The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1895-07-26

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them to Mahomet Singh Then we
solemnly renewed or oath to stand by
each other and be true to our secret.
We agreed to conceal our loot in a
safe place until the country should be
at peace again, and then to divide it
/ equally among ourselves. There was
no use dividing it at present, for if
| gems of such value were found upon
us it would cause suspicion, and there
was no privacy in the fort nor any
place where we could keep them. We
carried the box, therefore, into the
same hall where we had buried the
body, and there, under certain bricks
in the best-preserved wall, we made a
hollow and put our treasure. We made
careful note of the place, and next day
drew four plans, one for each of US,
and put the sign of the four of us at
the bottom, for we had sworn that we
should each always act for all, so that
none might take advantage. That is
an oath that can put my hand to my
heart and swear that ! have never
broken.
well, there's no use my telling you,
| gentlemen, what came of the Indian
mutiny. After Wilson took Delhi and
| Sir Colvin relieved Lucknow the back
of the business was broken. Fresh
troops came pouring in, and Mana
Sahib made himself scarce over the
frontier. A flying column under Col.
Greathead came round to Agra and
cleared the Pandies away from it.
Peace seemed to be settling upon the
country, and we four were beginning
to hope that the time was at hand
when we might safely go off with our
shares of the plumber. In moment,
however, our hopes were shattered by
our being arrested as the murderers of
Achmet.
''lt came about in this way: When
the rajah put his jewels into the hands
OF Achmet he did it because he knew
that he was a trusty man. They are
suspicious folk in the east, however; so
what does this rajah do but take a sec
ond even more trusty servant and set
him to play the spy upon the first?
This second man was ordered never to
let Achmet out of his sight, and he fol-
lowed him like his shadow. He went
after him that night, and saw him pass
through the doorway. OF course he
thought he had taken refuge in the
fort, and applied for admission there
himself next day, but could find
no trace of Achmet. This seemed
to him so strange that he spoke
about it to a sergeant of guides,
who brought it to the ears of
the commandant. A thorough search
was quickly made, and the body was
discovered. Thus at the very moment
that we thought that all was safe we
were all four seized and brought to
trial on a charge of murder-three of
US because we had held the gate that
night, and the fourth because he was
known to have been in company of the
murdered man. Not a word about the
jewels came out at the trial, for the
rajah had been deposed and driven out
of India; so no one had any particular
interest in them. The murder, how
ever,-was clearly made out, and it was
certain that we must all have been
concerned in it. The three Sikhs got
penal servitude for life. and l was con-
demned to death, though my sentence
was afterward committed into the
same as the others.
1T was rather queer position that
we found ourselves in then. There
we were, all four tied by the leg and
with precious little chance of ever get
ting out again, while we each held a
secret which might have put each of us
in a palace if we could only have made
use of it. 1t was enough to make a
man eat his heart out to have to stand
the kick and the cuff of every petty
jack In Office. to have rice to eat and
water to drink, when that gorgeous
fortune was ready for him outside, Just
waiting to be picked up. 1t might have
driven me mad; but / was always a
pretty stubborn one, so just held on
and bided nv time.
AT last it seemed to me to have
come. l was changed from Agra to
Madras, and from there to Blair island
in the Andamans. There are very few
white conv.cts at this settlement, and,
as had behaved well from the first,
soon found myself a sort of privileged |
person. Twas given hut in Hope town, |
which is small place on the slopes of |
Mount Harriet, and l was left pretty |
much to myself. 1t is dreary, fever |
stricken place, and all beyond our little |
clearings was infested with wild canni- |
bal na:;Tes, who were ready enough to |
blow poisoned dart at US if they saw
a chance. There was digging, and 1
ditching, and yam-planting, and a
dozen other things to be done, so we |
were busy enough all day; though in
the evening we had little time to our
selves Among other things, learned
to dispense drugs for the surgeon, and
picked up a smattering of his knowl-
edge. All the time l was on the look
out for a chance of escape; but it is
of miles from any other land,
and there IS little or no wind in those
seas; so it was terribly difficult job to
get away.
The surgeon, DIR. Somerton, was a
fast, sporting young chap, and the
other young officers would meet in his
rooms of an evening and play cards.
The surgery, where used to make up
my drugs, was next to his sitting-room,
with a small window between US.
Often, if 1 felt lonesome, l used to turn
out the lamp in the surgery, and then,
standing there, could hear their talk
and watch their play. l am fond of
hand at cards myself, and it was al
most as good as having one. to watch
the Others. There was Maj. Sholto,
Capt. Morstan and Lieut.. Bromley
Brown, who were in command of the