第78章

Almost believing himself the sport of some wild dream.Djalma offered no resistance, but allowed himself to be bound and removed with mechanical passiveness.The officer, with part of his soldiers, hoped still to discover Faringhea amongst the ruins; but his search was vain, and, after spending an hour in fruitless endeavors, he set out for Batavia, where the escort of the prisoners had arrived before him.

Some hours after these events, M.Joshua van Dael thus finished his long despatch, addressed to M.Rodin, of Paris:

"Circumstances were such, that I could not act otherwise; and, taking all into consideration, it is a very small evil for a great good.Three murderers are delivered over to justice, and the temporary arrest of Djalma will only serve to make his innocence shine forth with redoubled luster.

"Already this morning I went to the governor, to protest in favor of our young prince.`As it was through me,' I said, `that those three great criminals fell into the hands of the authorities, let them at least show me some gratitude, by doing everything to render clear as day the innocence of Prince Djalma, so interesting by reason of his misfortunes and noble qualities.Most certainly,' I added, `when I came yesterday to inform the governor, that the Phansegars would be found assembled in the ruins of Tchandi, I was far from anticipating that any one would confound with those wretches the adopted son of General Simon, an excellent man, with whom I have had for some time the most honorable relations.We must, then, at any cost, discover the inconceivable mystery that has placed Djalma in this dangerous position;' and, I continued, `so convinced am I of his innocence, that, for his own sake, I would not ask for any favor on his behalf.He will have sufficient courage and dignity to wait patiently in prison for the day of justice.' In all this, you see, I spoke nothing but the truth, and had not to reproach myself with the least deception, for nobody in the world is more convinced than I am of Djalma's innocence.

"The governor answered me as I expected, that morally he felt as certain as I did of the innocence of the young prince, and would treat him with all possible consideration; but that it was necessary for justice to have its course, because it would be the only way of demonstrating the falsehood of the accusation, and discovering by what unaccountable fatality that mysterious sign was tattooed upon Djalma's arm.

"Mahal the Smuggler, who alone could enlighten justice on this subject, will in another hour have quitted Batavia, to go on board the `Ruyter,'

which will take him to Egypt; for he has a note from me to the captain, to certify that he is the person for whom I engaged and paid the passage.

At the same time, he will be the bearer of this long despatch, for the `Ruyter' is to sail in an hour, and the last letter-bag for Europe was made up yesterday evening.But I wished to see the governor this morning, before closing the present.

"Thus, then, is Prince Djalma enforced detained for a month, and, this opportunity of the `Ruyter' once lost, it is materially impossible that the young Indian can be in France by the 13th of next February.You see, therefore, that, even as you ordered, so have I acted according to the means at my disposal--considering only the end which justifies them--for you tell me a great interest of the society is concerned.

"In your hands, I have been what we all ought to be in the hands of our superiors--a mere instrument: since, for the greater glory of God, we become corpses with regard to the will.[7] Men may deny our unity and power, and the times appear opposed to us; but circumstances only change;

we are ever the same.

"Obedience and courage, secrecy and patience, craft and audacity, union and devotion--these become us, who have the world for our country, our brethren for family, Rome for our Queen!

"J.V."

About ten o'clock in the morning, Mahal the Smuggler set out with this despatch (sealed) in his possession, to board the "Ruyter." An hour later, the dead body of this same Mahal, strangled by Thuggee, lay concealed beneath some reeds on the edge of a desert strand, whither he had gone to take boat to join the vessel.

When at a subsequent period, after the departure of the steamship, they found the corpse of the smuggler, M.Joshua sought in vain for the voluminous packet, which he had entrusted to his care.Neither was there any trace of the note which Mahal was to have delivered to the captain of the "Ruyter," in order to be received as passenger.

Finally, the searches and bushwhacking ordered throughout the country for the purpose of discovering Faringhea, were of no avail.The dangerous chief of the Stranglers was never seen again in Java.

[7] It is known that the doctrine of passive and absolute obedience, the main-spring of the Society of Jesus, is summed up in those terrible words of the dying Loyola: "Every member of the Order shall be, in the hands of his superiors, even as a corpse (Perinde ac Cadaver)."--E.S.