Jones of the 64th: A Tale of the Battles of Assaye and Laswaree

by F. S. Brereton

  CHAPTER XV

  Holkar the Treacherous

  "The sahib's coffee. In an hour it will be light."

  Mulha, the faithful Mahratta who acted as servant to Owen, kneeled atthe feet of the figure rolled in a blanket beside the fire, and wakenedhis master with a gentle touch of the hand. "Chota hazree, sahib," hesaid. "Rise and warm yourself before the fire. In a little while it willbe time to be starting."

  Owen yawned and sat up lazily. Then he opened his eyes with a start, andremembering where he was, leaped to his feet, throwing off the blanketwhich covered him.

  "I had forgotten. I was dreaming," he said. "Are the men up?"

  "See them, sahib. They have groomed and fed the horses. They are noweating, and within half an hour will be ready to mount. It will still bedark then."

  "And we must be off again as soon as we can see. Good coffee, Mulha.You're a capital fellow! One wants something really hot on a morninglike this, for it must be nearly freezing."

  Owen paced up and down as he ate his little breakfast, the cup ofcoffee and the piece of cake or toast with which Europeans in the Eastare wont to commence the day. He stamped his feet to restore thecirculation, and shivered, for the chill air before the rising of thesun bit keenly. And as he paced to and fro his eye went ever and anon tothe busy scene about him. Some twenty native troopers, for the most partstill swathed in their blankets, for the native feels the chill aireven more than does the European, were bustling round and about thehalf-dozen fires which blazed amongst the trees. Some were groomingtheir horses, while others had already performed that duty andwere settling saddles and kit in right position. Stalwart andsoldierly-looking were these men, and as our hero inspected them he feltproud--proud that he was part of the regiment to which they belonged,and prouder still that he, Cornet Jones, of the 7th native cavalry, wasin full command of them. It was a red-letter day in his life, and he wasdetermined to make the most of his opportunity. For reward had come hisway, as the colonel of his corps had prophesied, and a special mission,of some gravity, had been entrusted to him. It was on the second morningfollowing the magnificent victory at Assaye, when the camp andsurroundings were beginning to assume an orderly appearance, that atrooper, one of the General's bodyguard, rode over to the lines of the7th, and wending his way in amongst the horses and the tents, finallydrew up in front of the tent allocated for orderly-room work.

  "From the General," he said, as he handed in a note.

  The Colonel tore it open as he lifted his eyebrows in surprise, for itwas somewhat early for a message from headquarters, and there was littlestirring after the victory, Scindia and his men having taken themselvesaway. Then he called loudly for his own orderly and gave him a message.

  "Call the sahib, Cornet Jones," he said shortly, "and send him to me."Ten minutes later our hero found himself outside the tent occupied byGeneral Wellesley, standing before that redoubtable officer and twomembers of his staff. And once again Owen was filled with thatindescribable feeling approaching fear. For the General seemed to readhim as if he were a book, and before this man, whose name was destinedto become a household one throughout the civilised world, a humblecornet, however high his spirits, was apt to feel immeasurably small andinsignificant. However, he managed to return the glance of the Generalwith his accustomed frankness, and a moment later was listening to hiswords.

  "We have to thank you, Mr. Jones, for the very valuable discovery whichyou and your men made for us in locating Scindia," said the Generalslowly. "But for that information, reaching me as it did in convenienttime, this campaign might have been greatly extended in this area. I aminformed also that you handled a troop of the 7th very well. In fact,that you took them through one of the French-trained battalions, andafterwards against a large force of horsemen. I note those acts whiletelling you that such behaviour is only what I expect of every officer,and indeed there is little doubt that at Assaye all under my commandbehaved nobly. But your name has now been brought to me on more than oneoccasion, and I must take some notice of that. You are young, but, Iunderstand, quite an old soldier now. It is too early for you to receivethe promotion which is your due, and I have therefore sent your nameforward in my despatches, recommending that you be gazetted to the rankof captain, such gazette to date from the time when the despatch reachesthe Governor-General."

  Owen breathed heavily. A mist rose in front of his eyes, while one ofhis legs would insist on twitching, so that he had the utmost difficultyin remaining strictly at attention. The General and his officers, asthey looked keenly at him, noticed that Cornet Jones's colour hadsuddenly heightened, and that there was a little movement at the cornerof his sensitive mouth. They guessed that the information just impartedhad somewhat upset our hero. But they did not know that in the miststill hanging before his eyes appeared the figure of the fine sergeantwho had fought for him when a boy, stalwart and gallant, the upholder ofall that was right, manly, and honourable, and beside his red tunic theelegant form of Mr. Halbut, the powerful Director, his friend, who hadlifted him from the gutter, and who, standing aside to watch how hefared, was ever ready with his encouragement. In a flash his wordsoccurred to Owen: "Let the lad rise by his own exertions. I will use nopersonal interest, sergeant. If there is stuff in him, let him prove itto us."

  "I was saying that the gazette would date from the time of thedespatches reaching the Governor," said the General, after a littlepause, for he saw that Owen was distressed. "I also added that if HisExcellency were so minded--and I fully recommended the course--thegazette might with fairness be antedated to the very day of Assaye. Itwill be a matter of some three months perhaps before we have an answer,and by then, Mr. Jones, you will be more experienced and able to bearpromotion. And now, I have something else to say."

  He turned to his staff officer and took a map from him, which he placedso that Owen could see it plainly. "This is Indore, Mr. Jones," hecontinued. "That is where Holkar has his headquarters. No doubt you haveheard of him as a powerful chieftain, and robber, I might almost add. Wehave fears that he will raid the possessions of the Company at any time,and we desire to have information of his movements. You will obtain adespatch from this office, and will ride to Indore. There you will seethis Mahratta chief, and amplify what I have said in the despatches. Youwill be able to tell all that there is to say about the battle ofAssaye, and the sweeping defeat suffered by Scindia. When that task isdone you will ride on to General Lake, who is in the neighbourhood ofthe city of Delhi, and will acquaint him with the progress of theseoperations. That will do, thank you, Mr. Jones."

  Owen followed the course of his journey on the map, saluted, and wasabout to turn when the General arrested him with a movement of hishand.

  "You will understand that the mission is a difficult and delicate one,"he said, still in the same even tones, as if speaking of an everydayoccurrence. "This Holkar is not to be trusted. He might murder an envoyinstead of welcoming him, and you will therefore carry your life in yourhands. I have chosen you for certain reasons, and because you speak theMahratta tongue. You may decline the task if you wish, for I could notgive a definite order for such a dangerous mission."

  He turned on his heel, curtly acknowledging Owen's salute. But thiskind-hearted and brilliant general was an astute leader, as he hadalready proved, and he knew to a nicety the gallant feelings whichfilled Cornet Jones's breast, ay, and that of every officer in hiscommand. The mission was a dangerous one, and Owen had been selectedpartly because of the reputation he had so early won and partly becauseof his facility with the language. The General knew well enough thatthis young officer, overrunning with zeal and enthusiasm, would haveaccepted the most forlorn of forlorn hopes with eagerness.

  "You say that the lad has shown shrewdness?" he asked his staff officeras they entered the tent. "You have heard that said of him?"

  "I have, sir," was the answer. "The Major who came out from home withhim told me of his little adventure in Sumatra, and of his well-devisedplan of escape. The lad started young, sir,
and has seen much for hisage. A hard life when he was a mere boy sharpened his wits, and nowthere is something more to spur him on and keep him up to the mark. Hehas a friend at home whose commendation is more to him even than yours,and you will see his object is to rise."

  That was why Owen was away from the camp, and why the fires which he andhis men had lit were now out of sight of the army at Assaye. He hadtwenty men and Mulha, and they were already beyond the reach of theirfriends and traversing a country which was undoubtedly still occupied bylarge bodies of the enemy. And their destination was Indore in the firstplace, and afterwards the army under General Lake.

  "Time to move," he said at last, as he walked to the edge of the widetope of trees and looked out into the open. "There comes the light, andwe want to make the utmost of it. To horse there. Mount!"

  In a compact little body, their lances carried in the rest and theirpennons blowing out bravely in the breeze, the little force kept on itsway all that day, trotting a few miles and then walking their horses,and halting to slacken girths every three hours, for to obtain the bestwork from a horse he needs as much and more consideration than does therider. Owen was as yet somewhat strange to the management of horses, buthis men were masters with the animals, and thanks to their teaching hehad already commenced to learn that a careful rider is as mindful of hismount's comfort as of his own. He will see that the bit fits well,neither too tight nor too loose, that the saddle sits well down and doesnot rest upon the prominent portions of the back, and if possible thatsome sort of ventilation is obtained beneath the saddle. In a hotcountry, too, where linings are apt to become saturated with use, andwhere ridges and lumps are prone to form in consequence, the horsemandoes well to inspect such matters constantly.

  "It will take us a week to get to Indore, I calculate," said Owen thatevening as they made their camp in another convenient tope of trees, forit was their aim and object to avoid observation. "That is, of course,if we are not molested. I believe the General is of opinion that Scindiawill be anxious to make a truce. In fact, some of his vakeels were inthe camp the day after Assaye. But meanwhile we might be pounced upon,and then we should be in a sorry plight if the enemy were verynumerous."

  And so each night, as darkness closed down upon them, sentries wereposted at the edge of the trees, and Owen made a point of visiting themtwice at least during the night. At length, however, they arrived withina few miles of Indore, and now that concealment was no longer necessarythey rode well in the open, and gaining a side road, turned from it intoa main thoroughfare which led to the city.

  "There are horsemen, sahib," said Mulha suddenly, pointing towards thecity. "They are issuing from one of the gates, and I do not like theirmanners. They would seem to be prepared to give us trouble."

  "Then we shall have to ride on the alert," was Owen's answer. "I have animportant message for this Holkar, and it is very necessary that thereshould be no blows between the horsemen and ourselves; for though theyare Mahrattas, they are not yet at war with us. We will tie a cloth toone of the lances, and raise it as they get nearer."

  Mulha at once went to the troopers, and very soon a huge white turbanwas attached to one of the lances in place of the usual pennon.

  "Now we will ride in close order," said Owen; for on the marchdiscipline had been relaxed, and the ranks were broken at times, menjogging up beside one another to chat, and then on to another companion.Now, however, they closed in, and, with Owen at their head and the manwith the white-pennoned lance just in rear of him, trotted on to Indore.Meanwhile the horsemen who had appeared were joined by others who couldbe seen streaming out through the gates of the city, and presently therewere a thousand at least of them.

  "A dangerous-looking lot," thought Owen as he rode along. "They seem tome to be the class of soldiers who ask few questions before commencingan attack, and leave explanation till afterwards. However, I will seethat there is no room for error."

  He beckoned to the man with the white pennon, and directed him to ride afew paces in advance.

  "You will hoist your flag now," he said, "and if they do not heed it youwill retire to the men and fall into your place."

  A quarter of an hour later the body of Mahratta horse had approached toclose quarters, and when within some three hundred yards a shout burstfrom their ranks and they flourished their arms in the air. Then smokebelched from the mass, and a score of bullets swept over the heads ofOwen's troopers.

  "Wave the flag," shouted our hero, beginning to feel a little anxious,for the firing still continued, and one of the horses pawed the air androse on his hind legs, having been struck by one of the missiles."Unsling your carbines, men, but do not fire. If they push us we willanswer, but I wish to enter the town in friendship. Ah, there is theirofficer!"

  The firing ceased as the troopers drew their carbines from the buckets,and a horseman was seen to canter out from the ranks of the Mahrattas.He raised his hand in the air, and then waved it to either side,shouting an order the meaning of which could not be ascertained at thatdistance. At once there was a movement amongst the Mahrattas and theybroke into two parties, those on the flanks galloping off with many ashout, waving their arms in the air, and looking altogether veryformidable.

  "Going to surround us," said Owen to Mulha as the latter came up besidehim. "They look an ugly lot of fellows, and could easily cut us topieces."

  "And no doubt would do so if they were not to distinguish a white sahibamongst us," was the answer. "These men and their ruler have causedtales to spread throughout the land. They are fierce and treacherous,and it is said that they will rob and slay friend and foe alike. Also,sahib, it is said that no Mahratta's word is of more weight than is afeather. I fear this Holkar, and shall be glad when we are out of histerritories."

  Holding up his hand, our hero brought his little party to a halt, whilethe Mahrattas, galloping like the wind, surrounded them, and then cameto a halt within some hundred yards. And a very forbidding andformidable lot they looked. As Owen gazed at them anxiously, for itappeared as if at any time they might ride over his small command, hecould not help admiring the easy seat of these robbers, for Holkar'shorse were little better. The men seemed to be a part of the animalsthey rode, while they had added to their appearance by the richness oftheir dress. There was no standard uniform amongst these troopers. Theywore what they wished, and in consequence the ring about Owen and hisparty displayed many a brilliant colour. In many cases turbans werediscarded for metal head-pieces of Eastern design and workmanship, whilenot a few wore chain-mail over their necks and shoulders. Then, too,their arms were of every pattern, some having the carbine, a greatnumber lances, while all may be said to have carried tulwars.

  "Truly a formidable host, sahib," whispered Mulha as he looked askanceat the Mahrattas. "And yet they are no more in numbers than thosehorsemen against whom you and your troop charged at Assaye. Look at yourmen. They are uneasy, and yet they bear themselves proudly. They arecommanded by Jones Sahib, and they are content."

  Indeed, it needed but a glance at the troopers to show that, althoughthey were not entirely sanguine as to the result of this encounter, yetthey had confidence in their youthful leader; for, as the shouts of theMahrattas rose and some few slipped from their horses with the evidentintention of firing at the central party, the eyes of the troopers wentto Owen's face and figure, and then back again, with undaunted mien, tothe surrounding horsemen. Such is the power which a European of Owen'sstamp, and however youthful, has over the native. But matters were againapproaching a critical stage, and as the strangers seemed to take butlittle notice of the white pennon, Owen without hesitation rode out fromamongst his men and trotted towards the officer who had given the orderwhich had caused the Mahrattas to divide. He was a magnificently dressednative, swarthy as any, and wearing a glittering aigrette in his turban.The hilt of his tulwar flashed as he turned to Owen, while ever andagain there was a scintillation from some portion of his dress as thesun's rays struck there. He halted and watched Owen as if in unc
ertainmind. Then he called out an order, and at his command a dozen of his mengalloped up beside him, and the whole party advanced to meet the whiteofficer.

  "Greeting," said Owen in the Mahratta tongue. "I come from HisExcellency to your chief. What means this firing? Is not the flag ofpeace easily seen, and are we not on friendly terms with your ruler?Answer. What means the firing?"

  For answer the leader of the horsemen shot his tulwar back into itssheath with a click, and then advanced still nearer.

  "Holkar makes no explanation of what seems good to him," he saidhaughtily. "He sent me here to kill or capture. You are prisoners. Youwill return with me."

  "On certain terms," answered Owen curtly, "and see that you considerthem well, for what has befallen Scindia and his hosts may yet befallyou and your men. I am no prisoner. I came as His Excellency theGeneral's vakeel, and I and my men will ride into the city, escorted ifyou will, but free, carrying our arms, and at liberty to depart when ourbusiness is done."

  "High tones for one who has so few to back his wishes," sneered thenative, casting his eye in the direction of the troopers. "What if wewho are so many as to be able to eat you up, to ride over you and leaveno trace of your having been, decide to conduct you to the city asprisoners? That were a great fall for the pride of a white officer."

  Owen shrugged his shoulders, and made a movement to turn his horse.

  "We have met and vanquished almost as many before," he said with as muchcoolness as he could muster, "and we will try again. If one shot ringsout from your ranks I will charge, and you will see who is the betterable to ride over the other. As for you, if you decide to carry out thisthreat I promise that even your chieftain shall not protect you, for,remember, I am an envoy, and I come in peace, beneath the white flag,which is sacred to us all."

  Without deigning to turn his head he trotted back to his men, and at hisorder the carbines were slipped into their buckets and the lances camedown in readiness for a charge.

  "I do not greatly fear trouble," he said shortly, so that they alonecould hear. "But these fellows may wish to take us prisoners. In thatcase you will charge, and divide when you are through them. Then youwill return and repeat the charge. It would never do to flee, for weshould all be cut down for a certainty."

  For five minutes the two bodies faced one another, Owen's troopersstaring back at the Mahrattas with a calmness which was wonderful. Andas they looked they edged their horses into line and selected a likelyplace for their charge.

  To Owen the minutes went like hours, for he had a mission to carry out,and to come to blows with Holkar's men thus early was hardly conductinghis task in a successful manner. To oppose these men was madness, andyet if he submitted to be taken a prisoner into Indore he knew very wellthat he would in all probability be thrown into a cell and there left,without opportunity of seeing Holkar. His hand went to his sabre, and hedrew it, resting the blade against his shoulder. And while he and hismen made their preparations, the native officer consulted with some ofhis men. Noisy shouts broke from their midst, and weapons wereflourished. However, the threat of retaliation to which Owen had givenvent evidently had its effect, for presently the officer advanced andcalled to our hero.

  "Holkar shall decide," he said haughtily. "We might eat you up here,but there may be information to be obtained. We will escort you into thecity."

  "To the palace?" demanded Owen.

  "To the palace. There you shall be seen by His Highness."

  A few minutes later the whole cavalcade was in motion, Owen and his menriding in a compact body, while the Mahratta horse, still divided,marched in front and in rear, completely enclosing them. And in thisorder they came to the city of Indore, the capital of Holkar, and passedthrough the streets to the palace. Arrived there, Owen and his mendismounted in the courtyard.

  "I like not the arrangement, sahib," whispered Mulha. "They have us inthe hollow of their hands, for how can we escape from this city? See theguards which they have set."

  "We are virtually prisoners, but I have no fears for the future, Mulha.This fellow, Holkar, must respect the General's messenger and the escortsent with him. I know he has none too good a name, but then he wouldhardly dare to offer violence to us. In any case, we are here, and cantake no more precautions than we have done. But keep a careful watch andbe alert, whatever happens."

  A moment or two later the officer who had escorted Owen into the cityemerged from the palace with a gleam of malice on his face, and beckonedto him.

  "Follow me," he said curtly. "His Highness will see you. Take care thatyou salaam to him."

  "And see that you look to your own affairs, my friend," answered Owen."Now lead the way."

  They traversed a number of passages and sumptuous apartments, andfinally came to one which was gorgeously decorated. And here, surroundedby servants, pillowed in the lap of luxury, and reclining upon a divan,was Holkar, showing upon his scarred and seamed face the effects of thechanging fortunes which had been his. He had but one eye, but thatserved him to some purpose, for he fixed it upon his visitor and gavehim the benefit of a piercing gaze. Owen bowed, and at once handed thedespatch he had brought.

  "From His Excellency General Wellesley, in command of the army in thefield," he said. "He begs me to give you his greetings, and to convey toyou this despatch."

  Holkar acknowledged his bow coldly, and then tore open the despatch,which was written in Mahratti. Owen saw him give a violent start ofsurprise as he read of the victory of Assaye. He looked up sharply,pondered for a minute, and then smiled scornfully.

  "This great victory your general writes of," he said at length, when thedespatch was ended, "these were Scindia's troops who were beaten,cowards whom I have swept from before my path on many an occasion. Hadthey been the men whom I command there would have been a different tale.What does your general desire? Why does he trouble me by sending anenvoy?"

  Owen noted his haughty tones, and felt even more apprehension. But hehad had very complete instructions, and he endeavoured to carry themout, showing that the victory had been indeed a very real one, and thatGeneral Wellesley was anxious to assure a friendship with Holkar. It wasa case for diplomacy, and Owen did his utmost. But though this powerfulchieftain answered politely, his tones were of the haughtiest, and asOwen withdrew he felt sure that the friendship then existing betweenHolkar and the British was but a thing of straw, and that this chieftainonly awaited a favourable day for breaking it. A few minutes later hewas equally certain of another matter. As he came to the door of thepalace Mulha met him, with consternation written on his face.

  "It is as I said, sahib," he cried. "No sooner had you passed in when aforce of foot-soldiers marched into this square, and when they partedthere were guns fully loaded and trained on the troopers. They wereforced to dismount, their horses were led away, and they themselves weredisarmed and marched out of the courtyard by the soldiers."

  Owen was flabbergasted. He had hardly expected such high-handed action,though every minute had increased his anxiety as to the safety of hislittle command. He swung round without a word, with the intention offorcing his way to Holkar's presence. But as he did so some thirtysoldiers issued from a door close at hand and rushed at him. Resistancewas useless, and folding his arms he allowed the men to take him. Tenminutes later he was thrust into a cell high up in one of the wings ofthe palace, and heard the bolts shot to after him. He was a prisoner.Holkar, the treacherous and cruel chieftain, had him in his power, andwith an involuntary shudder our hero realised the gravity of hisposition.