We are forced to picket our horses in the lines of the Sikh troopers,
and your horse is placed among those of the rajah, whence we have to
fetch it every morning for the march. A party of sowars always ride
with us to fetch it, and accompany us back. Of course we both have
knives, which we have stolen at night from sleeping men; and we could
get other arms, but we do not see that at present we could do anything
with them."
"No, there is no possibility of escaping in the daytime," Percy agreed.
"The men who ride beside me always have chains between their horses'
bits and mine, so there is no possibility of my making a sudden dash for
it, as I otherwise would have done. If I once got beyond the range of
their pistols I should have little fear of being overtaken, for there
can be few horses in the camp that are a match for Sheik."
Day after day passed; the officer in charge of Percy in no way relaxed
his vigilance; the orders of Sher Singh being most emphatic as to the
care to be exercised in guarding his prisoner. He learned from his
followers the rumours current in the camp that the Sikh troops at Bunnoo
and Rhotas had also mutinied, and were upon the point of effecting a
junction with Sher Singh's force. They were considered the flower of
the Sikh army, being composed entirely of old soldiers with trained
cavalry and artillery. Sher Singh was marching to Lahore, and although
the people there were for the time powerless in face of the force that
had been hurried up to hold the city as soon as the defection of Sher
Singh was known, they were reported as ready to rise at the first
appearance of the army before their walls.
Some of the Sikh cavalry had been pushed on ahead of the army, with
orders to destroy the bridge of boats across the Ravee, a mile and a
half from Lahore. They succeeded in burning some of the boats, but were
then driven off by the 14th Light Dragoons under Colonel Havelock. So
far no large force of the British had arrived. A brigade with one
English regiment had been pushed forward, and one of cavalry had
assembled at Ferozepore, and native reports stated that large
reinforcements were going forward to General Whish and others advancing
towards Ferozepore. Sher Singh's army moved but slowly, and it was
still the opinion of many British officers that, although constrained to
desert us at Mooltan, he would be glad to make his peace as soon as a
strong British army approached him.
At the end of the first week in November the first British division
under General Thackwell crossed the Sutlej and advanced towards Lahore,
and two days later the Commander-in-chief, with General Gilbert's
division, followed it. The heavy guns had not yet come up, but were
only a short distance behind, and the general was anxious to interpose
his force between Lahore and the Sikh army, which might any day advance
to its attack. He remained for two days at Lahore, Thackwell's division
having already advanced.
"They will be here in two or three days, sahib," Akram Chunder said one
morning to Percy. "We have a strong position here on the right bank of
the Chenab, and how the English are going to cross I don't know; still
they will do it somehow, that is quite certain. Now, sahib, is the
time. You must look to yourself; so long as the Sikhs are confident of
victory no doubt you will be as well treated as you are at present; but
if they are defeated, as we very well know they will be, who could
answer for your life? Sher Singh will have enough to do to look after
his own safety, and even if the soldiers did not rush in and kill you,
these men of your guard will not want to be encumbered with a prisoner,
and they would know that, after a defeat, no one is likely to inquire
much about you. So you must try to escape. The worst of it is, that
with your friends so close, they will be more watchful than ever, for
this is the time that you would be naturally trying to get away to join
them. The officer looks so sharp after the guard, that I fear there is
no chance of giving them liquor and making them drunk or of drugging
them. They are forbidden even to speak to us as we go in and out. We
are allowed to attend on you by the rajah's orders, but I have no doubt
the officer is afraid we might try to bribe his men. Bhop Lal and I
have talked it over in every way, but we can see no means of getting you
out."
"I can see no way myself, Akram; the sentries are very vigilant, they
keep constantly on the move, and they challenge anyone who approaches
within twenty yards. If they were to march during the night I would
take my chance of slipping off my horse, for it is impossible, chained
as it is to the others, to dash through with it. That is the only
possibility of escape that I can see at present."
"I can see no other, sahib, but unfortunately they never have marched at
night; still they may do so, and the first time they do we might try it.
The worst of it is, that we shall not be near you, sahib. You see, on
the march we always have to keep with the cavalry, among whom our horses
are picketed."
"Well, at any rate, Akram, let it be a distinct understanding that if we
are suddenly ordered to make a night-march, and I have no opportunity of
speaking to you before we move, I mean to make my escape; and if by any
possibility you can do the same you are to do so."
"As we have told you often, sahib, there is no difficulty about us.
They have got pretty well accustomed to us now, and believe that we are
all in favour of their cause, though we remain with you, because, in the
first place, we are attached to you, and in the second, because we have
wives and families who are in the hands of your uncle the colonel, and
we dare not therefore leave you. So they have come to believe that we
have no wish to escape at all, and pay no attention to us on the line of
march. Of course we ride at the rear of the regiment, and the last four
men were always told off to ride behind us; but they have given that up
long ago, and we could easily drop behind without being observed, on a
night-march. The difficulty would be to find you after your escape."
"That can't be helped, Akram. If I do escape, I will make my way back
to the last place at which we halted; and if you get away, do the same.
If we find each other there, all the better; if not, we must make our
way separately as best we can to the British lines, wherever they may
be. I will, if I can, come to the spot where this tent was pitched; we
shall all know the position pretty well, and ought to be able to get
somewhere near it, even on a dark night. Now, remember that these are
final orders, if I have no opportunity to give you others. The first
night there is a march--whether before a battle has been fought or
afterwards--I shall try to escape. If I do not appear at our last
halting-place during the night, you are to go straight on to our lines;
and if I do not turn up there in the course of a couple of days, you
will know that I have either failed to make my escape, or been killed in
attempting it."
"I understand, sahib; and you may be sure Bhop Lal and I will act
according to your orders."
Two days later there was a great hubbub heard in the camp Bhop Lal,
looking out from the door of the tent, said:
"The army has come, sahib. The Sikhs on the other bank are retiring."
Percy went to the entrance of the tent, which faced the river, and stood
there looking out. Numbers of horse and foot could be seen crossing. A
cloud of dust rose a mile and a half away, while in camp there was the
deep rumble of guns as these were brought up to the river to command the
passage.
"They are cavalry, sahib," Bhop Lal said, as amid the cloud of dust
there was a sparkle of steel, and a body of horse came clashing forward.
Almost at the same instant the crack of guns was heard and shells burst
over and among the Sikhs on the other side of the river, greatly
hastening their movements. The bed of the river was of great width, but
was now for the most part dry. On the other side the bank was high, and
from its foot a very wide bed of sand extended to what, in the wet
season, was a green island in the middle of the river. The stream
itself ran on the Sikh side of the island.
Before the British cavalry and guns came up the last of the Sikh force
on the other side were well on their way across the river, but the guns
were at once unlimbered and sent shot after shot into them, until they
were almost across and out of range, for the width from bank to bank was
nearly two miles.
Not content with this, two British batteries moved down from the bank,
and charged across the sand, from time to time firing at the Sikhs
retreating across the ford; but when they came near the edge of the
river the Sikh batteries on the high bank opened upon them.
"They will have to fall back," Percy said; "the guns here are much
heavier than theirs, and they can never remain there in the open exposed
to this fire."
It was not long before the officers commanding the British batteries
discovered this, and gave the order for the guns to limber up. Some
confusion was visible among them. The horses were taken from two of the
guns and attached to another.
"That gun has got into a quicksand or something of that sort," Percy
said, "and they can't move it."
The Sikhs were not long in seeing this. The fire of their guns was
redoubled, and the infantry at once paused in their passage of the ford
and returned in great numbers to the left bank and opened a heavy
musketry fire.
"They will have to leave the guns behind them," Percy said, as the
artillery mounted and rode off. The guns, indeed, dragged so heavily
through the deep sand that a squadron of the 3d Light Dragoons galloped
forward to cover their retreat. Dashing over the sand they swept round
the island where some hundreds of the enemy were drawn up, cut their way
through them, sabring numbers, and then, in spite of the fire of six
guns on the opposite bank, cantered back again. They had only one man
wounded and two horses killed. Other charges were made by the 3d
Dragoons and 8th Light Cavalry, but the Sikhs took refuge in nullahs,
and kept up such a galling musketry fire that the cavalry drew off. The
Sikhs now exultantly advanced to the abandoned gun, and as from the
river bed the British force could no longer be seen, numbers of them
made their way across the sand, ascended the high bank, and opened fire
at the troops halted within rifle-shot.
"They won't be there long," Percy said to his men. "You will see them
coming back quicker than they went in a minute or two: look at that body
of cavalry sweeping down upon them."
The Sikhs, too, saw the danger, and came rushing in a confused mass down
the bank. The cavalry, as he learned afterwards, consisted of the 14th
Dragoons under Colonel Havelock, supported by the 5th Light Cavalry.
The impetuosity of the gallant leader of the 14th carried him away, and
followed by his men he dashed down the bank in pursuit, with the
intention of driving the Sikhs back again over the river. But great
numbers had now crossed the ford; some guns had been placed near the
islands, and these and the batteries on the other bank opened a heavy
fire upon the cavalry.
Encouraged by the fire of their guns and by their numerical strength,
the fugitives now made a stand. The horses of the dragoons were already
blown, and with difficulty made their way through the deep sand; but
Havelock charged into the middle of the enemy well in advance of his
men, and disappeared from their sight. They tried to urge their horses
after him, but could not break through the infantry, while the Sikh guns
still continued their heavy fire. Colonel Cureton, who commanded the
cavalry, rode forward to recall them from their dangerous position. He
himself fell, shot through the heart. For a time the unequal contest
was continued, many desperate single combats taking place between
Englishman and Sikh; but at last the 14th were called off, having had
upwards of fifty men killed and wounded.
"It seems to me," Percy said, as the last of the cavalry rode up the
opposite bank, "that was a very foolish charge. Suppose they had driven
the Sikhs across the river, they could not have stayed to guard the ford
with all these guns playing upon them, and the Sikhs could have
recrossed directly they had retired. It seems a pure waste of life."
So thought many others. The charge was as rash and ill-considered as
that of Balaclava. Colonel Havelock paid for his mistake by his life,
just as did Nolan, who gave the order that led to the charge of the
Light Cavalry at Balaclava.
The Sikhs were in high spirits at the advantage they had gained, and
complete confidence in themselves took the place of the doubt, that a
good many of them had felt, of their power of resisting the British.
This increased, as day after day passed, and no forward movement was
made from the opposite bank. It could be seen, however, that the force
there had been largely augmented, and that batteries were in course of
erection at several points. The Sikh guns fired at times at the working
parties, but the distance was too great for the fire to be effective.
Bodies of Sikh cavalry crossed the river at other points, and often rode
round the rear of the British lines, occasionally cutting off men who
had straggled too far out of camp, and then riding off before the
English cavalry could mount and pursue them. A few soldiers who were
taken alive were carried to the camp, where they were well treated by
Sher Singh, and were sent back to the British lines bearing a
communication from the rajah expressive of a desire for peace.
But the time had passed for negotiations. It was necessary for the
peace of India that the Sikh strength should be broken once and for all,
and the answer sent to the rajah was that the commander-in-chief could
not treat with men in arms against him. A week passed after the cavalry
fight, and then it became known in the Sikh camp that the heavy guns for
which the British had been waiting had arrived.
"I do not see the use of those batteries they are erecting on the
opposite bank," Akram Chunder remarked, as, standing at the door of the
tent, they watched what was going on. The Sikhs too had been working
hard; strong works had been erected commanding the ford, and a number of
guns placed there in position.
"I do not see any good in it either, Akram; the guns are too far off to
be of any use whatever in covering the advance of a column trying to
cross. I do not think it is possible to ford the river in the face of
such a fire as will be concentrated upon them if they attempt it."
"Then what will they do, sahib?"
"I should say they would send a force either up or down the river to
cross at some other point ten or twenty miles away. When they have got
across they will either intrench themselves there and defend the ford
until the whole army can cross, or they will march this way and attack
the camp while the army opposite tries to cross the river."
"There would be great risk in that, sahib, for the Sikhs could throw
their whole force on those that have crossed and destroy it before they
could get any aid from their friends on the other side."
"Yes, it would be very dangerous, too dangerous to try, I should say,
against another European force; but you see, Akram, we have been so
accustomed to win battles in India that we feel quite confident of
victory even when the odds are three or four to one against us."
Early in the morning of the 1st of December Percy heard an unusual stir
in the Sikh camp.
"What is the matter?" he asked the officer of the guard when the latter
as usual came in for a talk with him.
"A peasant came across before daylight with the news that a large force
of your people have marched somewhere down the river. We had thought
that they might try to cross at the ford of Ghuree-kee Puttum, and were
ready to receive them, but they have not gone there. It is supposed
they have gone to Wuzeerabad."
"How far is that away?"
"Twenty-four miles."
"Have you any force there?"
"No, it is a very bad ford, and unless they get some boats they can
hardly cross there; but we would not stop them if we could. How the
British, who know so much of the art of war, can throw themselves like
this into our hands is more than we can tell. We shall let them march
up some miles, so that they can no longer retreat to the ford, then we
shall fall upon them and exterminate them. We know their force, for the
peasant, who was awakened by the noise made by the camp-followers and
the growling of the camels and the rumbling of guns, crept up and
counted them as they passed. There were five batteries, two of them
native; five regiments of cavalry, four of them native; two white
regiments of foot, and five regiments and a half of Sepoys. If you put
them at five hundred men to each regiment, there are less than four
thousand foot. What is that against the force we can bring against
them? They will get to Wuzeerabad to-day, but it is a long march. The
white troops will not be ready for much at the end of it, and few will
get across to-night. It will be mid-day to-morrow before they are all
over, even if they have boats, so that at most they will not arrive
nearer than twelve miles by to-morrow night. The next day we shall
finish with them."
Percy thought it was as well to keep to himself his conviction that the
Sikhs would not find it so easy a business as they anticipated; yet he
saw that unless our main army moved across to the attack, and so
occupied a large portion of the Sikh force, or else considerably
reinforced that advancing up the river bank, the position of the latter
was indeed a perilous one. But he still felt confident in their power
to resist an attack made upon them.
"I should be glad," he said to his two followers, as he talked the
matter over during the day, "if they would move this tent of ours
somewhere farther back from the bank. That battery below us is sure to
come in for its share of the fire from the guns on the other side, and
any ball that goes too high is as likely as not to pass through this
tent."
"You may be sure that our guard won't wait here when that happens,
sahib; they may leave the tent standing, but they will certainly march
themselves and you off out of range."
Late in the afternoon a heavy fire was opened by the batteries on the
opposite bank, and as the shells exploded, some over the Sikh batteries,
some farther back over the bank, a great hubbub arose. The artillerymen
ran down to their guns and replied to the fire. Drums and bugles called
the troops under arms, orders were shouted in all directions, and the
noises of the horses and baggage animals added to the uproar. The guard
at once ran up and surrounded the tent.
"Come out, sahib," the officer said, "we are going to pull it down at
once."
"All the better," Percy replied; "I have no desire to be shot by my
friends."
The tent was speedily lowered, and it and its contents carried by the
men half a mile from the bank and there re-erected. All the other tents
along the bank were similarly removed.
As Percy had foreseen, the fire from the distant guns inflicted but
little damage upon the Sikh batteries, so these, after replying for a
short time, ceased to waste their ammunition, and the men retired behind
the shelter of the bank, where they remained until the British fire
ceased.
Upon the following morning Percy learned from the officer of his guard
that a Sikh horseman, who had been sent down the river, had reported
that only a battery of artillery, two regiments of cavalry, and a
brigade of infantry had crossed on the previous night, some wading the
ford and others being brought over in boats, by which the guns had been
conveyed across.
At night he heard that it was two o'clock before all had crossed and the
march began, and they would probably halt at Doorewal, which was twelve
miles on the way, somewhere about nightfall. The Sikhs reported that
the cavalry were scouting in their front and on their left flank, and
that the troops were marching in several columns, so that they could at
once open out into order of battle if attacked. The guards were in high
spirits that night, and sat round a fire laughing and talking until
morning. The vigilance of the sentries, however, was in no way relaxed,
and the officer several times peeped into the tent to see that all was
right.
Before daybreak there was a hum of movement in the camp, and Percy knew
that the Sikhs were mustering for the attack.
*CHAPTER XVIII.*
*REJOINING.*
As Percy went to the door of his tent he saw the Sikhs moving off in
solid bodies.
"Those are the Bunnoo regiments," the officer of his guard said, "they
are our best. Some of Sher Singh's regiments are good, but they are not
equal to those from Bunnoo. They have been drilled by Van Cortlandt,
and march as truly and well as the best regiments of the Feringhees.
They are going to take their revenge to-day. Every man of them fought
at Ferozeshah or Sobraon, many at both, and they will wipe out those
defeats to-day. A very strong force is going, nearly the whole indeed.
What do we want men here for? They will never venture to cross from the
opposite side while our guns sweep the ford. Besides, there is a
regiment left to guard it, and the Feringhees cannot tell that Sher
Singh has marched with his whole force to exterminate their comrades on
this bank. You will not be lonely any more, for to-night there will be
many prisoners here, for those who throw down their arms may be spared;
I know not the orders Sher Singh has issued, still mercy is sure to be
shown to a few. By the way, I have just seen a man who has come from
the river bank, and he says that during the night your people have
thrown up two batteries about mid-way between their bank and the river,
so as to command the ford. Doubtless they feared that, knowing they
would be so weakened, we should march across and destroy them. That was
indeed the plan advocated by many of our leaders, but it was thought
best to destroy this army first; for you see we can fall upon them when
entangled in rice-fields and jungle, whereas here we should suffer from
the batteries on their bank before we came to close quarters."
As the officer had been very civil to him throughout the march, Percy
abstained from dashing his confidence by the expression of a doubt.
"You are going to fall upon them during the march?"
"Yes, and all the regular horse are to ride round and capture their
baggage and then charge down on their rear. The river is on their
right, and not a man ought to escape if the affair is well managed."
Throughout the day the guns of the British batteries across the river
again maintained their fire, the Sikhs making no reply. Percy from time
to time listened attentively, hoping to hear the rattle of musketry that
would tell him that Lord Gough was making a vigorous attempt to cross
the river in order to give aid to the little column that was cut off
from him. He heard that the British were constructing two batteries
close to the river, and was astonished that they should be permitted to
do this without interruption.
"I was mistaken," the officer said to him at eight o'clock. "I thought
that the batteries were still manned, and that a regiment was there. I
find that the guns have been withdrawn, and that every man has gone to
the fight. It is very strange that, seeing everything is silent, the
English do not send a party across the river to reconnoitre. Their
commander must be asleep," the Sikh said contemptuously.
"But why has the passage been left open to them?"
"What do we care if they do cross? Your tent is almost the only one
left standing. If we saw them appear on the river bank we should mount
and ride at once; there are the horses all standing ready. Almost all
the baggage is moved away. I think Sher Singh would be glad if they did
cross to-day, then we should come back and attack them in the morning.
With the river in their rear, how many would escape?"
It was past mid-day when an exclamation broke from Percy's guard, as the
boom of a gun some six or seven miles away was heard.
"The battle has begun," the Sikhs exclaimed.