Two days later a prisoner was captured, when endeavouring to crawl
up the pagoda hill--having slipped past the outposts--and was sent
into headquarters. Stanley questioned him closely; but could obtain
no information, whatever, from him. Telling him to sit down by the
house, he placed a British sentry over him.
"Keep your eye," he said, "on the door of the next house. You will
see a Burman come out. You are to let him talk with the prisoner,
but let no one else speak to him. Don't look as if you had any
orders about him, but stand carelessly by. The fellow will tell us
nothing, but it is likely enough that he will speak to one of his
own countrymen."
"I understand, sir."
Stanley went into his house and told Meinik what he was wanted to
do.
"I will find out," Meinik said confidently and, a minute or two
later, went out and strolled along past the prisoner. As he did so
he gave him a little nod and, returning again shortly, saluted him
in Burmese. The third time he passed he looked inquiringly at the
sentry, as if to ask whether he might speak to the prisoner. The
soldier, however, appeared to pay no attention to him; but stood
with grounded musket, leaning against the wall, and Meinik went up
to the man.
"You are in bad luck," he said. "How did you manage to fall into
the hands of these people?"
"It matters not to you," the Burman said indignantly, "since you
have gone over to them."
"Not at all, not at all," Meinik replied. "Do you not know that
there are many here who, like myself, have come in as fugitives,
with instructions what to do when our people attack? I am expecting
news as to when the soothsayers declare the day to be a fortunate
one. Then we shall all be in readiness to do our share, as soon as
the firing begins."
"It will be on the fourth day from this," the Burman said. "We do
not know whether it will be the night before, or the night after.
The soothsayers say both will be fortunate nights; and the
Invulnerables will then assault the pagoda, and sweep the
barbarians away. The princes and woongees will celebrate the great
annual festival there, two days later."
"That is good!" Meinik said. "We shall be on the lookout, never
fear."
"What are they going to do to me. Will they cut off my head?"
"No, you need not be afraid of that. These white men never kill
prisoners. After they are once taken, they are safe. You will be
kept for a time and, when our countrymen have destroyed the
barbarians and taken the town, they will free you from prison.
"There are some of the white officers coming. I must get away, or
they will be asking questions."
As he walked away, the sentry put his musket to his shoulder and
began to march briskly up and down. A moment later the general
stepped up to him.
"What are you doing, my man? Who put you on guard over that
prisoner?"
"I don't know his name, sir," the sentry said, standing at
attention. "He was a young staff officer. He came to the guard tent
and called for a sentry and, as I was next on duty, the sergeant
sent me with him. He put me to watch this man."
"All right; keep a sharp lookout over him.
"I wonder what Brooke left the fellow here for, instead of sending
him to prison," the general said to Colonel Adair. "We examined
him, but could get nothing out of him, even when I threatened to
hang him."
"I will just run up to his quarters and ask him, sir."
Just as he entered the house, Stanley was coming down the stairs.
"The general wants to know, Mr. Brooke, why you placed a prisoner
under a guard by his house; instead of sending him to the prison,
as usual?"
"I was just coming to tell him, sir."
"Ah, well, he is outside; so you can tell us both together."
"Well, Mr. Brooke, what made you put a sentry over the man, and
leave him here? The men are hard enough worked, without having
unnecessary sentry duty."
"Yes, sir; I only left him for a few minutes. I was convinced the
man knew something, by his demeanour when I questioned him; and I
thought I might as well try if my man could not get more out of him
than I could. So I put a sentry over him, and gave him instructions
that he was to let a Burman, who would come out of this house,
speak to the prisoner; but that no one else was to approach him.
"Then I instructed my man as to the part that he was to play. He
passed two or three times, making a sign of friendship to the
prisoner. Then, as the sentry had apparently no objection to his
speaking to him, he came up. At first the man would say nothing to
him, but Meinik told him that he was one of those who had been sent
to Rangoon to aid, when the assault took place; and that he was
anxiously waiting for news when the favourable day would be
declared by the astrologers, so that he and those with him would be
ready to begin their work, as soon as the attack commenced. The
prisoner fell into the snare, and told him that it would be made
either on the night before or on the night of the fourth day from
this; when the Invulnerables had undertaken to storm the pagoda. It
seems that the date was fixed partly because it was a fortunate
one, and also in order that the princes and head officials might
properly celebrate the great annual festival of the pagoda; which
falls, it seems, on the sixth day from now."
"Excellent indeed, Mr. Brooke. It is a great relief to me to know
when the assault is going to take place, and from what point it
will be delivered. But what made you think of the story that the
Burman was one of a party that had come in to do something?"
"It was what Colonel Adair mentioned at dinner, last evening, sir.
He was saying how awkward it would be if some of these natives who
have come in were to fire the town, just as a strong attack was
going on, and most of the troops engaged with the enemy. It was not
unlikely that, if such a plan had been formed, the prisoner would
know of it; and that he might very well believe what my man said,
that some men had been sent into the town, with that or some
similar intention."
"True enough. The idea was a capital one, Mr. Brooke; and we shall
be ready for them, whichever night they come.
"Will you please go across to the guard tent, and tell the sergeant
to send a corporal across to the man on sentry, with orders to take
the prisoner to the jail, and hand him over to the officer in
command there? When you have done that, will you ride out to the
pagoda and inform your colonel what you have discovered? It will be
a relief to him, and to the men for, as the date of the attack has
been uncertain, he has been obliged to largely increase his
patrols, and to keep a portion of his force, all night, under arms.
He will be able to decrease the number, and let the men have as
much sleep as they can, for the next two nights.
"The clouds are banking up, and I am very much afraid that the rain
is going to set in again. They say that we shall have another two
months of it."
After seeing the prisoner marched away, Stanley rode to the pagoda
and, saying that he had come with a message from the general, was
at once shown into the colonel's quarters.
"Any news, Mr. Brooke?"
"Yes, Colonel; the general has requested me to inform you, at once,
of the news that I have obtained from a prisoner; namely that,
either on the night of the 30th or 31st, your position will be
attacked, by the men who are called the Invulnerables."
"We will give them a chance of proving whether their title is
justified," the colonel said, cheerfully. "That is very good news.
The men are getting thoroughly worn out with the extra night duty
caused by this uncertainty. You think that there is no doubt that
the news is correct?"
"None whatever, sir. I could do nothing with the prisoner; but my
Burman pretended to have a mission here, to kick up a row in the
town when the attack began; and the man, believing his story, at
once told him that the attack will be made on the pagoda, by the
Invulnerables, on the early morning of the fourth day from this--or
on the next night--the astrologers having declared that the time
would be propitious, and also because they were very anxious to
have the pagoda in their hands, in order that the princes might
celebrate the great annual festival that is held, it seems, two
days after."
The colonel laughed.
"I am afraid that they will have to put it off for another year.
The general gave no special orders, I suppose?"
"No, sir; he had only just received the news, and ordered me to
ride over at once to you, as he was sure that you would be glad to
know that it would not be necessary to keep so many men on night
duty, for the next two days."
"Thank you, Mr. Brooke. Will you kindly tell the general that I am
very pleased at the news? No doubt he will be up here, himself,
this afternoon or tomorrow."
Stanley rode back fast, and was just in time to escape a tremendous
downpour of rain, which began a few minutes after he returned. He
went in at once to the general's, but was told that he was engaged
with the quartermaster and adjutant generals. He therefore went
into the anteroom where Tollemache, his fellow aide-de-camp, was
standing at the window, looking out at the rain.
"This is a beastly climate," he grumbled. "It is awful to think
that we are likely to get another two months of it; and shall then
have to wait at least another, before the country is dry enough to
make a move. You were lucky in getting in, just now, before it
began."
"I was indeed," Stanley agreed, "for I had ridden off without my
cloak, and should have been drenched, had it begun two minutes
earlier."
"I saw you gallop past, and wondered what you were in such a hurry
about. Was it like this when you were out in the woods?"
"Not in the least. There is very little rain near Ava; though the
country is a good deal flooded, where it is flat, from the rivers
being swollen by the rains in the hills. We had lovely weather, all
the time."
"I should like to see a little lovely weather here. The last week
has been almost worse than the rain--the steamy heat is like being
in a vapour bath. If it were not that I am on duty, I should like
to strip, and go out and enjoy a shower bath for half an hour."
Stanley laughed.
"It really would be pleasant," he said. "I don't think that I
gained much by hurrying back, for the gallop has thrown me into
such a perspiration that I might almost as well be drenched by the
rain, except that my clothes won't suffer so much."
"Ah, it is all very well for you," the other grumbled. "Of course,
after once having wandered about in the forest, painted up like a
nigger, you feel cheerful under almost any circumstances; but for
us who have been cooped up, doing nothing, in this beastly place,
it is impossible to look at things cheerfully."
"Have you heard that the enemy are going to attack, on Tuesday or
Wednesday night?"
"No!" the other exclaimed, with a sudden animation. "The general
only came in a quarter of an hour ago and, as he had the two
bigwigs with him, of course I did not speak to him. Is it certain?
How did you hear it?"
"It is quite certain--that is, unless the Burmese change their
mind, which is not likely. The princes want to celebrate the great
annual festival at the pagoda, on Friday; and so the Invulnerables
are going, as they think, to capture it either on Tuesday or
Wednesday night. I have just been up there to tell the colonel.
"As to your other question--how did I learn it--I got it, or rather
my Burman did, from that prisoner we were questioning this morning.
He would not say anything then; but my man got round him and,
believing that he was a spy, or something of that kind, the
prisoner told him all about it."
"Are they only going to attack at the pagoda?"
"That I cannot say; that is the only point that the man mentioned.
I should say that it would only be there."
"Why should it only be there?"
"Because I should imagine that even the Burmese must be beginning
to doubt whether they could defeat our whole force and, as they
particularly wish to occupy the pagoda on Friday, they would hardly
risk an attack on other points, which might end in disaster while,
what with the propitious nature of the day, and the fact that the
Invulnerables have undertaken to capture the pagoda, no doubt they
look upon that as certain."
"I suppose that you are right, Brooke. Well, I do hope that the
general will let us go up to see the fun."
"What, even if it is raining?"
"Of course," the other said, indignantly. "What does one care for
rain, when there is something to do? Why, I believe that, if it was
coming down in a sheet, and the men had to wade through the swamps
waist deep, they would all march in the highest spirits, if there
was the chance of a fight with the Burmans at the end of the day.
"However, I am afraid that there is no chance of our getting off,
unless the chief goes, himself. There may be attacks in other
places. As you say, it is not likely; but it is possible.
Therefore, of course, we should have to be at hand, to carry
orders. Of course, if he takes his post at the pagoda it will be
all right; though the betting is that we shall have to gallop off,
just at the most interesting moment."
Presently the two officers left the general. The latter's bell
rang, and Stanley went in.
"You saw the colonel, Mr. Brooke?"
"Yes, sir; and he begged me to say that he was extremely glad to
get the news, and much obliged to you for sending it so promptly."
"There is no occasion for you and Mr. Tollemache to stay here any
longer, now; but at five o'clock I shall ride out to the pagoda. At
any rate, should I want you before then, I shall know where to send
for you."
This was the general order, for in the afternoon there was, when
things were quiet, a hush for two or three hours. The work of the
aides-de-camp was, indeed, generally very light for, as there were
no movements of troops, no useless parades, and very few military
orders to be carried, they had a great deal of time on their hands;
and usually took it by turns to be on duty for the day, the one off
duty being free to pay visits to acquaintances in the various
camps, or on board ship. During the rainy season, however, very few
officers or men went beyond shelter, unless obliged to do so and,
from two till four or five, no small proportion passed the time in
sleep.
Stanley had intended to pay a visit to the Larne; as Captain
Marryat, who had dined at the staff mess on the previous evening,
had invited him to go on board, whenever it might be convenient to
him. The Larne had performed good service, in the operations
against the stockades; and her boats had been particularly active
and successful. Her captain was one of the most popular, as well as
one of the most energetic officers in the service; and was to
become as popular, with future generations, as the brightest of all
writers of sea stories.
However, the day was not favourable for an excursion on the water.
Stanley therefore went back to his room where, divesting himself of
his jacket, he sat down at the open window, and read up a batch of
the last newspapers, from England, that had been lent him by
Colonel Adair.
At five o'clock Meinik came in, to say that his horse was at the
general's door. Stanley hastily put on his jacket and cloak, and
sallied out. The general came down in a few minutes, followed by
Tollemache and, mounting, they rode to the pagoda.
Here Sir Archibald had a talk with the colonel of the 89th, and the
officer commanding the battery of the Madras Artillery. Both were
of opinion that their force was amply sufficient to resist any
attack. The only approach to it from the forest was a long road
between two swamps which, a short distance away, had become lakes
since the wet weather set in.
"Had they taken us by surprise," the colonel said, "some of them
might have got across, before we were quite ready for them, and
might have given us some trouble but, as we shall be prepared, I
don't think that any of them will reach the foot of this hill and,
if they did, none of them would reach this terrace. If an attack
were made from the other side, it would of course be a good deal
more serious, as the ground is firm and they could attack all along
the foot of the hill; but as they cannot get there, until they have
defeated the rest of the army, I consider that, even without the
assistance of the guns, we could hold the hill with musket and
bayonet against any force that they are likely to bring against
us."
"Very well, then; I shall not reinforce you, Colonel. Of course, we
shall keep a considerable number of troops under arms, in case they
should attack all along the line, at the same time that they make
their principal effort here.
"I rather hope that the rain will keep on, until this affair is
over."
The colonel looked surprised.
"I am much more afraid," the general went on, "of fire in the town,
than I am of an attack without. The number of natives there is
constantly increasing. No doubt the greater number of those who
come in are natives of the place, who have managed, since we
cleared out their war galleys from some of the creeks and channels,
to escape from the authorities and to make their way in, either on
foot or in fishermen's boats; but some of them may be sent in as
spies, or to do us harm. I have been having a long talk over it
with Colonel Adair, this afternoon, and he quite agrees with me
that we must reckon on the probability of an attempt to fire the
town. It would be a terrible blow to us if they succeeded, for the
loss of our stores would completely cripple us. They would
naturally choose the occasion of an attack upon our lines for the
attempt for, in the first place, most of the troops will be under
arms and drawn up outside the town; and in the second place the
sight of the place on fire would cause much confusion, would
inspirit our assailants, and necessitate a considerable force being
withdrawn from the field, to fight the fire.
"If the rains continue we need feel no uneasiness, whatever, for
there would be no getting anything to burn; whereas in dry weather,
a man with a torch might light the thatch as fast as he could run
along, and a whole street would be in a blaze in two or three
minutes and, if a wind happened to be blowing, it might make a
sweep of the whole place, in spite of all our efforts."
"I see that, sir. I own that I had never given it a thought,
before."
"I shall come up here, Colonel, unless we obtain sure news, before
the time arrives, that the attack is going to be a general one;
indeed, it is in any case the best place to post myself, for I can
see over the whole country, and send orders to any point where the
enemy may be making progress, or where our men can advance with
advantage. The line of fire flashes will be as good a guide, at
night, as the smoke by day."
"I will get a cot rigged up for you, General, as we don't know
which night it is to be."
"Thank you. Yes, I may just as well turn in, all standing, as the
sailors say, and get a few hours' sleep; for in this climate one
cannot keep at it, night and day, as we had to do in Spain."
The two aides-de-camp were kept in suspense as to what the
general's intentions were, and it was not until the morning of
Tuesday that he said to them:
"I am going up to the pagoda this evening, Mr. Tollemache; and you
had better, therefore, put some provisions and a bottle of brandy
into your holsters."
At nine in the evening they rode off. The rain had ceased; the moon
was shining through the clouds.
"It will be down by twelve o'clock," Tollemache said. "I should
think, most likely, they will wait for that. They will think that
we shall not be able to take aim at them, in the darkness; and that
they will manage to get to the foot of the hill, without loss."
When they reached the platform in front of the pagoda, their syces
took their horses. Meinik had begged Stanley to let him take his
groom's place on this occasion and, laying aside the dress he
ordinarily wore, assumed the light attire of an Indian syce, and
had run behind the horses with the others. He had a strong desire
to see the fighting, but his principal motive in asking to be
allowed to accompany Stanley was that, although greatly impressed
with what he had seen of the drill and discipline of the white and
native regiments, he could not shake off his faith in the
Invulnerables; and had a conviction that the pagoda would be
captured, and therefore wished to be at hand, to bring up Stanley's
horse at the critical moment, and to aid him to escape from the
assailants.
Fires were burning, as usual, at several points on the terrace. Two
companies were under arms, and were standing well back from the
edge of the platform, so as to be out of sight of those in the
forest. The rest of the men were sitting round the fires. Their
muskets were piled in lines hard by.
When he alighted, the general proceeded to the battery.
"Have you everything in readiness, Major?" he asked the officer in
command.
"Yes, sir. The guns are all loaded with grape and, as it will be
very dark when the moon has set, I have pegged a white tape along,
just under each gun; so that they can be trained upon the causeway,
however dark it may be."
"That is a very good idea," the general said. "There is nothing
more difficult than laying guns accurately in the dark."
The colonel now arrived, a soldier having brought the news to him,
as soon as the general reached the platform.
"I see that you are well prepared to give them a hot reception,
Colonel."
"I hope so, sir. I have a strong patrol out beyond the causeway. My
orders are that they are to resist strongly, for a minute or two,
so as to give us time to have the whole of our force in readiness
here. Then they are to retreat at the double to the foot of the
hill; and then to open fire again, so that we may know that they
are out of the way, and that we can begin when we like. We have
been making some port fires this afternoon, and I have a dozen men
halfway down the hill and, directly the outposts are safely across,
they are to light the port fires, which will enable us to take aim.
These white tapes will be guide enough for the artillery; but my
men would make very poor shooting, if they could not make out the
muzzles of their guns. Anyhow, I don't think that it is likely that
the enemy will get across the causeway, however numerous they may
be."
"I don't think they will, Colonel. Certainly, so far, they have
shown themselves contemptible in attack; and have never made a
successful stand, even for a minute, when we once entered their
stockades, though they defend them pluckily enough until we have
once got a footing inside.
"Still, these fellows ought to fight well tonight for, if they are
beaten, it will be a death blow to their reputation among their
countrymen. Besides, many of them do believe in the power they
claim and, as we have found before now, in India, fanatics are
always formidable."
After taking a look round with the colonel, the general accompanied
him to his quarters; while the two aides-de-camp remained on the
terrace, chatting with the officers; and then, after a time, went
with some of them to the mess tent, where they sat smoking and
talking until midnight, when all went out.
The troops were formed up under arms, and all listened impatiently
for something that would show that the long-delayed assault would
take place that night. At half-past twelve there was the sound of a
shot, which sent an electrical thrill through the troops. It was
followed almost immediately by others. The troops were at once
marched forward to the edge of the platform. A babel of wild shouts
went up at the sound of the first shots, followed by a burst of
firing.
The two aides-de-camp had taken their places close to the general,
who was standing in the gap between the infantry and the guns; and
was looking intently, through his night glasses, at the forest.
"They are in a dense mass," he said. "I cannot see whether they are
in any regular order, but they are certainly packed a great deal
closer than I have ever before seen them. Those in front have got
lanterns. They are coming along fast."
As yet the enemy were half a mile away, but the lanterns and the
flash of their guns showed their exact position, while the fire of
the outposts was kept up steadily. As the latter fell back along
the causeway, the interval between the two forces decreased; and
then the fire of the outposts ceased as, in accordance with their
orders, they broke into the double.
Illustration: The Burmese make a great effort to capture Pagoda
Hill.
The uproar of the advancing crowd was prodigious. Every man was
yelling, at the top of his voice, imprecations upon the defenders
of the pagoda; who were standing in absolute silence, waiting
eagerly for the word of command. Suddenly the firing broke out
again at the foot of the hill and, immediately, a bright light shot
up from its face.
The edge of the dense mass of Burmese was now but some fifty yards
from the wall that surrounded the foot of the hill, and the
causeway behind was occupied by a solid mass of men. Then came the
sharp order to the artillerymen, and gun after gun poured its
charge of grape into the crowd while, at the same moment, the
infantry began to fire, by companies, in steady volleys. For an
instant the din of the assailants was silenced, then their shouts
rose again and, after a moment's hesitation, they continued their
advance.
But not for long. None but the most disciplined soldiers could have
advanced under that storm of grape and bullets and, in ten minutes,
they fled in wild confusion, leaving the causeway thickly covered
with the dead. Again and again the British cheers rose, loud and
triumphant; then the infantry were told to fall out, but the guns
continued their fire, until the fugitives were well in the forest.
Between the shots the general listened attentively, and examined
the country towards the town through his glasses.
"Everything is quiet," he said. "It is probable that, if those
fellows had carried the hill, they would have made a signal, and
there might have been a general attack. As it is, the affair is
over for the night; and the Invulnerables will have some difficulty
in accounting for their failure, and loss.
"Now, gentlemen, we may as well have up the horses, and ride back.
We hardly expected to get away as soon as this."
"Well, Meinik, what do you think of your Invulnerables, now?"
Stanley said, as the Burman, after picketing his horse, came up to
his room to see if he wanted anything, before lying down on his bed
in the passage.
"I don't know," the Burman replied, gravely. "They may be holy men;
and proof, perhaps, against native weapons; but they are no good
against your cannon and muskets. I understand, now, how it is that
you beat us so easily. Your men all stood quiet, and in order; one
only heard the voices of the officers, and the crash as they fired
together.
"Then, your guns are terrible. I have seen ours firing but, though
our pieces are smaller than yours, your men fire five shots to our
one. I stood by while they were loading. It was wonderful. Nobody
talked, and nobody gave orders. Each man knew what he had to
do--one did something and, directly, another did something and,
almost before the smoke of the last shot was out of the gun, it was
ready to be fired again.
"It is clear to me that we have not learnt how to fight, and that
your way of having only a few men, well taught and knowing exactly
what they have to do, is better than ours of having great numbers,
and letting everyone fight as he pleases. It is bad, every way. The
brave men get to the front, and are killed; and then the others run
away.
"You were right. We shall never turn you out of Rangoon, till
Bandoola comes. He has all our best troops with him, and he has
never been beaten. All the troops know him, and will fight for him
as they will not fight for these princes--who know nothing of war,
and are chosen only because they are the king's brothers. When he
comes, you will see."
"No doubt we shall, Meinik; and you will see that, although they
may make a better fight of it than they have done tonight, it will
be just the same, in the end."
For the next two months the time passed slowly. No attacks were
made by the enemy, after the defeat of the assault upon the pagoda.
Peasants and deserters who came in reported that there was profound
depression among the Burmese troops. Great numbers had left the
colours, and there was no talk of another attack.
The troops being, therefore, relieved of much of their arduous
night duty, the English took the offensive. The stockades on the
Dalla river, and those upon the Panlang branch--the principal
passage into the main stream of the Irrawaddy--were attacked and
carried, the enemy suffering heavily, and many pieces of artillery
being captured.
The rains continued almost unceasingly, and the troops suffered
terribly in health. Scarce three thousand remained fit for duty,
and the greater portion of these were so emaciated and exhausted,
by the effects of the climate, that they were altogether unfit for
active operations.
Three weeks after the fight at the pagoda a vessel came up the
river, with a letter from the officer in command of the troops
assembled to bar the advance of Bandoola against Chittagong, saying
that the Burmese army had mysteriously disappeared. It had gone off
at night, so quietly and silently that our outposts, which were but
a short distance from it, heard no sign or movement, whatever. The
Burmese had taken with them their sick, tents, and stores; and
nothing but a large quantity of grain had been found in their
deserted stockades.
The news was received with satisfaction by the troops. There was
little doubt that the court of Ava--finding that their generals had
all failed in making the slightest impression upon our lines, and
had lost vast numbers of men--had at last turned to the leader who
had conquered province after province for it, and had sent him
orders to march, with his whole army, to bring the struggle to a
close. The soldiers rejoiced at the thought that they were at last
to meet a real Burmese army. Hitherto they had generally stood on
the defensive, and had to fight the climate rather than the foe;
and it seemed to them that the campaign was likely to be
interminable.
The march of the Burmese from Ramoo to Sembeughewn, the nearest
point of the river to the former town, must have been a terrible
one. The distance was over two hundred miles, the rains were
ceaseless, and the country covered with jungles and marshes, and
intersected by rivers. No other army could have accomplished such a
feat. The Burmans, however, accustomed to the unhealthy climate,
lightly clad, and carrying no weight save their arms and sixteen
days' supply of rice, passed rapidly over it.
Every man was accustomed to the use of an axe and to the formation
of rafts and, in an incredibly short time, rivers were crossed,
deep swamps traversed on roads made by closely-packed faggots and,
but a few days after hearing that Bandoola had started, the general
learned, from peasants, that the news had come down that he and a
portion of his army had arrived at Sembeughewn.
Almost at the same time, other parties who travelled down along the
coast reached Donabew, a town on the Irrawaddy, some forty miles in
direct line from Rangoon. This had been named as the rendezvous of
the new army, and to this a considerable proportion of Bandoola's
force made their way direct from Ramoo; it being the custom of the
Burmese to move, when on a march through a country where no
opposition was to be looked for, in separate detachments, each
under its own leader, choosing its own way, and making for a
general rendezvous. Travelling in this manner, they performed the
journey far more rapidly than they could have done moving in one
body, and could better find shelter and food.
Other forces from Prome, Tannoo, and other quarters were known to
be marching towards Donabew. It was soon reported that the dejected
forces around Rangoon had gained courage and confidence, at the
news that Bandoola and his army were coming to their aid, and that
the deserters were returning in large numbers from their villages.
The British sick were sent away in the shipping to Mergy and Tavoy,
two coast towns of which we had taken possession, and both of which
were healthily situated.
The change had a marvellous effect, and men who would have speedily
succumbed to the poisonous exhalations of the swamps round Rangoon
rapidly regained their strength, in their new quarters.