by G. A. Henty
Chapter 18: The "Black Hole" Of Calcutta.
When the fire of the enemy slackened, Charlie went to Mr. Holwell.
"It is impossible, sir," he said, "that the fort can hold out; for inanother three or four days, the whole of the garrison will be killed.The only hope of safety is for the ships to come up, and remove thegarrison, which they can do without the slightest danger tothemselves. If you will allow me, sir, I will swim down to the ships,and represent our situation. Cowardly and inhuman as Mr. Drake hasproved himself, he can hardly refuse to give orders for the fleet tomove."
"I don't know," said Mr. Holwell. "After the way in which he hasbehaved, there are no depths of infamy of which I believe himincapable. But you are my right hand here. Supposing Mr. Drakerefuses, you could not return."
"I will come back, sir," Charlie answered. "I will, if there be noother way, make my way along by the river bank. It is comparativelyfree of the enemy, as our guns command it. If you will place Mr.Haines at the corner bastion, with a rope, he will recognize my voice,and I can regain the fort."
Mr. Holwell consented, and as soon as it was perfectly dark, Charlieissued out at the watergate, took off his coat, waistcoat, and boots,and entered the stream. The current was slack, but he had nodifficulty in keeping himself afloat until he saw, close ahead of him,the lights of the ships.
He hailed that nearest him. A rope was thrown, and he was soon onboard. Upon stating who he was, a boat was at once lowered, and he wastaken to the ship upon which Mr. Drake and Captain Minchin had takenrefuge. Upon saying that he was the bearer of a message from thegentleman now commanding the fort, he was conducted to the cabin,where Mr. Drake and Captain Minchin, having finished their dinner,were sitting comfortably over their wine with Captain Young, thesenior captain of the Company's ships there.
"I have come, sir," Charlie said to Mr. Drake, "from Mr. Holwell; whohas, in your absence, been elected to the command of the fort. He bidsme tell you that our losses have been already very heavy, and that itis impossible that the fort can hold out for more than twenty-fourhours longer. He begs you, therefore, to order up the ships tonight,in order that the garrison may embark."
"It is quite out of the question," Mr. Drake said coldly. "Quite. Itwould be extremely dangerous.
"You agree with me, Captain Young, that it would be most dangerous?"
"I consider that it would be dangerous," Captain Young said.
"And you call yourself," Charlie exclaimed indignantly, "a Britishsailor! You talk of danger, and would desert a thousand men, women,and children, including two hundred of your own countrymen, and leavethem at the mercy of an enemy!"
"You forget whom you are speaking to, sir," Mr. Drake said, angrily.
"I forgot nothing, sir," Charlie replied, trying to speak calmly."Then, sir, Mr. Holwell has charged me that if--which, however, hecould not believe for a moment to be possible--you refuse to move upthe ships to receive the garrison on board, that you would at leastorder all the boats up, as these would be amply sufficient to carrythem away. Even in the daytime there would be no danger for the ships;and at night, at least, boats might come up, without being exposed toany risk whatever."
"I shall certainly do nothing of the sort," Mr. Drake said. "Thedanger is even greater for the boats than for the ships."
"And am I, sir, to return to the garrison of that fort, with the newsthat you utterly desert them, that you intend to remain quietly here,while they are sacrificed before your eyes? Is it possible that youare capable of such infamy as this?"
"Infamy!" exclaimed the three men, rising to their feet.
"I place you in arrest at once, for your insolence," Mr. Drake said.
"I despise your arrest, as I do yourself.
"I did not believe it possible," Charlie said, at last giving vent tohis anger and scorn; "and England will not believe, that threeEnglishmen so cowardly, so infamous as yourselves, are to be found.
"As for you, Captain Minchin, if ever after this I come across you, Iwill flog you publicly first, and shoot you afterwards like a dog, ifyou dare to meet me.
"As for you, Mr. Drake--as for you, Captain Young--you will be doomedto infamy, by the contempt and loathing which Englishmen will feel,when this deed is known.
"Cowards; base, infamous cowards!"
Charlie stepped back to go.
"Seize him!" Mr. Drake said, himself rushing forward.
Charlie drew back a step; and then, with all his strength, smote thegovernor between the eyes, and he fell in a heap beneath the table.Then Charlie grasped a decanter.
"Now," he said, "if either of you hounds move a finger, I'll brainyou."
The two officers stood paralysed. Charlie walked to the door, andsprang up the cabin stairs; and, as he did so, heard shouts forassistance from behind. He gained the deck, walked quietly to thebulwark and, placing his hand upon it, sprang over the side into theriver. He swam to shore and, climbing up the bank, made his way alongit back to the fort, where he arrived without any misadventure.
A fury of indignation seized all in the fort, when the result ofCharlie's mission became known. With daybreak the attack recommenced;but the garrison, all day, bravely repulsed every attempt of the enemyto gain a footing. The fire from the houses was, however, so severe,that by nightfall nearly half the garrison were killed or wounded.
All day the signals to the fleet were kept flying, but not a shipmoved. All night, an anxious watch was kept, in hopes that, at thelast moment, some returning feeling of shame might induce therecreants to send up the boats of the ships. But the night passedwithout a movement on the river, and in the morning the fleet wereseen, still lying at anchor.
The enemy recommenced the attack, even more vigorously than before.The men fell fast and, to Charlie's great grief, his friend Mr. Haineswas shot by a bullet, as he was standing next to him. Charlieanxiously knelt beside him.
"It is all over with me," he murmured. "Poor little Ada. Do all youcan for her, Marryat. God knows what fate is in store for her."
"I will protect her with my life, sir," Charlie said earnestly.
Mr. Haines pressed his hand feebly, in token of gratitude; and, two orthree minutes later, breathed his last.
By midday, the loss had been so heavy that the men would no longerstand to their guns. Many of the European soldiers broke open thespirit stores, and soon drank to intoxication.
After a consultation with his officers, Mr. Holwell agreed thatfurther resistance was hopeless. The flag of truce was thereforehoisted, and one of the officers at once started for the nabob's camp,with instructions to make the best terms he could for the garrison.When the gates were opened the enemy, seizing the opportunity, rushedin in great numbers; and as resistance was impossible, the garrisonlaid down their arms.
Charlie at once hurried to the spot where Ada, and the only otherEuropean lady who had not escaped, were anxiously awaiting news. Bothwere exhausted with weeping.
"Where is papa, Captain Marryat?" Ada asked.
Charlie knew that the poor girl would need all her strength, for whatshe might have to undergo; and at once resolved that, for the presentat least, it would be better that she should be in ignorance of thefate of her father. He therefore said that, for the present, Mr.Haines was unable to come, and had asked him to look after her.
It was not until five o'clock that the nabob entered the fort. He wasfurious at hearing that only five lacs of rupees had been found in thetreasury, as he had expected to become possessed of a vastly largersum. Kissendas, the first cause of the present calamities, was broughtbefore him; but the capricious tyrant, contrary to expectation,received him courteously, and told him he might return to Dacca. Thewhole of the Eurasians, or half castes, and natives found in the fortwere also allowed to return to their homes.
Mr. Holwell was then sent for, and after the nabob had expressed hisresentment at the small amount found in the treasury, he wasdismissed, the nabob assuring him of his protection. Mr. Holwellreturned to his English companions, who, on
e hundred and forty-six innumber, including the two ladies, were drawn up under the veranda infront of the prison. The nabob then returned to his camp.
Some native officers went in search of some building where theprisoners could be confined, but every room in the fort had alreadybeen taken possession of, by the nabob's soldiers and officers. Ateight o'clock, they returned with the news that they could find noplace vacant, and the officer in command at once ordered the prisonersinto a small room, used as a guardroom for insubordinate soldiers,eighteen feet square.
In vain they protested that it was impossible the room could containthem, in vain implored the officer to allow some of them to beconfined in an adjoining cell. The wretch was deaf to theirentreaties. He ordered his soldiers to charge the prisoners, andthese, with blows of the butt ends of the muskets, and prods of thebayonets, were driven into the narrow cell.
Tim Kelly had kept close to his master, during the preceding days. Thewhole of the four native officers, who had so distinguished themselvesunder Charlie, were killed during the siege. Hossein, who would fainhave shared his master's fortunes, was forcibly torn from him, whenthe English prisoners were separated from the natives.
The day had been unusually hot. The night was close and sultry, andthe arched veranda, outside, further hindered the circulation of theair. This was still heavy with the fumes of powder, creating anintolerable thirst. Scarcely were the prisoners driven into theirnarrow cell where, even standing wedged closely together, there wasbarely room for them, than cries for water were raised.
"Tim, my boy," Charlie said to his companion, "we may say goodbye toeach other now, for I doubt if one will be alive, when the door isopened in the morning."
On entering Charlie, always keeping Ada Haines by his side, had takenhis place against the wall farthest from the window, which was closedwith iron bars.
"I think, yer honor," Tim said, "that if we could get nearer to thewindow, we might breathe a little more easily."
"Ay, Tim; but there will be a fight for life round that window, beforelong. You and I might hold our own, if we could get there, though itwould be no easy matter where all are struggling for life; but thispoor little girl would be crushed to death. Besides, I believe thatwhat chance there is, faint as it may be, is greater for us here thanthere. The rush towards the window, which is beginning already, as yousee, will grow greater and greater; and the more men struggle andstrive, the more air they require.
"Let us remain where we are. Strip off your coat and waistcoat, andbreathe as quietly and easily as you can. Every hour the crowd willthin, and we may yet hold on till morning."
This conversation had been held in a low voice. Charlie then turned tothe girl.
"How are you feeling, Ada?" he asked cheerfully. "It's hot, isn't it!"
"It is dreadful," the girl panted, "and I seem choking from want ofair; and oh, Captain Marryat, I am so thirsty!"
"It is hot, my dear, terribly hot, but we must make the best of it;and I hope, in a few days, you will join your mamma on board ship.That will be pleasant, won't it?"
"Where is papa?" the girl wailed.
"I don't know where he is now, my child. At any rate, we must feelvery glad that he's not shut up here, with us. Now take your bonnetoff, and your shawl, and undo the hooks of your dress, and looseneverything you can. We must be as quiet and cheerful as possible. I'mafraid, Ada, we have a bad time before us tonight. But try to keepcheerful and quiet; and above all, dear, pray God to give you strengthto carry you through it, and to restore you safe to your mamma, in afew days."
As time went on, the scene in the dungeon became terrible. Shouts,oaths, cries of all kinds, rose in the air. Round the window menfought like wild beasts, tearing each other down, or clinging to thebars for dear life, for a breath of the air without. Panting,struggling, crying, men sank exhausted upon the floor, and the lastremnants of life were trodden out of them, by those who surged forwardto get near the window.
In vain, Mr. Holwell implored them to keep quiet, for their own sakes.His voice was lost in the terrible din. Men, a few hours ago rich andrespected merchants, now fought like maddened beasts for a breath offresh air. In vain, those at the window screamed to the guardswithout, imploring them to bring water. Their prayers and entreatieswere replied to only with brutal scoffs.
Several times Charlie and Tim, standing together against the wallbehind, where there was now room to move, lifted Ada between them, andsat her on their shoulders in order that, raised above the crowd, shemight breathe more freely. Each time, after sitting there for a while,the poor girl begged to come down again; the sight of the terriblestruggle, ever going on at the window, being too much for her; andwhen released, leaning against Charlie, supported by his arm, with herhead against his shoulder, and her hands over her ears to shut out thedreadful sounds which filled the cell.
Hour passed after hour. There was more room now, for already half theinmates of the place had succumbed. The noises, too, had lessened, forno longer could the parched lips and throats utter articulate sounds.Charlie and Tim, strong men as they were, leaned utterly exhaustedagainst the wall, bathed in perspiration, gasping for air.
"Half the night must be gone, Tim," Charlie said, "and I think, withGod's help, we shall live through it. The numbers are lessening fast,and every one who goes leaves more air for the rest of us.
"Cheer up, Ada dear, 'twill not be very long till morning."
"I think I shall die soon," the girl gasped. "I shall never see papaor mamma again. You have been very kind, Captain Marryat, but it is nouse."
"Oh, but it is of use," Charlie said cheerfully. "I don't mean to letyou die at all, but to hand you over to mamma, safe and sound. There,lay your head against me, dear, and say your prayers, and try and gooff to sleep."
Presently, however, Ada's figure drooped more and more, until herwhole weight leaned upon Charlie's arm.
"She has fainted, Tim," he said. "Help me to raise her well in myarms, and lay her head on my shoulder. That's right. Now, you'll findher shawl somewhere under my feet; hold it up, and make a fan of it.Now, try to send some air into her face."
By this time, not more than fifty out of the hundred and forty-six whoentered the cell were alive. Suddenly a scream of joy, from those nearthe window, proclaimed that a native was approaching with some water.The struggle at the window was fiercer than ever. The bowl was toowide to pass through the bars, and the water was being spilt in vain;each man who strove to get his face far enough through to touch thebowl being torn back, by his eager comrades behind.
"Tim," Charlie said, "you are now much stronger than most of them.They are faint from the struggles. Make a charge to the window. Takethat little shawl and dip it into the bowl, or whatever they havethere, and then fight your way back with it."
"I will do it, yer honor," said Tim, and he rushed into the strugglinggroup.
Weak as he was from exhaustion and thirst, he was as a giant to mostof the poor wretches, who had been struggling and crying all night;and, in spite of their cries and curses, he broke through them andforced his way to the window.
The man with the bowl was on the point of turning away, the waterbeing spilt in the vain attempts of those within to obtain it. By thelight of the fire which the guard had lit without, Tim saw his face.
"Hossein," he exclaimed, "more water, for God's sake! The master'salive yet."
Hossein at once withdrew, but soon again approached with the bowl. Theofficer in charge angrily ordered him to draw back.
"Let the infidel dogs howl," he said. "They shall have no more."
Regardless of the order, Hossein ran to the window, and Tim thrust theshawl into the water at the moment when the officer, rushing forward,struck Hossein to the ground: a cry of anguish rising from theprisoners, as they saw the water dashed from their lips.
Tim made his way back to the side of his master. Had those who stillremained alive been aware of the supply of water which he carried, inthe shawl, they would have torn it from him; but none
save those justat the window had noticed the act, and inside it was still entirelydark.
"Thank God, yer honor, here it is," Tim said; "and who should havebrought it, but Hossein. Shure, yer honor, we both owe our lives tohim this time, for I'm sure I should have been choked by thirst,before morning."
Ada was now lowered to the ground and, forcing her teeth asunder, acorner of the folded shawl was placed between her lips, and the waterallowed to trickle down. With a gasping sigh, she presently recovered.
"That is delicious," she murmured. "That is delicious."
Raising her to her feet, Charlie and Tim both sucked the drippingshawl, until the first agonies of thirst were relieved. Then, tearingoff a portion, in case Ada should again require it, Charlie passed theshawl to Mr. Holwell; who, after sucking it for a moment, again passedit on to several standing round; and in this way many of those, whowould otherwise have succumbed, were enabled to hold on until morning.
Presently the first dawn of daylight appeared, giving fresh hopes tothe few survivors. There were now only some six or eight standing bythe window, and a few standing or leaning against the walls around.The room itself was heaped high with the dead.
It was not until two hours later that the doors were opened, and theguard entered; and it was found that, of the hundred and forty-sixEnglishmen inclosed there the night before, but twenty-three stillbreathed. Of these, very few retained strength to stagger out throughthe door. The rest were carried out, and laid in the veranda.
When the nabob came into the fort in the morning, he ordered Mr.Holwell to be brought before him. He was unable to walk, but wascarried to his presence. The brutal nabob expressed no regret for whathad happened, but loaded him with abuse, on account of the paucity ofthe treasure, and ordered him to be placed in confinement. The otherprisoners were also confined in a cell. Ada, the only English femalewho had survived the siege, was torn, weeping, from Charlie's arms,and conveyed to the zenana, or ladies' apartments, of one of thenabob's generals.
A few days later, the English captives were all conveyed toMoorshedabad, where the rajah also returned, after having extortedlarge sums from the French and Dutch, and confiscated the whole of theproperty of the English in Bengal.
The prospect was a gloomy one for the captives. That the Englishwould, in time, return and extort a heavy reckoning from the nabob,they did not doubt for a moment. But nothing was more likely thanthat, at the news of the first disaster which befell his troops, thenabob would order his captives to be put to death.
Upon the march up the country Charlie had, by his cheerfulness andgood temper, gained the goodwill of the officer commanding the guard;and upon arriving at their destination, he recommended him so stronglyto the commander of the prison that the latter, instead of placing himin the apartment allotted to the remainder of the prisoners, assigneda separate room to him; permitting Tim, at his request, to occupy itwith him. It was a room of fair size, in a tower on one of the anglesof the walls. It had bars, but these did not prevent those behind themlooking out at the country which stretched around. The governor of theprison, finding that Charlie spoke the language fluently, often cameup to sit with him, conversing with him on the affairs of that unknowncountry, England.
Altogether, they were fairly treated. Their food was plentiful and,beyond their captivity, they had little to complain of. Over and overagain, they talked about the possibilities of effecting an escape;but, on entering the prison, they had noticed how good was the watch,how many and strong the doors through which they had passed. They hadmeditated upon making a rope and escaping from the window; but theyslept on the divan, each with a rug to cover them; and these, torninto strips and twisted, would not reach a quarter of the way fromtheir window to the ground; and there was no other material of which arope could possibly have been formed.
"Our only hope," Charlie said one day, "is in Hossein. I am sure hewill follow us to the death; and if he did but know where we areconfined, he would not, I am certain, rest day or night, till he hadopened a communication with us.
"See, Tim, there is my regimental cap, with its gold lace. Let usfasten it outside the bars, with a thread from that rug. Of course, wemust remove it when we hear anyone coming."
This was speedily done and, for the next few days, one or otherremained constantly at the window.
"Mr. Charles!" Tim exclaimed in great excitement, one day; "there is aman I've been watching, for the last half hour. He seems to be pickingup sticks, but all the while he keeps getting nearer and nearer, andtwo or three times it seems to me that he has looked up in thisdirection."
Charlie joined Tim at the window.
"Yes, Tim, you are right. That's Hossein, I'm pretty sure."
The man had now approached within two or three hundred yards of thecorner of the wall. He was apparently collecting pieces of driedbrushwood, for firing. Presently, he glanced in the direction of thewindow. Charlie thrust his arm through the bar, and waved his hand.The man threw up his arm with a gesture which, to a casual observer,would have appeared accidental; but which the watchers had no doubt,whatever, was intended for them. He was still too far off from them tobe able to distinguish his features, but they had not the least doubtthat it was Hossein.