On the summit of the Hussainghurry pass, if the traveller turns aside
from the beaten track into the thin brushwood to the left and near the
edge of the mountain, from whence he will behold an indescribably
sublime prospect, there are a few ruined tombs. They are those of the
officers and men who fell in the assault, and who lie near the scene of
their triumph,—sad yet honourable memorials of the event which even now
is sung and described by the bards of the country in rude but expressive
language.
Beyond these again is another, beneath a shady Neem-tree, which is in
better preservation, and, by the hut near it, has evidently been taken
under the care of an old Fakeer. He will always supply the thirsty
traveller with a cup of cool water after his weary ascent, and though he
could originally have had no interest in the tomb, has yet inherited the
occupation of the spot from others before him, whom either death swept
from the face of the earth, or, having rested there for awhile, have
wandered into other and far-distant lands.
That tomb is Charles Balfour’s; and whether it is that more than
ordinary interest existed at the period in the fate of him who lies
there,—whether any tradition of his youth and virtues descended with
time—from its being apart from the others, or from the shade the tree
afforded—that it has been selected from the rest, and held in
sanctity,—we know not; yet so it is. Annually, a few flowers and a
lighted lamp are offered up upon it, and often a love-sick maiden, or a
mother beseeching health for her child or a propitious return to her
absent husband, brings a lamp and a garland with her, and in a few
simple prayers beseeches the spirit of him who rests there to aid her
requests.
Certain it is they could not pray to the spirit of a purer being; and if
the act itself be questionable, at least we cannot refuse, to the
emotion which prompts it, our mental tribute of sincere sympathy.
Herbert and Dalton selected the spot themselves; and in the evening,
after they had completed the few necessary preparations for the funeral,
as the red glow of the declining sun was lingering upon the
mountain-peaks, gilding the naked precipices till they shone like fire,
and the huge mountains were flinging their purple shadows over the deep
valleys and chasms, making their depths even more profound and
gloomy,—the slow and sad funereal train which bore Charles Balfour to
his grave issued from the camp, followed by most of the officers in the
force and the men of his regiment; for the youngest officer in it had
been a favourite with all, and his daring bravery on that day had caused
a double regret for his early fate.
What more affecting sight exists than a soldier’s funeral? the cap and
sword, and belt and gloves upon the coffin, speak to the heart more than
studied eulogy or the pomp of nodding plumes and silent mutes; the head
which proudly bore the one, the arm which wielded the other, are stiff
and cold. Earth has claimed her own; and it goes to its last narrow
resting-place, not in the triumphal procession of hearses and lines of
carriages, but with the solemn wail of the music for the dead, and with
slow and measured tramp, so full of contrast to the vigorous and
decisive step of military movement.
The mournful procession passed onward till it reached the grave; the
funeral party which preceded the coffin performed its simple movement in
silence; and as the lane was formed, and the men bowed their heads upon
the butts of their muskets, many a big tear could be seen coursing down
the cheeks of those who had fought beside him who had passed from among
them for ever!
Soon all was finished: the rattle of musketry resounded in the still
evening through the mountains; it died gradually away; again and again
it was repeated; and the last honours being paid to their departed
brother, all separated, and returned in groups to the camp, soon to
forget, even amidst other excitements than those of action or constant
service, the solemnity of the scene they had been engaged in.
Philip and Herbert remained however till the grave was filled in and
stones and thorns were piled upon it; and by this time evening had far
advanced, and spread her dusky mantle over the sublime scenery. All
beyond the pass gradually became a dark void, wherein nothing was
discernible save here and there a dim twinkling light, which showed
where a shepherd kept his watch, or a few wood-cutters cooked their
evening meal after the labours of the day. They could not remain long;
the chill breeze which arose as night advanced, though it was pleasant
to their relaxed frames, warned them to retire to the shelter of their
tent; and if their evening there was spent sadly, at least they had the
satisfaction of thinking that all the honours of a soldier’s death had
been shown to their young friend, and that he lay in a grave which would
be unmolested for ever.
It is far from our intention to follow _seriatim_ the operations of this
campaign, which are already matters of history, except as they are
necessary to the explanation of the positions into which the fate of
Herbert Compton led him. It has been already stated that the rich town
of Bednore, the capital of the province in which the army now was, had
been from the first the object of the present campaign; accordingly
Mathews, the day after the assault of the pass, pressed onwards with his
whole force to Hyderghur, a strong fort on the way to Bednore. This
place quickly yielded; and the governor, having been offered terms by
the English commander, agreed to them, and delivered over the whole of
the districts dependent upon the fortress. The fortress of Anantpoor
soon followed, and the country was quickly occupied by small
detachments, and the inhabitants yielded apparently quiet possession to
their conquerors. Bednore was next approached; and as the minarets and
white-terraced houses appeared to the view of the army, and it was known
that its governor had deserted his post, all were clamorous to be led at
once against it, both because it was to be their resting-place, after
their fatiguing service, and was described to be full of treasure, which
would become their lawful spoil.
The possession of it was the more urgent, because only six rounds of
ammunition remained to each man in the whole army; with this miserable
provision, no operation of any magnitude could be undertaken; there was
no prospect of immediate supplies from Bombay; the communication from
the coast was very irregular, but Bednore was before them; and, reckless
almost of consequences, it was attacked and carried by escalade, with
all the ardour of desperate men. The reduction of the forts of the
country followed, and, in a mistaken idea, perhaps, all were occupied
with small detachments; thus the army was rendered inefficient, and, in
a great measure, the execution of these services gave notoriously such
profit to the officers engaged in them, on account of the plunder they
obtained, that they were with difficulty recalled. The dreams all had
entertained of riches appeared to be realised, the spirit of rapacity
pervaded all ranks, and each man was anxious to secure what he could of
the golden harvest.
During the month of February, these and other operations below the
passes took place; and when the army, or such part of it as could be
assembled at Bednore, was collected, it was the general expectation that
the immense booty would be divided, and, at all events, that the army
would receive its pay, which to most of the troops was considerably in
arrear. Herbert, however, had been prevented, by a wound received at the
storm of Anantpoor, from taking any part with his regiment in the
operations we have alluded to; he had received a severe sword-cut upon
his right arm, which, though it did not confine him to his bed, yet
rendered it impossible for him to accompany the regiment; and after the
possession of Bednore, he remained there with the other sick and
wounded. Dalton, on the contrary, continued to be most actively
employed, and in all the affairs of the campaign bore a conspicuous
part.
His constant association with the General gave him opportunities of
observing his character narrowly. While he admired the courage and the
perseverance with which he laboured to carry out to the letter the
instructions of the Government, he could not but see that his blind
reliance upon fate, his neglect of the most ordinary means of gaining
intelligence, and of providing stores and supplies for his army,—while
he denied them the power of purchasing for themselves by withholding
their pay, which he had ample means to discharge,—would sooner or later
be the causes of ruin to the expedition, which, so long as it was not
menaced by the armies of Mysore, held efficient possession of the
territory it had gained.
Nor was it to be doubted that Tippoo, with the whole resources of his
kingdom at his perfect command, would make a decisive attempt for the
recovery of this, his favourite and most fertile province. Dalton had
repeatedly urged these considerations upon his commander with the utmost
earnestness, but without effect, and the events which followed their
return to Bednore were of a character to excite his most lively
apprehensions.
No sooner had the chief commanders of the army re-assembled at Bednore,
from their various expeditions, than a division of the plunder, or at
any rate an issue of pay, was insisted upon by them, and by some of the
officers; for the sum which had been collected was notoriously very
large. The whole amount of the lately-collected revenue of the district
had been seized in the Bednore treasury; and this, with the property and
jewels, the plunder of the various forts, might have been considered
available in part to the public service. With an obstinacy, however,
peculiar to his character, Mathews refused any distribution; the small
advances doled out to the officers and the men were dissipated as fast
as given, and were totally inadequate to their wants; and a general
spirit of discontent, little short of absolute mutiny, arose throughout
the army.
After many scenes of violent recrimination, of mutual threats, of
forcible suspension from the functions of their office between the
General and his subordinates, the latter declared to him in the presence
of Dalton and others of his staff, that they felt themselves perfectly
justified, for the safety of the army and the furtherance of the public
interests, to proceed at once to Bombay, and in person to expose his
conduct.
Having come to this determination, Mathews made no attempt to shake it.
Convinced, though mistakenly, that he was acting for the public good, he
formally granted them the permission they would otherwise have taken,
and requested Captain Dalton would hold himself in readiness to proceed
with the three commanders, as the bearer of his despatches, which
contained his reasons for acting as he had done, his requests for
further aid, and instructions as to his ultimate proceedings.
This was a somewhat sudden blow to Dalton, who would have far preferred
remaining with the General, to whom he felt a strong attachment, which
was increased by the difficulties and dangers by which he saw him
encompassed; and for a while he endeavoured to make a change in his
determination.
There were others, he said, of the staff much more fit to execute the
orders than himself; men who were acquainted with the authorities at the
Presidency, and with the language of the country, so necessary in a
rapid journey to and from the coast. But the General continued
inflexible; his confidence in the manly and independent character of
Dalton was not to be shaken, and Philip himself soon saw that it was
useless to press him upon the point.
Once he suggested that his friend Herbert should fulfil the mission, and
the mention of his name thus casually led to a request on the part of
the General that he would undertake Captain Dalton’s duties during his
absence. This was satisfactory to both of them, to Philip particularly,
for he felt assured in the talent and excellent military knowledge of
Herbert, which he was daily increasing by study, that the General would
have advice upon which he could depend.
‘Then, Philip, you will be back within a month?’ said Herbert, as they
sat together the evening before his departure.
‘I think so. Macleod and Humberstone are very friendly to me, though we
go upon opposite errands, for which I would to God no necessity existed;
and they are determined to get back as soon as possible; indeed, you
know it is absolutely necessary, for things cannot go on much longer in
this state.’
‘No, indeed. I regret sincerely that matters are thus; what in the world
can make the old man so obstinate?’
‘I know not; it is in vain that I have represented the absolute
necessity for a distribution of money, or for a prize-committee, in
order that the army may know something of what was secured here and
elsewhere. It is in vain; the old man is absorbed in the contemplation
of this wealth; it occupies his thoughts incessantly; and, though it is
not his, yet I verily believe he cannot make up his mind to part with
it, merely because it is wealth.’
‘It is most strange; one of those curious anomalies in human conduct
which we often see without being able to give any satisfactory reason
for it. I hope, however, the Government will decide the matter, and soon
send you back to us, Philip.’
‘Indeed, I hope so too. I very much suspect the General will be
superseded, for in truth he is little fitted to command; but you will be
able to judge of this yourself in a day or two.’
‘Well, I shall see; at any rate he shall have my opinion upon the state
of the fortifications, which I have often mentioned to you.’
‘And I to him; but he relies so implicitly upon his fate, and is so sure
of aid, which seems to me like a hope in a miraculous intervention in
his favour, that I ceased to urge it.’
‘There is no use in our speaking more now upon this vexatious subject,
Philip, and I pray you to execute my commissions in Bombay. Here are a
few letters for England, and some drawings among them; one for Charles’s
poor mother, and a sketch of the place where he fell, and his last
resting-place, which please despatch for me. Perhaps you can get them
into the Government packets; if so, they will be safer than in the
ship’s letter-bags. Here too is a packet of drawings of all our late
scenes and skirmishes, till my wound prevented my sketching any more,
which you may have an opportunity of sending by a private hand; and if
not, any of the captains will take it for me, I have no doubt.’
‘I will arrange all for you safely, Herbert. I have written some letters
myself, and they can all go together. I doubt not I shall be able to get
one of the secretaries to forward them, and your drawings besides, which
are not very large. Anything more?’
‘Nothing, except these trifling purchases.’
‘Certainly, I will bring the contents of the list without fail. So now
good-bye, and God bless you till we meet again! which I hope will not be
further distant than three weeks or a month. Take care of the old
commander; and if you can persuade him into parting with some money, and
into vigilance and exertion, you will not only be cleverer than I am,
but will deserve the thanks of all parties.’
‘I will try at all events. So good-bye! Don’t forget my letters,
whatever you do, for there are those in our merry England who look for
them with almost feverish impatience. God bless you!’
They wrung each other’s hands with warm affection, and even the tears
started to Herbert’s eyes. He thought then that he should be alone, to
meet any vicissitudes which might arise, and he could not repress a kind
of presentiment of evil, vague and indefinite. If he had been Dalton, he
would have expressed it; but his was a differently constituted
temperament, and he was silent. Another warm and hearty shake of the
hand, and Philip was gone.
The rest of that evening and night was sad enough to Herbert, and many
anxious thoughts for the future rose up in his mind. Dalton was only to
be absent a month; but in that time what might not happen? The army was
inefficient, from being broken up into detachments, and the best
commanders were about to leave; the authority would devolve upon others
who were untried in such situations; disaffection and party spirit were
at a high pitch. Should the enemy hear of this, and attack them, he
feared they could but ill resist.
However, he thought he could do much by forcible entreaty with the
general, whom he was now in a condition to advise; and, as he said,
these thoughts are but the effect of circumstances after all. For how
often is it that they who are departing on a journey in the prospect of
novelty and occupation of thought, have spirits lighter and more buoyant
than those who, remaining, can not only imagine dangers for the absent,
but are oppressed with anxieties for their safe progress, and lest evils
should come in which their aid and sympathy will be wanting!
But sad thoughts will soon pass away under the action of a
well-regulated mind: and Herbert, in his ensuing duties, found much to
occupy his, and prevent it from dwelling upon ideal evils. They were
not, however, without foundation.
But a few days had elapsed after the departure of his friend, ere
Herbert began to suggest plans to the commander for the general safety.
Young as he was, he put them forward with much diffidence, and only when
they were supported by another officer of the staff who could not blind
his eyes to the critical state of the army. Leaving for a while the
vexatious subject of money, upon which the general could not be
approached without giving way to passionate expressions, they gradually
endeavoured to lead his attention to the state of the fortifications,
which, ruinous and neglected as they were, could not afford defence
against any ordinarily resolute enemy. They next endeavoured to organise
some system of intelligence; for of what was passing within twenty miles
of Bednore—nay, even the state of their own detachments—they had no
knowledge whatever. They urged upon their infatuated commander the
necessity of establishing some order and discipline in the army, which
from neglect, inactivity, and poverty, was becoming riotous and
unmanageable.
But all was in vain. The more apparent the difficulties of his situation
were made to him, the more he tried to shut his eyes against them; and
when driven by absolute conviction to confess the peril, which daily
increased, though as yet no enemy threatened, he declared that he had
reliance in Almighty power to send succour, to perplex the councils of
his enemies, to distract their attention from one who, having carried
conquest so far, was destined (though certainly in some strait at
present) to rise out of all his troubles triumphant, to confound his
enemies and those who sought to dispossess him of his situation.
It was in very despair therefore that Herbert and the others, who had
aided him in his plans, were at length obliged to desist from further
importunity, and to settle down into a kind of dogged resolution to bear
with resignation whatever might be hidden behind the dark veil of the
future; and all hoped that news would speedily arrive of the
supercession of the general, and the appointment of some other more
competent person.
It will be remembered that two persons came into the English camp on the
night before the storming of the pass. The fate of one will be fresh in
the reader’s memory. The other performed his part well: he led the
column he guided steadily on one side of all the entrenchments, by
narrow bypaths and difficult places: it reached the top in time to
intercept the fugitives, who, driven from redoubt to redoubt, and
finally from the last, as we have already mentioned, fled
panic-stricken, and were destroyed in great numbers by the second
column, which intercepted many of them at the summit of the pass.
This guide, whose name was Jaffar Sahib, therefore, received his full
reward, and more; and as he was assumed to be faithful, so the general
kept him about his person, and lent a ready ear to his suggestions. By
him he had been informed of some secret stores of treasure, which he had
added to the general stock. By him he was told of the terror with which
his presence and conquest had inspired Tippoo and his armies, who would
not dare to attack him; and if the unfortunate general ever ventured to
express a doubt of the security of his position, he was flattered into
the belief that there was no fear, and was told, in the language of
Oriental hyperbole, that it was impregnable.
The interpreter between them was the general’s personal servant, who—not
proof against a heavy bribe, and greater promises—had lent himself to
the deep designs of the other.
It was long before suspicion of this person entered the mind of Herbert;
but a remark that fell from the general one day, that he had the best
information of the proceedings of the enemy, when it was very evident he
had none at all, led him to suspect that Jaffar Sahib was exercising
with the general a fatal and as yet unknown influence. The man’s
conduct, however, was so guarded, his civility and his apparent
readiness to oblige so great, that it was long before Herbert’s
suspicion led him to adopt any course to detect him.
But expressions, however light, will sometimes remain upon the memory,
and oftentimes obtrude themselves upon our notice when least expected.
During a nightly reverie, when the scenes of the short campaign were
vividly present to his imagination, he remembered the tone of contempt
in which the gallant Nair had spoken of Jaffar Sahib; and though he had
not understood the words, yet he could not help thinking there was more
implied in them than Wheeler had noticed. Early the next day he sought
that officer, with whom he had been in constant association, and
mentioned his doubts to him.
Mr. Wheeler readily repeated the words which the Nair had used; and
remembering his tone of contempt, he was gradually led to think with
Herbert that there was ground for extreme suspicion and watchfulness.
Nothing, however, could be discovered against the man; and though they
set others to watch his movements, they could not ascertain that he held
communication with any one but the general’s own servants, among whom he
lived.
The first three days of April had passed, and as yet there was no news
of the issue of the appeal to Bombay. All were anxious upon the subject,
and party-spirit ran higher and higher in consequence. They had soon,
however, matter for sterner contemplation. On the fourth morning, early,
there arose a slight rumour that Tippoo’s army was approaching. Three
similar ones had been heard before, but nothing had followed; and
Herbert flew with the intelligence to the general, accompanied by
Wheeler; for their suspicions were roused to the utmost against Jaffar
Sahib.
‘Impossible!’ said the general when he had heard the news. ‘I have the
most positive information that Tippoo is at Seringapatam, and purposes
advancing in the opposite direction to meet the Madras army. Who is the
author of this groundless rumour, gentlemen?’
‘It was prevalent,’ they said, ‘in the bazaar.’
‘Some scheme of the grain-merchants to raise the price of grain, I have
no doubt. But here is Jaffar Sahib, the faithful fellow to whom we owe
much of our success, and who would be the first to give this information
if it were true: ask him, if you please, Mr. Wheeler, what he thinks.’
Wheeler put the question, and the man laughed confidently.
‘It is a lie,—it is a lie! Look you, sir, as you speak my language so
well, perhaps you can read it also. Here are letters which I have daily
received from Seringapatam, through a friend, who thus risks his life in
the service of the brave English. They contain the daily records of the
bazaar there, and the movements of the troops.’
‘We will have them read by a scribe, if you please, general,’ said
Wheeler. ‘If thou art faithless, as I suspect,’ he continued to the man,
‘thou shalt hang on the highest tree in the fort!’
‘My life is in your hands,’ he replied in his usual subdued tone; ‘I am
not afraid that you should read.’
The letters were read, and were, as he described them to be, daily
accounts from the capital, where the army was said to be quiet. The last
letter was only four days old, the time which the post usually occupied.
‘Now, gentlemen, are you satisfied?’ cried the general in triumph. ‘Have
I not always told you that I possessed the most exact information
through this my faithful servant? Contradict, I pray you, this absurd
rumour, and believe me that there is no danger.’
But the next morning, as the day broke, a cloud of irregular cavalry was
seen by those on the look-out, advancing from the southward; and amidst
the confusion and alarm which followed, no efforts were made to check
them—none to defend the outer lines of fortification, which would have
enabled the English to have strengthened their position within. A few
skirmishes occurred, in ineffectual attempts to retain their ground, and
before noon the place was formally invested by the regular infantry and
very efficient artillery of Tippoo’s army.
Herbert and Wheeler made every search for Jaffar Sahib, but he was
nowhere to be found. In the confusion, he and the general’s servant, who
had been his confidant and associate, had escaped.
Then only broke upon the unfortunate general a bitter prospect, and a
sense of the misery he had brought upon himself and others. But instead
of yielding to any despair, the courage and discipline of the army rose
with the danger which threatened its very existence: animosities were
forgotten: and while the siege of the fort was vigorously pressed by
Tippoo, and with the most efficient means, its defenders exerted
themselves with the intrepidity and spirit of English soldiers to repel
their assailants.
With their insufficient means of defence, however—with broken and ruined
walls—the gradual failure of ammunition and of food—their exertions at
length relaxed; and after a vigorous assault, directed by Tippoo in
person, they were forced to relinquish the outer walls, and retire
within the citadel, where they were now closer and closer pressed, and
without any chance of escape or relief. In this condition, and having
done all that brave men could for the defence of their honour and of
their post, the general was induced to offer a capitulation. The
deputation was received with courtesy by Tippoo, the officers
complimented on their valorous defence of an almost untenable post; and
the articles of capitulation having been drawn up, they returned to
their companions. The conditions were accepted with some modifications,
after a day or two’s negotiation, and the 30th of April was fixed as
that on which they should march out with the honours of war; and after
that, they should move with their private property to the coast. It was
destined, however, to be otherwise.
By the articles of capitulation it was specified that all treasure in
possession of the garrison was to be given up—that, though the private
property of the officers and men was to be respected, yet all public
stores and treasure were to be surrendered in good faith.
But the officers and men, whose means of subsistence—now that the army
was to be broken up and disorganised, upon becoming prisoners of
war—would entirely depend upon the charity of their conquerors, were
little inclined to trust to so questionable a source; and the evening
before the capitulation was to be carried into effect, a large body of
the garrison, in a state of mutiny, surrounded the abode of the general,
and with tumultuous cries demanded pay.
Herbert was with the old man, assisting him to pack up such articles as
could most easily be carried away, when the demand was made. It was in
vain that, by the general’s order, he attempted to reason with the men
to show them the dishonour of touching anything of what had been
promised in exchange for their lives. They would listen to no reason.
‘We are starving,’ they cried, ‘and there is treasure yonder: we will
have it!’
But at last they were satisfied, on receiving the assurance of a month’s
pay to each man, and reluctantly the general surrendered the keys of the
treasury.
The regiments were engaged in receiving the money, when some one bolder
than the rest exclaimed, ‘Why not have it all, boys? We may as well have
it, as let it go to the enemy.’
The cry acted at once upon their excited spirits. ‘Let us have it all!’
was repeated by hundreds; and ere they could be prevented, the contents
of the treasury were plundered and distributed amongst them. Officers
and men alike were laden with the spoil in jewels and money.
It was with bitter regret that this was seen by Herbert and many others,
whose high sense of honour forbade their sharing in the work of plunder.
It would be impossible, they thought, to conceal such an event from the
Mysore chief; and as it was a direct breach of the articles they had
solemnly agreed to, they but too justly anticipated a severe retribution
for the act.
It was even so. On the morrow, as they marched out with the melancholy
honours of war, a wasted band, worn out with fatigue and privation, they
were surrounded by Tippoo’s troops, while others took possession of the
fort. The keys of the magazines and treasures had been given up with the
rest, and there was an immediate search made for the valuables, of which
the place was well known to be full—to Tippoo personally; for, as may
have been anticipated, the guide Jaffar was the means of the
intelligence which he possessed, and through whom he had been informed
of every event which happened; though his share in the previous British
success he had kept concealed from the Sultaun: indeed it was known to
none except the British.
Disappointed at the issue of the examination, the English were at once
suspected, and denounced by Jaffar. They were surrounded and rudely
searched: on most was found a portion of the missing money and jewels;
and, as it but too well fell in with Tippoo’s humour, and gratified his
hate against them, they were one and all decreed to captivity—which,
from the horrors all had heard related of it, was in prospect worse than
death.
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