Название: Chandrashekhar
Автор: Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay
Издательство: Bookwire
Жанр: Математика
isbn: 4064066463311
isbn:
Every Bengali child gets terrified at the mention of a Bogey; but there are some naughty children who want to see a Bogey. Such was the case with Shaibalini. After the accepted manner of the times she would at first precipitately run away at the sight of Foster. Then some one said to her :—“The English do not catch people and swallow them straight off—they are very curious animals—just have a look at them once.” Shaibalini did look and found that the Englishman did not pounce upon her and eat her up. Thenceforward Shaibalini would not run away on the appearance of Foster, and gradually found courage even to talk to him. The reader knows it already.
In an evil moment Shaibalini took her birth in this world. In an evil moment did Chandrashekhar marry her. What Shaibalini is, we will tell later on; whatever that might be, Foster lost his labour.
Soon after, an order unexpectedly reached him from Calcutta to the following effect :——“Another man has been appointed to the factory of Purandarpore in your place, you should start for Calcutta at once. You will be deputed on special duty.” His successor followed close upon the order. Foster had. to start for Calcutta forthwith.
Shaibalini’s beauty had taken entire possession of Foster’s mind. He found that he must go away giving up all hopes of her. The Englishmen of Bengal in those days were incapable of two things only. They could not overcome avarice and they could not own a defeat. They would never admit they could not succeed in an enterprise, and it was better to desist; nor would they admit there was vice in any particular action and therefore they should not do it. Nowhere in the world can be found men equal in power and arbitrary will to the English men who first established British dominion in India.
Lawrence Foster was a man of this type. He did not try to resist the temptation. Among the Englishmen in Bengal at that period, the word virtue was extinct. He did not consider the feasibility or unfeasibility of the action, but only thought, “now or never.”
Thus resolved, on the night before he started for Calcutta, Foster, furnished with arms, palanquin, bearers, and some factory peons, set out after dusk in the direction of Vedagram.
That night the Vedagram folk heard with alarm that dacoits had attacked Chandrashekhar’s house. Chandrashekhar was not at home; he had gone to Murshidabad on receipt of a cordial invitation from one of the officials of the Nawab and had not yet returned. On hearing the noise, screams, crack of fire-arms and cries of weeping, the villagers left their bed, went out, and saw that dacoits were plundering Chandrashekhar’s house and many torches were blazing. No one went forward. Standing at a distance they saw the dacoits file out one by one after plundering the house; they also saw with surprise some bearers emerge from the house carrying a palanquin on their shoulders. The doors of the palanquin were closed and the English factor of Purandarpore were walking along side. Seeing this, they silently moved away in fear.
After the dacoits had left, the neighbours entered the house, but did not find many of the articles missing— most of them were there, but Shaibalini could not be found. “She must have hid herself somewhere,” opined a few, “and will presently come out.” “ No, she will not come out any more,” maintained the elderly among them, “and even if she did, Chandrashekhar would not take her back. The palanquin you saw carried her away.”
Those who had expected that Shaihalini would return, remained standing for sometime and finally sat down. After sitting for a while they began to doze, and after dozing for sometime they got disgusted and went away. Shaibalini did not return.
The girl, by name Sundari, whom we have introduced already, left the place last. She was the daughter of a neighbour of Chandrashekhar’s, by courtesy his sister, and an intimate friend of Shaihalini. We have given her account here, as we shall have need to speak of her later on.
After waiting for a long time, Sundari returned home at dawn and fell to weeping.
Chapter IV :- The Barber-Woman
CHAPTER IV. THE BARBER-WOMAN.
FOSTER went in person with the planquin to the bank of the distant Bhagirathi. There a boat was waiting properly furnished, and he helped Shaihalini into it. He had engaged Hindu servants, of both sexes, and guards too. What is the use of Hindu servants any longer? [1]
Foster himself started for Calcutta in a different conveyance. He had to go quick, and it was impossible for him to reach Calcutta within a week in a big hulking boat heading its course against the winds. Alter making suitable arrangements for a conveyance for Shaibalini, so that a lady might comfortably travel, Foster himself set out in a different vehicle. There was no apprehension of any attempt at rescue by an attack on the boat in case he himself did not accompany her. No one would venture to approach the boat when he would have heard that it belonged to an Englishman. He left instructions for the boat to proceed to Monghyr. Riding on the ripplets driven by the morning breeze, the spacious boat of Shaibalini moved in a northerly direction, the soft sounding ripples dashing against the bottom with a fluttering sound. You can trust a cunning artful cheat as much as you like, but never put your trust on the morning breeze. It is very sweet, it steals on tip-toe like a thief, and gently wantons with a lotus here, a cluster of jasmine there, and sprigs of fragrant Bocul (mimosus elengi) elsewhere; it carries odour to some, draws the night-bred bodily humours of many, soothes the thought-oppressed forehead of others, and when it finds the clustering hair of a young girl, it bestows slight little puffs on it and scampers away. Are you a boat passenger? You will find the amiable frolicsome morning breeze embellishing the river with small ripples; you will find it clearing the sky by removing one or two patches of grey clouds; you will find it softly dancing the trees on the banks, sweetly coquetting with women engaged in bathing and discoursing sweet music at your ear as it slips under the boat; and you will imagine the breeze to be very sober, very sedate, very unostentatious, at the same time ever-cheerful. What is not possible in this world if everyone should behave like this? Unfasten the boat and let it along! The sun has risen; you find the sun glistening on the ripples; they have now grown bigger than before; on them the geese are dancing along, the earthen pitchers of beautiful girls engrossed in rubbing themselves are restless, and are swaying just a ittle too much. Now the ripples are defiantly climbing up their shoulders, again they are flinging themselves at the feet of those who had got up on the bank, and there beating their heads as if to say, “vouchsafe the liberty of touching your gracious feet, ” (by way of conciliation) at the least besmearing themselves with the lacdye washed away from their feet. By slow degrees, you find the sound of the wind deepening, it no longer melts in the ear like the verse of Jayadeva, [2] no longer it softly plies its lute in your auricle in the melody of Bhairabi. [3] Gradually you find it intensifying into a bowl with a flourish of roars. Suddenly the ripples are swollen, they shake their heads and dash along—and there is darkness. Adverse winds block the way, and catching hold of the prow lash the boat against the water and veer it round, and finding СКАЧАТЬ