Mussalmans at Mursidabad this time also. But now he was sickly and enfeebled; he had no longer his old courage, no longer his old defiance. He was in a mortal funk for his life and was fleeing to save it. The wound in his head had somewhat obfuscated his intellect.
He urged his boat with all possible speed as he had a suspicion that the Mussalmans would pursue him. At first he thought of taking shelter in the Kasimbazar Residency, but he was afraid lest they should attack that place, hence he gave up the idea. Foster was justified in his apprehensions here, or soon after, the Mussalmans went to Kasimbazar and attacked and plundered the Residency.
He rapidly cleared Kasimbazar, Farasdanga, Saidabad and Rangamati. Yet his fear was not gone; whenever he saw a vessel behind him, he at once took it for a Mussalman boat. Soon after, a small boat appeared to be persistently following him.
Foster then cast about for means of saving himself. In his distraction several ideas occurred to him. For once he thought, “Let me leave the boat and effect my escape by land.” “I cannot do that,” it struck him the next moment, “I haven’t got the strength for it.” “Why not drown myself?” came a second inspiration, and instantly it flashed on him that it was not a satisfactory solution of the difficulty, as in that case he would not save himself. “Let me throw these two women over-board,” was his last thought, “the boat will be lighter and run all the faster for it.”
Suddenly a wrong-headed idea took possession of his mind. It was his firm belief that the Mussalmans were coming in pursuit of him for these women. He had heard that Dalani was the Nawab’s Begum, and he thought that it was for her sake alone that the Mussalmans
