Ghost Letters by Stephen Alter Page B

that one of them shot with his musket. While the deserters eat the bird, Lawrence is given a couple of moldy biscuits to chew on for dinner. When Tommy-three tosses a drumstick on the ground, Lawrence notices a scroll of paper tied to it. Cautiously, he reaches out and removes it, readingthe words Sikander has written. For the first time since he’s been kidnapped, Lawrence smiles.
    After their meal, Tommy-one tries to write the ransom note in the firelight. He has a crumpled sheet of paper and the blunt stub of a blue pencil.
    â€œNow, what did you say yer father’s name was?” asks Tommy-one, squinting in the faint light.
    â€œMr. Roderick Sleeman, Esquire,” says Lawrence.
    Tommy-one never went to school, and the letter takes about an hour to write:
    By Her Majistee’s Ov’rland Male
    To: Mr. Rodrick Sleemin Esq.
    From: Y’ don’t knead to kno
    deer Sir,
    Weev got yer son, Lawrnce. Send one thowsind roopees kash only (Rs. 1,000) to Peepulpatti Dak bunglo buy day aftir tumorrow, or else wee cut ofph his head. Don tell the powlice or miltry oficials. (Hare inclos’d as proof)
    Thank’n yew sinceerlie yers kindly,
    Nonymous
    When the ransom note is finally written, it is folded up with the curls of red hair enclosed and stuffed into an old
    envelope that originally contained a notice for the three Tommies’ court-martial. Finding a candle stub in the dak bungalow, Tommy-one seals the envelope with melted wax.
    Though most of the mail to Ajeebgarh arrives by train, letters from the hills are delivered by overland mail carried by relays of men on foot. The next morning, soon after dawn, Lawrence hears the ringing of a bell as one of the mail runners comes down the path toward the dak bungalow. At gunpoint, Tommy-one waylays the runner and hands over the ransom note for delivery. In his broken Urdu—which is even worse than his English—he tells the mail carrier to deliver the letter to Mr. Roderick Sleeman at the Upper Finch Tea Estate. The mail runner is so frightened, he nods when asked if he understands, though he hasn’t been able to comprehend a single word Tommy-one says.
    Even then, the ransom note might have reached its destination, but when the mail carrier descends to the foot of the mountains, an elephant steps out of the forest and charges him. The runner drops the mail and escapes. Picking up the bag of letters with its trunk, the elephant tosses it into the trees, where a troupe of monkeys tear it open and scatter the contents. The ransom note, which could have saved Lawrence’s life, ends up at the top of a banyan tree.
    If only it had reached Mr. Sleeman, he would have gladly paid a thousand rupees for the release of his son. Instead, the scribbled letter gets added to a magpie’s nest, a crumpled wad of paper in which two eggs are laid and later hatched.
    As for Lawrence, he tries to persuade the kidnappers to lethim go, but they just laugh at him. His hands and feet are kept tied most of the time, and whenever the ropes are removed, one of the Tommies stands guard with a musket. On the third night at the dak bungalow, Lawrence is finally able to loosen the knots on his wrists. While the three deserters are snoring loudly, he slowly works his hands free, then unties his feet. Moving as silently and stealthily as he can, Lawrence crawls toward the door. His captors are sound asleep, and the only light in the room comes from the moon, which shines through a crack in the window shutters.
    Getting to his feet, Lawrence can feel the prickling itch of circulation returning to his arms and legs. He reaches for the latch on the door and begins to draw it open. The rusted metal makes a grating sound, and Lawrence glances anxiously at the sleeping soldiers. One of them rolls over, making a grunting noise. Easing the latch free, he begins to push on the door. The hinges creak, but at that moment a rat comes scurrying into the room. It runs between