In Times of Peril: A Tale of India

by G. A. Henty

  CHAPTER XI

  RETRIBUTION BEGINS.

  The zemindar to whom the Warreners' guide conducted them, aftercrossing the Ganges, received them kindly, and told them that thesafest way would be for them to go on in a hackery, or native cart, andplaced one at once at their disposal, with a trusty man as a driver,and another to accompany them in the hackery. He told them that Britishtroops were, it was said, arriving fast at Allahabad, and that it waseven reported that an advance had already taken place. Nana Sahibwould, it was said, meet them at Futtehpore, a place forty-eight milesfrom Cawnpore, and seventy-five from Allahabad. As yet, however, noneof his troops had reached Futtehpore, which was fortunate, for the mainroad ran through that place, which was but twenty miles from the pointwhere they had crossed the Ganges; and although they would keep by aroad near the river, and so avoid the town, the Nana's troops would besure to be scouring the country. This news decided them not to acceptthe zemindar's invitation to stay the night and start the next morningearly. It was still but little past noon, and they might do many milesbefore darkness.

  Before they halted the party had made fifteen miles, and in passingthrough a village learned the welcome news that a small English forcehad advanced to Synee, some ten miles only beyond Futtehpore. Thisforce had, it was said, met with little resistance as yet, and thecountry people were full of stories of the manner in which the Sepoysand others who had been engaged with them were, as soon as captured,hung up in numbers. Already, in the minds of the peasantry, the ideathat the British would be the final conquerors in the strife wasgaining ground; and as the whole country had suffered from theexactions and insolence of the triumphant Sepoys, and life and propertywere no longer safe for a moment, the secret sympathy of all those whohad anything to lose was with the advancing British force.

  The next day the party followed the road near the river all day, asthey feared to fall either into the hands of Sepoys retiring before theEnglish, or of those coming down from Cawnpore. They halted for thenight at a village whence a road ran direct to Synee, which was abouteight miles distant. The villagers repeated that the Sepoys had allfallen back, and that there would be a great fight at Futtehpore. TheEnglish force was small, but a large body were on their way up fromAllahabad.

  The boys started at daybreak, and had proceeded about three miles whena body of cavalry were seen rapidly approaching.

  The driver of the hackery put his head inside the leather curtain ofthe vehicle.

  "English," he said. The boys looked out, and gave a shout of joy asthey saw the well-known uniforms; and, regardless of their women'srobes, they leaped out and ran to meet them. The advanced guard of thecavalry stopped in surprise.

  "Halloo! what is up? who are you?"

  "Why, Dunlop, don't you know us?" the boys shouted.

  "The Warreners!" exclaimed Captain Dunlop, leaping from his horse andseizing them by the hand. "My dear boys, this is joy."

  The men set up a cheer, which was caught up by the main body as theycame up, and in another minute the boys were in their father's arms.

  The young Warreners had been mourned as dead, for no one doubted thatthey had been carried to Cawnpore, and had shared the fate of thegarrison of that place; and the joy of their father therefore wasintense, while the whole corps, with whom the boys were generalfavorites, were delighted.

  After the first rapturous greeting Major Warrener took off his capreverently, and said a few words of deep gratitude to God, the men allbaring their heads as he did so. Then Captain Kent said:

  "Shall I push on to the Ganges, major, with my troop? or perhaps yoursons can tell us what we are ordered to find out?"

  "What is it?" Ned asked.

  "Whether there are any bodies of troops pushing down by the river. Itwould not do for them to get behind us, and threaten ourcommunications."

  The boys were able to affirm that there was no body of mutineers nearthe Ganges below Futtehpore, as they had just come down that way.

  "Then we can ride back at once," Major Warrener said. "Major Renaud wason the point of marching when we started, and he will be glad to haveus back again. First, though, what have these natives done for you?"

  Ned in a few words explained that they came by the instruction of theirmaster, and had been with them for three days.

  The major made them a handsome present, and sent a message to thezemindar, to the effect that his kindness would be reported togovernment; and Dick scribbled a few words to Lieutenant Delafosse,with the news of the British advance, and a kind message to the rajah.

  "Now, Dick, you jump up behind me," his father said. "Dunlop can takeyou, Ned; and you can give us a short account of what has befallen youas we ride back. We must get you a couple of horses of some kind oranother at Synee. Can't you cast off these women's clothes?"

  "We have got nothing to speak of underneath," Dick laughed; "we got ridof our uniforms in the Ganges, and want a rig out from top to toe."

  "Well, we must see what we can do for you tonight. And now," he asked,as they trotted along at the head of the column, amid the smiles of themen at the appearance of their commanding officer carrying, as itseemed, a native woman _en croupe_, "how did you escape, boys? We didnot miss you until we halted for half an hour at midnight. Then six ofus rode back ten miles, but could find no trace of you, and we gave youup as lost; so we rode on till we met Major Renaud's force coming up,when we sent our rescued friends on to Allahabad, and turned back withjust a shadow of hope that we might yet find you alive somewhere orother."

  Dick then told the story of the intervention of the tiger in theirbehalf, and said that afterward an Indian lady had succored them,hinting that at the end of the war it was probable that Ned wouldpresent his father with a daughter-in-law.

  "That's all very well," Ned laughed. "If Dick had understood thelanguage, I should have been nowhere. You should have seen him kiss herhand."

  "Well, anyhow," Dick said, "she was a brick, father, and no mistake."

  By this time Synee was reached. In spite of Major Warrener's liberaloffers, no horses or even ponies were forthcoming, so completely hadthe Sepoys stripped the country, most of the villages having beenburned as well as plundered by them. From the valises of the troopvarious articles of clothing were contributed, which enabled the ladsagain to take their places in the ranks, but riding as before _encroupe_. In two hours after their arrival at Synee they were movingforward again at a trot, and in four hours came up with Major Renaud'sforce, encamped for the day.

  They were glad to get in, for the rain, since they left Synee, had beenfalling in sheets. The force was fortunately moving now along the grandtrunk road, a splendid piece of road-making, extending from Calcutta toPeshawur, for already the country roads would have been almostimpassable.

  "Do we halt here for the day?" Ned asked his father, as they drew reinin the camp.

  "Yes, Dick, the enemy are in force at Futtehpore, which is only somefourteen miles away. Havelock is coming up by double marches. He haltedlast night fifteen miles the other side of Synee. To-day he will reachSynee; will bivouac there for a few hours, and will march on here inthe night. We are to be under arms by the time he will arrive, and thewhole of us will push forward to Khaga, five miles this side ofFuttehpore. So Havelock's men will have marched twenty-four milesstraight off, to say nothing of the fifteen to-day. The troops couldnot do it, were it not that every one is burning to get to Cawnpore, toavenge the murder of our comrades and to rescue the women and children,if it be yet time."

  The boys were at once taken by their father to Major Renaud, whowelcomed them warmly. This officer had under his command a force offour hundred British, and four hundred and twenty native troops, withtwo pieces of cannon.

  After being introduced to Major Renaud the boys went to the tentsallotted to their corps, which were already pitched, and Major Warrenerasked the officers, and as many of the volunteers as his tent wouldhold, to listen to the account of the massacre of Cawnpore, which wasnow for the first time authentically to
ld; for hitherto only nativereports had come down from the city. Great was the indignation and furywith which the tale of black treachery and foul murder was heard; andwhen the story was told it had to be repeated to the officers of theother corps in camp.

  The terrible tale soon spread through the camp; and men gnashed theirteeth in rage, and swore bitter oaths--which were terribly kept--toavenge the deeds that had been committed. Uppermost of all, however,was the anxiety about the women and children; for the boys had heard,when staying at the friendly rajah's, that near one hundred and twentyof these unfortunates--the survivors of the siege, and of the riverattack--had been shut up in a room in the Cawnpore lines.

  At three o'clock next morning--the 11th of July--the troops were underarms, the tents struck, and all in readiness for an advance. Presentlya dull sound was heard; it grew louder, and the head of GeneralHavelock's column came up.

  There was a short halt while Major Renaud reported to the general thestate of affairs in front, as far as he knew them. He mentioned, too,that two survivors of the Cawnpore massacre had that day come in, andthat four others were in shelter with a native rajah on the Oude sideof the Ganges. The general at once requested that the Warreners shouldbe brought up to him; and the lads were accordingly presented to theman whose name, hitherto unknown outside military circles, was--inconsequence of the wonderful succession of battles and of victories, ofwhich that date, the 12th of July, was to mark the first--to become ahousehold word in England.

  "The column had better move forward, Major Renaud; your division willlead. If you will ride by me, gentlemen, you can tell me of thisdreadful business as we go."

  Fortunately there were several horses in Major Renaud's camp, which hadbeen taken from men of the enemy's cavalry who had been surprised inthe upward march, and two of them had been assigned to the boys, sothat they were able to feel once more as soldiers.

  On arriving at Khaga, an insignificant village, General Havelock saidto the lads:

  "Thank you very much for your information. You have behaved with greatcoolness and courage, and Major Warrener, your father, has every reasonto be proud of you. I am short of aids-de-camp, and shall be glad ifyou will act as my gallopers"--an honor which, it need hardly be said,the boys joyfully accepted.

  The following was the total force under General Havelock's command whenhe commenced the series of battles which were finally to lead him toLucknow: Seventy-six men of the Royal Artillery, three hundred andseventy-six of the Madras Fusiliers, four hundred and thirty-five ofthe Sixty-fourth Regiment, two hundred and eighty-four of theSeventy-eighth Highlanders one hundred and ninety men of theEighty-fourth Regiment, twenty-two men of the Bengal Artillery. Totalof British regular troops, thirteen hundred and eighty-three, witheight guns. Besides these he had Warrener's Horse. Of natives he hadthe Ferozepore Regiment (Sikhs), four hundred and forty-eight strong,ninety-five men of the native irregular cavalry, who were worse thanuseless, and eighteen mounted native police.

  The order for a halt was welcome indeed to the troops. Havelock'scolumn had marched twenty-four miles without resting or eating, andfires were speedily lighted, and preparation made for breakfast. MajorTytler, quartermaster-general to the force, had, on arriving at thehalting-place, taken twenty of Warrener's Horse, and had gone forwardto reconnoiter. The water was growing hot, and the tired soldiers asthey lay on the ground, pipes in mouths, were thinking that breakfastwould soon be ready, when there was an exclamation:

  "Here come the Horse! Something's up!"

  The reconnoitering party were seen galloping back at full speed, and aminute or two later a large body of the enemy's cavalry in rapidpursuit emerged from a tope on the edge of the plain. The buglessounded to arms, and the men grasped their fire-arms and fell in, butnot without many a muttered exclamation of disgust.

  "Confound them! they might have given us time for breakfast!"

  "They need not be in such a hurry; the day's long enough."

  "I thought I hated them fellows as bad as a chap could do; but I owethem another now."

  A laugh was raised by a young officer saying cheerily to his men,"Nevermind, lads, we'll return good for evil. They won't let us haveenough to eat, and we are going to give them more than they can digest."

  In a very short time a considerable force of the enemy's infantryappeared, following the cavalry, and with them were some guns, which atonce opened on the British force.

  Hitherto General Havelock had made no move. He knew that his menurgently needed rest and food. The sun had come out, and was blazingfiercely; and it was of great importance that the troops should eatbefore undertaking what could not but be a heavy morning's work; butthe enemy, who believed that they had only Major Renaud's weak forcebefore them, pressed forward so boldly that there was no refusing thechallenge so offered. The order was given to advance, and the men, witha hearty cheer, moved forward against the enemy, whose force consistedof fifteen hundred Sepoys, fifteen hundred Oude tribesmen, and fivehundred rebel cavalry, with twelve guns. Their position was a strongone, for on each side of the road the plain was a swamp, and in manyplaces was two and even more feet under water. In front, on a risingground, were some villages with gardens and mango-groves, and behindthis Futtehpore itself, with gardens with high walls, and many housesof solid masonry.

  It may, however, be said that the fight was decided as soon as begun.The British artillery silenced that of the enemy; the British riflesdrove their infantry before them. Warrener's Horse and the irregularcavalry moved on the flank, the infantry marched straight the swamps,and while some of the guns kept on the solid road, others had to bedragged and pushed with immense labor through the morass. As theBritish advanced the enemy fell back, abandoning gun after gun. Thegeneral of the Sepoy force was on an elephant, on rising ground in therear of his troops, and Captain Maude, who commanded the artillery, bya well-aimed shot knocked the elephant over, to the great delight ofthe gunners. After that the rebels attempted no further resistance, andfled to Futtehpore. There they prepared to make a stand in the housesand gardens; but our men, whose blood was now thoroughly up, and whowere disgusted at their failure to get at their foe, went forward witha rush, and the enemy fled without hesitation.

  The streets of Futtehpore were absolutely choked with the baggage trainof the defeated rebels, and the discovery of many articles of attire ofEnglish ladies and children raised the fury of the troops to thehighest point. Pursuit of the enemy was, however, impossible. Thetroops were utterly exhausted, and officers and men threw themselvesdown where-ever a little shade could be found. At three o'clock thebaggage came up, and by the forethought of the commissariat officer incharge some camels laden with rum and biscuit came up with it, so thatthe men were able to have a biscuit and a little spirits and water,which revived them; for whatever be the demerits of spirits uponordinary occasions, on an emergency of this kind it is a restorative ofa very valuable kind.

  Singularly enough, in this battle, in which thirty-five hundred menwere defeated and twelve guns captured, not a single British soldierwas killed, the enemy never waiting until fairly within shot. Twelvesoldiers, however, fell and died from sunstroke during the fight.

  On the 13th the troops halted to rest. The guns taken from the enemywere brought in, and the great baggage train captured in the townorganized for our own service.

  On the 14th the force again advanced along a road literally strewn witharms, cartridges, chests of ammunition, shot, clothing, and tents,abandoned in their flight by the insurgents. The most welcome find tothe army were forty barrels of English porter, part of the Sepoys' lootat one of the scenes of mutiny. That night the force encamped atKulleanpore, twenty-seven miles from Cawnpore.

  "So far it has been easy work, except for the legs," Major Warrenersaid, as he sat with his sons and his officers on the evening of the13th; "but it will be very different work now. These scoundrels arefighting with ropes round their necks; they know that every CawnporeSepoy who falls into our hands will have but a short shrift, and the
ycan't help fighting. Altogether, they have something like five timesour force; and as they have all been most carefully drilled and trainedby ourselves, the scoundrels ought to make a good fight of it."

  "I don't mind the fighting," Ned said, "so much as the heat; it isawful."

  "It is hot, Ned," Captain Dunlop said; "but at rate it is better for uswho sit on horseback than for the men who have to march, and carry arifle and ammunition."

  "Do you think we shall have fighting to-morrow, father?" Dick asked.

  "We are certain to do so. The pandies have been intrenching themselvesvery strongly at Dong, which is five miles from here. But this is notthe worst part. We know they have placed two heavy guns on the otherside of the Pandoo Nuddee, which is a large stream three miles beyondDong. These guns will sweep not only the bridge, but the straight roadfor a mile leading to it. The bridge, too, has, we know, been mined;and our only chance is to go on with the mutineers, so as to give themno time to blow it up."

  The work of the 14th, however, was less severe than was expected. Theenemy fought stoutly at the village, advancing beyond the inclosures tomeet our troops. Our superior rifle and artillery fire, however, drovethem back, and then they clung stubbornly to the village andinclosures, our advance being retarded by the threatening attitude oflarge bodies of the enemy's cavalry, who moved upon the flanks andmenaced the baggage. The force under Havelock being so weak incavalry--for the native irregulars had been disarmed and dismounted fortheir bad conduct--there remained only Warrener's Horse, who were knownin the force as the "volunteers." These covered the baggage, andexecuted several brilliant charges on parties of the enemy's cavalrywho came too boldly forward; but the artillery had to be brought fromthe front, and to open upon the heavy masses of the enemy's cavalry,before they would fall back. Then the column pressed forward again,captured Dong, with two guns placed there, and drove the enemy out inheadlong flight.

  Then the force moved forward to the capture of the Pandoo bridge. Asthe artillery, who were at the head of the column, debouched from awood into the straight bit of road leading to the bridge two puffs ofsmoke burst from a low ridge ahead, followed by the boom of heavy guns,and the twenty-four pound shot, splendidly aimed, crashed in among theguns, bullocks, and men. Again and again the enemy's guns were firedwith equal accuracy. Our light guns were at the distance no match forthese twenty-four pounders, and Captain Maude ordered two guns toadvance straight along the road until within easy practice distance,and two others to go across the country to the right and left, so as totake the bridge, which stood at the extremity of a projecting bend ofthe river, or, as it is called in military parlance, a salient angle,in flank.

  The Madras Fusiliers, in skirmishing line, preceded the guns, and theirEnfield fire, as soon as they were within range, astonished the enemy.Then the artillery opened with shrapnel, and nearly at the first roundsilenced the enemy's guns by killing the majority of the gunners andsmashing the sponging rods. Then the infantry advanced at a charge, andthe enemy, who were massed to defend the bridge, at once lost heart andfled. They tried to blow up the bridge, but in their haste theyblundered over it; and while the parapets were injured, the archesremained intact.

  After all this fighting, the British loss was but six killed andtwenty-three wounded--among the latter being that brave officer MajorRenaud, whose leg was broken by a musket shot while leading the MadrasFusiliers.

  Finding that the resistance was becoming more and more obstinate,General Havelock sent off a horseman to Brigadier General Neil atAllahabad, begging him to send up three hundred more British troopswith all speed. On receiving the message General Neil sent off twohundred and twenty-seven men of the Eighty-fourth Regiment in bullockvans, with orders to do twenty-five miles a day, which would take themto Cawnpore in less than five days. He himself came on with thereinforcements, Allahabad being by this time quiet and safe.

  At daybreak next morning the troops marched fourteen miles, halted, andcooked their food; after which, at one o'clock, they prepared to attackthe enemy, who were, our spies told us, in a position extremely strongin the front, but capable of being attacked by a flank movement. In theburning heat of the sun, with men falling out fainting at every step,the troops, under a heavy artillery fire of the enemy, turned off theroad and swept round to execute the flank movement as calmly andregularly as if on parade.

  When they reached the points assigned to them for the attack theyadvanced; and then, while the skirmishers and the artillery engaged theenemy, who were strongly posted in the inclosures of a village, themain body lay down. The enemy's guns were, however, too strongly postedto be silenced, and the Seventy-eighth were ordered to take theposition by assault. The Highlanders moved forward in a steady lineuntil within a hundred yards of the village; then at the word "Charge!"they went at it with a wild rush, delighted that at last they were toget hand to hand with their foe. Not a shot was fired or a shoututtered as they threw themselves upon the mutineers; the bayonet didits work silently and thoroughly.

  A breach once made in the enemy's line, position after position wascarried--Highlanders, Sixty-fourth men, and Sikhs vieing with eachother in the ardor with which they charged the foe, the enemyeverywhere fighting stubbornly, though vainly.

  At last, at six in the evening, all opposition ceased, and the troopsmarched into the old parade ground of Cawnpore, having performed atwenty-two miles' march, and fought for five hours, beneath a sun oftremendous power.