to follow at the tail of the mule ridden by the Dingpun,
who thus marched him in triumph up to the village.
I was taken to a house at Phadong, and my fellow
prisoner was confined in another at some distance to
the eastward, a stone’s throw below the Rajah’s ; and
thrust into a little cage-like room. I was soon visited
by an old Lama, who assured me that we were both
perfectly safe, but that there were many grievances
against Campbell. The Soubah arrived shortly after,
bringing me compliments, nominally in the Rajah’s
name, and a substantial present, consisting of a large
cow, sheep, fowls, a brick of tea, bags of rice, flour,
butter, eggs, and a profusion of vegetables. I refused
to take them on the friendly terms on which they were
brought, and only accepted them as provisions during
my detention. I remonstrated again about our
separation, and warned the Soubah of the inevitable
consequence of this outrage upon the representative
of a friendly power, travelling under the authority of
his own government, unarmed and without escort: he
was greatly perplexed, and assured me that Campbell’s
detention was only temporary, because he had not
given satisfaction to the Rajah, and as the latter could
not get answers to his demands from Calcutta in less
than a month, it was determined to keep him till then ;
but to send me to Doijiling. He returned in the
evening to tell me that Campbell’s men (with the
exception only of those who were natives of Nepal*)
* These people stood in far greater fear of the Nepalese than of the
English, and the reason is obvious : the former allow no infraction of their
treaties to pass nnnoticed, whereas we had permitted every article of our
treaty to he contravened.
had been seized because they were runaway slaves
from Sikkim; but that I need not alarm myself, for
mine should be untouched.
The hut being small, and intolerably dirty, I pitched
my tent close by, and lived in it for seven days : I was
not guarded, but so closely watched, that I could not
go out for the most trifling purpose, except under
surveillance. They were evidently afraid of my
escaping; I was however treated with civility, but
forbidden to communicate either with Campbell or with
Doijiling.
The Soubah frequently visited me, always protesting
I was no prisoner, that Campbell’s seizure was a very
trifling affair, and the violence employed all a mistake.
He always brought presents, and tried to sound me
about the government at Calcutta. On the 12th he
paid his last visit, looking wofully dejected, being out
of favour at court, and dismissed to his home: he
referred me to Meepo for all future communications
to the Rajah, and bade me a most cordial farewell,
which I regretted being unable to return with any show
of kind feeling. Poor fellow ! he had staked his last,
and lost it, when he undertook to seize the agent of
the most powerful government in the east, and to
reduce him to the condition of a tool of the Dewan.
Despite the many obstructions he had placed in my
way, we had not fallen out since J u ly ; we had been
constant companions, and though at issue, never at
enmity. X had impeached him, and my grievances
had been forwarded to the Rajah with a demand for
his punishment, but he never seemed to owe me a