N. Francis Xavier
Part X, (Continued from last week)
Maurice Vidal Portman, the enigmatic officer-in-charge of the Andamanese was a troubled man.
The recapture of the escaped convicts was essential to establish his credibility with Col. Cadell, the new Chief Commissioner. He would need his help in getting a choice bungalow allotted in Port Blair, get an electric generator and photographic equipment installed in it. He saw a treasure trove in the Andamanese tribals. Their numbers were dwindling rapidly. If only he could take as many photographs of them he could make a fortune by selling them. He had already been negotiating with the British Museum for preparing a portfolio of Andamanese photographs.After that he wanted to compile a manual of the Andamanese language. Cadell’s approval is essential for all these enterprises.
Soon after the escape Portman wanted to go north in a steam launch and cut off the flight of Hemraj by crossing over to the west coast through Austen Strait. He told the Marine Engineer Mr. Crawford to muster all steam and go up to Craggy Island first and double back to Austen Strait.
Craggy Island was the place where the first encounter took place in 1858 between Dr FJ Mouat’s party and the Great Andamanese. Although it happened thirty years earlier there were many on the island who still remember the encounter clearly.
Pluto, the ship in which Mouat conducted the survey of the Andamans anchored off the island. It was full of crags and caves, but the water around it was teaming with fish, visible to the naked eye through the crystal clear water.
Mouat ordered the cutters to be lowered for a closer examination. The men were ordered to load their weapons, but hide them under the floorboards of the boat.
The sight of the huge monster-like ship, with its huge paddle wheels and the hissing steam engineso frightened islanders that they retreated into the jungle.
The attempt to land was thwarted by the brave chief who came down to the beach and challenged the outsiders with his spear. His war dance showed defiance. Finally he took his bow and shot an arrow in the direction of the intruders, however ineffective it might be.
Meanwhile Mouat’s party landed near an abandoned boat and left in it many mirrors and ‘beads of the most dazzling colours’, after displaying them to those on the shore. In a later encounter the aborigines sent a shower of arrows among the boatmen, answered with a blind volley of shots from the sailors of the Pluto.
Portman read about the encounter in DrMouat’s famous book. In fact he read it many times. He had even met Mouat in Calcutta. Being a member of the Royal Asiatic Society, Fellow of the University of Calcutta and the Photographic Society he was well known in Calcutta for his knowledge about the Andaman aborigines.
During later encounters the Andamanese became docile and cooperative. They were obedient towards Portman who brought gifts for them. One of them was named Aina, as he possessed one of the mirrors left by Mouat.
It was Aina who came to meet Portman that day. Portman told him about the runaways and asked him to look out for them. Everyone knew the boat, taken away by Hemraj.
By the time they reached Austen Strait Mr Crawford, the engineer informed Portman that the crown plate of the furnace of the launch was badly damaged. It has to be left there till replacements came from Port Blair.
Portman knew that delay meant better chances for the fugitives. Desperate, he took a large sailing boat to return to Port Blair. But the monsoon was at its peak. The rough seas and wind drove the boat on to rocks. Even that had to be abandoned.
Not knowing what to do Portman sent some Andamanese to look for the station steamer, which might be in the vicinity. He fired guns to attract any passing ship and even used the sounding board of the Andamanese. Finally the IGS Hugh Rose was sighted and the Chief Officer comes to the Andamanese village and takes them to Port Blair.
Just a few months before the escape Portman was hit on the head with a spade by a convict named Tokha. He was passing by the chain gang on Viper Island when Tokha took a swipe at him. He was about to hit him again when Ahmed the convict Jamadar seized him. An insensible Portman was taken to the hospital with a gaping head injury.
Tokha was hanged immediately but Portman never completely recovered from the injury. As he sat on the deck of the violently rolling IGS Hugh Rose he felt dizzy and felt the fever rising. He knew he would not be able to pursue Hemraj. He will have to apply for leave and go back to England to recover his health.
It was with a heavy heart Portman reported to Col. Cadell. But the information that the fugitives took to the west coast was enough for Cadell. Together they poured over the charts of the Bay of Bengal. Cadell called for Captain Birch and asked him to prepare a series of telegrams to many coastal areas of Bengal also. The telegrams will be sent by the next ship.
A small steamer coming from Rangoon brought a message from the Captain of the Satara. They had scoured the sea around the west coast but found no trace of the boat or the fugitives.
‘I know where to look for them’, Cadell smiled to himself.
‘I’ll get them to the gallows before the month is up’, he swore. (To be continued)
