The Tower of Ghilzān. A novel

Front matter

H iRovel BY SURGEON-MAJOR H M. GREENHOW author of ' brenda's experiment,' 'the bow of fate,' etc. LONDON RICHARD BENTLEY AND SON in ©rtmurs to Jijcr .JBajestj) the (ijuten 1896 [All rights reserved CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. IN THE ZENANA ..... 1 II. THE SECRET CONCLAVE . . . .23 III. A POLITICAL AGENT . . . .35 IAT. 'TWO'S COMPANY — THREE'S NONE' . . 50 V. A RESCUE . . . . . .66 VI. THE REHEARSAL . . . . .79 VII. MOTHER AND DAUGHTER . . . .93 VIII. GATHERING CLOUDS .... 110 IX. SUSPICIONS ..... 12(3 X. THE PRISONER IN THE TOWER . . . 136 XI. THE MYSTERIOUS MESSENGER . . . 155 XII. AN AFGHAN WOMAN'S LOVE . .168 XIII. AN AFGHAN WOMAN'S HATE . . . 190 XIV. HEERA LALL ..... 200 XV. THE FIRST ACTION . . . .215 vi CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE XVI. USHRUFF ali ..... 231 XVII. THE PIT OF GHILZAN .... 243 XA'III. A PARTING ... • 271 XIX. THE ASSAULT ..... 278 XX. WITHIN AN ACE ..... 292 XXI. PRISONERS ...... 308 XXII. THE LAST RIDE AND AFTER . . .

Chapter I. In The Zenana

' Has he come ? Is he here V demanded impatiently the Lady Shah Jehan, as her attendant entered the chamber and carefully and closely drew down the purdah over the doorway. Moni held up her finger in sign of warning. ' Woman,' cried her young mistress, ' am I the wife of Mahomed Shah Khan, yet you dare refuse to answer me ? Speak, hussy, or I will have your tongue torn out of your ugly mouth by its roots !' ' Ptavisher of hearts !' exclaimed Moni, startled by this extreme impatience, ' he is now approaching the castle — that is, if you mean the Feringhi officer, Stanhope Sahib.' ' Whom else should I mean, you wretch ?' continued the lady, eyeing her maid closely and with suspicion. ' It's ridiculous of you to affect ignorance of my feelings towards him since that day last week when he came to my husband's durbar, and I saw him clearly from my balcony, ancl first heard the delicious music of his voice.' Moni wisely bowed her head, but gave no reply. ' Yes, you know my secret ; how could I keep it from you V continued the impatient lady, speaking under her breath, and flashing her brilliant eyes on the trembling attendant, while her fingers eagerly sought the hand mirror that she so frequently consulted.

Still the maid kept her counsel, showing therein a discreetness utterly foreign to her mistress's impetuosity, and, bending down, presented to her the little glass which lay on the divan beneath the window. The contemplation of her own reflection seemed to soothe the irritation of the Afghan girl, and a sweet smile relaxed her lips, dis closing behind their ruby portals her beauti ful little teeth. Her face was a perfect oval, and in the centre of her brow was set a diamond of great price, the only other orna ments she wore being stones of a correspond ing value, which glistened in her delicate ears. ' Oh that I could meet him,' she mur mured, ' and tell him how I love him !' The maid moved uneasily, and glanced out of the window. ' Inshallah !' cried Shah Jehfm, ' he must be near by this time : is he not, Moni ?

Hark ! I hear the clatter of the horse's feet.' She rose hastily from her couch, and rushed to the latticed casement, whence she could look across the broad valley, at the head of which stood her husband's fortress of Ghilzan. In that mountain land the estates of this Barukzye chief spread far and wide, com prising many miles of barren rock and desert waste, while close at hand the green and fertile tract, watered by its little river, and surrounded on all sides by the snowy hills, whose heights rose precipitously above it, formed a charming contrast to the general sterility of the region. Here and there groups of chenar, and plum, and mulberry trees bordered the stream, or were dotted over the plain, marking where the villages stood, with their defensible houses, many of them little forts in themselves ; and near by, just below the lofty window of Shah Jehan's apartment, lay the little town of Ghilzan, clustering round the base of the hill on which stood the well-known fortress of Mahomed Shah Khan.

There was yet one feature more in the landscape which must not be omitted, for it was no other than the little cantonment of the British troops which had been established in the valley now for a considerable time, and which, lying at a distance of some two miles from Ghilzan, exercised a salutary effect in keeping quiet the turbulent Afghans, many of whom were intensely ill disposed towards the reigning Sudozye Prince, incessantly plotting against him and the foreign power that had replaced him on the throne of his fathers. The English had, as is their fashion, made themselves very much at home in these northern quarters, and their cantonment could show as regular roads, as comfortable houses, and even the promise of as pretty gardens, as were to be found in the old-established provinces of India.

They had their sports, too, in the proper season. They played cricket ; they held races on the flat in the open plain ; they astonished their Afghan neighbours by con structing a stiff steeplechase course over the fields and dykes and irrigation channels that were available on every hand, and then showed their prowess by riding their horses in undeniable fashion over the obstacles they had with so much care constructed. They fished the streams ; they shot the duck and snipe on the lake and the swamps during the autumn months ; and when the winter came they astonished their Afghan friends by the feats they performed on their skates over the surface of the ice, the figures they cut, the quadrilles they glided gracefully through, the edges, the circles, the turns, the loops, the combinations, they skilfully executed.

The people of the valley, and the Chief of Ghilzan himself, marvelled at this particular accomplishment of the Feringhis more than at any other of the manly sports they saw practised. It seemed to exceed in dexteritv even the bringing down of a bird while on the wing, or the dexterous hooking of a fish as it rose to the fly. Of all those who engaged in these athletic pursuits there was none who rode harder, who made bigger scores with his bat, who was a safer shot, or a more elegant skater, than Arthur Stanhope, the young officer who was in political charge of this district, and whose abilities had brought him to the front in that time of difficulty and danger. At first his knowledge — acquired after hard study — of the languages of Northern India and of Afghanistan, had made him a reputa tion ; and then his diplomatic address, and admirable powers of persuasion and gentle control, had proved, in many a contest of wits with the savage people he was sent to guide, his capacity for the most delicate, as well as the most weighty, enterprises.

For such, indeed, he seemed designed by nature, his clever, good-natured face, his soft voice and charming manner, never failing to inspire confidence in those who came within his influence, while his lithe and wiry figure was perfectly fitted to excel as well in active exercises as in the profession of arms to which he had originally been trained. It was this man with whom the young wife of Mahomed Shah Khan had become infatuated. Not that she had even so much as exchanged a single word with him — that, indeed, was an impossible thing. Nay, he had never seen her, though rumour had spoken to him of her as the most beautiful girl within the limits of Afghanistan. All that had happened was that, from behind the purdah in her gallery, she had looked down on him as he sat in her husband's hall, had listened to his persuasive tones, and had marked his noble and gallant bearing.

And now she was to see him again ; and, indeed, even as she gazed from the window, the little party of horsemen rode into the courtyard, and, quickly dismounting, entered the castle. ' There, Moni !' she exclaimed impatiently ; ' I must not lose a moment, for my lord expects him, I know. So, quick with my shawl — the fine Cashmere one — and conduct me to the gallery instantly.' ' Shall the other women join us V asked Moni, ' or will your Highness, whose word is law to your slave, please to be alone V 'Alone, of course, miserable creature. Why ask such absurd questions ? Lead on, I say, or it will be the worse for you in the end.' So speaking, Shah Jehan tapped her attendant impatiently on the shoulder with her slipper, and the latter, knowing well what Severe punishment her mistress could inflict with that little instrument, lost not a moment more in obeying her.

As they emerged on a sudden into the narrow passage, the numerous servants stood salaaming before their mistress, and, though one or two guessed, no doubt, in some measure the reason of her movement, yet no sign escaped them of surprise or wonder, and, after threading rapidly the devious ways and the final staircase that led to her place of vantage, Shah Jehan took her seat in the little gallery that commanded the hall of audience. She had not long to wait, for next minute her husband entered, leading by the hand the handsome Stanhope, while a throng of Afghans, adherents of Mahomed Shah, followed, presently ranging themselves in a semicircle behind the chairs of the Barukzye chief and his visitor, whose escort had been left outside. After salutations and inquiries respecting each other's health had been exchanged, Stanhope commenced the real business of the day by asking what news Mahomed Shah had to impart to him. ' For I know,' he said, ' your Highness has had letters this morning from Caubul, and it is necessary for me to be made aware of everything that happens there.' The Afghan, a big heavy man of over forty years, with a wall-eye, and a cruel-looking hooked nose which gave him somewhat the appearance of a bird of prey, drew himself up with a jerk. ' Does your Honour,' he asked with a cunning glance, ' not have your dak also ?

How is it, then, you come to me for news V • We are friends,' spoke out the Agent, in tones which reached up to the corner where Shah Jehan and her maid were sitting ; ' friends and allies — are we not, Sirdar V ' Ay, ay ; that is true — true enough,' answered the other, looking round for the approval of his followers. 'Yes, we are all friends here,' they echoed, touching their foreheads as if to add force to their words. ' Well, then, why not show this token of your friendship — give me the tidings that have just come to you V Shah Jehan turned to her attendant in the gallery. ' What news — what tidings can he mean, Moni V she whispered in a trembling voice. ' We have heard nothing, have we ?' ' No, Protector of the poor, nothing — that is, nothing of any importance so far as — ' There, enough, wench ! stop your tongue!' murmured the impatient girl, leaning forward to catch the next words from below. ■' One must be careful in such times as these,' spoke the Afghan, chief in so low a tone as to reach only the ears of the atten tive Stanhope. ' It is known but to Allah what will happen in the future.

He alone is Great.' ' Of course, your Highness is wise — as usual,' returned the young Englishman, struck with the other's cautious manner ; ' and I would suggest — for is not that your meaning ? ■that we now retire and have a private talk in your inner apartment, freed from the presence of your friends here.' The Khan looked uneasily round, and let his eye wander for a moment towards the little nook in which he half guessed his young wife might be concealed ; then, rising slowly, he whispered a few words into the ear of Meer Ushruff Ali, his most intimate adviser and secretary, and conducted Stanhope through a doorway at the end of the hall to his own special set of private rooms. The assembly gradually melted away, not before strange rumours had begun to spread of impending troubles, though, nothing being known for certain, on that very account, in the estimation of many, these rumours attained an importance altogether out of proportion to the facts on which they rested.

Shah Jehan, deeply disappointed at the turn matters had taken, returned in no good humour to her boudoir ; nor did the unfor tunate Moni's task of soothing her mistress during the ensuing hours prove an enviable one. Towards evening, however, a fresh excitement arose, there being an arrival at the castle of two chiefs of importance, who, it appeared, were to dine and stay the night, taking their departure early next morning. ' These are Barukzyes, Moni, and have come from Caubul,' said the lady, as the last course was sent in to the little party after she had carefully inspected it. ' Sun of women, you are truly right in your conjecture,' replied the servant with submission ; ' there is no doubt they are great personages.' Her mistress laughed scornfully. ' Great personages indeed ! As if any Barukzye, descended as they are, can be a great personage.' ' Your slave does not pretend to judge — far from it,' murmured Moni plaintively. ' It's only what is being said amongst the servants of the castle ; and, then, our own lord — well ' She stopped, for her mistress's looks had become as black as thunder, and she broke in hotly and vehemently : ' Wretch !

To remind me of my degrada tion in having married him — I, a Princess of the Sudozyes, a daughter of the Royal house ! But there ! how can you compre hend the political necessity there was — the pressure that was put upon me — the benefits of peace and good understanding my sacrifice was to bring about ?' Moni looked utterly bewildered ; yet Shah Jehan continued : ' Do you suppose I loved this man — that I cared a tittle for his hideous face and his ill gained wealth — I a girl of eighteen, he a man who is steeped ancl sodden in every vice practised by the Afghans ?' Her breath, so impatiently did she pour out her words, failed her for a moment ; then she continued : ' No ; never till I saw the young Feringhi, Stanhope Sahib, did I know what real love can be — never before have I tasted its sweets — never before felt its delicious pain !' The servant, too much astonished at these confessions to do more, contented herself with murmuring : ' God is Great !

God is Omnipotent !' ' He is gone,' pursued Shah Jehan ; ' lout danger follows him, and even now the arrow of death that will pierce him may have been shot from the Bow of Fate.' ' Cherisher of the poor,' exclaimed Moni, ' speak not so, I pray you, for the sahib has ridden back in safety to the English camp ; you yourself saw him depart after his inter view with my lord.' ' True, true,' muttered the girl in a more satisfied strain. ' Moni, you really do me good, though you are such a cold-blooded creature ! Now, there's something strikes me that you must carry through. Yes, I'll make it safe for you — quite safe — but we've no time to lose — no, not a moment !' The attendant might well be puzzled at this new scheme of her mistress, but she only bowed in token of her submission. ' You won't like it, perhaps,' observed Shah Jehan, speaking more to herself than to Moni ; ' but that's of no consequence whatever.

It must be done, and no one else can be trusted to do it.' A few words sufficed to explain her plan. Moni was to dress herself as a man, conceal ing, as much as possible, her face by a puggri which came well over one side of her brow and cheek ; and in this disguise nothing would be easier than for her to pass as an attendant of the Sirdars, who, after finishing their supper in the castle, were about to hold a secret conclave in Mahomed Shah's own apartment. ' You will rapidly pass the doorway, and when they have all gone in, conceal vourself in that dark recess at the end of the passage, where you will be perfectly safe and can hear every word that is uttered in the chamber. Do you understand, Moni V She looked eagerly at the serving-woman, half enjoying the scared expression on the batter's face. ' Eminent in rank !' ejaculated the poor creature, with difficulty, at last. ' How cau I put my neck into this noose, and escape ? 7JV THE ZENANA 17 Any other service I will perform, but to go as a man — to be found out, perhaps — to be caught listening in that hole you speak of !' ' Well, 'tis a choice of evils for you,' laughed the mistress in her hardest tone ; ' for if you refuse I will have every nail you possess torn from the flesh of your hands and feet.

As you please, then — as you please !' Moni looked in Shah Jehan's face, but read no pity there ; on the contrary, she saw only the tightening of the lips, the hard glare of the eyes, that proved the danger in which she stood were she to exasperate the tigress-like nature of the Sudozye girl. ' And if they discover me,' she gasped out at last, ' what a fate will be mine ! Ah, spare me, spare me, Light of the world ! Think what misery may befall me if I perform your Highness's behest imperfectly — if Iif thev ' ' Hah, hah !' laughed the lady cynically. ' You would be forthwith boiled in oil, or roasted slowly before my lord's fire ; but, inshallah ! if you don't obey me you shall lose every nail from those pretty hands ot yours within the next half-hour.' 'What is fated is fated,' exclaimed the miserable girl, seeing absolutely no escape from her wretched predicament. ' I will make the attempt.

To Allah alone is it revealed how it will end, for He only is All-seeing. ' Quite true — that's the right spirit,' cried Shah Jehan, delighted to have brought about this adventure. 'There's a collection of things in that almirah, with some among them belonging to Feroze Khan, that wretched cousin of mine. Let us have them all out, and I'll soon fit you with the proper disguise.' Thus adjured, Moni emptied the contents of the almirah at her mistress's feet, and watched with some interest while she sorted out the necessary garments. ' Pyjamas, puttoo coat, scarlet cummer bund. There — those are all right ! Now, will you have a puggri to correspond with the cummerbund, or this lovely lemon-coloured silk, or this handsome green shawl ? They are every one of them at your service.' Inwardly groaning, Moni chose the scarlet, and in a couple of minutes had donned the new attire.

Then her mistress laughingly removed her ear-rings. ' I'll keep them safe till you return,' she cried, ' and if any accident should unfor tunately happen, and you by chance be boiled or roasted — well, I'll keep them alto gether !' She enjoyed the joke more than her poor victim did, for the touch of covetousness it displayed seemed to Moni, at that moment, peculiarly cruel. ' Upon my word, a very pretty youth !' continued Shah Jehan, looking critically at the maid as she stood before her. ' Now for your moustache — just the faintest in the world, marked with this bit of burnt cork. Perfect indeed ! I could fall in love with j^ou myself. Hah, hah !' But Moni did not smile in response to this sally. ' Come, cheer up,' resumed the girl, ' and put a bold face on it ! Ah, that reminds me of your arms — you must have them to defend yourself with in case of a quarrel, for we Afghans are terribly ready to cut each other's throats, you know.' This seemed more than ever to amuse the mistress, and as she fastened the belt of the tulwar she had opportunely discovered in the wardrobe round her maid's slender form, she laughed again and again at the comic situation she had brought about. ' Now for your dagger,' she persisted, drawing forth a beautiful little gold-inlaid kuttar ; ' this is just the thing, and perfectly suited to your delicate hand — hah, hah !

With that on one side and this charming little pistol stuck into your cummerbund on the other. you are quite complete, and may defy detec tion anywhere !' It was not certain that Moni took the same view of the situation, but, as there was no choice in the matter, she seemed at last to make up her mind to it, suffering her toilet to be finished by her mistress, who finally put into her hand her own mirror, that she might survey herself in it. ' Now, just look ! Would you know your self in that attire ?' she asked, laughing. ' It makes you look five years younger, and, oh, ever so much handsomer than you do as a girl, Moni ! But you must assume the swash buckler air, and swagger with the best of them, or it will be all up with you.' ' Must I ?' returned she, somewhat reas sured of the efficacy of her disguise, and touching the handle of her tulwar as if she would draw the weapon from its scabbard. ' Capital !' cried the delighted Shah Jehan; ' that's the action — that's the true touch of insolence that our budmashes affect !

Oh ! I almost long to go with you and see how you will ruffle it with them ; only remember you have to bring me a true and full and particular account of my lord's meeting and all that passes there, especially noting any reference that may be made to Stanhope Sahib.' ' Have I permission to depart, then, Be loved of the stars, if indeed I must go on this dangerous errand ?' ' Yes, you faint-hearted creature ; be off now, and recollect your safety depends en tirely on yourself. Allah will protect you if you act up to your character ; so now, having kissed my hand, depart.' Thus, graciously permitting the salutation of her servant, Shah Jehan allowed her to pass out on her hazardous and delicate mission.

Chapter II. The Secret Conclave

The chamber in which sat the host, Mahomed Shah Khan, and his friends, was not a large one, nor did the single oil-lamp which hung from the ceiling give more light than was just sufficient to enable the private secretary, Meer Ushruff Ali, to decipher the letters which had come from Caubul, and to make a short note of the conversation that took place.

The two Sirdars were eager to com municate the important intelligence they had brought, and to discuss the whole situation with their fellow - clansman, and no time, therefore, was lost in preliminaries. ' You have heard how the English are pent up in their cantonment at Caubul,' began Shere Khan, the elder of the Sirdars, ' and how the miserable King they have set up dare not move from the Bala Hissar there V ' Oh yes ; I know all that,' responded Mahomed Shah. ' The Sudozyes, though they are cousins of my newest wife, are a poor race of men — worn out, and altogether effete and useless.' ' And Shah Soojah is about the worst of them,' observed Ameen-oolah Khan with a sneer. ' How the infidels could ever expect such a creature as that to keep the country together is a riddle indeed ; for the more he is supported by them, the more he's bound to be detested by his own countrymen.' ' And yet I have sworn fealty to him — for a consideration,' remarked Mahomed Shah quietly. ' But, then, that was natural enough, being as I now am in a manner con nected with the Sudozyes.' ' So much the worse for the Sudozyes,' laughed Ameen-oolah. ' But you manage to keep Ghilzan quiet, and get in the revenue regularly, I suppose ?' THE SECRET CONCLA VE 25 ' Trust me for that, my friend,' responded the host. ' We are here a long distance from the capital, and can practise gentle compul sion on the people very much as we please ; and, indeed, I will venture to say you will meet more men in a day's ride who have lost their noses or their ears in this district of Ghilzan than in any other you are acquainted with.' ' Well, well,' interrupted Shere Khan in a grave tone ; ' though that may be an interest ing fact, we have come to tell you, in the first place, that the Ghilzyes have revolted, for as soon as the English let it be known their subsidies were to be reduced, they brake away in a body from Caubul, closed the passes towards Hindostan, robbed valuable kafilas, and remained in a threatening posi tion commanding the road to Jellalabad.' ' I had heard something of this,' said Mahomed Shah, passing the hookah on to his guests, ' and even that the Kohistanis, the Momunds, and the Kuzzilbashes, were join ing in the revolt.

Of course, with so unpopular a King, if the rewards for their faith fulness and the price of their adhesion are taken away from the tribes, what can you expect ?' ' What indeed V muttered Ameen-oolah scornfully. ' Let the gold cease to be paid, and those who have been the receivers of it will be free to follow their own purposes ; that is but the Afghan nature.' ' The English seem, for some unaccountable reason, unwilling to move out of their quarters into the field,' continued the elder Sirdar, ' and the insurrection goes on un checked in consequence. The whole city is in revolt, and the Afghans have no longer any fear or respect for them.' ' The dogs !' exclaimed Mahomed Shah — ' the cursed dogs that they are !' ' Dogs truly, and pigs withal !' assented Ameen-oolah. ' They wanted to do away with slavery — one of our most cherished customs ; but even their own King that they have set up could not enforce that.' ' By Allah !' cried Mahomed Shah angrily.

THE SECRET CONCLAVE 27 ' I suppose they would desire next to foist upon us their own religion as Kafirs — curse them !' ' My friends,' interposed the elder Sirdar, ' let us keep to our business at present. Since Burnes Sahib, who was in his way one of the ablest men among our enemies, was murdered in his garden, it has been plain affairs were going badly for the English ; and, now the principal tribes have ceased to truckle to Macnaghten Sahib, things are about to happen which will cause them all to bite the finger of repentance.' ' Hah, hah !' laughed Ameen-oolah ; 'I know what you are going to say next ; out with it, 0 most wise councillor.' ' Yes,' continued Shere Khan, ' the doom of our oppressors is fixed, their gold and their bayonets will now be alike useless, for Mahomed Akbar Khan, the son of our old King and the hope of the Barukzyes, has come down from Turkistan and been received with delight by the whole Afghan people. ' ' Inshallah, but this is good news !' cried Mahomed Shah in delight, ' Your coming in this sudden fashion is accounted for satisfactorily now, and I must consider seriously the game it is necessary for me to play.' ' Even as we left Caubul the salutes in honour of Dost Mahomed's son were being fired,' said Shere Khan, ' and all the principal chiefs were making their salaams to him.' ' He will, being such a brave and im- 7 O petuous soldier, soon avenge the wrongs his father and family have sustained at the hands of the English dogs,' broke in Ameen- O O 7 oolah ; ' he, an outcast and an exile from his home and his country, will tear in pieces the web of craft and deceit that has been woven round it during the last cursed years of Sudozye supremacy.

Shabash, say I- — shabash !' ' And yet, remember this,' observed Mahomed Shah cautiously : ' the infidels are in great strength, both at Caubul and here, and their generals are clever and their men brave.' THE SECRET CONCLAVE 29 ' Never fear on that score,' exclaimed Ameen-oolah hotly ; ' are they not already disheartened by the advent of this avenger of his father's wrongs ? Do you think the Kafirs will be able to stand against this fiery warrior when he leads his thousands of Ghazis against them — that they will not tremble for their women and children, exposed as they will be to the keen knives and the sharpened lances of the chosen warriors of the Prophet ?' There was a pause for a moment after this sally, during which the secretary, Meer Ushruff Ali, looked up at his master through the pair of English spectacles without which he would have been almost entirely blind. ' Have I permission to speak ?' he asked. ' Certainly, Meer Sahib,' replied Mahomed Shah ; ' we shall be pleased to hear your impressions of this new phase of affairs.' The secretary bowed. ' With the utmost submission,' he said, ' I would suggest that nothing should be clone in a hurry.