CHAPTER XXI I.

N my return to the cavern, I was met by Fuzl Khan, who had been eagerly looking out expecting my arrival. He

informed me he had been witness to a most singular scene since my departure-a scene that would astonish me. I begged him immediately to make me acquainted with the particulars. Feeling weak and exhausted, he said that he retired to a remote corner of the cavern, and lay down to try and obtain the best repose his wounds would allow him. He had scarcely closed his eyes, when he heard a gruff, coarse voice say, "It is impossible, you must have deceived me." "I swear," answered a second voice, "I did not deceive you; I liberated Kokoo myself, and left him weak and faint in the cavern awaiting your arrival." "Well, well," said the first, "I can see for myself." Both then proceeded to the little door leading into the secret chamber; "and I suppose,” said Fuzl Khan," they entered it immediately; but they soon came out. One was in a violent rage, and said to the other, 'You are a vile liar, you have deceived me; how should both bodies be at this moment rotting in the chamber, if what you say be true? Did not you tell me you saw but one, and that you yourself liberated Kokoo?' The other man replied he knew not what to say, but that if they found Kokoo where he had left him, he hoped conviction would follow. 'Show me the fellow, then,' said the first speaker. They both now proceeded towards the corner of the cavern where I lay. There was little or no light in that part, but still there was enough to discover a human figure reclining upon a mat. "'Tis well,' said one of the men; 'he sleeps ; but how came there to be two bodies in the chamber?' This was a difficulty they could neither of them solve. The man who appeared to be superior, then came up to me and cried out,

'What, ho! Kokoo! asleep while there is so much work abroad? Awake! thou lazy varlet. Come, come, the birds are flown towards Guzerat; be quick, and follow them.'

"It may be easily imagined that I lay in no very pleasant state of feeling. I did not dare to confess I was not Kokoo, nor could I give any satisfactory account of myself, or how I came there. The man shook me by the arm, and cried out, 'Come, Kokoo; surely thou art not as dead as thy friend!' I started as if from a sound sleep, not wishing them to believe I had overheard any part of their conversation. 'Who in the name of Ishwur have we here?' said one of the fellows; 'bring me a torch!' One was lighted, and they held it close to my face. 'Why, you miserable, half-starved, Musselman dog!' cried one, who was in the garb of a gossein; 'where did you come from? and where is Kokoo?' 'Who is Kokoo? I don't know anything of a person so named. I never heard of the man you ask for before.' 'Come, come, my friend,' said one of the men; 'you must not feign ignorance; I left him here, and now I find you in his place.' The gossein then got into a violent rage, and began to accuse his companion of having deceived him. A violent altercation ensued, which ended in the gossein stabbing the other man in the side, after which he went away, muttering curses and imprecations upon him. I have been very anxiously waiting your arrival," continued Fuzl Khan, "as my situation was not a very agreeable one. I wonder who this Kokoo is?" I replied that I believed he was the devil, for it seemed impossible to get the upper hand of him. I described his person to Fuzl Khan, and told him to be on his guard, and give me immediate intelligence should he ever chance to fall in with him. He promised me obedience in everything, but did not fail to remind me of the one hundred rupees I had promised him.

I desired him to accompany me immediately, and took my way towards the tree where I had buried the silver ornaments. It was necessary to go through the glen where the goatherd's cottage was situated; and, before we reached it, the darkness of evening came upon us. As we passed the cottage, I fancied I saw two men enter it. I had little doubt but one of them

was Gabbage Gousla, while the other in all probability was Kokoo, whom he had somewhere fallen in with. If I could have depended upon Fuzl Khan, I would not have hesitated an instant in entering the place and watching their motions. As I was circumstanced, I thought it better to pass on a little way, conceal myself, and watch, by which means I might learn something to my advantage. I desired Fuzl Khan to proceed, and await my coming at a place which was easily recognised. He instantly obeyed, and I continued in ambush, watching the door of the cottage, from whence the two men soon came out, taking the road to Asseerghur. They passed the tree near which I had concealed myself, and I could clearly hear Gabbage's rough voice cry out, "The old villain is fled, but I will ferret him out. Foiled in all my plans! I will not be so much longer. Curses on that Pandurang Hàrì, the sneaking rascal! It must have been he who locked you up in the cave. What idiots you were to let a stranger into our secrets!" "It was all Salla's work," his companion answered, "not mine." "Well," said Gabbage Gousla, "he has paid dearly enough for his rashness and folly. What we now have to do is".

I could hear no more of the conversation of these men ; but I was in great fear lest they might overtake Fuzl Khan, and, recognising him for the man whom they had left in the cavern, use him ill, or probably question him too closely, when he might inadvertently bring up my name as his fellow-traveller. I kept, therefore, as close as I could in their rear, only allowing them time to get a small advance of me in the road. I then proceeded towards the place where I had appointed to meet Fuzl Khan. On arriving there I could not find him, and began to conjecture a thousand things, and to despair of doing so at all; when, looking over the plain, I saw a man approaching me at a distance, seemingly in full speed. On his coming nearer I saw it was Fuzl, who told me he had been overtaken by two men, one of whom answered the description I had given him of Kokoo. He said they had very closely questioned him as to his business in the jungle, but had not recognised him as the slumberer in the cavern. Not knowing what reply to make to their questions, he told them he was about

to join his master, Nagoo, in the fort. They asked him if he was acquainted with a person of the name of Pandurang Hàrì? He replied that he was, and said Pandurang was at present in the fort, where he had left him only the day before. Upon this the two men hurried on their way, muttering together. He heard them say, "This time he shall not escape!" Fuzl Khan immediately hastened to communicate the information to me. I then thanked him for the adroit way in which he had deceived the two men, and proceeded to the tree where I had buried my treasure. I thought it best, however, to await the dawning of day before I searched for it, and proposed to my companion to rest ourselves awhile. In the morning I went to the tree, and, digging, soon discovered, to my great joy, that the ornaments were all safe. I gave my companion the two silver bangles, with which he was highly pleased; and by thus keeping my promise, I attached him more strongly to my interests than I could have done by any other method, and I hoped to find him a useful person in pursuing my future objects.

I was strongly impelled, on a sudden recollection of what took place at the cavern during Fuzl Khan's absence, to return, and try if I could discover who it was had been the victim of Gabbage Gousla's revengeful passions. I therefore proposed it to Fuzl Khan, as there was reason to think the unfortunate man had not been killed, but only severely wounded, though there could be little doubt but his death was intended. My companion replied that he had seen quite enough of that dark and horrible place, and had no great inclination to set his foot in it again. I would not go alone, and Fuzl Khan seemed determined not to accompany me. At length I prevailed upon him to go as far as the entrance with me, and to leave me the task of looking for the wounded man. We set off, my companion being somewhat in a We had the whole day before us, and there was nothing to be apprehended from thieves in the jungles, all of which we cleared in good time; so that a large light remained after we had reached the cave. determining not to enter the gloomy place, I went in, and groped in every corner a good while, but found

surly humour.

portion of day

Fuzl Khan still

nothing, and

returned to my companion, who advised my lighting a torch, as so much of the cavern was impervious to the light of day. We had no torches with us, but we set fire to some sticks that afforded but a bad substitute for them; and Fuzl described the place where the man had been stabbed, but refused to enter and assist me. I now recommenced my search, and was at the point of giving it up, when, my light being extinguished in a dark part of the cave, I stumbled over something which I soon found was a human body. Whether it was dead or alive, I had no means of ascertaining. I called to my obstinate companion in vain, being determined to be satisfied. I therefore took the body by the leg, and drew it as gently as I could to the mouth of the cave, and, in so doing, fancied I heard a deep groan. This gave me hope that I might yet be of some assistance to the unhappy object of Gabbage's vengeance. On getting into the air, I found that the wounded man was suffering more from loss of blood than the depth of his wound. The latter had, however, ceased bleeding, and we contrived to bind up the wounded side with the sufferer's turban. The air, and a mouthful or two of fresh water, seemed to revive him. He opened his eyes heavily, as if with effort, gazed vacantly around him, and then shut them again, seeming as if he was in some horrible dream. Fuzl Khan did not scruple to render every assistance in his power now we were outside the mouth of the cavern; and by his care and my own united, we at last contrived to infuse a little more life into the object of our solicitude. Of speech he was not yet master; sustenance and unremitting attention seemed indispensable to restore it to him. Where we then rested nothing could be procured; and I proposed to Fuzl Khan that we should construct a litter, and lay him upon it, by which means we might convey him to some village, and obtain for him the necessaries, without which his recovery could hardly be calculated upon. My companion immediately assented to this proposition. We went to work, and, in a very little time, completed our task.

We lifted our patient on the litter, and slowly took the road towards Kandeish. The nearest village was that in which the durhm sallah was situated, where I first saw Gabbage Gousla's