"I am heartily glad that you have come, Marryat," Colonel Forde said,
as Charlie rode up. "I have got here at last, as you see, but that is
a very different thing from getting in. An uglier place to attack I
never saw; and in other respects, matters are not bright.
"Anandraz is a constant worry and trouble to me. He has everything to
gain by our success, and yet will do nothing to aid it. His men are
worse than useless in fight, and the only thing which we want and he
could give us--money--he will not let us have.
"Will you ride with me, to the spot where I'm erecting my batteries,
and you will see the prospect for yourself?"
The prospect was, as Charlie found when he saw it, the reverse of
cheerful. The point which Forde had selected to erect his batteries
was on some sandbanks, eight hundred yards from the eastern face of
the fort. It would be impossible to construct approaches against the
walls; and, should a breach be made, there still remained a wide creek
to be crossed, beyond which lay the deep, and in most parts absolutely
impassable, swamp.
Charlie and his men were employed in bringing in provisions from the
surrounding country; but a short distance in the rear, a French column
under Du Rocher, with two hundred European and two thousand native
troops, with four field pieces, watched the British, and rendered the
collection of provisions difficult. Du Rocher had several strong
places, with European and Sepoy garrisons, near him, in which to
retire in case Forde should advance against him.
"Well, Mister Charles," Tim said, one morning, "this is altogether a
quare sort of a siege. Here we are, with a place in front of us with
ten times as many guns as we have got, and a force well nigh twice as
large. Even if there were no walls, and no guns, I don't see how we
could get at 'em, barring we'd wings, for this bog is worse than
anything in the ould country. Then behind us we've got another army,
which is, they say, with the garrisons of the forts, as strong as we
are. We've got little food and less money, and the troops are
grumbling mightily, I can tell you."
On the 18th of March, while his batteries were still incomplete, Forde
received certain news that the Nizam of the Deccan, the old ally of
the French, was advancing with an army of forty thousand men to attack
him. No British commander ever stood in a position of more imminent
peril.
This completed the terror of Anandraz. Du Rocher had caused reports to
be circulated that he intended to march against that chief's
territories, and the news of the approach of the nizam, who was his
suzerain lord, completed his dismay. He refused to advance another
penny. Colonel Forde had already expended the prize money gained by
the troops, his own private funds, and those of his officers, in
buying food for his troops; and the men were several months in arrear
of their pay.
"I'm afraid, yer honor," Tim said that evening to Charlie, "that
there's going to be a shindy."
"What do you mean by a shindy, Tim?"
"I mane, yer honor, that the men are cursing and swearing, and saying
the divil a bit will they fight any longer. It's rank mutiny and
rebellion, yer honor; but there's something to be said for the poor
boys. They have seen all the prize money they have taken spent. Not a
thraneen have they touched for months. Their clothes are in rags, and
here they are before a place which there's no more chance of their
taking than there is of their flying up to the clouds. And now they
hear that, besides the French behind us, there's the nizam with forty
thousand of his men marching against us. It's a purty kettle of fish
altogether, yer honor.
"It isn't for myself I care, Mr. Charles. Haven't I got an order in my
pocket, on the treasury at Madras, for three hundred pound and over;
but it's mighty hard, yer honor, just when one has become a wealthy
man, to be shut up in a French prison."
"Well, Tim, I hope there will be no trouble; but I own that things
look bad."
"Hossein has been saying, yer honor, that he thinks that the best way
would be for him and me to go out and chop off the heads of half a
dozen of the chief ringleaders. But I thought I'd better be after
asking yer honor's pleasure in the affair, before I set about it."
To Tim's great disappointment, Charlie told him that the step was one
to which he could hardly assent, at present.
The next morning, the troops turned out with their arms, and
threatened to march away. Forde spoke to them gently, but firmly. He
told them that he could not believe that men who had behaved so
gallantly, at Condore, would fail now in their duty. He begged them to
return to their tents, and to send two of their number, as deputies,
to him.
This they did. The deputies came to the colonel's tent, and told him
that all were resolved to fight no more; unless they were immediately
paid the amount of prize money due to them, and were assured of the
whole booty, in case Masulipatam should be taken. Colonel Forde
promised that they would receive their prize money out of the very
first funds which reached him. As to the booty which might be taken in
Masulipatam, he said he had no power to change the regulations of the
Company, but that he would beg them, under consideration of the
hardships which the troops had endured, and their great services, to
forego their half of the plunder. Directly Masulipatam was taken, he
said, he would divide one half among them, and hold the other until he
obtained the Company's answer to his request. Then he would distribute
it, at once. With this answer the troops were satisfied, and returned
at once to their duty.
On the 25th, the guns of the battery opened fire upon the fort, but
the damage which they did was inconsiderable. On the 27th, news came
that the French army of observation had retaken Rajahmahendri; and
that the nizam, with his army, had arrived at Baizwara, forty miles
distant. Letters came in, from the nizam to Anandraz, ordering him
instantly to quit the English camp, and join him. The rajah was so
terrified that, that night, he started with his troops without giving
any information of his intentions to Colonel Forde; and dilatory as
were his motions in general, he, on this occasion, marched sixteen
miles before daybreak.
The instant Colonel Forde heard that he had left, he sent for Charlie
Marryat.
"I suppose you have heard, Marryat, that that scoundrel Anandraz has
bolted. Ride off to him with your troop, and do your best to persuade
him to return."
"I will do so, sir," Charlie said; "but really, it seems to me that we
are better without him than with him. His men only consume our
provisions, and cause trouble, and they are no more good fighting than
so many sheep."
"That is so," Colonel Forde said. "But in the first place, his five
thousand men, absolutely worthless as they are, swell our forces to a
respectable size. If Conflans and Du Rocher saw how small is our
really fighting body, they would fall upon us together, and annihilate
us. In the second place, if Anandraz goes to the nizam he will at
once, of course, declare for the French, and will give up Vizapatam
and the rest of the ground we won by the battle of Condore. The whole
of the fruits of the campaign would be lost, and we should only hold
that portion of the Northern Sirkars on which our troops here are
encamped."
"I beg your pardon, Colonel," Charlie said. "You are right, and I am
wrong. I will start at once."
Putting himself at the head of his five-and-twenty men, Charlie rode
off at once in pursuit of the rajah. He found him encamped in a
village. Charlie had already instructed his men as to the course which
they were to pursue, and halted them at a distance of fifty yards from
the rajah's tent. Then dismounting, and followed by Tim as his
orderly, and Hossein as his body servant, he walked to the tent.
He found Anandraz surrounded by his chief officers. The rajah received
him coldly; but Charlie, paying no attention to this, took a seat
close to him.
"I am come, Rajah," he said, "from Colonel Forde, to point out to you
the folly of the course which you have pursued. By the line which you
have taken so far, it is evidently your intention to cross the
Godavery, and retire to your own country. What chance have you of
accomplishing this? By this time, the cavalry of the nizam will be
scattered over the whole country between this and the Godavery. At
Rajahmahendri is Du Rocher, with his army, who will take you in flank.
Even supposing that you reach your own country, what is the future
open to you? If the English are finally successful, they will deprive
you of your rank and possessions for deserting them now. If the French
are victorious, they and the nizam will then turn their attention to
you; and you cannot hope to escape with life, when your treason has
brought such troubles upon them."
The rajah looked for a minute doubtful; and then, encouraged by the
murmurs of the officers around him, who were weary of the expedition
and its labours, although their troops had not fired a single shot, he
said obstinately:
"No more words are needed. I have made up my mind."
"And so have I," Charlie said, and with a sudden spring he leaped upon
the rajah, seized him by the throat, and placed a pistol to his ear.
Hossein drew his sword, and rushed to his side. Tim ran outside and
held up his arm, and the little body of cavalry at once rode up; and,
half of them dismounting, entered the tent with drawn swords.
So astounded were the officers of the rajah, at Charlie's sudden
attack, that for a moment they knew not what to do; and before they
could recover from their surprise, Charlie's troopers entered.
"Take this man," Charlie said, pointing to the rajah, "to that tree,
and hang him at once. Cut down any of these fellows who move a
finger."
The rajah was dragged to the tree, almost lifeless with terror.
"Now, Rajah," Charlie said, "you either give instant orders for your
army to march back to Masulipatam, or up you go on that branch above
there."
The terrified rajah instantly promised to carry out Charlie's orders,
and to remain faithful to the English. The officers were brought out
from the tent, and received orders from the rajah to set his troops
instantly in motion on their way back. The rajah was led to his tent,
and there kept under a guard, until the army was in motion. When the
whole of it was well on its way, Charlie said:
"Now, Rajah, we will ride on. We will say no more about this little
affair, and I will ask Colonel Forde to forgive your ill behaviour in
leaving him. But mind, if at any future time you attempt to disobey
his orders, or to retire from the camp, I will blow out your brains;
even if I have to follow you, with my men, into the heart of your own
palace."
Upon their return to the British camp, Charlie explained to Colonel
Forde the measures which he was obliged to take, to convince the rajah
of the soundness of his arguments; and of these Colonel Forde entirely
approved. He told Charlie that he had sent off, to open negotiations
with Salabut Jung, so as to detain him as long as possible at
Baizwara.
Without any intermission, the batteries continued to play on the fort
from the 25th of March to the 6th of April. Several houses had been
destroyed, and some breaches effected; but these the French repaired
in the night, as fast as they were made. They were aware of the
position of the English, and regarded the siege with contempt.
On the morning of the 7th, news came that the nizam was advancing from
Baizwara to attack the English; and that Du Rocher was hurrying from
Rajahmahendri, to effect a junction with him. The same morning, the
senior artillery officer reported to Colonel Forde that only two days'
ammunition for the batteries remained in store. He learned, too, that
a ship with three hundred French soldiers would arrive, in the course
of a day or two.
The position was, indeed, a desperate one, and there remained only the
alternatives of success against the fort, or total destruction. He
determined to attack. All day, his batteries kept up a heavier fire
than ever, maintaining an equal fire against all the bastions in order
that, if the enemy should obtain any information of the projected
attack, they would not know against which point it was directed.
Colonel Forde had ascertained that fishermen were in the habit of
making their way, across the swamp, to the southwest angle of the
fort, that on the sea face opposite to the British frontiers. He
determined to effect a diversion, by an attack upon that side; and
therefore ordered Captain Knox, with seven hundred Sepoys, to make a
detour to cross the swamp, and to attack upon that side. Still further
to distract the attention of the garrison, he instructed Anandraz to
advance with his men along the causeway, and to open fire against the
ravelin. The main attack, which consisted of the rest of the force,
composed of three hundred and twenty European infantry, thirty
gunners, thirty sailors, and seven hundred Sepoys, was to be delivered
against the breach in the bastion, mounting ten guns, in the northeast
angle of the fort.
At ten o'clock, the force drew up under arms. The fire of the
batteries was kept up, much later than usual, in order that the enemy
should have no time to repair the breaches. The hour of midnight was
fixed for the attack, as at that time the tide was at its lowest, and
the water in the ditches round the ramparts not more than three feet
deep.
Captain Knox and his party started first. The main body should have
set out half an hour later, but were detained, owing to the
unaccountable absence of Captain Callender, the officer who was to
command it. As this officer was afterwards killed, the cause of his
absence was never explained. The party started without him, and before
they could reach the ditch, they heard the sound of firing from the
farther corner of the fort, telling that Knox was already at work.
"Shure, yer honor," muttered Tim, as he made his way through the
swamp, knee deep, beside his master, "this is worse than the day
before Plassey. It was water then, but this thick mud houlds one's
legs fast at every step. I've lost one of my boots, already."
It was indeed hard work; but at last, the head of the column reached
the ditch, just as a fresh burst of firing told that the Rajah
Anandraz was attacking the ravelin. The French, in their belief in the
absolute security of the place, had taken but few precautions against
an attack; and it was not until the leading party had waded, nearly
breast high, through the ditch; and began to break down the palisade
beyond it, that they were discovered. Then a heavy artillery and
musketry fire from the bastions on the right and left was opened upon
the assailants.
Captain Fisher with the first division attacked the breach; Captain
Maclean with the second covered them, by opening fire upon the bastion
on their right; while the third, led by Captain Yorke, replied to that
on their left. Charlie, although superior in rank to any of these
officers, had no specific command, but accompanied the party as a
simple volunteer.
The storming party soon mounted the breach, and Yorke's division
joined it on the top. Yorke, turning to the left, seized the bastion
which was firing on Maclean; while Fisher turned along the ramparts to
the right, to secure the bastions in that direction.
Just as Yorke was setting out he saw a strong body of French Sepoys,
advancing between the foot of the ramparts and the buildings of the
town. These had been sent, directly the firing was heard, to reinforce
the bastion just carried. Without a moment's hesitation, Yorke ran
down the rampart, seized the French officer who commanded, and ordered
him to surrender at once, as the place was already taken. Confused and
bewildered, the officer gave up his sword, and ordered the Sepoys to
lay down their arms. They were then sent, as prisoners, into the
bastion.
Yorke now pushed forward, with his men, at the foot of the rampart;
and carried two out of three of the bastions on that side. The men,
however, separated from the rest, and alone in the unknown town, were
beginning to lose heart. Suddenly they came upon a small magazine, and
some of the men called out, "A mine!" Seized with a sudden panic, the
whole division ran back, leaving Yorke alone with two native drummer
boys, who continued to beat the advance. The soldiers, however, did
not stop running until they reached the bastion.
Captain Yorke went back, and found that many of the soldiers were
proposing to leave the fort, altogether. He swore that he would cut
down the first man who moved, and some of the men who had served with
him in the 39th, ashamed of their conduct, said that they would follow
him. Heading the thirty-six men who had now come to their senses,
Captain Yorke again advanced, with the drummer boys.
Just as he was setting out, Charlie, who had at first gone with
Fisher's division, hearing an entire cessation of fire on the other
side, ran up to see what was going on.
"Major Marryat," Captain Yorke said, "will you rally these fellows,
and bring them after me. They've been frightened with a false alarm of
a mine, and have lost their heads altogether."
Charlie, aided by Tim, exerted himself to the utmost to encourage and
command the soldiers, shaming them by telling them that while they,
European soldiers, were cowering in the bastion, their Sepoy comrades
were winning the town.
"Unless," he said, "in one minute the whole of you are formed up ready
to advance, I will take care that not one shall have a share in the
prize money that will be won tonight."
The men now fell in, and Charlie led them after Captain Yorke. The
first retreat of the latter's division had given the French time to
rally a little, and as he now made along the rampart towards the
bastion on the river, the French officer in command there, having
turned a gun and loaded it with grape, discharged it when the English
were within a few yards. Captain Yorke fell, badly wounded. The two
black drummer boys were killed, as were several of the men, and
sixteen others were wounded.
Charlie, hurrying along with the rest of the party, met the survivors
of Captain Yorke's little band coming back, carrying their wounded
officer.
"There," Charlie shouted to his men, "that is your doing. Now retrieve
yourselves. Show you are worthy of the name of British soldiers."
With a shout, the men rushed forward and carried the bastion, and this
completed the capture of the whole of the wall, from the northeast
angle to the river.
In the meantime Captain Fisher, with his division, was advancing to
the right along the rampart. Maclean's men had joined him, and they
were pushing steadily forward. Colonel Forde continued with the
reserve at the bastion first taken, receiving reports from both
divisions as they advanced, and sending the necessary orders. As fast
as the prisoners were brought in, they were sent down the breach into
the ditch, where they were guarded by Sepoys, who threatened to shoot
any that tried to climb up.
Meanwhile, all was disorder in the town. Greatly superior as were the
besieged to their assailants in number, they could, if properly
handled, have easily driven them back. Instead, however, of
disregarding the attack by Knox at the southwest angle, which was
clearly only a feint; and that of Anandraz on the ravelin, which might
have been disregarded with equal safety; and concentrating all their
forces against the main attack, they made no sustained effort against
either of the columns, which were rapidly carrying bastion after
bastion. Conflans appeared to have completely lost his head, as
messenger after messenger arrived at his house, by the river, with
news of the progress of the English columns.
As Fisher's division advanced towards the bastion in which was the
great gate, the French who had gathered there again attempted to check
his progress. But his men reserved their fire, until close to the
enemy; and then, discharging a volley at a few yards' distance, they
rapidly cleared the bastion. Fisher at once closed the great gates,
and thus cut off all the defenders of the ravelin, and prevented any
of the troops within from joining these, and cutting their way through
the rajah's troops, which would have been no difficult matter.
Just as the division were again advancing, Captain Callender, to the
astonishment of everyone, appeared and took his place at its head. A
few shots only were fired after this, and the last discharge killed
Captain Callender.
By this time Conflans, bewildered and terrified, had sent a message to
Colonel Forde, offering to surrender on honorable terms. Colonel Forde
sent back to say that he would give no terms whatever; that the town
was in his power and further resistance hopeless; and that, if it
continued longer, he would put all who did not surrender to the sword.
On the receipt of this message, Conflans immediately sent round orders
that all his men were to lay down their arms, and to fall in, in the
open space by the water.
The English assembled, on the parade, by the bastion of the gateway.
Captain Knox's column was marched round, from the southwest, into the
town. A strong body of artillery kept guard over the prisoners till
morning. Then the gate was opened, and the French in the ravelin
entered the fort, and became prisoners with the rest of the garrison.
The whole number of prisoners exceeded three thousand, of whom five
hundred were Europeans and the rest Sepoys. The loss of the English
was twenty-two Europeans killed, and sixty-two wounded. The Sepoys had
fifty killed and a hundred and fifty wounded. The rajah's people, who
had kept up their false attack upon the ravelin with much more bravery
and resolution than had been expected, also lost a good many men.
Considering the natural strength of the position, that the garrison
was, both in European troops and Sepoys, considerably stronger than
the besiegers, that the fort mounted a hundred and twenty guns, and
that a relieving army, enormously superior to that of the besiegers,
was within fifteen miles at the time the assault was made, the capture
of Masulipatam may claim to rank among the very highest deeds ever
performed by British arms.