The Khwaja
will send word to his durwan that he is going to Murshidabad by river and
will not return tonight; his house is to be locked up. The Khwaja will, I
am sure, give these orders correctly, for Surendra Nath will understand
better than I what he says."
With the Babu, the two peons, and Coja Solomon, who was now obviously ill
at ease, Desmond went down the ghat to the place where the crews of the
petalas were assigned to him. The man dared not depart by a jot from the
words put into his mouth. One of his coolies left with the message, the
rest followed their employer on board with Desmond and his companions,
and in a few minutes the three boats were cast off and stood upstream. As
they started Desmond saw the boat containing Bulger and his men slip from
the shade of the trees and begin to creep after them.
The boats had not gone more than a couple of hundred yards upstream when
Coja Solomon, at Desmond's orders, bade the men row toward the opposite
shore and turn the boats' heads round, explaining that he had decided
after all to convey the goods to Hugli. There was some grumbling among
the crew, who had expected to go to Murshidabad, and did not relish the
prospect of the longer voyage. But the Armenian, knowing that every word
was overheard by Desmond's men, made haste to pacify the boatmen.
It was by no means easy work getting down the river. The boats were flat
bottomed and drew very little water; but the stream being very low, they
stuck fast time after time in the shallows.
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