N. Francis Xavier
Part XXVII, (Continued from last week)
Hemraj woke up with a start. It was the unmistakable rattle of an anchor cable going down. He aroused the men and with gestures motioned them into the bushes nearby. Climbing a nearby tree he looked towards the direction from which the sound came.
The government gunboat Kwangtung was visible in the distance. He knew the Kwangtung well. It was supposed to be off to China. It must have come back after a re-fit and immediately pressed into service.
A boat was being lowered over the side of the Kwangtung.
Hemraj watched anxiously as it splashed into the water. It had a single occupant. As soon as the boat touched the water the man released the davit ropes. Kwangtung hauled in its anchor as it backed into deeper water. Leaving a thick cloud of black smoke the ship turned round and headed back to the open sea.
The lone boatman shipped a pair of oars and began pulling directly in the direction where Hemraj and the men were hiding.
Sheobratstarted loading the rifle when Hemraj looked down. He made a sign to Sheobrat to stop. He knew the man in the boat.
Even from the distance Hemraj could make out the powerful frame of Santiago. Soon after he got into the boat the man took off his shirt. His back and forearms were filled with tattoos. Instantly Hemraj recognized him.Everyone in Port Blair knew Santiago, one of the white convicts sent to the Andamans during the early days of the settlement.
European convicts have been transported to the Andaman & Nicobar Islands during the early days of the penal settlement. They have been sent up for a variety of crimes like murder, culpable homicide, robbery, theft, mutiny, forgery, rape, perjury, criminal breach of trust, deserting ship etc.,
The white convicts were segregated from the natives, but were put to work nevertheless. Although leniently treated and given better food the white prisoners still had to perform their prison tasks.
The white convicts were mostly sailors, labourers, quarrymen, soldiers, railway workers, blacksmiths, masons or carpenters. But occasionally there were some high profile criminals like surgeons, surveyors and lawyers.
Before the penal settlement at Andamans came up two exclusive penitentiaries existed for European offenders in India – one at Hazaribagh and the other at Ooty. Calcutta too had a ‘House of Correction’ for white criminals.
When the penal colony was started in the Andamans letters were sent out to the prisons on the mainland asking for European prisoners who knew some trade that can be of use in the budding colony. A free pardon, permission to be at large, remission of sentence etc., were the incentives offered to European prisoners willing to volunteer to go to the Andamans.
The response was overwhelming. Petitions, memorials and applications were submitted in large numbers through the jail officials to the Lt. Governor of Bengal, or direct to the Governor General.
One such was the case of Santiago.
Hemraj was already in the Andamans when Santiago arrived. From the very first day he became notorious for his violent temper. But, being experts with oar and sail a good camaraderie sprung up between Hemraj and Santiago.
Santiago Gregory was an employee of the East India Railway Company. He came to India in the service of the East India Company and continued to work in the Railways even after the Mutiny. The pay was good and India was more fascinating than England. Many decided to take a native wife and settle down in India. Santiago also did the same.
During a long sail he told Hemrajhis story.
He was working at Sahebgunj, a railway town with a large white population. A loop line of the East India Railway was being constructed so that it connects Sahebgunj with the Howrah mainline.
The Santhal Rebellion prompted the British to develop the town and the surrounding areas including the ancient town of Rajmahal and post good number of police and military personnel there.
With many ancient monuments dating back to the Mughal times and the forests full of game Rajmahal was a veritable paradise for the rulers. It became necessary to connect the town with the railways when the Ganges changed its course making it lose its strategic importance.
When he started work at Sahebgunj Santiago was forty-eight, a powerfully built man with massive, tattooed arms. He was a heavy drinker too, prone to getting into brawls.
One evening, after a bout of heavy drinking Santiago got into a fight with another white man. Blows were exchanged. But the blows from Santiago’s powerful fists proved deadly for the other man. As the case involved British subjects Santiago was brought before the Commissioner of Rajmahal. First Santiago denied the crime, a mistake he would regret later.
The case went before the Supreme Court and Santiago was found guilty. He was sentenced to life with hard labour and sent to Alipore.
Santiago felt he did not deserve such a harsh sentence. His contention was that had he admitted the crime in the first place he would have got a much lighter sentence. He pleaded that the blows inflicted on the deceased were dealt only in the excitement of the moment in self defence and in return for those sustained. He pleaded for remission of a part of the sentence as he had a large family that would be left without support due to his imprisonment. However, in case this is not possible, he prayed to be sent to the Andamans, “where he may sufficiently atone for the wrong he has done, by his usefulness in felling and hewing as also sail-making.” He also had an extra qualification — his ability to speak Hindustani and Bengali.
After a prolonged correspondence the Governor General relented and ordered the transfer of Santiago to the Andamans, along with another convict. Thereafter things moved fast; passage was arranged for both convicts on the steamer Arracan, which was about to sail from Calcutta. Santiago boarded the vessel on Sunday 2nd November 1862 and sailed for the Andamans via Moulmein.
It was Santiago’s expertise in sail-making that brought him in contact with Hemraj. Both would spend hours checking the rigging of the many sailboats and ships in Port Blair. They would accompany expeditions to the outer islands in search of areas that could be developed as future settlements for the growing penal colony.
The veins stood out as Santiago pulled on the oars with his powerful arms. The boat moved forward easily with each stroke.
Why was Santiago dropped off here? Was he on a spying mission? But Cadell would never send a lonely man against eleven desperate convicts. The men watched with bated breath as the boat neared the shore. (To be continued…..)
Leave a Reply