Nathua was petrified; he felt as though he had lost his foothold and toppled into a river. He leapt from the bed and snatched up his broom.
Rai Sahib asked again, ‘What were you doing, wretch?’
‘Nothing, master!’
‘Are you brazen enough to sleep in Ratna’s bed now? Ungrateful scoundrel! Bring me my whip.’
Rai Sahib flogged Nathua mercilessly. Nathua folded his hands and fell at Rai Sahib’s feet but Rai Sahib’s anger was implacable. All the servants crowded round and began to rub salt on his wounds. Rai Sahib’s rage grew and throwing aside the whip he began to kick Nathua. When Ratna heard Nathua’s cries she came running into the room. Once she had gathered the cause of the ruckus she pleaded with her father, ‘Dadaji, the poor boy will die; have mercy on him now.’
Rai Sahib growled, ‘If he dies, I’ll have his carcass thrown out. At least he will have reaped the fruit for this wickedness.’
‘It is my bed, isn’t it? And I forgive him.’
‘Just look at the state of your bed. The filth from the rascal’s body must have rubbed off on it. What was he thinking? Why you . . . what came over you?’
Rai Sahib leapt at Nathua again but he ran and hid behind Ratna. There was no refuge elsewhere. Ratna stopped her father. ‘Dadaji, I request you, please forgive him.’
Rai Sahib: ‘What do you mean, Ratna? How can such villains be forgiven? All right, because of you I will let him go, otherwise I would have killed him today. You, Nathua, hear me, if you know what’s good for you don’t ever come here again. Get out right now, you no-good swine!’
Nathua ran for his life. He didn’t look back even once and only stopped running when he reached the road. Rai Sahib could not touch him here. Here, people would not take Rai Sahib’s side just to please him. Someone would be sure to speak up for him. After all, he was only a boy. Surely he couldn’t be killed for making a mistake. Let him try and beat me here, he thought, I’ll abuse him and run away. This idea bolstered his courage. He turned towards the bungalow and shouted, ‘Come and hit me here, if you dare!’ Then he took to his heels, in case Rai Sahib had heard him and was indeed coming after him.2
Nathua had gone only a little distance when he saw Ratna’s memsahib coming after him on her tamtam, the one-horse carriage. He was afraid she was chasing him to nab him. He fled at top speed once again but when he was too tired to run any further he had to stop. His mind said, What can she do to me? What harm have I done her? Meanwhile, the memsahib had reached him. Stopping her tamtam she said, ‘Where are you going, Nathua?’
Nathua answered, ‘Nowhere.’
‘If you go back to Rai Sahib’s he will beat you. Why don’t you come with me to the Mission? You can live there comfortably and be educated and cultured.’
‘Will you make me a Christian?’
‘A Christian is not worse than a bhangi, silly!’
‘No, Ma’am, I won’t become a Christian.’
‘Don’t, if you don’t want to. No one can force you to become one.’
Nathua went some distance in the tamtam but then suddenly he jumped down, for he was still suspicious of the Mission. The memsahib asked, ‘What is it, why aren’t you coming with me?’
‘I’ve heard whoever goes to the Mission becomes a Christian. I won’t go. You are tricking me.’
‘Foolish boy, you’ll be schooled there and not have to slave for anyone. In the evening you’ll get time to play and have a coat and trousers to wear. At least come and see what it’s like for a few days.’
Nathua did not respond to this temptation and ran down the alley. Only when the tamtam had gone quite far did he relax and begin to take stock of his situation. Where do I go? I hope no policeman seizes me and takes me to the police station. If I go where people of my community live, will they take me in? Why shouldn’t they? I won’t just sit and eat; I will work and earn a living. I only need support, someone to stand behind me. If today I had someone to back me Rai Sahib would not have dared to beat me like that. The entire community would have rallied round and the whole house left uncleaned. Even the doorway would be unswept. Then, all his pride in his title would have been reduced to nothing.
Having made up his mind. He wandered towards the bhangi quarter of the town. It was evening and many bhangis sat on mats under a tree playing the shehnai and the tabla. Music was their livelihood and they practised daily. The torment that music was subjected to here could not
