Hanuman II

A tense silence hung in the air even as the dying fire cast myriad shadows on the trees beyond. Hanuman sat still although his body was taut, the gun had begun to feel a little heavy now. The night was cool yet he felt awkwardly uncomfortable.

The stillness was deafening. Hanuman heard rustling in the undergrowth again. He focused. And, then the fire died out.

With bated breath he waited; the next few seconds were anguish. Nothing happened.

An owl hooted far away.

Hanuman lowered his rifle. Everything seemed quiet. The rustling in the undergrowth had stopped. Puzzled he got up and put his rifle on the ground. Unsheathing his knife from its holster, he made his way towards where he thought the noise came from.

He squinted in the moonlight; there was nothing that seemed out of order. The leaves seemed undisturbed and the twigs as if they had fallen right off the trees. Everything seemed perfectly normal.

Questioning his faculties, Hanuman returned to the camp.

The others were rising. There were more important things at hand. There was a caravan that was headed towards the palace; having enough resources in it for his brothers to last for days to come. And, there was not a moment to lose, it would be heavily guarded, a strategic position would be ineffective if the timing was not perfect and all his troops were not in place.

Tehmul came running. A lightly built buy of fourteen, he was quick on his feet and nimble to the extreme, only Hanuman could rival Tehmul in his agility. He loved him like his own son.

Tehmul was panting from running hard - "They come..."

Hanuman cast an eye towards his troops, they were milling around, all of them waiting for his instructions. He gave a low whistle and the men quickly stationed themselves at premeditated positions.

The area he had earmarked for attack was located on the oft tread path that the Englishmen used to ferry goods. It was located in a clearing that was a respite from the dense jungle. The clearing was surrounded by hills on all sides with sheer walls. This is where Hanuman stationed his men for a surprise attack. The bad light and mist would be a silent cover to the attack. The enemy would not know what hit them.

He and Tehmul were themselves perched atop a cliff that faced the clearing. They lay hidden amongst some bushes where they could see the path emerging from the woods.

The lights of the caravan shone through the trees. It made its way slowly. Tehmul saw the scout approach into the clearing; he was atop a white horse and was holding a lantern.
Hanuman was getting up. He had selected the spear much to Tehmul’s surprise.

“It feels just right…” he answered Tehmul’s questioning look.

He took three powerful steps and heaved the spear into the air his muscles rippling from the strain.

There was a whoosh of air and the spear disappeared into the black of the night. A moment later it found its mark. The Scout dropped limply from the horse - that bolted frightened.

Hanuman was already making his way down the cliff in a flash. An unsaddled horse would have the Englishmen swarming through the jungle in no time. He was running through the shrubs his eyes riveted on the   creature that was bolting wildly.

Tehmul watched as Hanuman drew parallel to the horse and gracefully caught his reigns even as he swung over the running horse to calm him down. He spoke softly stroking the white mane of the Beast.

“Quiet my dear, quiet…”

The animal fell silent. Hanuman understood animals better than he understood humans.
Nature - his Mother had taught him many things.

“Kali is most kind…” he thought to himself looking up at the star spangled sky. There was a low hoot which he recognized as an all clear signal.

He made his way to the caravan where his men had done a tidy job, Tehmul at his side.He made a quick headcount, something was amiss.

"Where's Macchindra?" he growled. The others looked around.

"Check his gear, he should be here!"

A sinking feeling gripped Hanuman's stomach as he recalled the event earlier that night...

To be contd..