had emerged, and reéntered the palace; when Luchmee, following him, found that he had bolted the postern door and that she was shut out. Fora moment the Nautch-girl stood irresolute, and then she knocked three times on the postern, giving a signal peculiar to the Thugs, which she expected would be heard by Khoda. As she had surmised, the Rajah’s minister had not got so far away that he could not hear looking beast till she came to the boy, noticing | ber, and he returned and opened the door in- no one on the track. Luchmee had fled with the guards, and there was no one to interfere with Ali as the little fel- stantly, to find Luchmee standing in the moon- light, closely vailed. “ Where, in the name of Kalee, hast thou low climbed on the back of the tigress and seized | been?” asked the Rajah’s minister, amazedly. the familiar collar in his chv »by hands. Go- vinda outside gave a whistle. chere was a shuf- fling scramble over the floor, and Seevah Jeaped | thee and me.’ into the garden in triumph with her burden. Meantime, Luchmee, who bad fled with the guards, found herself alone in the corridors of the zenana, and began to realize that she had no business there, She had made nothing but enemies that night in the ‘pelace, and wished she bad never entered it. wandering Nautch- girl, her own troupe was not then at Jagpore, | her only object in visiting it being to join in the eR ae ee ‘Thou wert to have killed this American Sahib; and instead, he has captured all our party but >] ‘‘Let it go!” answered Luchmee. ‘We failed once because Mirza Baba was a fool. Leave the man to me, and I will have him yet,” ‘* Not so,” rejoined Khoda Khan, firmly. ‘‘He is too dangerous now. He knows the faces of all but me in our band and he will tell the old y Ingleez Sabib that he has found a Thug nd in the palace at Jagpore. The man must die te wget, er we are all lost.” i } ] f { |
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I ns ~ nm -- - - — “And I say,” responded Luchmee, an ‘ “that his death was confided to ea oy ie Baba, and that he shall die by no otber hand than mine. Try and see.” As soon as she had spoken she turned and fled away down the dark passages till she was lost to sighs in the obscurity, leaving Khoda Khan gnashing his teeth. The minister was the more angry because he felt that the wonuwn was right. He recognized her only by her figure and voice in the u oon- light, for he had not seen her face at the sacri- fice, and was still entirely ignorant that the spueen of the Nautch-girls and the Ranee were thesame. Mirza Baba, who might have unde- ceived him, was at the moment in prison with his comrades; and Khoda knew that if be bim- self made any attempt on Charlton’s life that night, it would be a breach of the customs of his order which could only be excused by suc- cess. However, he was doggedly determined on his purpose, first to release his fellow Thugs, and afterward, if possible, to dispatch the only man who knew the secret of their calling. His man- ner of proceeding was very simple. As prime minister of the Rajah of Jagpore, he had free access to all posts occupied by the Rajah’s troops; and the sentry at Charlton’s guard- room made no difficulty in passing him to the prisoners when all the rest of the guards were asleep. Poor Moduree Sing little thought, as he resumed his walk up and down the stone cor- ridor, that be had admitted one Thug to help others, He suffered for his error very soon, when he found himself seized by strong arms, while the fatal roomal choked down his slight- est cry, anc the stranglers executed their work with the uliar savage dexterity of their sect. Each had his post, and all stole up behind the unconscious sentry as silently as cats. Ina mo- ment his arms were clutched by two, while a third seized his ankles, and Khoda threw the fatal noose. There, in the darkness and silence, died Moduree Siag, the first victim of the ter- rible goddess Kalee, and then the whole party of Thugs stole away to Charlton’s room, with the result previously described. The surprise of Khoda Khan at reading the billet warning Coariton of his danger was due to two things: first, it told him that there was a traitor in the party, who must be the unknown vailed woman; and, second, it told him that she was no Ranee, but a Nautch-girl. This may seem strange, but it must be remembered that in India, women are not allowed to acquire any learning whatever, the only exceptions to the rule being the Nautch-girls, who are taught to read and write. Thus, strange to say, in Hin- dostan, education is thought to be a degradation to a woman, the respectable lady looking upon the reading and writing of the Nautch-girl as part of her arts. How Luchmee had managed to obtain en- trance to the room was a mystery to Khoda; but, dogged as ever, be persisted in his purpose. He did not see, peering into the room from the little window high above, the face of Luchmee, as the oe sat on the flat roof of a neighboring part of the palace, to which she had climbed, and looked down into the room, Nevertheless it was Luchmee who was there, and it was her lips that framed the lifelike imi- tation of the chimama or howl of the wolf, the most fatal of all omens in the list of Thuggee superstitions. She laughed to herself as she saw them run away in such haste, and mur- mured: ‘*Kalee! He is thine, but mine as well; and none shall take him from me but thee.” As she spoke, she glided away over the roof toa staircase leading to the zenana which she had found, and up which she had fied. She knew that the zenana was full of her enemies, but she also knew that Charlton would prob- ably search the roofs around his guard-room and she preferred falling into the hands of the Zenana Guards to meeting Charlton’s rough troopers. She had already done so much to- ward exploring the palace in the darkness that she feared nothing more, and soon found her- self again in the zenana, which by this time had resumed its wonted quiet. Luchmee hastily traversed the silent passage until she entered the gallery from which the Rajah had witnessed the taming of Burrhea, the previous day. The moonlight shone into the court and on the iron doors around the side. Before the dark entrance of one stood Govinda, and the door was wideopen. Then as Luchmee hit behind a pillar to watch the tiger-tamer, he disuppeared into the passage. _ The Tiger Tamer. CHAPTER XVI. THE RESIDENT. Sir Dovetsas MoGREGOR was smoking his hookah after breakfast a short time before sunrise, and while the air was still cool and comfortable. The inhabitants of India, white and black, acquire habits of early rising in that scorching climate, and Sir Douglas was an old Anglo-Indian. He lay in a grass hammock under the broad-spreading veranda, and lazily watched the wreaths of smoke from the bowl of his pipe, when he was startled by an exclama- tion of terror from one of the native servants that waited near him. The next moment there was a scramble and shuffle of bare feet and the Resident was left alone on the veranda, while the noise of slamming doors showed that the servants had fled into the house and shut the doors on themselves. Instantly Sir Douglas realized that some dar- ger was at hand, for he knew the coward y na- ture of the natives too well to doubt that they had left him to save their own necks. He sat up in the hammock in amazement, and even his tougb nerves winced and the blood steod still at his heart, ag he not twenty feet from him, a huge tiger, slowly waving its tail to and fro, and gazing wistfully at the hammock. Sir Douglas McGregor was a man of great courage, but he was alone and unarmed. More- over, the apparition of the tiger came so sud- denly, that he had no time to think; and itis no wonder that he turned — while the sweat rolled off his forehead in big drops. However, all his fear did not make him lose his presence of mind, so he looked round him with the view of making a rush for the house door before the tiger made an aggressive movement. He was just drawing up his legs preparatory to a leap, when a hand was laid on his shoulder, and a voice said, in the precise, labored English of a native gentleman who has learned from books: 8: ““T hope that Sir Douglas McGregor will not allow the presence of my tigress to incommode him. Seevah is quite harmless, unless I bid her | be otherwise,” The old Scot turned his head and met the eves of Govinda, who stood beside the hammock looking down at him. The Resident was too much accustomed to concealing his feelings to | allow any token of his recent terror to appear, 80 he affected to yawn as he answered: “Oh, is that you? The man Major Charlton spoke of, I suppose. You have a fine animal there. Would you be so good :s to call out for my servant? That rascal of a hookah-bearer has run away.” Govinda looked down at the old minister with a dubious sort of smile, and responded: “T think that for our purposes it shall be ad- visable to retain the domestics in ignorance of the purport of our conversations, Sir Douglas. You will observe me, that I speak the English as facile as formerly. I did bring with me this tigress of mine on purpose to secure an inter- view with your excellency that should be en- tirely undisturbed.” Sir Douglas McGregor turned round and looked at the tiger-tamer from under his shagg brows fora moment, and then swung himself half out of his hammock, muttering: ‘*VYouwll have what I please, not what you want—” He had got thus far and his feet were almost on the floor, when Govinda made a signal, In a moment the tigress rushed forward with such an appalling growl and snarl, that Sir Douglas caught up his legs into the hammock with alacrity and dropped the mouthpiece of his long snake-like peohett With an air of the most refined politeness Govinda lifted the mouthpiece and presented the tube to Sir Douglas, calmly observing: **T beg to assure the Resident that no harm is intended him, but that 1 prefer that our inter- view should be entirely private. It is useless to attempt the evasion of my purpose while See- vah is here,” ‘ Sir Douglas showed his coolness by accepting the proffered pipe with a sli :- ht bow, after which he puffed away in silence for some minutes, buried in thought. At last he said, in a rather sulky tone: ‘* Well, what do you want?’ “That is the question for myself to demand of you, Sir Douglas. I was informed by the commandant of the guards at Jagpore that you wished to see me. Iam here, What would ou?” “ What is your name and who are you!” “Men call me the King of the Jungle, some Govinda, the Tiger-Tamer,” 15 ‘But your real name—what is it?” * , twenty years since.” Sir Douglas started and peered at the other in the gloom of the early dawn. ‘What was it twenty years since?” ‘Tt was that of aman who bated you English, and never turned his back in battle.” ‘But for all that, he was beaten, Govimda. He was no coward, but he was a fool. Were he alive now, he would be more sensible, 1 think.” The tiger-tamer shook his head gloomily. ‘*Perbaps not. Who can tell tne decrees of God? He may come to life again, to the sorrow of you English. What do you wish to — to me? The sun will rise, and I must de to the jungle—the home to which you an have driven me.” ‘*T wish to know whether you wil] hear rea- son and be at peace, if you are treated reason- ably,” said Sir Douglas, raising himself on his elbow. ‘The fact is that we are getting tired of a person who shail be nameless, in a place that you know of, and we do not want to take more territory on our hands, If we suppor P) ha oh fing past, will you stick by th Govinda drew back, folded his arms on hi broad chest and was silent. Sir Douglas watched him keenly and went on: “Don’h Le a fool a second time, but think yours over 1t. Ft vou do as I wish you and your child ar onathrone. Refuse and go ck to the ,le to starve, or come out to play the mountebank before the present Rajah of Jag- re, T Govinda’s eyes glittered and the old Scot heard the grating of his teeth in the gloom. ‘They tell me he has tried to steal your child from you,” continued the Resident in a reflec- tive sort of wtb “‘and I hear also that he tried to kill you by setting a wild tiger at you. Now I should say that to a manof your race this life you lead must be tiresome—” Govinda raised his hand to interrupt him. “Itis free, and 1am the master. I prefer to be first in the jungle to being second in a pal- ace.” Sir Douglas shrugged his shoulders. ‘*Then you refuse to promise! It is a matter of little consequence to the Government. I suppose you know that we are aware of your identity with a person whose head is forfeit.” “J know all, Sir Douglas,” answered the tiger-tamer, and as he spoke he drew himself up to his full hight, “Your sowars have sought me for years, and I have wandered in the free jungle, where they dared not follow. Alone, under the sun and the stars, I have de- fied the power of the white lords of India, who stole our heritage by lies and ferce, assumed as they would best serve your are ep I have made brethren of the wild sts, because I found them better friends than men. men cannot take me, and you know it.” “Then, in plain words. you refuse to promise?” Sir Douglas’s tone was decidedly ill-tem- ered. ‘For the present, yes. I must have time to think.” “‘Oh, very well—what shall I call yout—Go- vinda, at present? Very well, take your time and Jet me know.” “TJ will return before sunset of to-morrow,” said the tiger-tamer, gravely. “If I promise, as you know—” “You will keep your word—of course. Al! your race, except one, had the virtue of truth in them. As for him, the less we say about hin. the better, I think ” Govinda laughed bitterly. ‘“*What! Has the Sabib Commissioner Resi- dent found out his mistake at last? Well, it was time. Had the Company treated me right- ly twenty years ago, the people of this unhappy land might be prosperous to-day, and you know it. Peace be unto you.” The tall figure turned and vanished round the corner of the house, just as the first rays of the rising sun began to gild the domes and minarets of Jagpore. Sir Douglas was about to jump up and follow, when he was arrested by a warning growl from the tigress, and discovered that amiable quadrupea crouching asif to spring. ‘*Tt’s clear that our estimable friend does not wish to bedogged,” said the Resident to bimself as he sunk back in the hammock, when the ti- gress at once rose to her feet and stood looking anxiously off across the lawn in the direction which Govinda had taken, She did not like the increasing light. Sir Douglas watched her with some interest to see what:she would do, » Meanwhile, Your
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16 the brilliant ‘markings of her sides and the grandly symmetrical form of ber body. Minute after minute ; the sun rose fully over the horizon, and still the great beast stirred not—till the faint sound of a distant whistle echoed fromthe back of the house. Then, away jike a flash went the tigress, and Sir Douglas leaped from the hammock to follow her. He saw her gallop over the lawn into a bamboo a thicket that bordered the garden, and there she vanished, ,. The old Resident was a keen sportsman and ‘ his blood was up. He had feltintensely irritated at the humiliating position in which he bad been kept by Govinda, and was determined to find out the secret of bis retreat at any hazard. He rushed to the back door of the Residency, kicked and shouted like & maniac till it was opened by the terrified servants, and then dashed into the house, scolding and striking right and left, and shouting for his guns and bearers. A few minutes later, gun in hand, he was tracking the tigress across the garden and followed the trail till it entered the black ground af the burnt jungle. Just as he was considering about what to do to follow to the best advantage, he heard his name called out, and saw Charlton riding to- ward him followed by an escort of sowars of the Rajah’s guard. ‘“Glad to see you, major,” panted the Resi- dent, who was beginning to lose breath from his un wonted exertions. ‘* Senda man back for my hors. arv let three or four more track this tigress « . the ashes, See Na ae has been here, and. ~ :t to find im. ‘*Better leave him alone, Sir Dougias,” re- plied Charlton, gravely. “Dye news for you, sir. The Thugs were after me only yesterday, and Govinda saved my life from them. I've found the names of five in one gang, and Mirza Baba is one of them.” . The old Resident desisted from his purpose at once and turned to Charlton with a series of cross-questions that soon elicited the whole of his adventures of the previous day. ‘*You were a foolish young fellow not to bring me that Luchmee you tell of. She’s the worst of the lot. Go back to the Rajah, and keep your counsel. I'll bave them all now, in- side of a week.” CHAPTER XVII. « Boppery bop! how tired I am, Koda,” oppery bop ow tire am, a, yawned his Highness, the Rajah Ram Sing. ** Send for that new Nautch girl. By the beard of Sultan Baber, she’s worth all the dancers of me Zenanah. Send for her at once.” he Rajah had slept off the effects of his last night’s potations of **Sham”—alias champagne —and be was much in the condition of any other spoiled child who wanted to be amused. hoda han was accustomed to these moods and dex- terous in finding sports to divert the attention of his master from business, but this time he was a little at fault. a Queen of the Nautch-girls had disap- “Your Highness is aware, I suppose,” he be- gan, ‘that the woman was nothing but a free ancer from Delhi, and that she was brought in by the Major Sahib,” ** Yes, I know all about it. The Major Sahib is my best friend, Khoda. He brought her here. Where is she?” ‘* Your Highness will have to ask the Major Sahib,” replied Khoda, with a significant leer. ‘*He has taken her away again, possibly to en- hance her value.” § The Rajah Ram Sing started up in bis chair, and the veins in his forehead swelled out, as he ejaculated: “Where is the dog? How dared he? Who am I to be treated like this by a Frank—an infi- del—a—a—” He paused and spluttered with indignation, while Khoda respectfully waited, with Tis eyes cast = till his master’s wrath should permit a word. ‘* Where is the Major Sahib?” finally bellowed the Rajah, in tones of intense fury. ‘“*He has gone forth to see the Resident Sahib, my lord,” replied the minister, glibly and obse- quiously. This was another stab; for Ram Sing hated Sir Douglas McGregor with a hatred all the more intense that he was dreadfully afraid of the old Resident. ~ ‘What is he doing there?” he asked, ere me oe pay him to stay here, not to bear tales $ho ib.” “Your Highness is not aware then that this The Tiger Tamer. American is a great favorite with the Ingleez Sahib. They see eachother almost daily. The major was there yesterday before the jungle fire, and tried to persuade the Sahib Resident that your Highness’s court was full of Thugs.” Here Khoda bent his eyes on the floor with an air of pious and saintly resignation that was go affecting. The Rajah looked startled and frightened. ‘Thugs! here in my court! The man must be mad, There are no Thugs left in Hindostan, are there?” Khoda smiled with a sneering expression, ‘* How could there be in your Highness’s do- minions, with the Major Sahib for chief of the guard? The major wished to give the Resident an opportunity to interfere with the rule of She 1, ighness, to break the succession, per- aps. The Rajah Ram Sing was half angry and half terrified now. ‘*T want no interference here and I will have none. I will send this Major Sahib about his business. Whose dog am I to be treated thus? He can leave me to-morrow.” ‘* Your Highness forgets,” said the oily tones of Kheda, ‘‘ that the Sahib Resident has deter- mined that the American must stay with us whether we will or no. He threatens, if wesend him away, to order in a British force andto dis- miss your Highness’s guards altogether. We cannot get rid of the major that way.” ' ‘* Then how, in the name of Allah? Ob bop- pery bop! speak out, Khoda—what mean you?” “The major must have an accident, out hunt- ing,” responded the crafty minister, smiling and rubbing his hands, ‘‘He told your Highness that it would be well to take a ride sally. I think be was right. Let your Highness order a grand hunt, with the Major Sahib for escort. He shall never come back.’ ‘But how will you manage it, Khoda?’ ‘‘Dread lord, he says there are Thugs here. Suppose they catch him alone.” ‘** But there are no Thugs in my dominions,” urged the Rajah, looking apprehensively round. Khoda laughed in low sneering tones. ‘There are none here, but they can be found if a prince hasa minister who is faithful and discreet. Let your Highness order thehunt. I will answer for the Major Sahib.” The Rajah Ram Sing looked peeandenaey half-fearfully at Khoda Khan, for that power ul rascal was overmastering, as usual, the weaker scamp. The prince was yet but a young man in years, though old in dissipation and extrava- ance. He had been a boy of ten at the time of fhe mutiny of 1857, and bad been put on the throne as a puppet by the East India Company in place of his elder brother, Arjuna, who had joined the rebellion with all his heart and soul, and disappeared at the siege of Delhiin one of the final battles there. It was Sir Douglas Mc- Gregor himself who had raised Ram Sing to the throne, principally because of his youth and pliability, but since that day the old Scot bad found reason to regret his choice more than once. The boy had compensated for his weakness of character by exhibiting a fondness for dissipa- tion surprising even in a Rajah of Jagpore, and at twenty-eight years of age resembled a fat man of fifty, thanks to a ag mornin draughts of ghee or melted buffalo butter, an to — banquets on champagne and spiced shes. This fat, timid, sensual, cruel, tyrannical crea- ture, who could smile at an execution and yet fainted with terror at the sight of a loose tiger, was now as wax in the hands of Khoda. ‘*You are my preserver,” he ejaculated. “Rid me of this impudent American, and you shall have all his savings.” Khoda’s eyes sparkled with avarice; for he knew that Charlton, who had once been the Ra- jah’s first favorite, had accumulated a great stock of jewels, which he always carried about him, as if in momentary expectation of leaving the country. Khoda longed for these jewels himself. ‘* Your Highness shall be rid of him, if I am allowed full liberty, but no questions ought to be asked by any one, if the enterprise is to be accomplished successfully.” ‘*Do as you please, Ehoda; do as you please. What shall we do to-day?” “Tf your Highness permits, I would say that the hunt should be ordered to-day. The Major Sahib will soon be back from his visit’ to the Residency; if, indeed, the Ingleez Sabib has not made up is mind to keep him for good. Shall I order the bunt?” “* At once, Khoda.” The Rajah’s eyes glowed with rage as he moved restlessly about on the divan where he was lolling, while Khoda Ehan silently glided from the saloon to give the orders.which were to marshal hundreds of men at a few minutes’ notice for the hunt. In the saloon were none left but his slaves with their fans, and the great man had no one to whom to vent his spleen in the form of con- versation. As he lay there, fidgeting and frowning, the clatter of horses’ feet in the court-yard of the palace told of the arrival of a mounted party, and the Rajah eagerly exclaimed: ‘*Who is it? Go and see quick! asleep?” ° } A rush of obsequious servants to the window was followed by the report that the ‘* Major Sahib” had arrived. ‘¢Tell him I wish to see him—instantly !” cried the Rajah, angrily; and then be sunk back on his couch, and waited till Charlton entered the room. The American came in with a firm step and an air of some hauteur, for he was more than ever resolved to brook no oppression from the Rajah. ‘* Your Highness sent for me—I am here,” was his sole greeting, as he stood before the di- van. ‘Where have you been?’ demanded the Prince, in a growl like that of a surly dog. ‘‘T have been to report to the Resident tlt your Highness’s palace is infested with Thugs,” was the uncompromising reply, as Chariton looked straight into the Prince’s face. It must be remembered that, owing to the signal given by Luchmee, Charlton was fully convincea that the Rajah himself was a Thug. He was therefore prepares to witnesg signs of confusion in the other’s manner, and was not surprised when Ram Sing stammered: ‘‘Thugs! herein my palace! Impossible! You are mad! The Thugs are all dead long ago.” ‘*To show your Highness that they are n allow me to say that | was yesterday attack by a gang of Tbugs; that I captured five of them last night; that some confederate of theirs who knows the palace well let them out of their cells; that they strangled a sentry, and, finally, that they attacked me last night, a second time, in my own room,” As Charlton proceeded in his summing up, the pon grew paler and paler, and trembled violently. “In yous own room!” heejaculated. “ Why, then, they may come to me next!” Ky Very possibly, your Highness,” answered Charlton, coolly; ‘‘ unless, indeed, they rever- ence you as a chief among princes, In that case they would refrain from harming you.” ‘Yes, yes, probably they would,” cried the Rajab, hastily. ‘ Do‘you think so, major?” he fat prince was quite innocent and in earn- est, but Charlton did not know this. The American by. pa that he was being imposed on, so he replied: “1 feel certain of it, your Highness. Never- theless, as I do not wish to be strangled myself, I have informed the Resident, and given him the names of the men who are abroad and the men I suspect.” The Rajah looked nervous. ‘‘ And what is the Resident Sahib going to do?” “He has taken measures to find them all, your Highness,”—with a strong emphasis on the ‘all"—“and within a few days we expect to wipe out the stain of Thuggee from the do- minions of Jagpore.” ‘I hope so, | hope so,” spluttered the Rajah hastily. ‘*The wretches ought to be punished —certainly, certainly—W here’s Khoda? Whas has become of bim?’ “The Vizier was in the court-yard giving or- ders as I passed in, your Highness.” “True, true. Weare going hunting, major. You know you recommended me to ride every day for my health. Khoda bas persuaded me to go hunting to-day, so you must get out your escort at once.” ‘‘Certainly, your Highness; but you will al- low me to say that had 1 known we were going out, I could have ordered the beaters to their posts before sunrise.” “« My subjects are ready to go to their posts at any time, major,” said the Rajah, tartly; and he turned away his face with a look of great relief as Khoda Kban, obsequiousas ever, glided into the room, for the Prince did not like to be left alone with Charlton long. The American, obedient to the orders he had received, left the presence of the Rajah, and ia so do the Vizier. Khoda Khan salaamed with an sir of the utmost courtesy; Are you all b h v ec ¥ t
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but there was the same exasperating smile on his lip which Charlton had observed on the day when Govinda tamed the t in the palace court. However, he said nothing, and Charlton was compelled to swallow his anger as he left the room, As soon_as he was gone, the Rajah turned erly to. Khoda Khan, and said in a trembling voice: ‘‘He hes been to the Resident, and he says there are Thugs here. Is there any danger, Ehoda?” ‘None to your Highness, If there are thease - here, be sure they know their master and "a ee orders,” _ “But they killed a sentry of m ard Khoda.”... > : A ge ‘Tt may be necessary to kill another, before we have ended our task, your Highness, but mer should be proud to die to serve their mas- rer.’ And Khoda Khan laughed sneeringly. CHAPTER XVIII, UNDER JAGPORE. WuHeEN Luchmee saw the tiger-tamer disap- pear into the dark archway under the palace, she hesitated to follow. She had an abiding dread of the tigress, his usual companion; and there was something in the dark passage that seemed inexpressibly aw- ful at night. As she thought of what might happen were she to meet Govinda in that mys- terious gloom, she shuddered violently and drew back into her corner bebind the pillar to watch and wait. She knew it must be drawing on toward morning, for she had been wandering about through the palace for some time, and she felt that it was necessary for her to escape from its precincts. In her strange caprices between murder and mercy, the Queen of the Nautch- girls had made a great many enemies. She did not dare to go back to Charlton, though she had saved his life, for she feared that he would con- nect her with the second attempt at Thuggee, and she dreaded above all things to be taken before the old Scotch Resident. She feared the keen eye and cold heart of Sir Douglas, and well knew that she could not hope tocharm him, as she had others, The Rajah, she knew, had been delighted with her dancing, but she did not dare to seek him either, Eastern tyrants being proverbially fickle and cruel, If she found him in a bad humor, hie might order her the bamboo at once, for no one cares to respect a Nautch-girl, As for Khoda Khan and her late associates in Thuggee, she knew well eres $e that may would look on her as a traitor, and that her life was not worth a moment’s purchase should she meet them in any lonely place. The *‘Mother of the Dancers” was equally out of the question, for Luchmee felt sure that she bad been seen in the room when little Ali was carried off by the tigress, and the girls would be sure to connect her with the attempt, &s a stranger, sent there by the Major Sahib with a bribe of a ring. In short, poor Luchmee, as she sat there by the pillar in the moonlight, began to realize very keenly that she was in the midst of a nest - enemies and to wish that she had never left elbi. ; She began to pray to the goddess Khalee to help her in her need, but the prayer only re- yainded her afresh of the danger in which she stood, and then at last, just as she was at her wits’ end what to do, she heard voices approach- ing; saw that the moon bad disappeared, giving place to daylight, and realized that the palace was astir. Only one way of escape seemed open to her, and that was a terrible one. She knew that there was a staircase near her, leading down rose and stole down the steps, just as Khan, followed by Mirza Baba and the rest of the little gang of Thugs, entered the gal- jery above. She crouched silently against the wall and heard Khoda say: ‘‘ The Mother of the,Dancers is my friend, and the Zenanah is the only ng: where no man will dare look for you. This Major Sahib has gone off to get orders from the Resident, and the coutitay will be searched. There is no safety fér you anywhere but in the Zenanab.” _ “But what if the guards discover us?’ asked The Tiger Tamer, Mirza Baba, in an apprehensive voice. ‘‘We shall be killed by the Rajah for violating the Zenanah.” Ehoda laughed low and sneeringly. “You do not know all that goes on in these walls, Mirza. You have your vails, the mother is my friend. All you have to do is to follow my directions, go to her silently, give her the word and she will conduct you to a place of safety. To-night, climb the garden-wall, make for the panep and we will have better luck next time. Khalee has not forsaken us yet, for the Rajah is clay in my hands.” Luchmee peered through a chink in the wall behind which she was hiding, and saw the min- ister usher what seemed to be five closely vailed women to the door of the Zenanah, which closed upon them. Then she turned and Hed down the passage into the wild beasts’ quarter. She soon recognized it by the powerful odor. and found herself ina low stone vault, full of pillars, where some beasts were confined in cages, Others were simply chained to the wall. It would have been a trial for the nerves of the boldest man, but Luchmee had more couraze than most men, and she entered boldly the nar- row walkin the midst of the vault, where she thought that she would be out of reach of the beasts, for she saw the bunch of rusty keys hang- ing up at the end, he moment she appeared, a tremendous up- roar ensued, Tigers and leopards, wolves and hyenas, ramped and roared against the bars of their cages or tugged and bounded at the end of their chains to get at her, imagining Luchmee to be the keeper with their daily allowance of food. It was a terrible ordeal, but the girl dashed safely down the path to the keys, clutched them in triumph, and returned, so close to the animals that some flecks of foam Dae their jaws actually fell on her glittering ress, Then, light as a fairy, with heart wildly beating, she ran to the iron door that led to the court, pushed it open and locked it bebind her; hurried round the wall locking all the doors, and finally opened the identical portal through which Govinda had vanished several hours before, She had barely time to open and close it softly, when she heard voices on the gallery above, and stood still to listen behind the iron door, which she held ajar. ‘‘What ails the brutes this morning?” she heard a hoarse voice say. “‘They make as much noise as if they had gone to fighting. Perhaps a dog hus got down there.” This voice, she rightly judged, belonged to the head keeper of the beasts; and Luchmee realized that the absence of the keys would soon be noticed, when the man went down, and that she pugee very peesoly: De pursued, As she thought of this she softly inserted a key in the lock of the iron door before her, and had the satisfaction of finding that it fitted. She listened till the keepers were out of hear- ing, and then opened the door to admit some light into the excavation; for she knew not where it led. She saw before her a long pas- sage, sloping gently down into the midst of im- netrable gloom, and hesitated to enter. At bat moment she heard the beasts beginnin their uproar afresh, and the sound determin her. Hastily she closed and locked the door, ut the keys in her sash and turned away into ihe black passage, feeling her way in the dark along the wall. \ Not a ray of light entered the cavern, which seemed to be hewn in the solid rock; the iron door fitted too tightly outside. Luchmee glided along, feeling the wall cautiously, till ber fin- ers encountered the cold smooth surface of 2 that told of another door at the side; and as she did so, the sounds of the wild beasts, rioting in the menagerie, told her that she had come to a side leading back to the court. At once she realized that it was neces- sary to close this avenue if she hoped to elude pursuit, and with that idea she tried the fasten- ings. The door seemed to be quite firm and already locked. Then the question rose in her mind as to which side was fastened, and she felt rapidly and silently over its surfaee till she came on a heavy bar, running through staples and closing the door securely. “Govinda has done this,” she thought; and she was right. It was the door by which the Rajah’s slaves had entered from the menagerie, two days before, to assist in Burrhea’s escape and which they had locked on their own side at the time when they ran from the tiger, after obeying their master’s orders. : Govinda, who had boasted to the Rajah of his eee — mn ————————E—EE—————— 17 knowledge of the had not lied, Thig long, gloom qaten, leading into the bowels of the eart! , was the scene of many a wild story in Jagpore, whose people said it had been excavated in former times by one of the first princes of their race, and that it led into the unknown halls of magicians and evil peasith who had helped the Rajah in his undertaking. Rajah Ram Sing had not dared. to enter it, and the boldest man in his service had never ventured further than the iron door leading to the menagerie; so that Luchmee, bad she known it, was quite secure from pursuit in that direc- tion. Indeed, nothing but the fact of her being a stranger in Jagpore gave her courage to enter it; for, had she known the stories told of the caverns she would never have gone on as she did now. Bold in her Apporance, the danciag-girl left the door behind her, and felt her way along the wall; the floor of the passage being smooth and sloping, so that she had no difficulty in proceed- fter some practice in this way, her eyes be- came 80 accustomed to the black darkness that she fancied she could see the walls, though thia of conrse was imaginary. Still, it so far reas- sured her that she walked along quite rapidly, only touching one band to the wall at intervals, and keeping the other before her for fear of running against something in the dark. After what seemed to ber at least an hour spent in this dark journey, the way continuing to de- scend at the same gradual slope, Luchmee’s heart began to beat rapidly; for she saw, far ahead of her, a little speck of light. Much encouraged she hurried on toward it, and found that the passage, instead of descending further became level, and that under the influence o the distant light, she could see something of the place she was in. As it had been at the entrance, so it was now, a rough archway, hewn in the rock, perhaps ten feet high and as many broad, . But what was the light ahead of her? Luchmee was sure it could not be daylight, for it showed too yellow. It had rather the character of a lamp or torch; and if so, she would soon come on Govinda, in all human pro- babalny 5 for none but he could have lighted the s+ h ee why of this, the da -girl sto s she thought o e dancin ped and had almost determined to go back, vam a thought struck her. ‘*Govinda is a man like the young Sahib, I have made one forgive me by playing the peni- tent. I can do the same with the other, per- haps. At any rate he will not kill me now, since I have helped himsave his child. I will throw myself on Govinda’s compassion.” ith this resolve, she stole forward silently as ever, but more swiftly, the passage continuing in a straight line, till she was near enough tothe light to distinguish its character, As she had expected, it was a lamp, A small brass lamp, in a bracket of iron, set in the solid rock, shed a dim yellow light on the gloomy e, where the soft sbufile of Luch- mee’s bare feet sounded unnaturally loud from the concentration of the echoes. But, save the lamp, there was no sign of human presence in the dark regions In which site stood, Stay! there was. Luchmee felt that her feet were touching something softer, than the bare rock, and look- ing down, perce yed that the whole floor was covered with a coating of sand about an inch deep, evidently strewn there by human agency; for it extended only some twenty feet up the line of the passage and all of it lay under the rays of the lamp. nstantly the quick-witted dancer realized that Govinda or some other person had placed lamp and sand there to be able to tell if any one had passed that point; and already her own bare feet had made two tell-tale racks, Instantly the girl fell back and began to con- sider how to outwit the tenant of the mine. She first stooped down and carefully smoothed out ber own tracks with her hand, assisted by the dry sand, which adapted itself readily to a Jevel over all. Then she an to examine the sand for the tracks of the inmates of the cav- ern, She had not far to seek, ‘ Right in the middle of the passage were the. footprints of Govinda; beside them those of the tigress, There wereno other marks. As Luchmee beheld these eviden- ces of the man who had preceded her, as also of bis terrible companion, her heart began to fail her again.. Then she steeled herself with the remembrance of her many conquests over the most hostile of men, and determined to fuilow. To disguise her tracks was not so difileuji os
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18 The Tiger Tamer. er. 6 girl See her own feet carefully in the eenter of the prints made by the tiger-tamer, stepped softly, gave a little shake to each foot as she lifted it, and thus crossed the belt of sand in safety. When she looked back, it would have re- quired a very careful examination to have dis- covered her tracks. The footprints of Govinda were blurred on the inside, but that was all; and Luchmee trusted to the chapter of accidents to bring the tiger-tamer to the spot in a careless indod, not d to scrutinize closely. hen she went on, the passage curving rotund away from the lamp, and soon found herself in the same darkness from which she had emerged on reaching the sand. This time, however, she felt more confident. She had learned from experience that Seevah was perfectly under the tamer’s control, and she knew enough of the ordinary secrets of tiger-taming in India to feel sure that Govinda would never permit the — to do anything more than frighten her. It was alla question of whether she could hide her own terrors when she met the ar beast. Luchmee began to think she could. With the determination to escape from the cavern in some way, and to exercise all her arts on Govinda, if she met him, the dancing- girl stole quietly along the passage, as it curved round in serpentine windings, till a second light greeted her vision. This was revealed at a sudden turn, and Luchmee saw that another lamp lighted the entrance to a great under- ground F Timidly she advanced, and stopped amazed, for a strange sight met her eyes. ene ht suppose, when those of Govinda were before CHAPTER XIX. THE HUNTING-PARTY. Tse Rajah Ram Sng, attended by his arasol-bearer, was perched on the howdah of tallest elephant in his stud, a creature with formidable tusks, and trained for the special duty of a tiger-hunter. Most elephants are so timid that they cannot be brought to face a tiger at bay; and when one is found to possess courage, it is frequently accompanied by such a sulky and vicious temper, that the animal is unreliable as a beast of burden. The Rajah’s hunting elephant was generally quiet and: well-behaved, and this day it had been hastily equipped with its howdah at the hurried order of the chief huntsman,and brought to the door to joinin the grand hunting-party, without asking any questions. The Rajah, surrounded by a numerousescort, the trumpets and tom-toms resounding on every side, the ters yelling and lightin e-crack- ers as they swept through the jungle, was loll- ing rags back in his howdah, watching the scene in indolent pleasure, when he first noticed that Tippoo, his riding elephant, was in a bad humor that Lapeer They were several miles from Jagpore, out on the Benares road ; had passed the area swept by the fire on the day before, and were in the midst ofa jungle thick with game, when this discovery was made, Majer Charlton, mounted on his gray Arab steed, Alborak, happened to ride near the royal howdah in giving some directions tothe beaters, w uttered asavage scream and made a vicious blow at the horse with his trunk, nar- ™ rowly missing it. ~ In a moment everything was in commotion. ee Khan, who was also riding near, called out: ‘“Save yourselves; the elephant is going mad!” Then every one scattered, leaving the Rajah alone on his elephant, for they all knew they were in ger. To understand the scene clearly, we must re- member that a great ring of beaters on foot, mingled with elephants and horsemen, had sur- rounded about half a mile square of jungle, and was closing in from al) sides, driving the game to the center. In the midst of all this crowd, the elephant, Tippoo, suddenly took it into his head to have one of his periodical fits of rage. They were not frequent, but they came with- out any warning, and while they lasted, were terrible. : Khoda marked the symptoms as soon as the beast struck at the gray horse without any pro- voeation, and every one round knew what was coming. As for the poor Rajah, there he was on this howdah, girthed on the back of the huge beast, and swaying to and fro on the loose skin, fright- ened out of his wits at the desertion of his fol- lowers. Of all people in the world, few are so cow- ardly as Hindoo servants when they find them- selves in a common danger with their masters. The rule of fear under which they serve is powerful till a greater fear comes to overthrow it, and thus it was with the followers of Ram Sing. One and all fled, and left the fat prince to his fate on the mad elephant. All but Charlton. The soldier was the special object of the elephant’s sudden rage, but he was also the coolest man there. Alborak required no spurring to flee from before the face of Tippoo, but as soon as Charlton saw that he was fairly out of danger of immediate annihilation, he wheeled round to return to the Rajah. Tippoo had stopped after the first sudden blow at the horse, and stood sulking with his trunk down, stock still. The mahout, or driver, who sat on the neck, plied his sharp hunkuss—a short iron spike with a hook at one side—on the elephant’s head in energetic stabs, but to no purpose. Tippoo would not move. Charlton knew well that the beast was getting ready to run a race of destruction unless it coul be stopped, and he felt sure that in such a case the Rajah would run imminent danger of de- struction in his howdah. These vehicles, while pretty to look at and comfortable enough in or- dinary procession riding, are exceedingly un- safe, owing to the loose skin of the elephant and the roundness of its back, which render it im- possible to girth a howdah with any sort of se- curity for such a top-heavy concern. Could Tippoo be stopped from running mad by a sudden and concerted attack? Charlton thought he could, and shouted to his troopers, men of the proud Mahratta race, very different from the cowardly Hindoosaround them. They were all near him and responded with alacrity to the call, when the American firmly grasped the hog-spear which he carried, dashed the spurs into Alborak and rushed at Tippoo. A moment later all the horsemen were goad- ing the sulky elephant till the blood streamed from him, while they shouted in threatenin tones. Tippoo shook his big ears, ietepeted loudly with rage and fear, and immediately turned to fight his tormentors. ‘‘Bight bim hard, Sahib! fight him hard!” cried a gray-bearded jemahdar or cap-ain, suit- ing the action to the word by spearing Tippoo's trunk. The trunk is the most sensitive portion of an elephant, and the vicious brute drew back with a scream of pain from the stab. Then he threw his trunk upin the air out of danger, and rushed at the jemahdar with head uplifted, as if to trample him down. But the old Mahratta and his horse were too wary to be caught, and the long la: ces of the troopers kept goading the frantic elepnant till it roared with pain. The howdah swayed to and fro with a sickening swing, and the poor Rajah clung to the rail, pale with terror, not knowing what to do to save himself. Still Charlton kept up the attack, his men showing no fear, but pressing the elephant fiercely, shouting all the time, till the blood streamed from the sides of the animal and made a great red patch on the grass. At last Tippoo stopped short, lowered his trunk, quivering all over his massive frame, and began to utter a peculiar whining sound, much the same as Burrhen had made under the irons of Govinda when the tiger yielded. ‘*He begs, he begs!” cried the troopers; and Charlton knew that the danger was over for the time. Tippoo was conquered by having been taken in time and bandled with courage and firmness till he begged, the way in which all wild veasts must be treated if they threaten danger when half domesticated, and the way they are treated by their tamers all the world over. But the Rajah Ram Sing was frightened to death, even after Tippoo had become quiet. His verves, never of the strongest, were re- duced to a very sensitive state by the combined effects of dissipation and dyspepsia. He began to whize and swear alternately at the mahout, the elephant, the parasol-bearer and the absent Khoda Khan, who could now be seen cautiously returning to the scene of the late conflict. ‘You are my preserver, my brother, my friend, major,” he cried to the American. ‘*Make the brute kneel. Ill never ride him again. Call for my’ palkee. Where’s that cowardly villain, Khoda Khan? I'll have his head chopped off instantly!” The mahout made the elephant kneel, and the Rajah descended from the howdah, trem- bling through all his fat, just as Khoda Khan, followed by a crowd of courtiers, came gallop- ing up with ae § mark of extreme haste, as soon as they saw that the danger was over. ‘Praise to Allah, oh light of the universe, thou art safe!” shouted Khoda at the top of his voice as he approached. ‘Oh, how we feared for your Highness when the Major Sahib pro- voked the beast to madness! That gray horse ought to be killed, for Tippoo never could - abide gray horses, especially right before his fate.” The Rajah, whose fickle nature had veered over to Charlton under the pressure of ex- treme danger, was more struck by these art- ful words than the American could have thought possible. They gave him an excuse for ingratitude which few men are unwilling to take. ‘‘Do you think it was the Major Sahib pro- voked Tippoo?’ he asked faintly, looking from one to the other. “So sure am J, that I should advise your Highness to insist on the major riding a horse of another color, as long as he must come near your Highness.” ts say you to this, major?’ asked the ajah. ‘Tsay that the elephant is must,” (the Hin- doo term for the sulky and ferocious fit of an elephant), ‘‘and that, bay or black, gray or chestnut, he would have struck at any horse just then. The vizier who gave the orders for the hunt should have inquired about thé state of the beast’s temper before he trusted your High- ness on his back.” The American spoke sharply, for he was net- tled at the impudence of the accusation, ‘* And I say that had the horse not been gray we should have had no trouble,” insisted Khoda. ‘‘Have I been bred in a district full of ele- — all my life not to know their tricks? et my lord mount ba again and kee the soldiers away from the beast and I will stake my head he will walk as quiet as a lamb, all day.’ The vizier was one of the shrewdest of men; and, as he said, he knew elephants’ tricks per- fectly. He knew well too that Tippoo was like- ly to be quiet for the rest of the day after the vere punishment he had received, includin the loss of twenty or thirty gallons of blo from lance wourds, Charlton was too proud to enter intoa ccntest with aman whom he despised utterly, and the end of the matter was that the Rajah Ram Sing went back to his howdah, feel- ing that the carelessness of his chief of the guards had put him into a very dangerous position, and that Khoda Khan wasa connoisseur in elephants, However, the episode of the mad elepbant had broken up the hunt for the day, and Khoda proposed that they should follow the Benares road toward a celebrated cover about ten miles off, and go intocamp. The Rajah egreed, and they soon after encamped by the banks of a reat reservoir of water known as Sultan Baber’s Tank. No sooner was the motley mass of beaters, soldiers, shekarres, camp-followers, begging fakirs and Nautch-girls settled into camp around the great tank, than Charlton set about reducing the crowd to some sort of order. Native princes are notoriously lax in matters of this sort, but the American was something of a martinet, and insisted on the camp being form- ed into streets, with the different classes in their respective quarters. In performing bis task, he naturally excited considerable ill-will from the lazy natives, who had been used to lax disci- pline for many generations; and especially dark and bitter were the scow]s that met him as he drove the fakirs or priests into their proper place. These fakirs are a pest in all parts of In- dia, begging their way from door to door with an impudence only excelled by their laziness, for they are generally big eo fellows. However, Charlton persevered and drove them away from the vicinity of the Rajah’s tent, after which he proceeded to set his guard for the night. : His duties were only to preserve the Rajah from harm, and when he had posted his sen- tries, he felt that his chief was secure from any attack of wild beast or enemy. Then, for the first time, he began to feel very sleepy, for he had had no rest on the previous night, thanks to the Thugs. Ritering his tent, he was soon fast asleep, uite forgetting that, while the Rajah wes Seale guarded, his own quarters had not se much as a single sentry near them.
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The Tiger Tamer. 19 But Khoda Khan marked the omission and he smiléd triumphantly as he went forth into the s’ quarter. Pin To-night he shall not escape,” muttered the ug. CHAPTER XX. THE CAVE TEMPLE. Wuaewn Luchmee paused at the end of the un- derground corridor she found herself under the light of a lamp of peculiar construction, made of solid silver and having three large wicks, which gave considerable light. Tne glow of their me illumined a broad flight of steps of very easy slope, leading down into the midst of a huge underground hall, hewn in the solid rock and elaborately decorated with sculpture. Luchmee was not learned; few women in India are; but she had heard of the cave temples of Ellora and Elephanta, and recognized the one before her as an excavation of the same kind, The rock had been left standing in numerous places, fashioned into pillars of enormous thick- ness; and uncouth statues and bas-reliefs showed the hand of times long gone by. Luchmee could see all these from the summit of the steps, but she saw something else that amazed and fright- ened her at the same time. i The whole of the underground temple was hung with three-wicked silver lamps, brightly burning, attesting the presence of human be- ings; and she could see more than one figure’ flitting to and fro between the pillars. The dancing-girl instantly drew back behind an angle of the wall, where she could see with- out being seen, and watched the interior of the temple; for she began to realize that there would be maar in going further. It was evident that the cave temple of Jag- pore had some other communication with the upper air than that by which she had come, and she suspected that this egress must be into a temple above ground, for the figures that she saw wore, without exception, the wh te robes of Brahmins, the priestly caste of India. Presently the sound of distant music that came from somewhere overhead confirmed her conjecture, for she recognized the familiar mu- sic of one of the sacred dances in which she her- self had been instructed in former days, ere she ran away from the Benares temple to become a free dancer in Delhi. As she listened to these souuds, a plan of escape presented itself to her. She knew from the character of toe music that the girls were going through the morning dance of gan to Vishnoo, in the temple overhead, and judged it probable that the underground crypt might be reserved as a sort of retiring- room for all the inmates of the temple. She did not yet know the secret of Jagpore. Minutes passed on; the music waned and ceased; the few moving figures she had noticed vanished, and at last the cavern temple seemed to be wholly deserted. Then Luchmee, with great caution, her heart beating strongly with agitation, stole out of the passage, looked all round her from the top of the steps; flitted down into the cavern, noise- lessly as a spirit, and crouched down close toa illaa. c All was quiet, and she mustered courage to rise and look round hér. The temple seemed to be empty for the time being, and Luchmee be- gan to flit from pillar to pillar, to where she had seen the Brahmin priests, passing to ani fro. She felt sure that in that quarter must lie the means of egress if any existed. As she came nearer, she became aware of the sound of voices; and she stole on, keeping the massive pillars be- tween herself and them, till she was close enough to distinguish articulate tones. ; Then she recognized the voice of Govinda in conversation with another, whose deep and broken accents told of an old man well stricken in years. “ You think, father, that the people are ready to throw off the yoke of this fellow who has the cruelty of a tiger and the courage of a hare?” said Govinda, inquiringly. _ ‘My son, I know it,” replied the deep tones of the old man. ‘‘ Were it not for this Charlton Sahib who heads the gturds, they would have swept the Rajah from his fortress long ago, and with him the Khoda Khan.” ‘This Charlton fiahib és a good soldier, father. I know him well. Sis guards are ttained to obey orders like the English soldiers. We and it hard to make our men do that, here.” ‘Wes. He svould be disposed of before we urdertake anything. He isa man from beyond sea~, come bere to gathy gold. Can he not be bribed, your Highness? ; Luchmee started behind her pillar. So Go- vinda was a prince and in league with the Brahmins. This was a revelation to her. ‘“The man need not be bribed, nor could he be,” said Govinda, quietly. ‘He is faithful to his salt,* unless his master sends him away. Al- ready his life has been attempted twice by the Thugs, and the third time may drive him from the service of the usurper.” . ‘* Heaven grant they may try and fail a third time. But evenif he turn against the usurper, there are the English. They will never forgive your Highness for fighting against them twenty years ago.” ‘*The Resident wlll not oppose me if I drive out this dog. I saw him this very day, not an hour since. He and his government are tired of the misrule and anarchy of Jagpore. If I promise to remain at peace with them, they will support me.” ‘*Isit true, indeed, my lord? Then the sooner we call on the people to rise, the better. Shall we not instruct the fakirs to preach rebellion?” ‘*Not yet,” responded the voice ot Govinda. **The tims is not ripe. He stole into my place in the palace when I was at the battle of Delhi. I will not stir until he bas returned from this hunting party. Rajah of Jagpore, I will judge this traitor on the throne of my fatbers or not at all. I would rather roam the jungle another twenty years than be called a coward. Lut ob Kalidasa, the rule of the white man is riveted on our necks forever. The nod of this gray old Resident ismore powerful than all the spears of the Mahratta horsemen; and that grieves me worse than all.” Luchmee heard the old priest sigh heavily. ‘Ts there then no hope, my Jord the Rajah?” ‘None, Kalidasa, none. 1 have been to their lands and have seen their strength. We are many in numbers, but’we are divided into fac- tions, while the English cling together like bees hanging to the roof of their hive. They have guns and machines of war uf which we know nothing here, and their iron roads pierce our land through and through. I went there, after our failure at Delhi, that I might see with my own eyes, and I come back at last, convinced that we must yield.” ‘‘But my lord forgets the protection of the gods,” urged the Brahmin. ‘It cannot be that Vishnoo shall permit his altars to be thrown down forever.” ‘‘'The white man is wise, Kalidasa. He does not interfere with the religion of the country he overns. If Isubmit tothe English, it will not urt your temple one whit.” ‘Then in the name of Krishna, dread lord, submit at once,” said the priest, earnestly. “If religion be safe, let all the rest go; for pros- perity must follow.” ‘‘ Answered like a priest, Kalidasa. The mollah of the mosque and the white missionary say the same. Be it so; you shall have your tithes and live on the fat of the land.” The tone of Govinda was sad and scornful, and Luchaee peeped round the corner of the illar to look at him. Sbe saw an old white- bearded Brabmin in his snowy robes; and Go- vinda, similarly attired, st beside him at the foot of a rude ladder that led up to a hole in the ceiling. ‘he glare of day streamed down through this hole, dimming the lamplight ar-und, and Luchmee could see a part of the great triple statue of the Hindoo deities in the temple above, which she instantly recognized.+ She knew that she was under the principal temple of Jagpore. As she thought of this and of tbe conversation she had just heard, she be- thought herself of a scheme to secure her own safety, which she instantly executed. She had noticed before that the rock pillars of the cavern were full of deep recesses among their carvings; and she determined to hide the keys which she still kept in her sash, in one of thee recesses, to mark the place; intending to use the possession of the means of entrance into the heart of the palace to buy her safety of Govinda. She felt sure, from what sbe had heard, that he was none other than the missing Rajah Arjuna, whom every one thought to have been killed in the battles at Delhi twenty years before. * Hindoos and Mahometans in India alike esteem it a deadly sin to be “false to the salt;’’ that is, un- true to the man whose bread they have eaten. In the Sepoy Mutiny, of 1857, more than one regiment was hel1 to its colors by the idea of being ‘‘ true to its salt’ amid the prevailing disaffection. +The statues of the Hindoo Trinity Brahma, Vish- noo and Seeva, Creator, Preserver and Destroyer, are seen in most Brahmin temples. Sometimes the figures are separate, sometimes joined together, but the idea of a Trinity is always conveyed, Quietly she took the keys from her girdle and slipped them into the carved monster on the base of the pillar beside her. AN might have been well, had she not, miscalculated the depth of the hollow in the mouth of the grotesque. As it was, the keys made a slight but distinct clink on the stone; instantly she heard Govinda and the priest utter exclamations of surprise and attention. ‘“Who is there?” cried Kalidasa, sharply. ‘Who dares to lag behind, after the crypt is ordered cleared? Come forth!” Luchmee stood still, listening. She hoped that the echoes might deceive them so far as to. give her a chance to escape. The old priest called out thrice in vain, Govinda being perfectly silent, Then both listened. No more was said, but the tiger- tamer gave a signal to the priest, which. sent them both away from the ladder, ex- ploring among the columns. Luchmee heard. the soft patter of their feet going from her, and stole away from the pillar behind which she was hiding Sure enough, the echoes had deceived the old priest, whose back was: be a to her, as he searched busily among the: pillars. Govinda was going in the opposite direction, and silently as a cat the girl stole to the ladder. A moment later she was climbing up, as rapidly as her heavy skirts and loose trowsers would. allow, in the hope of entering the temple unde~ tected and mingling with the Nautch-girls be-- longing to the edifice. She knew that the free- masonary of her craft would probably secure. her safety could she reach them, and as she thought of it, a burst of music in the temple an- nounced the beginning of a new sacr ce, Then she looked back down the ladder, and saw that Govinda was coming after her. She was. discovered, CHAPTER XXI. LOST AND FOUND. Wirn wildly-beating heart, but all the rapid dexterity conferred by her long trainin * Tadoh- mee ran up the ladder and emerged ar the temple, just as the Nautch-girls began their dance and song. She found the great buildin crowded with priests and worshipers, an dived into the midst of the Brahmins in a mo- ment, without looking behind her, The noise and crowd prevented ber entrance from bei much noticed, and when she glided silently to the side of the girls who were acting as musi- clans, most people took her merely for a late comer, the more so that she had thrown the pe- culiar vail of the dancers over her head and. shoulders, so as to hide the more brilliant of her jewels and her face. During her threading of the crowd she had held her head dewn to esvape detection by the Brahmins as a stranger, and she knew that none of the mus cians would speak during the singing, however they might wonder. She did not dare look behind her, for fear of meeting the glance of Govinda, but she was none the less able to satisfy her curiosity with- a ae her ene. ; n indispensable part of the equipment o every Nautch-girl is a small sdtag rast te ae od on the thumb, and with this useful little toy Luchmee was able to inspect the faces of the Brahmins behind her. As she expected, the fierce, handsome face of the disguised prince met her eye one of the first, and she felt in a moment that she was discovered, for Govinda was looking straight toward her, He had even, detected her use of the mirror, for the eyes of his image in the glass met her own, a sure sin that his bodily eyes could see her reflection. ~ Luchmee trembled: there seemed to be no way of evading this man; and she hardly dared to hope, as the low, melancholy song of the girls went on, describing the loves of Vishnoo and Suriya, while the dancers’in the circle executed | their pantomime. She felt a dim sense that she could hope for no mercy from the Brahmins while Govinda was there. The song was fast nearing its climax and she had not long to form her plans, when she began to look round her at the crowd of spectators on the side opposite the priest. There were all classes of society there, the humble half-naked coolie in his turban and waist-cloth; the ‘at. merchant of the bazar with his silk robes and cashmere shawls; the haughty Rajpoot or pro- fessional soldier, with his long mustache and swaggering air; the sly-looking moonshee with his gray beard and horn-rimmed spectacles; the vailed princess surrounded by her guards; the humble ay@h or nurse with her charge in her aping jaws of a | + aie
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20 The Tiger Tamer. —— arms, her face open to the light of day. No- where could the girl see any chance of escape or helping hands, for all looked like devotees; and she knew that Jagpore was full of fanatical Hindoos. Her plan had been to escape, as she nad done, when in her first bloom of youth, from the Benares temple, trusting to being lost in the crowd: but times had changed with her since then. She was no longer a slip of a girl in the robes of a common Nautch-girl, but a lovely wo- sman in a dress of remarkable richness; and she /more than half regretted that she was beautiful and richly dressed, when she reflected on the difficulties it was likely to cause her. At last she settled on a tall, bebe Rajpoot, as the man whose protection she would claim as soon asthe dance broke up; and she gathered her limbs together for the contemplated spring. She looked in her mirror for Govinda, and found that the tiger-tamer had moved close to her, accompanied by two stalwart priests, with the evident intention of seizing her as soon as ‘the music should cease. With a coolness and daring that showed her to be no common woman, the Queen of the Nautch-girls suddenly rose and glided into the gacred ce, giving it fresh energy for the while, and rendering it impossible for the Brahmins to get near enough to seize her with- out violating all the rules of religious etiquette. Govinda made a quiet signal to the old priest, Kalidasa, and immediately the old Brahmin shouted: j The circle of Vishnoo and Suriya! Form t! The Brahmins, who had been standing mo- tionless in front of the great seated statues of Brahma, Vishnoo and Seevah, instantly rushed forward, driving back the crowd and forming a great circle round the dancers. Luchmee felt that her design was fathomed ‘by more than one, but her courage rose with the emergency. Taking the opportunity when she was opposite to Govinda’s side of the circle, and without looking where she was going, she dived down between two of the Brahmins, and found herself in a moment in the midst of the crowd that was pushing and struggling fora sight of the ceremonies. Behind her still re- sounded the rumble of the tambourines, the c of the girls and the measured tinkle of the ank- lete of dancers, while round her murmured and seethed the reeking mass of humanity. As she had calculated, she found herself near the tall soldier, and said, hurriedly to him: as Help meaway. Iam sick, and must have air.” The big soldier did not deceive her trust in his nature, gathered from a glance at his face. In a moment his broad shoulders were ert to and fro in the crowd, and Luchmee glide through the smallest opening with a dexterity only possible to a sinuous Nautch-girl. And then, just as she wag congratulating her- self on her escape, she almost ran up against Mirza Baba, the Persian moonshee, whom she thought still hidden in the zenanah of the Ra- i yet, nevertheless, there in the idol temple, ving escaped in some manner as mysterious to her as hers was doubtless to him. That the moonshee knew her, she felt sure in a moment. He said nothing, but he planted himself before her in a way to bar her progress and was imitated by several men who seem to take their cue from him. The big Rajpoot frowned and hustled in vain, for their further progress to the air was stopped as by a wall by the united efforts of not more than a dozen men in the crowd. Then Luchmeo looked apprehen- sively round, and beheld Govinda and three other Brahmins close behind her, pushin through. In another moment she was seize by both arms, and her conductors began to force her back to the circle. No one dared to interfere, for every one thought that she belonged to the temple and was therefore under control of the priests. Even the big Rajpoot declined to show fight in her behalf when he saw the white robes of the Brahmins. Quietly but inexorably the priests hurried the girl back to the circle and carried her to her former place among the musicians, just before the music ceased. With the dance ended the first part of the chief festival of the day, and the people began to disperse; while the Nautch-girls retired ina troop to their own or Luchmee knew that there was no ya—no ‘‘ Mother of the Dancers” for these temple bayaderes. They were under the entire control of the chief Brah- min, who held the power of life and death in his hands; and she fully expected to receive — for her attempted escape, if nothing However, somewhat to her astonishment, she was taken back to the well from which she had emerged into the temple; and the stern voice of Govinda ordered her to descend. While she obeyed the order he followed her, and they soon found themselves alone in the catacomb, the Brehmins remaining above. Then Govinda laid his hand on her shoulder and asked: ‘*How did you get here?’ ‘*T came down from the palace with the keys of all the doors,” replied Luchmee, boldly. ‘If zou want to return thither, you must ask the eys-of me, for I have hid them.” fn jooked at her curiously. **Is that all? Then you did not follow me to practice on my life, witch that you are?” Luchmee smiled in her most artful manner. ‘** My lord is pleased to be merry. How canI contend with the oméhs of Kalee? My lord’s life is safe from me.” CHAPTER XXII. THE ENCAMPMENT. THE motley camp of the Rajah of Jagpore was buried in slumber beneath the glowing Indian starlight. The tents, scattered in pic- turesque irregularity, from the huge red and white marquee of the Rajah to the humble strip of canvas on four sticks under which the cook reposed by his little furnace, were grouped around certain open spaces, called by courtes streets; the nearest approach to order to whic Charlton could persuace the owners, The huge black figures of elephants standing by their stakes could be dimly discerned by the Hight of the dying camp-fires, for the moon was not to be up before midnight. Camels lay peacefully around and chewed the cud by their piles of baggage, while the horses were neighing and squealing defiance to ecch other from their picket-pins. Now and then a loose ‘stallion would come trotting around among the picketed horses, exch ‘nging kicks and squeais, but these occasional battles were the only things that dis- turbed the silence, and they troubled none but the grooms of the particular animals fight- ing. Fine Rajah’s striped marquee stood ‘on a hil- lock cvepiecidnk the tank of Sultan Baber, and the low shelters of the sowars of the horse- guard were ranged ina semicircle behind and on each side. Six sehtries paced the ground round it, for Charlton was very punctilious about the safety of his chief, knowing how much he was detested by the population of Jagpore, of whom many were among the beat ers, His own tent, large and luxurious as an In- dian marquee alone can be made, stood at the rear of those of his men, by itself, overlooking the whole camp. As we have bsfore said, it was wholly unguarded. At a camp fire, a little distance off, sat Sirdar Hamet Khan, Charlton’s lieutenant, a black- bearded Mahratta, who was devoted to his master. He was talking to Lal Sing, an o!d congrade, and wling, soldier-like: ‘The Major Sahib is a good soldier, Lal Sing, but he is too cautious about the Rajah. Weare so weak in numbers now that we have to go on guard three days in the week; and to-night, when we might have a rest, he must needs put on six sentries round that—” Hamet filled up the gap by an expressive ges- ture as he pointed at the Rajah’s tent. It was evident that the great man was not an object of much respect to his guards. Lal Sing nodded his head and observed sen- tentiously: ‘*The Major Sahib is faithful to his salt.” ‘* Yes, and a fool to himself,” growled Hamet. “Not asentry on his tent, and only last night the accursed Thugs were around him.” ‘*He should have a sentry, and I have a mind to —— ona man,” observed Lal Sing, reflect- ively. of you don’t, I shall sit here all night to watch the tent. Be off with you, and rouse u the Havildar. Tell him.tosend two men. Ibis hard if the Rajah should have six guards and his good angel none.” Lal Sing rose up and departed for the Havil- dar’s tent while Hamet Khan continued to puff at_ his pipe, and watch the tent of his beloved chief, ;rowling Mahratta curses on the Ra- jah, the Thugs and the hunting - party, the while He did not see the dark figures creeping out from under the shelter of the Rajah’s tent to- ward him. His thoughts were only on danger to his chief, none to bis own life, yet that was where the danger at that moment lay. Khoda Khan had been joined after nightfall by his Thug associates ese 6 to agreement, and they were waiting to find the coast clear in the dark, when they overheard the conversation of the two old oor As soon as Lal Sing had departed, the whole gang of the Thugs, six in number, crept out from under the shelter of the Rajah’s fly, and crawled on hands and knees to- ward the back of the unsuspicious Mahratta. A moment later they were in position behind him: Mirza Baba gave a silent signal, and the fatal roomal fell on the neck of the doomed man. They had planned their measures well, and there was hardly any resistance. The pape fell from the mouth of the old soldier as the roomal descended; his arms were seized, and he was jerked forward on his face, while Khoda twisted the noose tighter momentarily. and two other Thugs seized the legs of the un- happy victim and kicked violently at his body with their naked feet. Not a sound was audible in the darkness but a slight shuffling of feet, and the faint, gasping gurgle of the choking man; yet there in the midst of the crowded camp the, sacrifice to Kalee was safely accomplished, and the Thugs carried the lifeless body with them back to the Rajah’s tent almost ere the struggles had ceased. They feared to be interrupted by the return of Lal Sing, and it was necessary to finish their work in silence by the disposal of the body. Down under the shelter of the Rajah’s fly, within a dozen feet of the ruler of Jagpore’s snoring head, the assassins crouched and twisted away at the noose till they became satisfied that the soldier was quite dead. They looked out into the starlight and saw Lal Sing come back with two troopers, +6 along}like men only half awake yet, and Khoda smiled grimly as he heard them calling the name of amet, ** He has gone to his tent, doubtless,” observed Lal Sing at length. ‘‘ It is of noconsequency; I will give the orders. You are to watch the Major Sahib’s tent, and allow no one to enter. When the moon rises, you can call for a relief. Good-night,” And Lal Sing tram away to his tent, feel- ing that he had done his whole duty ; while the sentries began to pace the front of the major’s tent in stolid silence. Again Khoda gave a silent signal, and the gang of Thugs creptout. They were still six to two, and when the sentries had been strangled they could get at the master. Quietly the sowars paced their beats, little dreaming of the danger near them, and quietly the Thugs crept along the earth. The six had stripped off their white garments, so that their brown bodies might:be invisible in the darkness, and owing to the sandy nature of the ground, trampled up by the horse and elephant tracks, their precau- tion was successful. Not a sound escaped them till théy were within reach of the doomed sentries. Then there was a sudden startled cry, instantly choked, as the poor wretches found themselves seized by the arms while the noose was round their necks, and thrown down on their faces to the earth, each with a strong man kneeling on his back, twisting at the fatal roomal with sav- age ferocity. There was a slight scuffle as the doomed sowars kicked violently outat the earth, but the assassins understood their business too well and maictained their gripe till the victims were entirely lifeless. Then Khoda Khan arose, and said in a low voice: ‘¢Take care of the straw.” It was the slang signal to dispose of the bodies for the time, till a regular grave could be dug; and it was obeyed instantly, the bodies of the murdered sentries being carried to the corpse of Hamet Khan, and laid side by side under the tent-fly of the sleeping Rajah of Jagpore. Then the whole gang walked boldly over to the tent of Charlton, and entered it. Their time had come at last. There lay the American, on his back on a camp bed, sleeping as peacefully as an infant, and Khoda tied the knot afresh in his roomal as he looked at him. ’ ‘* At last Kalee is gracious,” whispered the Thug. » ‘*He has a lac of rupees in jewels in bis ee Sweep the floor.” Again was the slang signal understood. for the Thugs assumed their proper places to per- form their deadly office to the best advantage aa they surrounded the couch ef the sleeping vic- tim.
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The Tiger Tamer. 21 CHAPTER XXIII. A BARGAIN SEALED. WaeEn Luchmee had made her last wheedling reply to Govinda, the tiger-tamer regarded her for some seconds with profound attention. “‘ You say that my life is safe from you?” he repeated in a questioning tone, ‘ Yet you know that I killed your father. How can you forego your vengeance? You are deceiving me.” “If my lord knew the customs of Thuggee,” replied the dancer, impressively, ‘‘he would be aware that they never commit murder.”* She spoke with such entire innocence and good faith that Govinda stared, half-amazed and in- credulous. ‘‘ Never commit murders!” he echoed. ‘‘ Why, what do you call your work, then?” ‘*The worship of Kalee,” answered Luch- mee, firmly. ‘‘ lf we were murderers we should use poison, the knife, any of a hundred methods, but not so is Kalee worshiped. No drop of blood profanes her altars, and the victim is sent to Paradise. A murderer is haunted forever by the spirit of his victim, but no Thug was ever followed by an avenging ghost, for he slays only those whom the goddess tells him to kill,” “And did ee tell you to murder me?” sternly asked Govinda, with his hand on her shoulder, Luchmee’s eyes sought the floor as she mur- mured: ‘‘T thought. so when the tigers roared rightand left, but L knew not that you saw the incanta- tion.. That is fatal to us all, unless we give up our design. Some of us will be slain within a year from that night.” ‘‘ And therefore you see that the goddess de- ceived you and is a liar like yourself,” said Go- vinda, scornfully. ‘* Well, I do not wish to kill ou. To say truth, I am half-sorry that my se killed your father, for he was a stout fel- low; but he missed his spring at my horse, and I cut him down instinctively, ere 1 remembered what I was doing. Well, as I said, I will let you have your life, but only on one condition. ou must swear on the holy kussee to reveal all. Otherwise I give you up to my Brahmin friends here. Will you swear on the kussee?” Luchmee, trembled now in good earnest, for Govinda was offering her a choice of evils. If he gave her up to the Brahmins, she knew they would bury her alive. She had been a temple- Nautch-girl at Benares, and had runaway to a Moslern city. She knew that they would never forgive her that, for a temple-dancer of India is an vows like a nun, and the Brahmins never allow them to leave the temple under pain of death. Luckmee had esca to defy their pow: erin Delhi, where the Hindoos are in the minor- ity, and she had not been afraid to venture to Jagpore; for, outside of the temples she did not fear the priests. But here in the crypt of Jag- pore, she knew well that she was utterly in the wer of the Brahmins, and she trembled at the hought of their cold-blooded cruelty. On the other hand she knew that if she swore onthe kussee, the sacred pick-ax of the God- dess Kalee, wherewith the graves of the vic- tims are dug, that she must forever forego her vengeance en Govinda, whom she was trying to deceive. The oath on the kussee is the on y oath a Thug dare not violate. He may swear by Mo- hammed if a Moslem, by Brahma if a Hindoo, and laugh at the simplicity that believes his oath, but in the service of Kalee religion seems to be replaced by an overmastering superstition on one subject. Toa Thug, Kalee is more fear- ful than the God of the Universe, because she seems to his ideas to be nearer, and more merci- less. The kussee is her particular instrument; it is forged, tempered and consecrated with mystic ceremonies o: fearful import; and is only in- trusted to one man in the gang, one of pure and blameless life. To drop it or expose it to the view of the profane is to secure disaster, and the Thugs believe that itexcavates graves with- out making any noise. To swear on the kussee is as solemn toa Thug as for a conscientious Roman Catholic to take oath on the sacrament, and the oath has never been known to be bruken. Govinda marked her hesitation, and sternly inquired: ‘‘ Well, shall I call Kalidasa?” * The singular delusion of the Thugs on, this sub- ject is shown in the cross-examination of Thug in- ormers in 1832 by Capt. Sleeman, head of Thug po- lice and suppressor of the worst features of the sys- tem. They all seemed to be unable to.see any crime in their actions unless they had disregarded the omeng, and ali maintained that pity for age,sex or beauty was utterly pore to prevent a murder if the omens were favorable. The omens, in their view, were the direct commands of the to goddess, disobey which was the oaly sin possible to a Thug. eT i-s “ lord,” stammered the Nautch-girl, “there is no sworn.” ‘You are wrong,” replied Govinda, firmly. “‘I dug up the kussee of your party in the jun- gle by the tent where you held your incanta- tion, and it is here.” As he spoke he produced the implement from under his robe. 1t was a small tool, something like a pickax-head, without any wooden han- dle; one end broad like a spade, the other pointed. It did not weigh more than two pounds, and yet with this little tool the Thugs excavate all their graves. When Luchmee saw that she trembled and fell on her knees, for all the terrors of Thug superstition crowded over her. “*Swear on the holy kussee that you will tell me all you know of your late friends and help me to find them,” said the deep voice of Govin- da, holding the implement betore her eyes. She trembled and made no reply. ‘* Very well, then Kalidasa shall give you to the Brahmins and they shall bury you beneath the temple floor,’ said Govinda, sternly. Luchmee looked up, trembling, at the ceiling. The great cavern was round her and there seemed no escape for her from the oath which denied her the vengeance of a life. Suddenly she started up and fled away among the pillars like a hunted animal seeking desperately and blindly for a way to escape. Govinda did not offer to pursue her, but smiled scornfully at her efforts as he walked across to a low age at the opposite side: the egress from the cavern toward the jungle of which Rajah Ram Sing had spoken from hearsay when he turned out Burrhea, As he had expected, Luchmee found this pas- sage and fled wildly down it in the blind hope of ese Pe, while the tiger-tamer followed more leisurely. The girl could see the streak of daylight at the —s of this cavern that told of the open country, and she thought that, once there, she could defy Govinda and the Brahmins, She knew herself fleet of foot beyond most men, from her long fraining as a dancer, and trusted to her speed to escape. Away she went through the passage, followed by the tiger-tamer, the light getting nearer and nearer till all at once she dashed out into the open air to find herself in a hollow place, over- own with rank green grass and bushes, where fhe soft ground showed the presence of water near by, and where the dark green of the leaves of trees and vines tangled overhead evinced that the hot summer of India was powerless in that region to parch the ground, Luchmee had barely time to note this, and to think on the reason, as she remembered that the passage from the palace had been descending all the way till it reached the level of the marsh, The next moment she shrunk back in terror to the mouth of the cavern as she heard the growl of the tigress Seevah, and noted that the brute was chained to a tree right before the entrance, while little Ali lay asleep on the carpet beside er. \ Then at last Luchmee gave way and sunk on her knees, er we hy hast thou left thy ser- “ Kaleo! Kalee! vant?” : There she remained, half-stupid with the re- action, till she heard the step of Govinda, and felt the hand of the tamer on her arm, ** Well, girl, éragee ready to swear, or shall Isend voubetks to Kalidasa?” asked be, sternly. “T am ready, my lord,” she faltered, quite broken down a last. ‘Swear then,” said the stern voice above her. “to serve me and obey my orders against all your comrades, to discover their names, help me thwart all their plans and renounce the practice of Thuggee forever.” wah “I swear,” said the woman, submissively. “Lay your band on the weapon of Kalee, and swear it word by word after me,” re- sponded Govinda, sternly. Quiet and docile, now that escape was hope- less, the Queen of the Nautch-girls obeyed him; and then Govinda threw the pickax contemptu- ously away. It had served his purpose. ‘Pell me all that has happened to you,” he said. ‘I can trust you now.” CHAPTER XXIV. THE TRUE RAJAH, LUCHMEE was completely subdued, for there is nothimg more remarkable in the whole system of Thuggee than the suddenness with which it breaks down under the influence of superstition. ae submissively as a slave the girl related to vinda her adventures of the past night and morning, how she had saved Charlton’s life from koussee here, on which to be | the Thugs, and how she had met Mirsa Baba im the temple above, after she had seen him eater the zenanah, vailed like a woman. : Govinda frowned when he heard this, “In the temple!” be muttered, ‘‘He must have friends there,” When she told him of the appointment made by Khoda Khan to meet the other Thugs in the Ra — cam pane er a ap ‘a ‘ , ay, they want the young major badly, but re will be too much for them yet. The Rajah must be going to the tank of Sultan Baber.” When she had finished her story, he stood considering for some minutes, and at last. said: ‘‘Do you know where you are?” “I do not know, my lord, but I can guess. Near the Benares road.” “Yes. This is the only spot the fire did not touch, and we are surrounded by the ashes of the burnt jungle, The passage stands in danger of discovery if any one comes this way, follow- ing my tracks through the ashes. We must de- part from here while we have time. Will you come or remain here?” ‘*T will follow my lord wkerever he goes, however far it be,” said the Nautch-girl, sub- missively. ‘Tt will not be far,” he responded. ‘‘ The belt of ashes is narrow here, and once in the free jungle we are safe from any and all pur- suers. Besides, I. must find a tiger I lost yester- a; uchmee shuddered, ‘‘And am IL to follow after tigers?’ ‘“Why not? You ought to know Seevah by this time, for tg have seen her often enough. Go to her and stroke her.. She will not hurt you now while lam.by. See, she has not even wakened Ali. I never should have lost the boy had I left bim with her.” Emboldened by his words and example, Luchmee went over to the tigress and was en- couraged by finding that the grim-looking creature was really fond of being caressed, arching her huge back and rattling her’ throat ina purr that sounded like a roar in its infancy. Little Ali heard the sound, stretched himself and woke up with a smile, which continued when he saw Luchmee, The child was fond of beautiful things, and Luchmee was so.splendid that she took his.fancy immediately. Moreover, he connected her in some manner with his escape from the zenanah on the previous evening and imagined her to be some friend of his father. te with all her faults was a thorough woman, and the sight of the child moved her greatly. She stretched out her arms and the boy came to her willingly enough. Then she picked him up, turned to Govinda and said: ‘Tl am ready, my lord.” There was something in the wild life of the jungle that pleased her fickle fancy, fond as she was of change; and she seemed to bé quite con- tent to obey and follow the man whom she had been swearing to destroy two days a Govinda laughed as he unchained his tigress and looked at Luchmee carrying the child. ‘‘ By my father’s beard we make quite a ti for the road,” he remarked, ‘If we fail alt else, we can always go to the circus again. Come along.” The strange-looking Xk tay man, woman, t sand child—turned away from the mouth of the cavern and penetrated the thickets at the foot of the rocks. As Govinda had said they were in a sort of island amid the burnt jungle formed by the springs in that place, which bad reserved the foliage from scorching and catch- ng fire, though the edge of the thicket was. all withered and blackened by the flames. Not more than half a mile off were the glit- tering waters of the tank of Sultan Tippoo, lying in the midst of the gray expanse of a girdled with black trees, pointing their skeleton arms to the sky. Over the ashes, in a great mob of elephants, camels and horsemen, followed by a rabble on foot, moved the bunting party of the Rajah of ypore, just passing the tank and entering the unburnt jungle beyond. Govinda drew back into the thicket. ‘* We must not be seen,” was all be said. An hour before that, had such a chance ot es cape offered itself to Luchmee, she would have embraced it eagerly, by running out to claim the attention of the bunters. Now, bound by her oath and apparently reconciled to her fate she remained quietly under oover til) the last of the party had vanished into the jungle. Go- vinda shook his hand at the retreating spectacle with a bitter smile, ejaculating:
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22 The Tiger Tamer. ‘Take thine ease while thou P~ p. usurper. The time of retribution draws nigh.” ‘*When my lord the Rajah Arjuna shall mount the throne of old Govinda Ram Sing,” said Luchmee, softly, as if to complete the sense of his words. ; Govinda started and turned to her, frown- ng. * How know you my name and rank?” ‘*T heard the — Kalidasa call you high- ness, I saw that he and his brethren were under # your orders and I knew the rest before at Delhi.” * “Knew what?” ** Knew that the Rajab Arjuna was not killed by the Ingleez Sahivs in tne battle, but esca to Nepaul. i knew that, but nothing beyond it. How came my lord to come back here as a mountebank?”’ ** Tis soon told, Luchmee,” he rae aa ing. ‘‘ When my last hope of success had fled, I gathered all my jewels and escaped to Nepaul, where I staid for near a year. It wasthen I de- termined to escape to England itself in disguise und see for myself what were tho reasons of our defeat. I went there and returned a wiser man. It was then that I turned my skill asa tamer of tigers to account, to hide the Rajah Arjuna forever. I succeeded, and to-day none know who I am, save you and the Brabmins here. [ have determined to resume the throne at all hazards; and let the English attack me then if they will. I will at least die fighting, like Sultan Tippoo before me. They have robbed my poor ple long enough to please my brother, who nae into my place and plundered those he should protect.” ‘* There will be no fear of the English hurtin ou,” said Luchmee, confidently‘ “* The presen jab bas hardly a friend even among his slaves, and the American Sahib is the only man that saves him from death.” “* He will not have the American Sahib, long,” responded Govinda, thoughtfully; “ unless we ean save him to-night. C) be tired and sleepy, and there may be Thugs among his guards whe will betray him.” ‘‘Not so,” said Luchmee sr ay came here with a list of all Thugs in this town Mes me by the successor of my father, Buksha han, and there are but ten, all told.” ‘Then let us on,” said Govinda, impatiently. “ They will not attempt to kill him before dark, and I must find my poor wounded Burrhea.” The little party left the thicket and crossed the margin of gray ashes that lay hetween them and the tank of Sultan Tippoo. The fire had halted about half-way up one side of the tank beaten down by the tornado, and they found Burrhea just where Govinda had expected, ly- ing nearly exhausted by the water-side, his broken chain trailing beside him. The wounded brute had been somewhat scorched and singed in the fire, but he seemed to be tively glad to see them, for he asso- Me : their visit with food he was too weak to unt. Govinda produced from under his long Brah- min’s-robe a piece of boiled meat, which he had evidently ee with him in the expectation ef finding the ger. Burrhea eat the meat eagerly and followed them afterward without much difficulty though slowly. Govinda had lost in the jungle fire all his apparatus but the whip he carried in his hand, so that he was not sorry to find the once ferocious Burrhea so much cowed. Had the beast been unruly he might have been ina dis- oo lace without his irons. aking the broken chain in his hand and fol- lowed by the ti woman and child, vinda plunged into the jungle on the track of @ho Rajah Sing. ns CHAPTER XXV. JUST IN TIME. It was about sunset when the little party of the tiger-tamer, Prince Govinda or Rajah Arju- na, whichever he might be called, paused in the thick jungle by the edge of the tank of Sultan Baber. They had followed the trail of the hunt- ing-party atar 1 distance, and now they went into their own little camp at the opposite side of the tank from that occupied by the Jag- pore rabble. Govinda retired into the midst of a thicket where the cover would bide their fire when they made tt from ary possibility of view, and there transferred the chain from vah's collar to that of Burrhea, whom he fas- tened teatree. From wader the same ample Brabminical robe which had already produced Be eveteit eres cate ie cei theeee rs re geen et Burrhea’s dinner he took a bag of boiled rice, the contents of which he gave to the tigress to eat, being careful to allow her no meat while she was out loose in the jungle. Then when he saw that she was not satisfied, he boldly walked with her into the Rajah’s camp, where his pre- sence and escort produced a decided sensation. He was not known as the tamer on account of his changed dress and the gathering darkness, but he was looked on asa very holy Brahmin of such remarkable purity of life that the wild tigers obeyed him. n this character he knew that he was secure of a welcome from the lower classes of the Hin- doos, who are overrun with superstitions. Like many another Brahmin before him with a tame tiger, he walked through the camp, and when- ever he saw a lotah or brass kettle on the fire he would take it off to find if it contained any rice, and coolly give it to the tigress. The impudence of Brahmins and Fakirs is alike wonderful, and ho was encouraged by the behavior of the super- stitious natives, who simply gathered up and refilled their lotahs, as soon as the tigress had licked them clean, without grumbling. In making bis excursion Govinda accomplish- ed two objects. He surveyed the Rajah’s carap without exciting any suspicion, and he filled the stomach of his tigress, an equally essential point for the safety of his party. Seevah had been pam so long that hunger made her cross, and the tamer did not relish the idea of leaving his child in close contact toa famished tigress. As soon as he saw that she was completely glut- ted and inclined to be lazy, he turned away from the camp and went back to his own bivouac, where he found Luchmee tremblin with fear at the darkness and the presence o = ot = ae Burrhea beside her, only guarded by a n Govinda smiled at ner terror. “Look at Ali,” he said. ‘‘Thochild knows he is safe. Burrhea will harm none of our party now. But we will make a fire and have some supper. Afterward you will feel more cour- ageous,”’ In a very short time, a small hot fire of dried bamboos was sputtering and blazing away at the foot of a tree, and Govinda showed that he had not forgotten his friends in his excursion to the camp, for he brought out a quantity of mis- cellaneous food from the rice bag, which he had replenirhed in the Rajah’s camp. hen they had all eaten he said to Ali: ‘*You must stay here, my child, with Seevah to guard ou, for I am going away.” : May the beautiful stay too?” asked , wistfully, Se Not so-nlaiety my boy. She must come with me, The little fellow made no further objection. He was used to the réle of passive obedience. Luchmee made no objection either, for she felt relieved at the idea she was not expected to remain with the two tigers; and a few minutes later the tamerand the Nautch-girl had left the child by the fire and were on the way to the cam the darkness. Before they went, Govinda stri off his long robe, leaving his body only clothed in the habiliments of his cir- cus performan and wra Ali in the folds of the thin cotton to protect the child from the night air. Luchmee left her upper skirt of heavy gold cloth by the fireside and proceeded on her way in the light trowsers and jacket worn by the Nautch-girls at exercise. Thus equipped, they were both ready for ac- tive work, and glided through tho jungle as noiselessly as cats. wae gang by the ex- perience of his recent trip, no difficulty in reaching the outer camp, which he found al- ready buried in slumber to all appearance. Fakir and coolie, groom and water-bearer, shekarree and falconer, lay around their fires, or under their little a snoring peaceful- yy, though it was not two hours from sunset; a India the rulo is early to bed and early to They passed silently through the camp with- out exciting any attention till they came to the Rajah’s tent, when they were at once challenged and warned off by the chain of sentries, estab- a by Charlton between the Rajah and his people. This was an unexpected obstacle, and com- pelled them to retrace their steps, skirting round till they could flank the sentries; so that it was fully half an hour before they found themselves in rear of the quarters of the Rajah’s guards who were all fast asleo Govinda had noted the position of Charlton’s tent, and as his only object was to warn the sleeping Gfficer to be careful of his life inst the Thugs, he went straight toward the - quee. Presently he heard the sound of voices, and made a sign to Luchmee te stop’, when they overheard the conversation before recorded be- tween Hamet Khan and Lal Sing. As soonas Lal Sing departed for the sentries, Govinda made a motion to rise, when he was arrested by the sight of the moving figures of the Thugs that glided out from the sbelter of the Rajah’s fly. All of Charlton’s six sentries in front could not keep out the danger that lurked in the great man’s rear. He lay still close to the earth, within twenty feet of poor Hamet Khan, and saw the murder executed in silence. He was almost about to spring up at one time when Luchmee zriped his arm, and whispered: “Too late; you will dic too, They spare no witness.” Govinda felt the force ot the hurried advice, for both he and his companion were unarmed. ‘* Rouse the sowars,” whispered Luchmee, as he hesitated what to do. *'I dare not,” he returned in the same tone. ‘They would save him, and take us. Oh, if Seevah were here.” As he ke the fate of Hamet Khan was sealed, as the Thugs bore his body silently away, “= Govinda plucked Luchmee by the arm, w ng: ‘To his tent, quick! least or save him.” The girl said not a word, but followed him as he crept rapidly away to the tent, which he fanebed just on tad 8 — blundering up with his two sleepy seutries, The tiger-tamer and the Nautch-girl glided under the cover of the doorway and entered the tent safely, with- out page Foy Then Govinda stepped rapidly over to Charl- ton, whose body he could just see against the white sheets of his and shook him firmly by the shoulder, with the instant whisper: ‘Tis I, Govinda. The Thugs are coming! Where are your bah yagi PS lage was too old a soldier to wake up stu- = “Peo revolvers on the table,” ho whispered back. ‘Take one and give me the other.’ Govinda’s hands swept the weapons from the table, as he replied, under his breath: ** Lie flat on your back, and they cannot use the roomal. m’t sit up, for your life, but shoot. I’ll hide.” Charlton cocked his pistol and lay dowm as directed, breathing heavily, as if asleep, while Govinda crouched at the head of the bed. As he did so, the bw felt Luchmee next to him, and she took his hand and ded it to her own, when he found that she had possessed h: r- self of a saber in the darkness, They had hardly settled themselves when they heard a‘soft scuffling outside, and Charl- ton was about to rise, when Govinda whispered ; ‘‘For your life,no! They must be marked, or they will all este Charlton did not know the meaning of. the scuffle outside. Had he suspected the fate of bis r sentries, all Govinda’s caution would not ve restrained him from going to the rescue. As it was, he lay still, and had the satisfaction, @ moment later, of sooty the door Se while We can rouse him at the dark figures of the Thugs showed out plain against the starlit sky. © heard the whispered al, “ Sweep the »” and saw thedark figures take their posts. Jloor. Govinda had § eng to the side of the tent, un- seen by the their group. Now Mirza Ali, who stood at the head of the bed, leaned ever and struck Charlton lightly on the forehead. The object was to rouse him from slumber with a start, and make him sit up in a convenient posture for the throwing of the ugs, and was not in the way of Charlton’s only answer was a loud snore, un- der cover of which he raised his pistol. Khoda Khan stamped his foot. ‘* Fill the pipe,” he whispered, angrily. ‘‘ Lift the bowl.” The ah rag f th ls of Char] 8 of the pistols o arlton and Gcvinde roused the Whole ‘camp, and by the light of the flash they could see one of the Thugs throw up bis arms and fall, while Khoda Khan uttereda yell of pain and fled from the tent, followed by the others. ‘You are safe, major,” cried Govinda, spring- ingup. ‘Now see that we get away safely, or this night’s work will have a bad sae wn for I am Rajah Arjuna, whose life is forfeit in Jag- re. As he spoke, they heard the noise of rushing teet coming to the tent. It was the Rajah’s guard,
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eae. fe a mG Se == —— i ne — The Tiger Tamer, CHAPTER XXVI. THE RAJAH'S JUSTICE. Morning in Jagpore once more, and a horseman comes galloping up to the town gate just as the first rays of the Sun are gilding the tops of the minarets. ‘Open, you pigs of watchmen!” he shouts, as he strikes his Iong lance into the woodwork. “ His Highness the Rajah is coming, and you are all snor- ing yet. Open, I say.’ he old naik or corporal in charge is a superannu- ated invalid, who hobbles out to unlock the gate in some trepidation, for he knows the voice of Lal Sing, who is notoriously a hard man to oppose. But Lal Sing this morning looks as if he had some trouble on his mind, for the old naik finds him look- ing back at the country behind him, having evident- ly forgotten all about his haste. se at isthe matter, lord captain?” asks the old man, in surprise. “I thought that the hunting party would be gone for three or four days at least.’ Lal Sing turns a grave face on the gate- keeper. “ He is coming back in great trouble,’ he responds. “The Thugs were in our camp last night, and mur- dered the Sirdar Hamet Khan, with two of our soware, and shot the vizier Khoda Khan, as they fled the place.” * Brot the vizier!’ echoes the old man, horrified. “Yes: he was found bleeding in his tent, and woe hat a Fred sushes past — Me byt oe —_ as the great disturbance began; that he tried to stop him, and was shot for his trouble." ‘And have they found the villains?” asks the gate-keeper. ‘*One was killed by the Major Sahib and the rest escaped in the darkness. It is said there was a wo- man among them; for Sheik Munnoo, one of our sowars, followed her as she fled into the jungle. Then some. one struck him on the back of the head, and stunned him so that she escaped.” ‘““Wonderful! Wonderful!” ejaculated the cor- ral. “It was wonderful they did not kill the Ra- “ His Highness was frightened to death,”’ said Lal Sing. ‘“ He had his tent lighted up all the rest of the night, and slept with a mont guards round him, while the Major Sahib patrolled the camp— Ah, here they come now.” As he spoke he looked back; and, sure enough, the elephants of the Rajah's retinue could be seen com- ing toward Ji re by the oo png 6 road. The old b Resident will be here to-day and the Rajah is to hold a court of justice,” continued Lal Sing, who was now fully embarked on the tide of gossip. “They say the English are determinéd to hunt out any proofs of Thuggee.” “They will not have far to search,” observed the old man, ificantly. ‘The roads near Jagpore have been dangerous for yeats, and some people have grown rich suddenly.” Lal Sing looked at him sharply. “Whom do you mean, old man?” ‘Oh, my lord eaptain, I am none to take away the good name of my neighbors; but I see who comes nto the town late at night, when reverend moon- shees learned in the law, should be asleep in their own houses. Let the Sahib Resident his wit- nesses, and Mohun Roy will tell all he knows,” Further conversation was cut off by the sudden and rapid advance of or Charlton at the head of the sowars of the guard, who looked pare savage and fierce that morning. Themen were muc excited at the murder of their comrades and the at- tempt on the life of their idolized chief, and they looked ripe for any act of vengeance and suspicion, the more so that they had been unable to trace any of the Thugs except the dead body, the night before. In their blind rage they had followed Govinda and Luchmee, who were obliged to trust to their speed for escape, despite all of Charlton's appeals to the men to spare them as his preservers. ey were in fact like most excitable men of the South, thorough- sy demoralized for the night, and it was only the morning that had restored them to something like reason, and quenched their mad desire to kill some one, or any one, to get revenge. As Charlton rode through the streets, the sowars ordered everybody to clear the way; and if the slightest hesitation was evinced, their keen swords were raised in a minute to enforce compliance with the order. Thus the news of the reappearance of the Thugs and the holding of a court of justice spread abroad with t ee: and by the time the Ra- jah had safely entered the palace the city was all astir and full of excitement. The attempt had been so audacious that its failure had convulsed the society of veqpore with profound agitation. People abandoned their work to over the doings of the Thugs and wonder who would be their next victim. Meantime the retinue of the Rajah was scattered all over the city, and the palace was full of bustle, with preparations for the court of ustice. d Sir Douglas McG r had sent word that he was coming to assist the Rajah with his advice, and Serene th’ shoulder by Charlton’s bullet, the wily r had yet managed to esca lision with the escaped Thug, as Lal Sing had re- tailed the story to the old gatekeeper. Charlton had net said a word to e him, for the Ameri- can wads reserving himself for the trial in the morn- ing, and did not wish to warn his foe in advance of the measures he designed to pursue. So stood matters on that morning when the Resi- dent of Jagpore arrived in state at the gates of the city, mounted on his elephant and surrounded by his servants in their scarlet live Sir Douglas, in his plain white linen suit, with the muslin turban round his pith helmet, was the most simply attired rson in his whole party, and the contrast between he old Scotchman and his surroundings became still more marked when he entered the court-yard of the palace. There sat the keg on his musnud, or throne, under a broad sp ing canopy of peacock feathers, with his guards and ministers round him. Charl- ton had assumed his most splendid uniform, his helmet giitering in the sun like silver, his vest of mail half hidden by a velvet jacket heavily laced with gold, while his Cashmere waist-shaw] bristled with weapons All round him were bis faithful sowars, gleaming with steel, while the rich em- broide robes of the courtiers, their jewels and plumes, made up a grand picture of Oriental mag- nificence. Into the midst of this splendid scene came the heavy and rather vulgar-lookinr old Scotchman in his s ape dress, and in a moment all those stately- eweled personages were bowing down before the dent, as the representative of unlimited power. Sir Douglas bowed slightly in answer to the greet- ing of the Rajah, and ascended the musnud, where an empty chair was placed beside that of the prince. ‘‘May the protection of Brahma, Vishnoo and Seevah hover over the head of my lord, the Resi- dent, this day," said the Rajah, in a tone of courtesy much unlike his usual sulky air. He was complete- ae Sune’ by the visit of Sir Douglas, coming after the events of the previous night. ‘* May your Highness enjoy the day," was the re- sponse of the old Resident, so dry and formal that e Rajah changed color and started. Sir Douglas took his seat and continued: “Tl hear that your Highness has bad advisers; men who have allowed this land to sink into anarchy, contrary to the treaties made with my government. Thugs have been allowed to harbor in Jagpore, when our officers thought Thuggee was stamped out for- ever." “It is true, my lord Resident; it istrue. But if I can find them out, I will punish them.” The Rajah spoke very humbly, but the Resident's face became sterner than before. “There has been no attempt made to find out the men who attacked Charlton Sahib only yester- day. Where As me Bacup Luchmee, that was in your palace last t She escaped,” sheweied the Rajah, sulkily, for he began toresent this hectoring tone before his court. “Where is the Vistes, } Khoda Khan?” pursued the Resident, in the same stern tone. “He wie eo by the Thugs, last night, and nfined to ouse.’ ee Major Charlton,” said the old Resident, quietly, “send your best jimahdar and a party to bring this Khoda here, e must be interrogated, if we hope for the truth." “Stay where you are," interrupted the jah, angrily. ‘‘Whose dog am I that you should obey the orders of another than me? .I am the Rajah of J re.” it Douglas looked at him steadily a moment from under his bent brows. hid, Highness assumes that tone I am com- led (mind ou that your recognition as Fajoh y the East India Company at the time of mutiny has never bse form: pee Sg Queen. Does your ness compel me to re?” His” tone whe full of significance. The Rajah hesitated a moment and then fell back on his chair, say! ng: ” ‘Go, then, major. Chariton, who had remained immovable during the brief discussion, gave the necessary orde which sent off Lal Sing and a dozen sowars to arres the wounded ye M be jane were gone, Sir turn D e is Done vot glad aon your Highness that the Queen has been pleased to announce her intention of relieving the palace of sogpess from the burden of keeping a turbulent age ein order. After to- day, the sowars of your Highness's guards will be known as the Jagpore Contingent, and will be paid by the Indian Government, the revenues of J re being administered by me. If your Highness objects to this arvangement, you are free to dismiss the guards entirely, and trust to the affection of the people of J. re for your support. e Rajah had been uneasy when Sir Douglas en- cores a he was fast growing more and more ened, ‘*“ And suppose I refuse all this entirely?’ he asked. “In that case, your Highness will have to apply for the recognition of the Government, whose last offi- cial dealings with Jagpore were through the medium of Rajah Arjuna." * But Rajeh Arjuna is dead,” cried the worried Ram Sing, in a tone of desperation. “He was killed at Delhi, in arms with the mutineers.”’ **The Governor-General writes me advices that the Rajah Arjuna escaped to Nepaul, and is wan- dering the country disguised as a tiger-tamer, under the name of Govinda,” said Sir Douglas, slowly and deliberately. Ram Sing turned livid and fell back. * Govinda! — Arjuna!—my brother!" he faintly hadoor for the mutiny.” 28 It is a trick, a lie to ejaculated. ‘It is impossible. cheat me of my kingdom." The words were hardly out of his mouth when a great commotion ensued among the guards and courtiers in the court of the palace. The levee was held on a broad piazza that opened on the princi- pal court, with its pavement of tesselated marble and its leaping fountains. The rabble of the city packed the whole space be- low the piazza, and now they seemed to be much agitated; fora lane was vpening in their midst to permit the passage of some one to the front, A moment later, the tall form of Rajah Arjuna himself, no longer clad in the mountebank dress that had disguised him so long, but appareled in the armor, velvet and jewels that became his rank, made its appearance before the musnud, followed by a buzz from the people. Rajah Arjuna had only this in common with Govinda the tiger-tamer, that he led by their chains Burrhea and Seevah, the former completely quiet and subdued by his recent severe mauling. On the back of Seevah rode the child Ali, placid as ever, while Luchmee followed, in all her combined splendor of beauty and jewels. The effect of this sudden apparition was stertling. The Rajah Ram Sing rose from the mu» 1 / with a scream of fear and fury, and cried to Charlton: ‘Major Sahib, you are false to your sult! You have betrayed me. You saved his life. ‘Seize the traitor!" eg ie never hesitated a moment after those words. He drew his sword, called on his men to follow, and advanced on “y Arjuna and the tigers as fearlessly as though the beasts had been lamba. The rs, apparently confused the crowd, stood ing in the sun, and neither of them growled. Rajah Arjuna smiled as ho said: ** You are true to your salt. But sup’ I call on pose my tigers and your guards to follow me, who will be the prisoner then? “The rs will be Killed and you with them," answered Charlton, calmly. In effect he spoke truth. He knew he could depend on his men to the very last, and that the ferocity of Seevah was not so real as it seemed, while the crippled state of Burrhea was plainly per- Very well, then, I am while,” said the returned Ra not intend to oppose the oO ” “ When he gives them, it is time for me to obey,” replied Chariton, and'then he advanced, with mer, tigera, child and woman, surrounded he drawn sabers of the sowars, to the foot of the musnud, just as Lal Sing returned to the court ane rtin £ palkee in which Khoda Khan lay, pale and suffering. Sir Douglas McGregor hid a grim smile under the iron- vbeied that covered his mouth as he noted Charlton's behavior. “Well, your Highness,” he observed to Ram Sing, “you cannot complain you are not served well by the major. Here is your brother a prisoner. What will you do with him?” “Strike off his head,” answered Ram Sing, in- stantly. ‘ His life is forfeited to the Company Ba- * He de- our Sane a significantly. * You dent’s orders, I “Tt is well,"’ said the Resident, quietly. serves death at our hands, but not at yours, Let us come back to these Thugs. Khoda an, they tell me you know something of the villains that mur- dered the three sowars last night." “So help me Allah, Mohammed, Vishnoo, Seevah and Kalee, Sahib Resident, I tried to stop the man and he shot me,” replied the minister, faintly. “And you newer saw him before?" queried the old Scot, calmly. ba Never, lord, never,” “Major arlton, who shot Khoda Khan?” de- manded Sir Douglas; turning suddenly to the Ameri- can, “T did, Sahib Resident, as he was about to me in ray tent along with his brother Thugs,"’ There was an\instant hush in the court, amid rhs the sarcastic tones of Sir Douglas were again audible. “Luchmee, surnamed the Queen of the Nautch- girls. who are the accomplices of this man?” “The moonshee, Mirza Baba; Tantia, the Brab- min, priest of the temple; Bu Sing, the water- bearer; Moll Roy and Soweylim Khan, the sepoys, and lastly myself,’’ answe the girl, quietly. Se nese you been engaged in any murders with em rei pes —_ the ones on Charlton omg that . Twas alone, but he was ng when ah Arjuna saved us both.” Ta = “From what?” ‘Him from death, me from murder.”’ “Who murdered the Sirdar Hamet Khan, last night, if you saw the deed?" _“ Mirza Baba threw the roomal, Tantia and Sowey- lim were shumseeas—holders of hands. Khoda Khan and Mirza Baba were the chief stranglers when tha two sowars were killed, afterward.” The evidence came amid breathless silence, during which Rajah Ram Sing stared open-mouthed at the Begghers. yer ae es terror. oe ‘ o was with you when you saw this?" pursued the Resident. * “ eee: “The Rajah Arjuna, who saved the Major Sahib's life. We could not interrupt the Thugs, for we were unarmed.” ““Why did you not rouse the soars?” “We feared they would cut us to pieces in the dark, like fools, to revenge themselves on any ONGs | right or wrong."
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* How came you here to-day?” Luc 1mee smiled. “Your excellency should know, since I came from the Residency. Rajah Arjuna brought me there to see your excellency this morning.”’ “TI did bring the woman,” corroborated the ex- tiger-tamer. Now, your Highness perceives that this Khoda Khan, your minister, is a Villain worthy of death. What shall be done to him?” ‘He must die, of course,” faltered the Rajah. ‘‘I knew not of this before." ‘* He lies,’ screamed Khoda Khan, rendered des- perate b the danger in which he stood, * He is our chief and ordered the death of the Major Sahib.’ The wounded minister writhed up on his elbow to say this, and fell back exhausted, when the Rajah turned angrily: ‘Cut the dog to pieces,” he ejaculated. ‘‘ Whose dog am I to listen to this froin es ec servants?”’ “Take him’ away,” said Sir Douglas, quietly, to the so.cars. ‘*Put him in the guard- house, major, and clear the court. Our justice is over. More is to | follow.” Charlton obeyed the order in a manner that told of a previous rehearsal with Sir Douglas, and the sowars drove all the — out of the gate of the palace, which was loc’ e m them. Then when all had left the palace but the rival Rajahs, the old Resident turned to Arjuna and said: “The Quéen’s government is anxious to have | ood order in Jagpore, and to that end has par- Goned you, Do you think you can drive out your brother and his 8 from this palace?’’ “Tf the English will not inte rfere,” said Arjuna, proudly, *'I will be master before sunset.” “Very good,” replied the Scot, coolly. ‘The came will not interfere, but will put Sie, out. into the city and leave the Rajah and the American Sahib inthe palace. Are you satisfied?” “Tam,” rejoined Arjuna. CHAPTER XxVU. CONCLUSION. An hour later the city of Jagpore was all in a fer- ment of excitement. The news of the return of Rajah Arjuna had spread in the bazars; and one of the old-time J. re rebellions was at once inaugu- rated. Sir Douglas McGregor, true to his word, had left the palace, taking Arjuna with him, and had unconcernedly gone to the Residency, leaving the rival claimants to the throne to fight it out alone. As he'left the palace, the gates were barred and guarded, the troopers of the guard turned out to assume their new duties as artillery men, and mat- ters quickly assumed an aspect such as Charlton had not seen since the first year of his life at Jag- — His training of, the guards had been so per- ect that the moral {nfluence of their appearance had hitherto kept thc people down, but now the case was different. The people had adored the memor 'y of the Rajah Arjuna in the past, and his return had operated like an electric shock to nerve them to ae ged against their oppressor, the tyrant Ram rs felt little interest in the result of the con- flict beyond the determination to he “true to his salt.’ The _ treated him so vilely that, could he have resign et od with honor, and left the fat villain to penne own battles, he would have doneso. Bucs it was no in the nature of a sol- dier like Charlion to abandon the worst of masters to destruction; and he knew well that, were he to forsake the Rajah, every man of the sowars would desert to Arjuna. As it was, he knew they were more or less disaffected, for there was something in the fame of Arjuna, even if of twenty years ago, that was very captivating to them. He went all round the fortifications and set things in order, saw that the guns were loaded and trained on the town, and awaited hostilities. He did not wish to provoke them by a wanton and barbarous cannonade in behalf of a villain, and only kept up the semblance of defense, to gain better terms for his master. As he passed Sougs the guard-room of the palace after his return from one of his tours of in- spection, he noticed that the litter of Khoda Khan had been left there, and that the wounded vizier, rand and exhausted, lay in it. It reminded him weg ty of Khoda’s malicious pursuit, and he said: at had Fdone to you, Khoda Khan, that you iinoai wish to kill me?” “Tt was the goor, the drink of Kalee,” muttered the wounded man in busky tones. “ We cannot help be:ng Thugs and drawing others in with us if we have drank the goor. Youare safe, now, for Kalee has punished us for disobeying the omen that told us not to harm you.” “And where are your asked Charlton. “ Here in this palace,” whispered Khoda. ‘ They will make you thank them before long, and make you a rich man.” “What do you mean?” he asked, startled. ne ymey will see before long. Hark! the city is The sound of tomtoms booming through the streets, with the clang of cymbals and the firing of gma told that the people of Jagpore were coming attack the palace, and that it was time for the American to go to a as. Forgetting all about Thugs in his military duties, Charlton rushed out to the gates, mounted a tower, and beheld a kh motley crowd med crowding bo the atcack, rng thelr clumsy iocks at the walls and . Presently there came @ comrades?”’ | gates at once, I will see that you continue The Tiger Tamer. of horsemen rode out of the crowd, headed by ah Arjuna himself, and came boldly up to the s where their leader struck his lance into the Soodenrk till it rung again, and called out with a loud voice: ‘* Where is Major Charlton, the commander of the " guards of the Rajah of Jagpore?”’ ‘**T am here,” answered * 1e American, showing himself on the walls. ‘ What would you?”’ **] demand that you surrender this place to me, the rightful Rajah of Jagpore. If you ops the n your You know I am the true Rajah and that my ) a er brother usurped my place. “T know nothing but ces sue and I must do it,” answered the young soldie rmly. ‘* While the hush, as a bod office, | Rajah Ram Sing lives, I must be true to my salt.” “ Where is he now, think you?” asked Arjuna, in | a significant tone, | and I cut my way out with my oowars. ‘*In bis zenanah under the protection of my | guards,’’ responded Charlton. “You are wrong,” retorted the Rajah, sharply. “He is m prisoner by this time, and your castle is taken, Hark!” Charlton started, for he became aware of a dull clamor within the walls of the palace, growing louder and mingled with the clash of arms, Arjuna laughed as he saw his face change. ** You forgot the secret passage,’’ he said. “ Your citadel is full of the enemy, and if you do not sur- render the lives of the garrison are forfeit.”’ Charlton looked down into the court-yard and saw that the Rajah spoke truth. His men were in- deed flying from the interior in confusion. ‘Promise me. m master’s life and liberty, and I will surrender,’ he cried, desperately. Refuse They will follow.”’ “T promise,” answered Arjuna, and then the American hu aa down to the gate, and opened it gush as the party, sent by the secret passage, and led xy Kalidasa the Brahmin, came running into the court, A moment later, Rajah Arjuna rode into the pal- ace of his ance stors, gained without the loss of a sin- gle life, and issued his orders: “Take no lives, but bring my brother, Ram Sing, before me at once.” He took his seat on the same musnud before which he had lately been brought #s a prisoner, and turned to Charlton with all the ease of an old friend, saying in English: ‘Your defense would Lave been excellent, major, had you remembered the passag¢e. I must *have it stopped up by the by. Itm nicht be dangerous some day, now that it is so wcll known. Lhope you will continue to lead my guarcs as well as you have those of my brother, for you are not English.” As he spoke "seyeral. men came running into the court from the palace as if excited, crying: ‘Ram Sing! Ram Sing is de ad!” Charlton turned reproachfully to the new Rajah. MR have deceived me. You promised me his ife ‘And as the heavens stand, my men have not kiLled him,” said Arjuna, excitedly: “Who has dore | this?”’ His words were checked on his lips by the entrance of a singular procession. Old Mirza Baba, no longer in moonshee robes, but stripped for his devilish fay ee work, stalked ao oe ahead cane from ght hand the consecrated pick. -ax of lee, wile hind him came olgnt men similarly stripped and carrying two bodies, four to each body, One of these bodies was that of Khoda than the other that of the Rajal> Ram Sing, and both bore the swollen and distorted reatures that told of death by green ulation. ba advanced to the foot cf ff musnud, bowing. and cringing, and prost ated himsclf. “Great Ram Arjuna Sing, Rajah of Rajahs and Lord of Lords,” he said, ‘ behold the tribute of the Goddess of Kalee to your Resplendency. They were your foes, and behold they are no more, Kalee sends her servants to ask for their reward.”’ ‘‘And by the head of Brahma you ghall have it,” eried Arjuna, furiously. ‘‘ Wretches that ye were, did ye think to bribe me to tolerate Thuggee by the murder of my brother? Carry them away and hang them from the battlements, and thus perish al) Thugs.” In a twinkling the so7:2s had seized them, and only the excellent: discipline of Charlton saved the Thugs from being burned clive. As itwas, their bodies were hung above the gate to terrify any future Thugs, and Jagpore was at peace at last. We have but little to add to ovr story now, for | : our readers can guess the rest. Rajah Arjuna Sing has made his peace with the British Government, and reigns in Jagpore to-day, whilé Charlton is his chief of horse. Luchmee has gone back to Delhi to resume her career as Queen of the Nautch-girls, and has dropped the perilous practice of Tnuggee forever. Little Ali continues to improve in stature, and Burrhea has recovered his health and become quite tame. Rajah Arjuna roams the jungle no more, but he often says that he never was happier than when he was only known as Tux TiceR-TAMER. THE END, BEADLE'S Half-Dime Library. 168 Deapty Dasn. By Joseph E. 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