“Why, then, tell it me,” I cried, full of eagerness. “I could hear nothing better.”
“Hush, Beebee. The soldiers or the boatmen might hear. If you’ll permit it, your slave will approach her head close to you, and whisper. Well then, Beebee, we have now left Allynagore (as the Nabob has named Calcutta) four days, and to-morrow the Jemmautdar in charge of the boat looks to arrive at Santipore. Now in that place there lives a rich merchant, a Christian, but a very virtuous and charitable person, though an unbeliever.” (So the Mussllemen call us, Amelia.) “This gentleman is a friend of the English, and made many intercessions to his Highness on their behalf when he marched against their factory, but in vain. If we could get speech of him, sure he would help us to escape the vigilance of the soldiers, and reach the shore, where he would receive us into his house and conceal us.”
“But who is this person, Misery? and what claim have we upon him, that he should expose himself to so much risk and inconvenience?”
“He is called Mr George, Beebee, and he’s of so charitable a disposition that he believes any person in distress to have a claim upon him.”
“Sure he’s the very friend we need,” I said; “but how throw ourselves in this way upon a stranger? Is the gentleman a married man, Misery?”
“Not to my knowledge, Beebee,” she said, somewhat doubtfully, but seeing my countenance fall, cried out suddenly, “Your slave is a fool, Beebee. How could she have forgot that Mr George is but lately married to a young lady of his own nation, whom he adores?”
“I’m glad to hear it,” said I. “Well, Misery, can we get speech of him?”
“Any idle fellow on the gott would carry a message, Beebee, if you paid him for secrecy.”
“Alas!” I cried, “I have nothing to pay him with. The plunderers took everything.”
“Your slave was more cunning than that, Beebee. When the louchees[02] in plundering the Buzar stripped her of her jewels, she contrived to hide this,” and she brought out from a corner of her cloth, where she had it tied up with great circumspection, a silver bangul, as they call a bracelet, set with corals.