On the Irrawaddy: A Story of the First Burmese War

by G. A. Henty

  Chapter 2: The Outbreak of War.

  On the last day of September, 1823--just a year after Stanley hadjoined his uncle--the dhow sailed into Chittagong; which had nowtaken the place of Sylhet as the traders' chief depot, the latterplace being too near the Burmese, in Assam, for him to care aboutkeeping a large stock of his goods there. He went ashore as soon asthe dhow cast anchor, Stanley remaining on board.

  "The fat is all in the fire, Stanley," Tom Pearson said, when hereturned. "The Burmese have attacked and killed some of our troops,and it is certain that the government cannot put up with that."

  "Where was it, uncle?"

  "Down at the mouth of the Naaf. As you know, that is the southernboundary of the province, and there was a row there in January. Oneof our native boats laden with rice was coming up the river, on ourside of the channel, when an armed Burmese boat came across anddemanded duty. Of course, our fellows said they were in their ownwaters, whereupon the Burmese fired upon them and killed thesteersman. There were reports, then, that bodies of Burmese troopswere moving about on their side of the river, and that it wasfeared they would cross over and burn some of our villages.Accordingly, our guard at the mouth of the river was increased tofifty men, and a few of these were posted on the island ofShapuree.

  "This island lies close to our shore and, indeed, the channelbetween can be forded at low water. It has always formed part ofthe province of Chittagong, and there has never been any questionraised by the Burmese as to this. However, the Viceroy of Aracancalled upon our resident here to withdraw the guard, asserting theright of the King of Ava to the island.

  "Since then letters have passed to and fro, but I hear that theBurmese have settled the question by landing on Shapuree. One nightlast week they attacked our post there, killed and wounded four ofthe sepoys, and drove the rest off the island. The Indiangovernment have put up with a great deal, rather than engage in socostly and difficult an operation as a war with Burma, but it isimpossible that we can stand this."

  The Indian government, however, used every endeavour to avert thenecessity for war; although the Rajah of Aracan lost no time inwriting a letter to the government of Calcutta, stating that he hadoccupied the island of Shapuree, and that unless they submittedquietly to this act of justice, the cities of Dacca andMoorshedabad would be forcibly seized. In order, however, topostpone, at any rate, the outbreak of war, the government ofBengal resolved to give the court of Ava an opportunity to withdrawfrom the position taken up. They therefore acted as if the attackon the guard at Shapuree had been the action of the Viceroy ofAracan alone, and addressed a declaration to the Burmesegovernment, recapitulating the facts of the case, pointing out thatShapuree had always been acknowledged by Burma as forming part ofthe province of Chittagong, and calling upon the government todisavow the action of the local authorities. The Burmese consideredthis, as it was in fact, a proof that the government of India wasreluctant to enter upon a contest with them; and confirmed Burma inits confident expectation of annexing the eastern portions ofBengal, if not of expelling the English altogether.

  In the meantime, Shapuree had been reoccupied by us. TheBurmese--after driving out the little garrison--had retired and,two months after the attack, two companies of the 20th NativeInfantry arrived by sea, from Calcutta, and landed there. Astockade was built, and two six-pounders placed in position.Another company was stationed on the mainland, and the Planet andthree gunboats, each carrying a twelve-pounder, were stationed inthe river.

  The Burmese at once collected large bodies of troops, both inAracan and Assam. The government of Bengal made preparations todefend our frontier, and especially the position in the north, asan advance of the Burmese in this direction would not only threatenthe important towns of Dacca and Moorshedabad, but would place theinvaders in dangerous proximity to Calcutta. Accordingly, a portionof the 10th and 23rd Native Infantry, and four companies of theRungpoor local force, were marched to Sylhet; and outposts thrownforward to the frontier.

  Seeing that the Burmese operations would probably commence in thenorth, Tom Pearson had, after completing his arrangements atChittagong, sailed north to remove his depots from Sylhet, andother places that would be exposed to an attack from thatdirection. They reached Sylhet the first week in January. By thistime Stanley, from his constant conversation with his uncle'sservant, had come to speak Burmese as fluently as the Indianlanguages. He was now nearly sixteen, tall for his age, and activebut, owing to the hot climate and the absence of vigorous exercise,he was less broad and muscular than most English lads of his age.

  They found on landing that news had arrived, two days before, thata powerful army of Burmese had entered Cachar, from Manipur, andhad defeated the troops of Jambhir Sing; that 4000 Burmese andAssamese had advanced from Assam into Cachar, and had begun tostockade themselves at Bickrampore, at the foot of the BhortokaPass; and that the third division was crossing into the district ofJyntea, immediately to the north of Sylhet. There was a completepanic in the town, and the ryots were flocking in from all thesurrounding country, with their families and belongings; and weremaking their way down the country, in boats, to Dacca.

  "I am afraid, Stanley, there is an end of trade, for the present.What we see here is, doubtless, taking place all over Cachar; andit would be just as bad down at Chittagong. It is a heavy blow, forI have done remarkably well this year, and was building up thefoundations for a good business. No doubt, when this trouble isover. I shall be able to take it up again; and it may be, if wethrash the Burmese heartily, which we are sure to do in the longrun, it may even prove a benefit. Still, there is no doubt that itis a very bad business for me. However as, just at present, thereis nothing whatever to be done, I propose, as soon as the goods areall on board, to take a holiday, and go out and have a look at thefighting."

  "You will take me with you, uncle?" Stanley asked eagerly.

  "Certainly, lad. We don't mean to do any fighting ourselves, butonly to look on; and it may be that, after it is over, you may beable to make yourself useful, if they want to ask questions of anyBurmese prisoners."

  "You think that there is no chance of their beating us?"

  "I should think not, though of course there is no saying; still, Idon't think these fellows will be able to stand against our troops.Of course, they have no idea, whatever, of our style of fighting,and have never met any really formidable foes; so that I imagine weshall make pretty short work of them. However, as we shall bemounted--for I will hire a couple of horses, there have been plentyof them driven into the town--we shall be able to make a bolt ofit, if necessary. Of course, we will take our rifles and pistolswith us."

  The goods were not placed on board the dhow, but in what was calledthe store boat; as the trader had determined to take up his abodein his rowboat, which could move about much faster than the dhow;and to allow the captain of that craft to make a good thing of it,by taking down to Dacca as many of the fugitives as she would hold.

  Finding that the Burmese division that had entered Jyntea wasintrenching itself, at a few miles' distance, Major Newton, theofficer commanding on the Sylhet frontier, concentrated his forceat Jatrapur, a village five miles beyond the Sylhet boundary. TomPearson had introduced himself to Major Newton, and askedpermission to accompany his force; saying that his nephew would beable, if necessary, to communicate with the Burmese either beforeor after the action, and that both would willingly act asaides-de-camp. The offer was accepted with thanks, and they rodeout with him, on the evening of the 16th of January, 1824, toJatrapur.

  At one o'clock in the morning the troops were roused, and marchedan hour later. At daybreak they came in sight of the stockade, anda few shots were at once fired upon the advanced guard by theBurmese. A portion of their force was lying in a village hard by.

  Major Newton at once divided his command into two bodies. One ofthese was led by Captain Johnston against the front of thestockade. The other, under Captain Rowe, attacked the villageadjoining. The Burmese stationed there gave way, after a very fai
ntresistance. They were accustomed to rely always on stockades; andthis attack upon them, when not so protected, shook them at once.Those in the stockade, however, made a resolute resistance.

  Captain Rowe, after gaining possession of the village, and seeingthe occupants in full flight, moved his force to aid the otherdivision; and the Burmese, dispirited by the defeat of theircountrymen, and finding themselves attacked on two sides, gave wayand fled, leaving a hundred dead behind them; while on the Britishside but six sepoys were killed.

  The Burmese fled to the hills, at a speed that rendered pursuithopeless by the more heavily-armed troops; and the fugitives soonrallied, and effected their junction with the division advancingfrom Manipur. After the action Major Newton returned to Sylhet, anda few days later Mr. Scott, who had been appointed commissioner,arrived there and, advancing to Bhadrapur, opened communicationswith the Burmese. As, however, it became evident that the latterwere only negotiating in order to gain time to intrench themselvesnear Jatrapur, to which they had returned, he again placed thematter in the hands of the military commanders.

  The Burmese force amounted to about six thousand men. They haderected strong stockades on each bank of the river Surma, and hadthrown a bridge across to connect them. Captain Johnston advancedwith a wing of the 10th Native Infantry, a company of the 23rdNative Infantry, and a small party of men of a local corps. Smallas was this force, he divided it into two parties. One of these,under Captain Rowe, crossed the river; and then both moved againstthe enemy. The Burmese opened fire as they advanced, but the sepoysmarched gallantly forward, and drove the enemy out of theirunfinished intrenchments at the point of the bayonet. The Assamdivision retreated hastily to the Bhortoka Pass, while the Manipurforce stockaded itself at Doodpatnee.

  The Assam division was first attacked, and the stockade carried atthe point of the bayonet. Lieutenant Colonel Bowen, who nowcommanded, then moved against the position at Doodpatnee. This wasvery strong. Steep hills covered the rear; while the other faces ofthe intrenchments were defended by a deep ditch, fourteen feetwide, with a chevaux de frise of pointed bamboos on its outer edge.Although the position was attacked with great gallantry, it was toostrong to be captured by so small a force; and they were obliged towithdraw to Jatrapur, with the loss of one officer killed and fourwounded, and about one hundred and fifty sepoys killed and wounded.

  However, their bravery had not been without effect, for the Burmeseevacuated their stockade and retreated to Manipur, leaving Cacharfree from its invaders. Thus, in less than three weeks, the Burmeseinvasion of the northern provinces had been hurled back by aBritish force of less than a tenth of that of the invaders.

  Stanley and his uncle had been present at all these engagementsand, in the absence of any cavalry, had done good service inconveying messages and despatches; and the lad had several timesacted as interpreter between the officers and Burmese prisoners.Both received letters from the commissioner, thanking them for theassistance that they had rendered.

  "That last affair was unfortunate, Stanley; and it is evident thatthese stockades of theirs are nasty places to attack, and that theyought to be breached by guns before the men are sent forward tostorm them. However, as the Burmese have gone, our repulse does notmatter much.

  "Well, I felt sure that we should thrash them, but I certainly gavethem credit for having a great deal more pluck than they haveshown. As it is, if there is nothing fresh takes place here, thenatives and little traders will soon be coming back from Dacca, andbusiness will be better than before; for the Burmese have beentalking so big, for the last three years, that no one has boughtmore than would just carry him on; while now they will be moreinclined to lay in good stocks of goods.

  "Tomorrow we will start for Chittagong. You see, I have aconsiderable store there; and there is a chance of much moreserious fighting, in that quarter, than this little affair we haveseen. The Governor of Aracan has, all along, been the source oftroubles; and we may expect that he will cross into the province atthe head of a large force, and may do an immense deal of damage,before we can get enough troops there to oppose him."

  Descending the river they coasted along until they arrived, earlyin March, at Chittagong. They found that great alarm reigned there.In January, Bandoola, the greatest military leader of the Burmese,who was known to have been one of the most strenuous supporters ofthe war policy at the court of Ava, had arrived at Aracan and takenthe command of the troops collected there, and had brought with himconsiderable reinforcements.

  A wanton outrage that had been committed by the Burmese showed howintent they were upon hostilities. Owing to the unhealthiness ofthe islet of Shapuree, the sepoys stationed there had beenwithdrawn; and the Company's pilot vessel, Sophia, was ordered tojoin the gunboats off that island. Four deputies from the Burmesecourt arrived at Mungdoo, on the opposite shore; and these invitedthe commander of the Sophia to come on shore, in order that theymight talk over with him, in a friendly way, the situation ofaffairs. He unsuspectingly accepted their invitation and landed,accompanied by an officer and some native seamen. The party were atonce seized and sent prisoners to Aracan, where they were detainedfor a month, and then sent back to Mungdoo.

  This wanton insult was followed by a formal declaration of war, bythe government of India; and a similar document was issued by thecourt of Ava. The force at Sylhet was reinforced, and that inChittagong increased. It consisted of a wing of the 13th and of the20th Native Regiments, and a battalion of the 23rd, with a locallevy, amounting in all to some 3000 men. Of these a wing of the23rd, with two guns, and a portion of the native levies were postedat Ramoo, which was the point most threatened by an invasion fromAracan.

  It was in the north that hostilities first commenced, a forcemoving into Assam and driving the Burmese before them. Severalsharp blows were dealt the enemy and, had it not been for thesetting in of the wet season, they would have been driven entirelyout of Assam.

  "I think, Stanley," his uncle said, after he had been a short timeat Chittagong, "you had better go up to Ramoo, and see aboutmatters there. Of course, until the Burmese move we cannot say whattheir game is likely to be; but it will be as well to get thestores ready for embarkation, in case they should advance in thatdirection. If they do so, get everything on board at once; and youcan then be guided by circumstances. As the dhow came in yesterday,I can spare both our boats; and shall, of course, ship the goodshere on board the big craft. Even if the Burmese come this way, Ihave no fear of their taking the town; and shall, of course, lend ahand in the defence, if they attempt it. You can do the same atRamoo, if you like.

  "I was chatting with Colonel Shatland yesterday. He tells me that alarge fleet has been collected, and that an expedition will be sentto capture Rangoon so, in that case, it is likely that Bandoola andhis force will march off in that direction.

  "I think government are wrong. It will be impossible for the troopsto move, when the wet season once sets in; and they will lose atremendous lot of men from sickness, if they are cooped up inRangoon. They had very much better have sent a few thousand mendown here, to act on the defensive and repel any attemptedinvasion, until the rains are over; when they could have beenshipped again, and join the expedition against Rangoon. It seems tome a mad-headed thing, to begin at the present time of the year. Wehave put up with the insults of the Burmese for so long that wemight just as well have waited for the favourable season, before webegan our operations in earnest."

  Accordingly, on the following day Stanley started south for Ramooand, on arriving there, took charge of the trading operations.Shortly after, meeting Captain Noton--who commanded there--in thestreet, he recognized him as an officer who had been stationed atthe same cantonment as his father; and whom he had, four yearspreviously, known well.

  "You don't recognize me, Captain Noton," he said. "I am the son ofCaptain Brooke, of the 33rd."

  "I certainly did not recognize you," the officer said, "but I amglad to meet you again. Let me think; yes, your name is Stanley,and a regular young pick
le you used to be. What on earth are youdoing here? Of course, I heard of your poor father's death, and wasgrieved, indeed, at his loss. Where is your mother? She is well, Ihope."

  "She went back to England with my sisters, two months after myfather's death. I joined my uncle, her brother. He is a trader, andcarries on business in the district between here and Sylhet,trading principally on the rivers; but of course the war has put astop to that, for the present. We saw the fighting up in the north,and then came down to this district. He has remained at Chittagong,and I am in charge of goods here. I speak Burmese fairly now and,if I can be of any use to you, I shall be very glad to be so. Thereis not much business here; and the Parsee clerk, who is generallyin charge, can look after it very well. I acted as interpreter withthe troops in the north, and have a letter from Mr. Scott, thecommissioner, thanking me for my services."

  "I remember you used to be able to talk four or five of the nativelanguages, but how did you come to pick up Burmese?"

  "From a servant of my uncle's. We thought that there would be sureto be war, sooner or later; and that, after it was over, therewould be a good chance of profitable trade on the Burmese rivers. Ihad no great difficulty in learning it from my uncle's man, who wasa native of Aracan."

  "I have no doubt you will find it very useful. What a big fellowyou have grown, Stanley; at least, as far as height is concerned.Let me see. How old are you, now?"

  "I am past sixteen," Stanley replied. "I have had several touchesof fever--caught, I suppose, from the damp on the rivers--but Ithink that I am pretty well acclimatized, now. I know I don't lookvery strong, but I have not had much active exercise and, ofcourse, the climate is against me."

  "Very much so. I wonder that you have kept your health as well asyou have, in this steamy climate.

  "I am going to the mess room, now. You had better come and lunchwith me, and I will introduce you to the other officers. We arevery strong in comparison to the force for, counting the assistantsurgeon, there are ten of us."

  "I shall be very glad, sir," Stanley said. "I have certainly beenfeeling rather lonely here; for I know no one, and there is verylittle to do. During the last year, I have often gone up one of therivers by myself; but there has always been occupation while, atpresent, things are at a standstill."

  "I tell you what, Brooke, if you would like it, I can appoint youinterpreter. There is not one of us who speaks this Muglanguage--which is, you know, almost the same as Burmese--and theofficers in charge of the native levy would be delighted to havesome one with them who could make the fellows understand. I canappoint you a first-class interpreter. The pay is not very high,you know; but you might just as well be earning it as doingnothing, and it would give you a sort of official position and, asthe son of a British officer, and my friend, you would be one ofus."

  "Thank you very much, Captain Noton. I should like it immensely.Should I have to get a uniform?"

  "There will be no absolute necessity for it; but if you get a whitepatrol jacket, like this, and a white cap cover, it will establishyou in the eyes of the natives as an officer, and give you moreauthority. Oh, by the way, you need not get them, for one of ourlieutenants died, the other day, of fever. His effects have notbeen sold, yet; but you may as well have his patrol jackets andbelts. We can settle what you are to pay for them, afterwards. Itwill only be a matter of a few rupees, anyhow."

  They now arrived at the house that had been taken for the use ofthe officers. On entering, Captain Noton introduced him to theothers and, as several of these had at various times met hisfather, in cantonments or on service, he was heartily welcomed bythem and, at luncheon, they listened with great interest to hisaccounts of the fighting, in Cachar, with the Burmese.

  "I fancy we shall find them more formidable, here, if they come,"Captain Noton said. "Bandoola has a great reputation, and isimmensely popular with them. From what you say, a considerableproportion of the fellows you met up there were Assamese levies,raised by the Burmese. I grant that the Burmese, themselves, do notseem to have done much better; but they would never have conqueredall the peoples they have come across, and built up a great empire,if there had not been good fighting stuff in them. I have no doubtthat we shall thrash them, but I don't think we shall do it aseasily as our troops did in the north."

  The time now passed pleasantly with Stanley. He had, after thinkingit over, declined to accept payment for his services; for thiswould have hindered his freedom of action, and prevented hisobeying any instructions that his uncle might send him. Hetherefore joined as a volunteer interpreter, and was made a memberof the officers' mess. He was specially attached to the native levyand, soon acquiring their words of command, assisted its officersin drilling it into something like order.

  Early in May a Burmese division, 8000 strong, crossed the Naaf andestablished itself at Rutnapullung, fourteen miles south of Ramoo.As soon as Captain Noton learned that the Burmese had crossed theriver, he sent news of the fact to Chittagong, with a request thatreinforcements should be at once sent to him; and then moved outwith his force from Ramoo, to ascertain the strength of the enemy.The Burmese were seen upon some hills, where they were constructingstockades. The small British force advanced against them, drovethem off the hills and, following them, prepared to attack them inthe plain beyond. The guns, however, had not come up; partly owingto the cowardice of the elephant drivers, and partly to the factthat it was found that several of the essential parts of the gunshad been left behind.

  Without their assistance to clear the way, Captain Noton felt thatit would be imprudent to attack so great a force; and thereforefell back to Ramoo. Here he was joined by three companies of the20th Native Infantry, bringing up his force to close upon athousand; of whom about half were sepoys, and the rest nativelevies. Had any energy, whatever, been shown by the officer incommand of Chittagong, in sending up reinforcements--which he couldwell have spared, now that the point of attack by the Burmese hadbeen made clear--Captain Noton might have taken the offensive, inwhich case serious disaster would have been avoided, and theBurmese would have been driven back across the Naaf. None, however,came and, on the morning of the 13th of May, the enemy appeared onthe hill east of Ramoo, being separated from the British force bythe river of the same name.

  There was some difference of opinion, among the officers, as towhether it would be better to maintain a position outside the town,or to retreat at once; but the belief that reinforcements mightarrive, at any hour, caused Captain Noton to determine to keep inthe open, and so to cover the town as long as possible.

  On the evening of the 14th, the Burmese came down to the river asif to cross it; but retired when the two six-pounder guns openedfire upon them. That two small guns should produce such an effectconfirmed the British officers in their opinion that the Burmese,although they might defend stockades well, were of little use inthe open. The next morning, however, the enemy effected the passageof the river farther away and then, advancing, took possession of alarge tank surrounded by a high embankment.

  Captain Noton placed his force in an enclosure, with a bank threefeet high. His right flank was protected by the river; and a smalltank, some sixty paces in front, was occupied by a strong picket.On his left, somewhat to the rear, was another tank, and at thisthe native levies were placed. The main position was held by thesepoys, with the two six-pounders. As the Burmese advanced, a sharpfire was opened upon them; but they availed themselves of everyirregularity of the ground, and of cover of all kinds, and threw upshelter banks with such rapidity that the fire was, by no means, soeffective as had been expected.

  During the day news came that the left wing of the 23rd NativeInfantry had left Chittagong on the 13th and, as it should arrivethe next day, Captain Noton determined to hold his ground; thoughthe Burmese continued to press forward, and a good many men, aswell as two or three officers, had been wounded by their fire. Atnightfall, a consultation was held. The reinforcements wereexpected in the morning and, although the native levies had shownsigns of insubordina
tion, and evidently could not be relied upon tomake a stand, if the Burmese attacked in earnest, it was resolvedto retain the position.

  During the night, the Burmese pushed forward their trenches. Aheavy fire was maintained on both sides during the day, but it waswith considerable difficulty that the officers in command of thelevies kept the men from bolting.

  "Things look very black," Captain Pringle said to Stanley, when thefiring died away, at nightfall. "Reinforcements should have beenhere, today. It is scandalous that they should not have been pushedforward, at once, when we asked for them. Still more so that, whenthey once started, they should not have come on with the greatestpossible speed. I doubt whether we shall be able to hold thesecowardly curs together till tomorrow. If they bolt, the sepoys willbe sure to do so, too; in fact, their position would be altogetheruntenable, for the Burmese could march round this flank and takethem in rear.

  "I wish to Heaven we had two or three companies of white troops, tocover a retreat. There would be no fear of the sepoys yielding to apanic, if they had British troops with them; but when they areoutnumbered, as they are now, one can hardly blame them if theylose heart, when the enemy are ten times their strength, and willbe twenty to one against them, if our fellows here bolt."

  The next morning, the Burmese had pushed up their trenches towithin twelve paces of the British lines, and a tremendous fire wasopened. At nine o' clock, in spite of the efforts of their officersto keep them steady, the native levies bolted; and the officerswith them dashed across the intervening ground towards the mainbody. One of them fell dead, and two others were wounded. Stanleywas running, when he fell headlong, without a moment's thought orconsciousness.

  The Burmese occupied the tank as soon as the levies had abandonedit, and their fire at once took the defenders of the main positionin flank. A retreat was now necessary, and the sepoys drew off ingood order but, as the exulting Burmans pressed hotly upon them,and their cavalry cut off and killed every man who fell woundedfrom their ranks, they became seized with a panic. In vain theirofficers exhorted them to keep steady. Reaching a rivulet, the menthrew down their rifles and accoutrements as they crossed it, andtook to headlong flight.

  The little group of officers gathered together, and fought to theend. Captains Noton, Truman, and Pringle; Lieutenant Grigg, EnsignBennet, and Maismore the doctor were killed. Three officers, only,made their escape; of these, two were wounded.

  The fugitives, both natives and sepoys, continued their flight; andwhen, two or three days later, they straggled into Chittagong, itwas found that the total loss in killed and missing amounted toabout two hundred and fifty. Those taken prisoners numbered onlyabout twenty. All these were more or less severely wounded, for noquarter had been given. They had, in the pursuit, been passed overas dead; and when, after this was over, they were found to bealive, they were spared from no feeling of humanity, but that theymight be sent to Ava, as proofs of the victory obtained over theBritish. The number actually found alive was greater, but onlythose were spared that were capable of travelling.

  Among these was Stanley Brooke. He had remained insensible, untilthe pursuit had been discontinued. A violent kick roused him toconsciousness and, sitting up, he found that half a dozen Burmesewere standing round him. His first action, on recovering hissenses, was to discover where he was wounded. Seeing no signs ofblood on his white clothes, he took off his cap and passed his handover his head; and found that the blood was flowing from a woundjust on the top, where a bullet had cut away the hair and scalp,and made a wound nearly three inches long, at the bottom of whichhe could feel the bone.

  Looking up at the Burmese, he said, in their own language:

  "That was a pretty close shave, wasn't it?"

  Two or three of them laughed, and all looked amused. Two of themthen helped him to his feet; and the group, among whom there weresome officers, then took him some distance to the rear, where hewas ordered to sit down with three wounded sepoys who had beenbrought in.