Sword of Empire

by Christopher Nicole

  ‘There are eight hundred men with the Lion,’ Abbas said. ‘It is a question of how many will follow Batraj?’

  ‘And how many of them will follow you?’

  ‘Two hundred of them are my people.’

  ‘Good. Then when battle is joined, you will turn your men on Batraj and fight for me.’

  Abbas licked his lips.

  ‘There is no need to worry about the safety of your wife,’ Guy told him. ‘Batraj will hardly slay his own daughter. But be sure that if you play me false, I will have you hanged beside the Prince.’

  Abbas licked his lips again.

  ‘Captain Kelly, provide His Excellency with a horse,’ Guy commanded.

  Abbas, obviously in a highly nervous state, mounted and rode off.

  ‘We will camp for three hours,’ Guy told his officers, ‘and then resume our march.’

  ‘Will Batraj really stand and fight this time?’ Onslow asked.

  ‘I am certain of it.’

  ‘And you have suborned part of his command. By God, Colonel, that has a touch of Robert Clive about it.’

  ‘Why, yes, so it does,’ Guy agreed.

  *

  ‘A lone horseman,’ Sivitraj said, stepping outside the tent.

  His arm, broken in a fall from his horse, was in a sling, and the pain was making him restless. He was also still distressed by Sher Mohammed’s decision to murder three of his older concubines merely because they were complaining. But he was not alone in his unhappiness. Gloom hung over the Baluchi encampment. In vain Batraj had tried to remind everyone that he had sought only to check the British, and cause them casualties. But the plan had gone disastrously wrong. In vain he railed against his son-in-law, who had allowed his people to open fire long before the proper time, and so alerted the enemy. Thus, far from inflicting heavy casualties on the British, they had suffered heavy casualties themselves, and been driven from the field in rout. And they had lost Abbas Ali Khan.

  Mary was inconsolable. In the month she had been married she had grown fond of her husband. Now she stared at her father with angry eyes.

  Batraj and Sher Mohammed came out to join Sivitraj. They peered into the darkness, and listened to the challenge from the sentries.

  ‘Abbas Ali Khan,’ came the shouts. ‘It is Abbas Ali Khan.’

  ‘My husband!’ Mary shrieked, and ran to throw herself into Abbas’ arms. ‘Oh, my dear love! We thought you dead.’ Abbas hugged her, and glared defiantly at the waiting princes.

  ‘Where have you been?’ Batraj demanded.

  ‘I was taken by the British. And I was released, to give you this message: that the commander of the force pursuing you is Colonel Guy Bartlett...’

  ‘Bartlett?’ Batraj spat.

  ‘...and that he intends to pursue you to the death, and avenge both his defeat of fourteen years ago, and the wrongs you have inflicted upon the Dowager Rani of Sittapore. He sends too a message to Rajah Sivitraj, that the Company will welcome his surrender, and see that he is re-united with his mother.’

  ‘You know of this man?’ Sher Mohammed inquired of Batraj.

  ‘Oh, yes,’ Batraj growled. ‘He is an old friend. Once I had him at my mercy, because he was a fool. I spared his life, because I was a fool. I suspect he is a fool still, to send me such a message. But I am no longer a fool.’

  ‘He defeated you this morning,’ Sher Mohammed pointed out. The Lion was probably the only man in all India who would have dared remind Batraj of that.

  ‘Because of the stupidity of Abbas Ali Khan’s people,’ Batraj declared. ‘But now I know who opposes me...why, we will end this pursuit. How many men does Bartlett command?’ he asked Abbas Ali Khan.

  ‘Less than three hundred. But he has two guns.’

  ‘Two guns,’ Batraj said contemptuously. ‘He has learned something, since our last meeting, but not enough. Bring me the map.’

  He returned to his tent, and the map was spread on the carpet.

  ‘How far is Bartlett behind us?’ Batraj asked Abbas.

  ‘Only a few hours.’

  ‘Then we must break camp immediately.’ He prodded the map. ‘I wish to reach Aymalia by dawn. We will wait for Bartlett there.’

  ‘Aymalia is to the east,’ Sher Mohammed objected. ‘It is in the desert.’

  Batraj nodded. ‘Yes. But when Bartlett follows us, he will be in the desert too. He must reach the oasis, and gain possession of it, or perish with all his people. We will already hold the oasis.’

  Sher Mohammed pulled thoughtfully at his beard. ‘I wish to go north,’ he said. ‘There is nothing in the desert.’

  ‘We will go north again when we have dealt with Bartlett,’ Batraj told him.

  ‘And if we are defeated? There is nowhere to run in the desert.’

  ‘You think only of defeat, of running,’ Batraj said contemptuously. ‘How came you by the name of Lion?’

  Sher Mohammed glared, but said nothing.

  ‘We are not going to be defeated,’ Batraj asserted. ‘We outnumber Bartlett by three to one.’

  ‘We outnumbered Napier by five to one at Dubba,’ Sivitraj pointed out. ‘And at Meanee by ten to one.’

  His stepfather glared at him.

  ‘I am going north,’ Sher Mohammed said.

  ‘Very well. Leave me sufficient men to deal with Bartlett. Six hundred will be enough.’

  ‘Then I will have only my escort.’

  ‘You will need nothing more.’

  ‘And suppose Bartlett ignores you and follows me?’

  Batraj smiled. ‘He will follow me. You may be certain of that. I am important to him.’

  ‘He may divide his force, and follow us both,’ Abbas Ali Khan suggested.

  ‘Will that not be to our advantage, since we can then destroy him piecemeal? But I do not think he will do that, not when he knows where I have gone. It is I whom he seeks,’ Batraj said proudly, ‘both because there is a price on my head, and because he wishes to marry my wife. Oh, yes, it is I whom he seeks. Now, let us make haste.’

  ‘My wives will not like it,’ Sher Mohammed grumbled. ‘They are weary, and want a good night’s sleep.’

  ‘Is it you, or your wives, who commands?’ Batraj inquired.

  ‘Well then, stay here and wait for Bartlett. I will take my men and ride for Aymalia.’

  ‘I will ride with you,’ Abbas Ali Khan said grudgingly.

  *

  After three hours the column continued on its way, but at dusk Guy called a halt.

  ‘What will the Thug do?’ Onslow asked.

  ‘He will seek the best defensive position, and hope to lure us into some kind of a trap,’ Guy said.

  The next day, they had not ridden very far when they came upon the most recent Baluchi encampment. The guides sniffed around. ‘It is ten, maybe twelve hours since they left, Colonel sahib,’ Samji said.

  ‘And then the party split in two,’ Mudhas Ali explained, pointing to the diverging sets of tracks. ‘The party travelling north has the women and the camels. That making west has horses and mostly men, but I think there are some women with it as well.’

  The river was still close, and the north-leading tracks followed its course. The other tracks headed into the desert.

  ‘Where is the nearest water to the east?’ he asked Samji.

  ‘There is water at Aymalia, Colonel sahib. It is twenty miles to the east.’

  ‘And it is now held by the enemy, I would say,’ Onslow suggested.

  ‘Oh, indeed. But at least we know where he is. Twenty miles. Very good, gentlemen. We will camp here for the rest of the day. Make sure all your men, and particularly the horses, are well rested and watered. We will move out at dusk and march through the night. Captain Kelly, take your squadron and continue to the north, just to make sure it is no part of Sher Mohammed’s plan to double back.’

  ‘With respect, sir, but that will reduce our effective force to two hundred and fifty men,’ Onslow protested.

  ‘We will have eno
ugh. Make sure that your men have their canteens full when we leave, and that the skins for the horses are also full. Thank you, gentlemen.’

  All now depended upon Abbas Ali Khan playing his part.

  *

  The people of Aymalia glared sullenly as the tribesmen took over their village. They were Baluchis, but here in the north had played no part in the recent uprising. They wished no part of it now, yet it had been brought to their doorstep. The headman had protested, and had been told to shut up and mind his own business. Now the goats had been brought in from pasture, and the tribesmen were digging themselves in on the outskirts of the village.

  ‘It is possible that Bartlett may attempt another flank manoeuvre,’ Batraj said. ‘You, Abbas Ali Khan, will hold the north side of the village with your people. Remember that no man is to fire until I give the command. Bertus Khan, you will hold the south side with fifty men. Jodas Khan, you will take twenty-five men to guard the east. But the main force will be here on the west with me, because this is where the British will come.’

  The amirs nodded, and took their positions.

  ‘You have no post for me,’ Sivitraj remarked.

  ‘You are wounded. You will be useless,’ Batraj told his stepson. ‘And perhaps you secretly wish to be re-united with your mother, as Bartlett has offered.’

  ‘I will not desert you,’ Sivitraj said.

  ‘Do not even think of it,’ Batraj told him. ‘Now go to the women.’

  Sivitraj was seething with rage as he joined his sister and Abbas Ali Khan’s other wives who, with Sharita and Batraj’s two women, were occupying the headman’s house.

  ‘Are the British here?’ Mary asked anxiously.

  ‘Not yet.’

  ‘My husband has told me he does not wish to have to fight them,’ Mary whispered to her brother, casting anxious glances at the other women.

  ‘Has he told your father this?’

  She shook her head. ‘He is afraid to do so.’

  ‘With good reason.’

  ‘But Sivitraj...’ she clung to his arm. ‘I do not wish him to fight either. He was nearly killed the last time he fought. My father rode away and left him to be captured.’

  ‘Well,’ Sivitraj said. ‘Your father cannot ride away now, because there is nowhere to go.’ But he put his good arm round her shoulder to hug her, for he was genuinely fond of his little half-sister. ‘I believe he may well win, today.’

  *

  ‘It is going to be hot,’ Onslow remarked, unnecessarily; it was already hot.

  ‘All according to Batraj’s plan,’ Guy told him. ‘He must be rubbing his hands with glee.’

  ‘But you have a better plan,’ Onslow said, hopefully. ‘Do you trust Abbas Ali Khan?’

  Guy grinned at him. ‘I have no choice.’

  If his plan failed, he knew, he could lose his whole force. The men had so far responded well, and had followed their orders to be very sparing with their water. But that had been during the night. Once the heat really grew fierce, they would consume their supplies much more rapidly. Then it would be a case of taking the oasis or dying. Guy did not suppose many of them would make it back to the river, especially with Batraj’s people at their heels.

  He called for Samji. ‘How much further?’

  ‘It is near now, Colonel Sahib.’

  ‘It had better be,’ Guy growled.

  An hour later the oasis came into sight. Guy called a halt, and told the men to eat.

  ‘Captain Onslow, you will hold your cavalry on the left wing, just out of musket range. Your business will be to charge the Baluchis should they attempt to come at us, and to make sure none of them escape to the east. We must finish this business today.

  Onslow nodded.

  ‘Captain Brotherton, Captain Avery, you will dismount your men and advance to musket range, taking advantage of all possible cover. The artillery will provide a barrage, and I wish you to continue to work your way forward, as steadily as possible.’

  The two captains exchanged glances.

  ‘How far are we to advance, sir?’

  ‘You will advance, Captain Brotherton, until you are told to stop, or until the charge is sounded. Understood?’

  ‘Yes, sir.’ Samji had told Browning that there were more than six hundred men in the oasis. Neither of the infantry officers knew of Guy’s bargain with Abbas Ali Khan, but even Onslow, who did know of it, felt apprehensive. There was no telling whether or not the amir would betray them in turn.

  Guy rode forward with Barker to site the guns.

  ‘There will be women and children in the oasis, Colonel,’ the Lieutenant pointed out.

  ‘I know. But it can’t be helped.’ Guy replied. ‘I will see what can be done.’

  He called for Samji and a lancer trooper, tied his spare shirt to the lance as a flag of truce, and walked his horse forward, Samji to one side and the trooper to the other. Behind him the infantry quietly took up their positions before the guns.

  Knowing he was in the sights of several hundred muskets, Guy advanced until he was within fifty yards of the oasis. He took a long breath.

  ‘Prince Batraj!’ he shouted. ‘This is Colonel Guy Bartlett. You are wanted by the Company for the crimes of rebellion and murder. There can be no escape for you. We have hunted you the length and breadth of this land, but now you can flee no more. You are cornered, and must surrender or die. Why waste the lives of your people, of your women and children? Have not sufficient of your warriors fallen in battle, at Meanee and Dubba? Surrender, and put an end to this conflict.’

  There was some movement and for a moment he thought he might have gained a point. Then Batraj shouted. ‘You must come and get me, Bartlett. If you can.’

  ‘If that is your decision,’ Guy said. ‘But I will give you one hour to evacuate your women and your children and your wounded. Then I intend to bombard the oasis.’

  ‘Our women and children fight and die with us,’ Batraj bellowed.

  Guy waited a further minute, then walked his horse back to the Sepoys. ‘Nonetheless,’ he told his officers. ‘We will give them the full hour. Tell your men to rest without leaving their positions.’

  *

  ‘You are a fool,’ Abbas Ali Khan remarked. ‘You should have let the women and children go.’

  ‘We are here to fight and win,’ Batraj insisted. ‘All of us. Let Bartlett bombard the oasis. He will run out of water, and then we will destroy him.’

  ‘The women and children have no part in our quarrel,’ Abbas insisted. ‘They are innocent. Why should they suffer?’

  ‘They are traitors who would not support our cause,’ Batraj snarled. ‘They should suffer more than anyone else. Do not let me hear any more of your coward’s talk, Abbas Ali Khan. Prepare to fight like a man.’

  Abbas got up and walked away through the trees. He met Sivitraj, who had been listening to the exchange between Batraj and Guy.

  ‘Your stepfather is bent upon destruction,’ Abbas remarked.

  ‘Destruction of the British,’ Sivitraj suggested.

  ‘The British will not be beaten,’ Abbas told him. He looked as if he might say more, then changed his mind. ‘Sivitraj, brother-in-law, care for my wife, your sister, no matter what happens.’

  ‘The British do not make war upon women,’ Sivitraj told him.

  Abbas caught his arm. ‘Nonetheless, care for her. I make this your charge. Care for her.’

  *

  Guy studied his watch. The sun was now high and scorching, and the red tunics of the Sepoys were stained with sweat.

  ‘One hour,’ he said. ‘You will open fire, Mr Barker. May God have mercy on their souls.’

  The order was given, and the two field pieces exploded.

  *

  The first shells burst amongst the trees, and caused a tremendous chorus of screams and shrieks, and the barking of dogs. Sivitraj instinctively ducked, and hurried back towards the house where Sharita and Mary and the other women were huddled together, thei
r hands over their ears.

  ‘We will all be killed!’ Sharita wailed. ‘We will all be killed.’

  Yet more shells burst overhead. Sivitraj could hear the whistle of the shrapnel as it cut through the trees, the cries of men who had been hit. He dropped to his knees and watched the little force out there in the desert, the line of red-coated Sepoys moving forward, sometimes running, sometimes crawling, disappearing from sight as they found shelter in shallow depressions or behind rocks, every so often pausing to deliver a volley.

  The Baluchis were replying, but their firing was far less accurate.

  Sivitraj went to Batraj. ‘Why do you not simply charge those people?’ he asked. ‘We outnumber them by two to one. And this is not like Meanee; here we can surround them.’

  ‘You are a foolish boy,’ Batraj told him. ‘That is just what Bartlett wishes us to do, leave our sheltered position so that he can send his cavalry to charge us in the flank. All we need to do is wait.’

  Sivitraj made his way to where Abbas Ali Khan and his men guarded the northern perimeter of the oasis.

  Abbas Ali Khan was walking up and down between the trees; no shells had burst here as yet.

  ‘What is happening?’ he asked Sivitraj.

  ‘The Company infantry are advancing, while their guns blow the oasis to pieces. But my stepfather is still sure of victory.’

  ‘It will soon be time,’ Abbas Ali Khan said. ‘Perhaps it is time now. Listen, Rajah Sivitraj, you have sworn to protect my wife, who is your sister.’

  ‘If it is possible.’

  ‘Then go to her, and protect her. Now.’

  ‘But...’

  ‘Go,’ Abbas Ali Khan insisted. ‘You have given me your word.’

  Sivitraj hesitated, then hurried back to the village, pausing only to duck when a shell burst above his head.

  *

  Guy levelled his telescope, but could discern very little. As the Sepoys approached the trees men were being hit, red blotches on the brown of the sand. Guy could not tell whether they were inflicting any casualties on Batraj’s people. It was time for Abbas Ali Khan to turn on Batraj, for if the Sepoys actually reached the oasis they could easily be overwhelmed by Batraj’s superior numbers.

  ‘Sound the charge!’ he said.

  *

  The two Sepoy companies responded immediately, rising from their concealment to stand shoulder to shoulder, bayonets fixed.