reined in their horses and proceeded at a slower pace.
"We have ninety miles in all to do," Percy said, "and we must not risk
foundering the horses. They have had no exercise since they left Lahore
and we must husband their strength. The troopers are not likely to
pursue more than thirty miles from the ferry at the outside, perhaps not
half that. When they learn that we are keeping our distance ahead of
them they will see that they have little chance of overtaking us and
will not care about killing their horses in a hopeless pursuit."
Whenever they passed through a village they went through at a regular
pace as if in no way pressed for time. The natives were doubtless aware
of the attack on the two English officers, but could hardly know that
the Sikh troops had proved faithless, and would imagine that the white
officer and his two men were riding ahead of that force on its way to
join Lieutenant Edwardes. Before leading the horses out from the stable
the men had filled their bags with grain, and after riding twenty miles
from the ferry they stopped for two hours under some trees on elevated
ground, where they could command a view down the long straight road two
or three miles. As there were no signs of their pursuers at the end of
that time they felt sure that these had given the chase up as hopeless,
and therefore continued their journey at the pace the horses could best
keep up. Soon after they started night fell, and the riding was much
more pleasant than it had been during the heat.
They halted again for three hours at midnight, finished their bread and
wine, and gave the horses another good feed. At eight o'clock in the
morning they approached Leia, but hearing from some peasants that no
force had arrived there up to the previous evening, they made a circuit
of the town and crossed the river at the ferry, two or three miles
distant from it. As they rode into the next village they saw that the
street was crowded with Sikh soldiers, who were engaged in cooking their
food.
"Are you from Mooltan?" a young officer asked, running out as they drew
rein at the house where they had been told Lieutenant Edwardes had taken
up his quarters.
"We are," Percy said, as he threw himself off his horse. "We left the
Eedgah at one o'clock yesterday."
"How are Agnew and Anderson? Doing well, I hope?"
"They were both doing well when I left them, as far as their wounds
went; but they are in a desperate position."
"Why, the place is a strong one; I know it well," Lieutenant Edwardes
said. "Twelve hundred men with a battery of artillery ought to be able
to hold it at least some days against all the troops in Mooltan."
"They might have done so if the troops had fought," Percy said; "but
they have gone over to Moolraj. Half of them had left when I came away,
and the others were leaving fast. I do not think there would be a score
of men left them by sunset yesterday. I have a note for you, and I
shall be glad if you will read Mr. Agnew's written orders to me. You
will see that I did not leave the two wounded officers willingly."
By this time they had entered the house.
"Sit down and take something to eat while I glance through these papers.
Mr. Agnew does you full justice," he went on, more warmly than he had
before spoken, after reading the two documents. "You were, of course,
obliged to obey orders, and could have been of no use to them under the
circumstances. Agnew was evidently thinking much more of me than of
himself. What do you think will happen to them?"
"Mr. Agnew was perfectly confident that as it was clearly to the
interest of Moolraj not to draw the English into the quarrel between him
and Lahore, he would protect and take good care of them."
"I sincerely hope so," Lieutenant Edwardes replied; "but Moolraj showed
a very hostile front to us when Napier passed through with his force to
join Sir Hugh Gough. He professed to stand neutral, but there was no
doubt he would not have been neutral had he dared fight. Besides, there
are the Mooltan rabble to deal with. Agnew would have done better to
surrender at once to Moolraj directly he saw that the Sikhs had turned
traitors. If he puts it off till night the _budmashes_ of Mooltan,
knowing that the Eedgah is no longer defended, may take the matter in
hand, in which case I would not give a rupee for the lives of the two
Englishmen."
"When did the messenger reach you with the news?" Percy asked.
"At eight o'clock last night. So you have gained some fourteen hours
upon him, as the despatch is dated half-past eleven."
"I was well mounted," Percy said. "I might have been here some hours
earlier, but my horse is a very valuable one, and I knew that an hour or
two could make little difference."
"I sent off a messenger as soon as I got Agnew's despatch, to Lieutenant
Taylor, who is with General Van Cortlandt, who is, as I daresay you
know, an officer in the Sikh service at Bunnoo, begging him to send me a
regiment of cavalry and four guns at once. I then issued orders for my
force to start at daylight, and we have marched twelve miles. I
intended to go on to Leia and halt there for the night and to move
forward quietly till Van Cortlandt's detachment joined me, and then push
forward with all speed. What you have told me now, of course, changes
the situation altogether. I shall go forward to Leia as I intended, but
shall halt there and intrench myself, and wait to be attacked. I may be
able to raise my force considerably from the Pathan portion of the
population, between whom and the Sikhs there is a long-standing enmity.
I see Mr. Agnew has placed your services at my disposal, Mr. Groves. I
shall be glad indeed to have an Englishman with me. It is a great
relief to have someone to chat with and discuss matters in one's own
language. Of course you are quite new to this district. I suppose you
have only just come up country. You have dropped, indeed, into a very
hot corner for a young civilian."
Percy laughed. "I daresay you think I look very young even for a young
civilian, Mr. Edwardes."
Lieutenant Edwardes joined in the laugh.
"Well, I was thinking so. Of course you must be twenty or you would not
have been sent up from Calcutta, but you do not look more than
eighteen."
"I am a month or two under that age," Percy said; "but I do know the
country pretty well, though not on this side of the Punjaub; and in fact
I speak both Punjaubi and Pathan almost as well as I do English." He
then gave Lieutenant Edwardes a sketch of his life since his arrival in
India.
"I congratulate myself very heartily," Lieutenant Edwardes said
cordially. "You will indeed be of assistance to me. I can quite
understand now your being in the service so young and your being
appointed as assistant to Agnew. It will be an immense comfort to me
having with me one who understands the people so thoroughly, and can
speak both with the Sikhs and Afghans. But it is time for me to be
moving forward, or I shall not get my men across in time to occupy Leia
before nightfall. I will leave a party of fifty men here, so you and
your two followers can rest yourselves and your horses and join me
to-morrow."
"Thank you. I feel quite capable of going on with you, but I certainly
should be glad to let the horses have twenty-four hours' rest after
doing something like a hundred miles since they started yesterday."
"You may as well take possession of these quarters. I think it is the
best house in the place, and as the owners are Afghans they are ready to
do anything they can for us."
A quarter of an hour later the Sikhs started on their forward march.
Percy found his men had been told that they were to have a halt till the
following morning, and so, after seeing they had comfortable quarters
and paying a visit to his horse, he lay down and slept until evening.
Then he got up and had a meal, walked round the village and had a talk
with the Sikh officer of the detachment, and then turned in again until
the next morning, when, as soon as the sun was up, he started with the
detachment, and presently joined Lieutenant Edwardes at Leia. The
latter had occupied the town without opposition, Moolraj's governor,
with the small body of troops he had with him, having retired at his
approach.
The next few days were occupied in throwing up intrenchments round the
town. They heard that Moolraj was about to cross the Chenab with five
thousand men on his way to attack them, but as he hoped that Van
Cortlandt's regiment with the four guns would join him before Moolraj
could arrive, Lieutenant Edwardes determined to maintain his position.
One morning, however, he came with a serious face into Percy's room.
"I have terrible news," he said; "a messenger has just returned--the one
I sent with a letter to Mr. Agnew telling him that I would be with him
as soon as possible. On the way he met Moolraj's force, and, mingling
with them, learned what had happened at Mooltan after you left. By
nightfall there remained at the Eedgah only some twelve men, the native
clerks, and the officers' servants. Mr. Agnew had already sent to
Moolraj to say that he was ready to surrender, and begging him to come
in person to take over the place. Whether Moolraj delayed purposely in
order that the work should be finished before he arrived was a matter of
doubt, but at any rate he did not come. Soon after dark a mob of the
ruffians of the town with some soldiers, among whom were many of the
Sikh mutineers, proceeded to the Eedgah, burst in the doors, and with
shouts of "Death to the Feringhees!" rushed in. Mr. Agnew was sitting by
the bedside of Anderson. They had heard the tumult of the approaching
mob, and doubtless felt that their fate was at hand. Agnew rose as they
entered, and was cut down at once and despatched by two or three blows.
They then rushed at Anderson and hacked him to pieces."
"This is terrible indeed," Percy said, much moved at the news of the
death of the two gentlemen with whom he had spent the last fortnight.
"Do you think that Moolraj was a party to this atrocity?"
"They say that Agnew's head was taken to him, and, in his presence and
with his apparent approval, treated with every indignity. Certainly he
rewarded his murderer with a large present and a robe of honour, and
also gave presents to the man who had taken the principal part in the
murder of Anderson. From my own knowledge of Moolraj, although he is
doubtless ambitious, I should say that he is a weak man, without courage
or resolution. I do not think he had anything to do with the first
attack on the two officers, but seeing that the harm was done, knowing
that he would be blamed for it, and being really in the hands of his
turbulent soldiery, he resolved to throw in his lot with them, and from
that moment he was, like many other timid men when driven to the wall,
in favour of desperate measures. He would, no doubt, consider that by
allowing, if he did not direct, the murder of the two officers, he bound
the soldiers all the more closely to his interests, as the deed would
put an end to all possibility of a reconciliation.
"Of course this sad affair altogether alters my position. I was ready
to push forward at all hazards until I heard from you that the Sikhs had
mutinied; then the necessity for speed was at an end, for it was evident
that the Eedgah would be captured the day you left. Another serious
circumstance has occurred that renders it more than doubtful whether I
can maintain myself here. One of the native officers has just brought
me a document that has fallen into his hands. It is an address from the
Sikhs who deserted at the Eedgah to the men here, calling upon them to
join their countrymen and make common cause against the English, for
that all the Punjaub was about to take up arms against the Feringhees.
The worst of it is, the officer says that from what he learns this
document has been here for the last two days, and has been read by all
the soldiers; and if that is the case I can no longer place the
slightest reliance upon them.
"I am desirous of holding on here until the last moment for two reasons.
I hear that Moolraj has sent men all over the country to enlist the
Pathans. They are by far the most warlike people here, and will
certainly take service with him unless they take service with me. For
choice perhaps they would join me, because they have no love of the
Sikhs, who conquered their country. So long, then, as I remain here
they will believe that the success of Moolraj is not assured, and not
only shall we get a large number of valuable recruits, but prevent their
going to Mooltan. In the next place, I have to pay the men I enlist,
and to do so I must collect, as far as possible, the revenues of the
districts in this neighbourhood, for the money, like the recruits, will
go to Mooltan if it does not come to me. So you see it is of the
greatest importance that I should hold on here as long as possible in
spite of this ugly business of the Sikhs. I wish I could get rid of
them altogether, but that, until I can get together a strong force of
Pathans, is impossible."
Percy was greatly struck with the energy and firmness of the young
officer. Edwardes had for the past year been acting as political agent
in the greater part of the district between the Indus and the foot of
the mountains, and had also completely pacified Bunnoo, a most turbulent
district, inhabited by tribes of the Afghan race who had for
five-and-twenty years successfully resisted the efforts of the Sikhs to
conquer them, while he had so completely gained their confidence that at
his bidding they levelled the four hundred forts that constituted the
strength of their country, and many of them had already sent in offers
of service.
For the next two or three days there was no outward change in the
position. A good many Afghans were recruited, and messengers had
arrived, saying that the whole of Van Cortlandt's force were on the
march to join him; but as these had not arrived, while Moolraj's force,
which was provided with eighty guns, had approached within a day's
march, Edwardes deemed that it would be imprudent to remain longer when
he was more than doubtful of the fidelity of two-thirds of his men. He
accordingly evacuated Leia and recrossed the Indus. He had hardly done
so when he received news that the bulk of the enemy's army had suddenly
changed their course and marched north; and he therefore directed a body
of some two hundred Pathans who had not yet crossed the river to remain
there. Four hundred of the enemy occupied Leia, and the Pathans were
ordered to retire across the river if they advanced. Thinking it
probable that they would not do so, as a retreat is of all things the
most distasteful to men of this race, he sent over fifty more men to
reinforce them. The enemy did advance; the Pathans defended the bank of
a nullah, and after a time took the offensive, rushed across the nullah
and fell furiously upon the enemy, whom they utterly routed, pursuing
them a long distance and retaking possession of Leia. The town,
however, was not retained, for Edwardes had just received orders to
undertake no operations on the eastern side of the Indus, but to confine
himself to preventing the passage of the river by the enemy and to
maintaining order in his district. He therefore marched his whole force
a few miles up the river to the fort of Girang, where he awaited the
arrival of General Cortlandt with his command.
That officer joined him there on the 4th of May, with the Mohammedan
regiment of Loobdan Khan and a battery of six guns. Moolraj did not
attempt to cross the river, and by the 19th further reinforcements had
arrived, bringing up Edwardes' force to about four thousand eight
hundred men, of whom four thousand were believed to be faithful, while
the eight hundred Sikhs were known to be disaffected. More than this,
he had heard from Bhawul Khan, the Rajah of Bhawulpoor, a state on the
southern side of the river Ghara, that he was ready to move in a short
time against Mooltan from the south, and with this assistance Lieutenant
Edwardes felt strong enough to offer to undertake the blockade of
Mooltan for the rest of the hot season and through the rains, if
commissioned to do. The first step taken, however, was the capture of
Dera-Ghazee-Khan, a strong place on the western bank of the Indus,
interrupting his communication with Bhawulpoor and forming a strong
outlying post to Mooltan. The governorship of this place and the
country round had been given by Moolraj to one of his followers named
Julal Khan, belonging to the Lugharee tribe, to the great anger of a
powerful chief, Kowrah Khan, a personal enemy of Julal.
Kowrah at once made his submission to the British, and sent his son
Gholam Hyder with a contingent of men to join General Cortlandt, who was
moving with a part of the force to besiege the town. On the 20th of May
Gholam Hyder told General Cortlandt that he was ready to go on in
advance, to raise the whole of his father's clan, and with them alone to
drive Julal Khan and the troops with him across the river. General
Cortlandt accepted the offer, though doubting much Gholam Hyder's
ability to carry it out. However, the young man at once left the column
with his contingent and rode rapidly on ahead to his father's place.
Having obtained the latter's consent, messengers were sent off in all
directions to call upon the tribe to assemble, and the same night a
desperate attack was made upon the town. The men of the Lugharee tribe,
who formed the principal part of the garrison, fought stoutly, and the
combat continued without success on either side; but when morning broke
Gholam Hyder Khan led his men forward with such bravery that after a
severe hand-to-hand contest he gained a complete victory, killing
numbers of the Lugharees, among whom was one of their chiefs, and making
another prisoner. Some of the garrison shut themselves in the fort, but
capitulated in a few hours on condition of being allowed to cross the
river unmolested. Moolraj's force moved to Koreyshee with the intention
of crossing by boat and retaking the town, and, failing in doing this,
of opposing any attempt on the part of Edwardes to cross.
They found that the boats had been removed, and the two armies remained
for over a week watching each other across the wide river. Kowrah Khan
and his son received the thanks of Sir Frederick Currie, and the durbar
bestowed an additional rank upon them. They shortly afterwards joined
the army with four hundred horsemen of their tribe, who fought gallantly
through the whole campaign. They received no pay for their services,
but at the end of the war were rewarded by the grant of an estate and
pension.
By this time, although communications were still uncertain, Lieutenant
Edwardes learnt that, for the present, no British force would advance
against Mooltan. The commander-in-chief felt that, in the first place,
no confidence whatever could be placed upon the Sikhs, who would be a
source of danger rather than of aid. In the second, it would take a
considerable time to collect an army sufficiently large for the purpose.
Lastly, it was considered extremely unadvisable to engage a large
British force upon arduous operations during the hot season. The
rebellion of Moolraj was against the Sikh government, and the durbar at
Lahore was called upon to take active steps to repress it. Later on
Moolraj would be called to account by the British for the murder of the
two officers.
The Lahore government had accordingly despatched three columns, who were
to converge upon Mooltan and blockade the town. These were commanded
respectively by the Rajah Sher Singh, Sheik Emamoodeen, and Jowahir Mull
Dutt. The Nawab of Bhawulpoor's troops were to form a fourth column and
to meet the others before Mooltan. The three Sikh columns, however,
made very little progress, the commanders being each doubtful what the
others would do, and uncertain as to the fidelity of their troops. The
Nawab of Bhawulpoor was perfectly ready to do his share of the business,
but he altogether declined to march upon Mooltan until he saw the other
columns making fair progress in that direction.
Lieutenant Edwardes, on learning of the hesitation of the three Sikh
commanders, again wrote offering to undertake the blockade of Mooltan
with his own force in conjunction with that of the Nawab of Bhawulpoor.
He had now got rid of his Sikh regiment, which he had just sent off
accompanied by two hundred and fifty Pathan horsemen, and under the
general command of a Pathan chief, to garrison the fort of Mithun Kote,
where they were out of the way of doing mischief, and far removed from
the influence of their co-religionists at Mooltan.
The passage of the Indus at this time was difficult and hazardous.
Augmented by the melting snow on the hills it was rushing down in a
mighty river fifteen miles wide, and it was impossible for either army
to cross in the face of the other. At the beginning of June, however,
the nawab crossed the river and advanced towards Soojabad; and having
sent a pressing request to Sir Frederick Currie that Edwardes should
have permission to co-operate with him, the injunction against that
officer crossing the Indus was removed, to his immense satisfaction and
that of Percy.
By this time the Pathan force had increased to three thousand men, while
two thousand of the same race had joined General Cortlandt, so that it
was possible to leave a force sufficient to ensure order in the district
west of the Indus, and yet to carry a considerable number to reinforce
the nawab. The prospect was all the brighter since a Pathan officer who
had come to Leia when Edwardes occupied that town, under the pretence of
negotiating on the part of Moolraj, now sent him information that the
Pathan officers at Mooltan, who had from the first taken no part in the
attack on the Eedgah, and were altogether opposed to the war, would
desert as soon as an opportunity offered, and with their men join the
British.
Slow as the nawab's advance was, it alarmed Moolraj, and his army was
ordered to fall back from the Indus and take post at Soojabad. Edwardes
was well informed by his spies of the movements of the enemy. They
broke up their camp by the river before daylight on the 10th of June,
and before nightfall he had conveyed a portion of his army across the
wide river in the great fleet of boats he had collected. General
Cortlandt was to follow with the rest the next morning, for they had
been joined by so many of the chiefs from Bunnoo and by zemindars of the
district, that he had no fear of disturbance breaking out in his rear,
so long at any rate as all went well at the front.
Percy had been very busy during the halt at Dera-Ghazee-Khan in
marshalling the native levies as they arrived, acting as Lieutenant
Edwardes' mouthpiece, and paying complimentary visits to the chiefs and
thanking them for their loyalty. Bhop Lal had acted as drill-instructor
to the Pathan recruits, who were formed into companies as they arrived;
and Edwardes would have appointed him to the command of one of these
bodies, but he declined the offer, saying that although ready to aid at
other times, in the day of battle his place was by his master's side,
and nothing would induce him to leave it. Akram Chunder, not being able
to speak the Pathan language, could not be utilized in the same way as
his comrade, and indeed the Pathans would hardly have obeyed anyone not
of their own nationality save an Englishman; and he therefore continued
his usual work as Percy's attendant, looking after his horse and cooking
for him and Lieutenant Edwardes, who took their meals together.
Percy was delighted when a forward move was at last made. Lieutenant
Edwardes had at first thought of attaching him to General Cortlandt's
column, but he afterwards decided to take him with him, feeling how
great was the comfort of having someone with him to whom he could talk
over all his plans and difficulties, and whose opinion, however modestly
given, he came, as time went on, to regard as valuable.