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Front matter

■ M ■ ■ Colonel Meadows Taylor's Indian Tales, HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE. Messrs. HENRY S. King & Co. have the pleasure to announce that they have made arrangements with the Author, Colonel Meadows Taylor, C.S.I., for the re-publication of his Indian Tales. i.- THE CONFESSIONS OF A THUG 1839. 2.—TIPPOO SULTAN 1840. 3.— TARA : A MAHRATTA TALE (1657)*.. 1S63. 4.— RALPH DARNELL (1757) 1865. These Works will be Re-printed from the Original Editions, Revised and Corrected by the Author, and will be published in a uniform Illustrated Edition, price 6/. Henry S. King & Co.. 65 Cornhill, London. S K E T A. BY Meadows Taylor C.S.I. M.R.I.A. M.R.A.S. &c. AUTHOR OF ' CONFESSIONS OF A THUG ' ' TARA ' ' RALPH DARNELL ' &«.- ' Let me not to the marriage of true minds Admit impediments. Love is not love Which, alters when it alteration finds, Or bends with the remover to remove : O no ! it is an ever-fixed mark That looks on tempests and is never shaken ; It is the star to every wandering bark, Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.

If this be error, and upon me prov'd, I never writ, nor no man ever lov'd.' Shakespeare, Sonnet C'XVJ. VOL. I. LONDON: Henry S. King & Co., 65 Cornhill. 1872. (All rights reserved) TO MY DEAR DAUGHTERS, ALICE AND AMY FOR THEIB DEVOTED LOVE AND VALUABLE PATIENT ASSISTANCE | pcbicait tljcsc Volumes OiJ) Court, Harold's Cross COCKTY DUBLLX,

Introduction

. To my Headers. The present volumes, which relate to 1857, are intended to complete the series that I commenced with 'Taba' (1657) in the year 1863, and continued in 'Ealph Darnell ' (1757) in 1865. The historical events which form the, foundation of each of these works, are not only of the highest importance and interest, but occurring strangely at, almost exact intervals of a hundred years, are not exceeded in dramatic power by any actions in the History of India. The first tale, ' Tara,' illustrated the very re markable epoch of 1657, when the Mahrattas, previously unknown except as ordinary subjects of the Mahomedan Government of the Deccan, cast off their allegiance, rose to power under Rajah Sivajee Bhoslay, and defeated, at first by

INTRODUCTION.

. VI treachery, the army of Beejapoor. Having thus established the basis of a national independence, tlie Mahrattas, after a long and harassing war with the Emperor Aurungzebe, which lasted sixteen years, defeated him in 1707 ; and his death, which occurred in the same year, and the distractions of the Mahomedan Empire which followed that event, enabled them to extend their conquests till, by the year 1757, they be came tlie most powerful State Confederacy in India, and had totally overthrown the once magnificent Empire of Dehly. In that, memorable year a new political power arose in the English, heretofore merchants and traders only. On June 23, 1757, Lord Clive won the battle of Plassey, and laid the founda tion of the English Empire which now exists. At that time, however, a strange astrological prediction was recorded, that the rule of the English company would last only one hundred years, that is from Sumbut 1814 to Sum but 1914 of the Hindoo era. As regards the history of India, and the .con dition of the people, the epoch of 1757 was

INTRODUCTION.

. VII more momentous than that of 1657. The new power, during a century of progression, became dominant over all Hindoos and Mahomedans alike. It had deprived both the Mahrattas and Mussulmans of independent political existence and influence, it had introduced new and power ful elements of Western civilisation, and the struggle of 1857 was a combination to regain what had been lost. In this struggle the native oo Sepoy army of Bengal, by its revolt and mutiny, took a prominent part, the history of which is being ably written by Sir John Kaye, K.C.S.I., and is also illustrated by many narratives of current events. In my present tale it has not been my purpose to write history ; but to give, as it were in an episode, a general impression of the time which of all -others in the history of India, is the most absorbing and interesting to the Eng hsh reader, and I have purposely avoided the sickening details of pitiless massacre and suffer ino-, which have already been illustrated by many writers, and which, of necessity, must be repeated in Sir John Kaye's history. I have

INTRODUCTION.

. therefore omitted these distressing events, and introduced casual mention of them only where they could not be avoided. I may seem to some, perhaps, to have laid more stress upon the weird prediction in regard to the events of Sumbut 1914, 1857-58, than it deserves ; but those who lived among the people at the time — as I did — felt what power it had gradually assumed over the native mind, among all classes and in all localities of India, and apart from other pretexts for disaffection, mutiny, and rebellion, I have always considered, and shall continue to consider it, as one of tlie most prominent and exciting causes of general combination and action in that year. No one, previously, dared to mention openly, or attempt to define, what was to happen. The prediction, in the form of an astrological deduc tion from a conjunction of planets, had been repeated in every Hindoo Almanac for a cen tury; and as the fatal year approached, English men who were popular among the people or had private friends, were, in many instances, warned of coming troubles and dangers, earnestly en-

INTRODUCTION.

. IX treated to leave India, or, at least, to provide for the safety of wives and children. Such warnings extended to localities far removed from the actual scene of disturbance ; while even to the Government itself, very solemn and impressive intimations and counsels were not omitted. The Sumbut year 1914 commenced on March 25, 1857, and closed on March 19, 1858, before the war had come to an end. It had been pre ceded by deadly epidemics and disastrous floods, and in addition to these,' tumult and massacre, as predicted, had marked its course. Finally, the deposition of the East India Company from power, held to signify the expulsion of the Eng lish from India, was literally fulfilled. But, while the Company died, the Queen of England ruled in its stead ! In Azrael Pande1 I have endeavoured to de pict the character of the rebel, and treasonable 1 Pande is not, as might be imagined, a surname. It is one of the divisions of Brahmins of Oudh and Bahar, as Doobe, Chowbe, Tewarree, Missr, &c, &c, which are very numerous. X

INTRODUCTION.

. emissaries of the time. Malignant and per sistent, they were led on by blind hatred and religious fanaticism, to the instigation and com- O " O mission of crimes at which humanity shudders ; and in Azrael's address to the Sepoy delegates at Barrackpoor (vol. ii. ch. iii.) I think I have included all the ' Avrongs ' under which the Ben gal Sepoys professed to suffer. The case of Dacoity with which my tale opens, was an actual one-, tried by me in my district court in 1855. My readers need not look in the map for Noorpoor and Shah Gunje, nor in the civil or military lists for my English characters, for they will not find them. Meadows Taylor. CONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME. PAGE

INTRODUCTION.

........ V PART THE FIRST.