Ten o'clock came, but no messenger from the fort. A little time was
given, and the shelling-batteries did not re-commence till nearly eleven
o'clock; but when they did the top of the hill became one entire mass of
smoke and fire, and thus it continued till the afternoon, when a
messenger at length made his appearance, and informed the general that
the keeledar would be down immediately to ratify the treaty and give up
the fort. For this purpose the shelling was again stopped, and at about
two o'clock the keeledar began to descend in a palanquin, with three or
four followers. All the general and staff-officers in camp were directed
to assemble for the purpose of meeting this rebellious chief. General
Doveton's tent was the place of rendezvous. On the way to this tent the
people appointed to escort the keeledar took him through our park of
artillery, where there were some fifty guns, besides those then in use.
This keeledar was a most unseemly-looking man; a great fat buffalo of a
fellow, with enormous flitches of fat hanging over his hips. He was also
excessively dirty in his person and dress, and looked as if he had just
been turned out of an oil-shop. He entered the tent with all the
impudence of a nawab, chewing paun, and as though he was fully prepared
to receive a welcome greeting. In this he was disappointed. He was
desired to be seated, but his reception was cool and distant, and the
knitted brow of Major-General Sir John Malcolm, the political agent for
the government, portended no very flattering entertainment. When the
whole were seated, Sir John broke silence, by stating "that the British
army had no time to lose in unnecessary parley, and that, therefore, any
argument of his would be waste of words, and unavailing, as nothing
would suffice but the unconditional surrender of the fort to the troops
of his government, and that he should, in his person, answer to his
master, Scindia, for his rebellion and disloyalty." Here the fat
keeledar began to gather himself up into speaking order, and at last
mumbled out, that he was surprised that a person so well conversant with
the Eastern customs and usages of war should propose such a thing as
laying down their arms, as Sir John must know, that a rajah-poot would
sooner suffer ten thousand deaths than be deprived of his arms. He
concluded by protesting that for him to attempt to enforce such a thing
would be endangering his own life. Sir John replied that he did well
know the customs of the country and the characters of rajah-poot
soldiers; but the keeledar must keep in view that these were terms
offered to rebels, whose heads were the just forfeit of their
disobedience and rebellion, and that, therefore, if they persisted in
their rebellion, he should not advise the government to mitigate the
penalty a single jot, but to hang every one of them. This was pronounced
with some degree of displeasure, and the man of fat, not doubting in the
least that of course he was included in the number to be hanged, began
to quake for fear. He turned round and reflected for some time, his eye
fixed on the dark and displeased countenance of Sir John Malcolm. At
last he repeated that he dared not propose such terms to the garrison.
"But," added he with the greatest effrontery and impudence, his villany
suddenly bursting forth, while he at the same time "grinned horribly a
ghastly smile," "could you not _promise_ them their arms and property,
and, when they are fairly out, pounce upon them and take them from
them?"
General Doveton, Sir John Malcolm, and half-a-dozen brigadiers, at this
diabolical proposition rose simultaneously, and I really thought Sir
John would have jumped down the rascal's throat, or have cut him to
pieces on the spot, as he warmly replied, "Rebel! what grounds have you
for supposing that the English could ever stoop to commit such an act of
infamy? Can you, or any native of India, adduce a single instance of our
government's having ever acted so treacherous and cowardly a part? No,
miscreant; were your fort ten thousand times as strong, and ten thousand
times as high as it is, we will either take it or level it with the
plain. I cannot imagine how you have dared to make such an offer before
these gentlemen. It would serve you right to cleave you to the ground
for such an insult, and we can only treat such a proposition as arising
from the baseness of your own heart. I desire that you will this moment
return to your fort, and dare not again to insult this assembly with
your vile propositions. Go and fight your fort, and we will soon force
you to do what we now in pity offer. Go this moment, or I will give
directions for the shelling to commence." Upon this the man of
Lambertian breed began to shake in a frightful manner; but at last he
said, "I am out of danger, and will keep so; I will not return to the
fort to be killed." Sir John replied, "But you shall, if I am obliged to
carry you on my back." One of the officers present--I think General
Watson--observed, "Then, Sir John, you would indeed have a load of
infamy on your shoulders, that you could not easily shake off."
The keeledar, finding that he had gone his length, began now to smooth a
little, and said that he would endeavour to induce the garrison to give
up their arms, but that he dreaded the result. I caught his deep sunk
eye, which beamed forth the most malevolent malice and hatred. I could
see an innate working of revenge in his soul; but he at last said he
would guarantee to give up the fort by ten o'clock the following day,
upon the terms of unconditional surrender. To this he pledged his word,
and offered to ratify the treaty under his hand and seal.
After much consultation, and apparent reluctance on our part, it was
agreed that we would accept of the surrender, but with this
proviso--that, if they did not march out by the hour agreed on, the
negotiation should be considered as entirely closed, and that no further
proposition would be listened to.
The keeledar then left the tent in sore displeasure, and rolled into his
palanquin. Sir John Malcolm was as good as his word, for he saw him to
the very entrance of his fort. Multitudes assembled to meet their
infamous and treacherous governor; but what could they possibly expect
from such a man? If he would rebel against his government, would he not
deceive his garrison? A soldier doing the former is capable of
committing any other crime, however enormous it may be. This fellow
returned to his garrison and told them that he had frightened the
English to grant them their arms, their property, and everything they
wished. Under these terms the whole garrison actually marched out with
their property, arms, &c, and rendezvoused under the hill, where we had
a strong party ready to march in. They were in number about seven or
eight hundred, poor half-starved-looking creatures, and some of them
almost naked. Sir John, having severely admonished them for their
rebellious conduct, desired them to ground their arms and property. The
infamy of the keeledar then came out; and, but for the interference of
our troops, his men would have torn him to pieces. When he was asked if
he had really held out those promises as from us, he laughingly replied,
"I had no other method of getting them out, and I was not fool enough to
remain in that fort to have my brains blown out. They are now in your
power; do what you please with them. I have done my part; now do yours."
The keeledar was immediately placed in confinement, and Sir John thus
addressed the wretched-looking creatures who had constituted the
garrison:--"I have every reason to believe that you came out under the
idea that you should keep your arms and little property, and with the
understanding that this indulgence had been granted by the English. No
such thing was ever promised by us, nor could a rebellious garrison
expect such an indulgence from the government, when death alone was the
penalty of such conduct; but as you have been deceived by your base
keeledar, into a belief that such terms were offered by us, and have
surrendered the fort under this confident expectation, we will not
enforce the terms insisted on through your treacherous keeledar, but
permit you to depart as you are. You may therefore go, and I would
advise you to retire quietly to your homes, and there to make your peace
with your justly-offended master, Scindia."
This party was escorted some miles from camp, and the keeledar was sent
a prisoner to his master; but what became of him I never heard. There
can be little doubt, however, that his refusing to give up this fort was
by positive instructions received from Scindia himself, who was closely
connected with the conspiracy formed against the British government,
during the Pindaree campaign; but the presence of the Marquis of
Hastings, with the centre division of the grand army, under the very
walls of his capital, kept that combined conspiracy from breaking forth.
From the tremendous height of this fort, the shelling at night was truly
splendid and magnificent. I have seen ten and fifteen shells soaring in
the air together, and, from the extreme height from which they were
obliged to be thrown, they looked like falling stars. When they burst,
the report below was like thunder.
Thus ended the campaign of 1818-19, and we had no occasion to complain
of not having had the honour of storming the fort of Asseerghur, as all
the guns in the world could never have effected a breach. Where we did
attempt a breach, our twenty-four-pound balls only served to knock off
little bits of the more prominent and projecting rocks, and to make the
ascent more difficult and formidable, by removing the very pieces of
rock by which we had a chance of ascent. The part which we attempted to
breach was a kind of nook, which had the appearance of once having been
a waterfall. I am confident, if we had battered at it till doomsday, we
never could get up; and, even if we could, a dozen old women might have
killed us every one by rolling down stones upon us. I therefore think it
a most fortunate event that this fort was given up without being
stormed, and I certainly may be considered as speaking feelingly on this
subject, for, my gallant general having volunteered (being the oldest
colonel in camp) to lead in his own column, it is not very probable that
I should have left him alone to find his way to the breach. Often when I
viewed this spot, did I think, "Here ends my career;" and so strong was
this impression on my mind, that I began to fix my eye on some little
romantic spot where I should like to be interred, should I have here
ended my days; for I was convinced of the total impossibility of
success. I began to arrange my papers, and had fully made up my mind to
end my career, as I had commenced it, in the field of glory. But I had a
wife--ay, and a fond wife too, which reflection much embittered the
prospect before me. Had I been without this tie, it would have been my
heart's first choice to have ended my days in the service of my country.
When I say this, I am far from pretending that I had any particular wish
to die; but had it been my fate, I would, from choice, sooner have made
my exit fighting for my country's liberty and glory, than on the downy
bed; but Providence has ordered it otherwise.
In the afternoon we went to examine the fort; and every step I took more
thoroughly convinced me of the utter impossibility of any earthly power
ever taking it by storm. I was obliged to halt a dozen times in
ascending, quite at my leisure, towards the grand entrance. By the time
I reached the gate I was completely exhausted, and I was ten minutes in
getting to the top. If we had stormed this place, it would, beyond
question, have been the grave of hundreds. On the walls were huge
stones, piled up for our destruction, some of them weighing two or three
hundred-weight, which a child might have pushed off. When once up, the
eye extended along a considerable level plain, on which were fields,
woods, and gardens. In the centre was a large tank of water, as clear as
crystal, but purple streams of blood lingered on its margins and banks.
Many dead bodies lay by the side of this tank. Some of them must have
been shot in the very act of drinking. The stench was dreadful. Their
sacred temple was contaminated and defiled with every kind of dirt and
filth, and their gods wore marks of disfigurement from our shells. One
had lost a head, but which, by the by, he could well spare, as he had a
dozen. In one of the excavations of the rock was discovered a woman
lying dead, with a dead infant in her arms. She was seated on a large
stone, with her right side reclining on another rock or side of the
excavation. Her left hand grasped the child round the body, and on her
right reclined her head. The head of the infant, which I should suppose
was about a year old, hung over her right knee. The woman had not a
bruise about her; but it was supposed she had fled there from those
destructive instruments of death, the shells. Near her lay several dead
and mutilated bodies, in a state of putrefaction. She was a young woman
about twenty, and well dressed. On inquiry among the prisoners, we
learned that her husband had been killed by one of our first shells, and
thrown into the very hole near which she was found, but it was not known
whether she had followed him there, or whether she died before him; for
the soldiers were so panic-struck that they could not directly answer
the most simple question. Behind the temple lay a headless trunk. We
understood that this was the body of the head priest of the said temple;
that he was boasting of his being proof against anything that could be
hurled against him by his hated foe; and, as we were informed by a
surviving mendicant, scarcely had the superstitious words escaped his
mouth, than he fell, a headless body, to the ground. His head, we were
told, was found some yards from the spot where he lay. We immediately
went in search of it, and found it eleven paces from the body, but not a
human feature was left. The face was literally torn to pieces. To sketch
the horrible scenes that presented themselves would fill a volume. I
shall mention but one more; a shell had burst between a man's legs, and
had literally split him up to the neck.
The large masses of congealed blood, seen at almost every step between
the temple and tank, were convincing proofs that the loss of life must
have been very great; but most of the dead bodies had been thrown over
the walls, to find their way to the bottom of some excavated rock or
tiger's den. The place altogether exhibited nothing but signs of poverty
and distress, and they must have been, after the loss of the town,
literally in a state of starvation. From this eminence the prospect was
extensive and truly beautiful. The city of Borhanpore was plainly
visible; and, although fourteen miles distant, such was the height of
this place, that it seemed almost to hang over it. Men in the several
encampments looked like babes. When the evening closed in, I found the
atmosphere chilly and cold. This soon sent us down to the warmer regions
below, where the glass, at the cool of eve, stood at eighty-five, and
sometimes at ninety. The height of the thermometer at that hour, when
the evening breeze is cool and salubrious, was no doubt occasioned by
the great heat absorbed by the earth during the day. In India, it is
quite common to inhale the sweet and refreshing breeze of eve, when,
under foot, the ground is like a hotbed. The soil here was a kind of
glittering red sand, and in some places rocky; and we were not at all
sorry that we were about to leave it.
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