--Is it possible you have never heard of old Mother Montreville?"
"You know I have been so long absent from Madras"--
"Well," continued Butler, "this lady is the widow of a Swiss officer in
the French service, who after the surrender of Pondicherry, went off
into the interior, and commenced soldier on his own account. He got
possession of a fort, under pretence of keeping it for some simple Rajah
or other; assembled around him a parcel of desperate vagabonds, of every
colour in the rainbow; occupied a considerable territory, of which he
raised the duties in his own name, and declared for independence. But
Hyder Naig understood no such interloping proceedings, and down he came,
besieged the fort and took it, though some pretend it was betrayed to
him by this very woman. Be that as it may, the poor Swiss was found dead
on the ramparts. Certain it is, she received large sums of money, under
pretence of paying off her troops, surrendering of hill-forts, and
Heaven knows what besides. She was permitted also to retain some
insignia of royalty; and, as she was wont to talk of Hyder as the
Eastern Solomon, she generally became known by the title of Queen of
Sheba. She leaves her court when she pleases, and has been as far as
Fort St. George before now. In a word, she does pretty much as she
likes. The great folks here are civil to her, though they look on her as
little better than a spy.
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