We left Masulipatam to proceed towards Madras, upon the 30th July,
1811, nothing taking place upon the march that I shall trouble you
with. When we came to St. Thomas's Mount, (the place where the field
force was formed,) it was expected that we were to take the duty of
Fort St. George again; but, after being encamped, and in suspense for
eight days, we were ordered to proceed to Trichinopoly.--This was a
march of four weeks farther; so we left the Mount, and commenced our
route towards that place upon the 17th of August, that day three years
we left it, to take the field with the centre division of the army. I
can hardly entertain you with any new thing upon our march, but an
anecdote or two about the elephant. These useful animals, as I said
before, carry the soldiers' tents upon the line of march, the oldest
in the service generally taking the lead of the rest, carrying a white
flag fastened to his load, the rest falling in quite naturally behind
him: and I also stated that they follow the regiment or the army; and
at no time, that ever I knew of, go before them. And I also, upon the
field force, stated that the men frequently fall behind when the
journey is very long; being unable many of them to sustain such
fatigue. So one day, when we were hard travelled, a young lad who was
scarcely able to draw the one foot past the other, (as we say,) was
deliberating upon lying down upon the side of the road, and giving it
up for a bad job, the leader of the elephants coming up with his white
flag, before he was aware, (as they make no noise upon a sandy road,)
quietly took the firelock from his shoulder, and gave it to the
keeper, who was upon the neck of the animal, where they always ride,
as upon a horse's back, carrying a small tomahawk, by which they
direct him; but this is seldom needed, as they know every thing almost
by the word of command. As I said, he took the firelock from the poor
wearied soldier, and gave it to his keeper. The lad being much
frightened, not knowing but the elephant intended knocking out his
brains with it, gave a fearful stare, and ran off as quickly as his
wearied limbs could carry him; but this alarm put fresh spirits into
him, and perceiving that the benevolent animal meant him no harm but
good, by easing him of his principal load; he came to the camp ground
in company with his new acquaintance, whom he every now and then eyed
with a look of uncertain satisfaction. I had this story from Serjeant
Gray, who commanded the rear guard, a man whom I could believe as
firmly as if I had witnessed the whole scene myself. But this is
nothing very wonderful, in that truly wonderful animal; for the
elephant attached to my own company and I got so very intimate upon
the march, that he would not pass the tent of which I had charge,
unless I came and spoke with him. Our friendship originated in this
way; I used always to keep a piece of rice cake for him, when we could
get it to ourselves for money; and while he was getting his morsel in
the morning, the men of the tent would be packing the baggage on his
back, and thereby we were generally first ready for the march, which
was no small matter in our favour.
I could tell you many such stories, which I find more pleasure in,
than telling you of men shooting themselves and one another; but these
may serve as specimens. Although these creatures are possessed of most
wonderful patience, as well as sagacity, yet they can be irritated, as
I will make appear. I intend just to state one incident in proof of
this, and then I have done with them. It is customary in this country
to appoint a soldier of each European regiment to take care that the
elephants are attended to upon the march, both with regard to work and
provisions; and this person is generally a non-commissioned officer,
who receives the appellation of elephant major. A serjeant who held
this situation in the 30th regiment, one day loaded a poor fatigued
animal with abuse, which he thought he was not at all entitled to. The
elephant, observe you, did not immediately avenge himself of his
adversary; but coolly waited his proper opportunity, and, in the
course of the march, seeing his friend the serjeant at a distance, he
embraced the moment when the water of a rice field was flowing across
the road, filled his trunk with the sludge, and making up to the
serjeant, who happened to have on a new suit of clothes, and of which
he seemed to be very vain, he lodged the contents of his trunk upon
the proud fellow's coat, and effectually spoiled its new gloss.
Upon this march, which, being in the rainy season, exposed us to
constant wet, we crossed four rivers in boats; _viz._ two
branches of the Kistna, and two branches of the Cauvery, which
overflowed its banks at the time. We were obliged to lie by the side
of the last mentioned river some days before we durst venture over, as
the basket boats, formerly described, could not withstand such a
current; but at last we got over with a considerable degree of
difficulty and danger, though without any material damage. I had
frequently, upon this march, taken up the resolution of the young man
just mentioned, to give it up in despair; and had it not been for that
kind of unconquerable spirit I seemed to be possessed of, I certainly
would have made application for a doolie, which at this time was
hardly to be obtained. I was, indeed, very near dying outright one
day. The faithful companion of my toils, who used every means in her
power for my benefit, prepared always (if possible) a draught for me
when I came to the camp ground; but on this day it would not go down.
She entertained very unfavourable hopes of me for some time, but, as
the Lord would have it, after I rested a little, I was somewhat
recruited; and being near the river last mentioned, we had a respite
for a day or two, and being thereby something refreshed, I made out
the march, which was four hundred and eighty-five miles, without the
help of a doolie. The reader would not at all be surprised to hear of
men dying, and giving up, upon a march in this country, if he could
form a just idea of their hardships. On the very night before this,
there was such a dreadful hurricane, that we could neither sit nor
lie, but were obliged to stand and hold the poles of our tents, to
keep the wind from carrying them away; and many of the tents were
blown down, notwithstanding all the efforts of their inmates to
support them; for the pins and cords were no security against the
irresistible power of the airy element, but gave way like stubble
before the sweeping blast. The ground, on which we had frequently to
lie, was so deluged with the rain, that we were often up to the ankles
in mud. All we could do in this case was to clear it away with a
momatee, (a kind of scraper;) but, after all, the wet ground was a
very unwholesome, uncomfortable bed. Our provisions, as I have
mentioned before, were mutton and rice; and, had they been good, we
would have had no just cause to complain; but, how could the sheep be
in good condition in this country, when they live one half of the year
upon the roots of grass, not a blade being to be seen during that
time, except what grows by the sides of rivers or tanks? and marching
them about with the army, you may be sure, did not at all improve
their condition. I have looked at a chattie pot, (all their cooking
utensils are made of earth, like our tiles or cans,) where half a
sheep has been boiled, and, I assure you, there was not a vestige of
fat to be seen: and then, the rice being cleaned and cooked in the
open air, was always less or more mixed with sand. The only
refreshing article we received was our two drams of liquor, which was
a very acceptable beverage mixed with water; but I need not labour to
make you enter into my feelings, for that would be impossible, unless
you had experienced what I have done. However, I would not advise you
to try the experiment to gratify your curiosity, or you may think it
dear bought; and, in all probability, never come home to tell the
tidings. I must say, indeed, that I was quite overjoyed when we
received the route to go to India; but if I had known beforehand what
I was to be subjected to in that country, I think, and not without
cause, that I never would have been able to support the afflictions
and hardships which fell to my lot; but the Lord, who is infinitely
wise and merciful, in the exercise of that wisdom and mercy, has hid
both the pains and pleasures of his dependent creatures from them,
that "in the day of prosperity they may be moderately joyful, not
knowing how soon afflictions may overtake them, and that in the day of
adversity they may consider that the Lord may yet have many even
temporal blessings in reserve for them;" and by thus "setting the one
over against the other," we may keep an equal, humble, and dependent
mind; and thereby act under the injunction of the apostle, namely, to
"weep as though we wept not, and rejoice as though we rejoiced not;
and buy as though we possessed not; knowing that our time here is
short, and that the fashion of this world passeth away."
We reached Trichinopoly upon the 5th October. This march, upon the
whole, was the most severe I experienced in India, but it was the last
I ever travelled upon foot. I was not long in Trichinopoly till I
found the effects of my former troubles; for I was seized with a liver
complaint, and a general debility of the nervous system, which
rendered me totally unfit for duty. I lingered long in this delicate
state, and the doctor proposed sending me home, but the commanding
officer was unwilling to part with me, still hoping that my disorder
would take a favourable turn. My leading fifer was ordered to do my
duty, and I had full liberty to walk about when able, wherever I
pleased, and to amuse myself in any way I thought proper. In a word, I
continued in this weakly state for about a twelvemonth, when it was
found necessary that I should be invalided.
While we lay here, I received an addition to my family, in consequence
of my wife having stood godmother for a child belonging to a serjeant
of the regiment. But to enable you to understand the story properly,
it will be needful to give you an outline of the mother's history,
which I will do in as few words as possible.
Nelly Stevenson, (which was her maiden name,) was the daughter of Wm.
Stevenson, weaver in Anderston, Glasgow, with whom she lived until she
was twenty years of age, at which time she was married to a young man
of the name of M'Dougal, who volunteered into the Royals from the 26th
regiment when in Dublin. This young man was one of the many who died
of the flux when we lay in Wallajahbad. After his decease, she married
a serjeant Fleming of the light company, by whom she had the child for
whom my wife was sponsor; but this man lived with her only two years,
when he also took the flux and died. In about six weeks afterwards[13],
she married a serjeant Lee of the grenadier company, by whom she had
one child, and he being visited with the same disorder as her two
former husbands, died also while we lay at Trichinopoly. She was now a
widow the third time in the course of six years, and left in a
destitute state; but she did not need a fourth husband, because she
was over-taken by the same fatal disorder that laid them in the dust,
and died in about five weeks' illness, in the twenty-sixth year of her
age. Now, in this case, it was plainly our duty to look after the
child for which my wife stood, agreeably to the vows of God which were
upon her; and a Serjeant Brown of the regiment, and his wife, took
charge of Serjeant Lee's child, for whom they had become accountable,
after the manner of the Church of England. But I will say no more
about this at present, as I will have occasion to speak of the last
mentioned child again.
[13] The reader will naturally enough think it was a very
strange thing of a woman to live so short time in widowhood;
but if you consider the situation of these poor women, you
perhaps may not be so much surprised at their apparently
indelicate conduct; for they had no provision made for them
whatever, except one pagoda per month, (eight shillings of
our currency) allowed by the East India Company; and a
reason fully as satisfactory as the former, was their
unprotected state; for the barracks in this country are, in
general, divided into two wings, without any partitions
whatever. Now, just think of these women, without a
guardian, day and night, in a room containing between four
or five hundred men; and, alas! too many of them very
immoral characters, to whose vile passions they presented a
more tempting bait, from the scarcity of white women in the
country.
In the course of the time we lay in Trichinopoly, we had one Serjeant
Clark affected with that dreadful disorder called hydrophobia, in
rather a singular manner. This man being afflicted for some time with
a very bad sore in his leg, and hearing that the tongue of a dog
licking a sore of this kind had a very healing effect, he had recourse
to this expedient, and coaxed a small dog in the barracks, which he
took notice of sometimes, to do him, as he thought, this good office;
but it would appear by the consequences that followed, that the dog
had been disordered before it left off this practice, and before the
serjeant was taken to hospital. It may seem strange to the reader,
that this dog licking a sore, should produce so alarming an effect;
but it was clearly proven, that the man himself had never been bitten;
and there was a consultation of the faculty held upon this
extraordinary case, who came to the conclusion, that the disease must
have proceeded from this cause. The doctors tried repeatedly, and by
various methods, to get him to swallow a little water, but all to no
purpose; one of them attempted to give some to him in a concealed
manner, putting it into what is called a hubble bubble, (a kind of
pipe with a long tube, so that he could not see it); but whenever it
came near him, he immediately took one of his shaking fits; and they
were compelled to take it away without success.
Another extraordinary case of this extraordinary disease occurred
while we lay in Masulipatam, which I shall just mention, and no more.
One of the Company's artillery men, in the warm season, was seized
with the disorder, but no person could tell how he came to be so
affected, as there was no appearance of any bite about his body. This
nonplussed the faculty completely, for they were sure enough that it
was the hydrophobia; but how it had been produced they could not tell.
Inquiry was made at his comrade, if he had known of his being bitten
at any former period; and he told them, that he recollected perfectly
of his being bitten about a twelve-month ago; so, after they had
deliberated for some time upon the accounts received, they came to the
conclusion, that it was to the effects of this bite, though at such a
distance of time, that he owed his death. Before I left the country, a
kind of cure, it is said, was discovered for this most dreadful
disorder. The cure seems quite natural; but as the way it was commonly
said to have been discovered is strange, I shall give a very short
account of it. One of the native women being bitten by a dog, and put
into a place of confinement, contrived to make her escape, but when
she was in the act of running away, some persons discovered her, and
pursued her as fast as possible, and the poor creature, in her fright
and trembling, fell all her length upon a place covered with broken
bottles, and was no doubt cut and mangled dreadfully; however, the
great quantity of blood that she lost was thought to have been the
means of delivering her from this dreadful malady; and I understand
that, since that time, bleeding a person almost to death, has
repeatedly been tried with success in India, for this disease.