The Star of India
Copyright© 2026 by Edward S. Ellis
Chapter 17: The Burra Bagh.
Luchman waited until several hours had passed, and would have waited longer, had not Mr. Hildreth awakened from sleep, his slight movement causing his wife and daughter to open their eyes. Despite their weariness, the excessive heat would not allow any one to slumber long. Avery himself secured a half hour’s nap, though the native remained wide awake all the time.
The guide now said that some miles of open country had to be passed before they could reach a stretch of jungle where they would find the most secure of all hiding places. He proposed, therefore, that they should move on while they had the opportunity, and his suggestion was gladly followed by the others.
The jungles of India are not among its least wonders. Being a tropical country, its vegetation is exuberant beyond description. There are found the most gigantic trees, enormous flowers, expansive leaves, delicious fruits, overpowering perfumes, spreading creepers, nutritious vegetables, and herbs of inestimable medicinal value.
You have heard of the banyan trees, some of which, with their down growing limbs, each forming a new trunk, measure a fourth of a mile in circumference, one tree thus constituting an entire grove. There, too, is the peepul, delicately beautiful, forcing itself through the mortar and cement of buildings, disintegrating them, and regarded as a sacred growth by the natives; the sisso, fine grained and handsomely veined; the sygwam or teak, the best timber for building; the cocoanut; the bamboo, talipot and mango.
It would be useless to try to classify the fruits, the most common of which are mangoes, pineapples, plantains, pomegranates, pumplenoses, jacks, custard apples, guavas, lemons, melons, oranges, sour sops, almonds, tamarinds, plums, figs, dates, citrons, yams, nolcolls and so on to the end of the chapter.
The bright moonlight, which had been so dangerous at times, now became a great help to the fugitives, who were no more than fairly started when they saw a singular sight.
First came a few mounted soldiers, followed by an immense elephant, covered with spangled cloth and a towering howdah. The great beast had the ends of his tusks sawed off, covered with gold, and tied with streaming ribbons of gaudily colored silk. The howdah was lined with crimson morocco, and the figure of a man could be discerned within, with a voluminous shawl gathered about him, as though it were midwinter.
Next came a smaller elephant, in whose howdah or saddle two men were seated, their gesticulations showing that they were talking earnestly about something. After these were a large number on horseback, the steeds brightly caparisoned and dancing, and finally a long procession of natives on foot, armed with any and all kinds of weapons on which they could lay hands.
Our friends were a little startled when they encountered this curious array, but Luchman assured them they had nothing to fear. The man on the large elephant most likely was a rajah or some native of authority. Luchman made a low salaam to the dignitaries, but they did not consider it their duty to respond, and swung along as though they saw him not.
It struck Dr. Avery that they ran no little risk in meeting this motley crowd, but their guide did not seem to think so. Despite the lateness of the hour, the temperature continued frightfully high. Indeed such a thing as coolness is unknown in that section of India in the month of May. The difference between midday and midnight is often but a few degrees. Night after night, the thermometer never sinks below 90°, and there are times in Madras and Bombay, during the hot season, when men are stricken with apoplexy while lying in their beds, because of the intolerable heat.
Under such circumstances, it will be understood that our friends advanced at a leisurely pace, so that when the growing light in the east drove them to the shelter of another grove, they were yet a number of miles from the extensive jungle of which their guide had spoken. As before, he found them food with little trouble, for they were never far from the hut of some native who was glad enough to sell to those who paid so liberally.
This day’s rest proved strengthening, so that when night came again, with its bright moon and clear, hot sky, all were eager to be on the move. From their hiding place among the trees, they saw quite a number of people passing back and forth along the road and across the fields. Most of these were armed, so that the fugitives took particular care to avoid being seen. It looked as though the news of the revolt had reached this section ahead of the little party, and though the rajah and his retinue had deemed them beneath notice, it was unreasonable to hope that all others would do so.
Luchman as usual took the lead when they entered the jungle, which was so dense that it could be penetrated only where there were well marked paths; the missionary and his wife came next, followed by Marian, Dr. Avery bringing up the rear. He had been instructed by Luchman to keep careful watch there, for there was a possibility of some of the treacherous natives stealing upon them from that direction.
The guide was only a short distance in advance, walking with the noiseless tread of an American Indian with all his senses on the alert. The shadows at times were so dense that it seemed necessary to feel the way, but the native was never at fault, and the bright moonlight penetrating through the branches gave great help.
About a mile had been passed, when Luchman stopped in his abrupt fashion and waited until his friends gathered around him. When asked whether there was anything amiss, he pointed to the left deeper into the jungle.
That which all saw was the twinkle of a camp fire, while sounds of voices were plainly heard through the stillness of the wood. The guide wished to learn the truth about this gathering, though there was perhaps no need of doing so. Telling the missionary and his family, therefore, to stay where they were, he invited Avery to go with him on what might be called a reconnaissance.
The camp was found to be further off than was supposed, and the care required in picking their way through the dense jungle delayed the arrival of the two within sight of the strangers.
There were four of the latter, who had been engaged upon some plundering expedition, for they had a large quantity of spoil, and were drinking bhang, a peculiarly intoxicating beverage made from hemp, there being two large bottles of this fiery stuff that were continually passed from mouth to mouth.
The scamps had shawls, clothing, jewelry, ladies’ dresses and trinkets that had probably been obtained by slaying some of the poor fugitives in the jungle or on the road from Delhi.
The sight of these budmashes or villains so exasperated Dr. Avery that he proposed to Luchman that they should open fire on them. But the guide would not consent.
“We could master them, sahib, easily enough, but there are more who would hear our guns.”
So the miscreants were left to their carousings, while the two continued to pick their way to the missionary and his family. They had not yet reached them when the native stopped with a soft “Sh!” His companion listened but heard nothing.
“What is it?” asked Avery in a whisper.
“Something is following us, sahib.”
“Man or beast?”
“I cannot yet tell, sahib.”
They stood motionless several minutes, but, hearing nothing more, pushed on again.
Just before reaching the path, where they had left their friends, Avery caught the rustling of the vegetation so near him that he started with a shudder of terror.
“I believe it is a tiger,” he said in the same guarded tone to the guide.
“Wait where you are, sahib, until I learn.”
The native was gone but a few minutes when he came back disappointed: he had not been able to ascertain anything more definite of the danger.