by G. A. Henty
Chapter 17: The Capture Of Gheriah.
After having sat for an hour under the shade of some trees, andpartaken of luncheon, the party again moved forward on their elephantsto the jungle. The watchers declared that no sound, whatever, had beenheard during their absence; nor did the discharge of fireworks, whichat once recommenced, elicit the slightest response.
After this had gone on for half an hour, Charlie, convinced that theanimal was dead, dismounted from his elephant. He had with him aheavy, double-barrelled rifle of the rajah's; and Hossein, carrying asimilar weapon, and a curved tulwar which was sharpened almost to arazor edge, prepared to follow immediately behind him. Three or fourof the most courageous shikaris, with cocked guns, followed inHossein's steps.
Holding his gun advanced before him, in readiness to fire instantly,Charlie entered the jungle at the point where the tiger had retreatedinto it. Drops of blood spotted the grass, and the bent and twistedbrushwood showed the path that the tiger had taken. Charlie moved asnoiselessly as possible. The path led straight forward, towards therocks behind, but it was not until within four or five yards of thisthat any sign of the tiger could be seen.
Then the bushes were burst asunder, and the great yellow body hurleditself forward upon Charlie. The attack was so sudden andinstantaneous that the latter had not even time to raise his rifle tohis shoulder. Almost instinctively, however, he discharged both of thebarrels; but was, at the same moment, hurled to the ground, where helay crushed down by the weight of the tiger, whose hot breath he couldfeel on his face. He closed his eyes, only to open them again at thesound of a heavy blow, while a deluge of hot blood flowed over him. Heheard Hossein's voice, and then became insensible. When he recovered,he found himself lying with his head supported by Hossein, outside thejungle.
"Is he dead?" he asked faintly.
"He is dead, Sahib," Hossein replied. "Let the Sahib drink somebrandy, and he will be strong again."
Charlie drank some brandy and water, which Hossein held to his lips.Then the latter raised him to his feet.
Charlie felt his limbs and his ribs. He was bruised all over, butotherwise unhurt, the blood which covered him having flowed from thetiger. One of the balls which he had fired had entered the tiger'sneck, the other had broken one of its forelegs, and Charlie had beenknocked down by the weight of the animal, not by the blow of itsformidable paw.
Hossein had sprung forward on the instant, and with one blow of hissharp tulwar, had shorn clear through skin and muscle and bone, andhad almost severed the tiger's head from its body. It was the weightupon him which had crushed Charlie into a state of insensibility. Herehe had lain, for four or five minutes, before Hossein could get thefrightened natives to return, and assist him to lift the great carcassfrom his master's body.
Upon examination, it was found that two of the three bullets firstfired had taken effect. One had broken the tiger's shoulder, andlodged in his body. The other had struck him fairly on the chest, andhad passed within an inch or two of his heart.
"I thought," Ramajee Punt said, as he viewed the body, "that one ofhis legs must have been rendered useless. That was why he lay quiet solong, in spite of our efforts to turn him out."
Charlie was too much hurt to walk, and a litter was speedily formed,and he was carried back to the camp, where his arrival in that stateexcited the most lively lamentations on the part of Tim. The nextmorning he was much recovered; and was able, in the cool of theevening, to take his place in a howdah, and to return to the campbefore Gheriah.
A few days later the fleet made its appearance off the town, and thesame evening Tulagi Angria rode up to Ramajee Punt's camp. Charlie waspresent at the interview, at which Angria endeavoured to prevail onRamajee Punt, and Charlie, to accept a large ransom for his fort;offering them each great presents, if they would do their utmost toprevail on Admiral Watson, and Colonel Clive, to agree to accept it.
Charlie said at once that he was sure it was useless, that the Englishhad now made a great effort to put a stop to the ravages which he, andhis father before him, had for so many years inflicted upon theircommerce; and that he was sure that nothing, short of the totaldestruction of the fort and fleet, would satisfy them. The meetingthen broke up; and Charlie, supposing that Angria would returnimmediately, went back to his tent; where he directed Hossein at onceto mingle with the men who had accompanied Angria, and to find outanything that he could concerning the state of things in the fort.
Hossein returned an hour later.
"Sahib," he said, "Ramajee Punt is thinking of cheating the English.He is keeping Angria a prisoner. He says that he came into his campwithout asking for a safe conduct; and that, therefore, he shalldetain him.
"But this is not all. Angria has left his brother in command of thefort; and Ramajee, by threatening Angria with instant execution, hasinduced him to send an order to deliver the fort at once to him.Ramajee wants, you see, Sahib, to get all the plunder of the fort forhimself, and his Mahrattas."
"This is very serious," Charlie said, "and I must let the admiralknow, at once, what is taking place."
When it became dark, Charlie, with Tim and Hossein, made his waythrough the Mahratta camp, down to the shore of the river. Here werenumbers of boats, hauled up on the sand. One of the lightest of thesewas soon got into the water, and rowed gently out into the force ofthe stream. Then the oars were shipped, and they lay down perfectlyquiet in the boat, and drifted past the fort without being observed.
When they once gained the open sea, the oars were placed in therowlocks, and half an hour's rowing brought them alongside the fleet.Charlie was soon on board the flagship, and informed the admiral, andColonel Clive, what Hossein had heard.
It was at once resolved to attack upon the following day. The twoofficers did not think it was likely that the pirates would, even inobedience to their chief's orders, surrender the place until it hadbeen battered by the fleet.
The next morning, the fort was summoned to surrender. No answer wasreceived, and as soon as the sea breeze set in, in the afternoon, thefleet weighed anchor and proceeded towards the mouth of the river. Themen-of-war were in line, on the side nearest to the fort, to protectthe mortar vessels and smaller ships from its fire.
Passing the point of the promontory, they stood into the river, andanchored at a distance of fifty yards from the north face of the fort.A gun from the admiral's ship gave the signal, and a hundred and fiftypieces of cannon at once opened fire, while the mortar vessels threwshell into the fort and town. In ten minutes after the fire began, ashell fell into one of Angria's large ships, and set her on fire. Theflames soon spread to the others, fastened together on either side ofher, and in less than an hour this fleet, which had for fifty yearsbeen the terror of the Malabar coast, was utterly destroyed.
In the meantime the fleet kept up their fire, with the greatestvigour, upon the enemy's works; and, before nightfall, the enemy'sfire was completely silenced. No white flag, however, was hung up, andthe admiral had little doubt that it was intended to surrender theplace to the Mahrattas.
As soon, therefore, as it became quite dark, Colonel Clive landed withthe troops, and took up a position between the Mahrattas and the fort;where, to his great disappointment and disgust, Ramajee Punt found himin the morning. The admiral again summoned the fort, declaring that hewould renew the attack, and give no quarter, unless it was surrenderedimmediately. The governor sent back to beg the admiral to cease fromhostilities until next day, as he was only waiting for orders fromAngria to surrender. Angria declared that he had already sent theorders.
At four in the afternoon, therefore, the bombardment was renewed; andin less than half an hour, a white flag appeared above the wall. As,however, the garrison made no further sign of surrender, and refusedto admit Colonel Clive with his troops, when he advanced to takepossession, the bombardment was again renewed, more vigorously thanever. The enemy were unable to support the violence of the fire, andsoon shouted over the walls, to Clive, that they surrendered; and hemight
enter and take possession. He at once marched in, and thepirates laid down their arms, and surrendered themselves prisoners.
It was found that a great part of the fortifications had beendestroyed by the fire, but a resolute garrison might have held thefort, itself, against a long siege. Two hundred guns fell into thehands of the captors, together with great quantities of ammunition,and stores of all kinds. The money and effects amounted to a hundredand twenty thousand pounds, which was divided among the captors. Therest of Angria's fleet, among them two large ships on the stocks, wasdestroyed.
Ramajee Punt sent parties of his troops to attack the other forts heldby the pirates. These, however, surrendered without resistance, andthus the whole country, which the pirates had held for seventy years,fell again into the hands of the Mahrattas, from whom they had wrestedit.
Admiral Watson and the fleet then returned to Bombay, in order torepair the damages which had been inflicted upon them during thebombardment. There were great rejoicings upon their arrival there; thejoy of the inhabitants, both European and native, being immense at thedestruction of the formidable pirate colonies, which had so longravaged the seas.
After the repairs were completed, the fleet, with the troops which hadformed the expedition, were to sail for Madras. Charlie, however, didnot wait for this; but, finding that one of the Company's ships wouldsail, in the course of a few days after their return to Bombay, heobtained leave from Colonel Clive to take a passage in her, and toproceed immediately to Madras. Tim and Hossein, of course, accompaniedhim; and the voyage down the west coast of India, and round Ceylon,was performed without any marked incident.
When within but a few hours of Madras, the barometer fell rapidly.Great clouds rose up upon the horizon, and the captain ordered allhands aloft to reduce sail.
"We are in," he said, "for a furious tempest. It is the breaking up ofthe monsoon. It is a fortnight earlier than usual. I had hoped that weshould have got safely up the Hoogly before it began."
Half an hour later the hurricane struck them, and for the next threedays the tempest was terrible. Great waves swept over the ship, andevery time that the captain attempted to show a rag of canvas, it wasblown from the bolt ropes. The ship, however, was a stout one, andweathered the gale.
Upon the fourth morning the passengers, who had, during the tempest,been battened below, came on deck. The sky was bright and clear, andthe waves were fast going down. A good deal of sail was already set,and the hands were at work to repair damages.
"Well, captain," Charlie said to that officer, "I congratulate you onthe behaviour of the ship. It has been a tremendous gale, and she hasweathered it stoutly."
"Yes, Captain Marryat, she has done well. I have only once or twicebeen out in so severe a storm, since I came to sea."
"And where are we now?" Charlie asked, looking round the horizon."When shall we be at Madras?"
"Well," the captain said with a smile, "I am afraid that you must giveup all idea of seeing Madras, just at present. We have been blownright up the bay, and are only a few hours' sail from the mouth of theHoogly. I have a far larger cargo for that place than for Madras, andit would be a pure waste of time for me to put back now. I intend,therefore, to go to Calcutta first, discharge and fill up there, andthen touch at Madras on my way back.
"I suppose it makes no great difference to you."
"No, indeed," Charlie said. "And I am by no means sorry of theopportunity of getting a glimpse of Calcutta, which I might neverotherwise have done. I believe things are pretty quiet at Madras, atpresent; and I have been so long away, now, that a month or two sooneror later will make but little difference."
A few hours later, Charlie noticed a change in the colour of the sea,the mud-stained waters of the Hoogly discolouring the Bay of Bengal,far out from its mouth. The voyage up was a tedious one. At times thewind fell altogether and, unable to stem the stream, the ship lay fordays at anchor, the yellow tide running swiftly by it.
"The saints presarve us, Mr. Charles! Did you ever see the like?" TimKelly exclaimed. "There's another dead body, floating down towards us,and that is the eighth I've seen this morning. Are the poor hathencraturs all committing suicide together?"
"Not at all, Tim," Charlie said, "the Hoogly is one of the sacredrivers of India, and the people on its banks, instead of burying theirdead, put them into the river and let them drift away."
"I calls it a bastly custom, yer honor, and I wonder it is allowed.One got athwart the cable this morning, and it frightened me nigh outof my sinses, when I happened to look over the bow, and saw the thingbobbing up and down in the water.
"This is tedious work, yer honor, and I'll be glad when we're at theend of the voyage."
"I shall be glad, too, Tim. We have been a fortnight in the riveralready. But I think there is a breeze getting up, and there is thecaptain on deck, giving orders."
In a few minutes, the ship was under way again, and the same nightdropped her anchor in the stream, abreast of Calcutta. Charlie shortlyafter landed, and, proceeding to the Company's offices, reported hisarrival, and that of the four Sepoy officers. Hossein, who was not inthe Company's service, was with him merely in the character of aservant.
As the news of the share Charlie had had in the capture of Suwarndrughad reached Calcutta, he was well received; and one of the leadingmerchants of the town, Mr. Haines, who happened to be present whenCharlie called upon the governor, at once invited him warmly to takeup his residence with him, during his stay. Hospitality in India wasprofuse, and general. Hotels were unknown, and a stranger was alwaystreated as an honored guest.
Charlie, therefore, had no hesitation whatever in accepting the offer.The four native officers were quartered in the barracks; and,returning on board ship, Charlie, followed by Tim and Hossein, and bysome coolies bearing his luggage, was soon on his way to the bungalowof Mr. Haines.
On his way, he was surprised at the number and size of the dwellingsof the merchants and officials, which offered a very strong contrastto the quiet and unpretending buildings round the fort of Madras. Thehouse of Mr. Haines was a large one, and stood in a large andcarefully kept garden. Mr. Haines received him at the door, and atonce led him to his room, which was spacious, cool, and airy. Outsidewas a wide veranda, upon which, in accordance with the customs of thecountry, servants would sleep.
"Here is your bathroom," Mr. Haines said, pointing to an adjoiningroom. "I think you will find everything ready. We dine in half anhour."
Charlie was soon in his bath, a luxury which, in India, every Europeanindulges in at least twice a day. Then in his cool white suit, whichat that time formed the regular evening dress, he found his way to thedrawing room. Here he was introduced to the merchant's wife, and tohis daughter, a girl of some thirteen years old, as well as to severalguests who had arrived for dinner.
The meal was a pleasant one, and Charlie, after being cooped up forsome weeks on board ship, enjoyed it much. A dinner in India is, toone unaccustomed to it, a striking sight. The punkah waving slowly toand fro, overhead, drives the cool air which comes in through the openwindows down upon the table. Each guest brings his own servant, who,either in white or coloured robes, and in turbans of many differenthues and shapes, according to the wearer's caste, stands behind hismaster's chair. The light is always a soft one, and the table richlygarnished with bright-coloured tropical flowers.
Charlie was the hero of the hour, and was asked many questionsconcerning the capture of Suwarndrug; and also about the defence ofAmbur, which, though now an old story, had excited the greatestinterest through India. Presently, however, the conversation turned tolocal topics; and Charlie learned, from the anxious looks and earnesttones of the speakers, that the situation was considered a veryserious one. He asked but few questions, then; but after the guestshad retired, and Mr. Haines proposed to him to smoke one more quietcigar, in the cool of the veranda, before retiring to bed; he took theopportunity of asking his host to explain to him the situation, withwhich he had no previous acquaintance.
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"Up to the death of Ali Kerdy, the old viceroy of Bengal, on the 9thApril, we were on good terms with our native neighbours. Calcutta hasnot been, like Madras, threatened by the rivalry of a Europeanneighbour. The French and Dutch, indeed, have both trading stationslike our own, but none of us have taken part in native affairs. AliKerdy has been all powerful, there have been no native troubles, andtherefore no reason for our interference. We have just gone on as formany years previously, as a purely trading company.
"At his death, he was succeeded in the government by Suraja Dowlah,his grandson. I suppose, in all India, there is no prince with a worsereputation than this young scoundrel has already gained for himself,for profligacy and cruelty. He is constantly drunk, and is surroundedby a crew of reprobates, as wicked as himself. At the death of AliKerdy, Sokut Jung, another grandson of Ali, set up in opposition tohim, and the new viceroy raised a large force to march against him. Asthe reputation of Sokut Jung was as infamous as that of his cousin, itwould have made little difference to us which of the two obtained themastery.
"Within the last few days, however, circumstances have occurred whichhave completely altered the situation. The town of Dacca was, about ayear ago, placed under the governorship of Rajah Ragbullub, a Hindooofficer in high favour with Ali Kerdy. His predecessor had beenassassinated and plundered, by order of Suraja Dowlah; and when heheard of the accession of that prince, he determined at once to fly,as he knew that his great wealth would speedily cause him to be markedout as a victim. He therefore obtained a letter of recommendation fromMr. Watts, the agent of the Company at their factory at Cossimbazar;and sent his son Kissendas, with a large retinue, his family andtreasures, to Calcutta.
"Two or three days after his accession, Suraja Dowlah despatched aletter to Mr. Drake, our governor, ordering him to surrender Kissendasand the treasures immediately. The man whom he sent down arrived in asmall boat, without any state or retinue; and Mr. Drake, believingthat he was an impostor, paid no attention to the demand, but expelledhim from the settlement. Two days ago a letter came from the viceroy;or, as we generally call him, the nabob, to Mr. Drake, ordering himinstantly to demolish all the fortifications which he understood hehad been erecting. Mr. Drake has sent word back, assuring the nabobthat he is erecting no new fortifications, but simply executing somerepairs in the ramparts facing the river, in view of the expected warbetween England and France.
"That is all that has been done, at present; but, seeing thepassionate and overbearing disposition of this young scoundrel, thereis no saying what will come of it."
"But how do we stand here?" Charlie asked. "What are the means ofdefence, supposing he should take it into his head to march, with thearmy which he has raised to fight against his cousin, to the attack ofCalcutta?"
"Nothing could be worse than our position," Mr. Haines said. "Eversince the capture of Madras, nine years ago, the directors have beensending out orders that this place should be put in a state ofdefence. During the fifty years which have passed peacefully here, thefortifications have been entirely neglected. Instead of the spaceround them being kept clear, warehouses have been built close againstthem, and the fort is wholly unable to resist any attack. Theauthorities of the Company here have done absolutely nothing to carryout the orders from home. They think, I am sorry to say, only ofmaking money with their own trading ventures; and although severalpetitions have been presented to them, by the merchants here, urgingupon them the dangers which might arise at the death of Ali, they havetaken no steps whatever, and indeed have treated all warnings withscorn and derision."
"What force have we here?" Charlie asked.
"Only a hundred and seventy-four men, of whom the greater portion arenatives."
"What sort of man is your commander?"
"We have no means of knowing," Mr. Haines said. "His name is Minchin.He is a great friend of the governor's, and has certainly done nothingto counteract the apathy of the authorities. Altogether, to my mind,things look as bad as they possibly can."
A week later, on the 15th of June, a messenger arrived with the newsthat the nabob, with fifty thousand men, was advancing against thetown; and that, in two days, he would appear before it. All wasconfusion and alarm. Charlie at once proceeded to the fort, and placedhis services at the disposal of Captain Minchin. He found that officerfussy, and alarmed.
"If I might be permitted to advise," Charlie said, "every availableman in the town should be set to work, at once, pulling down all thebuildings around the walls. It would be clearly impossible to defendthe place when the ramparts are, on all sides, commanded by themusketry fire of surrounding buildings."
"I know what my duty is, sir," Captain Minchin said, "and do notrequire to be taught it, by so very young an officer as yourself."
"Very well, sir," Charlie replied, calmly. "I have seen a great dealof service, and have taken part in the defence of two besieged towns;while you, I believe, have never seen a shot fired. However, as you'rein command you will, of course, take what steps you think fit; but Iwarn you that, unless those buildings are destroyed, the fort cannotresist an assault for twenty-four hours."
Then, bowing quietly, he retired; and returned to Mr. Haines' house.That gentleman was absent, having gone to the governor's. He did notcome back until late in the evening. Charlie passed the time inendeavouring to cheer up Mrs. Haines, and her daughter; assuring themthat, if the worst came to the worst, there could be no difficulty intheir getting on board ship.
Mrs. Haines was a woman of much common sense and presence of mind;and, under the influence of Charlie's quiet chat, she speedilyrecovered her tranquillity. Her daughter Ada, who was a very brightand pretty girl, was even sooner at her ease, and they were laughingand chatting brightly, when Mr. Haines arrived. He looked fagged anddispirited.
"Drake is a fool," he said. "Just as, hitherto, he has scoffed at allthought of danger, now he is prostrated at the news that danger is athand. He can decide on nothing. At one moment he talks of sendingmessengers to Suraja Dowlah, to offer to pay any sum he may demand, inorder to induce him to retire; the next he talks of defending the fortto the last. We can get him to give no orders, to decide on nothing,and the other officials are equally impotent and imbecile."
On the 18th, the army of the nabob approached. Captain Minchin tookhis guns and troops a considerable distance beyond the walls, andopened fire upon the enemy. Charlie, enraged and disgusted at thefolly of conduct which could only lead to defeat, marched with them asa simple volunteer.
The result was what he had anticipated. The enemy opened fire with animmensely superior force of artillery. His infantry advanced, andclouds of horsemen swept round the flanks, and menaced the retreat. Ina very few minutes, Captain Minchin gave the order to retire; and,abandoning their guns, the English force retreated in all haste to thetown.
Charlie had, on setting out, told Mr. Haines what was certain tooccur; and had implored him to send all his valuables, at once, onboard ship; and to retire instantly into the fort. Upon the arrival ofthe troops at the gate, they found it almost blocked with the throngof frightened Europeans, and natives, flying from their houses beyondit to its protection. Scarcely were all the fugitives within, and thegates closed, when the guns of Suraja Dowlah opened upon the fort; andhis infantry, taking possession of the houses around it, began agalling musketry fire upon the ramparts.
Captain Minchin remained closeted with the governor; and Charlie,finding the troops bewildered and dismayed, without leading or orders,assumed the command, placed them upon the walls, and kept up avigorous musketry fire in reply to that of the enemy.
Within, all was confusion and dismay. In every spot sheltered from theenemy's fire, Europeans and natives were huddled together. There wasneither head nor direction. With nightfall the fire ceased, but stillMr. Drake and Captain Minchin were undecided what steps to take. Attwo o'clock in the morning, they summoned a council of war, at whichCharlie was present, and it was decided that the women and childrenshould at once be sent on board.
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There should have been no difficulty in carrying this into effect. Alarge number of merchantmen were lying in the stream, opposite thefort, capable of conveying away in safety the whole of the occupants.Two of the members of the council had, early in the evening, beendespatched on board ship to make arrangements for the boats being senton shore; but these cowardly wretches, instead of doing so, orderedthe ships to raise their anchors, and drop two miles farther down thestream. The boats, however, were sent up the river to the fort.
The same helpless imbecility, which had characterized every movement,again showed itself. There was no attempt, whatever, at establishinganything like order or method. The watergate was open, and a wild rushof men, women, and children took place down to the boats.
Charlie was on duty, on the walls. He had already said goodbye to Mrs.Haines and her daughter, and though he heard shouts and screams comingfrom the watergate, he had no idea what had taken place; until Mr.Haines joined him.
"Have you seen them safely off?" Charlie asked.
"My wife has gone," Mr. Haines said. "My daughter is still here. Therehas been a horrible scene of confusion. Although the boats were amplysufficient to carry all, no steps whatever had been taken to secureorder. The consequence was, there was a wild rush. Women and childrenwere knocked down and trampled upon. They leaped into the boats insuch wild haste that several of these were capsized, and numbers ofpeople drowned. I kept close to my wife and child, till we reached theside of the stream. I managed to get my wife into a boat, and then arush of people separated me from my daughter; and before I could findher again, the remaining boats had all pushed off. Many of the menhave gone with them, and among them, I am ashamed to say, several ofthe officers.
"However, I trust the boats will come up again tomorrow, and take awaythe rest. Two have remained, a guard having been placed over them, andI hope to get Ada off to her mother, in the morning."
Towards morning, Mr. Haines again joined Charlie.
"What do you think?" he said. "Those cowardly villains, Drake andMinchin, have taken the two boats, and gone off on board ship!"
"Impossible!" Charlie exclaimed.
"It is too true," Mr. Haines said. "The names of these cowards shouldbe held as infamous, as long as the English nation exists.
"Come, now, we are just assembling to choose a commander. Mr. Peeks isthe senior agent; but I think we shall elect Mr. Holwell, who is anenergetic and vigorous man."
It was as Mr. Haines had expected. Mr. Holwell was elected, and atonce took the lead. He immediately assigned to Charlie the command ofthe troops. Little was done at the council, beyond speaker afterspeaker rising to express his execration of the conduct of thegovernor and Captain Minchin.
With daybreak, the enemy's fire recommenced. All day long Charliehurried from post to post, encouraging his men, and aiding in workingthe guns. Two or three times, when the enemy showed in masses, as ifintending to assault, the fire of the artillery drove them back; andup to nightfall they had gained but little success. The civilians aswell as the soldiers had done their duty nobly, but the loss had beenheavy, from the fire of the enemy's sharpshooters in the surroundingbuildings; and it was evident that, however gallant the defence, thefort could not much longer resist.
All day long, signals had been kept flying for the fleet, two milesbelow, to come up to the fort; but although these could be plainlyseen, not a ship weighed anchor.
