The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-10-05

WHAT THEv4R WITH ENGLAND
DH FOR INDIA.

-
Millions Of lolars Worth of Loot
Hidden Awy-An Enterprising Ex-
plorer's Disovery in Ruined Tenn
pie in JuEle Inhabited Only by a
Tiger.
From HCincinndtt Enquirer
Before the oupation of India by the
British it was 10 richest country in gold,
precious stonesrare jewels, fine cloth, and
cutlery of anyn earth. While the poor were
miserably poo the rich were immensely
rich. This wa so even up to the breaking
out of the grea nutiny. When the Brit
ish troops wertfarly in line to strike at
the rebellion, tn watchword was: Gre
venge and loorI 1t was understood all
through the servie that whatever a soldier
could lay hands d should become his plum
der. They didn'fght any the worse for
that, but they stuck double blow at the
Indians. They eippled them financially as
well as in military sense, and the people
have never Iecoered, and never can. The
amount of loot t.ken out of India during
the rebellbn and directly afterward
has been estimated at 100000 900.
As much more was contributed TO
the rebel cause by those who could
give. Twie or three times as much
was lost by.fre and sword England reas-
oned that a impoverished people COLD not
rebel, and bot was part of her war policy,
Ten years dter the mutiny l was talking
with Mahrajah In the district of Punjab
about the financial change in the condition
of the peopl, aud he said:
''At the outbreak of the war our people
buried or hi away at least $780, 000,00 l
do not beliele that the tenth part of this
great sum hts yet been recovered. Those
who secretedit were dead before the close
of the war, aud this vast treasure is lost to
u.s."
did not tAl him that had put in a year
in India, and spent upward of $4,000 look
ing for some of that treasure. Such was
the fact, however. A couple of English
men and myself, forming an acquaintance
in Bombay and having a spirit for adven-
ture, pooled pur cash and followed up sew
eral pointers looking to buried treasure.
We had thusfar failed to make any dis
coveries, and our partnership had been dis
solved and the men had returned to Bonn
bay. was in the Pun ab on business con-
nected with an American house. and had
given up the treasure business in disgust,
The words of the Maharjah recalled all my
enthusiasm, however, and within an hour
after | left him | was determined to have
another pull for fortune, and to go it alone
This determination was FASTENED and solidi-
fled by another incident. l was talking
with a captain of a native infantry regi-
nent regarding some ruins | had encount-
cred, and he said:
You may have left dozen fortunes be-
hind you. At the outbreak of the war these
people concealed a great deal of their
wealth In caves and temples, and a big
share of it is there yet When you stumble
on pile of ruins again give the place a
good looking over for loot"
but the natives have done that hun
dred times over, should say"
"You are wrong. Where they knew of
treasure they may have unearthed it, but
they fight shy of ramb bling about haphazard
They believe all ruins to be haunted, and
even II they are not you will be certain to
find hyenas and serpents about"
Have you ever heard of any treasure be-
ing recoveredm | asked.
"Half dozen instances, sir. The former
captain of this company went home with
$50, 900 after doing two hours work in the
ruins of a temple near Bhaulpul.n
The next day / started for Delhi, and
there bit of good fortune awaited me. l
fell in with German naturalist who was
making a collection for national museum,
and when he learned that l had had con-
siderable experience in that line he engaged
me as assistant He had two young men with
him. thus making party of four, and when
we struck TO the southwest of Delhi, intend
ing to take in the plains and jungles be-
tween that city and Jodhpur, we had six
native servants to carry the baggage. Our
progress was slow and easy, as it was his
intention to make very full collection.
The country through which we passed had
no lines of railway then, and was unknown
to white men except as they had hunted
through it. There were tigers and other
wild game in plenty, and it.seemed to be
the nursery of all India for serpents. There
were days when we could not march except
as the ground was beaten by the natives in
our front. There was q thin population,
with the villages far apart, but as an offset
the natives were glad to render any aid, es-
pecially as soon as they learned that we did
not belong to the ruling race. The hate
they felt for the English was something ter
rible. This district had been almost de-
populated and quite impoverished by the
war. Petty rulers had been deposed, taxes
levied with heavy hand; and the natives
worked themselves up to the highest pitch
OF Indignation as they talked about it.
Ny one object was buried treasure. While
doing my duty by the professor, I had OPP
portunity for extensive rambles off the line
Of march, and / never failed to make in
quiries Of natives. This, as l afterward
learned, was the worst policy could have
adopted. Every ruin was sacred to them
and every white man was a defiler. One
might as well have asked them to forgive
caste as to have expected them to locate the
ruins of religious temple for a white man.
We had been out about twenty days, and at
this time were in permanent camp in a
grove OF mango trees on the bank of a creek,
when ryot or common laborer, passed
Through our camp on his way to his village,
about five miles away. He had had mar
row escape from tiger, and was greatly
excited. When / asked him to locate the
beast he placed him among the ruins of an
old temple to the west OF US and not more
than two miles away. The ruins were in a
heavy jungle, but he told me how to strike
path which led near them. But for his
excitement, he would not have betrayed the
location. In about three hours he returned
to tell mo that he had been mistaken in the
location, which was to the south instead of
the west, and if he said ruins, he meant
rocks. / was not deceived by his second
statement. He wanted to keep me away
from the ruins, and Of course 1 was deter
mined to visit them.
If | went, l must go alone. Neither the
professor nor his young men had ever fired
at anything more ferocious than a iackal,
and they had no idea OF risking themselves
with tiger. | had killed two or three dur
quite certain of my nerve in case of another
meeting. The natives had described this
tiger as an old nlan-eater, who had carried
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