straints of a residence within the British

frontier.

Run Bahadur's first object after his reinstation, was, if possible, to obtain caste for the future sovereigns of Nepaul which had been denied him, and his mode of carrying out his purpose was in perfect harmony with his many previous insane and cruel proceedings. He determined upon obtaining a Brahmin wife from the plains of India, and knowing that all hopes of doing so except by force was useless, he employed the latter. His sacrilegious conduct was loudly denounced, and the sequel shewed that the Gods were not favourable to his wishes.

His beautiful, now Brahmin, Queen gave birth to three children and immediately after her last confinement was attacked with small pox. Run Bahadur now became almost frantic; all the hakeems (native doctors) were consulted and large rewards were offered for a perfect recovery.

The doctors at Nepaul were propitiated and

SUICIDE OF THE QUEEN.

167

consulted. Sacrifices and daily offerings were made to them. The Ranee getting worse, all became alarmed and the King furious. His ministers and doctors then advised, that, as the holy city of Benares contained many celebrated men, a deputation should immediately be sent there to fetch as many as could be induced to come to Nepaul under promises of large rewards for a cure. These arrived in due time, but all their art was in vain. The small pox had done its work most effectually, and on the Queen's recovery, (she having stipulated the King should neither see nor visit her until she was well), she requested her attendants to furnish her with a looking-glass. When she beheld for the first time the dreadful ravages made on her once beautiful face, she became disconsolate, and dismissing her attendants poisoned herself. The vegetable poisons of Nepaul are quick and deadly, and to this day no antidote has been found for them. Upon hearing of her death, Run Bahadur rushed into her apartment, and beholding his once

lovely Queen a corpse, and dreadfully spotted with the small pox he became frantic. He cursed his kingdom, her doctors, and the Gods of Nepaul, vowing vengeance on all. He first sent for the unfortunate Benares doctors, denounced them as liars and impostors, and ordered them to be soundly flogged, and each to have his right ear and nose cut off in his presence. This was duly performed, and they were afterwards started to the British dominions as a warning to all future impostors.

He then wreaked his vengeance on the Gods of Nepaul (not even excepting the famous temple at Pas Pat Nath) and after abusing them in the most gross way, he accused them of having obtained from him twelve thousand goats, sone hundred weight of sweetmeats, two thousand gallons of milk, &c. under false pretences, and that he would take summary vengeance for having wilfully disfigured his Queen.

He then ordered all the artillery, varying from 3 to 12-pounders, to be brought in front of the

SACRILEGIOUS VENGEANCE.

169

palace, with all the made-up ammunition at Khatmandoo. All the guns were then loaded to the muzzle, and down he marched to the head-quarters of the Nepaul deities. On arriving at Pas Pat Nath all the guns were drawn up in front of the several deities, honouring the most sacred with the heaviest metal. When the order to fire was given, many of the chiefs and soldiers ran away panic stricken and others hesitated to obey the sacrilegious order; and not until several gunners had been cut down, were the guns opened. Down came the gods and goddesses from their hitherto sacred positions; and after six hours heavy cannonading not a vestige of the deities remained.

Their temples sharing the same fate the priests ran away confounded, many escaping to the British territory, but those who were not so fortunate were seized and each deprived of his holy head. The Goorkha King now became satisfied, vowing, however, no God should ever again be elevated in his dominions until his departed Queen was restored to him.

VOL. I.

I

His life after this, as may be supposed, was a short one. The principal chiefs of his court therefore, who found themselves the objects of his cruel and revengeful persecutions, again formed a conspiracy against the Rajah, which was brought to a desperate issue rather prematurely.

The conspirators having some reason to apprehend that they were betrayed, suddenly resolved to sell their lives as dearly as possible, and one of them, Run Bahadur's half-brother, rushed forward in open Durbar and cut down Run Bahadur, cutting him nearly to the middle by a blow from his Korah (a short but heavy weapon of a half-moon shape, the edge of which is on the inner side like that of a scythe), as he sat in full Durbar in 1805. A barbarous affray followed, in which the fratricide himself was slain with most of the chiefs, and the royal family was nearly exterminated.

An infant son of Run Bahadur's was, however, with difficulty secreted in the women's apartments, and thus saved from the