Flood of Fire

Six

November 4, 1839

Honam

Two days ago an urgent letter arrived from Zhong Lou-si, who is away in another county, touring with Commissioner Lin. The letter said that Compton and I were to leave immediately for Whampoa, to catch a passage-boat. We were to travel to Humen, which is the location of a customs house where every incoming ship has to obtain clearance to proceed to Canton.

Apparently a British-owned vessel, the Royal Saxon, had just come in from Java; the captain, an Englishman, had indicated that he wanted to proceed to Canton with his goods. The captain had even indicated that he was willing to sign a bond, forswearing the opium trade, on penalty of his life. This was good news for us, because Captain Elliot has for the last several months prevented British merchants from coming to Canton because he did not want them to sign the bond. But here at last was a sign that British merchants were at last willing to defy the Plenipotentiary himself — this was exactly what Commissioner Lin has been hoping for. One other English vessel had already broken Captain Elliot’s embargo: if the Royal Saxon too was able to proceed to Canton then many others would surely follow — it would be a great victory for Commissioner Lin!

Our instructions were to serve as translators for the customs house officials who’d be dealing with the captain and crew: our job was to make sure that there were no misunderstandings. The sailors were mainly lascars, which was why it was necessary for me to be present. Since I’m classified as a yi, a foreigner, Zhong Lou-si had enclosed a special chop, to make sure that I encountered no official difficulties.

Humen overlooks the channel that Europeans call the Bogue or Bocca Tigris — the ‘Tiger’s Mouth’. It is about one hundred and eighty Chinese li from Guangzhou — about sixty English miles — and the journey, by boat, usually takes a day and a half.

We had no time to waste: the tide had just crested at Guangzhou and Compton said that the passage-boats would depart when the current turned. I went home to pack a few things, and we met again at Jackass Point, in the foreign enclave. From there a ferry took us to Whampoa where we caught a passage-boat for Humen.

The se boats are long, caterpillar-like vessels, crowded with passengers, livestock, cargo and vendors. Our official chop was a big help and we were able to find a quiet corner in which to settle in for the night.

We reached Humen in the late afternoon, on the second day. The town is of modest size, but it adjoins the largest defensive field-works of the Pearl River. There is a fort there with a massive battery of guns; it serves as the channel’s gatekeeper — foreigners call it the fort of Anunghoy. Behind the fort, the shore slopes steeply upwards, to form a crested ridge. At the top of this hill there is another fortified gun-emplacement with a powerful battery of cannon.

The harbour at Humen is dominated by the customs house: this is where we had been told to go. On arriving there we learnt that the Royal Saxon was already at anchor nearby: the ship’s captain was under instructions to proceed to the customs house next morning, to sign the bond. But in the meantime, a squadron of British vessels, with Captain Elliot on board, had also sailed in from Hong Kong, no doubt with the intention of preventing the Royal Saxon from approaching Humen. Everyone was on edge, wondering what would happen the next day.

Compton had thought that we would stay either at the customs house in Humen or at a nearby yamen. But on inquiring we learnt that there was no room for us in either. We were told that we would have to make other arrangements. Although Compton was disappointed, I was relieved: it was clear that the customs house officials were suspicious of me despite my official credentials; I was none too keen to remain there.

We went into Humen, to look for an inn, but these too were filled to capacity: apparently a massive project is under way to strengthen the fortifications of the Tiger’s Mouth, and large numbers of workers and overseers have flooded into the town.

Fortunately, Compton has relatives nearby, which is only natural since he is a native of that county. They live in a hamlet, on a neighbouring island called Shaitok (foreigners call it Chuenpee). We took a ferry over and met with a warm welcome from Compton’s relatives.

In the late afternoon the boys of the house took us for a long walk. The island is lush and leafy, with two conical hills. But its prettiness is deceptive: like Humen, Chuenpee bristles with cannon. Right on the water, there is a massive gun-emplacement: it looks across the Tiger’s Mouth towards Tytock, on the far side of the channel, where there is another large battery. On the summit of Chuenpee’s tallest hill there is another fort, a small one. The hill commands a panoramic view of the surroundings. The landscape was breathtaking: it was as if a scroll-painting had appeared before my eyes. To the east the estuary broadens into a wide funnel, with Hong Kong on one side and Macau on the other; to the west, the Pearl River meanders through a verdant plain, heading off in the direction of Guangzhou. The water of the estuary is a brilliant, sparkling blue, broken here and there by forested islands. On the far shore there are jagged mountains, with misted peaks.

Compton had brought a telescope with him, and we took turns examining the ships below. The Chinese fleet was concentrated at Tytock, on the other side of the channel: it consisted of sixteen war-junks, with castella-tions, fore and aft. Matted sails hung from their masts, projecting obliquely upwards, like the wings of moths. They were bedecked with streaming pennants and banners, and their bows were decorated with large, painted eyes. They were certainly faa faa hik hik — extremely colourful in appearance, but in size they were small, no more than a hundred feet in length, about as much as the Ibis if not less. Even ordinary trading junks are larger; as for European vessels, even a sixth-rate British warship is far bigger and heavier.

Swarming between the war-junks were many small boats and a dozen or so rafts with black flags: these were ‘fire-vessels’ Compton said; they are used as incendiary weapons, to spread flames amongst enemy ships. Some of them also carry ‘stink-bombs’ — chemical devices that disperse noxious gases and fumes.

The British ships were a couple of miles to the east, where the estuary broadens. The squad was a small one, consisting of a couple of ships’ boats and two warships. By British standards these were small vessels, and far from fearsome; one was I think a sloop-of-war and the other a small frigate. I guessed that according to the Royal Navy’s scale of ratings, they were fourth-rate warships.

Between the two squadrons, like a plump fish caught between two schools of predators, was the Royal Saxon, anchored beside an island. Scanning her decks with a spyglass, I spotted many turbaned heads — lascars! I began to wonder how I’d have felt in their position, caught between British and Chinese warships?

On the way back to the hamlet, Compton said he thought the British warships would beih fung tauh — avoid trouble. There are just two of them, what can they do against sixteen ships?

I thought it best to say nothing.

Next morning we went back to the customs house at Humen. The officials told us that we would not be needed after all: a chop had already been issued to the Royal Saxon and she would soon be coming through, on her way to Whampoa.

There was nothing for us to do, so we decided to go back to Chuenpee to pick up our things. As we were approaching the hamlet, we saw the boys of the house running towards the top of the hill. We began to run too and soon caught up with one of Compton’s nephews. We went up the hill together and on reaching the top we saw that the Royal Saxon had hoisted sail and was heading towards the Chinese customs house at Humen. This had roused the two British warships to give chase: they were about half a mile behind her, with every mast and yard crowded with canvas.

All of this had happened very quickly, and the Chinese fleet was clearly taken unawares. The war-junks and even the smaller boats were still at their moorings; not a single vessel had budged.

The two British warships closed quickly on the Royal Saxon. First the frigate flashed warnings with her signal flags. Then, with a puff of smoke and a booming report, a single cannon-shot was fired across the Royal Saxon’s bows.

Compton, who was standing beside me, could not believe his eyes: Are they going to attack an English ship?

I told him that they weren’t really attacking the Royal Saxon — they were warning her not to break the embargo by proceeding to Canton.

The Royal Saxon had taken heed and had already begun to change course. She now tacked steeply to starboard. Meanwhile, the Chinese ships had begun to move too; led by the largest of the junks, they brought their bows around and began to advance towards the British ships.

The two English warships slackened pace a little, but when it became clear that the junks were on course to intercept them, the sloop fell behind the frigate, to form a line of battle.

The war-junks were now bunched together, with the fire-boats and rafts swarming between them. As the warships drew abreast, one of the fire-boats was set alight and pushed towards the approaching frigate. Neither of the warships veered from their course — the fire-boat was moving too slowly to do them any harm. Holding steady, the English ships closed to a distance of less than a hundred feet. When the Chinese squadron was directly a-beam of them, the frigate flashed a signal, and the two warships unloosed their first broadside.

Puffs of smoke blossomed along the starboard beams of both warships. By the time the sound had crossed the water, the Chinese fleet was obscured from our sight by a dense white cloud. Moments later a noise of a different kind came across — a sickening sound of splintering and crackling, pierced by screams and shouts.

When the smoke cleared the stretch of water where the Chinese fleet had been was utterly transformed: it was as if a sheet of lightning had come down from the sky, to set the channel on fire. Dozens of masts had been shattered; some had been blasted into the water and some had crashed down on the junks’ decks, killing and maiming the men below. A couple of junks were listing steeply, their bows rising as water flooded into their punctured hulls. Of the burning fire-boat nothing remained but a few, flaming pieces of wood. Around the wreckage, the water was churning with flailing limbs and bobbing heads.

I had to shut my eyes. When I opened them again I saw that the largest of the junks had begun to move again: apparently this was the only vessel in the Chinese fleet that was still capable of functioning. Although two of her masts were gone, she slowly turned her bows around and fired off a volley. It served no purpose: the two British warships were far away, turning sharply for their next run.

Compton told me the big junk was Admiral Guan’s and handed me his telescope. Putting it to my eye, I caught a glimpse of an elderly man, trying desperately to rally his blood-spattered, reeling crew. In the meantime, the two British warships had completed their turn and were heading back to deliver their second broadside. As they drew abreast, the admiral turned to face them, looking directly into the cannon: it was an act of hopeless defiance.

Once again a curtain of smoke rose from the flanks of the two warships; once again the junks disappeared from view. This time, the sound of the fusillade was followed by a much greater noise, an explosion that sent great sheets of flame and debris shooting into the air. When the blast reached the hill the ground shook beneath our feet. It was clear that they had hit a magazine because a great tower of flame rose from the water.

When the smoke cleared we saw that one of the junks had burst open, like a shattered eggshell. The detonation hurled a mass of flying debris at the surrounding vessels, riddling them with gaping holes.

In the distance, the two British warships were sailing serenely back to their anchorage. They had suffered no damage other than a few minor burns caused by flaming debris.

Around us, many were weeping, including Compton’s nephew.

It’s the end, he sobbed, it’s finished.

Compton put an arm around his shoulders. No, it’s not finished, I heard him say. This is just the beginning.

Infidelity and unfaithfulness were unknown countries to Shireen. When she listened to relatives talking about the trespasses of others — for example a distant cousin who had been found in compromising circumstances with her sister’s husband — she was often more puzzled than shocked. How did such situations come about? What were the words with which these liaisons were proposed? How were they concealed from the khidmatgars and maids and all the other naukar-log?

She was at a loss to understand why anybody would choose to involve themselves in such complicated manoeuvres. Wasn’t it easier to go about things in a normal way? And more pleasant besides?

It astounded her now to think that her own husband had been leading another existence for some thirty years, a life of which she had not had the faintest suspicion. To think of a man who could successfully juggle these two utterly different realities was to conjure up a complete stranger. The most disturbing part of it was the way in which Bahram had reached out from his grave to pull her into this spirit-world, this strange dimension of existence where everything was deceit and trickery. What made it worse still was that she had been drawn into it of her own volition, by arranging to meet Zadig Bey again, alone — and not just to apologize, but mainly because she wanted to learn more about Bahram’s son. What good would come of it she didn’t know — but now that this window had opened she was powerless to turn away from it. To expunge her husband’s child from her mind was no more possible than it would have been to forget her own daughters.

As the trip to Bassein approached she obsessed about all the little things that might go wrong. She knew that the coachmen who drove her to the docks that morning would be under orders to escort her aboard, to make sure that she was comfortably settled in. She knew that when they returned they would be questioned. What would they report to her brothers and their wives? What if they caught sight of Zadig Bey and concluded that the meeting had been pre-arranged?

On the way to the docks her apprehensions grew so acute that she broke a fingernail by nibbling on it too hard. But on arriving she realized that she need not have worried: Vico was nothing if not discreet; he knew exactly what to do and had anticipated every eventuality.

The boat was a fine, two-masted batelo, with a crew of six and a curtained cabin in the middle — an eminently respectable vessel. Zadig Bey was nowhere in sight and there was a chaperone present, notably genteel-looking. Her name was Rosa and her clothing, like her deportment, was reminiscent of a nun: she was wearing a severely cut black dress, with long sleeves and a high neck. Her only adornment was a gold cross.

Vico explained that Rosa was a cousin of his, the daughter of an aunt who had married a Goan; Rosa’s husband had died the year before, leaving her a widow at the age of thirty.

Widowhood created an instantaneous bond between the two women. They linked arms with each other as Rosa talked about her childhood in Goa, and how she had married a master-cannoneer and moved with him to Macau, where he had died. Alone and childless, she had returned to India to return some of his effects to his family.

Zadig Bey did not make an appearance until the batelo had hoisted sail and pulled out into the bay. Nor was there anything awkward about the manner of his entry. Vico gave Shireen ample warning and she had plenty of time to cover her face with her sari.

Then the four of them sat together, drinking tea and nibbling on khakras. Zadig began to talk about watch-making and the atmosphere was so comfortable that Shireen began to feel silly for being in purdah — especially since Rosa, who was so much younger, was sitting beside her without a veil. She allowed her sari to slip off her face and thought no more of it.

Only when Shireen was completely at her ease did Vico and Rosa slip away, on a pretext, leaving her alone with Zadig. To Shireen’s great relief Zadig carried on talking about timepieces so there were no difficult moments of silence. His tact and delicacy went straight to her heart and gave her the courage to say the words that she had prepared.

‘Zadig Bey — I owe you an apology.’

‘For what?’

‘For what I said that day, at the church. I am very, very sorry that I did not believe you.’

‘Please, Bibiji, think nothing of it. To tell you the truth, I was moved by your loyalty to your husband.’

‘Even though he did not deserve it?’

‘Bibiji, this I can tell you — he loved you and his daughters very much. Everything he did was for you.’

Shireen could feel her eyes welling up now, and she didn’t want to waste any time on tears. ‘Tell me about the boy, Zadig Bey. What is he like?’

‘Freddie? What can I tell you? Things have never been easy for Freddie. Bahram did what he could for him — but he could not give him the thing he most wanted.’

‘What was that?’

Zadig smiled. ‘You, Bibiji. Freddie wanted to meet you; he wanted to know you; he wanted to be accepted by you, to be taken into the family. You must understand that Freddie grew up in Canton’s floating city, among the “boat-people”, who are like outcastes in the eyes of many Chinese — and he wasn’t even fully one of them. Yet he knew that his father was rich and had married into a prominent family. He desperately wanted to claim some part of this birthright. He begged Bahram-bhai to take him away from Canton and bring him to Bombay — but Bahram-bhai knew that Freddie would not be accepted, by your family, or by the Parsi community. He knew that it would only make things worse for him.’

There was a catch in Shireen’s throat now, and she paused to clear it.

‘I can’t deny what you say, Zadig Bey: my husband was probably right. There would have been a terrible scandal and my brothers would not have allowed the boy to set foot in the house. Perhaps I too would have refused to meet him. But now that my husband is gone everything has changed. Now that I know about this boy, I will have no rest until I see him. Do you think he might still want to meet me?’

Zadig nodded vigorously. ‘Of course, Bibiji. Bahram-bhai’s death has left him orphaned and adrift. He has no one in the world now, except a half-sister. He needs you now, more than ever.’

‘But how is it to be arranged, Zadig Bey?’

Zadig steepled his fingertips: ‘Bibiji, I have received the news that Freddie is now in Singapore. If you were to travel to China you would have to stop there. To arrange a meeting would not be difficult.’

‘You think you will be able to find him?’

‘Yes, Bibiji. I am certain that I’ll be able to trace him. If you make the journey you will surely meet him. It all depends on you.’

In preparation for his night-time appointment with Mrs Burnham, Zachary spent many hours walking around the Bethel compound, scouting the grounds and plotting his route. There were several stands of trees between the budgerow and the far corner of the house so he knew that he would not lack for cover. The only foreseeable hazard was the gravel border that ran around the mansion: he would have to tread softly when he crossed it, in case the sound gave him away.

But in the event, these calculations were rendered superfluous by the weather: shortly before it came time for Zachary to leave the budgerow a storm broke over the city.

Zachary found a piece of tarpaulin and wrapped the Treatise in it. A few minutes before eleven he tucked the parcel under his arm, stuck a cap on his head and threw an old oilskin over his shoulders. Then he went gingerly down the gangplank, which was slippery with rain, and sprinted across the grounds. With the help of a few flashes of lightning he quickly found his way to a tree that faced Mrs Burnham’s boudoir.

The house was in total darkness now, but he was able to detect a trickle of candlelight, spilling out from under Mrs Burnham’s curtains. He looked around to make sure there was no one about, and then darted over to the house, crossing the gravel border with a flying leap. The servants’ door flew open at the first try and he slipped quickly inside, sliding the bolt into place behind him.

A candle was waiting, as promised, on the first rung of the narrow staircase that lay ahead. His shoes were caked with mud, so he kicked them off, depositing them at the bottom of the stairs, along with his dripping cap and oilskin. Then he grabbed the candle and ran up the steps, to the landing above. A faint glow was visible in the distance, through a pair of interconnecting doors. He began to walk towards it, stepping carefully around the commodes, basins and racks of the goozle-connuh.

Ahead lay the boudoir, a large, comfortably furnished room illuminated by lamps that flickered gently in the draughts that were whipping through the house. At the centre of the room was a huge four-poster bed, swathed in a gauzy mosquito-net. On the far side of the bed were two armchairs: Mrs Burnham was seated in one of these and when Zachary appeared in the doorway she rose to her feet, holding her tall, Junoesque figure stiffly upright.

Until then, Zachary had allowed himself to imagine that the unusually intimate circumstances of their meeting might lead to a slight relaxation in Mrs Burnham’s unbending demeanour. This hope was quickly dispelled: the avatar of the Beebee of Bethel that stood before him now was even more forbidding than her other incarnations — in her hands, which were clasped against her chest, she was holding a gleaming, blunt-nosed pistol. Her clothing too was of a warlike aspect: on her head was a velvet turban, and her body was fully encased, from the base of her throat to the tip of her toes, in a garment that shimmered like armour. Only at second glance did Zachary realize that it was a silken robe — a voluminous and heavily embroidered ‘banyan’ gown, held together, at the waist, by a tasselled cord.

Mrs Burnham wasted no time on pleasantries: she greeted Zachary by wagging her pistol, to signal to him to step inside. But when she saw that his eyes were locked apprehensively upon her weapon, she permitted herself a slight smile.

‘I trust my little tamancha will not incommode you, Mr Reid,’ she said in a tone of mild amusement. ‘The hour of night being what it is I thought it prudent to make sure that it was you and not some unwanted intruder who had gained entry to my boudoir. Now that I am satisfied on that score I will disarm myself.’

Turning aside, she placed the pistol on a nearby teapoy — but although the weapon was indeed out of her hands, it did not escape Zachary’s attention that it was still within easy reach; nor did he disregard the note of warning in her voice when she added, offhandedly: ‘I am an excellent shot I might add — my father was a brigadier-general in the Bengal Native Infantry you know, and he liked to say that a memsahib’s honour is only as good as her marksmanship.’

‘Yes, ma’am.’

Zachary was glad now that he had taken the precaution of wrapping the Treatise in tarpaulin: he did not like to think of the reproof he might have earned had it been damaged or drenched. He stepped forward, extending the package towards her. ‘Here is the book, madam — untouched by rain, I’m glad to say.’

‘Thank you.’

She received the book with a nod and pointed to the armchair that faced her own, across a low table. ‘Please, Mr Reid, do take that cursy.’

‘Thank you.’ Zachary was glad to see that there was a tray on the table, with a decanter and two glasses.

Following his gaze, Mrs Burnham said: ‘I thought it might be advisable to have some brandy at hand, on a stormy night like this. Please pour some for yourself, Mr Reid — and for me too.’

Zachary filled a glass and was handing it to her when he noticed that she had now armed herself with a notebook and pencil.

‘We are pressed for time,’ she said by way of explanation, ‘and in order to make good use of it I have taken the precaution of listing a few of the questions that I will need to ask. Shall we proceed?’

Zachary made a half-hearted effort to procrastinate: ‘Well I don’t know …’

‘Of course you don’t,’ said Mrs Burnham tartly. ‘How could you, since I have yet to put any questions to you? It is important for you to understand, Mr Reid, that the malignancy of your malady varies greatly with the time of its onset and other early experiences. It is thus of the utmost importance to ascertain the precise history of your experience of this illness. So we must start by determining when you fell prey to the disease. Do you remember how old you were when the symptoms first manifested themselves?’

Zachary flushed and dropped his eyes: ‘You want to know when I … it … started?’

‘Exactly. And it is important also to establish how you contracted the infection. Did the symptoms present themselves spontaneously? Or were they, so to speak, transmitted by contact with another victim?’

At this, a cry of indignation burst from Zachary’s lips. ‘Good God, madam! Surely you do not expect me to tell you that?’

Mrs Burnham’s face hardened. ‘Yes, I most certainly do, Mr Reid.’

‘Well then you must prepare for a disappointment, madam,’ Zachary retorted. ‘It is none of your business and I’ll be damned if I answer.’

Mrs Burnham was unmoved by this show of defiance. ‘May I remind you, Mr Reid,’ she said, in an implacably steely voice, ‘that the question — and such answers as it may elicit — are likely to be far more distasteful to me than to you? Nor should you forget that it is through no fault of my own that I find myself in the unfortunate situation of having to make these inquiries. Indeed I cannot understand why you are now affecting these airs of modesty, considering that it was you who presented your … your symptoms … unbidden before my eyes. Not once but twice.’

‘Those were accidents, madam,’ said Zachary, ‘and they do not give you the right to subject me to such an inquisition.’

‘I assure you, Mr Reid,’ said Mrs Burnham, the menace in her voice growing ever more pointed, ‘that what I have asked of you is by no means as intimate as the disclosures that will be required of you by Dr Allgood should he learn of your condition.’

The colour drained from Zachary’s face and his voice fell to a whisper. ‘But surely,’ he pleaded, ‘surely you would not tell him?’

‘Well that remains to be seen,’ said Mrs Burnham briskly. ‘But you should know, in any case, that if Dr Allgood were in my place you would be required to do much more than merely answer questions.’

‘What do you mean?’ said Zachary, shrinking fearfully into the armchair. ‘What else could he want?’

‘He would consider it necessary also to examine the … the site of your affliction.’

‘What?’ Zachary looked at her in appalled horror. ‘Surely you do not mean …?’

She nodded firmly. ‘Yes, Mr Reid. Dr Allgood believes that examinations are imperative in such cases. I will not flinch from disclosing to you that his journals contain many detailed measurements and drawings of a certain element of the male anatomy.’ She gave a little sniff and straightened her turban: ‘You too would probably be required to sit for a portrait, if you know what I mean.’

‘God damn my eyes!’ gasped Zachary. ‘Has the man no shame?’

‘Oh come, Mr Reid,’ she said. ‘Surely you would not expect a doctor to treat a disease without examining its lesions, would you? And if you are gubbrowed by the thought of being sketched and measured for posterity, then you should know that these are by no means the most intrusive of the doctor’s methods.’

A shiver went through Zachary: ‘What else then?’

‘When necessary the doctor also makes surgical incisions to prevent the recurrence of the seizures.’ ‘No!’

‘Yes indeed,’ she continued. ‘In particularly recalcitrant cases, he even inserts a pin into the prepuce. He says that a great many lunatics have been cured by these devices.’

‘Geekus crow!’ Squirming in his seat, Zachary crossed his legs into a protective knot. ‘Has the man no mercy?’

Mrs Burnham smiled grimly. ‘You see, Mr Reid, you have good reason to be grateful that it is I and not Dr Allgood who is conducting this interview. It should be amply evident to you that your best course is to provide frank and honest answers to my questions.’

The peremptoriness of her manner fanned the winds of mutiny that were stirring inside Zachary. He jumped to his feet. ‘No, madam!’ he cried. ‘This interrogation is utterly iniquitous and I will not submit to it. I bid you good night.’

He strode to the door and was about to open it when Mrs Burnham’s voice forced him to halt, in mid-stride. ‘You should know, Mr Reid,’ she said, in sharp, ringing tones, ‘that in the event of your refusing treatment I will be compelled to disclose to Dr Allgood all that I know of your condition. And I do not doubt that when he hears of the incident at the ball, he, in turn, will deem it necessary to inform the relevant authorities.’

Zachary spun around. ‘You mean you’ll go to the police?’

‘So I will if necessary.’

‘But that is utterly monstrous, madam!’

‘To the contrary,’ said Mrs Burnham, ‘it is a great deal less monstrous than the manner in which my modesty was outraged, at the ball, and in my sewing room. Are you not forgetting, Mr Reid, that I am the victim in this? Would I not be failing in my duty towards my sex if I did not exert myself to make sure that no other woman suffers such outrages? Is it not a matter of public safety?’

Shifting his weight from one foot to another, Zachary drew his sleeve across his face, which was now beaded with sweat.

Mrs Burnham was quick to seize on his hesitation. ‘It is wise of you to reconsider, Mr Reid,’ she continued. ‘If you give a moment’s thought to the courses that are open to you I think you will perceive that your best option is to answer my questions. And it is all for your own good after all.’

Zachary’s shoulders sagged, as though his chest had been suddenly emptied of air. Dragging his feet slowly across the rug, he returned to the armchair and poured himself some more brandy.

‘So what else do you want to know, Mrs Burnham?’

*

Kesri was not in the lead on the day when the Pacheesi finally completed its march back to Rangpur, where its Assam base was located. He and his company were assigned to rearguard duty that day, which meant that they did not get on the road until the tents were struck and the magazine was loaded on to carts and mules — and even then they had to march slowly in order to keep pace with the hackery carts that were carrying the sick and the wounded. The carts stopped frequently to allow the physick-coolies to tend to their patients; and at each halt Kesri and his company had to mount guard to protect them from looters and dacoits.

Marches were usually so timed that they ended before the full heat of the day. But only the forward parts of the column benefited from this — the rearguard often had to be on the road at the very hottest time of day. Baked by the afternoon sun, the iron frames of the sepoys’ armoured topees became so hot that it was as if they were carrying boiling cauldrons on their heads.

The march was even harder on Kesri than the others since he was the oldest among them — some of the younger men were less than half his age, and none of them had to carry so large a burden of old scars and wounds. Out of consideration for himself he ordered a long rest after the mid-day meal, so that they could wait out the heat. To get everyone moving again took longer than he had expected so that it was almost sunset before the hackery carts were back on the road. By the time the lights of the Rangpur camp came into view it was late at night and Kesri’s koortee was soaked in sweat; a thick layer of dust had settled on the wet cloth, clinging to it like plaster.

A mile from the base, Pagla-baba materialized suddenly out of the darkness. Kesri! he cried, tugging at his arm. You have to hurry — the subedar wants you, right now!

Why?

I don’t know, but you have to go to his tent ekdum jaldi. He’s got many other afsars with him — jamadars, havildars, naiks.

How many?

Nine or ten.

The number startled Kesri. It was very unusual for so many sepoy-afsars to assemble in one place, either in a cantonment or a camp: large meetings were expressly forbidden by the British officers, who believed such gatherings to be conducive to conspiracies and mutiny. A meeting could only be held with the approval of the adjutant; permission was very rarely granted, and then too, only for matters relating to family and caste. It was almost unheard of for such a meeting to be held so late at night.

Pagla-baba knew exactly what was going through Kesri’s head.

The subedar has taken permission from the adjutant-sah’b, he said. It must be some kind of family business; only the subedarsah’b’s closest relatives have been asked to attend. They are meeting with some visitors who have come all the way from their village, near Ghazipur.

Do you know who the visitors are?

I know only one of them, said Pagla-baba. He’s related to you — Hukam Singh’s brother.

Chandan Singh?

Yes. Isn’t he your sister Deeti’s brother-in-law?

That’s right. What’s he doing here?

I don’t know, Kesri — but you’d better hurry!

Mrs Burnham glanced at her notes: ‘You will remember, Mr Reid, that I had asked you if you could recall when the symptoms of the disease first appeared.’

Zachary drained his brandy and poured himself another: ‘I was twelve or thirteen I guess.’

‘And did the symptoms manifest themselves spontaneously? Or was the infection transmitted by another victim?’

Zachary swallowed a mouthful of brandy. ‘My friend Tommy showed me.’

Mrs Burnham’s pencil flew across the notebook. When it came to a stop she cleared her throat. ‘And may I ask, Mr Reid, if you are a stranger to that … that act which Divine Providence has intended to be consecrated to the purposes of procreation?’

Zachary cleared his throat. ‘If you’re asking whether I’ve ever been with a woman, the answer is yes.’

‘And how old were you, may I ask, when you were first intimate with a woman?’

He tossed off his brandy and poured more, for both of them. ‘Maybe sixteen?’

‘And who was she?’

‘A ladybird, if you must know.’

‘You mean … a woman of the streets?’

He gave a derisive snort. ‘More like a woman of the house — a bawdy-house, that is.’

‘And have you visited those often, Mr Reid?’

‘Four or five times — I’m not sure.’

‘I see.’ She paused to take a deep breath. ‘And are those the only women with whom you have … fornicated?’

‘Yes.’

‘Mr Reid.’ She cleared her throat and took a sip of brandy. ‘Mr Reid — it is really important that you be candid with me.’

He raised his eyebrows. ‘I don’t understand what you mean, Mrs Burnham. I have been as candid with you as it is possible to be.’

She frowned in reproof. ‘Mr Reid — I know that is not true.’

He answered with an angry glare. ‘How can you possibly say that? You don’t know nothin about me.’

‘Please, Mr Reid,’ she persisted. ‘I urge you to reflect and to be frank with me. Were I to ask if you had ever seduced and compromised a young, innocent girl, would you be able to deny it, in good conscience?’

‘Yes, you’re darn right I would,’ Zachary shot back. ‘I’ve never done nothin of that kind.’

‘But I happen to know otherwise, Mr Reid. I know for a fact that you have ravished at least one unfortunate young woman.’

This incensed him. ‘It is not a fact, Mrs Burnham, because it ain true! I never ravished no one.’

‘But what if I were to inform you, Mr Reid, that it was from the victim herself that I learnt of this? And in this very room at that.’

‘I tell you there is no victim!’ Zachary cried. ‘I don’t know who you could be thinking of.’

Looking steadily into his eyes, Mrs Burnham said: ‘Paulette Lambert. Can you deny that you have seduced and violated that sweet innocent girl?’

Zachary’s mouth fell open and he stared at her in disbelief, temporarily bereft of words. ‘That’s impossible,’ he spluttered. ‘Paulette could not have said anything like that. It’s not possible.’

‘But she did. I heard it from her own lips. In this very room.’

‘And what exactly did she say?’

‘I will tell you, Mr Reid: it happened last year, when Paulette was living with us. I had summoned her here in order to inform her that Mr Justice Kendalbushe was desirous of suing for her hand in marriage. I will not conceal from you that I was eager for her to accept. I had grown exceedingly fond of Paulette in the short time that she spent with us. I knew that if she accepted the judge’s offer she would remain nearby, and the tender companionship that she and I had come to enjoy would be preserved and prolonged. But it was not to be: despite all my dumbcowings Paulette was adamant in her refusal — so much so that my suspicions were aroused. I asked if she had lost her heart to another. She did not deny it, so I asked if the chuckeroo in question was you — and again she did not deny it. My suspicions were further inflamed by this, so I asked if she had compromised herself with you. Again she did not deny it: to the contrary she confirmed to me that she was … with child!’

‘Impossible,’ protested Zachary. ‘Mrs Burhnam, I am not a stranger to the act of procreation, as I have said, and I can assure you that nothing like that transpired between Paulette and me.’

‘I am sorry, Mr Reid,’ she retorted, ‘but I am sure you will admit that it is impossible to give any credence to the word of someone such as yourself, a chokra of acknowledged lewdness, who thinks nothing of “polishing the pin” in full view of the riverfront — a man so lacking in self-control as to be aroused, in a public place, by a woman who is almost twice his age!’

‘Oh come, Mrs Burnham,’ he said weakly. ‘Surely you are not twice my age?’

‘If I were three times your age, I doubt that it would make any difference to a budmash as wayward as yourself!’ Mrs Burnham’s voice rose: ‘Let me tell you, Mr Reid, that from the day Paulette ran away from this house I knew that you were to blame for her disappearance. I did not doubt for a minute that she had run off to give birth to your bastard child. If I have not revealed this to anyone, even my own husband, it is because I did not wish to add to her shame — but you may be sure that I did not intend for it to pass without retribution either. From the day you arrived here I have been determined to make you see the error of your ways, and to make restitution for what you have done to Paulette.’

Mrs Burnham’s manner had grown increasingly heated as she was speaking and two bright spots of colour had appeared on her cheeks. The fraying of her composure had a strangely calming effect on Zachary, and when she fell silent he took a moment or two to think of how best to persuade her of the absolute groundlessness of her conjectures.

‘You are certainly right about one thing, Mrs Burnham,’ he said at length, in a level tone. ‘It is true that I felt very powerfully drawn to Paulette, from the moment of our first meeting, on the Ibis, last year. But we were alone together only a couple of times and all our meetings ended badly, with quarrels and arguments. And yes, once there was a kiss, but that was all. I even asked her to marry me one time, but she wouldn’t hear of it. As for being seduced or compromised by me, that would be laughable if it were not offensive. She was never in the least danger of that. If she was with child, it certainly wasn’t because of me …’

Here, suddenly, a thought occurred to him that made the words wither on his lips.

He sat back and looked up at the ceiling, fingering his chin, as ideas and possibilities raced through his mind.

‘What is it, Mr Reid?’

Lowering his gaze, he saw that she had put her notebook aside and was leaning forward in her chair, watching him with an expression of the most intense curiosity. This sent a thrill of satisfaction through him; it was as if there had been a sudden shift in the balance between them, as happens on a ship at the change of watch, when the powers of command are transferred from one officer to another.

‘Oh it’s nothing, Mrs Burnham,’ he said, making a pretence of off-handedness. ‘Just a thought that came into my mind.’

‘What is it? Please tell me.’

He paused to savour the note of supplication in her voice. ‘I don’t know if I should, Mrs Burnham,’ he said.

‘But why not?’

‘That’s the thing, Mrs Burnham: this isn’t about me and Paulette. It concerns you too and may cause you great distress.’

Mrs Burnham’s eyes dropped. ‘Mr Reid,’ she said, in a dry, taut voice, ‘tell me …’ — it was she who now had to pause to mop her face — ‘tell me, is it something to do with … with my husband?’

He nodded. ‘Yes.’

She clasped her hands and pressed them to her chest. ‘Mr Reid, you must speak. I need to know.’

Her tone was one of entreaty, all trace of her former imperious-ness having now disappeared. It seemed hardly possible that this was the same woman who a short while before had been issuing veiled threats, in a voice of steely command.

‘Are you sure, Mrs Burnham?’ said Zachary. ‘There’ll be no turning back, you know.’

‘Yes. I’m sure.’

‘Very well then.’

A peal of thunder sounded nearby and Zachary waited for the sound to rumble through the room.

‘Mrs Burnham — I hope you will not regret hearing this, but here it is. One night, soon after she ran away from your house, Paulette arranged to meet with me. She told me that she did not want ever to return to Bethel and begged me to get her a passage to Mauritius, on the Ibis. I asked why she was so desperate to go, and she told me she wanted to escape from Calcutta, at all costs, because she was afraid of …’

‘Mr Burnham?’

‘Yes. So I asked her if anything had happened between herself and your husband and she answered by telling me a strange story.’

‘Please go on. I am listening.’

‘She said that while she was here Mr Burnham would often call her into his study, to give her scriptural lessons in private.’

‘Go on, Mr Reid.’

‘She said that as the lessons progressed Mr Burnham had asked her to do … certain things.’ ‘What things?’

‘Well, I may as well say it: what he wanted was a larruping — I guess he likes the feel of a girl’s hand on his rump. Don’t understand it myself, but there’re all sorts in this world.’

‘Did she do it?’

Zachary nodded. ‘She agreed because he had been kind to her and she did not wish to appear ungrateful. But one day she realized that what she was doing was very dangerous so she decided to run away.’

‘Please be honest with me, Mr Reid — did she run away because she had been seduced? Violated?’

‘It seems almost certain to me now that she was,’ said Zachary, ‘but she did not say so at the time. She said rather, that she had decided to escape before it came to that. I believed her story then, but now that I’ve heard your tale it seems clear to me that Paulette was hiding something — lying, not to put too fine a point on it.’

Mrs Burnham began to sob quietly into her hands, covering her face.

‘But Mrs Burnham,’ said Zachary quickly. ‘No matter what happened between your husband and Paulette, this I can tell you: Paulette was not actually with child — what she expressed to you was only, perhaps, the worst of her fears.’

‘How do you know?’

‘Because we met again, months later, on the Ibis, and had she been with child, it would certainly have shown by that time. But there was no sign of anything like that. I hope you will find some consolation in that.’

‘Consolation?’ said Mrs Burnham, sobbing into her cupped hands. ‘Oh Mr Reid, how can you speak to me of consolation … when you have just confirmed my worst fears and suspicions?’

The heaving of her shoulders had loosened the stays of her robe and a lapel had dropped, to provide a glimpse of the nightdress she was wearing underneath: Zachary saw that the thin, cotton cloth was straining against the swell of her bosom. Drawing his eyes guiltily away, he said: ‘So you had some suspicion, then?’

She nodded. ‘In the past, yes — I had often wondered whether there might be something untoward between my husband and the young girls we sometimes sheltered in our house. But I would never have thought it possible with Paulette, who seemed to me the purest spirit I had ever come across. That was why I lavished my affection on her. And now I don’t know which betrayal is worse, hers or my husband’s.’

Burying her head in her hands she began to weep. Slowly her statuesque figure seemed to crumple and her head fell almost to her knees.

Zachary rose from his chair and went to kneel beside her. ‘Mrs Burnham,’ he said quietly. ‘You are not the only one who has been betrayed, you know. I too have been lied to and betrayed by Paulette. And I thought she was the love of my life.’

He couldn’t tell whether she had heard him, so he put a hand on her shoulder. ‘Mrs Burnham?’

At his touch she raised her face and narrowed her eyes. ‘Why Mr Reid …’ she whispered, her eyes straying to his head. ‘Oh, look at you — your hair is still wet … from the rain, I suppose.’

She stretched out a hand and touched his dark hair, gingerly, with a knuckle. Then her fingers opened, entwining themselves in his curls, and suddenly she pulled his face towards her lips.

He responded with such eagerness that her armchair began to tilt slowly backwards and then fell over sideways, spilling them both on the floor and knocking the turban off her head. With his lips still locked on hers, Zachary began to tug at the lapels of her robe. In the process of sloughing it off they rolled over once, and then again. Then his fingers went to the neck of her nightdress and he pulled at the cloth. When he was unable to make any headway there, he lost patience and tore through the soft cotton to reveal her breasts.

Then it was her turn to claw at his shirt which came apart suddenly, with a tearing sound. He was trying at the same time to kick off his drawers and breeches and in the midst of their struggles they tumbled over each other again, bumping into something which fell over with a great crash of splintering wood and shattered glass.

Zachary looked up, startled, but she pulled his face down again. ‘It’s just the brandy, and the table,’ she whispered in his ear. ‘It doesn’t matter. No one will hear it over the storm.’

Her torn nightdress had wound itself around their shoulders now, and his half-discarded drawers and breeches were wrapped around their ankles. When they tried to move they began to roll in the other direction and crashed into something else.

Zachary’s lips were on her breasts and he didn’t bother to look up. But he caught the sound of her voice, whispering: ‘It’s just my tamancha.’

Throwing her arms around him, she wrapped her legs around his hips, clinging to his body as though she were holding on to a branch in a storm. Then a moan broke from her parted lips and grew slowly into a prolonged, rising cry that ended with a steep arching of her body. Suddenly she went limp in Zachary’s arms and he too stopped moving — now it was as if a fuse had been lit in the depths of his body, and a spark were going around and around, in a descending spiral, travelling down a wire to the bottom of a very deep mineshaft. When the wire ran out there occurred a detonation that shook him to the core, creating a blast that rattled his bones and wrenched his muscles. When the explosion reached his head everything turned yellow, as if in the light of a flame, and then slowly, the glow faded away, to be replaced by darkness.

Afterwards, the sensation of returning to awareness was like none that Zachary had ever experienced before. It wasn’t like rising upwards, from darkness towards light; rather it was like falling from a cloud. He had no conception of how much time had passed but he knew that he was still on the floor, his limbs entwined with Mrs Burnham’s.

When he stirred and tried to disentangle himself, she whispered into his ear: ‘No not yet: wait a little. Tomorrow we will wake to an eternity of guilt and remorse. Since we have only this one night together, we may as well deserve our punishment.’

Zachary pulled his head back in surprise. ‘What do you mean, Mrs Burnham? Are you sayin there won’t be another time?’

She brushed her lips tenderly against his face. ‘Yes, m’dear — I’m sorry but it must be so. This is the last and only time. Don’t you see? It is too dangerous — if even a whiff were to reach Mr Burnham, he would murder us both. It is too great a risk.’

‘But why should any whiff reach him? We can be careful, can’t we? There will be other nights when the house is empty, surely?’

She shook her head and gave him a melancholy smile. ‘And to what end? Where can it lead? You’re a penniless boy, and I’m a wife and mother, much older than you.’

‘How old are you then?’

‘Thirty-six. And you?’

‘Twenty-one. Almost twenty-two.’

She kissed him on the forehead. ‘You see,’ she said. ‘I’m old enough to be your aunt. You’ll grow tired of me soon enough. Let us forget about the future and make the best of the hours that are left to us.’

*

The subedar’s tent was at the head of the sepoy lines, facing the parade ground. The tents of the English officers lay on the other side: in one of them an immensely enlarged silhouette of Captain Mee’s head could be seen, projected upon the canvas by a brightly glowing lamp.

The subedar’s tent was also well illuminated, with candles and lamps. Assembled inside were some fifteen men. Of these a dozen were Kesri’s fellow afsars — NCOs of the Pacheesi. They were all blood relatives of the subedar: unlike Kesri, who was in his soiled uniform, they were all dressed in off-duty clothes, dhotis and ungahs.

As for the visitors, Kesri recognized only one: Chandan Singh, Deeti’s brother-in-law — a scrawny youth with a slack mouth and darting eyes. Kesri had met him once before, at the cantonment in Barrackpore. He had come to take Hukam Singh back to their village, after his discharge from the army. On that occasion he had especially sought Kesri out to thank him for saving Hukam Singh’s life.

It was on Kesri’s lips now to say some customary words of condolence to Chandan Singh, in acknowledgement of his brother’s death. But when Chandan Singh turned to look at him the words died on Kesri’s lips — the youth’s face was screwed into an angry scowl; his eyes were bloodshot and filled with rage.

Kesri realized now that something was very wrong. He noticed also that he was the only man standing — the subedar had not invited him to take a seat even though everyone else was sitting, including a couple of men who were junior to him in rank. It dawned on Kesri now that this was not just a deliberate insult: it was as if he had been summoned before a tribunal, a cross between a court martial and a caste panchayat, with the subedar presiding as the supreme judge.

Kesri stiffened, as if on parade, and turned to face Nirbhay Singh.

Subedar sah’b, he said, you sent for me?

Yes, Havildar Kesri Singh, said the subedar. I sent for you. It is because we have received some very serious news today.

The subedar’s voice was slow, measured and grave. Kesri recognized his tone, because he had watched him testify at several courts martial: his bearing was the same today as it had been on those occasions. His expression was one of unsmiling gravity; his words flowed at a slower pace than usual and were more clearly enunciated. The pitch was perfectly steady and when he wanted to emphasize something he did it not by raising his voice but by stroking his moustache.

Some time ago, said the subedar, looking directly into Kesri’s eyes, I told you that I had received a letter with news of deaths in my family. I told you that my brother Bhyro Singh had passed away, as also my nephew Hukam Singh, with whom you had served in Burma, and who was married to your sister. Today we have learnt much more about their passing, from Chandan Singh and these others from his village. They have travelled for months to bring us the news. We have learnt that the matter was much more complicated than we had thought.

The subedar paused: And we have learnt also that you are implicated in it.

Me? cried Kesri. But how is that possible? I was here, with all of you. I did not even know of these things. How can I be implicated?

Through your sister.

Here a slight tremor entered the subedar’s voice and he paused to stroke his moustache and collect himself. When he resumed, his voice was steady again.

It appears, havildar, that your sister had been having illicit relations with another man — a herdsman of low caste.

At this a collective sound, a groan of horror and revulsion, rose from the assembled men. Kesri stared at the subedar for a moment, in disbelief. Then he cried out: Impossible! I know my sister — I know she would not do anything like that.

Now Chandan Singh, who had been crouching tensely in a corner, lost control of himself and began to shout. If you knew that bitch, he screamed, then you would know that she is a randi — a whore! And a murderer too. She poisoned my mother … and my brother …

Chup rah! The subedar signalled to Chandan Singh to hold his tongue: It’s not your place to speak here.

Then he turned to Kesri again.

What we have learnt today, havildar, is that your sister ran off with the herdsman immediately after Hukam Singh’s death. It seems she had made preparations for her escape even before — she had sent her daughter into hiding. This is why there is a strong suspicion that she poisoned Hukam Singh; but we will let that pass since it cannot be proven. What is certain, in any case, is that the two of them had planned their escape with great care: their intention was to pose as girmitiyas and run off to the island of Mauritius, across the sea. But on the way they were recognized by my brother, Bhyro Singh — that was how he met his end. It was your sister’s lover who killed him, with her help.

Kesri had never heard such an unlikely tale. E na ho saké — this cannot be true. He shook his head in disbelief: Subedar-sah’b, you know I have the greatest respect for you. But how can I believe all this? My sister has never been out of our zilla; how could she have planned to go across the sea? It is just not possible.

But that is what happened, said the subedar. An official inquiry was held in Calcutta many months ago. We were not aware of it because we were in the jungle. But the conclusions and judgements have been printed and published — in English and Hindustani.

He held up two pieces of paper.

Here are the judgements. We have all gone through them — there can be no doubt of what happened. Chandan Singh and the other men travelled to Calcutta so that they could attend the hearings and ensure that the killers were brought to justice. But God has already seen to one part of that: Bhyro Singh’s murderer, your sister’s lover, is dead. He drowned while trying to escape from the ship. But your sister is still alive, and while she lives, neither I nor my family can be at peace, for we cannot forget the shame and dishonour she has brought on us — and on you too, Kesri Singh, for you are her brother.

Kesri shook his head again. Subedar-sah’b, he said, there must be some mistake; it must be some other woman. I know my sister …

Aur ham tohra se achha se jaana taani! And I know her better than you!

Chandan Singh leapt up and took a couple of steps towards Kesri, shaking his fist. Your sister is a whore and a bitch, he shouted. She has lived next to my house these last seven years so I can tell you about her. Day after day she offered herself to me, in the fields. She would plead with me to take her, to give her another child. I would cry shame on her, and remind her that she was married to my brother — but what is shame to a whore? Finding no one else, she took up with that filthy ox-herder. We have seen that man leaving their house in the mornings — you ask anyone in our village. We have seen it with our own eyes …

Suddenly Kesri’s feet began to move. Before he knew it, one of his hands was on Chandan Singh’s throat. Drawing back his other hand he hit him across the face, throwing the weight of his body behind the blow. Chandan Singh went spinning past his companions to collapse against the canvas of the tent.

Kesri would have jumped on him again but before he could make another move, four men flung themselves on him. Pinioning his arms, they wrestled him around to face the subedar again.

The subedar’s composure was undisturbed.

Listen to me, Kesri Singh, he said, in his grave, steady voice. We of our family have done a lot for you. We accepted you into this paltan even though you were not one of us. Because of our generous natures we treated you fairly and encouraged you to feel at home here and helped you reach the rank that you now enjoy. We went still further and accepted your sister into our family, even though she had a dirty complexion and was past the age of marriage; as for her dowry it was not fit for a pauper. All this we did for you, but you never showed any gratitude for it; nor did you give us any sign of appreciation. Behind our backs you scorned us, and made fun of us. We know that you think that this paltan cannot get on without you. None of this is a secret to us. We have put up with it all this time, because we are by nature generous and forgiving. Why, the other day it even came to my ears that after hearing of my brother’s death you had distributed sweets in the camp-bazar, to the randis and naach-walis! But still I said nothing, knowing that your punishment would come from the heavens. And so it has — for what has happened now cannot be overlooked. It is a stain on our family’s honour — and your face too is blackened by it. The only way you can redeem your honour, Kesri Singh, is by delivering your sister to us so that she can be made to answer for what she has done. Until that day no one in this paltan — not the afsars and nor the jawans — will eat with you or accept water from you, or even exchange words with you. From now on you have no place in this paltan — if you choose to remain here it will be as a ghost. I will explain all this to the English officers in the morning; as you know, in matters of family and caste, they always respect our decisions. I will tell them that as far as we are concerned you are now a pariah, an outcast. In our eyes you are no better than a stray dog; you are worse than filth. For you to remain in this tent for another moment is intolerable: it is an insult to our biraderi. You will never set foot in any of our tents ever again. That is all I have to say to you.

The subedar hawked up a gob of phlegm and spat it on the ground.

Abh hamra aankhi se dur ho ja! Now get out of my sight, Kesri Singh! I never want to set eyes on you again.