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though depressed by circumstances of unusual weight, again took fire, and hope brightened with a kind of gloomy light the prospect before me: I revolved a thousand things, and drew from them a thousand surmises; but all as yet was only conjecture with me. In a day or two, the bustle increased to a high pitch, accompanied with marks of consternation: the whole of the troops in the citadel were ordered to march; and the commandant, and a man with a hammer and instruments, came to take off my irons.

While they were at work taking off my irons, I perceived that they were taking off those of the native prisoner opposite to me also. He went away under a guard: we looked at each other complacently, nodded and smiled, as who should say, "we hope to see one another in happier times not far distant.” But, alas! vain are human hopes, and short and dark is the extent of our utmost foresight! This unhappy man, without committing any sort of offence to merit it, but in conformity to the damnable, barbarous policy of those countries, was, by the jemadar's orders, taken forth, and his throat cut! This the jemadar himself afterwards acknowledged to me--and, what was still more abominable if possible, undertook to justify the proceeding upon the principles of reason, sound sense, and precedent of Asiatic policy."

This sudden resolution to release Mr. Campbell, arose from a descent having been made on the coast of Malabar by general Mathews, who, mounting the Hussaingurry ghaut, carrying every thing before him, with the fixed bayonet, was now pushing on to Hydernagur. The death of Hyder about this time facilitated the progress of the British arms.

I walked out of the citadel,' says Mr. Campbell, with two or three men who had got charge of me: it was a delightful afternoon; and my sensations on once more revisiting the open air--at again viewing the vast expanse of the firmament above, and the profusion of beauties with which nature embellished the earth beneath were too blissful, too sublime, for description. My heart beat with involuntary transports of gratitude to that Being from which all sprung; and I felt that man is, in his nature, even without the intervention of his VOL. IV.-(67)

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reason, a being of devotion. For an hour of such delight as I then experienced, a year of imprisonment was, I thought, hardly too dear a price. Those exquisite sensations insensibly led my heart to the most flattering presages: the animal spirit appeared to have, in correspondence with the body, shaken off a load of chains; and as I walked along, I seemed to tread on air.

same men.

As we proceeded forward, we found, at some distance from the fort, an open dooly, into which the guards forcibly crammed me; and I was carried off, still attended by the As we went along, they gave me to understand that Hyat Sahib, the jemadar, was at a place ten or a dozen miles distant from Bidanore. I thought it within myself a most extraordinary circumstance, and was at a loss to conjecture for what purpose he required my presence there. Perhaps, thought I, it is to deliver me personally into the hands of Tippoo--perhaps to send me to Seringapatam. Suspense whetted my curiosity; and impatience to know my fate, set my mind afloat upon a wide sea of conjecture. Still, however, my senses acknowledged a degree of pleasure indescribable-I inhaled the fresh air with greediness, and, as I snuffed it in, said to myself, "Well, well-at the worst, this will enliven my spirits, and lay up a new stock of health and vigour, to enable me to endure with manhood whatever other sufferings the barbarians, into whose hands I have fallen, may have in store for me."

we met a

He was a

'When we had got about a mile from the fort, person attended by three others, all on horseback. man of considerable rank in that country, and I recollected to have seen him at the jemadar's durbar, where he had manifested a favourable disposition towards me, looking always graciously, and nodding to me, which, considering my circumstances and his, was not a little extraordinary. The moment he recognized me, he leaped from his horse, apparently in great agitation : then turning to the guards, ordered them to leave me immediately--saying at the same time that he would be answerable for the consequences. They seemed at first to hesitate whether they would obey him or not; but on his

shaking at them his sword, which was all along drawn in his hand, and smeered with blood, and repeating his orders a second time in a firm and decisive tone of voice and manner, they all ran off.

'As soon as we were alone, he revealed to me, that he had all along known who I was--had most heartily pitied my sufferings, and privately entertained the most anxious wishes to serve me, but could not venture to interfere-the least jealousy, when once awakened, being there always followed up by summary punishment. He then mentioned his name, informing me that he was the son of a nabob near Vellore, whose dominions had been wrested from him by force, and united to the Carnatic; that his family had received great favours from my father, in return for which he thought himself bound to do me every service in his power; but that, having been, after the misfortunes which befel his family, taken into the service of Hyder, and holding then a place of consequence under him, he was disqualified from demonstrating his gratitude and esteem in the way he wished: he added, he had just come from the summit of the ghauts, where he left the English army posted, after their having beat the Circar troops, and carried all the strong works which had been erected for the defence of the passes, and were deemed from their situation impregnable; that the jemadar, Hyat Sahib, had gone thither to encourage the troops, and animate them to one grand effort of resistance, and would remain there till the succeeding day -Here he stopped, and seemed much agitated; but, recovering himself soon, said, in a solemn and alarming manner, "This day I heard Hyat Sahib give orders to bring you before him, in order that he might satiate his revenge by your death! How happy am I in having an opportunity to rescue you! I will carry you back with me, therefore, to Bidanore, and place you in a state of security with my family.”

'Such unprecedented generosity affected me sensibly. To run such a hazard as he must have incurred, merely from a principle of gratitude for services so remote in both time and person, was more than we could hope to find even among

Englishmen, who boast of their superior justice and generosity -but in a native of Hindostan, where the tide of human feeling runs rather low, was astonishing. As well as my

limited knowledge of the language of the country enabled me, I endeavoured to make him a suitable acknowledgment: in such a case, dullness must have become eloquent; and I lamented that my deficiency in the language prevented my giving vent to the extreme fullness of my heart. He seemed, however, to be satisfied with my meaning; and I was just on. the point of returning with him to Hydernagur, when we were suddenly startled by the jemadar's music, which was soon afterwards succeeded by the appearance of his guards advancing towards us at some distance. He seemed confounded and alarmed--lamented, in warm terms, his incapacity to serve me--and, pointing to a path which wound through a wood that lay on either side of the road, directed me to strike into it immediately, saying, that by following that route, I should certainly fall in with the British army. He then rode away, and I followed his advice, and proceeded for some time through the wood without interruption; for, though I did not implicitly believe the assertion that Hyat Sahib meant to have cut me off, I deemed it prudent to avail myself of the opportunity which offered to effect my escape, apprehending a worse fate than death, namely, being sent prisoner to Seringapatam.

'Finding myself fairly extricated, I began to examine my situation, and to reflect on the different conversations which had passed between Hyat Sahib and me, and on his conduct previous to my being put in irons. I recollected the information I had from time to time received, touching the jemadar's disposition, Hyder's death, Tippoo Sahib's character and avowed hatred of Hyat, and the nature of the inhabitants. I moreover took into consideration, that my strength was impaired, and my constitution undermined; and that my prospects in India, in point of fame or emolument, could only be promoted by some extraordinary exertion, or some hazardous enterprise. The result of the whole was a determination on my part to return back to the fort, and venture an attempt to

persuade the jemadar to offer proposals for an accommodation to general Mathews, and to make me the instrument of his negociation.

In pursuance of this determination, I returned; and at about six o'clock in the evening re-entered the fort, and proceeded to the palace of the jemadar, where, desiring an audience, I was admitted: At the very first sight of him, I could perceive in his appearance all the mortification of falling power. He received me with a gloomy countenance, in which there was more of thoughtful sadness than of vindictive fury. After a minute's silence, however, he said to me, "Well, sir! you have heard, I suppose, that the English army are in possession of the ghauts, and doubtless know that the customs of this country authorise my proceeding against you with the utmost rigour." Here he paused for a few moments--then proceeded thus: "Nevertheless, in consideration of your family-in consideration of the regard I have for a long time conceived of you, from observing your conduct, and strict adherence to truth in answering all my questions, and still more on account of the sufferings which you have sustained with fortitude, I will allow you to escape: haste you, then, away fly from this fort directly-begone!" Then waving his hand as a signal for me to depart, averted his face from me, and looked another way.'

6

Mr. Campbell seized this opportunity to operate upon the jemadar's fears, by painting, in strong colours, the danger of his situation with Tippoo, and contrasting it with the humanity, the fidelity, the bravery, and the generosity of the English. His reasoning produced the desired effect, and that very night,' says our author, 'he authorised me to go to the British general; and, though he would not commit himself by sending proposals in writing, he consented to receive them from the general, and promised to wait for my return till daylight the next morning--adding, that if I did not appear by that time, he would go off with his family and treasure to some other place, and set the town, powder-magazine, and storehouses, on fire, leaving a person of distinguished character to defend

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