He was unable to walk, but was
carried to his presence. The brutal nabob expressed no regret for what
had happened, but loaded him with abuse, on account of the paucity of
the treasure, and ordered him to be placed in confinement. The other
prisoners were also confined in a cell. Ada, the only English female
who had survived the siege, was torn, weeping, from Charlie's arms,
and conveyed to the zenana, or ladies' apartments, of one of the
nabob's generals.
A few days later, the English captives were all conveyed to
Moorshedabad, where the rajah also returned, after having extorted
large sums from the French and Dutch, and confiscated the whole of the
property of the English in Bengal.
The prospect was a gloomy one for the captives. That the English
would, in time, return and extort a heavy reckoning from the nabob,
they did not doubt for a moment. But nothing was more likely than
that, at the news of the first disaster which befell his troops, the
nabob would order his captives to be put to death.
Upon the march up the country Charlie had, by his cheerfulness and
good temper, gained the goodwill of the officer commanding the guard;
and upon arriving at their destination, he recommended him so strongly
to the commander of the prison that the latter, instead of placing him
in the apartment allotted to the remainder of the prisoners, assigned
a separate room to him; permitting Tim, at his request, to occupy it
with him.
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