Chapter 12: A rotten apple

An hour before sunset we arrived in Alathur, where it looked as if the whole of Number Six Company was assembled.

“Two platoons of the company should be out manning checkpoints, with only one platoon in reserve here at Company Headquarters,” Lieutenant LePater said, looking about in surprise.

Leaving Mimi in the bullock cart until we had secured our accommodation for the night Lorne Lepater and I made our way to Company HQ. We mounted the steps to the veranda preparatory to opening the door but a sepoy, or rather a naik, prevented our entry.

“Captain Masters busy. No disturb,” he said in fractured English.

“Stand aside. I have important information for your superior,” LePater said.

The naik did not budge from his post. “Captain Masters busy. No disturb,” he repeated as if learnt parrot-fashion.

Lorne Lepater unleashed such a heated stream of language, presumably Malayalam, that the naik fell back under the onslaught. We pushed past him and entered the company office just as a man, who I supposed was Captain Masters, entered through a door at the back of the room. I assumed he had been attending to a call of nature as he was refastening his trouser buttons.

“Good evening, gentlemen. How can I help you?” he said, beaming a smile at us before sitting down at a paper-strewn desk.

I was surprised at first sight of the infamous Captain Zayne Masters. I had pictured the fellow to be something like Silas Maddox; stunted, morose, and disreputable-looking, but instead found a well set up man of some thirty years of age, who exuded bonhomie and had an engaging smile. However, his blue eyes were as cold as ice, and they would not meet mine for more than a split second at a time.

LePater reported that corpses had been discovered near Panacherry that bore all the signs of being murdered by Thugs.

“Are you sure you did not stumble across the village graveyard by mistake, young fellow?” Masters asked, sarcasm dripping from his tongue like acid.

“All the victims had been strangled and their limbs shattered, and, as you are probably aware Captain, Hindus are not buried but cremated.” Lepater replied.

The mocking smile on Masters face was replaced by a flushed, red and angry expression.

“How long have you been in India, Lieutenant?” On Lorne LePater’s answer, ‘just over six months,’ Masters replied, “does just over six months in India give a newly minted officer from Addiscombe the expertise to accurately judge if those bodies you found were killed by Thugs?”

“No, Captain, it does not. But the fourteen years I spent in India before attending Addiscombe does!”

I saw a flash of pure hate and malice appear on Masters’ face. “Oh yes, I forgot you were born out here and could well be considered a native.” Scorn and insult were both contained in Masters’ comment.

“Yes, I am a native of India, Sir, and proud to be so.”

I silently applauded Lorne LePater’s handling of Masters, who was now displaying the obnoxiousness I had first expected from him.

“There should have been a section of sepoys from this company at the junction of tracks at Panacherry,” LePater continued, “why did they not discover the Thugs among the travellers at the checkpoint?”

“Because, my dear native Indiaman, Colonel Sett ordered me to concentrate my company here preparatory to conducting searches of the local villages, and the section was withdrawn from Panacherry some two weeks ago.” The sneer on Masters’ face was reproduced in his tone of voice.

LePater looked astonished and also abashed, but before he could say anything Masters turned his attention to me. “And who are you? I doubt you are a native Indiaman?”

“I am Colonel Sir Elijah Greenaway, carrying dispatches from the Resident Advisor in Cochin for the Governor of Palakkad and the Senior Officer at Palakkad Fort.”

While Masters had been talking I had heard sounds coming from the room he had been in when LePater and I first entered his office. Before Masters could ask me any more questions I pointed to the door behind him. “What is making the noise in there.”

Masters laughed. “It is a mynah bird I am teaching to talk.”

The sounds I heard were more like a female weeping rather than a bird talking, and I determined to find out the who, the what, and the why.”

“I think not, Captain,” I said, then stepped up to the door and put by shoulder to it. The door swung inward to reveal Masters’ sleeping quarters, with an unmade bed and a young black girl, naked as the day she was born, sitting on it. Her arms were wrapped around her slender but shapely body as she rocked back and forth, making a high pitched keening sound of absolute woe.

“It seems your bird has flown, Captain. Who is the girl?”

“Oh, just one of the local whores, Colonel. There is precious little to occupy me here during the day, and even less at night, so I have availed myself of one of the many local females for hire.”

“I have spent less than two months in India but even I can see that this young girl is not Indian but African.”

“There has been much miscegenation during the centuries, Colonel, and the indigenous Naga people are exceedingly dark. I can assure you that the girl is a local.”

I was certain the female was one of those unfortunate African girls sold to Eloise de La Zouche by the Omani Captain Farah, which indicated Masters had been in contact with Eloise. I addressed the girl in Arabic.

“As-salamu Alaykum,” I said softly, then picked up a blanket from off the floor and draped it over her shoulders.

She shot me a look of grateful thanks and replied, “Alaykum s-salām.”

“And one who speaks Arabic,” Masters said. I had to admire his quick wits.

“Please send someone to fetch my wife, Lieutenant. She speaks more Arabic than I do.” I said.

Havildar Chackrabhatti had been standing at the entrance to the company office during all this time, and LePater sent him to get Mimi.

I turned and faced Masters. “I am placing you under close arrest, and will take you to Palakkad Fort to stand trial for gross dereliction of duty and suspected collaboration with Thugs.”

Masters flew into a rage.

“LePater, tell this buffoon who I am, and who my father is!”

Lieutenant Lepater made the overdue introduction.

“This is Captain Zayne Masters, Colonel. He is the son of Sir Gregory Masters, Governor of Calcutta Presidency.”

Of course. ‘Masters’ had stirred my memory of when Captain Skeay had revealed the name of Captain X, but I had not coupled it with the important official in Calcutta whose death had so upset Huck Dolihaye.

“Excuse me for not offering you my hand, Masters, but I do not wish to be contaminated. However, I can offer you my condolences on the death of your father.”

Masters face paled.

“I do not believe you. You will discover that my father has a vicious temper when his family is maligned, and any position you may hold in London cuts no ice here in India.”

“I assure you I speak the truth.” I fumbled in my jacket and pulled out a sheaf of documents. I handed him the one with the death notice of his father.

He read the letter and then slumped against the table, completely shattered by the news.

“Have him shackled and put under guard for the night,” I ordered LePater.

Lieutenant LePater leaned towards me and spoke quietly.

“It is unheard of that a British officer should be manacled like a common criminal. It is just not done, Colonel.”

“Yes, I can see having a British officer shackled and guarded could be to the detriment of good order and discipline. On the other hand, it will show his sepoys that even a sahib is not permitted to disregard orders and consort with criminals without being punished.”

I picked up a niqab off the floor near the bed and forced it over Masters’ head. It was a tight fit, but all of his face, other than his blazing, angry eyes, was then covered. I then removed the badges of rank from his tunic with LePater’s sword. I had barely finished my ‘tailoring’ when Mimi entered the room. I pointed to the girl on the bed.

“I believe she is one of Eloise de Le Zouche’s African slaves. Try to get as much information from her as you are able. She will have some understanding of Arabic as she has been a prisoner of Arabs for several months.” I pointed a finger at the hooded figure of Masters. “And see if you can find a cloak or something similar to disguise this poor excuse of an officer.”

Mimi nodded, then entered the bedroom and closed the door. A moment later she reopened the door and handed me a chador, the all-enveloping garment worn by Muslim woman when outdoors.

“This is the best I can do, Jacques.” She glared at Masters. “Whoever it is under that niqab is a beast and a sadist.”

I swathed Masters in the chador.

“There you are, Lorne. No one, other than you and me, will know who it is under that clothing. If Masters attempts to talk or call out then gag him. Place him in a cell in the guard room with your men on guard.”

Masters struggled as he was led away by two of LePater’s sepoys and I called out. “If the prisoner continues to cause problems you have my permission to knock him unconscious.”

With Masters under lock and key, I now had time to do some serious thinking. Lieutenant LePater’s orders were to escort Mimi and me to Alathur. Once he had handed the responsibility of escorting us to Palakkad Fort to Number Six Company he was to return to Thrissur. However, I had placed the commander of Number Six Company under close arrest, and intended taking him to Palakkad Fort to stand trial. How would his men react to being his guards, as well as my escort, on the journey? I sighed, there was only one thing I could do and that was to leave Number Six Company in Alathur and keep LePater’s men under my command until we reached Palakkad Fort. I would also need to appoint a temporary commander for Number Six Company, and send gallopers to Captain Skeay at Thrissur and Colonel Sett at Palakkad Fort apprising them of the situation. The Governor of Palakkad would also need to be informed of the Thuggee attack, and of Masters dereliction of duty.

With a plan of action clear in my mind I sent a sepoy to fetch Lieutenant LePater to the office where I would give him new orders. As a full Colonel in His Majesty’s army, I outranked all East India Company officers, other than brigadiers and above. However, courtesy dictated that I made a show of asking permission to take command of East India Company troops. It would take far too long to receive a reply if I sent a galloper to Thrissur to obtain Captain Skeay’s permission to retain LePater’s men, and similarly if I sent a galloper to Colonel Sett at Palakkad Fort to ask him who should be made temporary commander of Number Six Company. In the circumstances I felt it incumbent upon me to ask the officers concerned, to wit Lieutenant Lorne LePater and whoever was the senior lieutenant of Number Six Company, if they would obey my instructions. That being said, it would take a brave and/or foolish officer to refuse the ‘request’ of a colonel bearing the King’s commission, but who knows how a Company commissioned officer would react?

LePater was only too pleased to continue under my orders.

“I am certain Captain Skeay would have given his consent had the opportunity arisen, Colonel.”

“Even so I will beg his pardon for taking the liberty of overriding his orders to you when I send him a galloper with a message detailing what has happened here.”

“Actually, Colonel, we do not employ gallopers. We have no horses but do have runners who can travel the rough terrain more efficiently than a horse.”

“So be it. I will write messages to Skeay and Colonel Sett tonight and have runners take them at first light tomorrow. Now, who is the senior lieutenant of Number Six Company?”

LePater thought for a few moments.

“That would be Lieutenant WrightI would suppose. He is certainly the oldest.”

“Please send a sepoy to have the lieutenant attend me at his earliest convenience.”

Some five minutes later an unprepossessing looking lieutenant knocked on the office door. I bade him enter and he introduced himself as Reece Wright, the senior lieutenant of Number Six Company. He had receding hair, a bulbous nose, and protruding eyes and teeth. I judged him to be forty if he was a day, way too old to be a lieutenant, and I assumed he had never been considered fit for promotion. So be it. Beggars cannot be choosers, and I would have to make do with what was available.

I introduced myself, informed him Masters was under arrest and that he, Wright, would be temporary company commander until such times as a replacement was found.

His astonishment of the news of Masters’ arrest was evident, and I noticed what could be relief on his face.

“You do know that Captain Masters’ father...” He started to say.

“Is dead!” I completed his sentence.

This time the joy was more than evident and a broad smile spread across the fellow’s face

“What are your orders Colonel?” He asked.

“Messages will need to be sent to Colonel Sett at Palakkad Fort and Captain Skeay at Thrissur telling them of the Thug attack, and my suspicion that Captain Masters was involved. It is too dark to send runners tonight but they will leave at first light tomorrow. Lieutenant LePater will write the dispatches, as it was he and his men who discovered the bodies. I will add to the dispatches my reasons for taking command.” I saw that Wright had no knowledge of the Thug attack at Panacherry, and shock and concern showed on his face. “I will take a summary of evidence that will be presented to a Court of Inquiry, and require a deposition from you, Captain Wright.” I saw a flare of pride cross his face at my use of his new rank. No doubt captain’s epaulettes would be on his tunic by the morning. “And also from your lieutenants. What are their names?”

“Stead and Simpson, Colonel. Lieutenant John Stead of the Second platoon and Lieutenant John Simpson of the Third platoon.”

“According to Masters, he received orders from Colonel Sett to withdraw all piquets and patrols from their checkpoints and return to company headquarters at Alathur, preparatory to conducting a cordon and search of villages suspected of concealing Thugs. Is that correct, Captain?”

“Yes, Colonel. I was ordered to withdraw my section from Panancherry two weeks ago.”

“And I assume Stead and Simpson received similar orders on the same day?”

“I cannot answer for them, Colonel, but I keep a diary and can give the exact day I received Captain Masters’ order.”