[6] English Government.
[7] Commander-in-Chief.
[8] Squad.
[9] Youngster.
[10] Senseless.
VII.
DILKHOOSHA.
While we lay in that camp keeping guard over the river we were joined
by another young officer, and an incident occurred to all three of us
which was, to say the least, mysterious. Our _bawarchi_, or cook, was a
Hindustani Musalman, and we had every reason to be satisfied with his
culinary performances, till one morning after breakfast, when both of
my companions who had sat down to that meal in perfect health and with
hearty appetites, suffered from sudden nausea. As I was not similarly
affected, and had eaten the same food with them, it did not occur to
us to suspect foul play. However, the same thing happened more than
once; and at last, on one occasion, we were all three violently sick
almost immediately after our morning repast. This was altogether too
suspicious: so, since a careful inspection of our copper pots and
pans showed that they were not in fault, having been recently tinned,
we came to the conclusion that an attempt was being made to poison us.
Here was a pretty state of affairs. If we dismissed the _bawarchi_ it
was hopeless to think of getting a substitute for him. We should have
had to starve, or trust to the hospitality of our men for _chapatties_,
such as they themselves eat. Something had to be done, however, and
this is what we did. A sentry was placed over the cook during the
time that he was engaged in preparing our food, and he was ordered to
keep a sharp eye on that individual, and to confiscate and bring to
me any condiment or other material which he might propose to use that
was not manifestly harmless. These were not the orders which the cook
thought were given to the sentry. He was, with much emphasis, given
to understand that the Sikh who stood over him with a naked _tulwar_
had been directed to smite off his head the moment he detected any
suspicious act; and as he knew that nothing would please the grim
disciple of Nanuk better than to carry out such instructions at the
expense of a follower of the Arabian Prophet, his lot at once ceased to
be a happy one. In fact, it was very much the reverse, and it became
quite interesting to observe his proceedings under the terror of the
sword of Damocles, which now hung over him. With his sleeves carefully
rolled up above his elbows he squatted before the three small sloping
hollows in the ground with sides and backs of stones, which formed his
kitchen range, and carried on his operations in fear and trembling;
for close behind him stood the vigilant Sikh. Whenever he glanced
upwards he could not avoid seeing the blue steel of the sharp curved
blade; and sometimes the sentry, willing to amuse himself, would frown
wickedly, and peer into a _degchi_ as if he detected something wrong.
At such critical moments the wretched creature would fairly grin with
fright, as with chattering teeth and supplicating hands he resigned
himself to the worst. Then would the scowling Sikh growl out a gruff
_khabardar!_[11] and tell him to go on with his work.
Our suspicions may have been unjust; and the fact may have been only
a coincidence. Nevertheless it _was_ a fact that no more unpleasant
symptoms attacked any of us after our meals. On the whole, we thought
it fair to give the cook the benefit of the doubt; and we seized the
first opportunity of dispensing with his services.
We were beginning to flatter ourselves that the watch on the Ganges
kept by our police auxiliaries was altogether too stringent for the
enterprise of the rebels; but we were mistaken. It so happened that
one morning Sandeman and I rode round the picquets together. For
some distance all was apparently quiet on the river; and no report
of anything unusual was made by any of the police posts. We had just
arrived close to one of them, when to our astonishment we suddenly came
upon the broad and fresh track of a considerable number of horses
and camels, clearly marked on the soft wet soil, and leading inland
from the river straight past and immediately under the high ground on
which the picquet was posted. We could hardly believe our eyes. It was
quite clear that within a few hours a crossing had been effected by
some two or three hundred mounted men, right under the noses of the
police, upon whose fidelity I had been instructed to rely, and who had
carefully concealed the fact from me, if they had not actively aided
the rebels. As soon as we struck the trail we followed it across the
sand to the point where it emerged from the river, which at that point
was not very wide. We were immediately greeted by a musket shot from a
man half-concealed among the rushes on the opposite shore, and who must
have been a very indifferent marksman, for he missed us. As he repeated
his performance in less time than he could possibly have reloaded,
we judged that another musket must have been handed to him by a
confederate more effectually hidden than himself; and as we could not
tell how many more might be skulking in the thick cover, we considered
it expedient to retire from his neighbourhood, after having replied to
his civilities with our revolvers, of course ineffectually. We then
went up to the police post, and my first step was to disarm and make
prisoners of the whole eleven men composing it; for their treachery was
self-evident, and demanded no further enquiry.
There was a large village near by, and in it we found a man suffering
from a gun-shot wound, which he said had been wantonly inflicted by
one of the rebels as they passed the place early that morning. This
was corroborated by other inhabitants of the village, so I considered
myself justified in desiring the chief local representative of civil
authority, who styled himself a Tahsildar, to accompany me to our camp,
where I proposed to take care of him till higher authority should
enquire into the propriety of his conduct in not sending me word of
what had happened.
In the meantime I wrote with a pencil on some leaves torn out of my
note book a short report to Sir John Inglis, commanding at Cawnpore, in
which I detailed the circumstances proving the treachery of the police,
and suggested that, if possible, they should be replaced by a military
force. I also stated that since it was quite evident, both from the
appearance of the track and from the testimony of the villagers, that
the crossing had been effected in the early dawn, I considered it
useless to make any attempt to pursue the party of rebels, who were
said to be under the leadership of the Bala Rao, and to be making for
Calpee, a place which, having several hours' start, they must already
have nearly reached. I concluded by asking for orders as to the
disposal of my prisoners; and sent off the despatch at once to Cawnpore.
On our way to camp the Tahsildar met with an accident, which, though
serious enough at the time, very possibly saved his neck. He was
riding a vicious country-bred over whom he had very imperfect control,
and who backed into my horse with the result of causing a violent
kicking match, at the end of which the unfortunate man found himself on
the broad of his back on the ground with a broken leg. I jumped off,
and found that both bones were broken half way between the knee and
the ankle. No medical aid was available nearer than Cawnpore; so I had
to do the best I could for him on the spot. I therefore cut some stems
of _bajra_, or some similar crop which was growing close by; and then,
placing myself on the ground before him and getting a purchase with one
foot against his body, I laid hold of the injured limb by the ankle and
hauled on it with all my strength till I had got the broken surfaces
opposite each other, where other hands placed them in position. A
portion of his turban was now wrapped next the skin, then a number of
the sticks were laid close together all round the leg, and kept fast
by cords; and we had rough and ready splints, which answered their
purpose admirably. The patient was now carried on a _charpoy_ back to
his own house, where, after many days, he was seen to by a medical
officer who dressed the limb in orthodox fashion, and who declared
the original operation had been perfectly successful. I never heard
that this Tahsildar had been hanged, as I have little doubt he would
have been, if compassion for his crippled condition had not prevented
me from pressing the case against him. The ten police men and their
_Thanadar_ were not so fortunate. A special officer was sent out by Sir
John Inglis with full power to enquire into and dispose of their case.
To him I explained the arrangements which I had made for watching the
river. I showed him the track of the rebel party where it passed within
fifty yards of the picquet. His investigation was over in an hour; and
at the end of it he sentenced the whole eleven culprits to suffer death
as the reward of their treason, and hanged them on one tree. He also
informed me that he would report that all my arrangements had been
judicious, and that no blame could attach to me or my men.
No further attempt was made by the rebels to cross the river; and
indeed none would have been practicable, for General Walpole's Brigade
had been moved up the road from Cawnpore, and effectually blocked the
way. My party was, however, not relieved; but was allowed to remain
where it was; and, as the days rolled on, seemed likely to become
a fixture. We began to be apprehensive that we might be overlooked
altogether, while preparations were being made by Sir Colin Campbell
for the final advance upon Lucknow--a prospect that was far from
pleasing--but it was not easy to see how it could be averted. In this
perplexity I sought counsel from the Colonel of a regiment which passed
our camp on its way to Cawnpore, and who, with some of his officers,
lunched with us. He advised me to write to Major-General Mansfield,
the Chief of the Staff, and bring our existence to his notice, telling
him how long we had been detached from the regiment, which was now
at the Alumbagh, and which would, if we were allowed to rejoin it,
obtain an accession to its strength of three British officers and fifty
sabres. "You will certainly get a wigging," said he, "but it is just
possible that your party is really overlooked, and that your letter may
effect what you wish. At any rate, a bold horseman must sometimes ride
for a fall, if he hopes to get over a stiff place."
I thankfully took his advice and acted on it, and I certainly got the
fall he had anticipated; for in due course came an oblong official
letter from a staff officer of the Chief of the Staff--not by any means
from the great man himself. In that document I was very deservedly
rebuked for my presumption in having written direct to the Chief of
the Staff, who, I was informed, was not in the habit of corresponding
with junior subalterns as to the movements of their detachments. This
"awful warning" I pinned conspicuously on the cloth wall of my tent,
where to my mingled amusement and trepidation it was soon afterwards
seen by the very officer who had written it. Whatever he may have
thought of my flippant treatment of his effusion, he made no remarks,
and shortly thereafter my detachment was relieved from its post and
ordered back to Cawnpore. There I had the good fortune to be attached
to the cavalry of Sir Colin Campbell's army, and to march with it
towards Lucknow; and such was my luck that, on the 2nd March 1858,
when the Commander-in-Chief attacked and captured the high ground at
Dilkhoosha dominating the City, I actually found myself in command of
the advanced party of the advanced guard; for that was the position of
my troop that day. Immediately in rear of it was a squadron of the 9th
Lancers, followed by more cavalry and by horse artillery. As we passed
the Alumbagh where the head-quarters of our regiment were encamped,
I well remember how delighted I felt to think that after all we had
stolen a march upon it, and that--not to count that midnight affair
near Unao--our troop was to have the honour of being the first to go
into action. Well also do I remember the wistful look on the face of
my gallant commanding officer, the late Captain Wale, as he watched us
pass, and wished us good luck. We all knew that a fight was before us;
and it did seem uncommonly hard on the regiment that, after having so
long been posted at the very front, it should at the last moment be
left, "_planté la_," by a detachment which had, so to speak, sneaked up
from the rear.
When the head of the column had got about midway between the Alumbagh
and Dilkhoosha a halt was sounded; and we took the opportunity of
making a rapid breakfast of such eatables as we had stowed away in our
holsters. During this period a disagreeable drizzling shower of rain
did what it could to damp our spirits as well as our bodies; but when
we again moved on it had ceased; having laid the dust for us, and given
us a cool, pleasant day fit for a review.
Cautiously and steadily we felt our way, covered by half the troop
in extended order, commanded by Lieutenant Sandeman, who summarily
brushed out of our road sundry small bodies of hostile horsemen whom
he encountered. My half troop was in support, and when the skirmishing
began we pushed on and joined in the fun. Through orchards and
plantations with occasional open fields an intermittent series of
little fights was kept up as we continued our advance.
Suddenly, just as we emerged from a grove of trees on to an open
plain, a distant puff of smoke followed by a loud report and then by
the well-known hoarse hiss of a round shot as it tore through the air
above us, gave unmistakable notice that the ball had begun. Another
shot fell short, hit the ground in front of us, and then ricoched over
our heads to the rear. Another and another in quick succession passed
harmlessly. While this was going on I had instinctively taken ground
to the right to make room for the troops which I knew would be pushed
forward. The squadron of the 9th Lancers followed my example--a troop
of horse artillery thundered up from the rear--more cavalry galloped
out to the left of the guns--and, like magic, a line was formed to
the front, the guns in the centre, with cavalry on both flanks. A
trumpet sounded the "advance," and the "gallop," and away we swept
over the plain, straight for the enemy's position, under a furious
fire, too furious and rapid, fortunately, to do us much mischief. One
round shot smote a man of the 9th Lancers full in the face. His head
disappeared into space. In a few moments we were within a hundred yards
of the enemy, still frantically blazing away at us. Here we came to a
halt; and our own guns, with the astonishing swiftness which is the
admiration of all other branches of the army, unlimbered and came
into action. Very different was their practice from that of the rebel
artillery. Equally rapid, but with calm regularity, working like parts
of a perfect machine, gun after gun, carefully and accurately laid,
pounded away at the opposing battery, and with almost instantaneously
overpowering effect. A very few rounds, and the fire of the enemy
slackened away, and soon nearly ceased altogether.
While this artillery duel was going on I had a good opportunity of
observing the effect of what is popularly known as "blue funk" on a
young recruit. He was in the rear rank; and while the excitement of
galloping to the front lasted, had kept his place among his comrades;
but to sit still within a hundred yards of guns belching out smoke and
noise and round shot was more than his nerves were equal to; and he
began--half unconsciously, I daresay--to pull on his horse's head and
gradually back him out of the ranks. This would never do! Example is
catching, so I galloped round behind him and used language calculated
to bring him to his senses, but without effect. With his mouth
half-open and his eyes starting out of his head he continued to stare
at the terrifying guns, greeting each explosion with a horrified little
groan; and all the time he kept backing his horse on to me. I was
obliged to put an end to this. In another moment he would have bolted
and disgraced us all--possibly infected some of his comrades with his
own panic. For the last time I shouted that I would run my sword into
him if he did not "dress up." He took no heed; and I lunged at him with
all my force. His luck saved him. He had a small buffalo-hide buckler
hanging from his left shoulder; and instinctively he twisted half round
and caught the point of my sword in it, and there it stuck. The more
I pulled and the worse language I used, the less would it come out;
and I am afraid the string of words with which I expressed my disgust
must have been far from discreetly chosen, when behind me a voice
exclaimed:--"Who commands this party?" Looking round, the unfortunate
recruit's panic was nothing to what mine became, when I saw the stern
face of the Commander-in-Chief, Sir Colin Campbell. Caught in the act
of trying to kill one of my own men, visions of a court-martial--of the
loss of my commission--swam before me, as with one despairing effort
I wrenched the blade out of the buckler, and, dropping its point to
the Chief, stammered out my defence. "I really couldn't help it, Sir?
He was showing the white feather. I was afraid he would bolt." To my
intense relief the grim features relaxed into a smile. "Never mind,"
said Sir Colin, "you were quite right. They are trying to carry off
some of their guns to the right front. Gallop after them and catch
them." It may be imagined I lost no time in carrying out that order and
placing as great a distance as possible between me and His Excellency.
My young recruit came too, and afterwards behaved very well. He turned
out a good soldier after that "baptism of fire." A hard gallop soon
brought us up with the flying enemy, who were "pounded" by a big ditch,
where they abandoned the guns and took to their heels, but too late to
save themselves. Here I had rather a narrow escape from abruptly ending
my military experiences. Two "Pandies," whom I was pursuing, suddenly
turned round and stood at bay, and almost simultaneously lashed at me
with their _tulwars_ as I charged between them. The man on the right
brought his sword down on my head, fortunately protected by a thick
"puggari," many folds of which it divided, and then glanced down on
to my horse's shoulder, inflicting a long and deep wound. At the same
moment I delivered a swinging cut on his own cranium which was covered
by a small skull cup. That settled him effectually; but I had barely
time to throw my sword round and receive on it a sweeping blow from
the fellow on my left, which partially overpowered my guard and landed
on my ribs, luckily much diminished in force; so that I escaped with
a trifling flesh wound. He did not get another chance; for I dropped
the point of my blade and ran him through the body. I was well out of
that scrimmage, but my unlucky horse was quite disabled; so I had to
dismount and entrust him to the care of one of my men, whose animal I
borrowed for the rest of the day; and a very poor exchange I found it,
both as regards charger and saddle.
I feel I must interrupt my narrative to beg the reader's indulgence
for the introduction of descriptions of some of the adventures which
happened to me personally. I trust he may believe that it is not due
to any foolish desire to pose before him; nor to a wish, in the words
of Mr. Wardle's fat boy, "to make his flesh creep;" but simply because
I want to make these sketches as graphic as I can; and it seems to me
that the effect would be to wash the colour out of them if I were to
divest them of every touch of personal interest. In campaigns like
those of the Mutiny in which our irregular cavalry was so freely
used and played so important a part, hand-to-hand conflict was much
more frequent than in ordinary wars. In fact, every officer of that
branch had numberless opportunities of testing his skill at arms; for
skirmishes were often of almost daily occurrence; and in each skirmish
he carried his life literally at the point of his sword. To resume: A
few minutes afterwards another adventure of a "touch and go" nature
befell me. In a _mêlée_ a brother officer had singled out a rebel foot
soldier, and was hotly striving to cut him down, but his antagonist
with bayonet fixed kept him at bay, and had just brought his musket
to his shoulder to fire, when most luckily in the very nick of time
I saw what was going on, and charged the Pandy, who, disconcerted by
the sudden attack, hurriedly attempted to shift his aim on to me, but
ineffectually. As he pulled the trigger his bullet sped harmlessly past
my face, while I brought the edge of my sword down on his skull with
such good will that it clave in two, and he fell dead. That fortunate
interference in an unequally matched _combat à deux_ probably saved
from an untimely ending a life which has since proved of the highest
value and usefulness, while it preserved to me a dear comrade and
lifelong friend. Among the most cherished of my possessions is the
sword which he gave me as a memento of the affair.
The resistance offered by the enemy to Sir Colin's advance was not
sufficiently serious to check it; and in fact no deployment of his
troops was necessary. The heads of his columns steadily moved forward
and gradually approached the position on the high ground which he had
decided to occupy as affording the best point from which to carry out
his plans for the subjugation of Lucknow.
While my troop was moving up a slope close to the Dilkhoosha we were
suddenly gratified by the sight of a body of horse, about forty or
fifty strong, which appeared in line on the crest of it coming towards
us at a walk. The French-grey uniforms of this squad left no doubt
as to its belonging to one of the old regular regiments; and my hopes
rose high that now we were to have an opportunity of wiping out some of
the disgrace which their treason had brought upon all who had belonged
to their branch of the service of Old John Company: but the cowards
declined to give us the chance.
"Threes about" they went the moment they saw us, and immediately
disappeared, hidden from us by the rising ground. It may be imagined
that we lost no time in driving in our spurs and galloping after them:
but when we arrived at the top of the slope they had made such good
use of their horses' legs that they were already far away, pelting
along, in clouds of dust, over the plain below, and heading for a ford
across the Goomti river, into which they presently plunged. The hurry
they were in was good to see, as was their complete indifference to
any pretence at keeping any sort of formation. Evidently they realised
that this was no time to be hampered by pedantic adherence to "drill."
Such mechanical regularity of movement might be all very well for
the parade-ground; but in real soldiering, such as this, "individual
initiative" must take its place. In they went, by twos and threes, just
as they came to the ford, and floundered across: but at this juncture
a couple of guns of ours opened on them, and made their passage very
uncomfortable; for those who were not knocked out of their saddles got
drenched by the splash of the projectiles. Once across, they continued
their career at best speed for another mile or two before drawing rein.
On the whole, I do not think they enjoyed that morning's ride very
much.