318 CAPTIVITY AND EELEASE 



although guarded, and closely watched by an ever-present 

 spy, we never make ourselves unhappy. 



Our only communication with the Durbar (Court) is 

 through our spy, a truly odious being. He is perfectly made 

 up of malevolence and falsehood, to practise which is his 

 main occupation. He is a filthy squinting Bhotea, who drives 

 away every one who comes near us, and causes our poor 

 coolies to be flogged, when they approach the door to beg 

 a little food from our small stock. We are, of course, more 

 than civil, nay, we are kind to him, but he is equally un- 

 touched by our kind deeds and our remonstrances. Many 

 a base scurvy trick he has played us and misrepresented our 

 conduct to the Eajah, who treated us ill enough and starved 

 both Campbell and me for the first fortnight ; as he does 

 our poor followers to this very hour. I suppose the evil 

 animus this vile fellow (who rejoices in the name of Toba 

 Singh) exhibits against us constitutes his recommendation 

 in the Eajah's eyes. Happily neither he, nor any one here, 

 can speak English, so my friend and I talk with perfect 

 freedom, only using conventional names for persons. We 

 call the Rajah Prince, the Dewan Butcher, Toba Singh Evil 

 Eye, and so on. 



Hodgson is our good angel now. Though his health 

 almost imperatively requires him to go to the Plains, he 

 stays at Darjeeling, in order to serve us by communicating 

 with Government, threatening the Eajah, looking to the 

 defences of Darjeeling, and comforting poor Mrs. Campbell 

 and the few inhabitants who yet remain at the Station. The 



ostensible manager there is the brother of ; he thinks 



, (and is allowed by Hodgson to think) that he does everything, 

 but he is a wholly inefficient person, and quite incompetent 

 to stir a peg without the impulse, counsel, and correction of 

 others. 



From the middle of November, however, permission had 

 been given to write to their friends, though even before their 

 arrest, a whole packet of letters had been destroyed. Hooker 

 accordingly sent a private account of all that had happened 

 to Lord Dalhousie, then at Bombay, with instant effect. Troops 

 were hurried up to Darjiling ; an ultimatum despatched to 

 the Eajah. Military force was a message the Dewan could not 



