Part 23 (1/2)

The Rani's reception of Mr Antony's messenger was much what he had expected. She had taken up her abode in a half-ruined fort, which had been repaired sufficiently for the purposes of defence, and was garrisoned by a second company of Rajputs, and Gerrard was refused admission at the closed gates. His urgent messages brought the old scribe down to parley with him, but the reproaches he addressed to the Rani for neglecting the monitions of her husband's chosen councillor were met by counter-upbraidings on the score of his neglect of the Rani's own expressed wish to be left unmolested. She would not receive him, she would not disband her troops nor retire into British territory, and least of all would she sign the doc.u.ment which was to obtain from Sher Singh the payment of her jointure in return for her promise to leave to him any savings of which she might die possessed.

In these circ.u.mstances, all that Gerrard could do was to leave the paper for her consideration, with the most persuasive letter that he and Muns.h.i.+ Somwar Mal could frame in collaboration, and announce that he hoped to find her Highness in a better mind when he returned in three or four days' time.

If his reception here was disappointing, there was nothing lacking in the warmth of Charteris's welcome when he landed at his camp from the undignified conveyance of a charpoy supported on _mashaks_[1]--a small fleet of these vessels being in readiness to carry him and his train across the river. The puppies were duly exhibited after supper, and Gerrard made his choice, and then, though it was still early, for the crossing had to be made by daylight, Charteris dismissed him to sleep off his fatigues, promising that he should be called well in the middle of the night.

”To-morrow is a blank day as far as the administration of justice is concerned,” he said. ”I have threatened all my pet.i.tioners with atrocious pains and penalties if they so much as show their noses in camp, and you and I will go for a picnic. I know a bank where the wild thyme don't grow, but where one of my reformed robbers has a garden and a spring of sweet water, and will make us welcome to enjoy _kaf_[2] for a while.”

Gerrard had his doubts as to the feasibility of this programme when he was dressing the next morning by the light of a candle-end stuck into the neck of a bottle. A whisper outside the tent reached his ears.

”Brother, is the Sahib awake?”

”Which Sahib, O foolish one?”

”Our Sahib, the red Sahib, the mad Sahib.”

”Aye, he is awake, but he rides forth before dawn.”

”Bad for Bob!” thought Gerrard, as a rustle denoted the withdrawal of the questioner, but he had not the heart to tell his friend of his fears when they met for _choti haziri_, and he saw his high spirits.

”We'll take the dogs with us a little way--do the beggars no end of good--and send 'em back to camp before the sun's up,” said Charteris, as they mounted. ”'Give the hounds a trot out by way of exercise'--eh?”

”Well, I hope it won't end in 'Dinner lost! 'ounds lost! self lost--all lost together!' What d'ye think of calling the hunt, old boy?”

”The Cut-'em-downs, if you're going to ride over my hounds,” said Charteris, as a heedless puppy blundered in front of Gerrard's horse.

”And call you Crasher.”

”All right, Brusher!” laughed Gerrard, as they rode out into the cool darkness, an anxious dog-boy having extricated his charge. But before they reached the outskirts of the camp, the way was barred by a row of silent natives, some of them holding out papers, others extending empty hands.

”What's this?” demanded Charteris ferociously.

”_Dohai_, sahib, _dohai_[3]!” was the general cry.

”Well, I'll do you justice to-morrow, as I told you. Didn't I forbid you to come to me to-day?”

”Alas, sahib, a day is but as a moment to the great, but to the poor it is even as eternity,” said an old man, who seemed to be regarded as spokesman.

”It would be a different tale if I wanted you to do anything for me in a hurry,” growled Charteris. ”What do you say, Hal?”

”Oh, you have spoilt your subjects by dealing out justice too easily,”

said Gerrard, ”so you can't in conscience refuse it them now. Let us have our ride, and go back at your usual hour. The picnic must go.

You can accommodate me with a seat on the bench, and I'll pick holes in your law.”

”That you may well do.” Charteris paused to give the necessary directions to the suppliants and his Muns.h.i.+s, and resumed as they rode on. ”My law has too much common-sense about it to recommend itself to your conventional mind. Why, t'other day I had to decide the owners.h.i.+p of a disputed piece of ground--as hard swearing as ever I heard, and trains of mounted adherents and sympathisers riding with us to view the plot, and perjuring themselves for their respective sides. I saw it was six of one and half-a-dozen of t'other, so when we were returning, precious slow and stately, I gave a sudden view-halloa! and started off. They were bound to come too, and I should have died of laughing to see those old liars b.u.mping along and running foul of one another if I hadn't been too busy. I had the claimants one on each side of me, and by judiciously boring either quad. when it seemed inclined to draw ahead, I kept 'em fairly level. When they had had as much as I thought good for them, I pulled up, and several old codgers went over their nags' heads, of course. But all I said was that as the claimants had come in level, it was clear the land was to be divided between them, and we went back and did it there and then. They had a shawl apiece to sweeten the bargain, and I made a feast for the hangers-on, so everybody was pleased.”

”That's the sort of thing that makes them call you the mad sahib,” said Gerrard. ”Wonder they care to depend on you.”

”That's only because you forget that 'mad' don't mean the same to them as to us. All Sahibs are mad, of course--and say that I am a little madder than most. But all mad people are directly inspired by Heaven.

Therefore the madder I am, the more surely am I inspired. Twig?”

”It's a pretty deduction. I wonder if Sadiq Ali would set me down as inspired if I stood on my head before him when I go back?”