Confessions of a Thug

by Meadows Taylor

"Not at all, not at all," replied he. "It is my wish to go,—my great wish, Meer Sahib; but when I mentioned it in my zenana, though the proposition met with no opposing words or tears, they one and all declared that a lucky day must be fixed, without which it would be clearly of no use my going at all. You know what women are, Meer Sahib; suffice it to say, that I could not overcome their scruples; for the more I argued and persuaded, the more strongly they opposed; and in fact, the matter became so serious, that to pacify them—mind you—to pacify them—I sent ten rupees to a Brahmin who lives hard by, who is a noted astrologer, and the only one here in whom any confidence is placed. Alla is my witness, I cared not what he said; but when a message came back to say that to-morrow was an unlucky day, the whole Zenan-khana, wives, slaves, and asseels, set up such a howl of lamentation at what might have happened, and afterwards of congratulation at my having escaped the threatened evil, that I was fairly stunned, and have given up the idea of the journey for to-morrow at any rate. But you know, Meer Sahib, to-morrow's conjunction of planets may have a different effect, and as you will stay"——

"Indeed, Shekhjee," said I, "I cannot stay. Here have I idled away three whole days, and I can remain no longer, for time is precious to me. My patron will even now wonder what has delayed me; and to lose his favour will be the loss of my means of maintenance. So to-morrow I start, most assuredly, whether you come or not. And as to your accompanying me, that is your matter; I am perfectly indifferent to it, except that I shall lose your pleasant society on the road."

He was fairly perplexed. He had evidently reckoned on my stay; but my careless yet determined manner of speaking left him no hope of a change in my opinions; and, as a Persian would have said, he held "the finger of deliberation between the teeth of impatient desire." There he sat for a long time, looking on the ground in silence. It was a struggle between the love of gain and superstition; for though he had wished me to believe the contrary, he was as fully imbued with the belief of lucky and unlucky days as any of his wives, slaves, or asseels. At length he said:

"Meer Sahib, you remember our agreement—the two hundred rupees? I will make it another hundred if you stay one more day. You are a poor man, and a hundred rupees will buy many clothes for your daughter's marriage."

Here was a direct attempt to cheat me out of a hundred rupees; and, for the latter part of his speech, I could have strangled him on the spot. Yet I kept my temper: I was playing too deep a game to lose it, and for a trifle too.

"No, Shekh," said I, "it cannot be; I would not for a thousand rupees stay an hour after daylight to-morrow: you cannot tempt me. But have you ever thought that your Nujoomee may have played you false, and that it requires a few more rupees than ten to make the heavens propitious? I have heard of such things, ay, and proved them too, or perhaps I might believe in the aspect of the stars as you do."

"Ay! say you so, my friend?" cried he. "By Alla I would beat the rogue with a shoe in his own temple, with a shoe of cow's leather too, if I could think he was trying to cheat me; but that is impossible. How can he help the position of the stars? And yet say, shall I send more money?"

"No," said I, "surely not; if he is honest, he will fling it in your servant's face; if he is a rogue, he will keep it, and send word that the stars have changed; in the first case you will eat dirt, in the second you will be cheated, and he will laugh at your beard. No, I see no help for you, but to go in defiance of him, the zenana, and the stars; and this will prove you to be a man."

"Impossible, Meer Sahib," said he, despondingly. "Putting the Nujoomee out of the question, I have four wives, Alla help me!—the lawful number, you know; but oh! my friend, their wrath is dreadful, and I dare not provoke it."