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 1839 
 
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 CONFESSIONS 
 
 A THUG 
 
 BY 
 CAPTAIN MEADOWS TAYLOR, 
 
 IN THE SERVICE OF H.H. THE NIZAM. 
 
 1 have heard, have read bold fables of enormity, 
 Devised to make men wonder, but this hardness 
 Transcends all fiction. 
 
 LAW OF LOMBARDY. 
 
 IN THREE VOLUMES. 
 
 VOL. II. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET 
 1839.
 
 PRINTED BY RICHARD AND JOHN E. TAYLOR, 
 RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET.
 
 S:l3 
 I23<f 
 
 CONFESSIONS 
 
 OF 
 
 A THUG. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 SETTING FORTH HOW AMEER ALI SPENDS THE NINTH NIGHT 
 OF THE MOHORUM, AND HOW HE LOSES HIS MISTRESS. 
 
 ZENAT'S exclamation drew us to the window. 
 " Quick ! " she said ; u look out, or you will lose 
 the sight ; they are even now passing the Char 
 Minar." 
 
 We did look out, and the sight was indeed 
 magnificent. A crowd of some hundreds of peo- 
 ple were escorting a Punjah, that holy symbol 
 of our faith ; most of them were armed, and 
 
 VOL. II. B
 
 2 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 their naked weapons gleamed brightly in the 
 light of numberless torches which were elevated 
 on lofty bamboos ; others bore aftab-geers, made 
 of silver and gold tinsel, with deep fringes of 
 the same, which glittered and sparkled as they 
 were waved to and fro by the movements of 
 those who carried them. But the object the 
 most striking of all was the Char Minar it- 
 self, as the procession passed under it; the 
 light of the torches illuminated it from top to 
 bottom, and my gaze was riveted, as though 
 it had suddenly and startlingly sprung into 
 existence. 
 
 The procession passed on, and all once more 
 relapsed into gloom : the Char Minar was no 
 longer visible to the eye, dazzled as it had been 
 by the lights ; but as it became more accus- 
 tomed to the darkness, the building gradually 
 revealed itself, dim and shadowy, its huge white 
 surface looking like a spectre, or I could fancy 
 like one of the mysterious inhabitants of the air 
 whom, we are told, Suleeman-ibn-Daood and 
 other sages had under their command, and 
 were thus enabled to describe. Again, as we 
 gazed, another procession would pass, and a 
 sudden flash as of lightning would cause the 
 same effect ; interior and exterior of the edifice
 
 CONFESSION'S OF A THUG. 3 
 
 were as bright, far brighter they seemed, than 
 at noonday. 
 
 I was enraptured. Zenat had left us to 
 ourselves, and we sat, my arm around my be- 
 loved, while she nestled close to me, and we 
 murmured to each other those vows of love 
 which hearts like ours could alone frame and 
 give utterance to. 
 
 Long did we sit thus — Sahib, I know not 
 how long — the hours fled like moments. 
 
 u Look ! " cried Zora, " look at that mie4itv 
 gathering in the street below us ; they are now 
 lighting the torches, and the procession of the 
 Nal Sahib will presently come forth/' 
 
 I had not observed it, though I had heard 
 the hum of voices ; the gloom of the street had 
 hitherto prevented my distinguishing anything ; 
 but as torch after torch was lighted and raised 
 aloft on immense poles, the sea of human heads 
 revealed itself. There were thousands. The 
 street was so packed from side to side, that to 
 move was impossible; the mass was closely 
 wedged together, and we waited impatiently 
 for the time when it should be put in motion, 
 to make the tour of the city. 
 
 One by one the processions we had seen pass 
 before us ranged themselves in front, and as they 
 b 2
 
 4 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 joined together, who can describe the splendour 
 of the effect of the thousands of torches, the 
 thousands of aftab-geers, of flags and pennons 
 of all descriptions, the hundreds of elephants, 
 gaily caparisoned, bearing on their backs their 
 noble owners, clad in the richest apparel, at- 
 tended by their armed retainers and spearmen, 
 some stationary, others moving to and fro, 
 amidst the vast mass of human beings ! 
 
 One elephant in particular I remarked, — a 
 noble animal, bearing a large silver umbara, 
 in which sat four boys, doubtless the sons of 
 some nobleman from the number of attendants 
 which surrounded them. The animal was evi- 
 dently much excited, whether by the noise, the 
 lights, and the crowd, or whether he was musty 
 I cannot say ; but the Mahout seemed to have 
 great difficulty in keeping him quiet, and often 
 dug his ankoos into the brute's head with great 
 force, which made him lift his trunk into the 
 air and bellow with pain. I saw the Mahout 
 was enraged, and, from the gestures of some of 
 the persons near, could guess that they were 
 advising him to be gentle ; but the animal be- 
 came more restive, and I feared there would be 
 some accident, as the Mahout only punished 
 him the more severely. At last, by some un-
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 5 
 
 lucky chance, the blazing part of a torch fell 
 from the pole upon which it was raised on the 
 elephant's back ; he screamed out with the sud- 
 den pain, and raising his trunk, rushed into the 
 crowd. 
 
 Ya Alia what a sight it was ! Hundreds, 
 as they vainly endeavoured to get out of the 
 way, only wedged themselves closer together, 
 shrieks and screams rent the air ; but the most 
 fearful sight was, when the maddened beast, 
 unable to make his way through the press, 
 seized on an unfortunate wretch by the waist 
 with his trunk, and whirling him high in the 
 air dashed him against the ground, and then 
 kneeling down crushed him to a mummy with 
 his tusks. Involuntarily I turned away my 
 head ; the sight was sickening, and it was just 
 under me. 
 
 When I looked again, the brute, apparently 
 satisfied, was standing quietly, and immediately 
 afterwards was driven away; the body of the 
 unfortunate man was carried off and depo- 
 sited in a neighbouring shop ; and all again be- 
 came quiet. 
 
 All at once the multitude broke out into 
 deafening shouts of " Hassan ! Hoosein ! Deen ! 
 Deen!" the hoarse roar of which was mingled
 
 6 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 with the beating of immense nagaras*. The 
 sound was deafening, yet most impressive. 
 The multitude became agitated; every face was 
 at once turned towards the portal from which 
 the sacred relic was about to issue, and it 
 came forth in another instant amidst the sudden 
 blaze of a thousand blue lights. I turned my 
 eye to the Char Minar. If it had looked bril- 
 liant by the torch-light, how much more so 
 did it now ! The pale sulphureous glare caused 
 its white surface to glitter like silver ; high in 
 the air the white minarets gleamed with in- 
 tense brightness ; and, as it stood out against the 
 deep blue of the sky, it seemed to be a sudden 
 creation of the genii — so grand, so unearthly, — 
 while the numberless torches, overpowered by 
 the superior brightness of the fireworks, gave a 
 dim and lurid light through their smoke, which, 
 as there was not a breath of wind, hung over 
 them. 
 
 All at once a numberless flight of rockets 
 from the top of the Char Minar sprung hissing 
 into the sky, and at an immense height, far 
 above the tops of the minarets, burst almost 
 simultaneously, and descended in a shower of 
 
 * Large drums,
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. J 
 
 brilliant blue balls. There was a breathless si- 
 lence for a moment, as every eye was upturned 
 to watch their descent, for the effect was over- 
 powering. But again the shouts arose, the mul- 
 titude swayed to and fro like the waves of a 
 troubled sea ; every one turned towards the 
 Char Minar, and in a few instants the living 
 mass was in motion. 
 
 It moved slowly at first, but the pressure from 
 behind was so great that those in front were 
 obliged to run ; gradually, however, the mighty 
 tide flowed along at a more measured pace, and 
 it seemed endless. Host after host poured 
 through the narrow street ; men of all countries, 
 most of them bearing naked weapons which 
 flashed in the torch-light, were ranged in ranks, 
 shouting the cries of the faith ; others in the 
 garbs of fakeers chaunted wild hymns of the 
 death of the blessed martyrs ; others again in 
 fantastic dresses formed themselves into groups, 
 and, as they ran rather than walked along, per- 
 formed strange and uncouth antics ; some were 
 painted from head to foot with different colours ; 
 others had hung bells to their ancles, shoulders 
 and elbows, which jingled as they walked or 
 danced ; here and there would be seen a man 
 painted like a tiger, a rope passed round his
 
 8 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 waist, which was held by three or four others, 
 while the tiger made desperate leaps and charges 
 into the crowd, which were received with shouts 
 of merriment. 
 
 Some again were dressed in sheepskins, to 
 imitate bears ; others were monkeys, with enor- 
 mous tails, and they grinned and mowed at 
 the crowd which surrounded them. Now, 
 some nobleman would scatter from his elephant 
 showers of pice or cowrees among the crowd be- 
 low him ; and it was fearful, though amusing, to 
 watch the eager scramble and the desperate ex- 
 ertions of those undermost to extricate them- 
 selves, — not unattended by severe bruises and 
 hurts. Bodies of Arabs, singing their wild war- 
 songs, firing their matchlocks in the air, and 
 flourishing their naked swords and jumbeas, 
 joined the throng, and immediately preceded 
 the holy relic, which at last came up. 
 
 It was carried on a cushion of cloth of gold, 
 covered by a small canopy of silver tissue ; the 
 canopy and its deep silver fringes glittering in 
 the blaze of innumerable torches. Moolas 
 dressed in long robes walked slowly before, 
 singing the Moonakib and the Murceas*. Men 
 
 * Hymns peculiar to the Mohorum.
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 9 
 
 waved enormous chourees of the feathers of pea- 
 cocks* tails, incense burned on the platform of 
 the canopy, and sent up its fragrant cloud of 
 smoke, and handfuls of the sweet ubeer were 
 showered upon the cushion by all who could 
 by any means or exertions get near enough to 
 reach it. 
 
 Gradually and slowly the whole passed by : 
 who can describe its magnificence? Such a 
 scene must be seen to be felt ! I say felt, 
 Sahib, for who could see a mighty multitude 
 like that, collected for a holy purpose with one 
 heart, one soul, without emotion? Hours we 
 sat there gazing on the spectacle ; we scarcely 
 spoke, so absorbed were we by the interest of 
 the scene below us. At length however the 
 whole had passed, and the street was left to 
 loneliness and darkness : the few forms which 
 flitted along here and there, looked more like 
 the restless spirits of a burial-ground than hu- 
 man beings, — and the silence was only now 
 and then broken by a solitary fakeer, his bells 
 tinkling as he hurried along to join the great 
 procession, the roar of which was heard far 
 and faintly in the distance. 
 
 Just as we were about to retire, a number of 
 men formed themselves into a circle around a 
 B 5
 
 10 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 pit in which were a few lighted embers ; but 
 some bundles of grass were thrown on them — 
 the light blazed up — and drawing their swords 
 they danced round and round the fire, waving 
 their weapons, while all shouted aloud in hoarse 
 voices the names of the blessed martyrs. The 
 blazing fire in the centre lighted up their wild 
 forms and gestures as they danced, tossing 
 their arms wildly into the air. Now they stood 
 still, and swayed to and fro, while the fire died 
 away and they were scarcely perceptible. Again 
 more fuel was thrown on, the red blaze sprung 
 up far above their heads, and their wild round 
 was renewed with fresh spirit. 
 
 The night was now far spent, and the chill 
 breeze which arose warned us to retire. Indeed 
 Zenat and her mother had done so long before, 
 and we were left to ourselves. 
 
 Sahib ! that was the last night I passed with 
 my beloved, and the whole of our intercourse 
 remains on my memory like the impression of 
 a pleasing dream, on which I delight often to 
 dwell, to conjure up the scenes and conversa- 
 tions of years past and gone — years of wild 
 adventure, of trial, of sorrow, and of crime. 
 
 I can picture to myself my Zora as I parted 
 from her on the following morning ; I can again
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 11 
 
 hear her protestations of unalterable love, her 
 entreaties that I would soon return to her ; and 
 above all I remember her surpassing loveliness, 
 and the look of anguish I might call it with 
 which she followed me as I left her, after one 
 long passionate embrace. These impressions, I 
 say, still linger on a mind which has been ren- 
 dered callous by crime, by an habitual system of 
 deception, and by my rude intercourse with the 
 world — my deadliest enemy ; and they are re- 
 freshing and soothing, because I have no wrong 
 toward her to charge myself with. I rescued 
 her ; she loved me, and I loved her too ; we 
 wanted nought but a longer intercourse to have 
 strengthened that affection, which would have 
 lasted till death. But why should I talk thus ? 
 Why should I, a convicted felon and murderer, 
 linger on the description of such scenes and 
 thoughts ? Sahib, I have done with them ; I will 
 tell you of sterner things — of the further adven- 
 tures of my life. 
 
 I returned to my father : he was not angry 
 at my absence, and I found Mohun Das, the 
 dullal, closeted with him, and also another 
 sahoukar-looking person. Mohun Das had 
 been eminently successful : the sahoukar I saw 
 was the assistant in a wealthy house who had
 
 12 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 need of all our goods, and he was come to see 
 them before the bargain was finally closed. 
 They were displayed to him, both goods and 
 jewels ; he approved of all, said he would return 
 shortly with an offer for them, and having made 
 a list of the whole he departed. 
 
 " Now," said Mohun Das, " about the price ; 
 what do you ask?" 
 
 K You know better than I do," said my father, 
 " therefore do you speak, and remember, the 
 more they sell for the more you get." 
 
 u I have not forgotten your munificence/ 5 said 
 the Dullal, " and I say at once the cloths are 
 worth sixteen, and the jewels ten thousand ru- 
 pees ; but you must ask thirty thousand, — you 
 will get twenty-five I dare say/ 5 
 
 " It is too little," said my father ; " they cost 
 me nearly that sum ; and how am I to pay my 
 guards if I get no profit ? I shall ask thirty- 
 five for the whole." 
 
 " Well," said the Dullal, " if you do, so much 
 the better for me ; but mark what I say, you 
 will get no more than my valuation ; however, 
 if you will trust me and leave it to my judge- 
 ment, I will get a fair price." 
 
 i£ I will, but recollect, twenty-five thousand is 
 the least."
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 13 
 
 "Certainly," said the Dullal; "I go to do your 
 bidding." 
 
 " Go/ 5 said my father ; a Alia Hafiz ! be sure 
 you return quickly." 
 
 It was noon before he returned, but it was 
 with a joyful face when he did come. 
 
 After many profound salams, he exclaimed, 
 to my father : " You have indeed been fortu- 
 nate ; your good destiny has gained you a good 
 bargain. I have got thirty thousand six hun- 
 dred rupees for the whole ; we had a long fight 
 about it, and wasted much breath ; but, blessed 
 be Narayun ! your slave has been successful : 
 see, here is the Sahoukar*s acknowledgement." 
 
 My father took it and pretended to read ; I 
 was near laughing outright at his gravity as 
 he took the paper and pored over the crabbed 
 Hindee characters, of which he did not under- 
 stand one, — nor indeed any other ; for he could 
 neither read nor write. 
 
 u Yes," said he gravely, u it is satisfactory ; 
 now how am I to be paid ?" 
 
 " The Sahoukar will arrange that with you 
 in any way you please," said the Dullal: "ready- 
 money or bills are equally at your service ; but 
 as all transactions are generally at six months'
 
 14 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 credit^ the interest for that time at the usual 
 rate will be deducted/ 5 
 
 " And if I take bills., I suppose the interest 
 will be allowed till I reach Benares, or what- 
 ever place I may take them upon?" 
 
 "Certainly." 
 
 "Good," continued my father; "do you at- 
 tend here with the Sahoukar, and we will settle 
 all about it, and he can take away the merchan- 
 dise whenever he pleases." 
 
 So the Dullal departed. 
 
 It was now about the time when the tazeas 
 were to be brought to the edge of the river 
 to be thrown into the water, and as the Kar- 
 wan was not far from the spot, I proposed to 
 my father to send for our horses and ride thither 
 to see the sight. 
 
 He agreed, the horses were quickly brought, 
 and we rode to the bridge over which the road 
 passes into the city. Taking our stand upon it, 
 we beheld beneath us the various and motley 
 groups in the bed of the river ; there were thou- 
 sands assembled ; the banks of the river and 
 the bed were full, — so full, it seemed as if you 
 might have walked upon the heads of the 
 multitude. The aftab-geers, and the tinsel of
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 15 
 
 the various tazeas glittered in the afternoon 
 sun, — the endless variety of colours of the 
 dresses had a cheerful and gay effect — and, 
 though it was nothing to the grand appearance 
 of the procession at night, still it was worth 
 looking at. The tazeas were brought one by 
 one^ by the various tribes or neighbourhoods 
 to which they belonged, and thrown into the 
 pools in the bed of the river, for deep water 
 there was none ; but there was sufficient for the 
 purpose, and as each glittering fabric was cast 
 in, it was assailed by hundreds of little ragged 
 urchins^ who quickly tore the whole to pieces 
 for the sake of the ornaments ; and there was 
 many a warm contest and scramble over these 
 remains, which excited the laughter of the by- 
 standers. 
 
 One by one the various groups returned to- 
 wards their homes, looking wearied and ex- 
 hausted ; for the excitement which had kept 
 them up for so many days and nights was gone. 
 In many a shady corner might be seen lying 
 fast asleep, an exhausted wretch — his finery still 
 hanging about him, — his last cowree perhaps 
 expended in a copious dose of bhung, which, 
 having done part of its work in exciting him 
 almost to madness during the preceding night,
 
 16 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 had left him with a racking brain, and had fi- 
 nally sent him into oblivion of his fatigue and 
 hunger. 
 
 The Mohorum was ended : we staid on the 
 bridge till the time for evening prayer, when, 
 repairing to an adjacent mosque, we offered up 
 our devotions with the others of the faithful 
 who were there assembled. This done, I told my 
 father I should again visit Zora, and most likely 
 remain at her house all night: he bid me be 
 sure to return early in the morning, on account 
 of our business ; and having promised this, I 
 departed. 
 
 I rode slowly through the now silent and 
 almost deserted streets : the few persons whom 
 I met were hurrying along to their homes, and 
 had no common feeling or interest with each 
 other as before. I passed along the now well- 
 known track, and was soon at the house which 
 held all that was most dear to me on earth. I 
 sent up my name and dismounted ; I expected 
 the usual summons, and that I should see that 
 countenance I longed to behold welcoming me 
 from the window. I waited longer than I could 
 assign a cause for in my own mind ; at last my 
 attendant returned, and as he quitted the thresh- 
 old the door was rudely shut after him, while
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 17 
 
 at the same time the casements of the windows 
 were both shut. What was I to think of this ? 
 Alas ! my forebodings were but too just. My 
 attendant broke in upon my thoughts by ad- 
 dressing me. 
 
 * Her mother, whom I have seen/' said he, 
 " bid me give you her salam, and tell you that 
 her daughter is particularly engaged and can- 
 not receive you. I ventured to remonstrate, but 
 the old woman became angry, and told me that 
 she had behaved civilly to you, and that you 
 could not expect more ; and further, she said, 
 c Tell him from me, that he had better act the 
 part of a wise man, and forget Zora, for never 
 again shall he see her ; it will be in vain that he 
 searches for her, for she will be beyond his 
 reach ; and I would rather that she died, than 
 become the associate and partner of an adven- 
 turer like him, who, for all I know, might in- 
 veigle her from home, and, when he was 
 tired of her, leave her in some jungle to starve. 
 Go and tell him this, and say that if he is a wise 
 man he will forget her/ " 
 
 " And was this all ? * exclaimed I in a fury ; 
 " was this all the hag said ? I will see whether 
 I cannot effect an entrance ; " and I rushed at 
 the door with all my might. In vain I pushed
 
 18 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 and battered it with the hilt of my sword,, it was 
 too securely fastened within to give way. I 
 called out Zora's name — I raved — I threatened 
 as loud as I could to destroy myself at the door, 
 and that my blood would be upon the head of 
 that cruel old woman. It was all in vain, not 
 a bolt stirred, not a shutter moved, and I sat 
 down in very despair. A few persons had col- 
 lected, observing my wild demeanor ; and as I 
 looked up from my knees, where my face had 
 been hidden, one of them said, " Poor youth ! 
 it is a pity his love has been unkind and will 
 not admit him." 
 
 " Pooh ! " said another, " he is drunk with 
 bhung ; Alia knows whether we are safe so near 
 him ! — he has arms in his hands ; we ought to 
 get out of his way : your drunken persons are 
 ticklish people to deal with, let alone their being 
 a scandal to the faith." 
 
 I was ashamed ; shame for once conquered 
 anger. I walked towards my horse, and mount- 
 ing him rode slowly from the place. How de- 
 solate everything appeared ! The night before, I 
 had reached the summit of happiness. I cast 
 one look to the window where I had sat in sweet 
 converse with her whom I was destined no more 
 to behold; I thought on her words, and the
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 19 
 
 glittering scene was again before me. Now all 
 was dark and silent, and accorded well with 
 my feelings. I rode home in this mood, and 
 throwing myself down on my carpet, gave myself 
 up to the bitterness of my feelings and unavail- 
 ing regret. A thousand schemes I revolved in 
 my mind for the recovery of Zora during that 
 night, for I slept not. One by one I dismissed 
 them as cheating me with vain hopes, only to 
 be succeeded by others equally vague and un- 
 satisfactory. I rose in the morning feverish and 
 unrefreshed, having determined on nothing. 
 There was only one hope, that of the old woman 
 the nurse; if I could but speak with her, I 
 thought I should be able to effect something, 
 and as soon as I could summon one of the men 
 who had attended Zora, I sent him for infor- 
 mation,
 
 20 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG, 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 BHUDRINATH RECOUNTS HIS ADVENTURES. THE DULLAL 
 
 FINDS TO HIS COST THAT A BARGAIN IS OFTEN EASY TO 
 MAKE AND EASY TO BREAK. 
 
 I had not seen Bhudrinath now for some 
 days, and fearing he might think me neglectful, 
 I went to the serai in which he and the men 
 had put up. 
 
 " Ah ! " cried he when he saw me approach, 
 " so we are at last permitted to see the light of 
 your countenance ; what, in the name of Bho- 
 wanee, have you been about ? I have sought you 
 in vain for the last three days." 
 
 "Tell me," said I, "what you have been 
 doing, and you shall know my adventures after- 
 wards." 
 
 " Well then," said he, " in the first place, I 
 have made a series of poojahs and sacrifices at
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 21 
 
 the different temples around this most Maho- 
 medan of cities ; secondly, I have seen and 
 mixed in the Mohorum ; and lastly, I have as- 
 sisted to kill seven persons/ 5 
 
 " Killed seven persons ! " I exclaimed in 
 wonder, " how, in the name of the Prophet, did 
 you manage that ? " 
 
 {i Nothing more easy, my gay young jema- 
 dar," he replied : " do you not know that this is 
 the Karwan, where travellers daily arrive in 
 numbers, and from which others are as fre- 
 quently departing ? Nothing is easier than to 
 beguile them to accompany us a short distance, 
 pretending that we are going the same road : 
 why a Thug might live here for ever, and get 
 a decent living. The people (my blessings on 
 them !) are most unsuspicious ; and, thanks to 
 Hunooman and his legions, there is no want 
 of rocks and wild roads about the city, which 
 give capital opportunities for destroying them." 
 
 " Ajaib ! " I exclaimed, u this is very won- 
 derful ; and who were they ? " 
 
 " Not in the least extraordinary," said Bhu- 
 drinath coolly, "if you think on it; — but to 
 answer your question. The first was a Bunnea 
 who was going to Beeder ; we took him to Gol- 
 conda, and buried him among the tombs, and
 
 22 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 we got seventy rupees and some pieces of gold 
 from him. The second were two men and their 
 wives, who said they were going to Koorungul : 
 where that is Bhugwan knows ! but it is some- 
 where in a southerly direction. We killed them 
 about three coss from the city, among some 
 rocks, and left them there." 
 
 u That was wrong," said I, " you should have 
 buried them." 
 
 "Not at all wrong, my friend; who will take 
 the trouble of inquiring after them ? Besides, 
 we had not time, for the day had fully dawned, 
 and we feared interruption from travellers ; we 
 got above two hundred rupees, and two ponies, 
 which I have sold for thirty rupees." 
 
 a Well," said I, a these make five ; and the 
 other two " — 
 
 (i They lie there," said Bhudrinath, pointing 
 to where a horse was picketed ; " they were 
 poor devils, and not worth the trouble of taking 
 out ; we only got forty-two rupees from both." 
 
 u Dangerous work," said I ; u you might have 
 been seen." 
 
 iC Oh ! no fear of an old hand like me; every 
 one was off to the city to gape at the show, and 
 we were left alone. I was deliberating whether 
 we should not accompany them on the road we
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 23 
 
 came in by, and by which they were going ; but 
 Surfuraz Khan cut short my doubts and uncer- 
 tainties by strangling one fellow on the spot, 
 and I followed his example with the other ; the 
 bodies were concealed till night, and then bu- 
 ried." 
 
 66 But is there no fear of the grave bursting ? " 
 I asked. 
 
 He laughed. " Fear ! oh no, they lie deep 
 enough ; and you know our old tricks." 
 
 " Well," said I, " it is most satisfactory, and 
 I have missed all this, have been a fool, and 
 have lost my mistress into the bargain." 
 
 Bhudrinath laughed immoderately ; but see- 
 ing the gravity of my face, he said, 
 
 " Never mind, Meer Sahib, care not for my 
 merriment ; but truly thy face wore so lack-a- 
 daisical an expression, that for my life I could 
 not have refrained. Cheer up, man, there is 
 plenty of work in store for you; women will 
 be faithless, and young and hot-brained fellows 
 will grieve for them ; but take a friend's advice, 
 make your profession your mistress, and she 
 at least will never disappoint you." 
 
 " Your advice is good," said I ; " nevertheless 
 the mistress I have lost is, as you know, worthy 
 of regret, and I shall miss her for many a day.
 
 24 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 But tell me, what have you now in hand, — any- 
 thing in which I may have a share ? " 
 
 " Why no," he replied, " nothing ; but if you 
 are so inclined, we will take a ramble this even- 
 ing through the bazars, we may perhaps pick 
 up somebody." 
 
 (i Of course I will be with you, for in truth 
 my hand will get out of practice if I neglect 
 work. B at have you seen my father ? n 
 
 ei I have not," said Bhudrinath ; " I hear he 
 is very much engaged about the property, and 
 do not like to disturb him." 
 
 " You are right, he is," said I ; (i but he will 
 finish all today, and get the money. I suppose 
 after that we shall not stay long here, and for 
 my part I care not how soon we set off; I am 
 anxious for new scenes and adventures, and we 
 are not likely to do much here. Is not Sur- 
 furaz Khan here ? " 
 
 " No ; he is gone with a party of seven tra- 
 vellers towards Puttuncherroo, and has taken 
 ten or fifteen of the best of the men with him ; 
 he will not be back probably before night, if 
 then." 
 
 * Who were the travellers ? " 
 
 u Bunneas, I heard," said Bhudrinath care- 
 lessly ; " I did not see them myself, and Sur-
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 25 
 
 furaz Khan was in too great a hurry to give me 
 any information." 
 
 u Out upon me!" I exclaimed, vexed at my 
 idleness ; (( here have I been amusing myself 
 while all this has been going on : for the sake 
 of the Prophet, let us do something soon, that 
 I may settle scores with my conscience, for I 
 have hardly assurance enough to look you in 
 the face after my behaviour." 
 
 " Well," said he, u come this evening ; if we 
 can't decoy any one, we will kill somebody for 
 amusement and practice." 
 
 " I agree," said I ; " for by Alia ! I must do 
 something. I am as melancholy as a camel, 
 and my blood, which boiled enough yesterday, 
 seems now scarcely to run through me ; — it is 
 not to be borne." 
 
 I found when I reached home that the Dullal 
 had arrived, and with him the Sahoukar's clerk, 
 and some porters to carry the goods, as well as 
 fellows with matchlocks and lighted matches 
 and others with swords and shields to escort 
 them. I stared at them. 
 
 " One would think you were going to battle, 
 Sethjee," said I, " with all those fierce fellows ; 
 I am half afraid of them." 
 
 The fellows laughed ; and the clerk replied, 
 
 VOL. II. C
 
 26 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 "They are necessary, and we always have 
 them. If our goods were stolen, nay, carried off 
 before our eyes, should we get any redress ? no 
 indeed : we therefore protect our property the 
 best way we can." 
 
 " Now," said my father, " take your goods 
 and be off with them ; they are no longer mine, 
 and I fear to allow them to remain under my 
 roof." 
 
 « Surely," said the clerk, " they will be out 
 of your way directly ; and now let us speak 
 about your money, or will you take some mer- 
 chandise as part of it ?" 
 
 " Not a bit, not a bit," replied my father ; 
 " I want all my money in rupees — no, stay, not 
 all in rupees ; give me five thousand in silver 
 and the rest in gold, it will be easier carried." 
 
 " I suppose you mean five thousand rupees, 
 and the rest in gold bars ; well, you must pur- 
 chase gold according to weight, and the best 
 is twenty rupees a tola ; — but you had better 
 take bills, and the exchange is favourable." 
 
 " No, no ; no bills," said my father, u but 
 the gold ; if I remember rightly, the price of 
 gold was high when I left Delhi, and was likely 
 to remain so ; and I have plenty of persons for 
 my guard if robbers should attack me."
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 27 
 
 " You forget me/ 5 cried the Dullal, " and my 
 per-centage." 
 
 " Make yourself easy," said I ; u it will be 
 paid out of the five thousand rupees ; it will be 
 about fifteen hundred I think." 
 
 "What did you say? fifteen hundred! to 
 whom ? " asked the clerk. 
 
 " To this Dullal," said I ; " I suspect the ras- 
 cal is cheating us." 
 
 " Cheating ! surely he is ; why Mohun Das, 
 good man, what have you been about ? are you 
 mad, to ask so much ?" 
 
 " Ah, it was my lord^s offer and promise," 
 said he, " and surely I shall now get it ; pray 
 what business is it of yours?" 
 
 "What ought he to have?" asked my fa- 
 ther. 
 
 " One per cent is ample," replied the other ; 
 " and you might have saved this too if you had 
 only applied yourself to the different sahou- 
 kars." 
 
 " We were strangers/ 5 said I, "and knew not 
 their places of residence ; so we were obliged to 
 have recourse to this rascal, who offered his 
 services." 
 
 " What ! did you not take me from the Char 
 Minar ? did you not promise me five per cent, 
 c 2
 
 28 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 and bind me to secresy about the sale of your 
 goods?" cried the Dullal. 
 
 " Listen to him," said my father ; " he raves. 
 Now, Meer Sahib, did not this bhurwa come 
 begging and beseeching for employment, and 
 when I said I would try him, and asked his 
 terms, he said he was miserably poor, and 
 would take whatever was given him ; was it 
 not so? And now, Punah-i-Khoda, we are 
 to be bearded in this manner, defrauded of 
 fifteen hundred rupees, where we have not as 
 many cowrees to give, and made to eat dirt into 
 the bargain. Beat him on the mouth with a 
 shoe ! spit on him ! may he be denied so that 
 Ganges' water would not purify him ! may his 
 mother, sisters, and all his female relatives be " — 
 
 " Nay, my good friend," said the Sahoukar's 
 clerk, " be not thus rash and hot-headed, nor 
 waste your breath upon so mean a wretch ; 
 since you have employed him something must 
 be given, it is the custom, and next time you 
 will know better; say, may I pay him the one 
 per cent, which will be three hundred and six 
 rupees ? " 
 
 " Three hundred and six rupees ! Alia, Alia ! 
 where am I to get the half?" cried my father : 
 {i for the love of the Prophet, get me off what
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 29 
 
 you can ; I swear by your head and eyes that I 
 am a poor man, and only an agent ; is it not 
 so, Meer Sahib? am I not miserably poor?" 
 
 " You certainly cannot afford to pay so much 
 money as one per cent on this large sum/" I 
 replied ; * nevertheless, as such appears to be 
 the custom, you had better give something, say 
 one hundred and fifty rupees." 
 
 iC Certainly," said my father ; "lam ready ; 
 I will not refuse anything in reason ; but so 
 large a sum — I was quite astounded at the im- 
 pertinence of the demand, and lost my temper 
 like a fool." 
 
 Mohun Das stood all this time with his eyes 
 and mouth wide open, looking from one to the 
 other, every word that was uttered increasing 
 his astonishment and disappointment. 
 
 <: Do you pretend to say," screamed he at last, 
 u do you pretend to say that I am not to get my 
 money, my fifteen hundred rupees, for which I 
 have toiled night and day ? And do you pre- 
 tend to say I came to you first ? did you not 
 take me with you from the Char Minar?" 
 
 " Nay, here is the Char Minar again ; for the 
 sake of Alia," said I to the clerk, " if you really 
 know this fellow advise him to be quiet ; what 
 have I, who am a soldier, to do with his
 
 30 CONFESSIONS OP A THUG, 
 
 filthy traffic ; he may provoke a patient man 
 once too often, and people with weapons in their 
 hands are not safe persons to play jokes with ;" 
 and I twisted up my mustachios. 
 
 I have told you, Sahib, what a coward the 
 fellow was : he fell instantly on the ground 
 and rubbed his forehead against the floor. 
 
 "Pardon! pardon \" he cried, "most brave 
 sirs ! anything, whatever you choose to give me, 
 even ten rupees, will be thankfully received, but 
 do not kill me, do not put me to death; — see, I 
 fall at your feet, I rub my nose in the dust." 
 
 " You fool," cried the clerk, holding his sides 
 with laughter, for he was a fat man; "you 
 fool ; ah, Mohun Das, that I should have seen 
 this I In the name of Narayun, who will do you 
 any harm ? Are you a child — you, with those 
 mustachios? Shame on you, man ; dullalasyou 
 are, be something less of a coward ; get up, ask 
 for your money boldly, ask for whatever these 
 gentlemen please to give you, though indeed 
 you deserve nothing for your impertinent at- 
 tempt at deception." 
 
 He got up and stood on his left leg, with the 
 sole of the right foot against the calf, his hands 
 joined, his turban all awry, and the expres- 
 sion of his face most ludicrously miserable.
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 31 
 
 "Ten rupees, my lord/" he faltered out; 
 " your slave will take ten rupees." 
 
 We all once more burst into a peal of laugh- 
 ter ; the Gomashta's sides appeared to ache, and 
 the tears ran down his cheeks. 
 
 u Ai Bhugwan ! Ai Narayun ! " cried he, 
 catching his breath ; " that I should have seen 
 this ; Ai Sitaram ! but it is most amusing. Ten 
 rupees ! why, man," said he to the miserable 
 Dullal, u you just now wanted fifteen hundred ! " 
 
 " Nay," said my father, " let him have his 
 due ; you said one hundred and fifty, — that he 
 shall have ; do you, Meer Sahib, go with this 
 worthy sahoukar to his kothee, and bring the 
 money ; I dare say he will give you a guard 
 back, and you can hire a porter for the gold and 
 silver." 
 
 " Certainly, you shall have the men," said the 
 Gomashta : " and now come along ; I shall have 
 to collect the gold, and it may be late before it 
 can be weighed and delivered to you, and the 
 rupees passed by a suraff." 
 
 As we went on, the Dullal said to me, " You 
 will pay me at the kothee, will you not ? " 
 
 " We will see," said I ; u the money is none 
 of mine, and I will ask advice on the sub- 
 ject."
 
 32 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 "Not your money! whose then ?" 
 " Why his who has employed you, and from 
 whom you are to get one hundred and fifty ru- 
 pees/' I said: "are you a fool? why do you 
 ask?" 
 
 "Ah nothing, only I was thinking — " 
 "Thinking of what?" I asked; "some ras- 
 cality I doubt not." 
 
 " Ah," said he, " now you speak as you did 
 at the Char Minar." 
 
 "By Alia!" said I, stopping and looking at 
 him, " if ever you mention that word again " — 
 " Never, never!" cried the wretch, trembling; 
 " do not beat me; remember it is the open street, 
 and there will be a disturbance ; the words es- 
 caped me unawares, just as I was thinking — " 
 " That is twice you have said that, and by 
 Alia ! I think you have some meaning in it ; 
 what would you be at ? " 
 
 " Nothing, nothing," said he ; " only I was 
 thinking — " 
 "Well!" 
 
 " I was only thinking that you are an adven- 
 turer, who has accompanied that rich merchant 
 from Hindostan." 
 
 "Well, and what of that? you knew that 
 before."
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 33 
 
 " You are not rich ? " 
 
 " No indeed/' said I, " I am not/' 
 
 " Then," said the wretch, " why not both of 
 us enrich ourselves ?" 
 
 "How?" I asked. 
 
 * Refuse the guard, or take some men I will 
 guide you to ; they will do whatever you like for 
 five*rupees a piece ; we will fly with the money, 
 and there is a place in the rocks close to this 
 where I have plunder hidden — we will go 
 thither and share it." 
 
 " Where is the place you allude to — is it 
 far?" I asked. 
 
 K No," said he ; " will you come ? I can 
 show it you from a distance ; we need not get 
 up the rocks — there is danger of being seen in 
 the daytime." 
 
 I followed him for a little distance, and he 
 pointed to a huge pile of rocks at the back of 
 the Karwan and Begum Bazar. 
 
 u There, do you see a white spot about half 
 way up on a rock ? " 
 
 " I do," said I. 
 
 " That is the spot," he replied ; "it is known 
 but to myself and a few others ; whatever I can 
 pick up I put there." 
 
 "What do you get?" 
 c 5
 
 34 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 ec Ah, little enough ; sometimes a shawl, a 
 brocade handkerchief, or some gold, anything 
 in fact. But why do you ask ? will you do what 
 I said and join us ? there are sixteen of us ; one 
 is yonder disguised as a fakeer, the rest are 
 hard by and will accompany us." 
 
 Ci Dog ! " cried I, dashing him to the earth, 
 " dog ! dost thou know to whom thou speak- 
 est ? Here there is no one," (for we had got to 
 the back of the houses,) " and it were an easy 
 task to send thee to Jehanum ; one blow of 
 my sword, and that false tongue would cease to 
 speak for ever : " and I half drew it. I knew 
 the effect this would have : there was the same 
 grovelling cowardice .he had displayed before ; 
 he clung to my knees ; I spurned him and 
 spit on him. " Reptile ! " cried I at length, 
 wearied by his abjectness, " I would scorn to 
 touch thee ; a Syud of Hindostan is too proud 
 to stoop to such game as thou art; lead 
 me to the Sahoukar, for by Alia I distrust 
 thee!" 
 
 a Nay, in this matter I have been honest," 
 said the wretch ; " the money is sure." 
 
 " It will be well for thee that it is," said I, 
 " o.' I swear to be revenged ; lead on, and 
 beware how you go ; if I see one attempt at
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 35 
 
 escape I will cut you in two, were it in the 
 middle of the bazar ." 
 
 " Then follow me closely ," said he ; and he 
 gathered up his garments, which had become 
 disordered, and we again entered the crowded 
 bazar. 
 
 We were soon at the Sahoukai-'s, who awaited 
 us : the money and gold were told out, and a 
 receipt I had brought with me given, and ac- 
 companied by the guard of soldiers I took the 
 treasure to my father. 
 
 a Meer Sahib, kind Meer Sahib," said the 
 Dullal, as we approached our dwelling, a you 
 will forget all that has passed ; Bhugwan 
 knows I was only jesting with you ; I love to play 
 such tricks, — nay, I have always been of a jest- 
 ing disposition;" and he laughed in his terror. 
 " You will not forget my little perquisite, my 
 hundred and fifty rupees, I know you will not." 
 
 u Peace ! " cried I," if you wish to get a cowree. 
 Has it not been promised to thee on the word 
 of two of the faithful ? thou shalt get the utter- 
 most farthing." 
 
 I dismissed the sepoys with a small present 
 when the money had been lodged in our strong- 
 room, and as they went, the miserable Dullal 
 looked after them as though he thought with
 
 36 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 them had departed his last chance for existence. 
 It certainly drew to a close. 
 
 " Give me my money and let me depart/ 5 
 said he in a hollow voice. 
 
 " Wait/ 5 said I, " till it is counted out for 
 you. 55 
 
 "Ah, I had forgotten the Dullaljee/ 5 cried my 
 father ; " I will get out his due, 55
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 37 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Cheel ke ghur men, mas ka dher." — Hindee Proverb. 
 There 's always meat in a kite's nest. — Free transl 
 
 My father counted out the money and handed 
 it over to the Dullal ; his countenance bright- 
 ened as he viewed it, and he made numberless 
 salams and protestations of thanks. " Now 
 you must write a receipt for the money/ 5 said 
 my father. 
 
 " Surely ," replied the fellow, taking a pen out 
 of his turban, " if my lord will give me paper 
 and ink." 
 
 a Here they are/ 5 said I ; " write/ 5 
 He did so, gave me the paper, and tied the 
 money up in a corner of his dhotee, which he 
 tucked into his waistband. " Have I permission
 
 38 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 to depart ? " he asked ; " my lord knows the poor 
 Dullal, and that he has behaved honestly in this 
 transaction. Whenever my lord returns to Hy- 
 derabad^ he can always hear of Mohun Das, if 
 he inquires at the Char Minar; and he will 
 always be ready to exert himself in his patron's 
 service/' 
 
 " Stay/' said I, " I have somewhat to say to 
 thee ;" and I related to my father the whole of 
 the conversation I have just described. 
 
 " Is it so ? " said he to the miserable being be- 
 fore him ; " is it so ? speak, wretch ! let me hear 
 the truth from thy own lips ; wouldst thou have 
 robbed me ? " 
 
 But the creature he addressed was mute ; he 
 stood paralysed by fear and conscious guilt, his 
 eyes starting from his head, his mouth open, 
 and his blanched lips drawn tightly across his 
 teeth. 
 
 " Thou hast deserved it," continued my fa- 
 ther ; " I read in that vile face of thine deeds of 
 robbery, of murder, of knavery and villainy of 
 every kind ; thou must die !" 
 
 " Ah, no, no ! Die ? my lord is pleased to be 
 facetious ; what has his poor slave done ?" and 
 he grinned a ghastly smile. 
 
 "Thou wouldst have robbed me," said my
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 39 
 
 father, " when I trusted thee with my whole 
 substance ; thou wouldst have left me to starve 
 in a strange land without compunction ; thou 
 hast robbed others, and cheated thousands : say, 
 art thou fit to live, to prey longer upon the 
 world thou hast already despoiled ? " 
 
 He threw himself at my father's feet ; he 
 grasped his knees ; he could scarcely speak, and 
 was fearfully convulsed and agitated by extreme 
 terror. "I am all that you say/' he cried, 
 " thief, murderer, and villain ; but oh ! do not kill 
 me. My lord's face is kind — I cannot die — and 
 my lord has no sword, and how will he kill me?" 
 He had only just perceived that wewere both un- 
 armed, and he made a sudden rush at the door. 
 " The Kotwal shall know of this," he cried ; 
 " people are not to be terrified with impunity." 
 The door was fastened ; he gave several despe- 
 rate pulls and pushes at it ; but I was at his 
 back, and the fatal handkerchief was over his 
 head : he turned round and glared on me — the 
 next instant he was dead at my feet. 
 
 u There," cried my father exultingly, "judge- 
 ment has overtaken him, and the memory of 
 his crimes will sleep with him for ever; we 
 have done a good deed." 
 
 " Yes," said I, " a good one indeed ; he con-
 
 40 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 fessed himself to be a murderer, robber, and 
 knave — what more need you ? and so young too 
 for this accumulation of crime !" 
 
 " Drag him in here," said my father, " I like 
 not to look on him ; and go for the Luggaees ; 
 he must be buried at night in the small yard of 
 the house ; I dare not have the body carried out 
 in this crowded city/ 5 
 
 "It shall be done," I replied; "but think 
 what an escape we have had ; had you not told 
 me to go with the wretch, we should have lost 
 our money." 
 
 " Yes, my son, and even had we got it, had 
 you not suspected that five per cent was too 
 much, I should certainly have paid the sum ; 
 but I saw your drift, and I think took up the 
 clue admirably. We have cheated the knave 
 both out of his money and his life." 
 
 " True," said I, (i it has been a good adven- 
 ture, and amusing withal ; besides it promises 
 further advantage." 
 
 " From the rock and the fakeer?" 
 
 " Yes ; there will be good booty." 
 
 " Take care," said my father ; " the band may 
 be there, and they will give you a warm recep- 
 tion." 
 
 "1 will go and consult with Bhudrinath,"
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 41 
 
 said I ; " the adventure will just suit him and 
 Surfuraz Khan ; we will do nothing rashly. 5 ' 
 
 Bhudrinath was at the serai waiting for me. 
 
 " So, Meer Sahib/' said he, " you are still in 
 the humour for a frolic ; how many lives will 
 satisfy your worship to night ? there is no lack 
 of men in this abode of villainy." 
 
 " I am in the humour/' said I, " but not for 
 what I intended ; I have better game in view." 
 
 " Ha ! " said he, " so you have been acting 
 Sotha; and pray what may this game be ?" 
 
 u One that will require stout hearts, and may 
 be naked weapons/' I replied : " are you willing 
 to accompany me ? " 
 
 " To death," said Bhudrinath ; " but I can- 
 not for my life see what you are driving at." 
 
 a Listen/' I replied ; and I related to him the 
 whole history of the Dullal. 
 
 " Cleverly done, very cleverly indeed, my 
 young jemadar," said he, when my relation was 
 ended ; " no one could have managed it better 
 from first to last ; the rascal deserved his fate ; 
 and now I suppose we must search out these 
 hidden treasures in the rock." 
 
 " Exactly," said I ; " I would do so this 
 very night if I knew how to go about it pro- 
 perly."
 
 42 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 " Let me see," said Bhudrinath musing ; "we 
 shall not want many men, six or eight reso- 
 lute fellows will be sufficient. You and I, Peer 
 Khan, Motee-ram, and four others are ample ; 
 there is no use waiting for Surfuraz Khan, 
 he will not now be back before the morning. 
 But how to get intelligence of the place, 
 and whether any of the rascals are there at 
 night?" 
 
 " Can no one personate a fakeer ? " said I ; 
 Ci a kulundur, anything will do. He might go 
 up now, as the spot is close by, and bring us 
 news in an hour or so." 
 
 "I have it!" cried Bhudrinath. "Here, 
 some one call Shekhjee to me." 
 
 Shekhjee came. He was an old man, with 
 a long beard ; but he was an able fellow and a 
 rare good hand with the handkerchief. 
 
 ce Shekhjee," said Bhudrinath, " sit down, I 
 have something to say to you. You can per- 
 sonate a fakeer if necessary, can you not ? " 
 
 " Certainly," replied the old fellow, "Moosul- 
 man or Hindoo, all kinds are familiar to me. 
 I know all their forms of speech and have 
 many of their dresses." 
 
 " It is well," said Bhudrinath ; " now listen. 
 You must go and disguise yourself this in-
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 43 
 
 stant; we have an enterprise in view;" and he 
 related our purposed scheme and what had 
 preceded it. " And now," continued Bhu- 
 drinath, u you must be wary, and by dark you 
 must return and tell us of the place and if 
 there are men there." 
 
 " Is the fakeer who lives there a Hindoo or 
 Moosulman?" 
 
 " I saw the impression of spread hands in 
 whitewash on the rock, so he must be a Moos- 
 ulman," said I. 
 
 u Then I know how to act/" cried the Thug. 
 u Sahibs, I take my leave, and will not fail 
 you. I shall be with you by the time I am re- 
 quired." 
 
 "Will he manage it?" I asked of Bhudri- 
 nath. " Methinks it is a delicate business." 
 
 " Never fear him," said Bhudrinath ; " he is 
 a most accomplished rogue and is a capital 
 hand at disguise, especially as a fakeer, and 
 once got us considerable booty by enticing five 
 Nanukshaee fakeers among us who had picked 
 up a good deal of money and were going to 
 build a well with it. Besides, he is as brave as 
 a lion, and you have seen his other work." 
 
 As we were talking Surfuraz Khan came in. 
 
 " Ours has been a good business," he cried
 
 44 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 exultingly, " and there is good spoil. We have 
 killed all the men, and the plunder is coming- 
 in charge of our fellows." 
 
 " That is so far good/* said I ; " but is there 
 any ready money, or is it all goods }" 
 
 " Both, Meer Sahib, both ; but methinks 
 you need not be so ready to ask, when we have 
 not seen your face ever since we have been in 
 the city. We might all have been taken and 
 safely lodged in Puntoo Lair's huwelee for all 
 you knew of the matter. I do not like such 
 conduct." 
 
 I was enraged at his speech, and was about 
 making an angry reply when Bhudrinath in- 
 terfered. 
 
 " Peace!" said he, "no brawls: it is dis- 
 graceful and only fit for drunkards and smokers 
 of ganja; listen to me. Surfuraz Khan, you 
 are no boy, and ought not to let your anger 
 have sway ; listen, and hear what our young 
 jemadar has been about, and I swear by Bho- 
 wanee I think he will yet put us all to shame." 
 
 He then related all I had told him, on hear- 
 ing which Surfuraz Khan^s angry feelings gave 
 way in a moment ; he rose and embraced me. 
 
 " I was wrong," said he, " and you must 
 forgive me ; and to prove that I am more than
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 45 
 
 ever your friend, I beg you to allow me a place 
 in this adventure, for, by Alia ! it promises to 
 be a strange one." 
 
 " Willingly," said I ; a we thought you 
 would not arrive in time, but now you are 
 come I would not on any account that you did 
 not accompany us." 
 
 Ci So you have strangled the fellows you 
 took out," said Bhudrinath. " Had you any 
 trouble?" 
 
 u None whatever," replied the Khan. " We 
 took them out on the Masulipatam road, and 
 found a spot on the other side of Surroo- 
 nuggur ; we threw the bodies into a well and 
 returned by another road. Soobhan Alia ! this 
 is a rare place, and we might remain here for 
 years and have some amusement every day. I 
 think I shall stay here." 
 
 " You may do as you please about that," 
 said I, " when we have shared the spoil we 
 have got. You will then be free, but I should 
 be sorry to lose you." 
 
 In such conversation we continued till it was 
 dusk, and then assembling the men we intended 
 to take, eight in all, and seeing that our arms 
 were in good order, we waited in great anxiety 
 for the return of our emissary.
 
 46 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 At last he came. 
 
 " There is no time to be lost/' said he. " I 
 went up to the place and found the Fakeer. 
 He is a fine sturdy young fellow, and at first 
 warned me to descend ; but when I told him I 
 was hungry and weary, that I had just arrived 
 from Hindostan, and did not know where to lay 
 my head, and begged for a crust of bread and 
 water in the name of the Twelve Imaums, he 
 was pacified, and admitted me into his cave, 
 gave me some food and a hookah, and we sat 
 carousing for some time. I pulled out my 
 opium-box and took a very little ; seeing it he 
 begged for some, and has taken such a dose 
 that he will not wake till morning. I left him 
 fast asleep." 
 
 a He shall never wake again/' said I : " but 
 did you observe the place ? Where can the 
 plunder be hidden ?" 
 
 "He lives in a cave, between two enormous 
 rocks," said Shekhjee. " It was nearly all in 
 darkness, but I saw a corner at the back of it 
 built up with mud and stones, which he said 
 was his sleeping-place, and I suspect it is 
 there that the plunder is concealed." 
 
 a Come then," said I ; u there is not a mo- 
 ment to be lost ; if we delay we may chance to
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 47 
 
 find the rest of the gang. This is just the 
 hour at which they are all out in the bazars, 
 stealing what they can. 55 
 
 We all sallied out, and conducted by our 
 guide, crept stealthily along the foot of the 
 rocks till we gained the narrow pathway by 
 which we were to ascend. 
 
 We held a moment's conference in whispers, 
 and bidding five of the men stay below until 
 we should tell them to ascend, Bhudrinath, 
 myself, and Surfuraz Khan crept up the nar- 
 row track to the mouth of the cave, whither 
 the old Thug had preceded us. 
 
 "He still sleeps," said he in a whisper ; u but 
 tread softly, lest you wake him. He lies yon- 
 der, close by the lamp." 
 
 " Mind, he is mine/ 5 said I to Bhudrinath ; 
 " do you and Surfuraz Khan hold him ; 55 for as 
 I looked on the powerful form before me, I 
 felt this precaution to be necessary. But he 
 slept ; how was I to throw the roomal about 
 his neck? Bhudrinath solved the difficulty; 
 he gave the Fakeer a smart blow with the flat 
 of his sheathed sword upon the stomach, and 
 the fellow started up to a sitting posture. 
 * What is this ? Thieves ! 55 was all he could
 
 48 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 say; my handkerchief was ready, and now it 
 never failed me — he was dead in an instant. 
 
 " Now trim the lamp/' said I to Bhudri- 
 nath. " Call up three of the men, and let the 
 others remain below to look out." 
 
 Bhudrinath tore a piece of rag off the clothes 
 of the dead Fakeer, which he twisted up into 
 a thick wick and put into the oil vessel; its 
 strong glare lighted up the interior of the cave, 
 and we saw everything distinctly. 
 
 " Here is the wall which I spoke of," said 
 Shekhjee, " and we had better search behind it." 
 
 We did so. There were piles of earthen jars 
 in one corner, which we at first supposed to 
 contain grain or flour, and indeed the first two 
 we uncovered had rice and dal in them ; the 
 third felt heavy. 
 
 " This has something in it beyond rice," said 
 I ; " examine it closely." The mouth was 
 stuffed with rags, but when they were removed 
 we beheld it filled with money — rupees and pice 
 mixed together. 
 
 " This was not wise," said Bhudrinath ; " the 
 Shah Sahib ought not to have mixed his cop- 
 per and silver, the silver will be tarnished ; but 
 we can clean it."
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 49 
 
 The next pot was the same : the last was the 
 best ; it was full of gold and silver ornaments, 
 rings, anklets, and armlets. We shuddered to 
 see that many of them were stained with blood. 
 
 u . The villains ! " I exclaimed ; " that wretch 
 then told the truth when he confessed himself 
 to be a murderer ; the city is well rid of him. 
 But we must not stand talking. Do one of 
 ye tie these things up and be ready for a start, 
 while we look out for further spoil." 
 
 But there was nothing else in this corner, 
 no bales of cloth or other articles as we had 
 expected. We were looking about to find any 
 other place of concealment, and had nearly 
 given up our search, when Surfuraz Khan, who 
 had gone outside, called to us. 
 
 " Come here," he cried ; " there is a place 
 here which looks suspicious/' 
 
 We ran to the spot, and found the hole he 
 had discovered to be between two rocks ; it was 
 dark within, and a man could but just enter by 
 crawling upon his hands and knees. 
 
 " Give me the light," said I ; " I will entei 
 it if the devil were inside." 
 
 u Better the devil than any of this infernal 
 gang," said Bhudrinath to me as I entered. 
 
 I found no one, and the space within, which 
 
 VOL. II. D
 
 50 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 was so low that I could scarcely stand upright, 
 was filled with bundles. 
 
 " Neither the devil nor any of the gang are 
 here/' cried I to those outside, "so do some 
 of you come in quickly and see what I have 
 found." 
 
 I set myself to work, as did also the others, 
 to untie the different bundles, and we were all 
 busily employed. I had just opened one which 
 contained, as I thought, brass cooking-pots and 
 water-vessels, and was overjoyed to find some 
 gold and others silver, when the alarm was 
 given from outside. We all got out as quickly 
 as we could and inquired the cause. 
 
 " There are two men," said the scouts, 
 "whom we have watched come round the 
 corner of the houses yonder and approach the 
 bottom of the rocks ; they do not walk fast, and 
 appear to be carrying loads of something." 
 
 " Only two," said I, " then they are easily 
 managed. Put out the light, and conceal 
 yourselves at the entrance of the cave ; we must 
 fall upon them as they enter." 
 
 We had just taken our posts behind a rock 
 which was close to the mouth, our roomals 
 ready, and two with their swords drawn, when 
 one of the fellows called out, " Ho ! Sein ! Sein !
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 51 
 
 come down and help us up. Here we are, la- 
 den like Pulla-wallas, and thou hast not even a 
 light to show us the way." 
 
 " Not a word," said I, " as you value your 
 lives. Let them come." 
 
 " May his mother be denied !" said the other 
 fellow. "The beast is drunk in his den and 
 does not hear us. I will settle with him for 
 this." 
 
 I suppose he stumbled and fell, for there 
 was another series of execrations at the Fakeer, 
 the load, and the stones ; but in a few moments 
 more they both reached the platform and 
 threw down their bundles, which clanked as 
 they fell. 
 
 "Where is this drunken rascal?" said one, 
 a tall fellow as big as the one we had killed. 
 " No light for us, and I warrant the brute has 
 either smoked himself dead drunk or is away 
 at the Bhung-khana just when he is wanted." 
 
 The other sat down, apparently fairly tired 
 and out of breath. 
 
 " Go inside," said he ; u you will find the 
 lamp and cruse of oil behind the wall. I will 
 not stir an inch." 
 
 The first speaker entered, cursing and abusing 
 the Fakeer. Surfuraz Khan and I rushed on 
 d 2 
 
 UHlMtKSlTY Of 1LUMI 
 LIBRARY
 
 52 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 him and despatched him; but the other hearing 
 the scuffle oried out and attempted to escape. 
 He was not fated to do so however ; his foot slip- 
 ped^ or he stumbled over one of the bundles he 
 had brought, and fell, and before he could rise 
 had received his death-wound by a cut in the 
 neck from one of the men behind the rock, who 
 darted out upon him. 
 
 i( Enough of this work/ 5 said I ; " we had 
 better be off; first however let us pay one 
 more visit to the hole and get what we can, 
 and do one of you see what is in the bundles." 
 
 We again entered the hole, and each taking 
 a bundle we got out. Those the fellows had 
 brought only contained cooking-pots and a few 
 cloths, so we left them behind, and made the 
 best of our way to the serai laden with our 
 booty. 
 
 I have forgotten to tell you, Sahib, how- 
 many more proofs we discovered in that cave 
 of the bloody trade of these villains. Many 
 of the bundles were of wearing apparel, and 
 most of them covered with blood ; one that I 
 opened was quite saturated, and as the still wet 
 gore stuck to my fingers, I dropped it with 
 mingled disgust and horror.
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 53 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 SHOWING HOW SURFURAZ KHAN AND HIS PARTY GOT INTO A 
 SCRAPE, AND HOW THEY WERE EXTRICATED THEREFROM. 
 
 When we returned we had a good laugh over 
 our success. The adventure was novel to us 
 all, and we pictured to ourselves the mortifica- 
 tion and chagrin of the robbers, when they 
 should arrive, at finding their stronghold plun- 
 dered of all its valuables, and their friends 
 lying dead at the threshold, instead of being 
 ready to receive them and recount their adven- 
 tures of the evening. 
 
 As a better place of security, I took the jewels 
 and silver vessels I had found to our house 
 and locked them up in the strong-room, to be 
 disposed of afterwards as best they might be. 
 
 My father, I need not say, was overpowered
 
 54 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 with joy, and every new feat that I performed 
 seemed to render me more dear to him. He 
 caressed me as though I had still been a child. 
 
 " Wait till these actions are known in Hin- 
 dostan, my son," said he with enthusiasm ; " I 
 am much mistaken indeed if they do not 
 raise you to a rank which has been attained by 
 few, that of Subadar." 
 
 I did not reply to him, but I made an in- 
 ward determination to venture everything to 
 attain it. I was aware that nothing but a very 
 successful expedition, coupled with large booty 
 and a deed of some notoriety and daring, could 
 raise me to the rank my father had mentioned ; 
 but that it could be attained I had no doubt, 
 since others had reached it before me; — and 
 why should not I, whose whole soul was bent 
 upon winning fame through deeds which men 
 should tremble to hear ? 
 
 Two days after our adventure at the robbers 5 
 cave, the whole of the Karwan and adjacent 
 neighbourhood were thrown into great excite- 
 ment from the discovery of the dead bodies 
 by their smell and the number of vultures they 
 attracted. Various were the conjectures as to 
 the perpetrators of the violent deed, and many 
 attributed it to the treachery of some of the band
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 55 
 
 of robbers; however, all agreed that a great 
 benefit had been done by unknown agents. 
 Much of the stolen property was recovered ; 
 among it was some of great value which had 
 been stolen from a sahoukar a short time be- 
 fore, and which in our hurry and confusion 
 had escaped us ; but, as it was, we had got a 
 considerable booty. All the gold and silver was 
 secretly melted into lumps by one of our men 
 who understood how to do it, and it w r as valued 
 by weight at upwards of seven thousand ru- 
 pees. 
 
 On a general division of the proceeds of the 
 booty being proposed, which amounted in a 
 gross sum, by the sale of the camels, horses, 
 bullocks, carts, and various valuables, to about 
 fifty thousand rupees, all the Thugs agreed 
 that it had better be reserved until the return 
 of the expedition to our village ; and mean- 
 while twenty rupees were disbursed to each in- 
 ferior, and fifty to each jemadar, for their pre- 
 sent wants. My father now talked of leaving 
 the city ; but I entreated a further stay of ten 
 days, as, in concert with Bhudrinath and Sur- 
 furaz Khan, I had laid out a plan for dividing 
 our gang into four portions, one to take post on 
 each side of the city, and to exercise our voca-
 
 56 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 tion separately, the proceeds to be deposited as 
 collected in one place, and to be divided when 
 we could no longer cany on our work. 
 
 The plan was favourably received by him, and 
 that day it was put into execution. We paid the 
 trifling rent of our house, and on the pretence 
 that we were about to leave the city and return 
 to Hindostan, quitted the Karwan and took up 
 our quarters on the other side, in a suburb 
 which bordered upon the Meer Joomla tank. 
 Bhudrinath and his party went into the Chud- 
 dar Ghat bazar, near the magnificent mansion 
 of the Resident, as, being a grand thoroughfare, 
 it was frequented by numerous travellers, and 
 from thence branched off many roads, both to 
 the north and east. Surfuraz Khan with eight 
 men continued at the Karwan, as he was less 
 known than we were. Another larger party 
 took post on the western road from the city 
 towards Shumshabad, under Peer Khan and 
 Motee-ram, who were resolved by their exer- 
 tions to merit the trust which had been confided 
 to them. 
 
 Our plan succeeded Wonderfully ; not a day 
 passed in which the destruction of several par- 
 ties was not reported, and though the booty 
 gained was inconsiderable, yet it was probably
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 5j 
 
 as much as we could expect, and it was all 
 collected and deposited in our new abode, from 
 whence my father disposed of such as met a 
 ready sale. 
 
 I pass over my own share in these little af- 
 fairs. I had thought, when I selected the quar- 
 ter I did, that there would have been more 
 work than turned out to be the case; I was 
 disappointed in the small share which fell to 
 my lot, in despite of my utmost exertions to the 
 contrary, and entreated Bhudrinath or Surfuraz 
 Khan to exchange places with me ; they how- 
 ever would not ; they had laid their own plans, 
 and as T had myself selected my station I had 
 no right to any other, nor ought I to have been 
 dissatisfied. 
 
 It was very early in the morning of the 
 eighth day after we had commenced operations, 
 that Bhudrinath came to me in great alarm. 
 
 "We must fly/* said he; "the city is no 
 longer safe for us/* 
 
 "How?" I asked in astonishment; "what 
 has happened ? Has aught been discovered, or 
 have any of the band proved faithless and de- 
 nounced us?** 
 
 " I will tell you/' replied Bhudrinath ; " it is 
 a sad affair — some of our best men are taken 
 D 5
 
 58 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 and in confinement. You know Surfuraz Khan 
 to be daring, far beyond the bounds of discre- 
 tion, and that for this reason few hitherto have 
 liked to trust themselves to his guidance ; and 
 but for this fault he would ere now have been 
 one of our leading jemadars, for he is a Thug 
 by descent of many generations, and his family 
 has always been powerful." 
 
 " But the matter," cried I impatiently ; 
 "what in the name of Shitan have we to do 
 with his ancestors ? By Alia ! you are as bad 
 as a" — 
 
 ei Nay, I was not going to make a story about 
 it," said Bhudrinath mildly, for nothing could 
 provoke him, " so do not lose your temper ; but 
 listen. Surfuraz Khan then yesterday evening 
 had got hold of two sahoukars, who were on 
 the eve of departure for Aurungabad ; he per- 
 suaded them to put up in the serai with him, 
 and they were to start the next morning. They 
 were supposed to be rich, as their effects in two 
 panniers were brought into the serai, and 
 carefully watched by them. By some unlucky 
 chance, just as the evening set in, they were 
 visited by two or three other merchants whom 
 they seemed to know, and who persuaded them 
 to wait for another week, and to join them in
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 59 
 
 their journey up the country. To the extreme 
 mortification of Surfuraz Khan they agreed to 
 the proposal ; but as they said there would be 
 danger in removing their bags from the serai at 
 night, they told their friends they would sleep 
 there, and join them in the morning. Surfuraz 
 Khan I hear made every exertion by persuasion 
 to induce them to alter their determination, but 
 in vain. So you know there remained but one al- 
 ternative, which was to put them to death in the 
 serai, and to dispose of the bodies as well as 
 they could ; besides, the circumstance of the 
 men being afraid to risk their bags by removal 
 at night, looked as though they were of value. 
 I must own, Meer Sahib, it was tempting ; it 
 would even have been so for you or me, — how 
 much more for the Khan ! Had he even waited 
 till towards morning, done the business, and 
 started, leaving the bodies where they were, he 
 could have got clean off with the booty, which 
 was large, and he could have come round the 
 back of the city and joined you or me; anyone 
 of us could have taken his post in the Karwan, 
 and no one would have been at all suspicious. 
 But no, he did not reflect ; the men were killed 
 almost immediately after their friends left, and 
 their bags plundered : as it is, we have got some
 
 60 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 of the spoil in the shape of two strings of pearls, 
 but the best are gone." 
 
 " And how was the matter discovered ? you 
 have not said/' 
 
 " Why/' continued Bhudrinath, " one of the 
 sahoukars' friends shortly after returned with a 
 message; Surfuraz Khan made some excuse 
 that they had gone out, but would soon re- 
 turn. The fellow waited for a long time; but at 
 last growing suspicious he went away, and re- 
 turned with the others, who insisted upon a 
 search for their friends. Surfuraz Khan had con- 
 trived to bury the bodies in the yard, but some 
 articles were found on his person which the 
 others positively swore to, as also the bags in 
 which they had been; and the upshot of the 
 whole was, that they were all marched off to the 
 city by a guard which was summoned from 
 somewhere or other for the purpose, except one 
 of them, by name Himmat Khan, one of Surfu- 
 raz's own people, who happened to be absent." 
 
 " It is a sad business truly," said I, " and I 
 do not exactly see what is to be done to extri- 
 cate them." 
 
 "Nor I," replied Bhudrinath; "but this 
 evil comes of not taking the omens, nor attend- 
 ing properly to them when they are taken."
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 61 
 
 " Nonsense ! " said I ; " you are always pra- 
 ting about these foolish omens, as if success lay 
 more in them than in stout hearts and cunning 
 plans. I believe them not." 
 
 "You will rue it then one day or other/ 5 
 said Bhudrinath ; Ci depend upon it you will 
 rue it ; I tell you I could mention a hundred 
 instances of the disastrous effects of disregard 
 of omens, and what I say will be readily con- 
 firmed by your father." 
 
 " Pooh/ 5 said I, " he is as superstitious and 
 absurd as yourself ; why do you not make your 
 lamentations on my want of faith to him, in- 
 stead of troubling me with them ? 55 
 
 e( I would/ 5 he replied, " but that he seems 
 to have given over the charge of the whole ex- 
 pedition to you, and to have forgotten his sta- 
 tion as the leader and conductor. Did any 
 one ever hear of a whole band being separated, 
 and each pursuing a separate course, without 
 the omens being taken, or a solemn sacrifice 
 offered to Bhowanee ? " 
 
 a I thought you had performed all the rites 
 you seem to think so necessary/ 5 said I sneer- 
 ingly ; " and if you have not, to whom else have 
 we to look but to you, who are the Nishan-bur- 
 dar ? By Alia and his Prophet ! Bhudrinath,
 
 62 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 methinks you have deceived us all ; and/' said I, 
 my anger rising, " I bid you beware how you 
 speak of my father as you have done ; remember 
 that I am able and willing to avenge any word 
 which may be spoken against him, and I will 
 do it." 
 
 "Young man/' said Bhudrinath gravely, 
 " you well know me to be one who never enters 
 into idle brawls or quarrels, and these angry 
 words of yours are wasted ; keep them I pray 
 you for those who will gratify you by taking of- 
 fence at them — to me they are trifles. Your 
 placing no dependence upon the omens which 
 have been considered by Thugs both of your 
 faith and mine to be essential to our success, 
 is only attributable to your inexperience ; the 
 necessary offerings have been neglected by us, 
 and behold the punishment. Though at present 
 it has fallen lightly upon us, there is no saying 
 how soon the whole of us may be in danger ; 
 suppose any of those taken are put to the tor- 
 ture and denounce us, how could we escape ?" 
 
 "Then what do you counsel?" said I. 
 
 " I would first propose an offering to Bho- 
 wanee, and then such measures for the deliver- 
 ance of those who have been seized as may be 
 hereafter determined on by us all."
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 63 
 
 " Perform the ceremonies by all means/' said 
 I ; * you and my father know how to do so ; 
 my ignorance might mar your object, so I will 
 keep away from you till they are over/ 5 
 
 " You are right, it might, and I am glad to 
 hear you at length speak reasonably : where is 
 your father?" 
 
 " You will find him asleep within/ 5 said I, 
 •* and you had better go to him." 
 
 Sahib, the sacrifices were made, the omens 
 watched, and declared to be favourable. What 
 they were I know not ; I cared so little about 
 these ceremonies then, that I did not go near 
 them, or even ask what had been done. It 
 was only in after days that their value and im- 
 portance were impressed upon me by a series of 
 misfortunes, which were no doubt sent to check 
 my presumption ; since then my faith in them 
 has been steadfast, as you shall hereafter learn. 
 
 My father and Bhudrinath returned to me 
 with joyful countenances. u Bhowanee is pro- 
 pitious," said they, "in spite of this little dis- 
 play of her anger : the truth is, we had in some 
 manner neglected her, but she is now satis- 
 fied." 
 
 " Since that is the case," said I, a we had 
 better be stirring and doing something for the
 
 64 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 poor fellows ; but what to do I know not. 
 When did you say they were seized, Bhudri- 
 nath?" 
 
 iC About the middle of the night." 
 
 66 Then they are now in confinement some- 
 where or other, and it will be impossible to ef- 
 fect their release by day : a bribe I dare not 
 offer, for they say Hussein Ali Khan, the 
 Kotwal, is an upright man. When is it likely 
 they will be brought before him ?" 
 
 " I know not," said Bhudrinath, " but it can 
 easily be ascertained ;" and he went into the 
 street, and soon returned : " I asked an old 
 Bunnea the question, or rather at what time the 
 Kotwal held his durbar, and he told me in the 
 first and second watches of the night." 
 
 " Then," said I, iC they must be rescued by 
 force, and I will do it." 
 
 " Impossible !" cried both at once. 
 
 " But I tell you I will do it," said I : " where 
 is Himmat Khan ? with him and six of our 
 best men I will do it, if they will stand by me. 
 Do any of them know the KotwaPs house?" 
 
 They were summoned, but none knew it. 
 
 " Then," said I, " I will go even now and 
 find it out, and will return when my plan is per- 
 fected."
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 65 
 
 " And I will go and bring some of my men/ 5 
 said Bhudrinath ; " I will be back by noon." 
 
 " See that they bring their swords and 
 shields, Bhudrinath ; some of them may volun- 
 teer to accompany me." 
 
 u I will do so for one, Meer Sahib ; I have 
 confidence in you in spite of your want of 
 faith;" and he laughed. 
 
 u I understand you," said I ; " you forgive 
 me?" 
 
 " Certainly ; did I ever quarrel with you?" 
 
 " No indeed, though you had cause ; I was 
 foolish." 
 
 "Why, what is all this?" said my father; 
 " you have not surely been offended with each 
 other?" 
 
 u It is nothing," I replied, " for you see 
 the end of it; but I am losing time, I must 
 depart." 
 
 I went into the city, and easily got a person 
 to show me the KotwaPs habitation. It was 
 in a long, narrow street, which did not appear 
 much of a thoroughfare. This exactly suited 
 my purpose, for we could have done little in a 
 crowded place. It seemed very practicable to 
 surprise the men who should escort our friends, 
 and I had no doubt, if suddenly attacked, they
 
 66 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 would scamper off, and leave their prisoners to 
 their fate. 
 
 I returned and laid the result of my inquiries 
 before my father. He was not averse to the 
 undertakings but was in much alarm at the 
 prominent part I should have to play, and the 
 chance of our being defeated. 
 
 "But," said he, "my son, these thoughts 
 are the cowardly ones which affection often 
 suggests, and Alia forbid they should have any 
 effect with you : go, in the name of the Prophet, 
 to w T hose protection I commend you." 
 
 Towards evening therefore, myself, Bhudri- 
 nath, and six others, two of whom were Raj- 
 poots, who swore to die rather than come back 
 unsuccessful, went into the city. We sepa- 
 rated, but kept in view of each other, and they 
 all followed me to the street in which the Kot- 
 wal resided. There we lounged about for some 
 hours, and I grew very impatient. Would they 
 ever come? had they even before this been 
 tried, condemned, and cast into prison? were 
 questions I asked myself a thousand times. 
 That the durbar was being held I knew by the 
 number of persons who went in and came out 
 of the house, but still there was no sign of our 
 brethren.
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 67 
 
 I was sitting listlessly in the shop of a Tum- 
 bolee, almost the only one in the street, when 
 Himmat Khan came up to me. I saw by his 
 face that he had news, and descended from the 
 chubootra upon which the man exposed his 
 goods, and turned round a dark corner. 
 
 * They come/' said he, panting for breath 
 from anxiety ; * I have been watching one end 
 of the street and Khoseal Sing the other : they 
 are coming by my end, and will be now about 
 half way up." 
 
 "And by whom are they guarded?" I 
 asked. 
 
 * Oh," said he, "a parcel of Line-wallas, about 
 twenty soldiers with old muskets ; we could cut 
 through a hundred of them." 
 
 "Have they their bayonets fixed?" I in- 
 quired. 
 
 " They have ; but what of that ? they are 
 cowardly rascals, and you will see will run 
 away." 
 
 " Then," said I, « run and tell Bhudrinath, 
 who is yonder ; tell him to walk down that side, 
 I will go down this ; when we are near them I 
 will give the jhirnee." 
 
 My four men had now joined me, as I told 
 them to do if they saw me speak to any one :
 
 68 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 Bhudrinath was joined by his, and by Khoseal 
 Sing, who had given up his watch at the other 
 end and arrived at the critical moment. Our 
 parties proceeded down the street exactly op- 
 posite to each other. I thought not of danger, 
 though it was the first time I had ever drawn a 
 sword in anger against a fellow-creature, and I 
 was about to precipitate myself into what might 
 be a sudden and desperate combat. Our shields 
 apparently hung loosely and easily on our arms, 
 but they were tightly grasped, and our swords 
 were free in their scabbards. I saw the party 
 approach ; they marched carelessly, and had not 
 the arms of my companions been tightly bound, 
 and the whole tied together by a rope, which 
 the leader of the party held in his hand, they 
 might have easily escaped. 
 
 Our men joined together in the middle of 
 the street, and when we were close to the com- 
 ing party, I cried in a loud tone, " Bhaee Pan 
 lao!" It was the signal — our swords flashed 
 from their scabbards, and we threw ourselves 
 on the sepoys. I cut right and left, and two 
 men fell ; the others were as successful : I 
 rushed to the prisoners, and a few strokes of 
 my sword and of those who were nearest cut 
 their bonds and they were free. As Himmat
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 69 
 
 Khan had said, the whole of the sepoys fled on 
 the instant of the attack. 
 
 u Fly to the gates, my brothers, or they will 
 be shut!" I cried; "fly through these narrow 
 dark streets ; no one will know who you are nor 
 trouble themselves about you." 
 
 We all dispersed in an instant. I cast a 
 hurried look around me as I returned my 
 bloody sword into its scabbard, and saw five 
 poor wretches lying on the ground and groan- 
 ing. It was enough : I too fled down the near- 
 est street which offered, reached the gate I had 
 entered by, and when I got on the embankment 
 of the Meer Joomla tank, I plunged among 
 the gardens and inclosures which are below it, 
 and by the various lanes which led through 
 them soon reached my father's house. 
 
 The attack on the escort of the prisoners, 
 Sahib, was so sudden and over so quickly, that 
 I can give you but a faint idea how soon it 
 was made and finished : it occupied less time 
 than I have taken to tell it, and I have often 
 wondered since that the noise and confusion, 
 not only caused by us, but by a few passengers 
 who witnessed the fray, did not alarm the 
 whole street, and cause the inhabitants to rise 
 on us.
 
 70 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 By morning all our companions were present 
 at the different places of rendezvous : but 
 thinking we were no longer safe about the city, 
 my father sent them all out of the way to the 
 camp at Hassain Sagor, where he bid them 
 wait, for we knew that it would never be 
 searched for us. 
 
 Nothing now remained to detains us but to 
 dispose of the plunder we had gained during 
 the last ten days, and there was none of much 
 value ; a few strings of pearls, several shawls, 
 and some unset precious stones were the best, 
 and they were soon sold : the gold and silver 
 as before had been melted down.
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. fl 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 IN WHICH THE READER WILL PERCEIVE THAT AMEER ALI 
 PASSED A BUSY AFTERNOON. 
 
 I had now only two matters on my hands ; one 
 to discover Zora if I could, the other to endea- 
 vour to get the bills of exchange I had brought 
 with me cashed. 
 
 Of the first I had but little hope ; for since 
 the day I went to her house, although I had 
 constantly men on the watch about it, I could 
 discover nothing of her or of the old nurse ; the 
 latter I had bribed handsomely, and I knew if 
 it was possible to convey to me any information 
 of her I loved, she would do so. I had several 
 times passed the house myself in the hope of 
 seeing Zora by some accident or other ; but it 
 was in vain ; and at the time I now speak of, I 
 had almost given her up in despair. Had it
 
 72 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 not been, Sahib, for the wild interest of my 
 trade, I should have sunk into apathy and 
 ■wretchedness, so fondly, so deeply did I love 
 her. It was this which rescued me from my- 
 self, for I could not be behind the rest in seek- 
 ing adventures ; and once that I had a band en- 
 tirely under my own direction, I was incessantly 
 occupied in finding employment for it, and 
 taking my own part in the catastrophes which 
 ensued. 
 
 The day after the rescue of our brethren 
 we held a consultation, at which the principal 
 members of the band were present. I need 
 not relate particulars ; suffice it to say, that 
 all agreed in thinking we had remained long 
 enough consistently with our safety, and it was 
 resolved to depart in the course of the next day, 
 or at most the day after. One by one the par- 
 ties, as they were then divided, were to take 
 the nearest road towards Beeder, which led 
 through Puttuncherroo ; and the last-mentioned 
 place was to be the rendezvous whence we 
 should proceed in company. 
 
 Little time therefore remained to me ; and as 
 soon as I possibly could I took Bhudrinath and 
 Motee-ram with me, and we went into the city. 
 We sat down on the steps of the Char Minar.
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 73 
 
 Wonderful indeed were the stories we heard of 
 our skirmish with the KotwaFs soldiers ; the 
 accounts of the killed and wounded on each 
 side were ludicrously inconsistent, and you may 
 imagine how we enjoyed the various relations 
 we heard, all either from persons who declared 
 they had been eye-witnesses of the matter, or 
 who had heard it from undoubted authority. 
 But it was not our errand to waste time by 
 listening to idle tales, not one of which con- 
 tained a word of truth, but to get the money 
 for the bills we had found among the effects of 
 Syud Mahomed Ali, alias Kumal Khan, and 
 we had repaired to the Char Minar as the most 
 likely place to meet with a person who could 
 read them, and without suspicion tell us upon 
 whom they were drawn. 
 
 Observing as we sat a miserable half-starved- 
 looking wretch, with a pen stuck between his 
 turban and his ear, an ink-bottle hanging by 
 his side, and a roll of paper under his arm, I 
 fixed upon him as a likely person to suit our 
 purpose. I beckoned to him^ and he ran eagerly 
 towards us. " Canst thou read Goozerattee?" 
 1 asked. 
 
 " Noble sir, I can not only read but write it, 
 
 VOL. II. E
 
 74 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 for it is my native tongue ; what are my lord's 
 commands?" 
 
 " Simply/' said I, " to read a hoondee — no 
 great matter;" and I handed him one of the 
 bills. 
 
 "It is an order, Sahib, drawn in favour of 
 Kumal Khan, (my lord's name I presume,) by 
 Bearee Mul of Nandair, upon Gopal Chund 
 Bisn Chund of the Begum Bazar, for four hun- 
 dred rupees, at nine days' sight." 
 
 "Is it correctly drawn?" I asked. 
 
 The fellow looked at the bill, and turned it 
 round and round, examining every part of it. 
 
 " Does your worship suspect it ?" 
 
 " Alia forbid ! " said I ; " for if it is wrong, 
 I and these worthy associates of mine are 
 ruined, for we have more like it, and for larger 
 sums." 
 
 " I see nothing wrong in the bill," said the 
 man ; " but let me see the others." I showed 
 them. 
 
 " They are all correct," said he ; " you have 
 only to take them for acceptance, and you are 
 sure of your money." 
 
 " Is the firm upon whom they are drawn well 
 known?"
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. /5 
 
 " They have a great deal of country business 
 in hoondees," said the man, " and are on that 
 account perhaps less known than many of our 
 leading bankers, but nevertheless the firm is 
 most respectable/' 
 
 u Where did you say they live?" 
 
 " In the Begum Bazar. If your worships 
 wish it I will accompany you thither." 
 
 u Good/' said I, " do so ; we are strangers, 
 and might not readily find the house. You 
 shall be rewarded for your trouble." 
 
 We went out of the city by a small gate at 
 the end of a street which led down from the 
 Char Minar, — I think it is called the Delhi gate, 
 — and turning to the left, after crossing the river, 
 we were soon in the midst of the populous and 
 wealthy suburb in which the bankers we sought 
 resided. The road through the principal street 
 was almost entirely blocked up by bags of 
 grain, bales of merchandise, tethered bullocks 
 belonging to the grain- carriers, and empty 
 carts ; and it was as much as we could do to 
 keep together, both from these causes and 
 the crowd of people. The noise too of the 
 crowd, of the buying and selling in the bazar, 
 the curses and execrations of bullock-drivers 
 and unloaders, the cries of men measuring 
 e 2
 
 76 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 grain, and a thousand others, made a din and 
 confusion which I had never heard equalled. 
 However, by dint of pushing and elbowing our 
 way, we reached a respectable-looking house, 
 and were introduced to one of the partners by 
 the man we had taken with us. 
 
 I put a bold face on the matter, and pre- 
 sented one of the hoondees. The Sahoukar was 
 an old man, and taking a pair of spectacles 
 from a fold in his turban, he placed them on 
 the end of his nose and carefully read the 
 hoondee ; he afterwards turned it round and 
 round, and examined it most carefully, looking 
 from time to time most suspiciously at me over 
 his glasses. 
 
 I own this would have been unpleasant had I 
 been alone, but with the two companions I had 
 brought with me I cared not ; had it come to 
 the worst, our weapons were ready, and we 
 would have used them for our liberty. 
 
 " I wish to speak a few words with you, 
 if you will follow me into the next room/ 5 said 
 the Sahoukar, pointing to one which led from 
 that in which we sat. He rose, and I followed 
 him. 
 
 " How came you to be possessed of this ?" 
 said he anxiously ; " and who are you ? "
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 77 
 
 " It matters not who I am" I replied ; * and 
 it must suffice for you to know that I am to re- 
 ceive the money for that hoondee, and for these 
 also f* and I showed him the others. 
 
 (e Most extraordinary !" he exclaimed after 
 he had examined them. ci I cannot understand 
 it. It is most strange that they should be 
 presented by another. Young man, by what 
 authority are you here to receive this money?" 
 
 a By his for whom they were drawn," I re- 
 plied. 
 
 " His name, and the sahoukar's who drew 
 them?" 
 
 a Kumal Khan, — and the sahoukar's, Bearee 
 Mul." 
 
 " That will not do," said the Sahoukar; " you 
 have blundered in your errand, young man ; the 
 drawer's name any one could have told you." 
 
 u Perhaps this may enlighten you further 
 upon the subject," said I, and I took from my 
 waistband the seal of the Syud. 
 
 He examined it, and going to a box in the 
 room he took from it a bundle of papers. He 
 turned them over rapidly. 
 
 " Ay, here they are," said he, reading, " e Ac- 
 counts of Syud Mahomed Ali' ; and now, 
 young man, if there is deceit in that seal it
 
 7© CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 can be easily proved, for behold the seal of the 
 worthy Syud himself;" and he showed me an 
 impression on one of the papers. 
 
 I confess I had been in much suspense, for 
 had I by any unlucky chance got hold of the 
 wrong seal my detection would have certainly 
 followed ; but still I had taken the ring from 
 the man's own finger, and it was not likely 
 that he had any other. The instant I saw the 
 impression, however, I was satisfied that it was 
 the right one. 
 
 " Now for the proof/' said the Sahoukar, 
 rubbing the seal over with ink and wetting a 
 piece of paper with his tongue. £i If you have 
 attempted deceit, young man, your detection is 
 certain. Shall I stamp it?" 
 
 " Certainly," said I ; "lam innocent of any 
 attempt to deceive you. The worthy Syud 
 gave me the seal in order that you might be 
 satisfied." 
 
 He pressed the seal to the paper and with- 
 drew it ; the impression was perfect, and exactly 
 corresponded with that on the paper of accounts. 
 " This is correct," he said at length; " though 
 1 cannot read Persian, the letters appear the 
 same, and the size is exact. I cannot therefore 
 doubt longer ; but still it is most strange."
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 79 
 
 " I can only say/" said I, "that I am the 
 SyucPs confidential agent, whom he has sent 
 to you for the money ; if you will not pay it, 
 say so, that I may write to him/ 5 
 
 u By no means," said the Sahoukar ; " the 
 money is here. But why did not the Syud 
 come himself? the bills are made payable to 
 him alone." 
 
 " True," said I, " they are ; but if you are 
 in his confidence, as you seem to be, you will 
 know that there are good reasons for his abs- 
 ence from the city at present, and as he wanted 
 the money he has sent me for it." 
 
 ie And where is he?" 
 
 u That I cannot tell you," said I ; "it can 
 be divulged to no one; suffice it for you to 
 know that when the proper time comes he will 
 emerge from his place of concealment." And 
 I told the truth, Sahib, for will he not rise at 
 the day of judgement? 
 
 And Ameer Ali laughed heartily at his own 
 conceit. 
 
 a Well," said the Sahoukar, " no doubt re- 
 mains as to your right to the money. When 
 do you want it? the bills are at nine days ? 
 sight." 
 
 " Now ; I have no time to lose, I must de-
 
 80 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 part in the morning. You can deduct the in- 
 terest for nine days. But stay/' I continued, 
 " the Syud told me that if he owed you any- 
 thing you were to deduct it, and if any balance 
 of his remained in your hands you were to pay 
 it to me." 
 
 " Good/' replied the Sahoukar ; " I will 
 see;" and he turned to his books. " Ah, here 
 is the account. Last balance struck the fif- 
 teenth of Suffer, nearly a year ago, — in his 
 favour three hundred and twelve rupees four 
 annas." 
 
 " So much the better," said I : " now pay 
 me the moneys and write a receipt ; I will sign 
 it with the seal, which I must take back with 
 me." 
 
 The Sahoukar called to a man inside. 
 
 ei Here," said he, " register these hoondees 
 and get the money for them, and make out a 
 receipt. Your name?" said he to me. 
 
 " Ameer Ali, an unworthy Syud." 
 
 The money was duly counted out, a trifling 
 deduction made for interest, and the whole 
 paid to me. I put my own seal as well as that 
 of the Syud to the receipt, and after seeing 
 the balance in the Sahoukar's books duly can- 
 celled, there was no longer cause to delay.
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 81 
 
 " How will you carry all that money?" said 
 the Sahoukar; "this is not a safe place for 
 people to be seen out at so late an hour" (for 
 the evening was now closing fast) " with such a 
 sum in their possession." 
 
 " Content yourself," said I ; "we are three 
 stout fellows, and well able to defend our 
 charge." 
 
 u You had better take two of my men, at 
 any rate, to carry the money." 
 
 u I will carry some, if I am permitted," 
 said the man we had brought with us. " Bhug- 
 wan knows I have eaten nothing today, and 
 knew not where to get a meal till these kind 
 gentlemen met me; and I may perhaps earn a 
 trifling sum above what they have promised 
 me." 
 
 u Good," said I ; * how much can you 
 carry ? " 
 
 " Two thousand rupees," he replied, " if my 
 lord will try me." 
 
 Ci Very well, then take up that bag." The 
 rest we divided between ourselves, and de- 
 parted. We did not return as we had gone, 
 but avoiding the city, passed by the house of 
 the English Resident, crossed the river below 
 it, and on the other side struck into some close 
 e 5
 
 82 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 lanes,, which led to the suburb we lived in. 
 As we went along, I said to Bhudrinath in 
 Ramasee, which I had now learned, " That 
 fellow must not live ; our secret is safe with the 
 Sahoukar, but not with another. What do you 
 say ? " 
 
 " I agree with you/ 5 said he. " We can 
 throw the body into a well ; and there is one 
 not far off I think ; I bathed there this morn- 
 ing" 
 
 " Very well," said I ; " when you see the 
 place give the signal. I will settle all our ac- 
 counts with him for his trouble and carriage of 
 our money." 
 
 We came to the well, and the signal was 
 given; I was ready and my victim also, but 
 he struggled hard, as the bag of rupees was on 
 his shoulders, and my roomal had not fair 
 play. He died however, and we threw him 
 into the well, with a large stone tied in his 
 clothes to sink him. 
 
 Strange, Sahib, that after protesting his 
 poverty as he had done, we should have found 
 forty-three rupees in his girdle ! 
 
 You may judge of my father's joy at my suc- 
 cess ; and to prove his sense of the value of my 
 address and ready wit, he presented me with
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 83 
 
 five hundred rupees out of the sum I had 
 brought. 
 
 With this at my disposal, I determined to 
 make a last attempt for Zora, for I thought 
 that with it I might bribe the old woman who 
 called herself her mother ; and late as it was, 
 I pleaded some excuse and set off for the city. 
 I soon reached the now well-known street, and 
 finding the door open I entered, and was usher- 
 ed into the presence of the old woman and 
 Zora's sister Zenat. 
 
 They rose on seeing me, and welcomed me 
 kindly. 
 
 u You have not been with us, Meer Sahib, 
 since the Mohorum," said the old woman as 
 she cracked all her fingers against her temples. 
 " You knew that you would always be our 
 most favoured guest, and yet we have not seen 
 you. Why has there been this estrangement 
 from us ? " 
 
 I did not like to accuse the old woman of 
 turning me from the door, as I have related 
 before, so I said I had been absent from the 
 city, and having only just returned had come 
 to pay my respects to her. 
 
 " And now, mother," said I, " where is Zora?
 
 84 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 Why is the rose separated from the nightin- 
 gale?" 
 
 cc Zora ! " said the old woman ; " why, have 
 you not yet forgotten that foolish girl? Is 
 there not Zenatbee, who is dying for you, and 
 has raved about you ever since she saw you ? n 
 
 " Toba ! Toba ! " cried Zenat, covering her 
 face affectedly. " For shame, mother ! how 
 can you speak so? how can you tell such 
 lies?" 
 
 " I say the truth, Meer Sahib ; I swear the 
 foolish girPs head has been turned by your 
 beauty ;" and she stroked my chin caressingly. 
 
 What could I do ? I saw at once that if I 
 did not affect love for Zenat I should never 
 hear aught of Zora ; but I could not forget her 
 so easily, and I hated Zenat for her love. I 
 thought it better to come to terms at once if I 
 could. 
 
 " Mother," said I, " I am proud of your 
 daughter's love, and to one so young as I am 
 such marks of preference as you say she is in- 
 clined to show me are most flattering ; neverthe- 
 less I cannot forget Zora : and tell me, by your 
 soul, am I to see her or not ? Now hear me ; 
 I am not a rich man, not one who could lavish
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 85 
 
 thousands upon her, but what I have is hers 
 for ever, and yours too, if you will give her to 
 me. Will you part with her ?" 
 
 * What do you offer ?" said the old woman. 
 " Methinks you must be one of our nobles in 
 disguise to come here with such a proposition/ 5 
 
 " I am no noble," said I, " but a poor Syud. 
 I have five hundred rupees, and they are yours 
 if you make Zora mine for ever ; say the word, 
 and tomorrow I will be present ; we will send 
 for a Moola, and the nika shall be performed." 
 
 * Five hundred rupees !" cried the old wo- 
 man, and she and her daughter burst into an 
 uncontrollable fit of laughter. " Five hundred 
 rupees ! " continued she at length, when she 
 could speak ; " oh, man, thou art either mad or 
 drunk!" 
 
 u I am neither the one nor the other," I re- 
 plied very angrily ; (i I am as, sober as either of 
 you, nay far more so." 
 
 " Then if you are so," said the old wretch, 
 " what, in the name of Alia, has come to you, 
 that you think we would part with Zora for five 
 hundred rupees ? Five thousand, and twice as 
 much would not be sufficient." 
 
 u Then," said I, " you are a pair of the de- 
 vil's children, and I spit at you. Not content
 
 86 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 with spurning me from your house like a dog, 
 you now deny me the only happiness I looked 
 to on earth. Women, have you no hearts ? M 
 
 " Yes," cried the old hag in a fury ; " yes, 
 we did spurn you, as I do now. Begone ! and 
 never dare to intrude as you have done this 
 night, or I will see if I cannot bring a few 
 stout fellows together to beat you out with 
 sticks like a dog and a son of a dog as you 
 are." 
 
 " Peace ! woman/' cried 1 5 " beware how 
 you revile my father." 
 
 ic May his mouth be filled with earth and 
 his grave denied ! May your mother" 
 
 I could bear this no longer. I ran to the 
 door for my shoes, and held one in my hand 
 threateningly. 
 
 " Now," said I, " another word of abuse, 
 and I will beat you on the mouth." 
 
 It did not check her. A fresh torrent poured 
 from her lips, and I was really provoked. I 
 could bear it no longer. I rushed at her, beat 
 her on the face with my shoe, and spit on her. 
 The daughter hurried to the stair-head and 
 raised cries of alarm. 
 
 " Thief, thief! He is murdering us ! Kasim, 
 Mahomed Ali, where are ye ? We are mur-
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 87 
 
 dered — we are defamed ! Bring your swords, 
 and kill him !" 
 
 I had pretty well belaboured the old woman, 
 and thought it high time to be off; so I rushed 
 to the door, and seizing Zenat threw her to the 
 other side of the room with all my force. I 
 saw that she had a heavy fall, and I ran down 
 the stairs : about half way I met a man with a 
 drawn sword ; he stood, and was about to make 
 a cut at me, but I seized his arm and hurled 
 him down the steps, and as he rolled to the 
 bottom I leaped over him and was outside the 
 house in a moment. 
 
 Well, thought I, as I went along, I have not 
 got Zora, but I have slippered the old shitan 
 her mother, which is some satisfaction, and 
 Bhudrinath will laugh rarely when he hears of 
 my exploit.
 
 88 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 " Cil. — Madam, your song is passing passionate. 
 Alv. — And wilt thou not then pity my estate ? " 
 
 Old Play. 
 
 " For the love of Alia ! young man," cried a low 
 and sweet voice as I passed under the gateway 
 of a respectable-looking house ; " for the love 
 of Alia, enter, and save my mistress !" 
 
 Fresh adventures, thought I as I looked at 
 the speaker, a young girl, dressed like a slave. 
 " Who are you ? " 
 
 " It matters not," said the speaker ; " did 
 you not pass this way yesterday afternoon, in 
 company with two others ?" 
 
 "I did, and what of that?" 
 
 " Everything ; my mistress, who is more 
 beautiful than the moon at its full, saw you and 
 has gone mad about you."
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 89 
 
 " I am sorry ," said I, "but I do not see how 
 I can help her." 
 
 " But you must/* said the girl ; u you must, 
 or she will die ; follow me, and I will lead you 
 to her." 
 
 I hesitated, for I had heard strange stories 
 of lures spread for unwary persons — how they 
 were enticed into houses for the gratification of 
 wicked women, and then murdered. But the 
 thought was only momentary. " Courage ! 
 Ameer Ali," said I to myself; "trust to your 
 good Nusseeb, and follow it up. Inshalla! 
 there will be some fun." 
 
 " Look you," said I to the girl, " you see I 
 am well armed; I will follow you, but if violence 
 is shown, those who oppose me will feel the 
 edge of a sharp sword." 
 
 "I swear by your head," said the girl, "there 
 is no danger. My lord is gone into the country, 
 and has taken all the men with him ; there is no 
 one in the house beside myself but two slaves 
 and three old women." 
 
 " Then lead on," said I ; « I follow you." 
 
 She entered the gateway and conducted me 
 through a court into an open room, where sat 
 a girl, richly dressed and of great beauty ; but 
 she covered herself immediately with her doo-
 
 90 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 putta, and cried when she saw me, u Ya Alia ! 
 it is he ; am I so fortunate ? " 
 
 " Yes, lady," said I, " your slave is at your 
 feet, and prays you to remove that veil which 
 hides a hoori of paradise from the gaze of a true 
 believer." 
 
 " Go," said she faintly ; " now that you are 
 here I dare not look on you; go, in the name 
 of Alia ! what will you not have thought of 
 me?" 
 
 " That your slave is the most favoured of his 
 race," said I; "I beseech you to look on me, 
 and then bid me depart if you will." 
 
 " I cannot," said the fair girl, " I cannot, I 
 dare not ; ah, nurse, what have you made me 
 do?" 
 
 The old woman made me a sign to take the 
 veil from her face, and I did so gently ; she 
 faintly opposed me, but it was in vain ; in an 
 instant I had removed it, and a pair of the love- 
 liest eyes I had ever seen fixed their trembling 
 gaze upon me — another, and I had clasped her 
 to my heart. 
 
 (e That is right," said the old woman ; ee I like 
 to see some spirit in a lover ; Mashalla ! he is a 
 noble youth ;" and she came and cracked her 
 fingers over my head.
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 91 
 
 "Now I will leave you," said she; "you 
 have a great deal to say to each other, and the 
 night is wearing fast." 
 
 " No, no, no !" cried the girl ; u do not leave 
 us ; stay, good nurse, I dare not trust myself 
 with him alone." 
 
 " Nonsense," cried the old woman, " this is 
 foolishness ; do not mind her, noble sir ;" and 
 she left the room. 
 
 * Lady," said I, " fear not, your slave may 
 be trusted;" and I removed from her, and sat 
 down at the edge of the carpet. 
 
 " I know not what you will think of me, 
 Sahib," she said, u and I am at a loss how to 
 confess that I was enamoured of you as I saw 
 you pass my house yesterday ; but so it was ; 
 my liver turned to water as I looked on your 
 beauty, and I pined for you till my attendants 
 thought I should have died. They said they 
 would watch for you, and Alia has heard my 
 prayer and sent you." 
 
 u He has sent a devoted slave," said I ; "one 
 whose soul burns with love, such as that of 
 the bulbul to the rose : speak, and I will do 
 your bidding." 
 
 u Hear my history, and you will know then 
 how I am to be pitied," said the fair girl ; " and
 
 92 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 it is told in a few words. I was the daughter 
 of humble parents, but I was as you see me — 
 they say I am beautiful ; they married me to 
 my husband, — so they said, — but they sold me. 
 Sahib, he is old, he is a tyrant, he has beaten 
 me with his shoe, and I have sworn on his Ko- 
 ran that I will no longer remain under his roof. 
 Yes, I have sworn it : I would have fled yester- 
 day, but I saw you, and I prayed Alia to send 
 you, and he has done so. Now think of me 
 what you please, but save me !" And she arose, 
 and throwing herself at my feet clasped my 
 knees. " You will not refuse me protection ? if 
 you do, and your heart is hard towards me, one 
 thing alone remains — I have prepared a bitter 
 draught, and tomorrow's sun will look upon my 
 dead body." 
 
 "Alia forbid! lady," said I. " He who has 
 sent me to you has sent you a willing and a 
 fearless slave : fly with me this instant, and I 
 will lead you to a father who will welcome you, 
 and a land far away where our flight will never 
 be discovered." 
 
 "Now — so soon?" she exclaimed. 
 
 " Ay, lady, now ; leave your house this mo- 
 ment ; I will protect you with my life." 
 
 " I dare not, Sahib, I dare not ; ah, what
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 93 
 
 would become of us if we were discovered ? you 
 would escape, but I — you know a woman's 
 fate if she is detected in intrigue." 
 
 "Then what can be done?" said I. "Alas ! 
 I am a stranger in the city, and know not what 
 to advise." 
 
 " I will call my nurse ; let us leave all to her. 
 — Kulloo S" 
 
 The old woman entered. " What are your 
 commands ?" said she. 
 
 " Listen/' said I ; "I love your fair charge 
 with an intensity of passion ; this is no place 
 for us to give ourselves up to love, for there is 
 danger, and we must fly : I am a stranger in 
 the city, and am on the eve of departure for my 
 home, which is in Hindostan, and whither I 
 will convey her safely ; she is willing to accom- 
 pany me, and your aid and advice are all that is 
 required." 
 
 u To fly ! to leave home and every one for 
 Hindostan, and with one unknown ! Azimabee, 
 this is madness; how know you w T ho he is, 
 and where he will take you ? T will not assist 
 you. I was willing that you should have a 
 lover, and helped you to get one ; but this is 
 mere madness — we shall be ruined." 
 
 * Mother," said I, " I am no deceiver ; I
 
 94 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 swear by your head and eyes I can be faithful ; 
 do but help two poor creatures whose affections 
 are fixed upon each other, and we will invoke 
 the blessings of the Prophet on your head to 
 the latest day of our lives. I leave here tomor- 
 row; my father is a merchant and accompa- 
 nies me ; he has ample wealth for us both, and I 
 am his only child : we shall soon be beyond 
 any chance of pursuit, and in our happiness 
 will for ever bless you as the author of it. Ah, 
 nurse, cannot you contrive something ? is there 
 no spot on the road past Golconda which you 
 could fix on for our meeting? I can reward 
 you richly, and now promise you one hundred 
 rupees, if you will do my bidding/ 5 
 
 Azima gathered courage at my words, and 
 fell at the feet of the old woman. 
 
 ie Kulloo ! " she cried, i ' have you not known 
 me as a child ? have I not loved you from in- 
 fancy ? Alas ! I have neither mother nor father 
 now ; and has he not beaten me with a shoe ? 
 have I not sworn to quit this house ? and did 
 you not swear on my head you would aid 
 me?" 
 
 " What can I do ? what can I do ? " cried the 
 nurse ; i£ alas, I am helpless ; what can an old 
 woman like me do?"
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 95 
 
 " Anything, everything/ 5 1 exclaimed ; * wo- 
 man's wit never yet failed at a pinch." 
 
 ci Did you not say you had made a vow to visit 
 theDurgah of Hoosain ShahWullee?" cried Azi- 
 ma ; " and did not you say you would take me 
 to present a nuzzur at the shrine of the holy 
 saint, if I recovered from my last illness?" 
 
 " Thou hast hit it, my rose," said the nurse ; 
 "I had forgotten my vow. Sahib, can you 
 meet us at the Durgah tomorrow at noon ?" 
 
 f< Assuredly," said I, " I will be present. 
 Good nurse, do not fail us, and another fifty 
 shall be added to the hundred I have already 
 promised." 
 
 " May your condescension and generosity 
 increase ! M cried she. " Sahib, I have loved 
 this fair girl from her infancy, and though it 
 will go sorely against my heart, I will give her 
 into your hands rather than she should be 
 further exposed to the indignities she has al- 
 ready undergone." 
 
 " Thanks, thanks, good nurse, I believe 
 you ; but swear on her head that you will not 
 break your faith." 
 
 u I swear," said the old woman, placing her 
 hands on Azima's head, " I swear she shall be 
 thine."
 
 96 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 ts Enough/ 5 I cried,, * I am content ; now, 
 one embrace and I leave you. I shall be 
 missed by my father, and he will fear I am 
 murdered in this wild city/' 
 
 We took a long, passionate embrace, and I 
 tore myself from her. 
 
 " Tomorrow," I cried, " and at the Durgah 
 we will meet, never again to part. So cheer 
 thee, my beloved, and rouse all your energies 
 for what is before you. Tomorrow will be an 
 eventful day to us both, and I pray the good 
 Alia a prosperous one." 
 
 " It will, it will," cried the nurse ; " fear 
 not for anything. Nurgiz is faithful, and shall 
 accompany us; the rest are long ago asleep, 
 and know not you are here. But now begone ; 
 further delay is dangerous, and Nurgiz will lead 
 you to the street." 
 
 She called, and the same slave who had 
 ushered me in led the way to the door. 
 
 " By your soul, noble sir, by your father 
 and mother, do not be unfaithful or it will 
 kill her." 
 
 " I need not swear, pretty maiden," said 
 I ; " your mistress's beauty has melted my 
 heart, and I am hers for ever." 
 
 " Then may Alia protect you, stranger ! That
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 9/ 
 
 is your road, if you go by the one you came 
 yesterday." 
 
 I turned down the street and was soon at 
 home. My father was asleep, and I lay 
 down ; but, x\lla ! Alia ! how my heart beat 
 and my head throbbed ! A thousand times I 
 wished I had carried off the beautiful Azima ; 
 a thousand times I cursed my own folly for 
 having left her, when by a word from me she 
 would have forsaken home and every tie and 
 followed me ; but it was too late. In the 
 midst of conflicting thoughts and vain regrets 
 I fell asleep : but I had disturbed dreams. I 
 thought her dishonoured lord had surprised us 
 as we tasted draughts of love, and a sword glit- 
 tered over his head, with which he was about 
 to revenge his disgrace. Again I fancied one 
 of the Moolas of the Durgah to be him, and 
 just as she was about to depart with us, and 
 was stepping into a cart, he rushed to her and 
 seized her, and I vainly endeavoured to drag 
 her from him. I woke in the excitement of 
 the dream, and my father stood over me. 
 
 " What, in the name of the Prophet, is the 
 matter with you, Ameer Ali, my son?" cried 
 the old man. u It is the hour of prayer, I 
 came to awake you, and I find you tossing 
 
 VOL. II. F
 
 98 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 wildly in your sleep and calling on some one, 
 though I could not distinguish the name ; it 
 sou ndfcd like a woman's — Azima, I think. What 
 have you been about ? Had you any bunij last 
 night?" 
 
 Bunij was the cant phrase for our victims, 
 and I shuddered at the ideas it called up. 
 
 ec No, no/ 5 I said, "nothing. Let me go 
 and perform my ablutions ; I will join you in 
 the Namaz. It will compose my thoughts, 
 and I will tell you." 
 
 Our prayers finished, I related my adven- 
 tures of the past night. He laughed heartily 
 at my relation of the scene with Zora's mother, 
 and declared I had served her rightly; but 
 when I came to that with Azima, his counte- 
 nance was changed and troubled ; however he 
 heard me to the end without interruption, and I 
 augured favourably from it. I concluded all by 
 throwing myself at his feet and imploring his 
 sanction to our union. 
 
 ei You have gone too far to retract, Ameer 
 Ali," said he. " If you do not fulfil your pro- 
 mise to Azima she will drink the poison she 
 has prepared ; you will be one cause of her 
 death, and it will lie heavy on your conscience ; 
 therefore on this account I give you my sane-
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 99 
 
 tion. I am now old, a few years must see my 
 end, and all I have long wished for is to many 
 you respectably and to see your children. I 
 endeavoured to effect a marriage-contract in 
 Hindostan before we left, but I was unable to 
 do so. There is now no occasion for one ; you 
 have made your choice and must abide by it ; 
 Alia has sent you your bride and you must 
 take her — take her with my blessing ; and you 
 say she is beautiful, in which you are fortunate. 
 Money you will want^ as you have promised 
 some to her nurse ; if she is faithful, give her 
 from me an additional fifty rupees ; and you 
 had better take gold with you, — it will be easier 
 carried." 
 
 " Spoken like my beloved and honoured 
 father ! n I exclaimed, u and I am now happy. 
 I ask your blessing, and leave you to carry 
 our plans into execution. We shall meet again 
 at Puttuncherroo in the evening." 
 
 * Inshalla ! we shall," he replied. " Be wary 
 and careful. I apprehend no danger, but you 
 had better take some men with you." 
 
 " I will," said I, as I rose to depart 5 « I will 
 take some of my own, whom I can trust ;" and 
 I left him. 
 
 My horse was soon ready and my men pre- 
 F 2
 
 100 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 pared; but some conveyance was necessary 
 for Azima, and I ran to a house a short di- 
 stance off where dwelt a man who had a cart 
 for hire. I had been in previous treaty with 
 him, to be ready in case I should get intelli- 
 gence of Zora, and had engaged him to go as 
 far as Beeder. 
 
 " Come/ 5 said I, u Fazil, I am ready and 
 the time is come/' 
 
 " And the lady ? " said the fellow, grinning. 
 
 i( Ah, she is ready too, only make haste, we 
 have not a moment to lose." 
 
 " Give me twenty rupees for my mother, and 
 I will harness the bullocks and put in the 
 cushions and pillows." 
 
 " Here they are/' said I ; " now be quick — 
 by your soul be quick ! " 
 
 " I will be back instantly/' said he ; and he 
 disappeared inside his house, but returned 
 almost immediately with the cushions and 
 curtains of his cart. 
 
 " There," said he, as he completed his pre- 
 parations and jumped on the pole, where was 
 his driving-seat, "you see I have not been 
 long. Now whither shall I drive? to the 
 city ?" 
 
 " No/' said I ; "to Hussain Shah Wullee's
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 101 
 
 Durgah. Do you precede, and we will follow 
 you, for I know not the road." 
 
 " I know it well/ 5 said he ; " follow me 
 closely." 
 
 a Does it lead through the Begum Bazar or 
 the Karwan }" I asked. 
 
 " Through both, or either, just as you 
 please." 
 
 " And is there no other way?" 
 
 " There is, but it is somewhat longer. We 
 must go by the English Residence and turn up 
 towards the Gosha Mahal ; the road will lead 
 us far behind both the Karwan and Begum 
 Bazar." 
 
 " That will do," said I ; " I wish to avoid 
 both." 
 
 " Bismilla ! then," cried the driver, " let us 
 proceed ;" and twisting the tails of his bullocks, 
 a few gentle hints from his toes about their 
 hind-quarters set them off into a trot, which 
 however they exchanged for a more sober pace 
 before we had got far. I allowed him to pro- 
 ceed to some distance, and then put my small 
 party in motion.
 
 102 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 HOW AMEER ALI BIDES TRYSTE, AND IS NOT DISAPPOINTED. 
 
 We soon passed the suburbs of the city, and 
 held on our way towards the Durgah. I was 
 not without hope that we might fall in with 
 Azima on the road; but in this I was disap- 
 pointed. As Ave passed over the brow of an 
 eminence, the tombs of the kings of Golconda 
 broke on our sight, occupying the whole of a 
 rising ground in front. I had never before 
 seen them, indeed I knew not of their existence, 
 and they were the more striking on this ac- 
 count. I was astonished at their size and 
 magnificence, even from that distance; but 
 how much more so when we approached them
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 103 
 
 nearer ! We had plenty of time before us, and 
 I proposed, if the Durgah should not be much 
 further, to diverge from the road and examine 
 them. I rode up to the driver of the cart, and 
 asked him how far we were from the place of 
 our destination. 
 
 "You cannot see the Durgah yet," said the 
 man, " but it is just behind the tombs, on the 
 border of a large tank ; you cannot miss it ; you 
 will see its white dome and gilt spire above the 
 tamarind trees which surround it." 
 
 u Very good, "said I ; " do you go on thither, 
 and if you are asked any questions, say that 
 you belong to a party which is coining out 
 from the city. We shall go to the tombs, and 
 will join you shortly." 
 
 The driver kept to the road, and we, diver- 
 ging from it, directed our way to the mau- 
 soleums of the departed kings. As we ap- 
 proached them, their immense size, and the 
 beautiful groups which they assumed as our 
 point of view shifted, struck forcibly on the 
 mind, while the desolation around them added 
 to their solemn appearance. 
 
 " What a pity," said Peer Khan, who ac- 
 companied me, u that the good people of the 
 city do not make gardens about these proud
 
 104 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 buildings ! the spot seems to be utterly neglect- 
 ed^ even as a burying- ground." 
 
 a They are better as they are," said I ; u the 
 dust of the present miserable generation would 
 hardly mix with that of so noble a one as that 
 which has left such a monument of its glory. 
 Ay/* continued I, as we entered the first im- 
 mense tomb; "these were kings and princes who 
 lie here ; men who won their kingdoms at the 
 sword^s point, and kept them, — how different 
 to the present degenerate race, who are in- 
 debted for the bread they eat to the generosity 
 of the Feringhees ! " 
 
 We ascended by a narrow stair to the top of 
 the tomb, and from the terrace out of which 
 the huge dome proudly reared itself the view 
 of the city was superb ; but it was not equal to 
 the one I have before described to you, for we 
 saw none of the white buildings; the Mecca 
 Mosque and the Char Minar Avere alone di- 
 stinguishable over the mass of trees, if I except 
 the innumerable white minarets which rose out 
 from the foliage in every direction. From the 
 other side of the terrace the whole of the large 
 tombs were seen at a glance — each by itself a no- 
 ble and striking object ; but rendered still more 
 so when grouped with others of smaller size,
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 105 
 
 whose contrast increased their massiveness. 
 Not a creature was to be seen; the old fort 
 itself, its grey mouldering walls covering the 
 face of a huge pile of rocks, seemed tenantless. 
 and was in unison with the abodes of the illus- 
 trious dead who had built it. 
 
 The silence and desolation were oppressive, 
 and we scarcely made a remark to each other, 
 as we traversed one by one the interiors of the 
 noble edifices, — some of them dark and gloomy 
 and filled with bats and wild pigeons, whose 
 cooing re-echoed within the loftv domes — 
 and others whose wide arches admitted the 
 light of day, and were more cheerful in appear- 
 ance. 
 
 " Enough," said I, after we had examined 
 some of the largest; "we do but loiter here 
 while we may even now be expected. Yonder 
 is the Durgah, and we had better go to it and 
 be prepared, she cannot now be long abs- 
 ent." 
 
 I saw as we approached the sacred edifice 
 that our cart was ready ; but there was no other, 
 and my mind somewhat misgave me that Azima 
 had been unable to keep her appointment ; and 
 I resolved within myself that, should she not 
 arrive before noon, I would return to the city 
 f 5
 
 106 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 and seek my bride, for such I now considered 
 her. I could not leave so lovely a creature to 
 the rude treatment she would experience from 
 him to whom she was united — one who was 
 undeserving to possess a jewel such as she was ; 
 but it was still early, and perhaps some hours 
 must elapse before she could reach the Durgah, 
 which was further from the city than I had an- 
 ticipated. 
 
 I entered the holy precincts, and after offer- 
 ing up a gift upon the shrine of the saint, I put 
 up a fervent prayer that the object we had come 
 for should end successfully. This done, I sat 
 clown under the shade of the trees, and entered 
 into conversation with one of the many Moolas 
 who attended on the tomb, and who were con- 
 stantly employed in reading the Koran over the 
 grave of the saint. He asked me who I was : 
 I told him I belonged to the city, and had 
 brought my wife to perform a vow to the saint, 
 on her recovering from a dangerous illness ; 
 66 but she is not yet come/ 5 said I ; ' i I rode on 
 with some of my attendants, and she will fol- 
 low, and will soon be here." 
 
 Hour after hour passed, and yet Azima did 
 not come. Sahib, I was in a torment of sus- 
 pense and anxiety : could she have met with
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 107 
 
 any misfortune ? could her lord have returned 
 home unexpectedly? could she have played me 
 false ? Atr, not the last ! her grief, her misery, 
 were too strong to be feigned, and what object 
 could she have had in dissembling? Noon 
 came, and the music of the Nobut began to play, 
 — still no signs of her. My patience was fairly 
 exhausted, and I went to the place where my 
 horse stood, mounted him, and bidding the men 
 remain where they were, I rode on towards the 
 city. I had scarcely got beyond the small vil- 
 lage by which the Durgah was surrounded, 
 when I saw three carts with curtains to them 
 carefully closed approaching. My heart beat 
 quickly with hope, and I determined to return ; 
 one of them surely is hers, thought 1, and I 
 will await her coming in the Durgah. 
 
 '•She comes !" cried I to Peer Khan, as he 
 eagerly asked the cause of my quick return, 
 " she comes ! Bid Fazil have his cart in readi- 
 ness, and take it round to the gate which leads 
 towards Puttuncherroo." 
 
 I dismounted and stood at the gate. 
 
 The first cart arrived ; it was filled with dan- 
 cing-girls, who had a vow to sing at the shrine, 
 one of them having lost her voice some time 
 before, but had recovered it, as they supposed,
 
 108 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 at the intercession of the holy Wullee. They 
 passed me, and I soon heard their voices sing- 
 ing one of their melodies inside the tomb. 
 
 The second arrived ; three old women got out, 
 who were the bearers of some trays of sweet- 
 meats for the Moolas, the offering of some 
 lady of rank, who was ill and begged their pray- 
 ers and intercession with the saint for her re- 
 covery. 
 
 " Mother/* said I to one of them, u saw you 
 aught of a cart with three females in it, my ze- 
 nana in fact, on the road from the city ? " 
 
 " Yes/' said the woman, " they are close be- 
 hind us ; their vehicle broke down in a rivulet 
 we had to pass, and is coming very slowly, 
 but it will be here directly; and the ladies 
 are safe, for I spoke to them and offered to 
 bring them on, but the damage had been re- 
 paired somehow or other, and they declined 
 my offer." 
 
 " Alhumd-ul-illa I" I cried, "they are safe 
 then; I have been waiting here since morning, 
 and in anxiety enough about them." 
 
 " No wonder/' said the old lady, " for the 
 khanum seemed to be pale and weakly-looking ; 
 but Mashalla ! she is beautiful, and my lord too 
 is in every way worthy of her."
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 109 
 
 " She has been ill," said I carelessly, " and her 
 coming is in consequence of a vow she made." 
 
 u May Alia give her a long life and many 
 children ! I feel an involuntary interest in a 
 pair whom he hath joined together, in every 
 way so fitted for each other; but I go, noble 
 sir, my companions await my coming." 
 
 She also passed on, and in a few moments 
 more the cart I so longed to see turned the 
 corner of some projecting houses, and advanced 
 slowly towards the gate. How my heart 
 throbbed ! was it her, my life, my soul, or was I 
 doomed to a third disappointment ? It stop- 
 ped, and I could have fallen down and wor- 
 shiped the old nurse, who first emerged from 
 the closely-curtained vehicle; I ran towards 
 her, but was stopped by the driver. 
 
 " It is a zenana, noble sir," he said, " and 
 courtesy requires you to go out of sight, lest 
 their faces should be seen in descending." 
 
 " Peace, fool ! the women are my own." 
 
 " That alters the case," said the man ; " and 
 n ly lord's displeasure must not fall on his slave 
 for this delay ; the axletree cracked in passing 
 a rivulet, which is a circumstance no foresight 
 could have prevented, seeing that it was newly 
 fitted after the Mohorum."
 
 110 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 " It matters not/ 5 said I ; " but you may 
 now leave us ; I will return and pay you your 
 hire : there is an empty cart yonder which I 
 will engage for them to return in." 
 
 The fellow retired to a short distance, and my 
 breath went and came as I put my head into 
 the curtains and saw my beloved sitting un- 
 veiled, beautiful beyond description, and her 
 fine features glowing with the excitement of 
 her success. 
 
 " Shookur khoda ! " she exclaimed, " you are 
 here, my own best and dearest ; you have not 
 been unfaithful to your poor slave/' I caught 
 her in my arms, and imprinted numberless 
 kisses on her lips. 
 
 "Toba! Toba! for shame!" cried the old 
 nurse ; " cannot you refrain for a while ? Assist 
 her to dismount, and we will go into the 
 Durgah." 
 
 I did so, and closely enveloped in a boorka, 
 and leaning on the old woman and Nurgiz, 
 Azima followed me into the inclosure. 
 
 Our first care was to offer up at the shrine 
 some money and a few sweetmeats which Azima 
 had brought with her ; the old Moola to whom 
 I had before spoken received them and laid 
 them on the tomb.
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. Ill 
 
 " They are accepted," said he, " and what- 
 ever prayers you may offer up, our kind Saint 
 will intercede with the holy Prophet for you, 
 that they be granted." 
 
 " Thanks, good Moola," said I ; K all I desire 
 is, that the pearl of my eyes may be protected 
 in health, and long spared to me. Truly an 
 anxious time have we had of it with her ; but 
 she is now restored to health, and may Alia 
 grant it be continued !" 
 
 " It will be," he replied; " Alhumd-ul-illa ! 
 our blessed Saint's prayers are wonderfully effi- 
 cacious, and I could relate to my lord many 
 miracles which have been performed here." 
 
 <• No doubt," said I ; " the fame of Hoosaiu 
 Shah Wullee is spread far and wide, and we of 
 the city have reason to be thankful that such 
 blessed saints were led in days of old to take 
 up their residence near it ; for our present ge- 
 neration is so degraded, that without the aid of 
 his prayers the displeasure of the Supreme One 
 would fall heavily on us." 
 
 a My lord's words have a sweet and holy sa- 
 vour," said the Moola, u and show that, though 
 his bearing is that of a soldier, his heart is filled 
 with religion ; and blessed is he in whom both 
 are seen united. But I could tell mv lord of
 
 112 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 many of the Saint's miracles, if he has leisure 
 to hear them ; and as he will not return till the 
 afternoon, we can sit down under the trees, 
 and I will relate them." 
 
 " Excuse me, good Moola," said I ; " time 
 presses, and I have promised the Syudanee's 
 mother that I will return before the cold of 
 evening sets in, and it is now past noon." 
 
 " As you will," said he ; u yet perhaps these 
 few pages, which I have compiled during my 
 leisure hours, may entertain as well as instruct, 
 if my lord will accept them : of course he can 
 read Persian?" 
 
 " Indifferently well," said I ; " we soldiers are 
 rarely good scholars ; nevertheless I will keep 
 the book, and here is a trifle which may prove 
 acceptable;" and I put an ashruffee into his 
 hand. 
 
 The old man's eyes glistened as he saw it, and 
 after a profusion of compliments he left us to 
 ourselves. 
 
 " Now there is no time to be lost," said old 
 Kulloo ; " we must travel far and fast this day. 
 You have brought a cart with you ? " 
 
 " I have, it is ready ; if there be aught in the 
 one you came in, tell me, and I will have it put 
 into the other."
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 113 
 
 (i Send a man or two with us/' said the nurse ; 
 " I and Nurgiz will arrange the new vehicle, 
 and return instantly." 
 
 They too left us, and we were alone. No 
 one remained in the large in closure, the women 
 were still singing in the tomb, and all the Moo- 
 las were sitting round them listening. 
 
 " Can you support the fatigue of further 
 travel, Azima?" said I. 
 
 " I am strong and can bear anything, so I 
 am with thee and thou with me," she replied. 
 u Dearest, I am now secure ; but oh the suspense 
 I have endured since I last saw you, and until 
 I was fairly out of that vile city ! " 
 
 " Tell me/' said I, " how did you contrive to 
 elude suspicion ? " 
 
 i( When you left us/' replied Azima, a I 
 thought my happiness had fled for ever ; I would 
 have given worlds to have called vou back, and 
 to have fled with you then. I had seen your 
 noble face, I had heard your vows of love ; Alia 
 had sent me a lover such as my warmest fancy 
 had painted to me, while I was daily suffering 
 torments which the fond and loving only can 
 feel, when their affection is returned by severe 
 and bitter insult ; and I thought I had lost 
 him, that I had only gained a few moments of
 
 114 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 bliss, which would appear like one of those 
 dreams that had often cheated my sleeping 
 fancy, to leave me when I awoke to the bitter 
 realities of my sad lot — and I was inconsolable ; 
 but my kind old nurse and Nurgiz soothed me. 
 They told me they would die for me, and as- 
 sured me you would be faithful ; so I gathered 
 courage, and Kulloo proposed that we should 
 make immediate preparations for flight. We 
 packed up some clothes and my jewels, and 
 all the money which had been left with us, a 
 few hundred rupees, and before morning we 
 lay down to take a little sleep. At daylight 
 Kulloo told the other slaves and the two old 
 servants that I was going to this Durgah, and 
 sent one of them for a cart ; it came about sun- 
 rise, and concealing the articles we had packed 
 up in two large bundles of carpets and sheets, 
 which we said we should require to sit on at 
 the Durgah, we put them into the cart, got in 
 ourselves, and the driver made the best of his 
 way hither/ 5 
 
 She had just spoken, when Kulloo came to 
 us. 
 
 "All is prepared," said she; "1 have dis- 
 missed the other cart, and your new one is now 
 ready ; — do not delay."
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 115 
 
 There was no occasion for her to hurry us, 
 we were as well inclined to set off as she was, 
 and we rose and followed her. 
 
 The cart was ready — my men with it, and 
 Nurgiz already inside. Azima got in, and her 
 old nurse followed. 
 
 u You too ? " cried I. 
 
 K Yes, Meer Sahib j my home is at Beeder, 
 whither I will accompany you ; the city is no 
 longer safe for me : my life would be forfeited 
 were I ever to enter it again, and fall in with 
 that prince of devils, Nusrut Ali Khan, whose 
 house is now dishonoured, and whose beard we 
 have spat upon." 
 
 " Drive on/' I exclaimed to Fazil ; " go as fast 
 as you can ; we must reach Puttuncherroo be- 
 fore night-fall." 
 
 The road from the Durgah, after passing the 
 tank upon which it was situated, led through 
 a wild pass; piles of rocks frowned over us, 
 and the road was at times so narrow that the 
 cart could scarcely proceed. 
 
 ce A rare place for a little work," said I to 
 Peer Khan, as we reached a low barrier-wall 
 thrown across the road, and pierced with holes 
 for musketry ; " many a wild deed has been 
 done here in times past, I'll warrant."
 
 116 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 " They tell queer stories of the place," he re- 
 plied; "and we have used it ourselves in some 
 of our late expeditions from the city. There lie 
 the seven Eunneas you heard of," and he pointed 
 out a remarkable rock not far from the road. 
 (i A sad business we had with the grave ; it was 
 all rock underneath, and the bodies were hardly 
 covered; but who asks about them in this coun- 
 try ? Why, as we accompanied the travellers, 
 we saw lying in this very pass the bodies of 
 two men who had been murdered and dread- 
 fully mangled." 
 
 " Well," said I, " we have left our marks be- 
 hind us at any rate, and all things considered 
 we have been lucky. It matters not if we get 
 no more bunij all the way to Hindostan." 
 
 "We have enough to make us comfortable 
 for some years," said he ; " nevertheless one's 
 hand gets out of practice, and you are but 
 young at the work ; the more you have for a 
 few years to come, the better." 
 
 We reached Puttuncherroo late in the even- 
 ing, and to my inexpressible joy found my 
 father and the whole band safely arrived, and 
 comfortably encamped under a large banian 
 tree, by which was a fakeer's tomb. One of 
 our small tents had been pitched for Azima,
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 117 
 
 and after seeing her settled for the night I join- 
 ed my father. 
 
 " You are a lucky fellow," said he, when I 
 had told him of all my success ; ei I have been 
 in anxious suspense about you, especially 
 when the evening set in and you came not ; but 
 now there is no danger, we are once again in 
 the country and the roads are our own. And 
 now tell me, what is your new bride like ? is she 
 as handsome as Zora?" 
 
 66 She is quite as handsome," said I ; " the 
 full moon is not more beautiful ; she is tender 
 in her love, and of an affectionate and kind dis- 
 position : you must see her tomorrow ; she 
 is now fatigued with travel." 
 
 i: And you must be fatigued also, my son, 
 and hungry too. I have a rare pilau ready for 
 you." 
 
 It was brought ; and after sending a portion 
 to Azima, my fingers were very soon busied 
 with the rest of the contents of the dish ; and I 
 enjoyed it, for I had tasted nothing but a few 
 of the sweetmeats Azima had brought with her 
 during the whole day.
 
 118 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 ff Rosalind. — Now tell me how long you would have 
 her, after you have possessed her. 
 " Orlando. — For ever and a day." 
 
 As you like it, Act IV, Scene 1. 
 
 On the fourth morning Ave reached Beeder. If 
 not so striking in its outward appearance as 
 we approached it as Hyderabad, this city was 
 nevertheless interesting. The summit of a long 
 tableland broke into a gentle descent, and from 
 it Beeder suddenly opened on our view. The 
 walls of the town occupied the crest of a high 
 ridge ; and over them one tall minaret, and what 
 appeared another rude unfinished one, of great 
 height, towered proudly. On the right hand the 
 large white domes of some tombs peeped out 
 of a grove of mango trees, with which the hill 
 was clothed from top to bottom ; and there was 
 a quiet solemnity about the approach to the now
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 119 
 
 nearly deserted capital of the Dukhun, the fa- 
 vourite residence of the once proud and power- 
 ful Bhamunee kings, which accorded well with 
 our feelings, and formed a powerful contrast to 
 the busy city we had just left. Some of our 
 men who had gone on in advance, had chosen 
 a spot for our encampment near the gate of the 
 city upon the road we were to take in the 
 morning ; but separating from my party, I rode 
 through the town, which, though now mean in 
 comparison to what it must have been, was 
 more striking than I had expected to find it. 
 
 I joined the encampment on the other side, 
 which now presented its usual bustling appear- 
 ance : some were already cooking their morning 
 meal by the edge of the well, others were 
 bathing, and all talking and conversing in that 
 joyous manner which showed their minds were 
 free from care and full of happiness, at the pro- 
 spect of a speedier return to their home than 
 they had anticipated, and well laden with a 
 rich booty. 
 
 iC My father, this is a city full of true be- 
 lievers," said I, as I joined him ; u Moolas there 
 must be in plenty, and I pray you to send for 
 one, that the nika may be performed, and that 
 I may receive Azima at your hands as my wife."
 
 120 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 u I will not oppose it, my son ; but the old 
 Moola, whoever he may be, will think it 
 strange." 
 
 "He may think what he pleases/' said I ; 
 " but I can no longer live without her ; there- 
 fore pray consider the point settled, and send 
 for him at once." 
 
 Accordingly Peer Khan was despatched for 
 the holy person, who duly arrived : he was re- 
 ceived with the greatest courtesy by my father, 
 and the object for which he was required was 
 explained to him. He expressed the utmost 
 astonishment ; it was a proceeding he had never 
 heard of, for persons to celebrate a marriage on 
 a journey, and was in every respect improper 
 and indelicate. 
 
 When he had exhausted his protestations, 
 my father replied to him. 
 
 " Look you, good Moola," said he, " there is 
 no one who pays more respect to the forms and 
 usages of our holy faith than I do. Am I not 
 a Syud of Hindostan ? . Do I not say the Na- 
 maz five times a day, fast in the Ramzan, and 
 keep every festival enjoined by the law? And 
 unwilling as I am to do anything which may be 
 thought a breach of the rules of our faith, yet 
 circumstances which I cannot explain render it
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 121 
 
 imperative that this ceremony should be per- 
 formed ; and if you refuse, all I can say is, that 
 there is no want of Maolas in Beeder, and if 
 you do not perform it some less scrupulous 
 person must, and earn the reward which I now 
 offer to you;" and my father laid two ashrufees 
 before him. 
 
 "That alters the case materially/ 5 said the 
 Moola, pocketing the money. iC Since the cere- 
 mony must be performed, in Alla's name let it 
 take place ; it was no doubt fated that it should 
 be so, and you will therefore find no person 
 in Beeder more willing to read the form of the 
 Nika than myself; let me I pray you return 
 for my book, — I will be back instantly ;" and 
 he departed. 
 
 " There," cried my father, " I thought it 
 would be so. No one can withstand the sight of 
 gold : from the prince on the throne to the 
 meanest peasant, it is the same ; its influence 
 is all-powerful. With it a man may purchase 
 his neighbours conscience, his neighbour's wife, 
 or his daughter ; with it a man may bribe the 
 venerable Cazee of Cazees, in any city he 
 please*, to declare him innocent, had he com- 
 mitted a hundred murders, forged documents, 
 stolen his neighbour's goods, or been guilty of 
 
 VOL. II. g
 
 122 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 every villany under the sun; •with it, a good 
 man may be better — but that is rare — a bad 
 man increases his own damnation : for it, any 
 one will lie, cheat, rob, murder, and degrade him- 
 self to the level of a beast ; young women will 
 dishonour their lords ; old women will be bribed 
 to assist them. A man who has hoards will 
 practise every knavery to increase them, yet is 
 never happy ; those who have no money, hun- 
 ger and thirst after it, and are also never happy. 
 Give it to a child to play with, and by some my- 
 sterious instinct he clutches it to his bosom, 
 and roars if it be taken from him. In short, its 
 influence cannot be opposed; old and young, 
 rich and poor — all are its slaves. Men's wis- 
 dom is nothing ; men's eloquence is nothing ; 
 their character nothing; their rank nothing: 
 but this vile metal, which has no voice, no 
 intellect, no character, no rank — this rules our 
 destinies on earth as surely and as potently as 
 Alia himself does in heaven." 
 
 •• Alia ke Qoodrut ! " said I with a sigh ; 
 K vour words are true, my father, now that one 
 thinks on them ; and we have had a precious 
 specimen in the sudden change of opinion in 
 the worthy Moola, who asked no further ques- 
 tions when he saw your gold/ 5
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 123 
 
 " No ! " cried my father, " and if one only had 
 enough, one might rule the world. Who was 
 Sikundur ? by all accounts, a petty prince, not 
 half so powerful as he who rules this country ; 
 and yet, when he gained favour in the sight 01 
 the Jins, and afterwards by his magic got do- 
 minion over them, did they not place the trea- 
 sures heaped up in the bowels of the earth at 
 his disposal ? and who could then stop his ca- 
 reer ? Is not this all writen in a book, and is 
 it not as true as the Koran ? " 
 
 " It were heresy to doubt it," said I ; * but 
 here comes the subject of our conversation, with 
 his book under his arm ; I will prepare Azima." 
 
 I went to her. " Dearest," cried I, seating 
 myself and passing my arm round her waist, 
 (i Dearest, the time is come, when, with the 
 blessing of Alia and my father's sanction, you 
 will be mine for ever, and when the law shall 
 bind us together, for death alone to separate us. 
 A Moola has come ; and with your permission, 
 now, even now, the Nika shall be performed ; 
 further delay is idle, and I am consumed with 
 the burnings of my love." 
 
 " So soon, Ameer Ali ? oh, not till we reach 
 your home. What will your father think of my 
 consenting to this wild union ? " 
 G 2
 
 124 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 <c He sanctions it, beloved ! 'twas he who sent 
 for the Moola ; 'twas he who persuaded him to 
 perform the ceremony ; and they but await my 
 return to the tent to read the words which make 
 you mine for ever." 
 
 " Alas ! I know not/* said the fair girl ; " I 
 am another's wife — how can this be done ? " 
 
 « Forget the hateful marriage," I cried ; 
 e ' Azima, these objections will kill me. Am I 
 not your slave ? are we not now on our way to 
 a distant land, where he from whom you have 
 fled will never again hear of you ? Ah, do not 
 continue to talk thus, for it seems like a bitter 
 mockery that you should have fled with me, 
 now to deny yourself to me." 
 
 " No, no, no ! do not say so, Ameer Ali ; 
 you saved me from insult, and from a miserable 
 death to which I had doomed myself. I am your 
 slave, not you mine ; do as you choose with me ; 
 let it be even as you will. I will follow you till 
 death." And she hid her face in my bosom. . 
 
 " Then," cried I, " beloved, the preparations 
 are soon made. Call Kulloo, and let her know 
 all." 
 
 The old woman came, and was overjoyed to 
 hear of my proposal. 
 
 " I had feared vou would not have bound
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 125 
 
 yourself by this tie, Meer Sahib," said she, 
 " and my mind sorely troubled me on the sub- 
 ject ; but now I am easy, and I will give my 
 precious child to you with joy and confidence : 
 may you be blessed in her, and see your child- 
 ren's children. Would that I could proceed with 
 you ! but I am old, and my bones and spirit 
 would not rest easily in a strange land : your 
 generosity and what I have scraped together 
 is enough to make me comfortable for life, and 
 when my hour comes I shall die content." 
 
 (£ Then be quick," said I ; " put up a screen, 
 and I will call the Moola ; you can all three 
 of you sit behind it while the ceremony is 
 read." 
 
 A cloth was stretched from one side of the 
 tent to the other, and fastened to the ground : 
 my father, myself, and the Moola sat on one 
 side, the females on the other. 
 
 <•' All is ready, Moolajee," said I ; " begin." 
 
 He opened his book and read the usual ser- 
 vice in Arabic. I did not understand a word 
 of it, neither indeed did he ; but it was suffi- 
 cient that it had been read— the ceremony was 
 complete, and Azima was mine for ever. 
 
 It would have been a pity to have left Beeder 
 without seeing more of the town and fort, of
 
 126 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 which I had heard many praises ; and in the 
 evening, therefore, my father, myself and a few 
 others strolled into the town for the purpose of 
 seeing what we could. First we passed the old 
 Madressa, a noble mass of ruins; the front was 
 covered with beautiful enamel from top to bot- 
 tom, and the immense minaret which we had 
 seen from a distance in the morning was also 
 covered with the same. The huge round frag- 
 ments of another lay scattered about in every 
 direction, and I could well picture to myself 
 the noble building it must have been, ere by an 
 unfortunate explosion of gunpowder, when used 
 as a magazine by Aurungzebe, its front was 
 blow r n out, one minaret destroyed, and the whole 
 rent and torn as if by an earthquake. 
 
 Passing onwards we arrived at an open space 
 before the ancient and majestic ruins of the 
 fort. Piles upon piles of old ruined palaces, in 
 many places built upon the walls themselves, 
 and all nodding to their fall, w T hile they impress- 
 ed us with a stronger idea of the magnificence 
 of their builders than anything we had as yet 
 seen, were a lesson to humble proud man — to 
 teach him that he too must moulder in the dust 
 as their founders had done : they had stood for 
 centuries ; yet now the owl, the bat, and the
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 127 
 
 wild pigeon were the only tenants of these 
 splendid halls, where once beauty had dwelt 
 and had been the adoration of the brave and 
 glorious. 
 
 Where were now the princely state, the pomp 
 of royalty, the gallant warriors who had of old 
 manned these lofty walls and towers, and so oft 
 bidden defiance to hosts of invaders ? — all were 
 gone, — all was now lonely and desolate, and the 
 stillness accorded well with the ruinous appear- 
 ance of the scene before us. Not however that 
 the walls were dilapidated or overthrown ; they 
 remained as firm and solid as ever ; and here and 
 there the muzzle of a cannon pointing from a 
 loophole or rude embrasure showed that they 
 were still capable of defence, though, alas! de- 
 fenders there were none. We thought the place 
 absolutely deserted, and went on to the gateway. 
 It was massive, and highly ornamented with 
 enamel work, such as we had seen before in the 
 old Madressa and the tombs at Golconda. 
 
 While we thus stood admiring the outside, 
 a soldier approached us and asked our busi- 
 ness. 
 
 u We are strangers, who have put up in the 
 town for the day," answered my father, K and 
 we could not leave the spot without looking
 
 128 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 at the venerable fort of which we have heard so 
 much. May we be permitted to enter ? " 
 
 " Certainly," he replied ; " persons of your 
 respectable appearance are always gladly ad- 
 mitted ; if you will follow me, I will show you 
 over the interior, which is worthy your in- 
 spection." 
 
 We followed him, and passing through two 
 gateways, which were defended by traverses so 
 as to be impenetrable to invaders, we stopped 
 under the third, and our conductor said, 
 
 " The rooms above this are well worth seeing, 
 if you will ascend." 
 
 " Surely," said I, " w r e would willingly see 
 everything." 
 
 We ascended a narrow stair, w r hich at the 
 top opened into a small but beautiful suite of 
 rooms, profusely adorned with enamel, far sur- 
 passing in its brilliancy of colours and minute- 
 ness of design any that we had before seen 
 on the outside. Sentences of the Koran in 
 white letters on a brilliant azure ground were 
 all round the cornices, and the ceilings and 
 walls were covered with flowers of every hue 
 and design, their colours and the enamel in 
 which they were worked being as fresh and 
 bright as the day they were first painted.
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 129 
 
 " These are imperishable," said I to my fa- 
 ther ; "would that the buildings which held 
 them could be so too, to remain to generations 
 yet unborn a proof of the magnificence and 
 wealth to which they owed their erection ! " 
 
 " Ay," said he, " there requires no better 
 proof than these of the present degeneracy. 
 The monarchs of those times were just and 
 liberal as well as powerful: the wealth their 
 dominions brought them was freely expended 
 in beautifying their cities, and raising edifices 
 by which they might be remembered. Xow, 
 with the same dominions, the wealth they bring 
 is either uselessly hoarded or wastefully ex- 
 pended ; now, no buildings arise as monuments 
 of a dynasty, no armies rejoice in the presence 
 of a brave and noble sovereign, and, stimulated 
 by his example, win for him renown at the points 
 of their bright swords. All now is mean and 
 sordid, from the poor pensioned descendant of 
 Shah Jhan and Alumgeer to the representative 
 of the once proud Soobahs of the Dukhun." 
 
 " Yes," said our conductor ; " what is the 
 use of now calling oneself a soldier, with 
 scarcely bread to eat ? the few of us who are in 
 the fort wander about the ruins of the noble 
 palaces and the deserted walls, and our only 
 G 5
 
 130 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 enemies are the panthers and hyaenas, who have 
 taken advantage of the yearly increasing jungle 
 and desolation, and bid fair to expel us alto- 
 gether. But look from the window, sirs ; the 
 open ground over which you came is called the 
 Fatteh My dan, the plain of victory. Here the 
 proud monarchs of Beeder, first the Bhamunee 
 and afterwards the Beereed dynasties, used to 
 sit, while their gallant troops poured forth from 
 the gates, and amused while they gratified their 
 sovereign with feats of arms. And yonder," 
 added he, taking us to another window, " yonder 
 are their tombs where their mortal remains rest, 
 though their spirits are in the blessed paradise 
 of our Prophet." 
 
 We looked, and the view was as lovely as it 
 was unexpected. We were on the top of what 
 appeared to be a lofty mountain, so far and so 
 deep did the noble expanse of valley before us 
 descend. The blue distance melted into the 
 blue of the heavens, while nearer and nearer to 
 us the villages and fields became more and 
 more distinct, till, close under us, they seemed as 
 it were drawn out on a map ; and among them 
 stood the tombs, a cluster of noble-looking edi- 
 fices, their white domes glaring in the red light 
 of the declining sun.
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 131 
 
 "Ay," cried I, "they must have felt that 
 they were kings, while they gazed admiringly 
 on their gallant soldiers, and looked forth over 
 the lovely country which they ruled/' 
 
 " Come/' said my father, breaking in upon 
 my reflections, which were rapidly peopling 
 the open space of the Fatten Mydan with the 
 troops and warriors of past ages, and picturing 
 to me their manly games — their mock fights — 
 the shouts of the contending parties — while 
 from the spot whereon I stood the praises of the 
 king and acclamations of his courtiers were 
 ringing through the arched roofs and re-echoed 
 by the multitudes without — a Come, it is grow- 
 ing late, and we must soon return." 
 
 We again followed our guide, and as we 
 passed over a causeway which was built across 
 the moat, we had a noble view of its great width 
 and depth. The bottom was partially covered 
 by stagnant pools, the remains of the water the 
 monsoon had deposited; for the rainy season 
 was now past. The fosse was very curiously 
 dug, with a view to defence, having been exca- 
 vated out of the solid rock to a considerable 
 depth ; three walls had been left standing, with 
 large intervals between each ; and they would 
 certainly oppose a most formidable interruption 
 to an invader.
 
 132 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 We entered the fort by a large gloomy arch- 
 way, within which some soldiers were lounging ; 
 and from thence traversing a large court-yard, 
 covered with fragments of ruins and rank 
 brushwood, we emerged into an open space 
 beyond. Here a scene of still greater desola- 
 tion than even the outside presented opened on 
 our view ; ruins of all descriptions — of palaces, 
 stables, offices, baths, magazines for arms and 
 ammunition — strewed the ground; it was a me- 
 lancholy sight, but the whole was evidently far 
 beyond repair, and fast hastening to destruction. 
 
 We left the spot, to see the only remaining 
 real curiosity of the place, an immense can- 
 non, the sister, as our guide told us, of one at 
 Beejapoor. It was on a high bastion, from 
 which there was a magnificent view of the 
 plain below us, over which the huge fort now 
 flung its broad deep shadow, while the distant 
 country was fast fading into obscurity under 
 the growing darkness of the evening. The 
 herds of the town, winding up the steep 
 ascent from the plain, alone broke the impres- 
 sive silence, as their lowings, the tinkling of 
 their numberless bells, and the melancholy yet 
 sweet notes of the shepherd's rude pipe, ascend- 
 ed to our lofty station. 
 
 But we could stay no longer ; we returned
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 133 
 
 by the way we had come ; and though I longed 
 to have roamed over the ruined and deserted 
 palaces, and explored their recesses, it was too 
 late ; dismissing our guide therefore with a small 
 present for his civility, we retraced our steps 
 to our encampment. 
 
 From Beeder, Sahib, we had no adventures 
 worth relating till we reached Ellichpoor, by 
 which town we directed our route homewards ; 
 however we did not travel by the same road as 
 we had done in coming down ; which would have 
 led us by Mungrool and Oomraotee, and we had 
 good reasons for avoiding both places ; the re- 
 membrance of the fate of the sahoukar would 
 necessarily be fresh in the memory of the inha- 
 bitants of the latter place, and our appearance 
 was too remarkable to be easily forgotten. So 
 we struck off from Nandair on the Godavery 
 towards Boorhanpoor, and when we reached 
 Akola in the Berar valley, we turned again to- 
 wards Ellichpoor, and reached it in safety. 
 You must not think, however, that during this 
 long journey we were idle ; on the contrary, we 
 pursued our avocation with the same spirit and 
 success with which we had commenced and 
 continued our fortunate expedition ; and no tra- 
 veller, however humble, who joined our party,
 
 134 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 or was decoyed among us, escaped: and by 
 this means, though our booty was not materially 
 increased, yet we collected sufficient to support 
 us, without taking aught from the general stock, 
 which was to be divided when we reached our 
 home. 
 
 At Ellichpoor we encamped under some 
 large tamarind trees, close to the Durgah of 
 Rhyman Shah Doolah. It was a quiet lovely 
 spot. Below the Durgah ran a small river, 
 which had its rise in the neighbouring moun- 
 tains ; and over its stream the hallowed build- 
 ings of the saint, embowered in thick trees, 
 seemed to be the abode of peace and repose. 
 Thither Azima and myself, attended by some of 
 our men, went, as soon as we had rested our- 
 selves a little and changed our road-soiled gar- 
 ments, to present our offerings at the shrine, and 
 to offer up our thanksgivings for the continued 
 care and protection of Alia. 
 
 This done, I sent her back to our camp, and 
 entered into general conversation with the 
 Moolas, as was my wont, in order to gather in- 
 formation to guide us in our enterprises; and 
 from so large a city as Ellichpoor I had some 
 hope that we should gain a valuable booty. 
 
 We conversed upon many topics of every-
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 135 
 
 day occurrence ; at last, one of the Moolas 
 asked me -where I had come from, and whither 
 I was going. I said I was a horse-dealer, who 
 had been down to Hyderabad with horses from 
 Hindostan, and was now returning, having dis- 
 posed of them. " And the men who accompany 
 you, who are they ? " asked the Moola. 
 
 " My father who is a merchant, is one/' said 
 I ; K besides him there are the grooms and at- 
 tendants who accompanied us, and several tra- 
 vellers who have joined us from time to time 
 as we journeyed hither." 
 
 " Then you are a kafila?" said the Moola. 
 
 " Exactly so," said I ; K and feeling ourselves 
 to be strong, we are determined to try the road 
 to Jubbulpoor by Baitool, which, though unsafe 
 for small bodies, presents no obstacle to our 
 numerous party." 
 
 " Certainly not," he replied ; *• and the road 
 will save you a long distance which you would 
 have had to travel had you gone round by 
 Nagpoor ; and since you are bent on trying the 
 jungle road, perhaps you would not have any 
 objection to an increase to your party? and I 
 think I could get you one." 
 
 " Certainly not," said I, " if the travellers are 
 respectable."
 
 136 CONFESSIONS OP A THUG. 
 
 "Highly so/* said the Moola ; "the person 
 of whom I speak is a man of rank, no less than 
 a Nuwab, who is returning to his nephew, who 
 rules over Bhopal.** 
 
 " Ah, I have heard of him I think/* said I ; 
 " you do not mean the Nuwab Subzee Khan, 
 as he is called?" 
 
 " The very person, and a fine old soldier he 
 is. It is a pity he is so addicted to the subzee 
 or bhang, from which however he has gained 
 a name which it is well known has struck terror 
 into his enemies on the battle-field, and has 
 fairly superseded any other he may have had." 
 
 " It is a pity/* I said ; " for report speaks 
 well of the noble Khan, and his deeds of arms 
 are known to all who have sojourned in Hin- 
 dostan : I shall be right glad to accompany him, 
 for *tis said also that he is a rare companion/* 
 
 " You have heard rightly/* said the Moola. 
 " The Nuwab will be here before sunset, as 
 he always comes to converse with us and drink 
 his bhang ; if you will step over from your en- 
 campment when I send to you, I will introduce 
 you to him.** 
 
 " Thanks, worthy Moola/* said I ; " you only 
 need to summon me, and I will attend your 
 call with pleasure.**
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 137 
 
 I left him soon after. Here was the com- 
 mencement of an adventure which promised 
 fairly to eclipse all our former ones ; the rank 
 of the Nuwab, the number of followers he 
 would necessarily have with him, and the noise 
 there would be made about him when he was 
 missed, — all contributed to render this as pretty 
 an adventure as a Thug seeking plunder and 
 fame could desire. 
 
 I did not mention a word of my hopes to any 
 one ; I was determined to have this matter all 
 to myself both in plan and execution. If I 
 succeeded, my fame and character Mere esta- 
 blished for ever, and 1 could not fail with so 
 many to back me. A momentary thought 
 flashed across me — that the Nuwab was a man 
 of war, that he would be armed to the teeth ; 
 and who was I that I could oppose him ? but I 
 dismissed it in an instant as unworthy. My 
 confidence in my own prowess, both as a Thug 
 and with every weapon, whether on foot or on 
 horseback, was unbounded ; it had never as yet 
 been checked, and I feared nothing living, I 
 believe, in the form of man. 
 
 Yes, Ameer Ali, said I, you and all your 
 tribe have ever feared us Englishmen. You
 
 138 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 have never yet attacked one of us, nor dared 
 you. 
 
 The Thug laughed. — No, Sahib, you are 
 wrong ; we never feared you, but to attack any 
 of you would have been impossible. When you 
 travel on horseback you are not worth attack- 
 ing, for you never carry anything about your 
 persons. In your tents you are surrounded by 
 a host of servants, and at night you are always 
 guarded. When you travel post, we might pos- 
 sibly get a few rupees from your palankeens, 
 but you are generally armed, you usually carry 
 pistols, and some of us must undoubtedly 
 fall before we could effect our object ; but above 
 all, there would be such a hue and cry if any of 
 you were missing, that it would be impossible 
 to escape, especially as any property we might 
 take from you would assuredly lead to our de- 
 tection. 
 
 Your reasons are weighty, said I laughing ; 
 but I suspect, Ameer Ali, you do not like the 
 pistols, and that is the reason we have escaped 
 you : but go on with your story ; I have inter- 
 rupted you. 
 
 Well then, Sahib, to continue. I waited 
 very impatiently till towards evening, when as I
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 139 
 
 was sitting at the door of my tent, I saw a man 
 on horseback^ attended by a small retinue, 
 among whom to my great astonishment was a 
 young good-looking girl mounted on a spirited 
 pony, coming down the road from the city. He 
 passed near our camp, and crossing the river, 
 ascended the opposite bank and entered the 
 Durgah. Was this my new victim? I was 
 not long in suspense ; a message soon came 
 from the Moola, requesting my company ; and 
 taking my sword and shield with me, I followed 
 the man who had come to call me.
 
 140 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 " He was a stalwart knight and keen, 
 And had in many a battle been ; 
 His eyebrow dark and eye of fire, 
 Show'd spirit proud and prompt to ire." 
 
 Marmion. 
 
 Seated with the old Moola I have before men- 
 tioned^ the Nuwab Subjee Khan Buhadoor (for 
 by that name alone I knew him,) was quaffing 
 his bitter and intoxicating draught. Around 
 him stood some of his retainers, fierce-looking 
 fellows, one or two of them with deep scars on 
 their rough visages, which showed they had 
 bravely followed their noble master through 
 many a hard-fought field. Behind him sat the 
 slave I have mentioned, a slender fair girl, who 
 was busily prepared in making a fresh bowl of 
 the infusion the Nuwab was so fond of. 
 
 The Moola introduced me. " This," said he, 
 " my lord, is the young man I spoke of. I
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 141 
 
 need repeat no praises of him, for no doubt 
 your discerning eyes will at once observe that 
 he is a person of respectability and good breed- 
 ing, and a fit companion for one of my lord's 
 exalted rank." 
 
 I presented the hilt of my sword as a nuzzur, 
 and after touching it with his hand, he bid me be 
 seated near him on the carpet. 
 
 This I was too polite to do ; so excusing my- 
 self on the ground of unworthiness of such ho- 
 nour, I seated myself on my heels on the edge 
 of the carpet, and placed my sword and shield 
 before me. 
 
 The sword immediately attracted his atten- 
 tion . " That is a noble weapon, Meer Sahib," 
 said he ; " may I be allowed t o look at it ?" 
 
 (i Certainly," said I, presenting the hilt, a the 
 sword is at my lord's sendee." 
 
 u Nay, Meer Sahib, I want it not ; but I am 
 curious in these matters, and have a choice col- 
 lection, which I will one day show you." 
 
 He drew it carefully from the scabbard, and 
 as the brightly polished blade gleamed in the 
 sunlight, he looked on it with a smile of delight, 
 such as one would greet an intimate friend with 
 after a long absence. 
 
 I must however describe him. In person he
 
 142 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 was tall and strongly made ; his arms in parti- 
 cular, -which were distinctly seen through his 
 thin muslin dress, were remarkably muscular, 
 and very long ; his figure was slightly inclined 
 to corpulency, perhaps the effect of age, which 
 had also sprinkled his curling beard and mu- 
 stachios with gray hairs ; or it might be that 
 these had been increased in number by the dan- 
 gerous use of the drug he drank in such quan- 
 tities. His face was strikingly handsome, 
 and at once bespoke his high birth. A noble 
 forehead, which was but little concealed by his 
 turban, was covered with veins which rose 
 above its surface, as though the proud blood 
 which flowed in them almost scorned confine- 
 ment. His eyes were large and piercing like 
 an eagle's, and, but that they were swollen 
 and reddened by habitual intemperance, would 
 have been pronounced beautiful. He had a pro- 
 minent thin nose, large nostrils, almost transpa- 
 rent, and a mouth small and curved like a bow, 
 which, when the features were at rest, wore an 
 habitual expression of scorn. His flowing and 
 graceful beard and mustachios, which I have 
 already mentioned, completed a countenance 
 such as I had never seen the like of before, and 
 have not met with since. The whole was in-
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 143 
 
 cxpressibly striking, and in the meanest apparel 
 the Xuwab would at once have been pronounced 
 by any one to be a man of high family and a 
 gallant soldier. 
 
 A rosary of large pearls was about his neck, 
 and with this exception he wore no ornaments. 
 His dress was studiously plain, while it was 
 neat in the extreme. I remarked two deep scars, 
 one on the back of his head where it joined the 
 neck, the other on his broad chest, and its 
 deep seam was not concealed by the thin dress 
 he wore. Such was Subzee Khan, who had 
 won his renown in many a hard fi^ht, and whom 
 I was determined to destroy on the very first 
 opportunity. 
 
 He continued looking at the blade so earnest- 
 ly and so long, that I began to think that it had 
 possibly belonged to some victim of my fathers, 
 who might have been known to the Nuwab, and 
 I was mentally framing a reply in case he should 
 ask me where I got it, when he suddenly said, 
 as he passed his finger along the edge, " So, 
 you too have seen battles, my friend ; there are 
 some slight dents in this good sword which have 
 not escaped the touch of an old soldier. How 
 did it come by them ? " 
 
 " Oh, a trifling skirmish with robbers as I
 
 144 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 came down from Hindostan," said I ; and I re- 
 lated to him our affair with the thieves in the 
 Nirmul road. 
 
 " It was well done." said he, when I ended 
 my account ; " but methinks you might have 
 followed up your success and sliced some more 
 of the rogues a little. This weapon would not 
 have failed you if your heart had not." 
 
 " My heart never failed me yet, Nuwab," I 
 replied ; " those who know me well, also know 
 that I burn for an opportunity to prove that I 
 am a man and no coward ; but what could I 
 do in that instance ? there were but few of us, 
 and the jungle was terribly thick — we could 
 not have followed them in the dark." 
 
 " You are right," he replied ; " and what say 
 you, my young friend, to following the fortunes 
 of Subzee Khan ? He has at present naught to 
 give thee ; but, Inshalla ! the time is fast ap- 
 proaching when men of tried valour may win 
 something. My friend Dost Mahomed writes 
 to me to come quickly, for he has need of lead- 
 ers in his new enterprises ; and methinks your 
 figure and address would find favour with him. 
 What say you ? You are not fit to sell horses 
 all the clays of your life ; and if you have turned 
 any money in your present expedition, you can-
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 145 
 
 not expend it in a manner more befitting your 
 appearance than in getting a few men together, 
 and offering your service. Dost Mahomed has 
 need of such youths as you, and, Inshalla ! we 
 will yet do something to win us fanie." 
 
 " May your favour increase, Bunde Nuwaz ! " 
 cried I ; "it is the very thing my soul longs 
 for; with your introduction I cannot fail of 
 obtaining service : and if once we have any- 
 thing to do, you will find I shall not be back- 
 ward." 
 
 " Then you will accompany me ? " said he ; 
 " I am glad of it. You have some men with you 
 I perceive, and some travellers ; what say you to 
 taking the direct road to Jubbulpoor? it is a 
 rough one, but I am pressed for time ; and that 
 by Nagpoor, though free from interruption or 
 danger of robbers, is much longer." 
 
 w I had determined on taking it, Nuwab Sa- 
 hib," I replied, " even before I saw you, for we 
 are a strong party and well armed ; but now I 
 can have no hesitation. As for thieves or rob- 
 bers, I have no dread of them, and my lord as- 
 suredly can have none ?" 
 
 " None, since you have joined me," he said ; 
 "but with the few fellows I have, I confess I 
 hardly liked to brave the jungle ; for the bands 
 
 VOL. II. II
 
 146 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 who roam through it are strong and merciless, 
 and it would be a sorry fate for Subzee Khan to 
 fall in an unknown spot, after a life spent in 
 battle-fields." 
 
 And yet you will do so, Nuwab Sahib, said I 
 internally; your death-blow will reach you in 
 that jungle you dread, and no monument will 
 mark the spot where the remains of Subzee 
 Khan will lie. 
 
 " And when shall you be ready to move, 
 Meer Sahib ? " continued he ; " have you aught 
 to delay you here ? " 
 
 (i Nothing/ 5 I replied. " 1 had purposed 
 marching tomorrow morning, but if my lord 
 wishes I can wait a few days." 
 
 " Ah no, — tomorrow morning I cannot move 
 conveniently, but the day after I will join you 
 here by daylight, and we will travel toge- 
 ther." 
 
 " Jo Hookum V* I replied; " I shall be ready ; 
 and now have I permission to depart ? " 
 
 " Certainly/' he said ; a I will no longer de- 
 tain you, for I must be off myself. My friend 
 Sulabut Khan has an entertainment of some 
 kind tonight, and I have promised to attend 
 it/ 5 
 
 1 returned to my tent, and though I longed
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 147 
 
 to break the matter to my father, yet I re- 
 frained from doing so until the Nuwab had 
 fairly joined us, when I would introduce him 
 properly. 
 
 As we were preparing to start the third morn- 
 ing before daylight, the Nuwab rode into our 
 camp and inquired for me. 
 
 I was speedily with him, and my father co- 
 ming up to us, I introduced them to each other. 
 After the usual compliments had passed, my 
 father, unobserved by the Nuwab, threw me a 
 significant glance, — I returned it, and he under- 
 stood me ; a look of triumph passed across his 
 features, which gratified me, because to me 
 alone was the band indebted for the adventure 
 which was to follow. 
 
 Our party was soon in motion, and as the 
 light increased with the dawning day, it re- 
 vealed to me the person and dress of the Nuwab. 
 who now rode by my side. He was mounted 
 on a splendid bay horse, which moved proudly 
 and spiritedly beneath his noble master : the 
 trappings of the animal were of crimson vel- 
 vet, somewhat soiled, but still exceedingly 
 handsome, for the saddlecloth and headstall 
 were embroidered with gold thread in a rich 
 pattern. 
 
 H 2
 
 148 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 But the rider chiefly attracted my observa- 
 tion : he wore a shirt of mail, composed of the 
 finest steel links, exquisitely polished, over his 
 ordinary clothes; at his waist it was confined 
 by a handsome green shawl, which he had tied 
 round him, and in which were stuck two or 
 three daggers, mounted in gold and silver. His 
 arms were cased in steel gauntlets, as far as 
 the elbows, and greaves of steel protected his 
 thighs. On his head was a bright steel cap. 
 from the top of which a crimson silk tassel de- 
 pended, and a shawl handkerchief was folded 
 round it to protect his head from the heat of 
 the sun. At his back hung a shield of rhi- 
 noceros hide, richly painted and gilt ; a long 
 sword hung at his side from an embroidered 
 velvet belt which passed over his shoulder; 
 and at his saddle-bow was fastened a small 
 battle-axe, with a long and brightly polished 
 steel handle. 
 
 Well did his appearance accord with his fame 
 as a warrior. I had seen hundreds of soldiers 
 at Hyderabad, but I had never yet looked on one 
 so perfectly equipped as he who now rode be- 
 side me — nor one, could I but have attached 
 myself to him, in whom I should have placed 
 such confidence and followed readily into the
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 149 
 
 deadliest strife. But what was the use of his 
 weapons or his armour? they would not avail 
 him, — his hours were numbered, and his breath 
 already in his nostrils. 
 
 " You observe me intently/ 5 said he. 
 
 " I do," I replied ; a for I have never yet seen 
 so perfect a cavalier: horse, arms, and accoutre- 
 ments all agree in setting off then noble owner. 
 Do you always travel thus ? " 
 
 u Always, Meer Sahib; a soldier should never 
 be out of his harness. The short time I have 
 spent in idleness with that luxurious dog Su- 
 labut Khan has softened my body, and even 
 now I feel my armour chafe me. But the time 
 comes when I shall need it, and I had as well 
 accustom myself to it." 
 
 We continued the whole of the march toge- 
 ther, and he beguiled the way with relations 
 of his adventures, battles and escapes. I was 
 as much fascinated by them as by his powers 
 of conversation, which were remarkable ; and I 
 often wished that I had met him as a friend, or 
 enrolled myself under him, when I might have 
 followed his banner and endeavoured to equal 
 his deeds of valour. But he was marked : in 
 our emphatic language he was become a "bunij,"
 
 150 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 and he was doomed to die by every rule and 
 sacred obligation of our profession. 
 
 We reached our first stage without any ad- 
 venture. Beyond it the villagers told us that 
 the jungle grew thicker and thicker, that the 
 road was very bad and stony, and above all, 
 that the Gonds were in arms, and plundered 
 all whom they met with. 
 
 u Let them try us/' said the Nuwab, as he 
 listened to the relations, " let them try us ! In- 
 shalla ! they will do us no harm, and it may be 
 some of them will get broken crowns for their 
 pains." 
 
 But the next morning we moved with more 
 caution; our men were desired to keep well 
 together, and I picked out a trusty few to sur- 
 round the cart, which moved on with difficulty 
 over the rough and stony roads; the Nuwab 
 and myself rode at the head of the party. 
 
 As we advanced, the road grew wilder and 
 wilder ; in many places it was narrowed almost 
 to a foot-path, and the men were obliged to cut 
 away the branches, which often nearly met 
 across the road, so as to allow the cart to pro- 
 ceed. At other times it ran between high 
 banks, which almost overhung us, and from
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 151 
 
 which missiles might have been showered on 
 our heads, without a possibility of our being 
 able to strike a blow* in self-defence. 
 
 "That was an ugly place, Nuwab Sahib/ 5 
 said I, as we emerged from one of these nar- 
 row passes into a,..niore open country, though 
 still covered w ith jungle ; " had we been at- 
 tacked there we should assuredly have fallen 
 victims/ 5 
 
 " It was indeed," said he ; " and I am thank- 
 ful we have got out of it ; if I remember aright 
 it has a bad name. From hence however I think 
 there are no more ; the jungle becomes a forest, 
 and there is not so much underwood. But 
 look,' 5 cried he, " what is that ? By Alia ! the 
 Gonds are upon us. Shumshere Alum ! 55 cried 
 he, in a voice which rang like the sound of a 
 trumpet, u Shumshere bu dust ! 55 and his glit- 
 tering blade flashed from the scabbard. Check- 
 ing his horse, and at the same time touching 
 its flanks with his heels, the animal made two 
 or three bounds, after which the Nuwab fixed 
 himself firmly in his seat, pressed down his cap 
 upon his head, and cried to me to be ready. 
 
 I was not behindhand ; my sword was draw n 
 and my shield disengaged, which I placed 
 before me to guard me from the arrows. A
 
 152 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 few bounds of my horse, which was scarcely 
 second to the Nuwab's, brought me to his 
 side, and we were followed by Bhudrinath and 
 a few others mounted on ponies, and some men 
 on foot with their matchlocks. 
 
 " Come on, ye sons of defiled mothers," cried 
 the Nuwab ; " come on and prove yourselves 
 true men; come on and try your cowardly 
 arrows against stout hearts and ready wea- 
 pons ! Base-born kafirs are ye, and cowards ; 
 Inshalla ! your sisters are vile, and asses have 
 loved your mothers." 
 
 I could not help laughing at the Nuwab's 
 gesticulations and abuse, as he poured it upon 
 the Gonds and shook his sword at them. They 
 would not move, and perched up as they were 
 on the side of a hill, they prepared their bows to 
 give us a volley — and down it came certainly ; 
 the arrows whistled past us, and one wounded 
 the Nuwab's horse slightly in the neck, at 
 which the Gonds set up a shout of triumph. 
 
 u Ah, my poor Motee, thou art wounded," 
 cried he, drawing the arrow from the wound. 
 ci Meer Sahib, those rogues will never come 
 down ; you had better give them a volley and 
 disperse them." 
 
 " Now, my sons," cried 1 to my followers^
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 153 
 
 (i whenever a fellow raises his body to fire, do 
 you mark him." 
 
 They did so. One Gond in particular, who 
 was sitting on a rock drawing a large bow, 
 which he placed against his feet, was a conspi- 
 cuous object, and apparently careless of his 
 safety. Surfuraz Khan aimed at him — fired — 
 and in an instant he rolled over and over almost 
 to our feet : the ball had hit him in the throat, 
 and he was quite dead. The rest seeing his fate 
 set up loud yells, and for a moment we thought 
 they would have charged us : however another 
 of their number fell badly wounded, and carry- 
 ing him off they rapidly retreated to their 
 mountain fastnesses. Pursuit would have been 
 vain as it was impracticable. 
 
 We met with no further adventure during; 
 our march, and duly arrived at our stage by the 
 usual hour. 
 
 •'•' Ameer Ali," said my father, coming to me 
 shortly afterwards, " is the Nuwab to be ours 
 or not ? If you have invited him as a guest, say 
 so ; if not, you had better arrange something." 
 
 " A guest V cried I ; " oh, no, he must be dis- 
 posed of; there can be no difficulty where there 
 are so many good places to destroy him." 
 
 " Impossible !" said my father ; " on horse- 
 H 5
 
 154 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 back it would be madness. He is a beautiful 
 rider, and his horse is too spirited ; the least 
 confusion would make him bound, and who 
 could hold him ? We must devise some other 
 plan." 
 
 " Leave all to me/ 5 said I ; "if there is no 
 absolute necessity for selecting a place, I will 
 watch my opportunity "
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 155 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 " Lear. — No, no, no life ; 
 Why should a dog, a horse, a rat have life, 
 And thou no breath at all ? O thou wilt come no more, 
 Never, never, never, never!" 
 
 King Lear, Act V, Scene 3. 
 
 " I suppose you have long ere this guessed, 
 my friends/* said I to Bhudrinath and Surfuraz 
 Khan next day, "why the Nuwab is in our 
 company ? n 
 
 "We can have little doubt," replied the 
 former, " since you have brought him so far : 
 but tell us, what are your wishes, — how is it 
 to be managed ? It will be impossible to at- 
 tack him on the road ; he would cut down some 
 of us to a certainty, and I for one have no am- 
 bition to be made an end of just at present.' 5 
 
 " You are right," said I ; " we must not risk
 
 156 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 anything ; still I think an opportunity will not 
 long be wanting." 
 
 " How ?" cried both at the same moment. 
 " Listen/' said I, " and tell me whether my 
 plan meets with your approval. During the 
 march yesterday the Nuwab was regretting that 
 we did not fall in with a good stream of clear 
 water, that he might take his usual sherbet : 
 you know that the slave girl he has with him 
 always prepares it. Now I am in hopes that 
 we may meet one in tomorrow's march, and I 
 will try all I can to persuade him to alight and 
 refresh himself: while he is engaged in conver- 
 sation with me, if we find him off his guard, 
 we can fall on him." 
 
 (C Nothing is easier," replied Surfuraz Khan ; 
 " we cannot fail if he once sits down ; Ins wea- 
 pons will not then serve him." 
 
 " I do not half like the job," said Bhudri- 
 nath. " Suppose he were to be on his guard, 
 he would assuredly escape ; and though both 
 myself and the Khan here fear neither man nor 
 devil, yet it is something out of the way to kill 
 a Nuwab ; he is not a regular bunij, and I 
 think ought to be allowed to pass free of 
 harm." 
 
 fi Nonsense !" cried I. " This from you, Bhu-
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 15? 
 
 drinath ? I am astonished. What, if he be a 
 Nuwab, is he not a man ? and have I not fairly- 
 enticed him according to every rule of our 
 vocation ? It may be something new to kill a 
 Nuwab, but think, man, think on the glory of 
 being able to say we had killed Subzee Khan, 
 that valiant among the valiant : why, our fathers 
 and grandfathers never did such an act before." 
 
 " That is the very reason why I raise my 
 voice against it," said he ; u anything unusual is 
 improper, and is often offensive to Bhowanee." 
 
 " Then take the omens upon it," said I, "and 
 see what she says. Inshalla ! we shall have the 
 Nuwab yet." 
 
 "Ay," replied he, "now you speak like a 
 Thug, and a proper one : I will take the omens 
 this evening and report the result ; should they 
 be favourable, you will find Bhudrinath the last 
 man to desert you." 
 
 In the evening the omens were duly taken, 
 and proved to be favourable. Bhudrinath 
 came to tell me the news with great delight. 
 
 "I said how it would be," I cried; " vou 
 were owls to doubt our patroness after the luck 
 she has given us hitherto ; and now listen, I 
 have not been idle. I have found out from the 
 villagers that about four coss hence there is
 
 158 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 a small stream with plenty of water ; the banks 
 are covered with jungle, as thick as we could 
 desire, and I have fixed on that as the place. 
 Shall we send on the Lughaees?" 
 
 " Certainly," said Bhudrinath ; u we may as 
 well be prepared : — but no," continued he, 
 (( what would be the use of it ? If the jungle is 
 as thick as you say it is, we can easily conceal 
 the bodies ; and at any rate, as there is a river, 
 a grave can soon be made in the sand or gravel. 
 But the Nuwab is a powerful man, Meer Sahib ; 
 you had better not risk yourself alone with him ; 
 as for the rest, the men have secured them, — 
 that is, they have arranged already who are to 
 do their business." 
 
 " So much the better," said I, " for there is 
 little time now to think about it." 
 
 "I have selected one," continued Bhudri- 
 nath, " the fellow who calls himself the Nu- 
 wab's jemadar ; I have scraped an intimacy with 
 him, and am sure of him ; the others have done 
 the same ; but we left the Nuwab to you." 
 
 " He is mine," cried I ; " I did not wish to 
 be interfered with. If Surfuraz Khan has not 
 selected any one, I will get him to help me." 
 
 "He has not, Meer Sahib, that I know of, and 
 he is as strong a man as any we have with us ;
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 159 
 
 with him and another of his men you cannot 
 fail ; but let Surfuraz Khan be the Shumshea, 
 he is a good one." 
 
 * I scarcely need one if the Nuwab is sit- 
 ting/ 5 said I ; u though perhaps it is better to 
 have one in case of any difficulty." 
 
 We made all our arrangements that night, 
 and next morning started on our journey in 
 high spirits. The Nuwab and I, as usual, rode 
 together at the head of the party. 
 
 " This is an unblest country, Meer Sahib," 
 said he, as we rode along. a Didst thou ever see 
 so dreary a jungle, and not a drop of water to 
 moisten the lips of a true believer from one end 
 of the stage to the other ? It is well the weather 
 is cool, or we should be sorely tired in our long 
 stages; and here have I, Subzee Khan, gone 
 without my usual sherbet for three days on 
 this very account. By Alia! I am now as 
 thirsty as a crow in the hot weather, and my 
 mouth opens in spite of me. Oh, that we could 
 light on a river or a well in this parched de- 
 sert ! I would have a glorious draught." 
 
 "Patience, Khodawund!" cried I, "who 
 knows but we may be near a stream? and then 
 we will make a halt, and refresh ourselves : 
 I am hungry myself, and should not care for an
 
 160 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 hour's delay to break my fast with some dates 
 I have with me/' 
 
 " Ha, dates ! I will have some too ; my fel- 
 lows may find something to eat in my wallets, 
 and thou sayest truly, the cold wind of these 
 mountains makes one hungry indeed." 
 
 But coss after coss was left behind, and as yet 
 no river appeared. I was beginning to think I 
 had received false information, and was in no 
 very good humour at my disappointment, when, 
 to my joy, on passing over the brow of a hill, I 
 saw the small river the villagers had spoken of 
 below me. 
 
 "There," said I, " Khodawund ! there at 
 last is a river, and the sparkling of the water 
 promises it to be good. Will you now halt for 
 an hour? we can have a pipe all round, and 
 your slave can prepare your sherbet." 
 
 " Surely," cried he ; " we may not meet with 
 another, and this is just the time when I like 
 my sherbet best ; send some one to the rear for 
 my slave, and bid her come on quickly." 
 
 I despatched a man for her, and reaching the 
 stream, we chose a smooth grassy spot, and 
 spreading the covers of our saddles, sat down. 
 
 One by cne, as the men arrived, they also 
 rested, or wading into the water refreshed
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 161 
 
 themselves by washing their hands and faces 
 in the pure stream, which glided sparkling 
 over its pebbly bed; the beasts too were al- 
 lowed to drink; and all the men sitting down 
 in groups, the rude hooka passed round among 
 them, while they cheerfully discussed the 
 merits of the road they had passed, and what 
 was likely to be before them. Casting a hasty 
 glance around, I saw that all the men were at 
 their posts, three Thugs to each of the Nu- 
 wab's servants and retainers. They were there- 
 fore sure. Azima's cart was standing in the 
 road, and in order to get her away I went to her. 
 
 " Beloved," said I, "we have halted here for 
 a short time to allow of the people taking some 
 refreshment, but you had better proceed ; the 
 road appears smooth, and we shall travel the 
 faster to overtake you." 
 
 " Certainly/' she replied ; " bid them drive 
 on, for I long to be at the end of the journey. 
 Poor Nurgiz and myself are well nigh jolted to 
 death." 
 
 " Ah, well," I said, " bear up against it for 
 another stage or two. I promise you to get a 
 dooly, if I can, at the first large village or town 
 we come to, and then you will be comfortable." 
 
 "Now proceed,' 5 said I to the Thug who
 
 162 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 acted as driver (for I had purchased a cart on 
 the road, soon after we left Beeder, and he had 
 driven it ever since), " proceed, but do not go 
 too fast." 
 
 She left me, and I returned to the Nuwab. 
 He was sitting in conversation with my father, 
 and even now was evidently partially intoxi- 
 cated with his detestable beverage. 
 
 " Ho ! Meer Sahib/' cried he ; " what dost 
 thou think ? here have I been endeavouring to 
 persuade this worthy father of thine to take 
 some of my sherbet. By Alia ! 'tis a drink 
 worthy of paradise, and yet he swears it is 
 bitter and does not agree with his stomach. 
 Wilt thou take a drink ? " and he tendered me 
 the cup. " Drink, man! 'twill do thee good, 
 and keep the cold wind out of thee ; and as to 
 the preparation, I'll warrant it good; for there 
 breathes not in the ten kingdoms of Hind a 
 slave so skilled in the art of preparing subjee 
 as Kureena yonder. Is it not so, girl?" 
 
 " My lord's favour is great toward his slave," 
 said the maiden ; ** and if he is pleased, 'tis all 
 she cares for." 
 
 "Then bring another cup," cried the Nu- 
 wab; "for what saith the song?" and he roared 
 out the burden of one I had heard before —
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 168 
 
 " Peyala pea, to myn n€ pea, phir kisee ko kya ! "* 
 
 " and what is it to any one ? All the world 
 knows that Subzee Khan drinks bhang, and is 
 not the worse soldier for it. Now with a few 
 fair girls to sing a ghuzul or two to us, me- 
 thinks a heaven might be made out of this wild 
 spot/' 
 
 "It is a good thought, Nuwab," cried I, 
 chiming in with his humour ; " we will get a 
 set of Tuwaifs from the next village we come 
 to ; I dare say they will accompany us for a 
 march or two." 
 
 " You say well, Meer Sahib ; yours are good 
 words, very good words ; and, Inshalla ! we 
 will have the women," said the Nuwab slowly 
 and indistinctly, for he had now swallowed a 
 large quantity of the infusion, which had af- 
 fected his head. ei By Alia ! they should dance 
 too — like this — " continued he with energy, 
 and he got up, and twirled himself round once 
 or twice with his arms extended, throwing 
 leering glances around upon us all. 
 
 It was irresistibly ludicrous to behold him. 
 His splendid armour and dress but ill assorted 
 
 * A cup (of wine) is drunk, — then I have drunk it ; 
 What is it to any one?
 
 164 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 with the mincing gait and absurd motions he 
 was going through, and we all laughed heartily. 
 But the farce was proceeding too long, and 
 we had sterner matter in hand than to waste our 
 time and opportunity in such fooleries. So I 
 begged him again to be seated, and motioned 
 to Surfuraz Khan to be ready the instant he 
 should see me go round to his back. 
 
 C( Ho ! Kureena," cried he, when he had 
 again seated himself, " bring more subzee, my 
 girl : by Alia ! this thirst is unquenchable, and 
 thou art excelling thyself today in preparing it. 
 I must have more, or I shall never get to the 
 end of this vile stage. I feel now as if I could 
 sleep, and some more will revive me/' 
 
 " Fazil Khan, bring my hooka," cried I as 
 loud as I could. It was the signal we had 
 agreed on. 
 
 " Ay," cried the Nuwab, " I will beg a 
 whhT or two, 'twill be agreeable with my sher- 
 bet." 
 
 I had now moved round behind him; my 
 roomal was in my hand, and I signalled to Sur- 
 furaz Khan to seize him. 
 
 " Look, Nuwab ! " cried he ; and he laid hold 
 on his right arm with a firm grasp. 
 
 " How dare you touch me, slave?" ejacu-
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 165 
 
 lated Subzee Khan. u How dare you touch a 
 Nuwab— ? " 
 
 He did not finish the sentence. I had thrown 
 the cloth about his neck, Surfuraz Khan still 
 held his hand, and my father pulled at his legs 
 with all his force. The Nuwab snored several 
 times like a man in a deep sleep, but my grip 
 was firm and did not relax : a horse would have 
 died under it. Suddenly, as he writhed under 
 me, every muscle in his body quivered ; he 
 snored again still louder, and the now yielding 
 form offered no resistance. I gazed upon his 
 features, and saw that the breath of life had 
 passed from the body it had but now animated. 
 Subzee Khan was dead — I had destroyed the 
 slayer of hundreds ! 
 
 But no one had thought of his poor slave 
 girl, who at some distance, and with her back 
 turned to us, had been busily engaged in pre- 
 paring another rich draught for her now uncon- 
 scious master. She had not heard the noise of 
 our scuffle, nor the deep groans which had 
 escaped from some of the Nuwab's people, and 
 she approached the spot where Surfuraz Khan 
 was now employed in stripping the armour and 
 dress from the dead body. 
 
 Ya Alia ! Sahib, what a piercing shriek
 
 166 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 escaped her, when she saw what been done ! I 
 shall never forget it, nor her look of horror and 
 misery as she rushed forward and threw herself 
 on the body. Although master and slave, Sa- 
 hib, they had loved. 
 
 Her lips were glued to those of the uncon- 
 scious corpse, which had so often returned her 
 warm caresses, and she murmured in her agony 
 all the endearing terms by which she had used in 
 their private hours to call him, and implored 
 him to awake. 
 
 "He cannot be dead ! he cannot be dead !" 
 cried the fair girl, — for she was beautiful to look 
 on, Sahib, as she partly rose and brushed back 
 her dishevelled hair from her eyes ; " and yet 
 he moves not — he speaks not" — and she gazed 
 on his features for a moment. " Ah ! " she 
 screamed," look at his eyes — look at them — they 
 will fall out of his head ! and his countenance, 
 *t is not my own lord's — those are not the lips 
 which have often spoken kind words to his poor 
 Kureena ! Oh, my heart, what a pain is there!" 
 
 " This will never do," cried I ; " some of you 
 put her out of her misery ; for my part, I war 
 not with women." 
 
 " The girl is fair," said Surfuraz Khan ; " I 
 will give her a last chance for life."
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 167 
 
 u Hark you !" cried he to her, " this is no time 
 for fooling ;" and as he rudely shook her by the 
 arm, she looked up in his face with a piteous 
 expression, and pointed to the body by which 
 she was kneeling and mourning as she rocked 
 herself to and fro. " Hear me," cried the Khan, 
 " those who have done that work will end thy 
 miserable life unless thou hearkenest to rea- 
 son. I have no wife, no child : thou shalt be 
 both to me, if thou wilt rise and follow me. 
 Why waste further thought on the dead ? And 
 thou wast his slave too ! Rise, I say again, and 
 thy life is spared — thou shalt be free/' 
 
 "Who spoke to me?" said she, in tones 
 scarcely audible. u Ah, do not take me from 
 him ; my heart is broken ! I am dying, and 
 you would not part us ? " 
 
 " Listen, fool ! " exclaimed the Khan ; " be- 
 fore this assembly I promise thee life and a 
 happy home, yet thou hearkenest not : tempt 
 not thy fate ; a word from me, and thou diest. 
 Wilt thou then follow me ? my horse is ready, 
 we will leave the dead, and think no more on 
 the fate of him who lies there." 
 
 " Think no more on him ! forget him — my 
 own, my noble lover ! Oh, no, no, no ! Is he 
 not dead ? and I too am dying."
 
 168 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 ei Again I warn thee, miserable girl/* cried 
 Surfuraz Khan ; " urge me not to use force ; I 
 would that you followed me willingly — as yet 
 I have not laid hands on thee." 
 
 A low moan was her only reply, as she 
 turned again to the dead, and caressed the dis- 
 torted and now stiffening features. 
 
 " Away with the body ! " cried I to some of the 
 Lughaees, who were waiting to do their office ; 
 £i one would think ye were all a parcel of love- 
 sick girls, like that mourning wretch there. 
 Are we to stay loitering here because of her 
 fooling ? Away with it ! " 
 
 My order was obeyed ; four of them seized 
 the body, and bore it off in spite of the now 
 frantic exertions of the slave ; they were of 
 no avail ; she was held by two men, and her 
 struggles to free herself gradually exhausted 
 her. 
 
 " Now is your time," cried I to Surfuraz Khan; 
 " lay hold of her in the name of the thousand 
 Shitans, since you must have her, and put her on 
 your horse : you can hold her on, and it will be 
 your own fault if you cannot keep her quiet/' 
 
 Surfuraz Khan raised her in his arms as 
 if she had been a child ; and though now re- 
 stored to consciousness, as she by turns re-
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 169 
 
 viled us, denounced us as murderers, and im- 
 plored us to kill her, he bore her off and placed 
 her on his horse. But it was of no use ; her 
 screams were terrific, and her struggles to be 
 free almost defied the efforts of Surfuraz Khan 
 on one side and one of his men on the other 
 to hold her on. 
 
 We proceeded about half a coss in this man- 
 ner, when my father, who had hitherto been a 
 silent spectator, rode up, as I was again vainly 
 endeavouring to persuade the slave to be quiet 
 and to bear with her fate. 
 
 " This is worse than folly," cried he, " it is 
 madness; and you, above all, Surfuraz Khan, to 
 be enamoured of a smooth-faced girl in such a 
 hurry ! What could we do were we to meet 
 travellers? She would denounce us to them, 
 and then a fine piece of business we should have 
 made of it. Shame on you ! do you not know 
 your duty better ? " 
 
 " I '\\ have no more to say to the devil," said 
 the man on the left of the horse doggedly; 
 " you may even get her on the best way you 
 can; what with her and the horse, a pretty time 
 I am likely to have of it to the end of the jour- 
 ney;" and he quitted his hold. 
 
 "Ay," said I, "and think you that tongue 
 
 VOL. II. I
 
 170 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 of hers will be silent when we reach our stage ? 
 what will you do with her then?" 
 
 " Devil ! " cried the Khan, striking her vio- 
 lently on the face with his sheathed sword, 
 "will you not sit quiet, and let me lead the 
 horse?" 
 
 The violence with which he had struck 
 caused the sword to cut through its wooden 
 scabbard, and it had inflicted a severe wound 
 on her face. 
 
 " There/' cried my father, " you have spoilt 
 her beauty at any rate by your violence ; what 
 do you now want with her?" 
 
 " She is quiet at all events," said the Khan, 
 and he led the horse a short distance. 
 
 But the blow had only partly stunned her, 
 and she recovered to a fresh consciousness of 
 her situation ; the blood trickled down her face, 
 and she wiped it away with her hand ; she 
 looked piteously at it for an instant, and the 
 next dashed herself violently to the earth. 
 
 " One of you hold the animal," cried the 
 Khan, " till I put her up again." But she strug- 
 gled more than ever, and rent the air with her 
 screams : he drew his sword and raised it over 
 her. 
 
 "Strike !" she cried, " murderer and villain
 
 CONFFSSIONS OF A THUG. 1?1 
 
 as you are, strike ! and end the wretched life of 
 the poor slave ; you have already wounded me, 
 and another blow will free me from my mi- 
 sery; I thought I could have died then, but 
 death will not come to me. Will you not kill 
 me ? " — and she spat on him. 
 
 (i This is not to be borne ; fool that I was to 
 take so much trouble to preserve a worthless 
 life/ 5 cried the Khan, sheathing his sword; 
 " thou shalt die, and that quickly/ 5 He threw 
 his roomal about her neck, and she writhed in 
 her death agonies under his fatal grasp. 
 
 " There ! " cried he, quitting his hold, " I 
 would it had been otherwise; but it was her 
 fate, and I have accomplished it ! " and he left 
 the body and strode on in moody silence. 
 
 Some of the Lughaees coming up, the body 
 was hastily interred among the bushes which 
 skirted the road, and nothing now preventing 
 us, we pursued our journey with all the speed 
 we could. Thankful was I that I had sent on 
 Azima in her cart; she was far beyond the 
 scene of violence which had happened, and 
 of which she must have guessed the cause had 
 she been within hearing; but the driver of 
 her cart had hurried on, and we had travelled 
 some coss ere we overtook her. Strange, 
 I 2
 
 172 CONFESSIONS OP A THUG. 
 
 Sahib, that after that day Surfuraz Khan was 
 no longer the light-hearted, merry being he had 
 used to be. He was no novice at his work ; hun- 
 dreds of human beings, both male and female, 
 had died under his hand; but from the hour 
 he killed the slave he was an altered being : he 
 used to sit in silent, moody abstraction, his eyes 
 gazing on vacancy, and when we rallied him 
 upon it, his only reply was a melancholy smile, 
 as he shook his head, and declared that his 
 spirit was gone : his eyes too would on these 
 occasions sometimes fill with tears, and sighs 
 enough to break his heart would escape from 
 him. 
 
 He accompanied us to our home, got his 
 share of the booty, which he immediately dis- 
 tributed among the poorer members of the 
 band, and after bidding us a melancholy fare- 
 well, stripped himself of all his clothes, covered 
 his body with ashes, and went forth into the 
 rude world, to bear its buffets and scorn, in the 
 guise of a Fakeer. 
 
 I heard, years afterwards, that he returned to 
 the spot where he had killed the girl, constructed 
 a hut by the road-side, and ministered to the 
 wants of travellers in that wild region, where 
 his only companions must have been the bear,
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 173 
 
 the tiger, and the wolf. I never saw him again 
 after he parted from us, and many among us 
 regretted his absence, and his daring skill and 
 bravery, in the expeditions in which we after- 
 Avards engaged : his place was never filled among 
 us. 
 
 I have no more adventures of this expedition 
 to relate to you : we reached our home in due 
 course without any accident or interruption ; 
 and who will not say that we enjoyed its quiet 
 sweets, and appreciated them the more after our 
 long absence and the excitement and perils of 
 our journey ? I was completely happy, secure 
 in the increasing love and affection of Azima, 
 whose sweet disposition developed itself more 
 and more every day. I was raised to a high 
 rank among my associates, for what I had 
 achieved was duly related to those who had 
 staid in our village, and to others who had been 
 out on small expeditions about the country ; and 
 the immense booty we had acquired, and my 
 father^s well-known determination to retire from 
 active life, pointed me out as a leader of great 
 fortune, and one to whom many would be glad 
 to entrust themselves in any subsequent expedi- 
 tion, as I appeared to be an especial favourite of 
 our patroness.
 
 174 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 The return of Hoosein's party, about two 
 months after we had arrived, was an event of 
 great rejoicing to us all when they reached our 
 village. As we had agreed beforehand, at our 
 separation, the whole of the proceeds of the ex- 
 peditions of both parties were put into one, for 
 general distribution, and on a day appointed it 
 took place. Sahib, you will hardly believe it 
 when I tell you that the whole amounted to very 
 nearly a lakh of rupees. 
 
 It was carried by general acclamation that I 
 should share as a jemadar, and according to the 
 rules of our band I received one eighth of the 
 whole. Bhudrinath and Surfuraz Khan receiv- 
 ed what I did, but the latter only of such por- 
 tion as we had won since he joined us. I for- 
 get how much it was, but, as I have told you, 
 lie divided it among the poorer members of the 
 band ; and having apparently staid with us only 
 for this purpose, he left us immediately, as I 
 have before mentioned. 
 
 Upon the sum I had thus acquired I lived 
 peacefully two years. I longed often to go out 
 on small expeditions about the country, but 
 my father would not hear of it. 
 
 " What is the use ? " he would say. " You 
 have ample means of subsistence for two years
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 175 
 
 to come; my wealth you know is also large, 
 and until we find the supply running short, 
 why should you risk life in an attempt to gain 
 more riches, which you do not need ? " 
 
 But my spirit sorely rebelled against lead- 
 ing such an inactive and inglorious life, and 
 every deed I heard of only made me more im- 
 patient to cast off the sloth which I feared 
 would gain hold on me, and to mingle once 
 more in the exciting and daring exploits of my 
 profession. 
 
 Still I was fond of my home. Azima had 
 presented me with a lovely boy, who was the 
 pride of my existence, and about the time I am 
 speaking of I expected another addition to my 
 family. I had already seen two seasons for 
 departure pass, and a third was close at hand, 
 but I suffered this also to elapse in inactivity, 
 although I was repeatedly and strongly urged 
 by Bhudrinath and others to try my fortune 
 and head another band to penetrate into Ben- 
 gal, where we were assured of ample employ- 
 ment and success. 
 
 But much as I wished to accompany them, 
 my father still objected; something had im- 
 pressed him with an idea that the expedition 
 would be unfortunate : and so in truth it turned
 
 176 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 out. A large gang under several leaders set 
 out from our village at the usual time ; but the 
 omens, although not absolutely bad, were not 
 very encouraging, and this had a dire effect on 
 the whole. They had not proceeded far when 
 jealousies and quarrels sprung up among the 
 several leaders ; they separated from each 
 other and pursued different ways. One by one 
 they returned disappointed with their expedi- 
 tion, having gained very little booty, scarcely 
 sufficient to support them for the remainder 
 of the year. But one party was never heard 
 of more ; it consisted of my poor friend Bhu- 
 drinath and six noble fellows he had taken with 
 him. Years afterwards we heard his fate : he 
 had gone down into Bengal, had visited Calcutta, 
 and up to that period had been most success- 
 ful ; but there his men dissipated their gains in 
 debauchery, and they set out on their return 
 with barely sufficient to carry them a few 
 inarches. 
 
 They had nearly reached Benares, when, 
 absolute starvation staring them in the face, 
 they attacked some travellers, and, as they 
 t nought, killed them. They neglected, however, 
 to bury their victims, and one, who was not dead, 
 revived : he gave information to the inhabitants
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 1/7 
 
 of the nearest village. My poor friends were 
 overtaken, seized, the property they had about 
 them immediately recognised, and the evidence 
 given by the survivor of the party they had 
 attacked was convincing. What could oppose 
 this? The law had its course, and they were 
 tried and hung. 
 
 Ameer Ali here stopped in his narrative, and 
 promising to resume it in a few days, he re- 
 quested permission to withdraw, and making 
 his usual salam departed. 
 
 A strange page in the book of human life is 
 this ! thought I, as he left the room. That man, 
 the perpetrator of so many hundred murders, 
 thinks on the past with satisfaction and pleasure ; 
 nay he takes a pride in recalling the events of his 
 life, almost every one of which is a murder, and 
 glories in describing the minutest particulars 
 of his victims, and the share he had in their 
 destruction, with scarcely a symptom of re- 
 morse ! Once or twice only has he winced 
 while telling his fearful story, and what agi- 
 tated him most at the commencement of his 
 tale I have yet to hear. 
 
 With almost only that exception, his spirit 
 has seemed to rise with the relation of the past ; 
 i 5
 
 178 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 and his own native eloquence at times, when 
 warmed with his tale and under the influence 
 of his vivid imagination and faithful memory, 
 has been worthy of a better pen and a more 
 able translator than I am : but let this pass ; 
 1 repeat, it is a strange and horrible page in 
 the varied record of humanity. Murderers 
 there have been in every country under hea- 
 ven, from the time of Cain to the present, — 
 murderers from hate, from revenge, from jea- 
 lousy, from fear, from the instigation of any 
 and every evil passion of our nature ; but a 
 murderer's life has ever been depicted as one 
 of constant misery, — the worm that dieth not, 
 the agony and reproach of a guilty con- 
 science, gnawing at the heart, corroding and 
 blasting every enjoyment of life, and either 
 causing its wretched victim to end his existence 
 by suicide, to deliver himself up to justice, or 
 to be worn down by mental suffering — a more 
 dreadful fate perhaps than the others. Such are 
 the descriptions we have heard and read of mur- 
 derers, but these Thugs are unlike any others. 
 No remorse seems to possess then' souls. In 
 the weariness of perpetual imprisonment one 
 would think their imaginations and recollec- 
 tions of the past would be insupportable to
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 1 7^ 
 
 them ; but no, —they eat, drink, and sleep like 
 others, are solicitous about their dress, ever 
 ready to talk over the past, and would, if re- 
 leased tomorrow, again follow their dreadful pro- 
 fession with a fresh zest after their temporary 
 preclusion from it. Strange too that Hindoo 
 and Moslem, of every sect and denomination, 
 should join with one accord in the superstition 
 from which this horrible trade has arisen. In 
 the Hindoo perhaps it is not to be wondered at, 
 as the goddess who protects him is one whom 
 all castes regard with reverence and hold in the 
 utmost dread ; but as for the Moslem, unless 
 his conduct springs from that terrible doctrine 
 of Fatalism, with which every true believer is 
 thoroughly imbued from the first dawn of his 
 reason, it is difficult to assign a reason for the 
 horrible pursuit he has engaged in. His Ko- 
 ran denounces murderers. Blood for blood, 
 an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth, is 
 the doctrine of his Prophet, which he trembles 
 at while he believes. — And Ameer Ali is a 
 Bhula Admee even in the eyes of his jailers; a 
 respectable man, a religious man, one who from 
 his youth up has said his Namaz five times a day, 
 is most devout in his life and conduct, is most 
 particular in his ablutions, keeps the fast of the
 
 180 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 Ramzan and every saint's day in his calendar, 
 dresses in green clothes in the Mohorum, and 
 beats his breast and tears his hair as a good 
 Syud of Hindostan ought to do ; in short, he 
 performs the thousand and one ceremonies of his 
 religion, and believes himself as sure of heaven 
 and all the houris promised there as he now is 
 of a good dinner. 
 
 And yet Ameer Ali is a murderer, one before 
 whom every murderer of the known world, in 
 times past or present, — except perhaps some of 
 his own profession, the free bands of Germany, 
 the Lanzknechts,* the Banditti, Condottieri, 
 of Italy, the Buccaneers and Pirates, and in 
 our own time the fraternity of Burkes and 
 Hares, (a degenerate system of Thuggee, by the 
 bye, at which Ameer Ali, when I told him of 
 them, laughed heartily, and said they were sad 
 bunglers,) — must be counted men of small ac- 
 count. 
 
 Reader, these thoughts were passing in my 
 mind, when at last I cried aloud, "Pshaw! 'tis 
 vain to attempt to account for it, but Thuggee 
 seems to be the offspring of fatalism and super- 
 stition, cherished and perfected by the wildest 
 excitement that ever urged human beings to 
 deeds at which humanity shudders/'
 
 CONFESSIONS OP A THUG. 181 
 
 u Did Khodawund call ? " said a bearer, 
 who had gradually nodded to sleep as he was 
 pulling the punkah above my head, and who 
 was roused by my exclamation. iC Did the 
 Sahib call?" 
 
 u No, Boodun, I did not ; but since you are 
 awake, bid some one bring me a chilum. My 
 nerves require to be composed."
 
 182 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG, 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 " He is a man, take him for all in all, 
 I shall not look upon his like again." 
 
 Hamlet, Act I. Scene 2. 
 
 At the expiration of a week, Ameer AH sent 
 word to me that he was ready to resume his 
 narrative, and I lost no time in requesting him 
 to repair to my residence. He arrived, and 
 making his usual graceful obeisance, I desired 
 him to be seated. 
 
 The reader will perhaps like to know some- 
 thing of the appearance of the man with 
 whom he and I have had these long conversa- 
 tions ; and no longer to keep him in the dark 
 on so important a subject, I will describe 
 Ameer Ali to him. He is what would be 
 called a short man, about five feet seven inches
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. L83 
 
 in height ; his figure is now slender, which may 
 be the effect of his long imprisonment, — impri- 
 sonment it can hardly be called, except that to 
 one of his formerly free and unrestrained habits 
 and pursuits, the smallest restraint must of 
 course be irksome in the highest degree and 
 painful to bear. His age may be about thirty- 
 five or forty years, but it sits lightly on him 
 for a native of India, and it has not in the least 
 whitened a beard and mustachios on which he 
 evidently expends great care and pains, and 
 which are always trimmed and curled with the 
 greatest neatness. His figure, as I have said, 
 is slight, but it is in the highest degree com- 
 pact, agile, and muscular, and his arms are re- 
 markable for the latter quality combined with 
 unusual length and sinewyness. His dress is 
 always scrupulously neat and clean, and put on 
 with more attention to effect than is usual with 
 his brother approvers, his turban being always 
 tied with a smart cock, and his waist tightly 
 girded with an English shawl or a gaily dyed 
 handkerchief, where once a shawl of Cashmere 
 or a handkerchief of brocade was better suited 
 to his pretensions. In complexion he is fair 
 for a native ; his face is even now strikingly 
 handsome, and leads me to believe that the ac-
 
 184 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 counts of his youthful appearance have not been 
 exaggerated. His forehead is high and broad ; 
 his eyes large, sparkling, and very expressive, 
 especially when his eloquence kindles and 
 bursts forth in a torrent of figurative language, 
 which it would be impossible to render into 
 English, or, if it were rendered, would appear 
 to the English reader, unused to such forms of 
 speech, highly exaggerated and absurd. His 
 cheeks are somewhat sunken, but his nose is 
 aquiline and elegantly formed, and his mouth 
 small and beautifully chiselled, and his teeth are 
 exquisitely white and even. His upper lip is 
 graced with a pair of small mustachios, which 
 would be the envy of many a gay lieutenant of 
 hussars; while a beard close and wavy, from 
 which a straggling hair is never suffered to 
 escape, descends nearly to his breast, and hides 
 a throat and neck which would be a study for a 
 painter or a sculptor : to complete all, his chest 
 is very broad and prominent, and well contrasts 
 with the effect of his small waist. 
 
 His manner is graceful, bland, and polite, 
 — it is indeed more than gentlemanlike — it is 
 courtly, and I have not seen it equalled even 
 by the Mahomedan noblemen, with many of 
 whom I have associated. Any of my readers
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 185 
 
 who may have been in India, and become ac- 
 quainted with its nobles and men of rank, will 
 estimate at once how high is the meed of praise 
 on this score which I give to Ameer Ali. His 
 language is pure and fluent, perhaps a little 
 affected from his knowledge of Persian, which, 
 though slight, is sufficient to enable him to 
 introduce words and expressions in that lan- 
 guage, often when they are not needed, but 
 still it is pure Oordoo ; he prides himself upon 
 it, and holds in supreme contempt those who 
 speak the corrupt patois of the Dukhun, or 
 the still worse one of Hindostan. Altogether 
 Ameer Ali is a character, and a man of im- 
 mense importance in his own opinion and that 
 of every one else ; and the swagger which he has 
 now. adopted in his gait, but which is evidently 
 foreign to him, does not sit amiss on his now 
 reduced condition. 
 
 Reader, if you can embody these descrip- 
 tions, you have Ameer Ali before } r ou; and 
 while you gaze on the picture in your imagina- 
 tion and look on the mild and expressive face 
 you may have fancied, you, as I was, would be 
 the last person to think that he was a professed 
 murderer, and one who in the course of his life 
 has committed upwards of seven hundred mur-
 
 186 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 ders. I mean by this, that he has been actively 
 and personally engaged in the destruction of 
 that number of human beings. 
 
 Now, Ameer Ali, said I, since I have finished 
 describing your appearance, I hope you are 
 ready to contribute more to the stock of adven- 
 tures you have already related. 
 
 Your slave is ready, Sahib, he replied, and 
 Inshalla Ta-alla ! he will not disappoint you. 
 But why has my lord described my poor ap- 
 pearance, which is now miserable enough? 
 But might your slave ask what you have writ- 
 ten? — and the tone of his voice implied that 
 he had concluded it could not be favourable. 
 
 Listen, said I, and I will read it to you. At 
 every sentence the expression of his face bright- 
 ened. When I had concluded, he said, 
 
 It is a faithful picture, such as I behold 
 myself when I look in a glass. You have 
 omitted nothing, even to the most trifling par- 
 ticulars ; nay, I may even say, my lord has 
 flattered me. — And he arose and made a pro- 
 found salam. 
 
 No, said I, I have not flattered your exter- 
 nal appearance, which is prepossessing ; but of 
 vour heart I fear those who read will judge for
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 187 
 
 themselves, and their opinions will not be 
 such as you could wish, but such as you de- 
 serve. 
 
 You think my heart bad then, Sahib ? 
 
 Certainly I do. 
 
 But it is not so, he continued. Have I 
 not ever been a kind husband and a faithful 
 friend ? Did I not love my children and wife 
 while He who is above spared them to me? 
 and do I not even now bitterly mourn their 
 deaths ? Where is the man existing who can 
 say a word against Ameer Air's honour, which 
 ever has been and ever will remain pure and 
 unsullied ? Have I ever broken a social tie ? 
 ever been unfaithful or unkind to a comrade ? 
 ever failed in my duty or in my trust? ever 
 neglected a rite or ceremony of my religion ? 
 I tell you, Sahib, the man breathes not who 
 could point his finger at me on any one of 
 these points. And if you think on them, they 
 are those which, if rigidly kept, gain for a man 
 esteem and honour in the world. 
 
 But the seven hundred murders, Ameer 
 Ali, — what can you say to them ? They make 
 a fearful balance against you in the other scale. 
 
 Ah ! those are a different matter, said the 
 Thug laughing, — quite a different matter. I
 
 188 CONFESSIONS OP A THUG. 
 
 can never persuade you that I was fully au- 
 thorized to commit them, and only a hum- 
 ble instrument in the hands of Alia. Did 
 I kill one of those persons ? No ! it was He. 
 Had my roomal been a thousand times thrown 
 about their necks and the strength of an ele- 
 phant in my arms, could I have done aught, 
 would they have died, without it was His will ? 
 I tell you, Sahib, they would not, they could 
 not; but as I shall never be able to persuade 
 you to think otherwise, and as it is not re- 
 spectful in me to bandy words with my lord, 
 I think it is time for me to recommence my 
 tale, if he is ready to listen, for I have still 
 much to relate. I have been so minute in 
 the particulars of my first expedition, that per- 
 haps I need not make the narrative of the other 
 events of my life so prolix ; indeed, were I to 
 do so, you, Sahib, would be tired of writing and 
 your countrymen of reading, for it would be an 
 almost endless task to follow me in every ex- 
 pedition I undertook. I shall therefore, with 
 your permission, confine myself to the narra- 
 tion of those which I think will most interest 
 you, and which I remember to possess remark- 
 able incidents. 
 
 Go on, said I ; I listen.
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 189 
 
 Well then, said the Thug, Khodawund 
 must remember that I told him I passed over 
 three expeditions, and that I had partly deter- 
 mined to go on the third. It is of that expe- 
 dition I would now speak, as it was marked 
 by an extraordinary circumstance, which will 
 show you at once that it is impossible for any 
 one to avoid his fate if it be the will of Alia 
 that he should die. 
 
 At the time I speak of I had been obliged 
 to form another set of intimates in consequence 
 of the loss of Bhudrinath and Surfuraz Khan, 
 for both of whom I had the sincerest regard. 
 Hoosein, though I loved and revered him as 
 my father's dearest friend, was now too old 
 and grave to participate in all my thoughts 
 and perhaps wild aspirations for distinction. 
 So as Peer Khan and Motee-ram, with whose 
 names you are familiar, had now risen to my 
 own rank, and proved themselves to be u good 
 men and true" in various expeditions, I took 
 them into my confidence, and we planned an 
 enterprise, of which I was to be the leader and 
 they my subordinates. Fifty of the youngest, 
 stoutest, and most active and enterprising of 
 our acquaintance were fixed on as the band; 
 and all having been previously warned, we met
 
 190 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 a few days before the Dussera of the year 1 8 — 
 in a grove near our village, which was shady 
 and well adapted for large assemblies, and was 
 always used as a place of meeting and delibera- 
 tion ; it was considered a lucky spot, no unfor- 
 tunate expedition ever having set out from it. 
 
 We were all assembled. It was a lovely 
 morning, and the grass, as yet not even browned 
 by the sun and drought, was as if a soft and 
 beautiful carpet had been spread on purpose 
 for us. The surrounding fields, many of them 
 tilled by our own hands, waved in green luxu- 
 riance, and the wind as it passed over them in 
 gentle gusts caused each stalk of tall jowaree 
 to be agitated, while the sun shining brightly 
 made the whole glitter so that it was almost 
 painful to look on for a continuance. Birds 
 sang in the lofty banian trees which oversha- 
 dowed us ; hundreds of green parroquets sported 
 and screamed in their branches, as they flew 
 from bough to bough, some in apparent sport, 
 others to feed on the now ripening berries of 
 the trees ; and the whole grove resounded with 
 the cooing of innumerable turtle-doves, whose 
 gentle and loving murmurs soothed the turbu- 
 lence of the heart, and bade it be at peace and 
 rest and as happy as they were.
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 191 
 
 My father and Hoosein were present to 
 guide us by their counsels and experience, and 
 the matter in hand was commenced by a sacri- 
 fice and invocation to Bhowanee ; but as I have 
 before described these ceremonies, it is need- 
 less to repeat them; suffice it to say that the 
 omens were taken and were favourable in the 
 highest degree ; they assured us, and though I 
 had little faith in them notwithstanding all I 
 had heard to convince me of their necessity, 
 they inspirited the whole band, and I partook 
 of the general hilarity consequent upon them. 
 
 My father opened the object of the meeting 
 in a short address. He said he was old and no 
 longer fitted for the fatigues and privations of 
 a journey ; he recapitulated all I had done on 
 the former expedition, pointed out the various 
 instances in which I had displayed activity, 
 daring, and prudence beyond my years, and 
 concluded by imploring the men to place im- 
 plicit confidence in me, to obey me in all things 
 as though he himself were present, and above 
 all not to give way to any disposition to quarrel 
 among themselves, which would infallibly lead 
 to the same disastrous results as had overtaken 
 the expedition which had gone out the previous 
 year.
 
 192 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 They one and all rose after this address, and 
 by mutual consent swore on the sacred pick- 
 axe to obey me, the most impressive oath they 
 could take, and any deviation from which they 
 all firmly believed would draw down the ven- 
 geance of our Protectress upon them and lead 
 to their destruction. 
 
 I will not occupy your time, Sahib, by a 
 narration of what I myself said ; suffice it to 
 say, I proposed that the band should take the 
 high road to the Dukhun, and penetrate as 
 far as Jubbulpoor or Nagpoor ; from thence we 
 would take a direction eastward or westward, 
 as hope of booty offered, and so return to our 
 home. Khandesh I mentioned, as being but 
 little known to us Thugs, and where I thought 
 it likely we might meet with good booty, as I 
 had heard that the traders of Bombay were in the 
 habit of sending large quantities of treasure to 
 their correspondents in Malwa for the purchase 
 of opium and other products of that district. 
 I concluded by assuring them that I had a 
 strong presentiment of great success, that I 
 felt confidence in myself, and that if they 
 would only follow me faithfully and truly, we 
 might return in a few months as well laden 
 with spoil as we had on the former occasion.
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 193 
 
 Again they rose and pledged their faith ; and 
 truly it was a solemn sight to see those deter- 
 mined men nerve themselves for an enterprise 
 which might end happily, but which exposed 
 them to fearful risk of detection, dishonour, 
 and death. 
 
 VOL. II*
 
 194 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 AMEER ALI STARTS ON A NEW EXPEDITION: THE ADVENTURES 
 HE MEETS WITH. 
 
 Our meeting broke up, and I returned to pre- 
 pare Azima for my departure. I had invented 
 a tale to excuse my absence. I told her that 
 the money which I had gained on my mercan- 
 tile expedition to the Dukhun was now nearly 
 expended ; and although, in her society, and in 
 the enjoyment of happiness such as I had never 
 hoped for, I had been hitherto unwilling to 
 leave my home, yet I could delay to do so no 
 longer without absolute ruin staring us in the 
 face. I added, that my father had placed a sum 
 of money at my disposal for the purposes of 
 trade : with which, if I met with the success
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 195 
 
 I had reasonable ground to hope for, from the 
 letters of my correspondents at Nagpoor and 
 other places, I could not fail of realizing a 
 handsome profit — enough to allow us another 
 continued enjoyment of peace and affluence. 
 
 Long and vainly she strove to overrule my 
 determination, pointed out the dangers of the 
 road, the risks to which I should be necessarily 
 exposed, the pain my absence would cause to 
 her ; but finding these were of no avail, as I 
 told her my plans had been long laid, and that 
 I was even now expected at Saugor, where my 
 agents had collected the horses I was to take 
 for sale, she implored me to take her and our 
 children with me, adding that travelling was a 
 matter of no difficulty to her, and that the chil- 
 dren would enjoy the change of scene and the 
 bustle and novelty of the camp. 
 
 But this also I overruled. It would have 
 been impossible to take her, not to mention the 
 expense of her travelling-carnage ; and at last, 
 after much pleading and objections of the de- 
 scription I have mentioned, she consented to re- 
 main ; and placing her under my father's care on 
 the morning we were to depart, I took an affec- 
 tionate farewell of her. Many were the charms 
 and amulets she bound about my arms and 
 K 2
 
 196 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 hung round my neck, which she had purchased 
 from various wandering fakeers and holy moolas; 
 and with streaming eyes she placed my hands 
 upon the heads of my children and bade me 
 bless them. I did so fervently and truly, for 
 I loved them, Sahib, with a love as intense as 
 were the other passions of my nature. 
 
 At last I left her. Leaving one's home is 
 never agreeable, often painful ; for the mind is 
 oppressed with indistinct visions of distress to 
 those one leaves behind, and is too prone to 
 imagine sources from which it might spring, 
 though in reality they exist not. It was thus 
 with me ; but the appearance of my gallant 
 band, as they greeted my arrival among them 
 with a hearty shout, soon dispelled my vague 
 apprehensions, and my spirit rose when I 
 found myself in the condition which had been 
 the object of many a fervent aspiration. I was 
 my own master, with men willing to obey me, 
 and — Inshalla ! I exclaimed to myself, now 
 Ameer Ali's slar is in the ascendant, and long 
 will it gleam in brightness ! 
 
 I have told you of the ceremonies which im- 
 mediately preceded our departure on a former 
 occasion ; of course they were repeated on this ; 
 the omens were again declared to be favourable
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 197 
 
 by Motee-ram, who was our standard-bearer and 
 director of all our ceremonies, as Bhudrinath had 
 been ; and we proceeded, accompanied for some 
 coss by my father and Hoosein, who stored my 
 mind with the results of their long experience. 
 Among other things both particularly urged 
 me to avoid the destruction of women. 
 
 * In olden times/' said my father, " they 
 were always spared: even parties in which 
 there might by chance be any, although in 
 other respects good bunij, were abandoned on 
 their account, as, our patroness being a female, 
 the destruction of her sex was considered ob- 
 noxious to her, and avoided on every occasion. 
 Moreover men are the only fit prey for men ; 
 no soldier wars with women, no man of honour 
 would lift a linger against them ; and you of 
 all, my son, who have a beauteous wife of your 
 own, will be the last to offer violence to any of 
 her sex." 
 
 * Rely upon me that I will not," said I ; " I 
 was, as you know, strongly against the fate of 
 the unhappy women who died on my first ex- 
 pedition, and, you will remember, I had no hand 
 in their deaths ; but I was overruled in my ob- 
 jections, first by Bhudrinath and afterwards 
 by Surfuraz Khan, and what could I do ? And
 
 198 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 it would be terrible indeed to think that the 
 distresses of their party and the unknown fate 
 of poor Bhudrinath were owing to the tardy, 
 but too sure vengeance of our patroness/' 
 
 a It may be so," said my father ; " but let 
 not that prey on your mind 5 both myself and 
 Hoosein have killed many a woman in our 
 time, and, as you know, no ill effects have re- 
 sulted from it. But bear in mind what I have 
 said, act with wisdom and discretion, and above 
 all pay implicit attention to the omens, and your 
 success and protection are sure." 
 
 We rode on, conversing thus, and when we 
 arrived at the boundary stone of our village, we 
 dismounted and embraced each other, and I left 
 them and rode on with my men. 
 
 According to our rules, no one was to shave 
 or eat pan until our first victim fell ; and as this 
 wa^, a matter of inconvenience to many of the 
 men, you may be sure we had our eyes in all 
 directions, and our scouts well occupied in every 
 village we passed through or halted at. But 
 it was not till the fifth day that we met with 
 any one who offered a secure and in every 
 way eligible sacrifice ; we had. fallen in with 
 bands of travellers, some going to, and others 
 departing from, their homes, but they had inva-
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 199 
 
 riably women in their company, and them I was 
 determined to spare, as well for my wife's sake 
 as from the injunctions of my father. 
 
 However, as I have said, on the fifth day, 
 early in the morning, we came to a cross-road, 
 and were glad to see a party of nine travellers, 
 three upon ponies, having the appearance of 
 respectable men, and the rest on foot, coming 
 up the road a short distance from us. To our 
 great joy they struck into the road we were 
 about to take. We had halted in pretended 
 indecision as to the road, and when they came 
 up we asked it of them. They readily pointed 
 to the one before us, and although expressing 
 themselves astonished at our numbers, they 
 agreed to accompany us to the village where 
 we proposed to halt, and the road to which we 
 had inquired of them. I soon entered into 
 conversation with the most respectable of their 
 party ; and I replied, in answer to his inqui- 
 ries, that we were soldiers proceeding, after 
 our leave to Hindostan, to Nagpoor, where we 
 were in sendee. He told me in return, that he 
 and his brother, one of the two others mounted* 
 with a friend and some attendants, were on 
 a travelling expedition ; that they had come 
 from Indoor, and were going to Benares, £.s
 
 200 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 well for the purchase of cloths and brocades, 
 as to visit that sacred place of Hindoo pilgrim- 
 age. 
 
 Ho, ho ! thought I, these are assuredly men 
 of consequence going in disguise, and I have no 
 doubt are well furnished with ready cash. No 
 time must be lost, as they have come by a cross- 
 road, and have not been seen in our company ; 
 there can consequently be no trace by which we 
 could possibly be suspected on their disappear- 
 ance ; so the sooner they are dealt with the better. 
 To this end I lagged behind a little, and im- 
 parted my determination to Peer Khan, who 
 rode in the rear of all ; by him it was told to 
 another, and thus it circulated throughout the 
 band before we had gone far. I was gratified 
 and delighted to see how, as they became aware 
 of what was to be done, each took his station, 
 three Thugs to each traveller, and the rest dis- 
 posed themselves around the whole, so as to 
 prevent any possibility of escape. 
 
 I remembered the road well, for it was that 
 upon which we had travelled before ; and what 
 Thug ever forgets a road ? I knew also that, 
 although the country around us was open and 
 bare, there was a river not far off, the sandy 
 bed of which was full of the wild cypress, and
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 20J 
 
 the bodies could be easily disposed of in the 
 brush-wood. 
 
 When we arrived at the brink of the river, 
 the man I had continued to converse with 
 begged for a short halt. 
 
 u We have been travelling since midnight," 
 said he, " and I for one am well tired, and 
 should be glad of rest." 
 
 I made no objection of course, for it was the 
 very thing I wished; and dismounting, and 
 leading my horse to the water, I allowed him to 
 drink, and then joined the party, which had all 
 collected, and were now seated ; the travellers 
 discussing a hasty meal they had brought with 
 them, and the Thugs sitting or standing around 
 them, but all in their proper places. 
 
 I was on the point of giving the jhirnee, 
 and I saw the Bhuttotes handling their roo- 
 mals in a significant manner, when, thanks 
 to my quick sense of hearing, I distinguished 
 voices at a distance. It was well for us that I 
 had not given the signal ; we should have been 
 busily engaged in stripping the bodies when 
 the party I had heard would have come upon 
 us. Of course they would have seen at a glance 
 what we were about, and have taken the alarm. 
 But our good destiny saved us. I hesitated, as 
 k 5
 
 202 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 I have said, and in a few minutes fourteen tra- 
 vellers made their appearance, and came directly 
 up to where we were sitting. They were per- 
 sons of all descriptions, who had associated for 
 mutual protection, and I had half determined to 
 destroy them also, which I think we could have 
 done, when they relieved me greatly by taking 
 their departure, wishing us success and a plea- 
 sant and safe journey. 
 
 On one pretence or another I delayed our 
 associates until the other party had proceeded 
 far beyond the risk of hearing any noise, should 
 there be any ; and now, seeing everything ripe 
 for the purpose, I called out for some tobacco, 
 the word we had agreed to use, as being least 
 likely to attract attention or inspire suspi- 
 cion. I had planted myself behind the man I 
 had been speaking to, and as I spoke my hand- 
 kerchief was thrown ! Three years' rest had not 
 affected the sureness of my hold, and he lay a 
 corpse at my feet in an instant. My work was 
 done, and I looked around to see the fate of the 
 rest ; one poor wretch alone struggled, but his 
 sufferings were quickly ended, and the party was 
 no more ! 
 
 " Quick, my lads V cried 1 to the Lughaees, 
 " quick about your work I" One of them grinned.
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 203 
 
 " Why ? " said he ; " did you not observe 
 Doolum and four others go away to yon brush- 
 wood when we reached this spot ? Depend upon 
 it they have the grave ready, or they have been 
 idle dogs." 
 
 And it was even so ; the grave had been 
 dug while the unsuspecting travellers sat and 
 conversed with us. 
 
 We were so busily engaged in stripping the 
 dead, that no one observed the approach of two 
 travellers, who had come upon us unawares. 
 Never shall I forget their horror when they saw 
 our occupation ; they were rooted to the spot 
 from extreme terror ; they spoke not, but their 
 eyes glared wildly as they gazed, now at us and 
 now at the dead. 
 
 ei Miserable men," said I, approaching them, 
 " prepare for death ! you have been witnesses of 
 our work, and we have no resource but your 
 destruction for our own preservation." 
 
 " Sahib," said one of them, collecting his 
 energies, " we are men, and fear not to die, 
 since our hour is come;" and he drew himself 
 up proudly and gazed at me. He was a tall, 
 powerful man, well armed, and I hesitated to 
 attack him. 
 
 " I give you one alternative," said I ; u become
 
 204 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 a Thug, and join our band — you shall be well 
 cared for, and you will prosper." 
 
 " Never ! " he exclaimed ; " never shall it 
 be said that Tilluk Singh, the descendant of 
 a noble race of Rajpoots, herded with mur- 
 derers, and lived on their unblessed gains. 
 No ! if I am to die, let it be now. Ye are 
 many ; but if one among you is a man, let him 
 step forward, and here on this even sand I will 
 strike one blow for my deliverance ;" and he 
 drew his sword, and stood on the defensive. 
 
 " I am that man/ 5 cried I, though the band 
 with one voice earnestly dissuaded me from the 
 encounter, and declared that he was more than 
 a match for me : "I am that man ; now take 
 your last look on the heavens and the earth, for 
 by Alia you never quit this spot ! " 
 
 u Come on, boasting boy ! " he exclaimed ; 
 " give me but fair play, and bid none of your 
 people interfere, and it may not be as you say." 
 
 "Hear, all of you ;" cried I to them, " meddle 
 not in this matter — 9 t is mine and mine only. As 
 for the other, deal with him as ye list;" and in 
 an instant more he was numbered with the dead. 
 
 ee These are your cowardly tricks," cried the 
 Rajpoot, now advancing on me, for he had 
 stood contemplating the fate of his companion ;
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 205 
 
 " my end may follow his, but I shall die the 
 death of a soldier, and not that of a mangy dog 
 as he has done." 
 
 I have before told you, Sahib, that my skill 
 in the use of every weapon was perfect, thanks 
 to my good instructor ; and I had never relaxed 
 in those manly exercises which fit a man for 
 active combat whenever he shall be called into 
 it. My sword was the one Nuwab Subzee 
 Khan had so much admired, and I felt the con- 
 fidence of a man when he has a trusty weapon 
 in his hand and knows how to wield it. 
 
 I have said that the Rajpoot advanced on me ; 
 he had no shield, which gave me an immense 
 advantage, but the odds were in his favour from 
 his height and strength, yet these are a poor 
 defence against skill and temper. 
 
 He assailed me with all his force and fury ; 
 blow after blow I caught on my sword and 
 shield, without striking one myself; he danced 
 round me after the fashion of his people, and 
 now on one leg now on the other, he made wild 
 gyrations, and at intervals rushed upon me, and 
 literally rained his blows at my person ; but I 
 stood fixed to the spot, for I kenw how soon 
 this mode of attack must exhaust him, and the 
 loose sand of the river added to his fatigue.
 
 206 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 At length he stood still and glared on me, 
 panting for breath. "Dog of a Kafir !" cried 
 he, " son of an unchaste mother, will nothing 
 provoke thee to quit that spot?" 
 
 "Kafir! 55 I exclaimed, "and son of a Kafir, 
 thy base words have sealed thy fate;" and I 
 rushed on him. He was unprepared for my 
 attack, made a feeble and uncertain blow at me, 
 which I caught on my shield, and the next in- 
 stant my sword had buried itself deep in his 
 neck. He fell, and the blood gushed from the 
 wound and from his mouth. 
 
 " Shookur Khoda!" exclaimed Peer Khan, 
 " you have settled his business nobly ; let me 
 embrace thee ;" and he folded me in his arms. 
 
 The Rajpoot was not dead ; he had sufficient 
 strength remaining to raise himself up on his 
 arm, and he looked at me like a devil ; he made 
 many attempts to speak; his lips moved, but no 
 sound followed, as the blood prevented utterance. 
 
 " Some of you put him out of his pain," said I ; 
 " the man behaved well, and ought not to suffer." 
 
 Peer Khan took my sword and passed it 
 through his heart ; he writhed for an instant, 
 and the breath left his body. 
 
 " Away with him !" cried I, " we have loiter- 
 ed too long already."
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 207 
 
 The Lughaees took him by his legs and arms, 
 to avoid his blood, and carried him away ; others 
 strewed a quantify of dry sand over the spot 
 where he had fallen, and in a few minutes 
 more we were pursuing our way as if nothing 
 had happened. 
 
 After this proof of my personal courage and 
 skill, I may safely say I was almost adored by 
 the whole band. They all assured me that a 
 Thug having killed a traveller and a soldier in 
 fair open combat was an unprecedented cir- 
 cumstance, and only required to be known to 
 make me the envy of old and young, and I 
 gloried in what I had done ; their praise was 
 sweet incense to my vanity. 
 
 The booty we got from the merchant and his 
 brother was rich, and was of itself a fair amount 
 of booty for any expedition. Some were even 
 for turning back, but they were only two or 
 three voices, and were easily overruled. 
 
 " It would be a shame/' I said, " if while for- 
 tune favoured us we did not take advantage of 
 our good luck." 
 
 Sahib, we continued our march, and when 
 we had reached Saugor we had killed nineteen 
 other travellers, without however having obtain- 
 ed much plunder : ten, fifteen, and on one occa-
 
 208 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 sion only nearly a hundred rupees, were as much 
 as any of them afforded us. 
 
 The town of Saugor was, and is now, a large 
 and busy place, built on the edge of an im- 
 mense lake, nearly as large as that of the Hoo- 
 sein Sagor; the cooling breezes which travel 
 over it make it a delightful spot. We encamp- 
 ed on the border of the lake near the town. 
 
 For the four days we remained there, we 
 daily perambulated the bazars, and frequented 
 the shops of Bhuttearas, one of whom was well 
 known to Peer Khan, and whom we paid hand- 
 somely for information. He promised to be on 
 the look-out for us, and on the third day after our 
 arrival, Peer Khan came to me in the evening, 
 as I sat before the entrance of my little tent, 
 smoking and enjoying the delightful breeze 
 which came over the vast sheet of water spread 
 before me. 
 
 " Meer Sahib," said he, " the Bhutteara is 
 faithful ; he has got news of a Sahoukar going 
 our road, who is to leave this place in about a 
 week ; he says we are certain of him, but that 
 we must quit this spot, and march about within 
 a few coss of the town, leaving two or three 
 men with him to carry information. " 
 
 " Ul-humd-ul-illa ! " cried I, " he is a worthy
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 209 
 
 man ; we will listen to his advice, and be off to- 
 morrow early. Three of the best runners shall 
 stay here as he counsels to bring us the news." 
 
 " But he stipulates for a large reward in case 
 we are successful." 
 
 u I see nothing against it," said I : "he will 
 be worthy of it if he is true to his word." 
 
 " Oh, for that you need not fear ; he is faith- 
 ful so long as you pay him." 
 
 "Then he shall have it. How much does 
 he want?" 
 
 "Two hundred rupees if we get five thou- 
 sand/' he replied ; " double, if we get ten ; and 
 in proportion if between one and the other." 
 
 " If the Sahoukar is rich, Khan," said I, " we 
 can well spare what he asks ; so go and tell 
 him he shall have it." 
 
 " I go," he said ; " should I not return, con- 
 clude that I have staid with him." 
 
 He sought out the men he required to accom- 
 pany him, and taking them and a small bundle 
 of clothes with him, I watched him far beyond 
 the precincts of our camp on his way to the 
 town.
 
 210 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 HOW AMEER ALI PLAYED AT THE OLD GAME OF FOX-AND- 
 GOOSE, AND WON IT. 
 
 We travelled from village to village for four 
 days,, meeting with no adventure, and in truth 
 I was beginning to be weary of the delay and 
 inactivity, when, on the fifth morning, one of 
 the men we had left behind to bring informa- 
 tion arrived. 
 
 " Peer Khan, Sahib, sends his salam," said 
 he, " and requests you will return immediately, 
 as the bunij has been secured, and is about to 
 leave the city." 
 
 " Know you aught of who he is ? " 
 " No, I do not," Meer Sahib. "I lived at the 
 Bhutteara's, and he and the Jemadar were often
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 211 
 
 in earnest conversation about him, but I was not 
 let into the secret." 
 
 w 'Tis well," I replied ; " refresh yourself, and 
 be ready to accompany us. How far are we 
 from Saugor?" 
 
 " By the way I came about fourteen coss," 
 said he, " but by a path which I know the city 
 is not more than half the distance." 
 
 "Then we may be there by evening?" 
 
 (e Certainly, by noon if you please, and I will 
 conduct you now." 
 
 Accordingly, guided by him through a wild 
 track which I should never have found alone, 
 we reached Saugor towards evening, and after 
 occupying our former ground, I hurried to the 
 Bhutteara's, where I was pretty sure of meeting 
 my friends. 
 
 Peer Khan was there, and welcomed me. " I 
 was fearful the messenger would miss you," 
 said he ; u but, praise to Alia, you are come." 
 
 " And this is our worthy ally, I suppose ?" 
 said I, making a salutation to the Bhutteara. 
 
 u The same," he answered ; u your poor 
 slave Peroo is always happy when he can serve 
 his good friends." 
 
 " I have not forgotten what you are to get, 
 my friend," said I, " and you may depend on the
 
 212 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 word of a true Thug for it. Are we sure of 
 the man ?" 
 
 " As sure," said Peer Khan, " as of those 
 who have hitherto fallen ; tomorrow he will 
 take his last look on Saugor." 
 
 " Ul-humd-ul-illa l w I exclaimed ; " so much 
 the better. And he will be a good bunij you 
 think?" 
 
 a He will be worth seven or eight thousand 
 good rupees to you," said the Bhutteara ; " and 
 all nugd (ready money) too." 
 
 " Good again, friend ; but why do you not 
 take to the road? You are a likely fellow 
 enough." 
 
 " Oh, I have tried it already," said he laugh- 
 ing ; " I was out on two expeditions with Ga- 
 nesha Jemadar. Do you know him?" 
 
 " I have heard of him," I replied ; " he is a 
 leader of note." 
 
 "He is," said the Bhutteara; "but he is a 
 cruel dog; and to tell the truth, — I fear you 
 will think me a coward for it, — I did not like the 
 way he treated the poor people he fell in with ; 
 so I quitted active work, and only do a little 
 business as you see now, by which I pick up 
 a trifle now and then." 
 
 " Well," said I, " you do good it appears ;
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 213 
 
 but beware how you act, and see that you do 
 not bully poor Thugs out of their money by 
 threatening to denounce them." 
 
 The fellow winced a little at my observation, 
 but recovering himself he stoutly protested he 
 had never been guilty of so base an act. 
 
 Peer Khan threw me a sly look, as much as 
 to say, you have hit the right nail on the head ; 
 but I did not press the matter further, for we 
 were completely in his power. 
 
 u Then," said I, " we start in the morning I 
 suppose?" 
 
 a Do so," replied the man ; u the Sahoukar 
 goes to Jubbulpoor. It would be as well not to 
 show yourselves for some days, as he might take 
 the alarm, and some people of note have disap- 
 peared of late on the road." 
 
 u Now," said I to Peer Khan, " we have no 
 further business here, and I am tired ; let us go 
 to the camp. We can send two scouts to re- 
 main here, to give us intelligence of the Sahou- 
 kar's departure if necessary." 
 
 The men were instructed in what they had to 
 do, and we left them and the Bhutteara. 
 
 u You probed that rascal deeply by what 
 you said," said Peer Khan as we walked along ; 
 * it is the very practice by which he gets his
 
 214 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 money ; the fellow is as rich as a Sahoukar 
 by this means, and never omits to levy a con- 
 tribution on every gang which passes Sau- 
 
 " Then/^ said I, " my mind is made up as to 
 his fate. Such a wretch is not fit to live — a cow- 
 ardly rascal^ who sits at his ease, runs no risk, 
 undergoes no fatigue, and yet gets the largest 
 share of any one. He ought to die. What say 
 you to putting him to death?" 
 
 " It is a rare plan/' replied he ; Ci but how to 
 get him out of the town I know not ; he is as 
 wary as a fox/' 
 
 " Oh/' said I, " that is more easily managed 
 than you think. The Kafir is fond of money?" 
 
 " As fond as he is of his own miserable ex- 
 istence." 
 
 " Then, Peer Khan, we have him. Directly 
 we get to the camp I will send a man with a 
 message, which you shall hear me deliver, and 
 if it does not bring him, call Ameer Ali a father 
 and grandfather of jackasses." 
 
 " Good," said he laughing ; " we will see 
 this rare plan of yours ; but I tell you the villain 
 is most wary. I never knew him come out ex- 
 cept in broad daylight, when there was no dan- 
 ger, and then only to small parties."
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 215 
 
 cc Here, Junglee," said I to a smart young 
 fellow who always attended my person ; " you 
 know Peroo, the Bhutteara?" 
 
 " Certainly ; my lord was with him this after- 
 noon. I know his house, for I was in the bazar 
 purchasing some flour, and saw my lord at the 
 shop." 
 
 (i Good/' said I ; u then you will have no 
 need to inquire for it. Now go to the Bhut- 
 teara, and take my seal-ring with you : mind you 
 don't let it go out of your hand ; tell him, with 
 many compliments from me, that as we are so 
 sure by his kindness of the bunij in prospect, and 
 have some money with us, I will pay him what 
 he asks, if he will come here to receive it. Say 
 that I do so as our return by this road is un- 
 certain and may be at a distant period, and 
 that I shall have no means of sending him the 
 coin ; and add, that I do this favour to him, as I 
 am convinced of his good faith, and have placed 
 implicit reliance in his assertions. Now, can 
 you remember all this? Mind you speak to 
 him in Ramasee, — he understands it." 
 
 "Certainly," said the lad; '■ I know all." 
 And he repeated what I had told him word for 
 word.
 
 216 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 ei That will do," said I, " and here is the ring : 
 now be off, — run, fly, and let us see how soon 
 you will earn two rupees." 
 
 " I am gone, Jemadar Sahib," cried he joy- 
 fully. " I will be back instantly." 
 
 " That is a sharp lad," said Peer Khan ; " he 
 takes one^s meaning so readily. But Oh Meer 
 Sahib, Peroo will never come for that message ; 
 he is too old a bird to be caught with chaff." 
 
 " Depend on it he will ; he will hear the 
 tinkling of the silver, and will run to it as 
 ever lover did to his mistresses signal. Besides 
 he has no chaff in prospect, but rupees, man, 
 rupees. The fellow would run to Delhi for as 
 much." 
 
 « We shall see," said Peer Khan. « If it be 
 written in his fate that he is to come, why, Alia 
 help him, come he must, there is no avoiding 
 destiny. What ! Peroo the Bhutteara come out 
 of his house at night to visit Thugs ! I say 
 the thing is impossible ; it has often been tried, 
 and failed utterly ; the fellow laughed at them, 
 as well he might." 
 
 " For all your doubts, Khan," said I, " In- 
 shalla! we will throw earth on his beard to- 
 night ; and as we may as well be ready, call
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 217 
 
 Motee, and two or three Lughaees ; the grave 
 must be dug, and that immediately." 
 
 Motee came, but was as desponding of suc- 
 cess as Peer Khan. " You will never take him/' 
 he said ; " did not Ganesha offer to divide a 
 large booty here last year, and that Peeroo 
 should have a share if he would come to take 
 it ? and he sent word that he laughed at our 
 beards, and we had better leave his share in the 
 hollow of an old tree known to us, or he would 
 send the whole police of Saugor after us in the 
 morning." 
 
 K And so you left the share?" 
 " We did, and it was a good one too." 
 " Then Ganesha was an owl, and I will tell 
 him so if I ever meet him. Peroo should not 
 have had a cowree from me ; nor will he now 
 unless he comes to take it." 
 
 We were silent for some time, and I could 
 hear the dull blows of the pickaxe, as the sound 
 was borne by the chill night-wind from the 
 place where the grave was preparing. He will 
 come, thought I, and his iniquity will be ended : 
 shame on the cold-blooded coward who can sell 
 men's lives as he does, without striking a blow 
 against them ! As I was thus musing, our mes- 
 senger was seen, in the dusky light, returning at 
 
 VOL. II. L
 
 218 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 the top of his speed, and alone. " We told you 
 so!" cried both my associates triumphantly; 
 i: we told you how it would be \" 
 
 I was vexed, and bit my lips to conceal my 
 chagrin. u Let us hear what he says at any 
 rate," said I. 
 
 " Well, what news, Junglee ? " cried I, as he 
 ran up quite out of breath. 
 
 66 Wait a moment, Jemadar," said he, " till I 
 can speak : I have run hard." 
 
 ec Here, drink some water : it will compose 
 you. What has happened? Is there any 
 alarm?" 
 
 u Ah, no alarm," replied the lad, " but listen. 
 I went as fast as I could without running, for I 
 thought if I appeared out of breath when I 
 reached him he might suspect something; so 
 when I got to the town gate, I walked slowly 
 till I reached his shop. He was busy frying 
 kabobs for some travellers, and told me to go 
 into his private room and wait for him. In 
 a short time he came to me. 
 
 " ' Well/ said he, ' what news ? Why have 
 you come ? The bunij is safe ; it was but just 
 now that one of your scouts came and said he 
 had heard orders given for his departure to- 
 morrow. What do you want? 5
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 219 
 
 u So I repeated your message, word for word 
 as you delivered it to me, and he seemed much 
 agitated. He walked up and down the room 
 for some time, talking to himself, and I could 
 hear the words 'Ganesha', c treachery ', once 
 or twice repeated. So at last I grew tired of 
 this, and said to him, c I cannot wait, I have 
 orders to return immediately : will you come 
 or not?' and this stopped him; he turned 
 round and looked at me severely — 
 
 " ' Tell me/ said he, ( young man, was Mo- 
 tee-ram present when this message was deli- 
 vered ? ' 
 
 " e No, he was not/ I replied. 
 
 "'Did he know of it?' 
 
 u e No ; he had not returned from the town 
 when I received it j at any rate, neither I nor 
 the Jemadar Sahib saw him.' 
 
 "' Was Peer Khan present?' 
 
 " c No,' said I stoutly, c he was not.' 
 
 u ' But he left this place in company with 
 your master.' 
 
 uc He may have done so,' said I, 'but I did 
 not see him; I was preparing the Jemadar's 
 bedding when he returned, and the message 
 was delivered to me privately ; for after he lay 
 down to rest he called to me and delivered it : 
 l 2
 
 220 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 and I may as well tell you that he counted out 
 the money from a bag which was under his 
 pillow/ 
 
 " i How much was there set apart for me ?' 
 
 "'Two hundred and fifty rupees; he was 
 counting more, but he stopped short, put the 
 rest into the bag, and said it would be enough/ 
 
 " e And how much is in the bag ? 5 
 
 " ' Alia maloom ! 5 said I ; c how should I know 
 anything about it? 5 
 
 " i Who sleep in the tent with the Jemadar ? f 
 he asked, after another silence and a few more 
 turns about the room. 
 
 " ' No one/ said I. c I sleep across the door- 
 way ; but no one is ever allowed to enter/ 
 
 "'You are a good lad/ he rejoined, f and a 
 smart fellow. How should you like to be a 
 bhutteara? 5 
 
 " ' Well enough/ said I ; for I wanted to see 
 what he was diving at, and I suspected no 
 good/ 5 
 
 "Did you ever hear of such a rascal?" said 
 Peer Khan. " Oh, if we only had him, I would 
 wring the base neck off his shoulders/ 5 
 
 " Let him go on/ 5 said I ; " don 5 t interrupt 
 him/ 5 
 
 " Well/ 5 continued Junglee, " he paced to
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 221 
 
 and fro again several times, and at last came 
 and sat by me, and took my hand in his. I did 
 not like it, so I laid my other on the hilt of 
 my dagger, which was concealed in my waist- 
 band. 
 
 " ' Junglee/ said he to me, f thou art a good 
 lad, and may be to me a son if thou wilt aid 
 me in this matter. Young as thou art, this 
 bloody trade can have no charms for thee ; be- 
 sides I'll warrant your Jemadar does not make 
 a pet of you as I would, and obliges you to 
 work hard?* 
 
 K I nodded. 
 
 " ' Ay ! it is even so,' said he, e and thou 
 wouldst be free ? speak, boy, and fear not ; thou 
 shalt be a son to me. Alia help me ! I have 
 neither wife nor child/ 
 
 " I nodded again. 
 
 " f That is right/ continued he; ( although 
 you are ill used, you do not like to abuse the 
 salt you have eaten, and I like you the better 
 for it. Now listen to me. I will come, but 
 not now. You say you lie at the entrance of the 
 tent, — good : you must sleep as sound as if you 
 had taken opium — do you hear? I shall step 
 quietly over you, and I know an old trick of 
 tickling with a straw — do you understand?'
 
 222 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 " i I do/ said I ; ' you would have the large 
 bag. 5 
 
 " f Exactly so, my son/ said he, i you have 
 guessed rightly ; trust me, I will have it. As 
 I go away I will touch you ; you need not 
 follow me then, but you can watch your oppor- 
 tunity/ 
 
 " i But the scouts/ added I ; c you have not 
 thought of them/ 
 
 " ' Oh, I can easily avoid them ; the night is 
 dark and cloudy, and no one will see me ; I 
 shall strip myself naked, and throw a black 
 blanket over me/ 
 
 " ( Then I agree/ said I ; < and I will quit 
 those horrid people and become an honest man. 
 Now what am I to say to the Jemadar V 
 
 " c Say/ replied he, e that the herdsman's flock 
 had often been robbed by the wolf of its fattest 
 sheep; and the herdsman said to himself, I 
 will catch the wolf and put him to death. And 
 he dug a hole, and suspended a fat lamb over 
 it in a basket, and sat and watched ; and the 
 wolf came, and saw from afar off that there 
 was something unusual in the generosity of the 
 herdsman, and he said to himself, Wolf, thou 
 art hungry, but why should one lamb tempt 
 thee? the time will come when thou mayest
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 223 
 
 find the herdsman asleep ; so wait, although thy 
 stomach is empty. — Say this to the Jemadar 
 and he will understand thee/ " 
 
 " By Alia ! thou hast done well, Junglee," 
 said I, "and thy faithfulness shall surely be 
 well rewarded. What think you, my friends, 
 of this villain?" 
 
 ee Ah, we are not astonished," cried both, " i 
 is just like him ; but Inshalla ! he will fall into 
 his own snare." 
 
 " Now," said I, " call two of the scouts ;" and 
 they came. 
 
 After I had told th.em of the plot Peeroo had 
 formed, " My friends," I continued, " you must 
 allow this rascal to come into the camp : one 
 of you lie down close to my tent, and pre- 
 tend to be asleep ; but have your eyes open, and 
 directly you see him enter rouse Peer Khan and 
 Motee, and bring them to the entrance ; and 
 do you two then place yourselves one on each 
 side of the door, so that he cannot see you. I 
 shall feign to be asleep, and shall let him take 
 the bag, though he should even fall over me 
 in doing so ; as he comes out you can seize 
 him and hold him fast ; do him no harm till 1 
 come : and as for you, Junglee, if you do not 
 sleep as sound as though a seer of opium was
 
 224 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 in your stomach, I swear by Alia you shall lie 
 in the same grave with him." 
 
 "Do not fear me/ 5 said the lad; "I have 
 eaten your salt, you are my father and my mo- 
 ther, you have treated me kindly, and how 
 could I deceive you ? had I intended it, I had 
 not mentioned a word of what he told me." 
 
 " Then we are all prepared," said I. a Did 
 he say when he would come?" 
 
 " He did," said Junglee ; " in the second 
 watch of the night, when he had no more bu- 
 siness." 
 
 " Good ; then mind you are all ready, and 
 we will spit on his beard." 
 
 Anxiously to me did the hours pass, till the 
 time came when I might expect him. I went 
 out of my little tent repeatedly to see that all 
 were at their proper posts, and returned as 
 often, satisfied that they were. Peer Khan was 
 lying near my tent apparently in a sound sleep, 
 but I knew he was awake ; the scouts were 
 wandering lazily about ; above all, the night 
 was so dark that I could not see my hand be- 
 fore me, and the splashing and murmuring of 
 the tiny waves- of the lake upon the shore would 
 prevent any noise of his footsteps being heard. 
 " Yes," I said, half aloud, as I retired to
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. I'lO 
 
 my carpet for the last time, " he will come ; 
 thief as he is, he will not miss such a night as 
 this : but the darkness favours us as much as it 
 does him. 55 
 
 "Now, Junglee," said I, "this is the last 
 time I stir out; mind your watch, my good 
 lad, and I will not forget you ; Peer Khan is 
 close at the back of the tent : I care not much 
 about the rest, they will soon be collected when 
 he is caught." 
 
 u Do not fear me," said the boy ; " my eyes 
 are not heavy with sleep, and when I move 
 from this spot to call Peer Khan, a rat will not 
 hear me." 
 
 I went in and lay down ; I drew my trusty 
 blade and laid it close to my right hand, so 
 that I could grasp it in a moment ; and covering 
 myself up with my quilt, as well to hide it as to 
 assure me when he came, (for I knew he would 
 endeavour to pull it off me,) I continued to 
 stare stedfastly on the entrance of the tent ; 
 and my eyes becoming sensible of the greater 
 darkness of the inside than that of the outside, 
 I was certain that if any one entered, or even 
 passed the door, I should see him. Long, long 
 did I lie in this position ; I hardly stirred, lest 
 Peeroo should be outside listening whether I 
 l 5
 
 226 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 -was awake. It was now, I guessed, consider- 
 ably past midnight ; still no one came, and 
 I should have been inclined to despair, did I 
 not feel certain that his fate would lead him to 
 destruction. Why is it, Sahib, that one has 
 these presentiments? I have often felt them 
 during my lifetime, but I never could account 
 for them. 
 
 At last he came. I saw an object darken the 
 doorway, hesitate for a moment, and then pass 
 in over the body of Junglee, who-snored so 
 loudly and naturally that I could have declared 
 he was asleep, had I not known the contrary 
 by having spoken to him a short time before. 
 Alia ! Alia ! Sahib, how my heart beat ! — I could 
 hear its throbbings, and they seemed to be so 
 loud in my breast that I thought he would hear 
 them too. Another thought flashed across me — 
 could he be armed ? and would he attempt to 
 destroy me ? It might be ; and I almost trem- 
 bled as I thought how I was to lie inactive and in 
 his power while he abstracted the bag ; I was on 
 the point of leaping up and passing my weapon 
 through his body, but I dismissed the idea. He 
 is a thief, a miserable thief, and has not the cou- 
 rage to bring a weapon, much less to use it ; and 
 he will want both his hands too — he cannot have
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 227 
 
 one. So I lay quiet, with my hands on the hilt 
 of my sword. The tent was very low, and he 
 was obliged to advance stooping : he reached 
 my side and knelt down, and as I feigned the 
 hard breathing of sleep, I felt his warm breath 
 when he looked over me and into my eyes to 
 see whether I really slept or not. He appeared 
 satisfied that I did, for he instantly thrust his 
 hand under the pillow, but so quietly that I 
 could not have felt it had I been asleep : but 
 the bag was not on that side, it was under my 
 other ear ; he felt it, but found, I suppose, that 
 he could not abstract it without his awaken- 
 ing me ; so he felt about on the ground for a 
 piece of straw or a blade of grass, and began 
 tickling my ear on the side next to him. I 
 obeyed the intention of the action, and turned 
 towards him with a grunt : it startled him, and 
 he was still for a moment ; but again his hand 
 was groping ; I felt the bag recede — recede till 
 it was withdrawn from the pillow; I heard 
 the clink of the money as he placed it on his 
 shoulder, and I was content: I saw too that 
 Junglee was not at the door, (though when he 
 had gone 1 know not — having been too much 
 occupied by my own situation,) and that the 
 Bhutteara was aware of it. He stopped, and
 
 228 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 murmured in a low tone, " Strange that he 
 should be gone ; but he knows the way and will 
 not disappoint me." Another step, and he was 
 beyond the threshold, and in the rough grasp 
 of Peer Khan, Motee, and a dozen others. 
 
 . " Capitally managed !" cried I, as I ran to 
 the door and joined the group : " strike a light, 
 one of you ; let us see the face of this Roostum 
 among thieves — a fellow who dares to rob a 
 Thug's camp, and defy him to his beard," 
 
 A light was brought, and there stood the 
 trembling wretch with the bag of rupees still 
 on his shoulder, and clutching it as though it 
 were his own. 
 
 "Ha!" said I, "so it is you, Peeroo, and 
 the wolf who was so wary has fallen into the 
 hands of the shepherds at last ; he would not 
 take the little bait, but the large flock was well 
 watched, and he has fallen into the trap. And 
 now, rascal/' I continued, " thou wouldst have 
 robbed us, and dost deserve to die, yet upon 
 thy answers to the questions I will put to thee 
 depends thy life or death." 
 
 "Name them, oh name them!" said the 
 wretch ; " let me live, — I will set off without 
 delay, I will even accompany you ; you may 
 turn me out from among you in the jungle, and
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 229 
 
 if ever my face is seen in Saugor again or on 
 this road, deal with me as ye list/' 
 
 " Very good/' said I ; " now answer the follow- 
 ing questions. Is the bunij you have promised 
 false?" 
 
 " As true as that I breathe : ah, Meer Sahib, 
 have not your men seen the preparations, and 
 will not you hear the same tomorrow from 
 them ? how could you doubt it ?" 
 
 " How much money will you give us to let 
 you go ? I want two thousand rupees/ 5 
 
 " Ai Mere Sahib ! Mere Sahib ! " cried the 
 wretch ; u two thousand rupees ! where am I to 
 get them ? I have not a cowree in the world." 
 
 " It is a lie," said Motee and several others ; 
 " you have thousands of rupees which you have 
 bullied poor Thugs out of; we could name a 
 hundred instances in which you have taken 
 money from us : how dare you deny it ? " 
 
 "Look here," said I, "here is the roomal, 
 and you know the use of it ; say whether you 
 will give the money or not." 
 
 u I will give it," said he ; "I will swear on 
 the pickaxe to do so, and do you come with me 
 and take it." 
 
 " Ay," said I, " and be taken too ourselves ! 
 no, no, friend Bhutteara, do not try to throw
 
 230 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 dust on our beards after that fashion. Inshalla ! 
 the people who could catch you have sharper 
 wits than you seemed to give them credit for : 
 no, man, I was but joking with thee — where is 
 all thy wealth concealed ?" 
 
 " You may kill me if you will/ 5 said he, " but 
 I give no answer to that question." 
 
 " Ah, well," cried I, " you may think better 
 of it when you are choking ; now you two hold 
 him fast, and take the bag off his shoulders." 
 
 They did so. I threw the roomal about his 
 neck, and tightened it till he was almost choked : 
 he made several attempts to speak, and at last 
 I relaxed my hold a little; but he could not 
 utter a word — fear of death had paralysed his 
 powers of utterance. 
 
 " Give him some water," said I, (i it will wash 
 down his fright." 
 
 He took it, and fell at my feet, and implored 
 me to spare him. I spurned and kicked him. 
 
 "Where is the treasure?" I said : "you have 
 felt the tightening of the roomal once, beware 
 how you risk it again : where is the treasure ?" 
 
 ci Promise to let me live and I will tell," cried 
 the Bhutteara, trembling in every limb. 
 
 " I will promise," said I ; " you shall remain 
 here, and I will send people to bring it ; you
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 231 
 
 well know we have no time for delay, and if 
 you trifle with us you know the result — you 
 have already half felt it.? 
 
 " Where is Motee-ram ? he knows the spot." 
 
 " Liar ! I know it not," cried Motee, stepping 
 forward ; " do you wish to make me out to be 
 a participator in your base gains?" 
 
 " You know the spot," continued the Bhut- 
 teara, " but you do not know that there is aught 
 there ; you remember the old hollow T mango- 
 tree on the other side of the town, where you 
 left the last share I got from Ganesha?" 
 
 « I do." 
 
 " Well, then, you must dig in the hollow of 
 the trunk ; about a cubit deep you will find all 
 I have — gold, silver, and ornaments." 
 
 "Now," said I, "villain, I have kept my 
 word, you shall remain here ; the grave is dug 
 which shall hold thee, and has been ready for 
 hours : I swore that I would spit on thy beard 
 before morning, and Bhowanee, whose votaries 
 thou hast bullied and threatened, has delivered 
 thee into my hands : " and I spat on him ; all 
 the men who were near me did the same. 
 
 "Again," cried I, " hold him fast, and bring 
 the tobacco." He knew the fatal jhirnee, and 
 struggled to be free ; but he was a child in the
 
 232 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 power of those who held him— -in an instant 
 more he was dead ! 
 
 " Off with you, Motee !" cried I ; " take ten 
 men and go to the spot he mentioned ; he may 
 have told the truth, and we shall be the richer 
 for it ; then will many a man cry Wah ! Wah ! 
 when he hears of this deed." 
 
 The body was taken away and buried, the 
 grave was smoothed over and beaten down, 
 the place plastered over, some fireplaces made, 
 and fires lighted to blacken them, and our work 
 was concealed. 
 
 Now did not that villain deserve his fate, 
 Sahib? To my perception, his cold-blooded 
 work was far worse than our legitimate proceed- 
 ings ; and as for his treachery, he paid the for- 
 feit of it. 
 
 It was a fearful revenge, said I ; but you 
 spoilt the justice of it by your vile love of 
 plunder. Why should you have promised him 
 his life, and then have murdered him ? that was 
 base. 
 
 I did not promise it to him ; I said he should 
 remain where he was, and he did remain — ay, 
 he is there now. 
 
 It was a nice distinction certainly, Ameer 
 Ali, and only shows the more how little you are
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 233 
 
 to be trusted. But how did you get on after- 
 wards, — had he told the truth about his money ? 
 He had, replied the Thug. Long before morn- 
 ing Motee returned, and rousing me, poured 
 at my feet a heap of gold and silver coins, neck- 
 laces, armlets, bracelets, and anklets. They were 
 worth nearly three thousand rupees, and not one 
 article of them was there but had been given 
 him by Thugs. Motee, Peer Khan, and others 
 recognised most of the property. We melted 
 all the ornaments, and divided the whole at our 
 next stage, and it was a good booty, and en- 
 riched us for a long time ; indeed I may say it 
 lasted till our return home. 
 
 And the Sahoukar, I asked, was the news 
 true about him ? 
 
 Oh, quite true, said Ameer Ah ; I will tell 
 you of him. We left Saugor early, and at a 
 short distance on the road sat down to eat the 
 goor, as is usual with us after any adventure. 
 While we were thus employed, one of the 
 scouts came up, and told us the joyful news 
 that the Sahoukar had left the town, and was 
 close behind us, and that the other, whose name 
 was Bhikaree, had taken service with him as 
 far as Jubbulpoor as an attendant, to watch at 
 night while the Sahoukar slept.
 
 234 CONFESSIONS OP A THUG. 
 
 " And how does he travel ?"I asked. 
 
 " He is on a tattoo, a good strong beast," 
 said the scout, " and has two others laden with 
 him, and there are four men besides himself 
 and Bhikaree." 
 
 " Good," said I. " Now, my lads, we must 
 push on ; the Sahoukar must see nothing of us 
 for some days, and till then I shall avoid all 
 others." 
 
 We hastened on, and got to the end of our 
 stage. Three days we travelled quietly, and 
 from time to time observed the omens; they 
 were all favourable, and cheered us on. On 
 the fourth, as if by accident, we contrived to 
 fall in with the Sahoukar and his people ; our 
 faithful Bhikaree we rejoiced to see in his train. 
 It was in the road that we met with him, or 
 rather allowed him to overtake us, and the 
 usual salutations passed. I was well dressed 
 and well mounted, and looked a soldier. He 
 inquired our destination and business, to which 
 the old story was answered, and we proceeded 
 merrily along. The Sahoukar was a fat, jolly 
 fellow, and witty in his way, and stories were 
 interchanged, and we all laughed heartily at 
 his jokes. It is astonishing, Sahib, how soon 
 these trifles engender good will and friendship
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 235 
 
 among travellers : the loneliness of the road 
 and the weariness of the stage are forgotten 
 in such pleasant conversation ; and before we 
 had reached the end of the stage we were as 
 great friends as though we had travelled toge- 
 ther for months, or known each other for years. 
 A kind farewell was interchanged as we parted 
 at the village ; he to put up inside it, in the 
 bazar, and we to our old plan of encamp- 
 ment. 
 
 * Tomorrow/ 5 said I to the assembled men, 
 " is a good day, it is Friday : we must finish this 
 business." All were agreed upon it, and at mid- 
 night the Belhas and Lughaees went on, the 
 former to choose a spot for the affair, and the 
 latter to dig the grave. 
 
 At daylight, a man (our Bhikaree it was,) 
 came to say the Sahoukar would wait for us at 
 the other side of the village, and begged we 
 would be quick, as he liked our company, and 
 wished for the safety of our escort. 
 
 Ci I have been frightening him a little," con- 
 tinued he, (i and in truth he has been in alarm 
 ever since he left Saugor, for he had heard of 
 the disappearance of some parties on the road 
 last year ; so when we met you yesterday he 
 was highly delighted, and afterwards spoke
 
 236 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 warmly of you, Jemadar Sahib, and said he 
 could feel no fear in your society." 
 
 a Well done/ 5 cried I ; " thou too hast played 
 thy part well, and it shall not be forgotten ; 
 but, my friends, the Sahoukar waits, and we 
 had better be moving; do you all surround 
 his party as you did yesterday ; ply them 
 with tales and stories, and keep their minds 
 quiet/' 
 
 "Jey Bhowanee! Jey Ameer Ali!" was the 
 shout of the party as we quitted the ground 
 and took our way to the spot where the Sa- 
 houkar awaited us.
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 23/ 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 " Catesby. — 'T is a vile thing to die, my gracious lord, 
 When men are unprepared and look not for it." 
 
 Richard III. Act iii. Sc. 2. 
 
 u Ram ! Ram ! Meer Sahib/" was the salutation 
 of the Sahoukar as we met at the spot whither 
 Bhikaree had guided us. u Ram ! Ram ! I am 
 glad you have condescended to keep company 
 with your poor servant, for truly the sweet sa- 
 vour of your fluent discourse has left a longing 
 in my heart to hear more of it, and happily I 
 am so far favoured." 
 
 I returned the usual compliments, and we set 
 forward on our journey. Gradually my band 
 arranged themselves around their new victims. 
 All were at their places, and I eagerly looked 
 out for the first scout who should give us intel-
 
 238 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 ligence that the bhil was ready. A strange 
 feeling it is, Sahib, that comes over us Thugs at 
 such moments : not a feeling of interest or pity 
 for our victims, or compunction for the deed we 
 are about to do, as perhaps you might expect 
 to hear, but an all-absorbing anxiety for the 
 issue of the adventure, an intense longing for 
 its consummation, and a dread of interruption 
 from passing travellers ; and though I had be- 
 come now callous in a great measure, still my 
 heart was throbbing with anxiety and appre- 
 hension, and my replies to the Sahoukar's witty 
 and jolly remarks were vague and abstracted ; 
 my whole thoughts were concentrated upon the 
 affair in hand, and it was not to be wondered at. 
 He remarked my altered behaviour, and I rallied 
 myself, and was soon able to amuse him as I had 
 done before. 
 
 "Ah! that is like yourself, Meer Sahib," said 
 he, as I had just given utterance to a joke which 
 caused his fat sides to shake, — " that is like your- 
 self. Why, man, whose face did your first glance 
 on awaking from sleep rest on ? Surely on some 
 melancholy being, and you have partaken of 
 his thoughts ever since." 
 
 "I know not, Sethjee," I replied; "but you 
 know that a man cannot always command the
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 239 
 
 same evenness of temper, and I confess that my 
 thoughts were far away, at my home." 
 
 " Well/ 5 said he, " all I wish for you and my- 
 self is a safe return to our homes, for this tra- 
 velling is poor work, and I have been unlucky 
 enough to start on a very indifferent day after all 
 my waiting. I had determined on leaving Saugor 
 nearly a month ago, but on consulting the as- 
 trologer, he delayed me from time to time, 
 declaring this day was bad and that day was 
 worse, until I could stay no longer : and it was 
 all to little purpose, and I pray Naraynu to pro- 
 tect me and you from all Thugs, thieves, and 
 Dacoos." 
 
 u Ameen," said I ; " I respond to your prayer 
 most fervently, for I am on my way to my ser- 
 vice, where we chance often to get harder knocks 
 than we can bear. But do they say there are 
 Thugs on the road, and who or what are they ? 
 the term is new to me." 
 
 Ci Why truly I can hardly tell you, Meer Sahib. 
 The Thugs, they say, are people who feign one 
 thing or other, till they get unwary travellers 
 into their power, and then destroy them ; I have 
 heard too that they have handsome women with 
 them who pretend distress on the roads, and 
 decoy travellers who may have soft hearts, to
 
 240 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 help them ; then they fasten on them, and they 
 have some charm from the Shitan which enables 
 them to keep their hold till their associates come 
 up, despite of all the efforts of the person so 
 ensnared to gain his liberty. And that either 
 thieves, or Thugs, or rascals of some kind or 
 other do infest the highways is most true, for 
 many travellers disappear in an unaccountable 
 manner. But I do not fear ; I am in the com- 
 pany of honest men, and we are a large party, 
 and they must be stout men or devils who 
 would assail us." 
 
 I laughed inwardly at the Sahoukar's idea of 
 Thugs, and had no doubt that Ganesha Je- 
 madar was, if the truth were known, at the bot- 
 tom of the disappearance of the travellers. But 
 I answered gaily, " Ah ! no fear, my friend. 
 These Thugs, as you say, may now and then 
 light upon an unsuspecting single traveller and 
 kill him, but no one would dare to touch a party 
 like ours ; and Inshalla ! if any appear, we will 
 let daylight into some of their skins ; there is no- 
 thing I love better than making keema (mince- 
 meat) of these rascals. I have done so once or 
 twice already, and I never found them stand 
 when a sword was drawn. But yonder, I see, is 
 one of my men sitting ; I wonder how he got on
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 241 
 
 before us. I will ask him. He must have 
 started early to get a rest on the road ;" and as 
 we reached him he slowly raised himself from 
 the ground, and made his salutation to me and 
 the Sahoukar ; he appeared tired and acted his 
 part well. 
 
 " How is this, Ameer Singh ?" said I, "how 
 is it that you are so much in advance of us?" 
 
 " Oh," replied he readily, u a thorn ran into 
 my foot yesterday, and as I knew you would not 
 wait for me, 1 started at midnight with a few 
 others, who said they would be my companions, 
 and we travelled on leisurely ; but I could not 
 proceed further, as my foot was painful, and I 
 determined to wait for the party here to get a 
 lift on a pony." 
 
 "You shall have it," said I ; "mount the one 
 which carries my baggage, and I will see that a 
 barber examines your foot when we reach the 
 end of the stage. But where are your compa- 
 nions ?" 
 
 "They said there was a small river in ad- 
 vance, about half a coss off, and they would 
 proceed thither and wash their hands and faces ; 
 they bade me tell you that, if I could not follow 
 them, you would find them there." 
 
 " Good," said I, " and I am glad to hear 
 
 VOL. II. M
 
 242 
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 there is water near; we can dismount and 
 refresh ourselves, for the stage is a long one : 
 how say you, Seth Sahib ? you Hindoos are 
 as particular about your morning ablutions as 
 we Moslems are." 
 
 " True, true," he replied ; u the news is wel- 
 come, for my mouth is dry, and I have not as 
 yet washed it ; we will stop for a short time ; 
 besides, my stomach is empty, and I have sweet- 
 meats with me which I will share with you, 
 Meer Sahib ; it is ill travelling without some- 
 thing in the inside/ 5 
 
 a A good thought," I replied, ee and I shall 
 be glad of them ; I usually bring some my- 
 self, but have neglected to do so in this in- 
 stance." 
 
 The scout was right, the rivulet he men- 
 tioned was scarcely as far as he had said, and 
 w T e reached it after a few minutes' riding ; and 
 sure enough there were my men sitting uncon- 
 cernedly by the edge of the water, busily dis- 
 cussing a hasty meal of some cakes they had 
 brought with them. 
 
 "Bhillmanjeh, have you cleaned the hole?" 
 I eagerly inquired of the Belha. 
 
 u Man] eh," he replied. 
 
 "What did you ask?" said the Sahoukar;
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 243 
 
 ** if they have not a clean vessel for you to drink 
 out of, you can have one of mine." 
 
 " Thanks for your kindness," I replied, * but 
 my good fellow here tells me that he has brought 
 one, and cleaned it ready for me." 
 
 We all dismounted; the men rushed into 
 the water, and were each and all busily em- 
 ployed in washing their mouths and teeth, and 
 drinking of the pure element which murmured 
 over its pebbly bed beneath their feet ; but none 
 of them quitted their stations, and only awaited 
 the signal to do their work. 
 
 "Is. the bhil far distant?" I asked of the 
 Belha who presented me with a lota of water for 
 the purposes of ablution. 
 
 " About an arrow's flight," said he, " down 
 yonder in that thicket ; it is a good place, and a 
 well-known one ; it was on this spot that Ga- 
 nesha Jemadar had a rare bunij last year. But 
 do not delay, for the sun is high, and travellers 
 may be coming from the stage before us ; this 
 is the only running water on the road, and all 
 hasten to it to refresh themselves." 
 
 " Then I am ready," said I ; " and when you 
 see me close to the Sahoukar, I will give the 
 signal ; I see the men are all prepared." And 
 I walked towards him. 
 
 M 2
 
 244 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 " Why don't you give the jhirnee ?" said Mo- 
 tee-ram to me as I passed him, " we are all 
 waiting for it." 
 
 " Now/ 5 said I, " be ready ; I go to my sta- 
 tion." 
 
 The fellow near whom he was standing turned 
 round, hearing us converse in a strange language ; 
 but he immediately afterwards sat down and re- 
 sumed the operation of cleaning his teeth with 
 great assiduity : there were two men behind him 
 who would shortly save him the trouble ! 
 
 "Why, Sethjee," said I, " I wonder you do 
 not go up higher ; here you have the water 
 muddied by all the fellows above you. Come 
 with me, and I will show you a deep place where 
 I have just washed, and where the water is 
 clear." 
 
 " Ah, I did not think of it," said he ; « I will 
 follow you." He had been washing low down, 
 and as I got him into the middle of the party 1 
 gave the jhirnee. 
 
 Sahib, though I had not killed a man with the 
 roomal for nearly four years, I had not forgotten 
 my old trick : he was dead, I think, ere he reached 
 my feet. 
 
 Stupid it was in us to delay, and I prevented 
 the like in future. Every man resumed his em-
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 245 
 
 ployment of washing himself as though nothing 
 had happened, and there lay the bodies on the 
 sand. We were once again fated to be interrupt- 
 ed. Two travellers were seen approaching, and 
 the bodies were hastily covered with sheets, as if 
 those who lay beneath them were asleep ; and I 
 cried to the men for some of them to sit and 
 others lie down, and all to feign great weari- 
 ness. They did so, and the men came up ; they 
 were poor creatures, hardly worth killing, and 
 I proposed to Peer Khan to let them go, but he 
 would not hear of it. 
 
 " Let them go \" he cried; " are you mad ? Do 
 you not think that these fellows already suspect 
 who we are ? Does a man ever come into the 
 presence of the dead, be they ever so well 
 covered or disguised, without a feeling that 
 they are dead ? and see, some of our men are 
 speaking to them; they are true bunij, and 
 Davee has sent them/' 
 
 "As you will/' said I, "but there may be 
 more of them/' 
 
 " Hardly so soon/' replied he ; " these fellows 
 must have left in the night to be here so early ; 
 but come, let us ask them." And we walked 
 up to them. 
 
 "Salam!" said I, "where are you from so
 
 246 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 early ? you have travelled fast if you have come 
 from the stage we hope to reach in the course 
 of the day ; how far is it ? " 
 
 " It is seven long coss," said the man, " and 
 the sun will be high and hot before you reach 
 it ; but we are in haste and must proceed." 
 
 " Stay/' said I, a dare not to move till you 
 are allowed ; and tell me, how many travellers 
 put up last night in the village from whence 
 you have come ? " 
 
 "Two besides ourselves/' replied the other 
 of the two, evidently in alarm at my question. 
 "Why do you ask?" 
 
 "Are you sure there were no more V 
 " Certain/' he replied; "we travelled to- 
 gether from Jubbulpoor, and put up in the 
 same house." 
 
 " And how far are they behind you ? " 
 "They will be here immediately, I should 
 think, for we started at the same time but have 
 outstript them." 
 
 " Good," said I ; " now sit down there and 
 wait till they come." 
 
 " Why is this ?" cried both ; " by what right 
 do you detain travellers ? we will go on." 
 
 " Dare to stir at your peril," said I; "you have 
 intruded on us, and must pay the penalty."
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 247 
 
 ee What penalty ? Are you thieves ? if so, take 
 what you will from us and let us go." 
 
 (i We are not thieves/' said Peer Khan ; " but 
 stay quiet, we are worse." 
 
 (i Worse ! then, brother, we are lost/' cried 
 one to the other ; " these villains are Thugs ; it 
 is even as I whispered to you when you must 
 needs stop among them: they have been at 
 their horrid work, and yonder lie those whom 
 they have destroyed." 
 
 "Yes," said I, "unhappy men, you have 
 guessed right ; yonder lie the dead, and you 
 will soon be numbered with them ; it is useless 
 to strive against your destiny." 
 
 I turned away, for I felt, Sahib — I felt sick 
 at the thoughts of destroying these inoffensive 
 people. They might have passed on — but Peer 
 Khan was right, they had detected the dead, 
 though the bodies had been laid out and co- 
 vered as if the senseless forms were sleeping — 
 but they lay like lumps of clay. No measured 
 breathing disturbed the folds of the sheets 
 which covered them, and a glance had been 
 sufficient to tell the tale to the unfortunate 
 people who had seen them. But I shook off 
 the feeling as best I could ; had I given way to 
 it, or betrayed its existence to my associates,
 
 248 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 the power I possessed over them would have 
 been lost — and it was the spirit of my exist- 
 ence. 
 
 " They must die/' said I to Peer Khan ; " you 
 were right, and they had guessed the truth; 
 but I wish it had been otherwise, and the lazy 
 Lughaees had done their work quickly ; they 
 might have passed on, and we have had a good 
 morning's work without them ; they are not 
 worth having." 
 
 " I would not exchange places with them for 
 anything you could name, Meer Sahib, and 
 perhaps it were well to put them out of their 
 suspense/' 
 
 "Do so, Peer Khan, and get the rest with 
 them removed; I will deal with one of the 
 other two coming up. These fellows are half 
 dead already with fear, and the others I will 
 fall on in my own way ; I hate such passive 
 victims as these will be." 
 
 Peer Khan and another went to the miserable 
 wretches, who remained sitting on the ground 
 where we had left them. I watched them ; 
 they stood up mechanically when they were 
 ordered to do so, and stretched out their necks 
 for the fatal roomal, and were slain as unresist- 
 ingly as sheep beneath the knife of the butcher*
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 249 
 
 The rest of the travellers were not long coming, 
 and were only two, as the others had said. 
 
 " Now," said I to Motee, " these fellows must 
 be dealt with at once : you take one, I will the 
 other ; they must not utter a word." 
 
 (i I am ready," said he ; and we arose and 
 lounged about the road. 
 
 The travellers came up. One was a young 
 and the other an old man. I marked the young 
 one, and as he passed me a Thug laid hold of 
 his arm ; he turned round to resent it, and I 
 was ready. These too were carried away, and 
 after collecting our dispersed party, we once 
 more pursued our route without interruption. 
 
 It had been a good morning's work. The 
 Sahoukar was as rich as the Bhutteara had 
 said, and four thousand three hundred rupees 
 greeted our expectant eyes as the contents of the 
 laden ponies were examined : besides these there 
 were six handsome shawls, worth better than 
 a thousand more, and a few pieces of cotton 
 cloth, which were torn up and immediately dis- 
 tributed. The other four travellers had upwards 
 of a hundred rupees, a sum not to be despised, 
 and which I divided equally among the band, 
 reserving the large booty, and adding it to the 
 sum we had already gained. 
 m 5
 
 250 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 IN WHICH IT IS CLEARLY SHOWN HOW HARD IT IS TO STOP 
 WHEN THE DEVIL DRIVES. 
 
 We reached Jubbulpoor without another ad- 
 venture of any kind, and rested there for two 
 days. Peer Khan, Motee, and myself peram- 
 bulated the bazars during the whole time, but 
 not a traveller could we meet with, nor could 
 we learn that any w T ere expected ; it was there- 
 fore of no use to remain, and as we had still 
 plenty of time before us, we could travel as 
 leisurely as we pleased : so on the third morn- 
 ing we again proceeded. 
 
 The country between Jubbulpoor and Nag- 
 poor is a wild waste. Villages are not met with 
 for miles and miles, the road is stony and un- 
 even, and the jungle thick and dangerous for 
 nearly the whole way. On this account the tract
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 251 
 
 has always been a favourite resort of Thugs, and 
 more affairs have come off in those few marches 
 than perhaps in any other part of the country 
 frequented by us. We were all regretting that 
 we had not met with some bunij at Jubbulpoor. 
 wherewith to beguile the weariness of the road, 
 when at our second stage, soon after we had 
 arrived; Motee, who had gone to look out 
 for work for us, returned with the glad news 
 that there was a palankeen at the door of a 
 merchant's shop, surrounded by bearers and 
 a few soldiers, which looked very much as if 
 it belonged to a traveller. 
 
 " But he must be of rank/' said Motee, 
 " therefore I humbly suggest that you, Meer 
 Sahib, should undertake to see who he is, and 
 to secure him if possible." 
 
 I followed his advice, and changing my tra- 
 velling attire for a dress which would ensure 
 my civil reception, I armed myself, and, attend- 
 ed by a Thug who carried my hooka, I saun- 
 tered into the village. I soon saw the palan- 
 keen and men about it, and in order to gain 
 some intelligence to guide me, I went to a 
 small Tumbolee's shop directly opposite to it, 
 and sitting down entered into conversation with 
 the vendor of tobacco and pan.
 
 252 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 "This is a wild country you live in, my 
 friend," said I. 
 
 "Yes it is indeed as you say," he replied, 
 " and were it not for you travellers, a poor man 
 would have little chance of filling his belly by 
 selling pan and tobacco, but, as it is, my trade 
 thrives well." 
 
 ee There do not seem to be many on the road," 
 said I ; " I have come from Jubbulpoor with- 
 out meeting a soul." 
 
 " Why the roads are hardly much frequented 
 yet," he rejoined, " but in a month more there 
 will be hundreds; and there," he continued, 
 pointing to the house over the way, "there 
 is almost the only one I have seen for some 
 time." 
 
 " Who is it ? " I asked, " and where has he 
 come from ? he was not with us." 
 
 " I know not," replied the Tumbolee, a nor 
 do I care ; whoever he is, he has bought a quan- 
 tity of my stuff, and it was the first silver 
 which crossed my hands this morning." 
 
 I saw there was nothing to be got out of 
 this man, so I went to a Bunnea a little further 
 off, and after a few preparatory and indifferent 
 questions asked him whether he knew aught of 
 the traveller ; but he knew nothing either, ex-
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 253 
 
 cept that a slave girl had bought some flour of 
 him. "They say," said he, "that it is a gentle- 
 man of rank who is travelling privately, and 
 does not wish to be known ; at any rate, Sahib, 
 I know nothing about him ; I suppose however 
 he will come out in a short time." 
 
 This is very strange, thought I ; here is a 
 gay palankeen, eight bearers and some soldiers 
 with it, come into this wretched place, and yet 
 no one's curiosity is aroused; who can it be? 
 I will return to the Tumbolee and sit awhile ; I 
 may see, though I cannot hear anything of this 
 mysterious person. 
 
 I sat down at the shop, and calling to my 
 attendant for my hooka remained there smo- 
 king, in the hope that some one might appear 
 from behind the cloths which were stretched 
 across the verandah : nor did I stay long in 
 vain ; I saw them gently move once or twice, 
 and thought I could perceive the sparkle of a 
 brilliant eye directed to me. I riveted my gaze 
 on the envious purdah, and after a long interval 
 it was quickly opened, and afforded me a trans- 
 ient momentary view of a face radiant with 
 beauty ; but it was as instantly closed again, 
 and I was left in vain conjecture as to the beau- 
 tiful but mysterious person who had thus par-
 
 254 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 tially discovered herself to me. It would not 
 have suited my purpose to have personally in- 
 terrogated any of the bearers who were lying 
 and sitting about the palankeen, as it would 
 have rendered them suspicious, and would have 
 been impertinent : after all it was only a wo- 
 man, — what had I to do with women now ? And 
 had I not made an inward resolution never to 
 seek them as bunij ? nay, even to avoid parties 
 in which there might be any ? 
 
 So I arose and took my way to our camp, 
 firmly resolving that I would pursue my march 
 the next morning ; for, thought I, she must be 
 some lady of rank travelling to her lord, and 
 Alia forbid that I should raise a hand against 
 one so defenceless and unprotected; and I 
 thought of my own lovely Azima, and shud- 
 dered at the idea of her ever being placed with- 
 in reach of other members of my profession, 
 who might not be so scrupulous as I was. 
 
 But, Sahib, the resolves of men, — what are 
 they ? — passing thoughts, which fain would ex- 
 cite the mind to good, only to be driven away 
 by the wild and overpowering influences of pas- 
 sion. Despite of my resolve my mind was un- 
 quiet, and a thousand times fancy brought to 
 my view the look she had cast on me, and whis-
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 255 
 
 pered that it was one of love. I could not shake 
 it off, and sought in the conversation of my 
 associates wherewith to drive her from my 
 thoughts; but it was in vain; that passionate 
 glance was before me 3 and the beauteous eyes 
 which threw it seemed to ask for another, a 
 nearer and more loving. 
 
 In this state I passed the day, now determin- 
 ing that I would resist the temptation which 
 was gnawing at my heart, and now almost on 
 the point of once more proceeding to the vil- 
 lage and seeking out the unknown object of 
 my disquietude ; and I was irresolute, when 
 towards evening I saw a slave girl making to- 
 wards the camp, and I went to meet her, but 
 not with the intention of speaking to her 
 should she prove to be only a village girl. We 
 met and I passed her, but I saw instantly that 
 she was in search of some one, for she turned 
 round hesitatingly and spoke to me. 
 
 « Forgive my boldness, Sahib," said she, 
 " but I am in search of some one, and your ap- 
 pearance tells me that it must be you." 
 
 e: Speak/' said I ; a if I can aid you in any- 
 thing, command me." 
 
 u I know not," she replied, " whether you 
 are he or not ; but tell me, did you sit at the
 
 256 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 Tumbolee's shop this morning for some time, 
 smoking a hooka ?" 
 
 " I did, my pretty maiden/ 5 said I ; " and 
 what of that ? there is nothing so unusual in it 
 as to attract attention." 
 
 "Ah, no!" said the girl archly; " but one 
 saw you who wishes to see you again, and if 
 you will now follow me I will guide you." 
 
 "And who may this person be?" I asked, 
 " and what can be his or her business with a 
 traveller?" 
 
 " Your first question I may not answer," 
 said the girl ; " and as to the second I am 
 ignorant ; but, by your soul, follow me, for 
 the matter is urgent, and I have most express 
 commands to bring you if I possibly can." 
 
 " I follow you," said I ; " lead on." 
 
 " Then keep behind me at some distance/' 
 she said, "and when you see me enter the 
 house, step boldly in after me, as if you were 
 the master." 
 
 I followed her. But ah ! Sahib, observe the 
 power of destiny. I might have sat in my tent 
 and denied myself to the girl, who, something 
 told me, had come to seek me when I first saw 
 her approach. I might, when I did advance 
 to meet her, have passed on indifferently, and
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 257 
 
 even when she spoke to me I might have denied 
 that I was the person she was sent after, or I 
 might have refused to accompany her ; but de- 
 stiny impelled me on, nay it led me by the nose 
 after a slave-girl, to plunge into an adventure 
 I fain would have avoided, and which my heart 
 told me must end miserably. Sahib, there is 
 no opposing Fate ; by the meanest ends it works 
 out the greatest deeds, and we are its slaves, 
 body and soul, blindly to do as its will works ! 
 I say not Thugs only, but the whole human 
 race. Is it not so ? 
 
 It appears to me, Ameer Ali, said T, that 
 poor Destiny has the blame whenever your own 
 wicked hearts fixed themselves on any object 
 and you followed then suggestions. 
 
 Nay, but I would have avoided this, cried 
 the Thug, and have I not told you so ? Alia 
 knows I would not have entered into this mat- 
 ter ; but what could I do ? what were my weak 
 resolves compared with his will ? and yet you 
 will not believe me. Sahib, I do not tell a 
 lie. 
 
 I dare say not, said I ; but the beautiful 
 eyes were too much for you; so go on with 
 your story. 
 
 The Thug laughed. They were indeed, said
 
 258 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 he, and accursed be the hour in which I saw 
 them. But I will proceed. 
 
 The slave preceded me ; at some distance I 
 followed her through the village and its bazars, 
 and saw her enter the house before which I 
 had sat in the morning. I too entered it, leav- 
 ing my slippers at the door, and with the con- 
 fident air of a man who goes into his own 
 house. I had just passed the threshold when 
 the slave stopped me. 
 
 <c Wait a moment," said she ; " I go to an- 
 nounce you;" and she pulled aside the tempo- 
 rary screen and went in. 
 
 In a few moments she returned and bade me 
 follow her. I obeyed her, and in the next in- 
 stant was in the presence of the unknown, who 
 was hidden from my sight by an envious sheet, 
 which covered the whole of her person, and 
 her face was turned away from me towards the 
 wall. 
 
 " Lady," said I, " your slave is come, and 
 aught that he can do for one so lovely he will 
 perform to the utmost of his power. Speak ! 
 your commands are on my head and eyes." 
 
 " Byto," she said in a low timid voice, " I 
 have somewhat to ask thee."
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 259 
 
 I obeyed^ and seated myself at a respect- 
 ful distance from her on the carpet. 
 
 u You will think me bold and shameless, I 
 fear, stranger/ 5 said she, "for thus admitting 
 you to my presence, nay even to my chamber ; 
 but, alas ! I am a widow, and need the protec- 
 tion you are able perhaps to afford me. Which 
 way do you travel?" 
 
 " Towards Nagpoor," I replied ; " I purpose 
 leaving this miserable place early tomorrow, 
 and I have come from Jubbulpoor." 
 
 " From whence I have also come," she said, 
 " and I am going too to Nagpoor. Ah, my 
 destiny is good which has sent me one who will 
 protect the lonely and friendless widow ! " 
 
 ** It is strange, lady," said I, " that we did 
 not meet before, having come the same road/ 5 
 
 " No," she replied, " it is not, since I was 
 behind you. I heard you were before me, and 
 I travelled fast to overtake you. We have now 
 met, and as I must proceed the remainder of 
 my journey alone, I implore you to allow me 
 for the stage to join your party, with which, 
 as I hear it is a large one, I shall be safe, and 
 free from anxiety." 
 
 " Your wish is granted, lady," I said ; " and 
 any protection against the dangers of the way
 
 260 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 which your poor slave can afford shall be cheer- 
 fully given. I will send a man early to awaken 
 you, and promise that I will not leave the vil- 
 lage without you." 
 
 She salamed to me gracefully, and in doing 
 so the sheet, as if by accident, partly fell from 
 her face, and disclosed again to my enraptured 
 view the features I had beheld from a distance. 
 Sahib, the shock was overpowering, and every 
 nerve of my body tingled ; only that a sense of 
 decency restrained me, I had risen and thrown 
 myself at her feet ; but while a blush, as though 
 of shame, mantled over her countenance, and 
 she hastily withdrew the glance she had for an 
 instant fixed on me, she replaced the sheet and 
 again turned to the wall, bending her head to- 
 wards the ground. 
 
 I thought it had been purely accidental, and 
 the action at the time convinced me that she 
 was really what she represented herself to be ; 
 and fearing that my longer presence would not 
 be agreeable nor decent, I asked her if she had 
 any further commands and for permission to 
 depart. 
 
 " No," said she, " I have no further favour 
 to beg, save to know the name of him to whom 
 I am indebted for this act of kindness."
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 261 
 
 u My name is Ameer AH," said I ; "a poor 
 syud of Hindostan." 
 
 iC Your fluent speech assured me you were of 
 that noble race ; I could not be mistaken, — 't is 
 seldom one hears it. Fazil ! bring the pan and 
 utr." 
 
 She did so, and after taking the complimen- 
 tary gift of dismissal, and anointing my breast 
 and beard with the fragrant utr, I rose and 
 made my obeisance. She saluted me in return, 
 and again bade me not forget my promise. I 
 assured her that she might depend upon me, 
 and departed. 
 
 She must be what she says, thought I ; the 
 very act of presenting pan and utr to me proves 
 her rank; no common person, no courtesan 
 would have thought of it. 1 shall only have to 
 bear a little jeering from Motee and Peer Khan, 
 which I will resist and laugh away; and this 
 poor widow will reach Nagpoor in safety, with- 
 out knowing that she has been in the hands of 
 murderers. But I said nothing that night to 
 any of them. In reply to their numerous ques- 
 tions as to the fortune I had met with in the 
 village, and whether I had discovered the un- 
 known, I only laughed, and said I believed it 
 was some dancing-girl, for I knew the mention
 
 262 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 of one would turn their minds from the thoughts 
 of bunij, as it is forbidden to kill those persons 
 by the laws of our profession ;• and with my 
 supposition they appeared satisfied. 
 
 Great, however, was their surprise when in 
 the morning, after having delayed our departure 
 longer than usual, I joined the party of the lady 
 outside the village and they understood that we 
 were to travel in company. 
 
 I was overpowered by jokes and witticisms 
 from Peer Khan and Motee, who declared I was 
 a sly dog thus to secure the lady all to myself; 
 and after protesting vehemently that I cared 
 aot about her, which only made them laugh 
 the more, I became half angry. 
 
 " Look you, my friends/ 5 said I, ee this is a 
 matter which has been in a manner forced upon 
 me. Who the lady is I know not. She has 
 begged of me to allow her to accompany us, as 
 she supposes us to be travellers, and I have 
 permitted it ; and whether she be old or young, 
 ugly or beautiful, I am alike ignorant. We may 
 hereafter find out her history, but, whoever 
 she be, she has my promise of safe escort, and 
 she is not bunij. You remember my resolution, 
 and you will see I can keep it." 
 
 " Nay/ 5 said Motee, " be not angry ; if a
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 263 
 
 friend is not privileged to crack a joke now and 
 then, who, in Bhugwan's name, is? And as 
 for us, we are your servants, and bound to obey 
 you by our oath ; so you may have as many 
 women in your train as you please, and not one 
 shall be bunij." 
 
 So we pursued our road. Several times I 
 could not resist riding up to the palankeen and 
 making my noble horse curvet and prance be- 
 side it. The doors were at first closely shut, but 
 one was gradually opened, and the same spark- 
 ling eyes threw me many a smiling and approv- 
 ing look, though the face was still hidden. 
 
 Alas ! Sahib, those eyes did me great mis^ 
 chief, — I could not withstand them. 
 
 About noon, when we had rested from our 
 fatigue, and my men were dispersed in various 
 directions, scarcely any of them remaining in 
 the camp, the slave-girl again came for me, and 
 I followed her to her mistress. 
 
 We sat a long time in silence, and the lady 
 was muffled up as I had before seen her. De- 
 spite of all my conflicting feelings, I own, Sahib, 
 that in her presence my home was forgotten, 
 and my burning desire was fixed upon the 
 veiled being before me, of whose countenance I 
 was even still ignorant.
 
 264 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 She spake at last, but it was to the slave. 
 
 " Go," said she., " and wait without, far out 
 of hearing ; I have that to say to this gentleman 
 which must not enter even your ears, my 
 Fazil." 
 
 She departed^ and I was alone with the 
 other, and again there was a long, and to me a 
 painful, silence. 
 
 " Meer Sahib/ 5 she said at length, ce what 
 will you think of me ? — what will you think of 
 one who thus exposes herself to the gaze of a 
 man and a stranger ? But it matters not now ; 
 it has been done, and it is idle to think on the 
 past. I am the widow of a nuwab, whose 
 estate is near Agra ; he died a short time ago 
 at Nagpoor, on his way from Hyderabad, 
 whither he had gone to see his brother, and I 
 was left friendless, but not destitute. He had 
 abundance of wealth with him, and I was thus 
 enabled to live at Nagpoor, after sending news 
 of his death to my estate, in comfort and afflu- 
 ence. The messengers I sent at length re- 
 turned, and brought me the welcome news that 
 there was no one to dispute my right to my hus- 
 bands property; and that my own family, which 
 is as noble and as powerful as his was, had 
 taken possession of the estate and held it on
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 265 
 
 my account; and they wrote to me to return 
 as quickly as I could, and among the respect- 
 able men of the land choose a new husband, 
 by whom I might have children to inherit the 
 estate. I immediately set off on my return — 
 ah ! Ameer Ah, how can I tell the rest S my 
 tongue from shame cleaves to the roof of my 
 mouth, and my lips refuse utterance to the 
 words which are at my heart." 
 
 " Speak, lady/' said I, " by your soul, 
 speak ! I burn with impatience, and you have 
 excited my curiosity now too powerfully for it 
 to rest unsatisfied." 
 
 66 Then I must speak," she said, " though 
 I die of shame in the effort. I heard at the 
 last village that you had arrived ; I say you, 
 because my faithful slave, who finds out every- 
 thing, came shortly after your arrival and told 
 me that she had seen the most beautiful ca- 
 valier her thoughts had ever pictured to her. 
 She recounted your noble air, the beauty of 
 your person, the grace with which you managed 
 your fiery steed, and above all the sweet and 
 amiable expression of your countenance. The 
 account inflamed me. I had married an old 
 man, who was jealous of my person, and who 
 never allowed me to see any one but my poor 
 
 VOL. II. N
 
 266 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 slave : but I had heard of manly beauty, and 
 I longed for the time when his death should 
 free me from this hated thraldom. Long I 
 deliberated between the uncontrollable desire 
 which possessed me and a sense of shame 
 and womanly dignity ; and perhaps the latter 
 might have conquered, but you came and 
 sat opposite to the hovel in which I Mas rest- 
 ing; my slave told me you were there, and 
 I looked. — Alia ! Alia ! once my eyes had fixed 
 themselves on you, I could not withdraw 
 them ; and as the hole through which I gazed 
 did not afford me a full view of your person, I 
 partially opened the curtain and feasted my 
 soul with your appearance. You went away, 
 and I fell back on my carpet in despair. My 
 slave at last restored me to consciousness, but 
 I raved about you ; and fearful that my senses 
 would leave me, she went and brought you. 
 When you entered, how I longed to throw my- 
 self at your feet! but shame prevailed, and, 
 after a commonplace conversation, though my 
 soul was on fire and my liver had turned into 
 water, I suffered you to depart. I told my 
 people that I must return to Nagpoor, as I had 
 forgotten to redeem some jewels I had left in 
 pledge, which were valuable ; and they believed
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 267 
 
 me. — Ameer Ali !" cried she, suddenly throw- 
 ing off her veil and casting herself at my feet, 
 while she buried her head in my lap, a Ameer 
 Ali ! this is my tale of shame — I love you ; 
 Alia only knows how my soul burns for you ! 
 I will be your slave for ever ; whither you go, 
 thither will I follow ; whoever you are, and 
 whatever you are, I am yours, and yours only ; 
 b it I shall die without you. Alas ! why did 
 vou come to me ? " 
 
 X 2
 
 268 CONFESSIONS 01 A THUG. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 " Yet she must die, or she'll betray more men." 
 
 Othello. 
 
 And where now were all my resolutions ? By 
 Alia, Sahib, I had forgotten all — home, wife, 
 children — I thought not of them, but I drank 
 deeply of love, wild, passionate, burning love, 
 from her eyes, and I caressed her as though 
 she were mine own. There we sat, and though 
 guilt was in my soul, and it accused me of 
 infidelity to my oft-repeated vows, I could 
 not tear myself away from her, and I suffered 
 her caresses in return, though they often 
 struck to my heart like the blows of a sharp 
 knife. Hours passed thus — I thought not of 
 them ; she seated at my feet, and I with my 
 hands entwined in her long silken hair, and
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 269 
 
 gazing at her face of such loveliness, that never 
 had my wildest dreams pictured anything like 
 it. Zora was beautiful, Azima was even more 
 so, but Shurfun surpassed them both in as 
 great a degree as they excelled any of their sex 
 I had ever seen. Fain would she have had me 
 stay with her : fain would she, the temptress, 
 have then and there separated me from my 
 band, and led me with herself, whither she 
 cared not, so I was with her and she with me. 
 Wealth, she said, she had in abundance, and 
 we could fly to some undiscoverable spot, where 
 we should pass years of bliss together, and 
 where she would, by communication with her 
 family, procure such money from time to time 
 as would enable us to live in affluence. 
 
 " Ameer Ali," said she, " you are young, you 
 are unknown, you have to fight your way to 
 fame upon a bare pittance, and for this will 
 you risk your precious life, when I offer you 
 everything I possess, and swear that I am your 
 slave ? Ah, you will not, you cannot now leave 
 me to perish in despair, and die of unrequited 
 love ! Speak, my soul, you will not leave me ? n 
 
 Wretch, and perjured that I was, I swore to 
 obey her wishes. Sahib, it was a sore tempta- 
 tion, and it overcame me.
 
 270 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 At last I tore myself away from her, but not 
 till I had sworn by her head and eyes to return 
 the following day, when being more calm we 
 might arrange our plans for the future. 
 
 I returned to my little tent, and there, in the 
 agony of my soul, I rolled on the ground. I raved, 
 I refused to eat, and was as one bereft of sense ; 
 I spoke rudely to Peer Khan, who having been 
 called by my attendant came to comfort me ; 
 and I was almost on the point of driving my 
 dagger to my heart to end a life, which though 
 a splendid prospect was open to it, could never 
 afterwards be aught than one of guilty misery. 
 But the passion reached its height ; and as a 
 thunder-cloud, which after a burst of internal 
 commotion, after its deep peal has gone forth 
 and it has ejected the lightning from its bosom, 
 gradually pours its pent-up flood of waters to 
 soothe and refresh the earth, so did mine eyes 
 now rain tears, and they calmed me. I can 
 now ask and take advice, thought I, and Peer 
 Khan, who is fondly attached to me, will give 
 it as he would to a brother. 
 
 I sent for him, and after apologizing for my 
 rudeness, said he would find the cause of it in 
 the relation I would give of the last few hours. 
 I told him all, and awaited his answer. My
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 2/1 
 
 heart was relieved of a load of oppressive 
 thought, and I was the better for it. 
 
 He pondered long ere he spoke ; at last he 
 said, — 
 
 " Meer Sahib, this is a difficult business in- 
 deed, and I hardly know what to advise; go 
 to her tomorrow ; be a man, and give not way 
 to this boyish passion, which ill suits you ; try 
 to persuade her that you cannot do as she 
 wishes ; speak to her kindly, yet firmly, of her 
 home, of her relatives, and of the guilt which 
 must cleave to you both from the connexion 
 she proposes. Tell her you have a wife and 
 two children, and if she is a true woman she 
 will be fired with jealousy, and will quarrel with 
 you ; do you then become irritated in your turn, 
 and leave her to go her own way, and find some 
 one who may not be so scrupulous, and may 
 take advantage of her blind passions. And if 
 all this fail, if no words of yours can drive these 
 foolish ideas from her brain, we have only to 
 make a long march in some unknown direction 
 and at once be quit of her. I know the paths 
 through the jungles, and by them, difficult as 
 they are, we can easily reach Berar, where she 
 will never again hear of us." 
 
 I thanked him cordially for his advice ; and
 
 272 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 that part of it which related to Azima and my 
 children struck forcibly on my heart. I was as 
 yet, thanks to the protection of the Prophet, 
 pure, and by his aid I would remain so. I 
 determined I would urge my previous ties to her 
 so forcibly, and I would depict my love for my 
 wife in such colours, that she should at once 
 reject me. 
 
 Full of these resolutions I once more obeyed 
 her summons, sent me by her slave, and fol- 
 lowed the girl, and as we had made a long march 
 of twelve coss, it was now late in the day. I 
 need not again tell you, Sahib, of all her love 
 for me, which she now poured forth without 
 check or reserve. She had fairly cast away all 
 shame, and would hear of nothing I could re- 
 present as to the consequences of our connexion 
 with her family. I had only now one resource, 
 and as a man in alarm for his life fires the train 
 of *a mine, so did I, hurriedly and perhaps in- 
 coherently, mention my wife and children. 
 The effect was, as Peer Khan had expected, in- 
 stantaneous. She had been sitting at my feet, 
 listening to my objections, and playfully reason- 
 ing with me against them ; but, at these words, 
 she suddenly started to her feet, and drew her 
 noble figure up to its full height, while her eyes
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 27^ 
 
 flashed, as she smoothed back her flowing hair 
 from her brow ; the veins of her forehead and 
 neck swelled, and she was terrible to look on. 
 I confess I quailed beneath the glances of scorn 
 she cast on me. 
 
 (i Man !" she cried at length, " ah, vile and 
 faithless wretch, say, did I hear thee aright? 
 Dare to say again that thou hast a wife and 
 children ! What dirt hast thou eaten?" 
 
 It was my time, and my good resolutions 
 came to my aid ; I rose, and confronted her with 
 a look as proud and unflinching as her own. 
 
 " Yes, Shurfun," I said, " I have spoken the 
 truth ; one as beautiful as thou art believes me 
 faithful, and faithful I will remain to her ; long 
 I reasoned with thee, and hadst thou not been 
 carried away, and thy good feelings deadened, 
 by an idle and sudden passion, thou hadst heard 
 my words, and submitted to them, for the sake 
 of thy family and hitherto untarnished honour. 
 For my unfortunate share in this matter, may 
 Alia forgive me ! Lady, it was thy maddening 
 beauty which caused me to err; but he has 
 strengthened my heart, and again I implore 
 thee to hear the words of friendship, and be 
 thyself again." 
 
 How can I tell you, Sahib, of her despair, 
 n 5
 
 274 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 and the bitterness of her expressions, as she up- 
 braided me with my deceit ! I deserved them 
 all, and not a word did I answer in return. I 
 could not, and I dared not approach her, lest my 
 heart should again yield to her blandishments, 
 for I felt that a kind word or action would 
 renew them, and cause her to forget the past ; 
 and it was pitiable to see her as she now sat on 
 the ground, moaning and rocking herself to 
 and fro, while at intervals she tore her hair 
 and beat her breasts in her agony of spirit. 
 
 " Leave me ! " she said at last. " Ah, Ameer 
 Ali, thou hast broken a heart which could have 
 loved thee for ever. I do not complain : it is 
 the will of Alia that the only man I could ever 
 have loved and honoured should deceive me, 
 and I submit. Shurfun is not yet reduced so 
 low that she could put up with the second place 
 in any man's heart, were he the monarch of 
 Delhi itself. Go ! the sight of you is painful to 
 my soul ; and may Alia forgive us both ! " 
 
 I left her. I hastened to Peer Khan, and 
 related the whole to him, and he was de- 
 lighted. 
 
 " Now," said he, " to make the matter sure, 
 let us retrace our steps ; it is not attended with 
 any risk, for we can put up anywhere, and we
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 2/0 
 
 need not visit the village we before halted at ; 
 we have no hope of booty at Nagpoor, and 
 if you like we can penetrate, as I said before, 
 into Berar, and return by Khandesh, which was 
 our original idea/' 
 
 a I agree/' said I ; " this woman must be 
 avoided at every risk. To save appearances she 
 must go on to Nagpoor with her people, and 
 we shall, by following your advice, avoid her 
 altogether." 
 
 Accordingly the next morning, instead of 
 pursuing the road we had taken, we turned 
 back, and after a few hours' travel halted at a 
 small village, a few coss distant from the one 
 we had left. But little had I calculated on that 
 woman's love and wild passions. Before the 
 day was half spent, we saw her palankeen, at- 
 tended by her men, advancing towards the vil- 
 lage by the way we had come. What was to 
 be done ? I was for instant flight into the wild 
 jungles by which we were surrounded, affcl 
 where she would soon have lost all traces of 
 us. But Peer Khan and Motee would not hear 
 of it. 
 
 "It would be cowardly," said they; "there is 
 no occasion thus to run before a woman ; and 
 why should we expose ourselves to dangers from
 
 276 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 wild beasts, and the imhealthiness of the forest, 
 on her account? And," added Motee, " if she 
 follow us now, depend upon it it is not on your 
 account, but because she is now determined to 
 go to her home as quickly as possible/' 
 
 "It may be so," said I ; " whatever her plans 
 may be they will not influence my determina- 
 tions/' Yet my mind misgave me that she 
 would again follow us, and a short time proved 
 that my suspicions were right. The slave came 
 by stealth to my tent, disguised as a seller of 
 milk, and I followed her, for I knew not why 
 her mistress had sent for me, and why she now 
 sought me after our last meeting. 
 
 I reached her presence, and again Ave were 
 alone. I armed myself against her blandish- 
 ments, and determined to oppose them with 
 scorn, that she might again quarrel with me, and 
 leave me for ever. I cannot relate to you, Sahib, 
 all that passed between us ; at one time she was 
 all love, seeking to throw herself into my arms, 
 and beseeching me to have pity on her, for she 
 felt that her reputation was gone, in words that 
 would have moved a heart of stone ; at another, 
 violently upbraiding me for my perfidy, and 
 bidding me begone from her sight ; yet, each 
 time as I turned to depart, she would prevent
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 2// 
 
 me, and again implore me to listen and agree to 
 her proposals. 
 
 At last I could bear with her no longer. I 
 was provoked with her importunities, and vexed 
 at my own irresolute conduct. I bade her fare- 
 well, and was quitting the shed, where she had 
 put up for the day, when she screamed to me 
 to come back. I returned. 
 
 u Shurfinv" said I, " this is foolishness, and 
 the conduct of children ; why should we thus 
 torment each other? You have heard my de- 
 termination; and could you offer me the throne 
 of Delhi, I might share it with you, but my 
 heart would be hers who now possesses it, and 
 you would live a torment to yourself and me. 
 Jealousy even now possesses your heart, and 
 what would not that passion become when you 
 were in intercourse with the object you even 
 now hate, and whom you could not separate 
 from me?" 
 
 u I care not for your words," said she ; " I 
 care not for the consequences ; I have set my life 
 and my fame on the issue of this, — and refuse 
 me at your peril ! As for your wife, I hate her 
 not. Does not our law allow you four wives ? Is 
 it not so written in the blessed Koran ? You can- 
 not deny it. Even I, who am a woman, know it.
 
 278 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 I would love Azima as a sister, and your chil- 
 dren for your sake ; and can you refuse wealth 
 and a future life of distinction for them ? Oh, 
 man, are you bereft of sense ? See, I speak to 
 you calmly, and reason with you as I would 
 were I your sister." 
 
 a I would to Alia thou wert my sister," I 
 said ; ee I could love thee fondly as a sister, but 
 never, never can I consent to this unhallowed 
 and disgraceful union. Yes, Shurfun, dis- 
 graceful ! disguise it with all thy flattering and 
 sweet words, yet it is disgraceful. Do you 
 dream for a moment that your proud family 
 would receive as your husband, as the sharer 
 of your property and wealth, a man unknown 
 to them, one who has no family honours, no 
 worldly distinction to boast of, and with whom 
 you have picked up a casual acquaintance on the 
 road ? I tell you they would not. Go there- 
 fore, I beseech you, to your home, and in after 
 years I will send my Azima to see you, and she 
 shall pray for blessings on the noble woman 
 who preserved her husband to her." 
 
 She sat silent for some time ; but the fire was 
 not quenched within her ; it burst forth with 
 increased violence, when I vainly thought that 
 my temperate words had quenched it for ever.
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 279 
 
 Again she bade me go, but it was sullenly, and 
 I left her. 
 
 I had not been an hour in my tent when the 
 slave again came to me. — But perhaps, Sahib, 
 you are tired of my minuteness in describing all 
 my interviews with the Moghulanee ? 
 
 No, said I, Ameer Ali : I suppose you have 
 some object in it, therefore go on. 
 
 Well then, resumed the Thug, the slave came 
 to me and I was alone. 
 
 " For the love of Alia," said she, " Meer 
 Sahib, do something for my poor mistress ! 
 Ever since you left her she has been in a kind of 
 stupor, and has hardly spoken. She just now 
 told me to go and purchase a quantity of opium 
 for her; and when I refused, and fell at her feet, 
 imploring her to recall her words, she spoke 
 angrily to me, and said, if I did not go, she 
 would go herself. So I have purchased it ; but 
 alas ! I know its fatal use : and you alone can 
 save her. Come quickly then, and speak a kind 
 word to her ; I have heard all that has passed, 
 and you have behaved like a man of honour ; 
 but since you cannot persuade her to forget 
 you and relinquish her intentions, at least for 
 the time fall in with her humour, and agree to 
 accompany her, on the promise that she will
 
 2S0 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 not seek to see you on the road ; and say that 
 when you reach her Jagheer you will have your 
 marriage duly solemnized. Oh, do this for her 
 sake ! You said you could love her as a sister, 
 and this would be the conduct of a brother/' 
 
 ee Well," said I, " since the matter has come to 
 this issue, that her life or death is in my hands, 
 I consent;" and I arose, and went with her. 
 
 Oh, with what joy the unhappy girl received 
 me ! long she hung upon my bosom, and bless- 
 ed me as her preserver, and kissed her slave 
 when she related what she had said to me, and 
 that I had agreed to her wishes. " It is to save 
 your precious life," I cried, " that I thus expose 
 myself to the sneers and taunts of my friends 
 and your own : think on the sacrifice I make in 
 losing their love, and you will behave cautiously 
 and decently on the road ; we need not meet — 
 nay we must not, the temptation would be too 
 strong for us both ; but I swear by your head 
 and eyes I will not leave you, and you shall 
 travel in our company." 
 
 The slave had gone out, and she drew to- 
 wards me. " Beware," said she, u how you de- 
 ceive me, for I know your secret, and if you 
 are unfaithful I will expose it ; your life is in my 
 hands, and vou know it."
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 281 
 
 "What secret ?" cried I in alarm. "What 
 can you mean ? " 
 
 " I know that you are a Thug," she said in a 
 low and determined voice ; " my slave has dis- 
 covered you, and a thousand circumstances 
 impress the belief that you are one upon my 
 mind — your men, the way you encamp, the 
 ceremonies my slave has seen your men per- 
 forming, and the freedom with which you go 
 forward or return at your pleasure. All these 
 are conclusive, and I bid you beware ! for 
 nothing that you can say will persuade me 
 to the contrary ; you have even now the pro- 
 perty of those you have killed in your camp — 
 you cannot deny it, your looks confirm my 
 words." 
 
 I inwardly cursed the prying curiosity of the 
 slave, and feared she had discovered us through 
 one of our men with whom I had seen her con- 
 versing, and I determined to destroy him. But 
 I had now fairly met my match, and though 
 abashed for a moment, I replied to her : 
 
 " Then, Shurfun, since you have discovered 
 us, I have no alternative, we must be united, 
 I to save my life and the lives of my men, 
 you to save your own. It is a fearful tie which 
 binds us, but it cannot be broken."
 
 282 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 (i I thought so/* 5 she said ; " fool that I was 
 not to have urged this before ! I might have 
 saved myself the agony which I have endured. 
 Now go ; I will hear of you from day to day, 
 and it may be that we shall have an opportunity 
 of conversing unobserved. Now I am sure of 
 you, and my mind is at ease." 
 
 I left her, but my thoughts were in a whirl ; 
 she had discovered us, and by the rules of our 
 profession I could not conceal it from my associ- 
 ates. Alia ! Alia ! to what would the commu- 
 nication I must make to them lead ! Alas, I 
 dreaded to think — yet it must be done. 
 
 A long time I deliberated with myself whe- 
 ther I should expose the truth to my associates, 
 and fain would I not have done so ; but the 
 peril we were in was so imminent, and the lives 
 of my fifty brave fellows were so completely at 
 the mercy of a woman, that I could not over- 
 look the strict rules of my profession. I knew 
 that it could only lead to one alternative ; but it 
 w r as her fate, and it could not be avoided either 
 by her or me. 
 
 As I expected, the fatal mandate went forth 
 among us. My men were astonished and terri- 
 fied at the information Shurfun possessed, and 
 after a very brief consultation her fate was de-
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 283 
 
 termined on. Sahib, you will think the worse 
 of me for this, but what could be done ? We 
 could not leave her, she would have alarmed 
 the villagers, and they would have pursued us. 
 True, they could have done but little against us 
 there ; but they would have dogged us through 
 the jungles, and at last have watched their op- 
 portunity and seized us. Our next care was to 
 endeavour to find out the person from whom 
 she had gained the information, and I men- 
 tioned the name of him with whom I had seen 
 the slave conversing. Sahib, as I did it, his 
 face bore the evidence of conscious guilt. He 
 was a young man but little known to any of us, 
 and was one of the Lughaees. He had accompa- 
 nied Peer Khan in his last expedition, and had 
 behaved well, so well as to induce him to allow 
 his accompanying us ; but by this act he had 
 forfeited everything, and it was but too plain 
 that he had been seduced by the wiles of that 
 intriguing and artful slave. 
 
 Observing his altered looks, I at once ac- 
 cused him of treachery ; and my accusation was 
 reechoed by the voices of the band. 
 
 " He must die ! " cried one and all ; " we 
 could never carry on our work with the know- 
 ledge that there was one treacherous person
 
 284 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 with us ; and it is the rule of our order too. 
 Who ever spared a traitor ? " 
 
 " Miserable wretch," said I to him, i( why 
 hast thou done this ? Why hast thou been un- 
 faithful to thine oath and the salt thou hast 
 eaten ? Didst thou not know the penalty ? 
 Hast thou not heard of hundreds of instances 
 of treachery, and was ever one pardoned ? Un- 
 happy man ! thou sayest nothing for thyself, 
 and the sentence must be passed upon thee. 
 Shame, that the wiles of a wretched slave should 
 so far have led thee from thy duty, and exposed 
 . us all to peril ! " 
 
 " Jemadar," said he rising, " I have sinned, 
 and my hour is come. I ask not for mercy, for 
 I know too well that it cannot be shown me ; 
 let me die by the hands of my own people, and 
 I am content ; and if my fate be a warning to 
 them, I am satisfied. I was pure in my honour 
 till I met that slave; she told me that you 
 were to marry her mistress, and that you had 
 told her who you were. I thought it true, and 
 I conversed with her on the secrets of our band ; 
 I boasted to her of the deeds we had done, and 
 she consented to be mine whenever we could 
 meet with a fitting opportunity. Fool that I 
 was, I was deceived ; yet I offer this as no pal-
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 285 
 
 liation for my offence. Let therefore Goordut 
 kill me ; his is a sure hand, and he will not fail 
 in his duty." 
 
 Goordut, the chief of our Lughaees, stepped 
 forward. " Forgive me your death/' said he to 
 the fated wretch ; " I have no enmity against 
 you, but this is my duty, and I must do it." 
 
 " I forgive you," he replied. " Let your hand 
 be firm ; I shall offer no resistance, nor strug- 
 gle ; let my death-pain be short." 
 
 Goordut looked to me for the signal, — I gave 
 it, and in another instant his victim had expi- 
 ated his crime by death ; he suffered passively, 
 and Goordufs hand never trembled. The body 
 was taken from among us and interred ; and 
 henceforward we had no treachery among us, 
 nor did I ever meet with another instance, save 
 one, and that was successful ; you shall hear of 
 it hereafter. 
 
 There but remained to allot to the different 
 members of the band their separate places in the 
 ensuing catastrophe ; and this done, I felt that I 
 had acted as a good Thug, and that a misplaced 
 pity had not influenced me during the trans- 
 actions of the day. 
 
 Strange was it, Sahib, that Shurfun, know- 
 ing who we were, should not, when she had
 
 286 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 discovered it, at once have fled from us ! How 
 she, a woman unused to and unacquainted with 
 deeds of blood, could have borne to look on, 
 nay more to have caressed and loved, one a mur- 
 derer by profession, whose hand was raised 
 against the whole human race, is more than I 
 have ever been able to understand : I can only 
 say it was her fate. She might, she ought to have 
 avoided me ; in every principle of human con- 
 duct, her love for me was wicked and without 
 shame, and a virtuous woman would have died 
 before she had ever allowed it to possess her 
 bosom. She might have cast me off when she 
 said she would, and when her resolution was 
 made to see me no more ; but her blind passion 
 led her on into the net fate had spread for her, 
 and she was as unable to avoid it, as you or I 
 shall be to die, Sahib, when our hour comes. 
 
 We started in company with her the next 
 morning. I was determined I would take no ac- 
 tive part in her death, for I could not bear the 
 thought of lifting my hand against one whose 
 caresses I had allowed, and whose kisses were, I 
 may say, still warm upon my lips. Motee and 
 Peer Khan were allotted to her, and one of 
 her attendants, was my share. But hers was 
 a large party ; she had eight bearers, four se-
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 287 
 
 poys as her guards, and her slave rode on a 
 pony, which was led by another servant. In 
 all therefore they were fifteen individuals, and 
 to make sure, thirty-five of my best men were 
 to fall on them whenever we should meet a fit- 
 ting place. I knew one, a wild spot it was, 
 where the jungle was almost a forest, and where 
 for miles on either side there was no human ha- 
 bitation ; and I intended, for greater security, 
 to lead the party by a path which I had dis- 
 covered on our way down, and which led into 
 the thickest part of the jungle, where I knew 
 our deadly work would be sure of no inter- 
 ruption. 
 
 We reached the spot where the road diverged 
 which I intended to take, and after much oppo- 
 sition on the part of her bearers, I succeeded in 
 persuading them to follow me, by telling them, 
 both that the road was a short one, and that 
 there was a stream of water which crossed it, 
 whereas on the main track there was none. 
 
 We gained the small rivulet, and I dismount- 
 ed; my band surrounded their unsuspecting 
 victims, and eagerly awaited the signal ; but I 
 wished to spare Shurfun the sight of the dead 
 which she would be exposed to were she not 
 the first to fall. I went to her palankeen, and
 
 288 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 asked her to get out and partake of some re- 
 freshment I had brought with me ; she objected 
 at first, as she would have to expose herself to 
 the rash gaze of my men ; but I told her I had 
 put up a cloth against a tree, that it was but a 
 few steps off, and that veiled as she was, no 
 one would see her, " Your slave is there al- 
 ready," said I ; "so come, she is preparing 
 our meal, the first we have ever eaten to- 
 gether." 
 
 She stepped out cautiously, closely muffled in 
 a sheet, so that she saw not those who were 
 with me, the palankeen too concealed her per- 
 son, and as she arose from her sitting posture, 
 the roomal of Motee was around her, and she 
 died instantly. Peer Khan held her hands, 
 and the moment her breath was gone, he put 
 the body into the palankeen and shut the 
 door. 
 
 i( Now thus much is done," said he, " we must 
 finish the rest, and that quickly ; they are all off 
 their guard, and washing and drinking in the 
 stream ; the men are at their posts. Bismilla ! 
 give the jhirnee !" 
 
 I sought my place and gave it: my own 
 share was quickly done, and the rest too ; but 
 one or two were unskilful, and the shrieks of
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 289 
 
 the unfortunate but too guilty slave, among the 
 rest, smote on my ear, and caused a pang to 
 •shoot to my heart at the thought that they had 
 all died for the wretched caprice of a wicked 
 woman. I could not bear to look at Shurfun, — 
 the sight of her beautiful features would have 
 overpowered me. I saw the Lughaees bear her 
 away, but I followed not. Her palankeen was 
 broken into pieces and buried with her. 
 
 Wretch that I am ! cried I : ah, Ameer Ali, 
 hadst thou no pity, no remorse, for one so young 
 and so lovely ? 
 
 I might have felt it, Sahib, but the fate of 
 him who had died the day before was too fresh 
 in my mind to allow me to show it : that might 
 have been mine had I done so. Besides, can 
 you deny that it was her fate ? and, above all, 
 had I not eaten the goor of the Tupounee ? 
 
 VOL. II.
 
 290 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIL 
 
 SHOWING HOW AMEER ALI PLAYED A DEEP GAME FOR A 
 LARGE STAKE AND WON IT. 
 
 After all had been completed, we travelled 
 on until we reached a small and wretched vil- 
 lage, some coss from the scene of our late ad- 
 venture, where, after the customary sacrifice of 
 goor, the considerable booty we had gained was 
 produced and distributed. There soon arose 
 a discussion as to our future proceedings. Some 
 advised that we should return and go on to 
 Nagpoor; — many indeed were for this, and I 
 also inclined to it ; — but Peer Khan gave better 
 counsel, saying that, by our thus going back- 
 wards and forwards on the same road, we 
 should certainly be suspected and perhaps at- 
 tacked; and that to expose ourselves to this.
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 291 
 
 •was not to be put in comparison with any 
 chance of booty: he advised that we should 
 make the best of our way towards Ellichpoor, 
 avoiding that town, and keeping near the hills, 
 until we got out of the jurisdiction of Sulabal 
 Khan, who, if he heard of us, would assuredly 
 suspect us of the death of the Nuwab Subzee 
 Khan, who had been his guest, and whose fate 
 was generally known over the country and 
 attributed with justice to Thugs. After some 
 further deliberation we all agreed to his plan, 
 and the next day, leaving the high-road, we 
 struck into a jungle-track and pursued it ; and 
 I was heartily glad, after some days -of weary 
 travel, when, arriving at the pass near the de- 
 serted temples of Mookhtagherry, we saw the 
 wide valley of Berar stretched out before us, 
 covered with the still green and luxuriant crops 
 of jowaree. 
 
 For some days previous I had had shiverings 
 and pains all over my body, and my mind was 
 restless and ill at ease. In spite of my efforts 
 to throw them off, horrible dreams haunted me 
 at night, and the figure of Shurfun constantly 
 presented itself to my fancy — now in the full- 
 ness of her beauty, and now changed and dis- 
 torted as she must have been in death ; while at 
 o 2
 
 292 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 one time she was pouring out her tale of love 
 to me, and at another upbraiding me with her 
 fate. I had mentioned this to my companions, 
 and many were the ceremonies which they per- 
 formed over me to drive away the evil spirits 
 which Motee declared had possessed me. But 
 they were of no avail, and on the morning 
 we reached the top of the pass I was so ill 
 that I was obliged to be supported on my 
 horse. 
 
 What was to be done ? To go into Ellieh- 
 poor was to run into the tiger^s mouth, and 
 all seemed to be at a loss whither to proceed. 
 However, on clearing the mouth of the glen 
 through which the road ran, some of the men 
 discerned a large village a very short way off, 
 and came back with the welcome intelligence. 
 I was sitting, or rather lying, at a miserable 
 Goand hamlet on the road ; and when I heard 
 their news I remembered the village they 
 spoke of, which I had passed the morning 
 we left Ellichpoor with Subzee Khan, though 
 I had forgotten its name. Thither, therefore, I 
 begged they would carry me, and placing me 
 upon my good horse, I was soon there, and 
 made as comfortable as circumstances would 
 admit of in the empty shop of a Bunnea.
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 293 
 
 But the fever raged within me; my whole 
 frame was first convulsed with violent shiver- 
 ings, which were succeeded by intense burn- 
 ings. I remember no more of that day, nor 
 indeed of many days after, for I lay insensible, 
 and my spirit hovered between life and death. 
 
 The first words I recollect after that terrible 
 time were from my faithful attendant. 
 
 " Shooke khoda!" he exclaimeu; u at last 
 he has opened his eyes \" and he ran and 
 called Peer Khan and others to me. 
 
 " Where am I V 9 I faintly asked, for in the 
 violence of the fever I had forgotten every- 
 thing. 
 
 " Shooke khoda!" again exclaimed all; "he 
 speaks at last ! " 
 
 I again repeated my question, and it was an- 
 swered by Peer Khan. 
 
 "Why, do you not remember?''' said he; 
 £i here you are in the good village of Surrus- 
 gaum, within three coss of Ellichpoor ; and 
 now that you have spoken all will be right, you 
 will soon recover; but we have been sadly 
 anxious about you, for a worthy Mussulman, 
 who is a Hukeem, said only yesterday that you 
 would die, and bade us prepare for your burial : 
 however, he was wrong, and, Inshallai you
 
 294 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 will soon see yourself at the head of your brave 
 fellows again." 
 
 " Alas, Khan, I fear not/' said I, " for I 
 am weak and helpless, and your staying with 
 me here only delays you to little purpose. 
 Leave me to my fate, and if it is the will of 
 Alia that I should recover, I will rejoin you at 
 our home. I feel that I should be only a use- 
 less clog on your movements ; for if I. even get 
 over this fever, I shall scarcely be able to sit on 
 my horse for many a day to come." 
 
 (i Forsake you, Meer Sahib — never ! " ex- 
 claimed all who were sitting round me. " Who 
 will bury you if you die ? or who will tend you 
 if you recover ? What words are these ? Are 
 you not our brother, and more, our leader? 
 and what would become of us if we left you?" 
 
 " Well, my friends," said I, deeply affected 
 by their kindness, " since you prefer the bed- 
 side of a sick man to roaming in the wide and 
 open country, even be it so ; a few days will 
 end your suspense, and either you will have to 
 bury me here, or, if it be the pleasure of Alia, I 
 shall once more lead you to new enterprises." 
 
 " But you must be silent," said Peer Khan, 
 " for the Hukeem said so, and told us if you 
 roused at all to send him word, as he had pre-
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 295 
 
 pared some medicine for you, which he would 
 administer, and hoped it would hasten your re- 
 covery. I will go and tell him the good news.'* 
 
 In a short time the Khan returned, accom- 
 panied by an old and venerable person, who, 
 after feeling my head and body, turned to the 
 Khan and declared that my state was satisfac- 
 tory. " But/' said he, " as the fever proceeded 
 from cold, which is still in his stomach, we 
 must give him the medicine I spoke of: I have 
 prepared it, and, being compounded of heating 
 drugs, it will soon expel the cold, induce per- 
 spiration, and, Inshalla ! tomorrow he will be 
 a different being, though he will be weak for 
 some time to come." 
 
 The draught was prepared, and, though nau- 
 seous in the extreme, I swallowed it, and by 
 his directions covered myself with quilts and 
 horse-cloths. I was quickly in a profuse per- 
 spiration ; and when the Hukeem, who sat by 
 my side all the time, thought I had been long 
 enough under this treatment, he withdrew 
 the coverings one by one, and taking my wet 
 clothes from me I soon fell into a sound and 
 refreshing sleep, from which I did not awake 
 till the next morning's sun was shining on my 
 eyelids.
 
 296 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 I felt so much refreshed when I awoke that 
 I arose, but my head swam round and I fell. 
 I did not essay to repeat the exertion; but I 
 was well ; I felt that I had thrown off the dis- 
 ease, and I was thankful. Soon I had an in- 
 clination to eat, and after a slight meal of kiche- 
 ree I was indeed a different beins;. 
 
 Two days more restored me to convalescence, 
 and I heartily wished to be again on the road 
 toward home ; but travelling on horseback was 
 out of the question, as I could only walk a few 
 steps with assistance ; so, as Peer Khan volun- 
 teered his services, I despatched him to Ellich- 
 poor to endeavour to hire a palankeen or dooly 
 with bearers, to carry me a few stages, or as 
 long as I should find them necessary. 
 
 He returned with them, and the next day, 
 having remunerated the good Hukeem, I gladly 
 set out once again in company with my gallant 
 fellows. 
 
 We took the best road to Boorhanpoor, that 
 through the valley of Berar and close to the 
 hills; and when we reached the old town of 
 Julgaum, I felt myself so strong that I dis- 
 missed the palankeen and once more mounted 
 my good horse. 
 
 A joyful and inspiriting thing it is, Sahib, to
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 297 
 
 mount one's horse after a long and painful 
 illness, and to feel once more the bounds of the 
 generous animal under you, as though he too 
 rejoiced at his masters recovery. He was, like 
 myself, in high spirits, and I never enjoyed 
 a ride so much as I did on that morning ; the 
 cool breeze fanned my thinned cheek as I rode 
 along, now humouring my horse by allowing 
 him to bound and caracol as he pleased, now 
 exercising him on the plain, and again rejoining 
 my band as they walked merrily along, appa- 
 rently under the influence of the same joy as 
 myself, and rejoicing to see me once more at 
 their head. 
 
 We met with no adventure till we reached 
 Boorhanpoor, where we arrived on the tenth 
 day after leaving the village at which I had 
 been so near dying : indeed we sought none. 
 We found good quarters in one of the old 
 serais in the town, and I was determined to 
 stay there until we met with something to lead 
 us on. Accordingly, men were daily sent into 
 the different bazars ; but seven days passed 
 in idleness, and I began seriously to think that 
 the death of Shurfun, which, though an in- 
 evitable deed, was against my faithful pro- 
 mises, had caused me to forfeit the protection of 
 o 5
 
 v. 
 
 298 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 our patroness; in other words, I feared my 
 good fortune had deserted me, and for once I 
 proposed a grand sacrifice to Davee and that the 
 omens should be consulted, in order to afford 
 us some clue to our future proceedings. 
 
 It was done, and the omens were good — 
 %i Propitious to a degree !" said Motee, who 
 was our conductor in these matters ; (i we shall 
 have good bunij soon, or these would never 
 have been vouchsafed to us." 
 
 But another day passed, and still the Sothaees 
 reported nothing. 
 
 The day after, however, about noon Motee 
 came to me. 
 
 " You may know," said he, " that this place, 
 from its wealth, is frequented by Rokurreas, or 
 treasure-carriers, who bring money from Bom- 
 bay, and take it into Malwa to purchase opium." 
 
 « I do," said I ; " what of that ? I heard as 
 much from my father, who bade me return this 
 way in the hope of picking up some of them." 
 
 i{ Then/' said he, " I wish you to come with 
 me, you and Peer Khan ; you have both sharp 
 eyes, and I am much mistaken if I have not dis- 
 covered eight of them. I have killed others of 
 their tribe before now, and I think I am not 
 wrong when I say that these are some also."
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 299 
 
 a Good/' I replied, " I will come;" and ac- 
 companied by Peer Khan and Motee we set 
 forth to examine the men whom the latter had 
 spoken of. 
 
 In an empty shop we found them. Wary as 
 these people are, it was highly necessary that 
 we should not excite their suspicion; so we 
 hurriedly passed them, concealing our faces in 
 our handkerchiefs ; yet from the casual glance I 
 threw at them I was certain, from their sturdy 
 forms and the one camel they had with them, 
 as well as from a kind of restless and suspicious 
 bearing, that they were the men we were in 
 search of. This was just the season too ; they 
 would be bearing treasure to make advances to 
 the poppy cultivators in Malwa, as the seed of 
 the plant would not be sown for another month 
 at least. 
 
 I was satisfied ; yet how to ensure their com- 
 pany I knew not, and many schemes passed 
 through my mind before I could determine on 
 anything : at length I formed one, as I sat with 
 my companions on a flight of steps leading 
 down to the river, and whither we often re- 
 sorted to enjoy the fresh breezes and pure 
 air from the noble river which flowed beneath 
 us.
 
 300 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 " I have been thinking/" said I, " what we 
 are to do to secure these fellows; you know 
 they are proverbially wary." 
 
 Both nodded assent. 
 
 " Well/ 5 I continued, " what think you of the 
 following scheme ? You and I, Peer Khan, will 
 pretend to be travellers ; we will go now to our 
 serai, throw dust and mud over our horses 
 and dirty our clothes, and, taking two men and 
 a pony heavily laden with us, we will go round 
 the city, enter by the gate under the old 
 palace, and pretending to be weary, halt close 
 to them ; we shall easily be able to worm our- 
 selves into their confidence, and will then accom- 
 pany them. You, Motee, I will leave in charge 
 of the band, and send you word what road we 
 are to take. You must be guided by circum- 
 stances, and contrive to let the men overtake 
 me by twos and threes ; some must go on be- 
 fore, so that we may come up to them ; and in 
 this manner, though the band will be scattered, 
 yet, Inshalla ! in a few marches we shall muster 
 strong enough to do the work. We can keep 
 up a communication with each other, so that 
 when the business is done we can assemble, 
 and then hurry forward to our home. But on 
 no account must you be more than a stage
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 301 
 
 behind us ; and you must contrive to reach our 
 halting-place a short time after we have left 
 it. Now say., my friends, will this plan do ? 
 or can you advise any other more practicable ? 
 if so, speak." 
 
 " It is excellent/' cried both, u and had 
 wisdom for its father. No time ought to be 
 lost." 
 
 We returned to our serai, and towards the 
 afternoon two as travel-stained and weary tra- 
 vellers in appearance as ever came off a long 
 and fatiguing march were seen to enter the 
 south gate of Boorhanpoor and traverse the 
 bazars in search of shelter. These were my- 
 self and Peer Khan, attended by my good lad 
 Junglee and two other Thugs. We passed 
 and re-passed the shed, which was a large one, 
 in which the Rokurreas were ; and feigning to 
 have been denied room everywhere that we 
 had applied, I at last rode up to them, and ad- 
 dressed myself to the most respectable among 
 them, a fine tall fellow, with huge whiskers 
 and mustachios. 
 
 " Yaro !" said I, "you seem to be travellers 
 as well as ourselves, and, for the love of Alia, 
 allow us a little room to spread our carpets. 
 Here you have seen us pass backwards and for-
 
 302 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 wards for many times, and yet there is not a 
 soul who will say to us, Dismount and refresh 
 yourselves. Nay, we have been refused ad- 
 mittance into many empty places. May their 
 owners* sisters be defiled ! " 
 
 " Go to the serai/" said the man ; a there 
 is room there, and you will be comfortable." 
 
 " Indeed," said I, " we have tried it already, 
 and it is full ; some forty or fifty fellows were 
 in it, who bade us begone in no measured terms ; 
 and, in truth, we liked not their appearance, 
 having some valuables about us. They looked 
 very like thieves or Dacoos — did they not, 
 brother?" said I turning to Peer Khan. 
 
 " Ay, indeed," said he ; (i who knows, if we 
 had put up among them, whether we should 
 not have had our throats cut? It was the 
 mercy of Alia," continued he, looking up de- 
 voutly, " that the place was full, or, weary as 
 we are, we should have been right glad to have 
 rested ourselves anywhere, for indeed I can 
 hardly sit on my horse." 
 
 " You see," said I, " how we are situated. 
 Hindoos though you be, you will not refuse us. 
 The evening is drawing in, and we have ridden 
 all day ; a slight meal is all that we can hope to 
 get, and then sleep will be welcome."
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 303 
 
 " Well/ 5 said the fellow, " it will be uncivil 
 to turn you away, so alight ; and/ 5 cried he to 
 one of his companions, " do you, Doorjun, and 
 some others move the camePs saddles and those 
 bags nearer this way, and there will be room 
 for these Bhula Admees." 
 
 As they were being moved I heard the money 
 chink. 
 
 We dismounted, and in a short time our 
 horses were rubbed down, and a meal prepared, 
 for we had fasted that day on purpose. When 
 we had eaten it, behold us seated in con- 
 versation with the Rokurreas ; and having al- 
 ready possessed ourselves of their intended 
 route, we agreed to accompany them for mutual 
 security, and in short were on as good terms 
 with them as if we had travelled hitherto to- 
 gether. Our appearance, our good horses, and 
 arms assured them that we were soldiers, for 
 I had told them we were in the service of 
 Holkar, returning from Poonah, where we had 
 been on a mission to the Peshwa, and bearing 
 with us not only despatches, but some hoon- 
 dees of large amount. In proof of this I pulled 
 forth a bundle of papers from my inner vest, 
 and touching my head and eyes with them, 
 praised the munificence of Bajee Rao, and
 
 304 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 extolled the friendly terms he was on with 
 Holkar. 
 
 This was my master-stroke ; the idea had oc- 
 curred to me when I was at the serai, and I had 
 hastily collected a bundle of waste-papers and 
 accounts, made them up into a packet, directed 
 it to Holkar, and sealed it with my own seal, 
 which was as large as that of any prince in the 
 country. By Alia ! Sahib, they believed me to 
 be what I represented, as surely as that they had 
 heads on their shoulders, and forthwith began 
 questioning me on the possibility of the Peshwa 
 and Holkar uniting to overthrow the Ferin- 
 ghees; but I was mysteriously close in my re- 
 plies, just hinting that it was possible, and 
 turning off the conversation to the marks of 
 favour which had been shown me by Bajee 
 Rao, about which I told enough lies to have 
 choked myself; and I pointed to my own noble 
 horse as one of the Peshwa s gifts. They all 
 declared that he was worthy of the giver and oi' 
 the possessor ; and, after agreeing on our stage 
 for the morrow, which was distant eight, coss, 
 they went to sleep, with the exception of two, 
 who sat guarding the treasure with drawn 
 swords, and all believing that they were in 
 company with an unknown great personage.
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 305 
 
 Before I lay down to rest I despatched Jun- 
 glee with the information to Motee. I spoke to 
 him openly in Ramasee, and he set off on his 
 errand. 
 
 " That is a queer language," said the Je- 
 madar of the Rokurreas ; " what is it ?" 
 
 " 'T is Teloogoo," said I carelessly. a I 
 picked the lad up at Hyderabad two years 
 ago for a small sum, and he is my slave ; he 
 understands our Hindoo, but does not speak 
 it." 
 
 Perhaps it was unwise to have done it, but I 
 spoke in so careless a manner that they con- 
 cluded I had sent him out on some casual 
 errand. Indeed, I told him to buy some to- 
 bacco and pan on his way back, and as the 
 serai was not far from where we were, the time 
 occupied in his going to it would not exceed 
 that of an ordinary errand. 
 
 He returned with the pan and tobacco, and 
 told me they were ready, but that the majority 
 would remain the next day, and that seven 
 of the best, under Goordut, were then about 
 to depart ; the rest, leaving one of their num- 
 ber as a scout in the village we were to halt 
 at, would push on as far as they could be- 
 yond.
 
 306 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 I was satisfied, and so sure did I feel of the 
 success of this adventure that I would have 
 wagered all I possessed that I killed the Ro- 
 kurreas in three days. We started the next 
 morning, and for two days saw none of our 
 men ; however Peer Khan augured well from 
 it, saying the fellows were up to their work, and 
 would appear in good time, and that if they 
 came too soon our companions would take the 
 alarm and be off. 
 
 On the fourth day one of our companions 
 appeared ; we overtook him on the road, and as 
 I lagged purposely in the rear, I learned from 
 him that Goordut and his remaining men were 
 in advance of us one march, and that some 
 would join us that day and the rest the next. 
 
 This was as it should be. Four men joined 
 us at the village we encamped at ; and as we 
 were now nine to eight, I began to think on 
 the probability of putting them to death by 
 violence — I mean, attacking them with our 
 swords on any opportunity which might offer. 
 But it was dangerous, as they were individually 
 stouter men than we were, good hands at their 
 weapons, and as watchful as cats. 
 
 The second day Goordut and his party joined 
 us, but it was as much as I could do to per-
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 30/ 
 
 suade the Rokurreas to allow them to travel in 
 our company. They declared it was directly 
 against their rules, that we must be aware of 
 this, and that, if it was known by their employ- 
 ers that they even admitted one traveller into 
 their society on the road, they would lose their 
 reputation and means of subsistence. 
 
 "But you/' continued the Jemadar, whose 
 name was Bheem Singh, " you are respectable 
 persons, who, for the honour of the government 
 you serve, would assist us against thieves or 
 robbers, and we travel in your company through 
 these territories of Sindia as safely as though 
 we had a rissala of cavalry to guard us. How- 
 ever, for our sakes, let not the tales of way- 
 farers make any impression on your mind ; de- 
 pend upon a Rokurrea^s experience, they are not 
 to be trusted : and even when by yourself always 
 avoid associating with any one; no good can 
 come of it, and much harm may ensue." 
 
 I promised to take his advice, and as I saw 
 clearly that they would not admit any more 
 of our band into their company, and that a 
 quarrel and separation from them would ine- 
 vitably be the consequence if I persisted in 
 forcing any more upon them, I determined to 
 finish the matter as I best could with the
 
 308 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 twelve men I had. Junglee was worth but 
 little, at least I counted not upon him, as he 
 was a mere stripling ; but the rest were the very- 
 best of my band, all noted Bhuttotes, and fel- 
 lows who had good swords, and knew right well 
 how to use them. 
 
 In the day, therefore, we had a consultation ; 
 we met in a field of jowaree, which concealed 
 us, and there we discussed the affair. Peer 
 Khan proposed to send one of the men back 
 for Motee and the rest, to tell them to pass us 
 in the night without stopping, and to allow us 
 to overtake them early in the morning ; and as 
 soon as the two parties were mingled together, 
 in passing each other, that I should give the 
 jhirnee. 
 
 The plan was very feasible, and the advice 
 was good, as it placed the issue beyond a doubt ; 
 I inclined to it myself. Still there was no 
 honour to be gained by it; it would be large 
 odds against a few, and this I did not like, as I 
 had a choice in the matter. At last I said, after 
 musing some time, and listening to Peer Khan 
 as he discussed the measure, "No, no, Peer 
 Khan ; we are all of us young, and fame is dear 
 to us. If we kill these people in the old way, 
 and the booty is large, we shall no doubt get
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 309 
 
 praise; but think, man, on the honour to be 
 gained^ the good name ! If we risk ourselves 
 against these fellows, and are victorious, wiH not 
 every Thug in the land cry Shabash ! and Wah, 
 Wah ! and is not this worth an effort ? I tell you 
 a good name is better than riches ; and if it is 
 our time to die, we cannot avoid it by calling up 
 Motee and his people. They are after all only 
 the refuse ; and are we not the picked men of 
 the band, and those on whom the matter would 
 fall, even were the whole now present ? Say. 
 therefore, will ye risk your lives against these 
 fellows, and fall on them tomorrow morning?" 
 
 Sahib, they did not hesitate ; one and ail 
 pledged themselves to follow me, and die with 
 me should it be their fate. 
 
 ."Then see your swords are loose in their 
 scabbards," said I, " and let each of you plant 
 himself within striking distance of his enemy, 
 on his left hand. Peer Khan and myself are 
 mounted, and we cannot fail. I feel assured 
 that there will be no danger, and that we shall 
 succeed." 
 
 We dispersed, and rejoined our associates. 
 The evening was spent in singing and playing 
 on the sitar, on which two of the Rokurreas and 
 some of my men were adepts ; and we retired
 
 310 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 to rest at a late hour, fully prepared to do our 
 work well and bravely on the morrow. 
 
 And the morrow came, and the sun rose in 
 splendour ; we set out soon afterwards, for the 
 Rokurreas would not travel before it had risen, 
 for fear of surprise from thieves or Dacoos, who 
 generally fall on travellers in the dark. 
 
 Somewhat to my mortification, two of the 
 Rokurreas mounted the camel they had with 
 them, saying their feet were cracked and sore 
 and they could not walk. This disconcerted me 
 for a moment, for I thought they had suspected 
 us, and I knew that most, if not all, the trea- 
 sure was laden upon it. But I affected no sur- 
 prise, and was determined, if they showed the 
 least symptoms of flight, to wound the camel, 
 and thereby prevent its getting away from us 
 by the great speed I knew it possessed, for they 
 had put it to its utmost the day before, to show 
 me that it could outstrip a horse. 
 
 We travelled along until mid-day, and the 
 fatigue and heat made us glad to dismount at a 
 stream which crossed the road. I thought it 
 would be a good opportunity to fall on them, 
 but I was disappointed ; they all kept together, 
 and I was then satisfied that they half suspected 
 our intentions ; but I could not delay the attack
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 311 
 
 long, and was determined to make it under any 
 circumstances, for the rapid rate at which the 
 Rokurreas travelled was exhausting my men, 
 who had much ado to keep up with them. 
 
 By the merest good luck, about a coss after 
 we left the Nulla, we entered on a rough and 
 stony track, which diminished the speed of 
 the camel, whose feet were hurt by the stones, 
 and he picked his way cautiously, though I saw 
 the men on his back used every exertion to urge 
 him on. This slowness enabled my men to 
 take their places, and we continued to proceed 
 a short distance, but ready at any moment for 
 the onset. I wished to get as near the camel 
 as I could, in order to prevent its escape ; but 
 the road became worse, our pace still slower, 
 and I was satisfied it could not be urged quicker. 
 We were at this time all in a group, and I saw 
 that the time had come. How my heart beat ! 
 not with fear, Sahib, but with excitement — ex- 
 citement like that of a gambler who has risked 
 his all on a stake, and who, with clenched hands, 
 set teeth, and half-drawn breath, watches the 
 turn of the cowrees, which is either to ruin him 
 or better his fortunes. 
 
 Peer Khan threw a glance towards me : one 
 of the Rokurreas was trudging along at his
 
 312 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 horse's shoulders, another was at the same place 
 near mine ; and the fellows on the camel, with 
 their backs turned towards us, were singing mer- 
 rily one of the wild lays of the Rajpoots, in which 
 from time to time they were joined in chorus 
 by those on foot, and by some of my men who 
 knew the words. Jungiee was close behind the 
 camel leading my pony, and the others in the 
 rear, but all in their places. I cast but one look 
 behind to see that they were so, and being satis- 
 fied, I gave thejhirnee — "Jungiee pan lao !" I 
 cried with a loud voice. 
 
 The swords of my party flashed brightly from 
 their scabbards, and in an instant were buried 
 deeply in the bodies of their victims and crim- 
 soned with gore. As for myself, I had cloven 
 the scull of the fellow beneath me, and my 
 sword sticking in the wound escaped from my 
 hand as he fell ; I threw myself from my horse 
 to recover it, and only then saw the camel pro- 
 strate on the ground, moaning terribly ; the men 
 upon it had fallen with it, but both had gained 
 their legs: one had thrown himself upon Jun- 
 giee, and the poor lad waged an unequal com- 
 bat with him ; the other rushed on me with his 
 sword uplifted. Sahib, I thought my end was 
 come, but I had time to disengage my shield
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 313 
 
 from my back, and held it before me in de- 
 fence, while I tugged in very desperation at my 
 weapon. 
 
 Praise be to Alia ! it yielded to my great ex- 
 ertion, and we were on equal terms. I have 
 before told you of my skill as a swordsman, 
 but I had met my match in the Rokurrea : he, 
 though all his men were lying around him 
 save one, — who having sorely wounded my poor 
 attendant, was now closely pressed by Peer 
 Khan and another, — was as cool and wary as 
 myself. We fought well, and for a long time the 
 contest was equal ; we were both out of breath, 
 and our shields hacked with the repeated blows 
 we had each caught on them ; at last, as my 
 foot slipped on a stone, he made a stroke at 
 my head : the blow was weak from his ex- 
 hausted state, or it would have ended me : it 
 cut through my turban, and slightly wounded 
 my head. 
 
 I did not fall, though I was somewhat stun- 
 ned by the stroke ; he might have taken ad- 
 vantage of the moment, yet he neglected 
 it. Maddened by the thought of defeat, I 
 rushed on him, and by the violence of my 
 attack forced him backward: at last, he too 
 slipped as he retreated, and lost his balance ; he 
 
 VOL. II. P
 
 314 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 raised his sword wildly in the air to recover 
 himself, but I did not lose my opportunity as 
 he had done ; my blow descended with its full 
 force, increased by a sudden leap I made towards 
 him, and he fell to the earth cloven through 
 the neck and shoulder, — he was dead almost 
 ere he fell. A moment I gazed on the features of 
 the brave Rajpoot, and then sought my poor lad, 
 from whom the life-blood was fast ebbing away ; 
 his wound was also in the neck, and the blood 
 rushing into his throat was choking him. 
 
 I tried to staunch it with my waistband, 
 but ineffectually ; it relieved him for a moment, 
 and he asked for water. A leathern bag con- 
 taining some had been tied to the camel by one 
 of the men, and I put the mouth of it to his 
 lips ; he drank a little, and sat up, supported by 
 Goordut. 
 
 " I am killed/' said he, " Jemadar — I die — 
 my own blood chokes me : I cannot recover. 
 Do not leave my body to be eaten by the beasts, 
 but bury it. That fellow," continued he after 
 a short interval, and pointing to one of the 
 dead, "that fellow's sword killed me. I cut 
 the hind sinews of the earner's leg, and it fell ; 
 I thought they would both be stunned, but he 
 got up and attacked me, and I was no match
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 315 
 
 for him. All the rest of you were engaged, or 
 you would have helped me. But it was my fate 
 to die, and I felt it yesterday, the bitterness of 
 death then passed over me, but now I am con- 
 tent : the pain will soon be over." 
 
 Here he sunk insensible, and we stood around 
 him weeping, for he was an affectionate lad, and 
 we all loved him as a brother. But he reco- 
 vered again slightly, though the rattle was in 
 his throat, and the blood hardly allowed him to 
 speak. 
 
 ie My mother ! " he said faintly, " Jemadar, 
 my mother ! You know her, and my little 
 sister. They will starve now ; — but you will pro- 
 tect them for poor Junglee's sake?" And he 
 strove to bend his head on my hand, as though 
 to supplicate my assistance for them. 
 
 " Fear not," said I, " they shall be well cared 
 for, and while Ameer AH lives they shall know 
 no want." But I could hardly speak for weep- 
 ing, for I knew the old woman, and many were 
 the prayers she made for his safe return as she 
 confided him to my care. Alas ! how should 
 we be able to tell her his fate ! 
 
 The poor boy was satisfied with my words ; 
 he would fain have replied to them, and his lips 
 moved ; but a torrent of blood checked his utter- 
 p 2
 
 316 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 ance, and raising his dull and glazed eyes to 
 mine, he bowed his head on my hand, and died 
 in the effort. " Now," said I to the assembled 
 Thugs, " I here swear to one thing, and ye are 
 none of mine unless ye agree to it. I swear that 
 whatever share would have come to this poor 
 lad, it shall be doubled for his mother : as yet 
 we know not what it is, but, whatever it be, it 
 shall be doubled." 
 
 " We agree," cried all ; " nay, every man of 
 us will add to it what he can ; had Junglee not 
 hamstrung the camel, which none of us thought 
 of doing, it might, nay would, have escaped : for 
 we saw its speed yesterday, and the two good 
 Rajpoots who were on it would have carried it 
 off." 
 
 "Ye are my own brothers for this good 
 promise," I said ; " and now some of you dig a 
 grave for the poor lad. We must unload that 
 beast, and strip the bodies. For myself, I am 
 in some pain, and will wash my head and tie 
 up the cut : so set about your work quickly." 
 
 The camel still lay groaning; they tried to 
 raise it up, but in vain ; the stroke had divided the 
 sinew above the hock, and it could not raise it- 
 self; so one of the men cut its throat, and ended 
 its pain. The bags of treasure were transferred
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 31/ 
 
 to my pony and Peer Khan's horse and mine, 
 and every man also filled his waistband, so 
 that we were enabled to carry it all off. We 
 took the swords of the Rajpoots; but every- 
 thing else, and their bodies, were dragged into 
 the jungle to some distance, and hastily covered 
 with earth and stones. The bloody earth on 
 the scene of the conflict was collected and 
 thrown away, and in a veiy short time nothing 
 remained to mark the spot but the carcass of 
 the camel, which we could not dispose of; and 
 leaving the usual marks for the guidance of 
 Motee and his party, we continued our march 
 on the main road. 
 
 Ah, how great was our joy when, before we 
 reached the stage we were to encamp at, and as 
 we sat at the edge of a stream washing ourselves, 
 we saw, on the brow of a rising-ground we had 
 just passed, our party coming up ! They ran 
 towards us in breathless anxiety and hope. 
 
 Motee was first, and he threw himself into 
 my arms. " We hastened on/' he said, " from 
 the last stage, hoping to overtake you in time ; 
 and when we saw the dead camel, how great 
 was our suspense till we could find you ! We 
 saw the traces of the conflict, and some blood
 
 318 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 which had escaped your notice, — which I have 
 removed, — and that added to our anxiety ; but 
 Davee be praised ! we have found you at last, 
 and you are all safe. Is it not so ?" 
 
 " Not quite," I said ; " we have lost poor 
 Junglee, who was killed in the fight : and I am 
 wounded ; but 't is only a slight cut, and a few 
 days will heal it." 
 
 Some of the treasure was instantly distri- 
 buted to the other ponies ; and encamping out- 
 side the village, when we reached it, after the 
 accustomed sacrifice, I had my small tent 
 pitched, and all the treasure was" conveyed to 
 it. One by one the bags were opened, and 
 glorious indeed was the booty — well worth the 
 risk we had encountered ! It consisted of dol- 
 lars, gold mohurs, and rupees, to the value of 
 sixty thousand rupees in all; and there were 
 also six strings of large pearls in. a small box, 
 sewn up in wax-cloth, which could not be worth 
 less than ten thousand more. I need not de- 
 scribe our joy : we had comfort, nay affluence, 
 before us for years, and every one sat and gazed 
 at the heap of treasure in silent thankfulness. 
 Finally, it was all collected and put into bags, 
 which I sealed with my own seal.
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 319 
 
 We now hurried to our home, for we sought 
 no adventure, nor needed any : only two unfor- 
 tunate wretches, who insisted on joining us, were 
 killed^ and in less than a month we were within 
 three marches of our village. I despatched a 
 man in advance to give notice of our approach ; 
 and 5 Alia! how my heart beat with love and 
 fond anxiety to see Azima, and to press once 
 more my children to my hearty after all the 
 perils I had encountered ! how intense was my 
 anxiety to reach my own threshold, when I saw 
 the well-known grove appear in view, the spot 
 from whence I had departed so full of hope, 
 and the walls and white musjid of the village 
 peeping from amidst the trees by which they 
 were surrounded ! I urged my horse into a 
 gallop, and I saw my father and Moedeen ap- 
 proaching to meet me, to give me the istukbal, 
 the welcome of return ; but, as I neared them, 
 they hung their heads, and advanced with slow 
 and mournful steps. A sudden pang shot 
 through my heart. I threw myself from my 
 horse, and ran towards them. My father was 
 weeping. 
 
 "Speak, for the sake of Alia!" I cried. 
 " What can this be ? Oh say the worst at once,
 
 320 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 and tell me— is Azima dead? this suspense 
 will kill me." 
 
 A few words only the old man spake, as he 
 told me that my child, my beautiful boy, was 
 dead ! 
 
 And Ameer AH wept.
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 321 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 " Lear. — Dost thou know me, fellow ? 
 Kent. — No, sir; but you have that in your counte- 
 tenance which 1 would fain call master." 
 
 Lear. Jet I. Sc. 4. 
 
 Although the mind would ordinarily reject 
 sympathy with the joys or sorrows of a mur- 
 derer like Ameer Ali, one so deeply stained with 
 crime of the most revolting nature, yet for 
 the moment I was moved to see, that after the 
 lapse of nearly, twenty years by his account, 
 the simple mention of the death of his favourite 
 child could so much affect him, even to tears, 
 and they were genuine. I leave others to spe- 
 culate on the peculiar frame of the Thug's 
 mind, how this one feeling of tenderness escaped 
 being choked by the rank guilt that had sprung 
 up around it, and will pursue my relation of his 
 adventures. 
 
 Sahib, he said, why should I now trouble 
 p5
 
 322 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 you with an account of my miserable meeting 
 with my loved Azima? You can picture it to 
 yourself. Our souls had been bound up in that 
 boy, and it was long ere we could bring our- 
 selves to submit to the blow which the hand of 
 Alia had inflicted. But the poignancy of the 
 grief passed away, and our girl, growing up 
 in beauty, occupied our thoughts and engaged 
 our care and attention. 
 
 Some time after we returned, my father one 
 day came to me, and with concern on his coun- 
 tenance declared there was a rumour that we 
 were suspected, and that he thought our vil- 
 lage was no longer a safe abode for us. We 
 could risk nothing ; there might or might not 
 be truth in the report, but it was our duty to 
 secure a safe asylum : and accordingly he and I 
 set out to make a tour of the different states 
 as yet independent of the English, and to 
 find out whether any of their rulers would 
 allow us a residence on payment of a fixed tri- 
 bute, such as our fraternity had used to pay to 
 ShuhVs government when our village belonged 
 to that prince. We accordingly departed, and 
 after visiting many rulers in Bundelkund, (for 
 we were averse to going further from our home,) 
 we were received by the Rajah of Jhalone, and
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 323 
 
 were introduced to him by Ganesha Jemadar, 
 who was under his protection, and who made 
 him handsome returns from the booty he col- 
 lected for his friendly conduct. 
 
 Our negotiation was a long one : the Rajah 
 was fearful for some time of the consequences 
 of harbouring us, or pretended to be so in order 
 to enhance the favour he was conferring ; but 
 we distributed bribes plentifully to his attend- 
 ants and confidential servants, and at last suc- 
 ceeded in our object. We were to pey a tax of 
 three hundred rupees a year to his government, 
 present him with anything rare or valuable we 
 might pick up, and, to preserve appearances, 
 my father agreed to farm three villages situated 
 a short distance from his capital. The whole 
 concluded by our presenting to him one of the 
 strings of pearls we had taken on the last expe- 
 dition, my own beautiful sword, and other arti- 
 cles, valued at nearly five thousand rupees. 
 When we were thus mutually satisfied, my fa- 
 ther and some of the men remained behind, 
 while I and the rest returned to our village, to 
 bring away our families. 
 
 I confess I left our home with regret ; many, 
 many happy days had been passed there, and 
 we were beloved by the villagers, to whom we
 
 324 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 had endeared ourselves by our inoffensive con- 
 duct. We were now to seek a new country, 
 and form new ties and connexions — a disagree- 
 able matter under any circumstances. But my 
 father's wisdom had saved us. The information 
 the English officers had obtained — Alia only 
 knows how — was correct. In a veiy few 
 months after we were settled in our new abode, 
 we heard that the whole Purgunna of Murnae 
 had been attacked, village by village. Many 
 of the best and bravest of the Thugs had died 
 defending their homes ; the survivors had fled, 
 routed and utterly disorganized, and had taken 
 refuge with those who had made previous set- 
 tlements as we had done. 
 
 For my own part, so long as my money lasted 
 I was in no humour to expose myself to fresh 
 risks. I had too attained the highest rank 
 possible among Thugs, for I had been declared 
 a Soobehdar immediately upon my return from 
 the last expedition ; and I was content to enjoy 
 my ease, and assist my father in the manage- 
 ment of the villages which had been confided to 
 us, and by which we realized a comfortable in- 
 come. For the time, therefore, Thuggee was aban- 
 doned ; and though often urged by Ganesha, 
 who had a wild and restless spirit, to join him
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 325 
 
 in an expedition, we refrained from doing so, 
 and lived peacefully and respectably. 
 
 There was something about Ganesha which 
 to me was mysterious, and the instant I saw 
 him at the court of the Rajah, a thought flashed 
 into my mind that I had met him before under 
 painful circumstances. In spite of all my en- 
 deavours I could hardly ever shake it off suffi- 
 ciently to be on any terms of cordiality with 
 him ; and I viewed with suspicion and distrust 
 his intimacy with my father, and the evident 
 effect his counsels had upon him. In person 
 Ganesha was tall and strong, but his face was 
 more forbidding than any one I had ever before 
 seen, and there was a savage ferocity about his 
 manner which disgusted me. But let him pass at 
 present ; he has now little to do with my story, 
 hereafter I shall be obliged to bring him pro- 
 minently and disagreeably before you. 
 
 Nearly three years passed quietly, and un- 
 marked by anything which I can recall to my 
 memory. I had no more children, and my 
 daughter was growing up a model of beauty 
 and grace. I was happy, and never should 
 have dreamed of leaving home, had it not been 
 for the bad faith of the Rajah, and one unfor- 
 tunate season of drought; by the former we
 
 326 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 were obliged to pay five thousand rupees, which 
 he demanded under threats of discovering us ; 
 and by the latter we lost considerably in the 
 villages we farmed, which were now seven in 
 number, and forxwhich he obliged us to pay the 
 full amount of revenue. These sums seriously 
 diminished our resources ; and I began to look 
 about me for men, to compose a band to go in 
 search of more plunder. But they were not 
 easily collected, for my own men had dispersed 
 to distant parts of the country, and could not be 
 brought together save at great expense and 
 sacrifice of time. 
 
 Just at this period it was rumoured through 
 the country that Cheetoo and other Pindharee 
 chiefs of note would assemble their forces after 
 the rains, at the festival of the Dussera, and 
 had planned an expedition of greater magnitude 
 than any ever before undertaken ; an expedition 
 which was sure to enrich all its members, and 
 strike terror into the English government. The 
 idea suited me exactly ; I was a soldier by in- 
 clination, if not by profession ; and. I thought, 
 if I could join any of the durras with a few 
 choice men, well mounted, we might make as 
 good a thing of it as if we went out on an ex- 
 pedition of our own. The latter scheme, more-
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 327 
 
 over, promised no success, for the roads would 
 be infested by straggling parties of Pindharees, 
 who were well known to spare neither travellers 
 nor Thugs; they looked on the last indeed 
 with great enmity. 
 
 Accordingly I set to work to make my pre- 
 parations. Peer Khan and Motee still remained 
 near us, and^when I disclosed my plans to 
 them, they entered into them with great readi- 
 ness and alacrity. They had enough money to 
 mount themselves well, and after a short abs- 
 ence returned fully equipped for the journey. 
 I had told them to look out for a few really fine 
 fellows to accompany us, whom they brought ; 
 but our united means would not allow of our 
 purchasing horses for them, and on foot they 
 would be of no use. In debating on our dilem- 
 ma, an idea occurred to me that the Rajah would 
 perhaps lend or sell the horses, on the promise 
 of after and double payment. I had heard of 
 such things, and I determined to try what could 
 be done. 
 
 To my great joy the Rajah consented, and 
 with less difficulty than I had anticipated, for I 
 had become a great favourite with him. I was 
 allowed to take five horses from his stables, which 
 were valued at three hundred rupees each, with
 
 328 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 their saddles and accoutrements, and this sum 
 was to be doubled in case we returned success- 
 ful. The Rajah indeed thanked me for the hint 
 I had given him, and many others obtained 
 horses on the same terms, on giving security 
 for the performance of the conditions under 
 which they took them. 
 
 My final arrangements were soon completed. 
 We were all armed and accoutred in the hand- 
 somest manner we could afford ; and a better- 
 mounted or more gallant-looking little party 
 never set out in quest of adventure than I and 
 my seven associates. Before we started we con- 
 sulted the omens, which were favourable, and 
 we performed all the ceremonies of departure 
 exactly as if we had been going on an expe- 
 dition of Thuggee. 
 
 In due time we arrived at Nemawur, the re- 
 sidence of Cheetoo. Here were collected men 
 from every part of Hindostan, as various in 
 their tribes as they were in their dresses, arms, 
 and accoutrements. The country round Ne- 
 mawur was full of them, and the town itself 
 appeared a moving mass of human beings, at- 
 tracted by the hope of active service, and above 
 all of plunder. We lost no time in presenting 
 ourselves at the durbar of the chief, and were
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 329 
 
 graciously received by him. I opened our 
 conference in the usual manner, by presenting 
 the hilt of my sword as a nuzzur ; and having 
 dressed myself in my richest clothes, I was in- 
 stantly welcomed as if I had been a Sirdar of 
 rank, and had the command, not of seven men, 
 but of as many hundreds. 
 
 Cheetoo was a fine-looking man, and a gallant 
 leader. He ought to have died on the field of 
 battle, instead of in the miserable manner he 
 did. Xo man that ever led a Lubhur was juster 
 in the dwision of plunder; no one was ever 
 more attentive to the wants and complaints of 
 those under him than was Cheetoo Pindharee. 
 It was this which gained him so many followers, 
 while his personal activity and hardihood sti- 
 mulated his soldiers to exertion and emulation. 
 Nothing could tire him ; often have I seen him 
 after a long and weary march, when it was as 
 much as most of us could do to sit on our 
 horses, dash out to the front and exercise his 
 noble steed, which bore him gallantly, as though 
 he were only returning from a morning's ride 
 of a few miles. 
 
 Cheetoo was, as I said, struck with my ap- 
 pearance, as I introduced myself as a poor Syud
 
 330 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 of Jhalone, desirous of serving under him in his 
 ensuing campaign. 
 
 " Oh/' said he, a from Jhalone ! you have 
 travelled far, my friend ; but nevertheless you are 
 welcome, as every brave cavalier is who brings a 
 good horse and a willing heart to the service of 
 Cheetoo. You know my conditions of service ; 
 I give no pay, but as much plunder as your own 
 activity can procure : the people will tell you 
 what my share of it is; and I look to your 
 honesty, for your face belies you if you are a 
 rogue ." 
 
 " I know the conditions," said I, " and w T ill 
 accept them ; but I have brought a few friends 
 with me who are desirous of sharing my for- 
 tunes, and, if it be the pleasure of the Huzoor, 
 I will bring them." 
 
 " Surely," he replied ; " but now I am en- 
 gaged : meet me with your men at the place of 
 assembly in the evening, and I will see them 
 and your horses, for the station I shall allot you 
 in the durra depends on their fitness." 
 
 I made my obeisance and retired. I had 
 made the acquaintance of one of Cheetoo^s 
 Sirdars, a man by name GhufFoor Khan, a per- 
 fect savage in appearance and deportment, a
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 331 
 
 fellow who had Pindharee written on his face,, 
 and had served with much distinction in the 
 durras of Dost Mahomed and Kureem Khan. 
 He had introduced me too Cheetoo, and now, 
 as he accompanied me from the durbar, he gave 
 me instructions how I was to proceed. 
 
 " You will meet us/ 5 he said, " on the plain 
 beyond the town, and see that all your horses 
 look well, that your men are well dressed and 
 armed, and I will venture to declare that you 
 are all placed in my division, which has the ho- 
 nour of leading, and is the first for fighting and 
 for plunder. I shall be glad to have you, 
 and I will try whether I cannot get you the 
 command of a hundred or two of my own ri- 
 sala. We want leaders, and from your appear- 
 ance I judge that you will do justice to my pa- 
 tronage." 
 
 " It is the very thing I have ever wished for," 
 I said ; " and if you will but favour me, I will 
 do my utmost to please you. It is true I have 
 as yet seen no sendee ; but that is easily learned 
 when the heart is willing." 
 
 We separated, and I hastened to my men to 
 get them in readiness for the inspection of our 
 new chief. Our horses had now rested from 
 the fatigue of the journey, and were in high
 
 332 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 condition : our arms were cleaned and sharp- 
 ened. We provided ourselves with the long 
 spear which is peculiar to the Pindharees, and 
 of which thousands were on sale; and at the 
 appointed hour I led my little band to the place, 
 where some hundred horsemen were already as- 
 sembled. I had dressed myself in the armour 
 of Subzee Khan, which was a magnificent suit ; 
 and my noble horse, as he bounded and cara- 
 coled with me, seemed proud of his rider, and 
 glad that he had at last got into a scene suited 
 to his fiery spirit. Peer Khan and Motee were 
 also striking figures, and nearly as well mounted 
 as I was ; and the rest were as good, if not bet- 
 ter, than the majority of those who were now- 
 assembled. 
 
 " Keep all together/ 5 said I to them; " do not 
 straggle, or our party will appear more insigni- 
 ficant than it really is. When you see the 
 chief coming, watch my movements and follow 
 me." 
 
 Long before sunset Cheetoo issued from the 
 town, accompanied by as gallant a company as 
 could well be imagined. The leaders of the 
 different durras were all around him, each 
 surpassing the other in the richness and mar- 
 tial air of his dress, his arms, and the trappings
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 333 
 
 of his horse. Before him, making his horse 
 leap and bound in a wonderful manner, rode 
 GhurToor Khan, clad in chain-armour, which 
 glittered in the red rays of the setting sun. No 
 one equalled him in appearance, though many 
 were noble-looking cavaliers; and no one ap- 
 peared to manage his steed with the ease and 
 grace that he did. 
 
 a That is the man !" I cried with enthusiasm 
 to Peer Khan; "that is the man we are to 
 serve under ; is he not a gallant fellow ? Now 
 follow me." And I gave my impatient horse 
 the rein, and dashing onwards was in an in- 
 stant at the side of Cheetoo, accompanied by 
 my men. I dropped my spear to the ground, 
 as I threw my horse back on his haunches 
 close to him, and making an obeisance down to 
 my saddle-bow, said that I had brought my 
 men as he had directed, and awaited his 
 orders. 
 
 Cheetoo checked his horse, and for a mo- 
 ment surveyed me with delight. 
 
 a You are a fine young fellow/' he said at 
 length, " and your men are excellently mounted. 
 I would there were as many hundreds of you as 
 you have companions. However, something may 
 be done. What say you, GhufFoor Khan, will
 
 334 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 the Meer Sahib serve with you ? and have you 
 a few hundred men to put under him ? w 
 
 ce May I be your sacrifice !" cried the Khan, 
 " 'tis the very thing your servant would have 
 proposed. I liked the Meer Sahib from the 
 moment I saw him, and now that he is pro- 
 perly dressed, by Alia ! he is a very Roostum, 
 and the only fit companion for himself (forgive 
 my insolence) that GhufFoor Khan sees/' 
 
 c( Then be it so," said Cheetoo ; " take him 
 with you, and see that you treat him kindly." 
 
 " Come," cried the Khan to me, " come 
 then, Meer Sahib, take a tilting-spear from one 
 of those fellows ; here is a rare piece of ground, 
 and I must see whether you are master of your 
 weapon." 
 
 " I fear not," said I ; " I know little about 
 the spear. On foot and with the sword I 
 should not fear the best man of the army ; 
 nevertheless, to please you, I will try." 
 
 I took the spear, a long light bamboo, with 
 a large stuffed ball of cotton at the end of it, 
 from which depended a number of small 
 streamers of red cloth, and following Ghuffoor 
 Khan, dashed forwards into the plain. 
 
 We pursued each other alternately, now ad- 
 vancing to the attack, now retreating, amidst
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 335 
 
 the plaudits of the assembled horsemen, who 
 looked on with curiosity to see how an utter 
 stranger would behave against the most accom- 
 plished cavalier of the army. For a long time 
 neither of us had any advantage over the other ; 
 our horses were admirably trained, and nei- 
 ther allowed the other to approach within 
 reach of the spear-thrust. This was the great 
 nicety of the tilt, and cries of " Shabash ! Sha- 
 bash !" resounded at every baffling turn or suc- 
 cessful escape from a meditated blow. At last 
 the Khan touched me ; it was but a graze, which 
 I received on my arm, having delayed for an 
 instant to turn my horse, and he cried out that 
 he had won. 
 
 " I own it," said I, as our horses stood 
 panting for breath, (C for I am, as you know, a 
 novice at the use of the weapon ; yet if you will 
 give me another trial, I will again cross spears 
 with you, and see if I have not better luck." 
 
 a Good," cried he, laughing ; " but look out, 
 for I warn you I shall not be merciful ; a sharp 
 blow on the ribs of a young hand teaches him 
 his vulnerable point, and causes him to be 
 careful ever after." 
 
 " Come on," cried I ; " if I can I will return 
 the compliment."
 
 336 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 We again took a large circle, and at a good 
 canter approached each other till we were 
 nearly within spear's length. The Khan was 
 as good as his word, and made several de- 
 sperate lunges at me. I avoided them, how- 
 ever, by the quickness of my horse, and I plain- 
 ly saw that he could by no endeavour ap- 
 proach near enough to me to strike a decisive 
 blow. His horse too, being fatter, was more 
 blown than my own ; and, after allowing him 
 to weary it still more for some time in a vain 
 pursuit of me, I suddenly changed my position 
 and became his assailant. I believe I was more 
 cool and wary than he was, for he appeared 
 vexed that a stranger should be on such equal 
 terms with him at his favourite exercise; he 
 did not parry my lunges with the same preci- 
 sion as in the first encounter, when, notwith- 
 standing all my efforts to touch him, he avoided 
 and laughed at me. Still I had not touched 
 him ; and growing weary of my close pursuit, 
 he endeavoured to turn again and become the 
 assailant ; but whether his horse was slow in 
 wheeling round, or whether I was too near to 
 allow of his avoiding the blow, I know not; 
 but as he endeavoured to cross behind me, I 
 wheeled my horse suddenly, struck my heels
 
 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 337 
 
 into his sides, and as he gave his accustomed 
 bound of some yards, struck my spear full on 
 the broad chest of the Khan, who was some- 
 what stunned by the blow. A loud shout from 
 those around us proclaimed my victory, and 
 the Khan himself, though abashed at his de- 
 feat, was one of the loudest in my praises to the 
 chief himself. 
 
 " By Alia !" said he, "thou art no stranger 
 at this work, Meer Sahib ; thou hast played me 
 a trick." 
 
 " I swear by your beard and the Koran that 
 I have not, Khan," I cried ; * it was the result 
 of chance. Alia knows that two days ago I 
 had never had a spear in my hand. I only 
 observed what you did when you hit me, and 
 to my good horse I owe my fortune. But it 
 was all chance, and though I prize the victory, 
 yet I regret that such a chance should have 
 hurt you." 
 
 " Nay, I am not hurt, Syud," he replied, 
 u and I bear these things with good humour ; 
 but if you are as good a hand with the sword 
 as you promise to be with the spear, there 
 will not be a man in the camp to stand before 
 you." 
 
 " It would be boastful in me to challenge 
 
 VOL. II. Q
 
 338 CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 
 
 any one/' said I., " seeing that I am a stranger 
 among you ; yet if the noble Cheetoo wishes 
 to try me, I will essay what I can do tomor- 
 row." 
 
 " Good, good \" cried all; and Cheetoo him- 
 self, vastly pleased with the result of my en- 
 counter with Ghuffoor Khan, bade me present 
 myself early at his residence, where he would 
 invite a few good swordsmen to attend and see 
 us exercise. 
 
 END OF VOL. II, 
 
 PRINTED BY RICHARD AND JOHN E. TAYLOR, 
 RED LION COURT, FLE!IT STREET.
 
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 UNIVER9ITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA 
 
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