At the Point of the Bayonet

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Harry had, each day, paid a visit to the troopers, who were
confined in a large airy room opening into the courtyard. They had
been well fed, and had been permitted to go out into the open air,
for several hours a day, and to mingle freely with the Jat
soldiers. Half an hour after his interview with the rajah Harry
went down there. To his surprise, he found Abdool and the troopers
all mounted, as well as a party of the rajah's own guard.

Before leaving, the rajah had returned his sword to him. As he rode
through the streets, followed by his own troopers and with the
rajah's guard riding ahead, the people looked on with curiosity,
but evinced no animosity against him. Successful as had been the
defence, the fact that the British had received great convoys and
reinforcements had caused a feeling of apprehension as to the final
result. Food, too, was becoming very scarce for, although small
quantities were brought in by the side opposite to that occupied by
the camp, this was altogether insufficient for the needs of a large
population, swollen by the fighting men of the whole country.

Even these supplies had ceased, since the return of the British
cavalry and the rout of Holkar, and the fighting men were losing
heart. Their losses had been small, in comparison with those of the
besiegers; but the defeat of Holkar impressed all with the fear
that the British must, in the end, triumph. They had already done
more than any who had tried to stem the tide of the British power.
They had repulsed them four times, and their defence would be the
subject of admiration for all the native peoples of India.
Therefore, when it was known that the captured English officer was
leaving the town, with his troopers, the idea that the end was near
caused general satisfaction.

Harry left the town by the gate nearest to the British encampment.
The rajah's guard still accompanied him, but halted halfway between
the walls and the camp; and there dismounted, the officer in
command telling Harry that his orders were to wait until his
return. Numbers of the soldiers had gathered at the edge of the
camp, on seeing the party riding towards it; and when the guard
fell back, and Harry with his troop approached, and it was seen
that it was a British officer with an escort of native cavalry, a
loud cheer broke out.

Most of the soldiers knew Harry by sight, and all had heard of his
being missing with his escort and, as the time had passed without
any news of him arriving, it was supposed that all had been killed
by the horsemen of Ameer Khan or Holkar. Many of the men of the 5th
Native Cavalry were in the crowd, and these shouted welcomes to
their comrades; while several English officers ran up and shook
Harry by the hand.

"I have been a prisoner in Bhurtpoor," he said, in answer to the
questions. "I have been extremely well treated, but I cannot tell
you more now. I am here on a mission to the general."

Curious to ascertain the cause of the cheering, General Lake
appeared at the entrance of his tent, just as Harry rode up.

"Why, Major Lindsay," he exclaimed, "where did you spring from? We
had all given you up as dead, long ago!"

"I have been in Bhurtpoor, sir, and am now here in the character of
the rajah's ambassador."

"That is good news. But come in and tell me, first, about
yourself."

Harry briefly related how they had lost their way in a morass, and
had been attacked in the morning; and that, finding it impossible
to make a way out, he had surrendered. He spoke in the warmest
terms of the rajah's treatment of him and his followers.

"We were treated as guests, rather than prisoners, sir; and lived
in a handsome room, got excellent food, and had the run of the
palace. Scarce a day passed on which I did not have a talk with the
rajah, himself."

"It is an exceptional case, indeed," the general said. "Had you
fallen into Holkar's hands, or into those of Ameer Khan, very
different treatment would have awaited you. And now, what has the
rajah to say for himself?"

"His plea is, sir, that he believed Holkar's army would assuredly
sweep us away; and that, in that case, he would have been attacked
by him for having formed an alliance with us."

"His position was certainly an awkward one," the general said. "And
now, what does he propose?"

"He does not propose anything, sir. He places himself in your
hands. He admits his faults; and is, as he may well be, heartily
sorry for them. He believes that he might still defend his town for
some time but, his allies having been thrashed, he sees that, in
the end, he must be overpowered. He asks that you will formulate
your demands."

"Your news is very welcome, Major Lindsay; for indeed, I am as
anxious to be off as the rajah can be to see me go. Scindia is
giving trouble again, and has written a letter couched in such
arrogant terms that it is virtually a declaration of war. I could
not leave here until the town was captured; for it would have
seemed to all India that we had been defeated, and would have been
a terrible blow to our prestige. Therefore, at all costs, I must
have taken the place. It will, however, be another fortnight before
we shall be ready to recommence the siege.

"I do not wish to be hard on the rajah, and I know that the
authorities at Calcutta view the case in the light that he has put
it, and are willing to believe that his turning against us was not
an act of deliberate treachery, but a fear of Holkar.

"His treatment of you and your escort is, in itself, much in his
favour. Of course in this, as in similar cases, we could deprive
him of his dominions, and send him a prisoner to a fortress; but
the Governor General is most anxious that this business should be
concluded. It has already cost us more men than we lost in the
overthrow of Tippoo's power. He has given me authority to negotiate
a peace, if the rajah offers to surrender. He has named the terms,
approximately; and the rajah's treatment of you will certainly
induce me to minimize the demands, as far as possible, especially
as it is most important that the force shall be available
elsewhere.

"Of course, the grant of territory made to him will be rescinded.
In the second place, we must, until all the terms of the treaty are
fulfilled, retain the fortress of Deeg, which we shall garrison
strongly. The rajah must pay twenty lakhs of rupees towards our
expenses. We shall not demand this at once, but three lakhs must
immediately be paid. One of his sons must be given up to us, as a
hostage for the fulfilment of the treaty. The rajah must also bind
himself not to enter into any communication with any princes, or
chiefs, at war with us.

"I think that you will allow that those are not hard conditions."

"Certainly not, sir; and I have no doubt that the rajah will agree
to them, without hesitation."

"I will have a draft of the treaty drawn up, in half an hour,"
General Lake said. "Of course, you will carry it back to the
rajah?"

"Certainly, sir. Fifty men of his bodyguard are waiting for me,
halfway between the camp and the town."

Harry left the tent, and found the officers of the staff and many
others waiting to welcome him back.

"They will all want to hear what you have to tell, Major," the head
of the staff said. "You had best go into the mess tent, and hold a
durbar."

The tent was soon filled with the officers, with the exception of
the chief of the staff, who had been sent for by the general.

"In the first place, Lindsay," one of the officers said, "we take
it that you have come on a mission from the rajah. Does he mean to
surrender?"

"He is willing to surrender, if the terms are not too onerous."

The announcement was received with a loud cheer. There was not one
present but believed that the next assault would be successful, but
the cost of the previous attacks had been so great that it was
believed the city would not be taken, unless with great slaughter.
The unhealthiness of the country had told upon their spirits, even
more than the repulses; and the news that they would soon be able
to march away created the deepest satisfaction.

"And now, for your own adventures, Lindsay."

"My adventures began and ended in a swamp. It was four o'clock
before the convoy left Agra, and I then rode on fast till it was
night, when I was still five or six miles from the camp. It was
pitch dark, and we lost our way and, presently, found ourselves in
a deep swamp, and could discover no way of getting out of it."

Then he told them of the attack; how they had been obliged to
surrender and had been guided out of the morass.

"When we reached the rajah's palace, all our troubles were ended. A
handsome chamber was placed at my disposal, and the havildar of my
escort was allowed to be with me. I was treated rather as an
honoured guest than as a prisoner. I lived on the fat of the land,
and was permitted to wander about the palace, and spent most of my
time in the gallery round the highest tower, where I could see all
that was going on. The rajah himself was most kind to me, and
enquired daily if my wants were supplied to my satisfaction. He
would often come up to the gallery and chat with me, sometimes for
an hour. The troopers, also, were all well treated."

"You have received a great deal of misplaced commiseration," one of
the officers said. "We have all thought of you as having been
tortured to death, either by Holkar or Ameer Khan; and now we find
you have been better housed and better fed than we have.

"And you are going back again, I suppose, with the chief's answer?"

"Yes; I must not tell you the conditions, but I think I can say it
is certain that the rajah will not hesitate a moment in accepting
them."

"Well, he deserves to be let off leniently, if only for his
treatment of you and your men. It is a contrast, indeed, to what
has generally happened to officers who have fallen into the hands
of any of these native princes."

There was a general talk until an aide-de-camp came in, and asked
Harry to accompany him to the general's tent.

"There is the draft of the treaty," the latter said. "I hope that
there will be no delay in returning a prompt answer. I want either
yes or no. These Indian princes are adepts in the art of prolonging
a negotiation. If you see that he has any disposition to do so, say
at once that I have told you that the terms I offer are final, and
must be accepted or rejected."

"Very well, sir. I hope to return with the answer tomorrow, early."

And, followed by his escort, Harry rode for the city. The rajah's
guard mounted, as soon as they saw him coming, and escorted him to
the palace. The street leading to it was now thronged with people,
and it was evident to Harry that, among the great majority, there
was a feeling of hope that he was the bearer of acceptable terms;
for among the poorer class the pressure of want was already severe.

Chapter 20: Home.

Harry, on arriving at the palace, at once went to the rajah's room.

"Well, sahib, what terms does your general offer me?"

"Terms which I think, sir, you will have no hesitation in
accepting. Here is a draft of the treaty that he proposes."

The rajah glanced at the document, which was written in English and
in Mahratti, for none of the general's staff understood the Jat
language. Harry saw, at once, that the terms were far less onerous
than the rajah had expected; for his face brightened, and the air
of despondency that it had for some days expressed passed away.

"It is better than I had looked for," he said. "As a rule, the
English have not been merciful to those they have subdued. That the
territory they gave me would be taken away was a matter of course.
The sum to be paid is heavy but, as they have given me time, I can
manage to collect it without much difficulty. This is all that is
demanded; and that they should hold Deeg and my son as a hostage,
until the money is paid, is fair and just."

"I thought that the conditions would meet with your acceptance,
Rajah; and I may say that your kindly treatment of myself and my
escort has gone some way in mitigating the terms that would
otherwise have been demanded. But the general said that you must
understand that he can make no further diminution of his demands;
and that tomorrow he expects an answer, yes or no."

"I reply yes, at once, Major Lindsay. A load has been lifted from
my mind. I shall still have my liberty, my capital, and my people;
and am grateful, indeed, for the clemency that has been shown me. I
had relied somewhat upon your good offices; but had small hopes
that, after what has taken place, I should be offered such terms."

The rajah at once sent for his sons--of whom Harry had seen but
little, for they were always on the walls, encouraging the troops
and seeing that the breaches were repaired, as soon as made. The
rajah read to them the draft of the treaty. They too were visibly
relieved; for they had talked the matter over with their father, on
the evening before, and had agreed that, probably, he and his
family would be kept as prisoners in a fortress, that the
fortifications of the town would be destroyed, and some nominee of
the British Government created rajah.

"The general has not said which of my sons is to be hostage?"

"No, Rajah, he left that to you. I may say that he took the same
view of your position as that which you, yourself, explained to me;
namely, that you joined Holkar simply from the apprehension that,
if the English were defeated by him, he would next turn his arms
against you."

"Which of you will go?" the rajah asked his sons.

All expressed their willingness.

"Then I will choose my third son," he said to Harry; "the others
will be more useful here."

Harry rode out, early in the morning, with the news that the rajah
accepted the terms offered to him. In an hour the treaty was
written out formally, the general affixing his signature. Harry
returned to the city, this time accompanied by a general officer,
and both signed their names as witnesses to the rajah's signature.
Some bullock carts, with chests containing the three lakhs of
rupees, were already in the courtyard; and with these and the
rajah's third son, Harry returned to camp.

The army afterwards started to meet Scindia, who had advanced with
his army, with the intention of joining Holkar and assisting the
Rajah of Bhurtpoor. He had, for some time, been almost openly
hostile; had sent his relation, Bapeejee Scindia, with a strong
body of horse, to act in concert with the cavalry of Ameer Khan and
Holkar; and had sent letters to the Government which amounted to a
declaration of war. But when Holkar reached his camp a fugitive,
and he heard that Bhurtpoor had surrendered, he at once fell back;
and endeavoured to make excuses for his conduct, alleging that
Bapeejee Scindia has acted entirely without orders, and that he had
himself advanced only with the intention of mediating between the
Rajah of Bhurtpoor and the English.

No one was deceived by his assurances, but it was thought politic
to pretend to believe them. The Marquis of Wellesley's term of
office had expired, and a successor had come out, with orders to
carry out a policy differing widely from that which he had
followed. The latter had enormously extended the area of the
British possessions in India, the British troops had won a
marvellous series of victories; but this had been effected at an
immense cost and, so far, the revenue drawn from the conquered
provinces barely sufficed to pay the expenses of occupation and
management.

The treaties, too, that had been entered into with various rajahs
and chiefs might, at any moment, plunge the Government into war in
support of our allies and, accordingly, Lord Cornwallis was again
sent out, to carry out the policy of maintaining friendly relations
with the native powers, and of abstaining from interference in
their quarrels with each other. Indeed, a breathing time was
urgently needed. The rapid progress of the British arms had aroused
a feeling of distrust and hostility among all the native princes;
and it was necessary to carry out a strong but peaceful
administration in the conquered provinces, to give confidence to
their populations, to appoint civil officers of all sorts; and so
to divide the troops that, while they ceased to threaten any of the
native powers, they should maintain order in the new dependencies
not yet reconciled to the change of masters, or capable of
appreciating the benefits arising from orderly rule.

Accordingly, Scindia's excuses were accepted. A considerable
portion of the dominions that had been wrested from him were
restored; and even Holkar, whose atrocious cruelties to all the
British soldiers and officers who fell into his hands should have
placed him beyond the pale of pardon, was again invested with most
of his former possessions--with the object, no doubt, of
counterbalancing Scindia's power as, had Holkar been driven to take
refuge in the north, as a fugitive, Scindia would have become
paramount among the Mahrattas.

One of the last acts of the Marquis of Wellesley was to offer Harry
a high civil appointment, in one of the new provinces; but he
declined it, upon the ground that he was about to apply for leave
to go to England. He had, indeed, already formed the idea of
quitting the service altogether. The presents he had received from
Bajee Rao, on his first arrival at Poona, and on being invested as
Peishwa; and the still larger one that Nana Furnuwees had given
him; had been, for the most part, invested in the purchase of land
at Bombay. In the eight years that has elapsed, the town had
greatly increased in size; and the land had been gradually sold, at
four or five times the sum that it had cost, and the proceeds sent
to England. Harry was, therefore, a rich man.

He had been constantly engaged in service for nearly nine years
and, as he had never been settled long enough to have an
establishment of his own, his military pay had much more than
sufficed for his wants; and the large increase which he had
obtained, when engaged in civil or special duty, had been entirely
laid by. There was, then, no further occasion whatever for him to
remain in the service. At any rate, he determined to obtain a three
years' leave; and before the end of that time, he could finally
make up his mind on the subject.

A month, therefore, after the siege of Bhurtpoor was concluded,
Harry had an interview with Lord Lake, and requested three years'
leave to go to England.

"You have well earned it, Major Lindsay. Your services have been
very great and, if the war was likely to continue, I should have
asked you to reconsider your request; but as, from what I hear, a
complete change of policy has been determined upon, and it has been
decided that there shall be no further extension of our territory,
there is likely--at any rate for a time--to be a period of peace.
The board of directors desire to consolidate the territory that we
have gained, and wish to abstain from all embarrassing alliances,
or from any meddling in the affairs of the native princes.

"You, who have been so long at Poona, and understand the shifty
nature of Scindia, Holkar, and indeed of all the native princes,
must know well that these orders are much more easily given than
carried out. If our restraining hand is removed, we shall have
Scindia, and Holkar, the Peishwa, the Rajahs of Berar, Kolapoore,
and Bhurtpoor at each other's throats again. They will treat our
declarations, that we desire peace, only as a proof of weakness;
and may, at any moment, lay aside their private quarrels to unite
against us; and, unlikely as it may seem at present, my conviction
is that there will never be permanent peace in India until we are
masters from Cape Comorin to the borders of Afghanistan. It may be
another half century, and will certainly only be after hard
fighting; but I believe that, until all India acknowledges our
rule, there will not be anything like permanent peace within its
borders."

"I am afraid that that is so, sir. The only really sincere and
honest man that I have met, bent upon serving his country, was Nana
Furnuwees and, in consequence, he was equally hated by the Peishwa,
Scindia, and Holkar. I was certainly extremely well treated by the
Rajah of Bhurtpoor; but this was, no doubt, largely due to the fact
that he thought that, if matters went against him, his courtesy to
me would tell in his favour, while ill treatment or murder would
have put him beyond the pale of forgiveness."

"Your application comes at a fortunate moment, for I am sending a
regiment of Bombay cavalry back to their presidency, and it will be
well that you should travel with it through Jaipore and Ajmeer to Surat,
and so on to Bombay, which will save you a long journey--unless, indeed,
you wish to travel by way of the Ganges."

"I would much rather go to Bombay, sir. I wish to visit the good
people who brought me up. I will ask you to allow Havildar Abdool
to go with me. I don't know whether he will wish to take his
discharge, but I should think he would do so and, as he belongs
properly to the Bombay army, and is indeed a Mahratta, I am sure
that he would prefer to settle there."

"I will certainly do that, and will see that the services he has
rendered are mentioned in his discharge; and I will, myself, write
to the Government of Bombay, saying that I had intended to grant
him a small holding, as a reward for his fidelity; and asking that
this may be bestowed upon him, either in the Concan, or in some of
the territory that we have become possessed of above the Ghauts."

Abdool was greatly moved, when Harry told him that he had applied
for and obtained leave.

"You will take me with you, master, I hope?"

"I think, Abdool, that you would do better to remain in your own
country. You would feel very strange in England, among people none
of whom speak your language. You would also feel the cold,
greatly."

"I would rather go with you, sahib. Were I to go back to my native
village, I should find myself among strangers, for I have now been
nearly fifteen years away; and what should I do without
employment?"

"Well, we will think it over, Abdool. Lord Lake kindly offered to
write a letter in your favour to the Government of Bombay, asking
them to give you the charge of a village district, which would keep
you in comfort."

"I should not be comfortable if I were not with you, sahib."

"Well, Abdool, we are going with the Bombay regiment which starts
tomorrow, and shall travel through Central India to Surat. There I
shall leave them in the Concan, and cross the Ghauts to Jooneer,
and pay a visit to Soyera, Ramdass, and Sufder, and see them all
comfortably settled; and then go down to Bombay. So we shall both
have plenty of time to think it over."

Accordingly the next morning Harry, after saying goodbye to all his
friends, started. The journey to Surat was nearly seven hundred
miles, and was accomplished without incident. On their arrival at
Jowaur, they ascended the Ghaut to Trimbuck, and then rode to
Jooneer, and another half hour took them to the farm.

Harry was received with delight by its occupants. It was six years
since he had parted from his old nurse at Bombay, and he had
greatly changed since then. He was now a tall and powerfully-built
man.

"And so you are already a major, as was your dear father!" she
said, after the first greetings were over. "It seems to me but a
short time since you were an infant in my arms. But what brings you
here?"

"There is going to be a general peace for some time, Soyera; and I
have had enough of fighting, and am on my way home to England,
where I hope to learn something about my father's and mother's
families. I have three years' leave, and as I am as rich as I could
desire to be, possibly I may return here no more."

"I shall grieve, Harry; but it is natural for you to do so, and I
shall feel happy in the thought that you have become all your
parents could have wished, and that I have been the means, in some
way, of bringing this about."

"In all ways, Soyera. I owe not only my life, but all that I am, to
you. Had you been without friends, I would have taken you to
England. But happily you are among your own people, and have now
been living with your good brother and his wife for four-and-twenty
years; and I can leave you, knowing that you are perfectly
comfortable and happy.

"Have you any desire to better your condition, Ramdass? I owe you,
too, so much that it would greatly please me to be able, in some
way, to show that I am grateful for the shelter you gave me for so
many years."

"There is nothing," Ramdass said. "I have all that I can desire.
Had I more, I should have greater cares. Those who are rich here
are not the best off, for it is they who are squeezed when our
lords have need of money. My sons will divide my land when I die,
and my daughter is already married and provided for. Had I a larger
farm, I should need more hands and have more cares. The bounty
which you before gave me has gratified my utmost desires."

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