The Native Born or, The Rajah's People

ly at one small aperture the sunshine ventured to pierce through and dance its golden reflection hither and thither over the marble floor. The rest

ed by steps from the level of the floor, stood a throne, alone marked out against the darkness by its bejeweled splendor. Of other furniture there was no trace. To the left a divan formed of silken cushions had been built up for temporary use, and on this, stretched full len

aces descended in stately gradations to a paradise of rare exotic flowers, whose heavy perfume came drifting up on the calm air to the very windows of the palace. This lovely chaos extended for about a mile and then ended abruptly. As though cultivated nature had suddenly broken loose from her artificial bounds, a dark jungle-forest rose up side by side with the flowers and well-kep

the curtain and supported him in a half-leaning attitude of dreamy indolence. Against the intensified darkness of the room behind him his features stood out with the

h their characteristic lines. For the rest, beyond that he was unusually fair, he represented in bearing and in feature a Hindu prince of high caste and noble lineage. Between him and the old man upon the divan there was no apparent resemb

u hast neither moved nor spoken. Tell me with what thy thoughts a

e yellow patch of sunshine upon the marble faded. He looked

t the bars of their cage and now sit on their golden perches and dream of the world beyond." He laughed gently. "No, my father. You, who have s

ifted himself

In thy dreams hast thou never seen thine own

learned. I bear a title, a tract of land acknowledges my rule-but a people! No, like my title, like my power, like myself, so is the people t

ank back wi

d bitterly. "A child of blood and batt

orward to the foot of the th

you have me do?" He strode back to the door, and, pulling aside the curtain, let the full dazzling sunshine pour in upon them. "See out there!" he cr

coldly, but not w

that awaiteth thee

which I kn

ime co

the wrinkled face wi

Durbar came, it was thou who bade me say I was ill. When the Feringhi sought my presence, it was tho

g posture, his features rendered more

defiled, Nehal Singh, thou alone of all thy race and of all thy caste! The shadow of the Unbeliever has never crossed thy man's face, his food thy lips, nor has his hand touch

p his hand with a

hou toldest me of the Feringhi, of the bloody battles thou foughtest against them because they had wronged thee; how, after Fortune had smiled faintly, thou wert driven into exile, and I, thy son, bereft of al

t?" Behar As

where there had been endless famine. More than this, I saw that in every conflict, whether between beast and beast or man and man, it was always the strongest and wisest that conquered. The triumph of the fool and weakling is but a sho

by a storm of passion which shook

ignorant boy," he exclaimed. "Wh

en whose deeds outrival

ughtfully. "They fought

t them bett

ground his t

re was a reluctant a

ess, their

rage of their fathers," Behar Asor a

drawn thither by some irresistible attraction, and st

power, I would do thy will. As it is, without cause or reason I can not draw my sw

ck in an attitude

cursed!"

enly conscious that he has no plans, no goal, no purpose. As he sat there, his fine head thrown back against the white ivory, his eyes half closed, his fingers loosely clasping the golden peacocks' head

re about his shoulders. The first storm of angry disappointment over, he had relapsed into a passive oriental

he figure seated on the throne. Nehal Singh's eyes were now entirely closed and seemed to sleep. Such a proceeding would

t thou hast failed thy destiny, but in the same hour thou must close thine eyes and dream, like

ingh lo

ns duty and responsibility, I might well have done so, for I ha

orefinger. There was something in the action stro

es would awake at thy word. They sleep because thou sleepest. Well-thou hast willed to sleep. I can not force thee, and mine own hand has grown too feeble. But since t

to tell me," N

fter thou hast passed into the shadow," Behar answered. "Hitherto thou hast led a strange and lonely li

suddenly, perhaps by chance, perhaps by instinct, struck a pure harmonious chord, Nehal Si

en but two-my mother and a nautch-girl-who cringed to me. I should not like my wife to cringe t

hed shortly and

r our idle hours. But you will have idle hours enough, and there would be many wh

ted him with the old

r," he said. "I will think upon

olden fingers the topmost turrets of the temple. In the distance the shadows of the jungle had advanced and, like the waves of a rising tide, seemed to swallow up, step by step, the brightness of the prospect. Nehal Singh descended the winding stair that led to the first terrace

murmured dream