Mrs. Humphry Ward - "Marriage a la mode"

Major A.R. Calhoon - "How to Get on in the World"

Sir Richard Henry Bonnycastle - "Canada and the Canadians"

Harold Spender - "Home Rule"

Annual Bibliography of Commonwealth Literature 2007
This paper argues that discourses of love in Ghanaian market literature for youth offer a view into complex negotiations of agency and empowerment. Drawing on Deborah Durham's notion of youth as "social `shifters'" and Francis Nyamnjoh's conception of the "interconnectedness" of agency, I take Ghanaian market literature as one specific case of how African literature for youth foregrounds questions of continuity and change as African societies enter into increasingly complex global relations. In this literature for youth, received notions of love, often constructed out of impressions from American pop and hip hop music, carry new notions of agency that compete with existing "domesticated" forms. Authors like Ike Tandoh and Evelyn Tay employ discourses of love to offer youth alternative avenues for empowerment in a context of socio-economic disenfranchizement. In a creative process of "straddling", this writing both reveals and reproduces the contradictions that obtain in youth configurations of agency.

At the Point of the Bayonet

G >> G. A. Henty >> At the Point of the Bayonet




The journey was performed without interruption. At one time, a body
of some fifty horsemen made their appearance on rising ground near
the road, but drew off when they saw how strong was the party and,
after a ride of sixty miles, they arrived at Purseram Bhow's camp.
Harry dismounted in front of the general's tent and, entering,
handed him the letter.

"What is your news?" the latter asked, before opening it.

"There is none, General, beyond what the letter, sent to you three
hours before I left, will have prepared you to hear. I only bear a
copy of that letter, in case the first should not have reached
you."

"It is well that the precaution was taken for, in truth, the
messenger has not arrived."

"It is possible that he may have been murdered on the way, sir; for
we saw a party of fifty horsemen on the road, whose intentions
seemed to be hostile, but as I had Sufder's troop of a hundred men
with me, they drew off."

"But what is the news, then, that is so important that steps are
taken to stop messengers that bear it?"

Harry related what had taken place, the old officer giving many
ejaculations of regret, and horror, at the news of Mahdoo Rao's
death.

"'Tis a terrible misfortune, indeed," he said, "and is like to
throw the whole country into disorder again."

He opened the despatch now, and glanced through it. He called some
of his officers, who were gathered near the tent, and ordered them
to cause the trumpets to be sounded for all the troops to be in
readiness to march, at once; leaving only a small body of infantry
to pack up the tents, and follow at a more leisurely pace with the
baggage.

An hour later two regiments of cavalry started, infantry men being
taken up behind the troopers and, late the next day, they arrived
at Poona. Scindia and the Rajah of Berar had also been sent for, in
haste and, as soon as they arrived, a council was held as to the
choice that should be made of a successor.

All were opposed to the selection of Bajee Rao; for he would have
been brought up by his mother, with the deepest enmity towards
those who had successfully combined against his father. It was
therefore proposed that the widow of Mahdoo Rao should adopt a son,
in whose name the government should be carried on.

It was not until two months had been spent in negotiations that the
matter was finally settled. One of Scindia's ministers, named
Balloba, alone opposed the course decided upon; and Bajee Rao
opened communications with him, and succeeded in winning him over
to his cause. Having done this he addressed Scindia; offering him a
very large addition to his territory, and payment of all his
expenses, if he would assist him to gain his rightful position. As
Balloba had great influence over the young Scindia, the offer was
accepted.

The arrangement was made so secretly that Nana Furnuwees had
received no intimation, whatever, of what was going on, until the
agreement had been concluded. Purseram Bhow was again summoned to
Poona and, with his usual energy, made a march of one hundred and
twenty miles in forty-eight hours.

The position was a difficult one, indeed. At one blow, the plans
that had been so carefully laid by Nana were shattered. Scindia,
who had but a month or two before formed one of the confederacy,
had now gone round to the side of Bajee Rao, who regarded the
minister as his greatest enemy. Holkar was not to be depended upon
and, in Poona, there were many adherents of the son of Rugoba. The
council held by Nana, Purseram, and two or three other great
officers was long and, at times, stormy; but it was finally agreed
that the sole way out of the perilous position, caused by Scindia's
desertion, was to anticipate him and to release Bajee Rao, and
declare him Peishwa.

Purseram started, at once, to the fort where the brothers were
confined. Harry, who was now deeply interested in the course of
events, was one of Nana's officers who accompanied Purseram. On
hearing the general's errand, the officer in command of the fort at
once sent for Bajee, his brother Chimnajee, and Amrud--who was the
adopted son of Rugoba, and who stood on an equal footing with
regard to the succession. Bajee Rao listened calmly to the
proposals made to him in Nana's name, asked several questions, and
demanded guarantees; but was evidently disposed to accept the
proposals, if assured that they were made in good faith.

Amrud strongly urged him to decline the offer; but Bajee, upon
Purseram taking the most solemn oath known to the Hindoos, in proof
of his sincerity, accepted the offer and, with his brother
Chimnajee, rode with Purseram to Poona; Amrud being left behind in
the fort, as Purseram considered that he would continue to exercise
his influence over Bajee in a direction hostile to Nana's interest.

As soon as the party arrived at the capital, an interview took
place between Bajee and Nana when, in the presence of many of the
great officers, both swore to forget all enmities and injuries, and
Bajee promised to retain Nana at the head of his administration.

That same evening, the minister sent for Harry.

"Puntojee," he said, "I have a commission for you. I know that you
are loyal to me, and that I can depend upon you. I wish you to go
at once to Scindia's camp, which is now on the bank of the
Godavery, and ascertain how he takes the news. Doubtless Balloba,
his prime minister, will be furious at finding that, instead of
Bajee becoming a mere creature of Scindia's, I have placed him on
the musnud, and retain my place as his chief minister. I can employ
you for this business better than most others, for the greater part
of my officers are personally known to those of Scindia, while you
have scarce been seen by them. I have also a high idea of your
shrewdness; and I have no doubt that you will, in some way, be able
to gain the information that I require--indeed, it will probably be
the public talk of the camp. If you should find an opportunity of
entering into negotiations, with any influential person in
Scindia's court, I authorize you to do so in my name; and to agree
to any reasonable demands that he may make, either for a payment in
money or in estates. Scindia's character is wholly unformed and,
though today he may be guided by Balloba, tomorrow he may lean on
someone else.

"You can go in any guise you think fit, either as a trooper or as a
camp follower. In either case, you had better take Sufder and
twenty men with you; and leave them in concealment within a few
miles of the camp so that, in case of necessity, you can join them;
and his men can act as messengers, and bring your reports to me."

As it was now a year since Harry had first gone to Poona, and he
had during that time worked diligently, he could now both read and
write the Mahratta language, and was thus able to send in written
reports; instead of being obliged to rely upon oral messages, which
might be misdelivered by those who carried them, or possibly
reported to others instead of to the minister; whereas reading and
writing were known to but few of the Mahrattas, outside the Brahmin
class.

Sufder expressed himself much pleased, when he heard that he was to
accompany Harry.

"I am sick of this life of inactivity," he said. "Why, we have had
no fighting for the past five years; and we shall forget how to use
our arms, unless there is something doing. I would willingly
accompany you into Scindia's camp, but I am far too well known
there to hope to escape observation. However, I will pick out
twenty of my best men so that, if there should be a skirmish, we
shall be able to hold our own. Of course, I shall choose men who
have good horses, for we may have to ride for it."

Harry himself was very well mounted, for Mahdoo Rao had given him
two excellent horses; and as he had, when out with Sufder's troop,
tried them against the best of those of the sowars, he felt sure
that he could trust to them, in case of having to ride for his
life. The trooper who looked after them had become much attached to
him, and he determined to take him with him into Scindia's camp,
one of Sufder's other men looking after the horses.

After a consultation with Sufder, he decided on adopting the
costume of a petty trader or pedlar carrying garments, scarfs, and
other articles used by soldiers. Of these he laid in a store and,
three hours after his interview with Nana, started with his escort;
the trooper leading his spare horse, on which his packs were
fastened, and his own man riding a country pony. The distance to
Scindia's camp was under a hundred miles, and they took three days
in accomplishing it. It was important that the horses should not be
knocked up, as their lives might depend upon their speed.

When within ten miles of their destination, they halted in a grove
near the Moola river. Here Harry changed his clothes, and assumed
those of a small merchant. Then he mounted the pony; a portion of
the packs was fastened behind him, and the rest carried by his
servant.

Scindia's camp lay around Toka, a town on the Godavery at the foot
of a range of hills. On arriving there he went to the field bazaar,
where a large number of booths, occupied by traders and country
peasants, were erected. The former principally sold arms, saddlery,
and garments; the latter, the produce of their own villages.
Choosing an unoccupied piece of ground, Harry erected a little
shelter tent; composed of a dark blanket thrown over a ridge pole,
supported by two others, giving a height of some four feet, in the
centre. The pony was picketed just behind this. In front of it a
portion of the wares was spread out, and Harry began the usual loud
exhortations, to passers by, to inspect them.

Having thus established himself, he left Wasil in charge,
explaining to him the prices that he was to ask for each of the
articles sold, and then started on a tour through the camp. Here
and there pausing to listen to the soldiers, he picked up scraps of
news; and learned that there was a general expectation that the
army would march, in a day or two, towards Poona--it being rumoured
that Scindia and his minister, Balloba, had been outwitted by Nana
Furnuwees; and that Balloba had made no secret of his anger, but
vowed vengeance against the man who had overthrown plans which, it
had been surely believed, would have resulted in Scindia's
obtaining supreme control over the Deccan.

Returning to his little tent, he wrote a letter to Nana, telling
him what he had gathered, and giving approximately the strength of
Scindia's force; adding that, from what he heard, the whole were
animated with the desire to avenge what they considered an insult
to their prince. This note he gave to Wasil, who at once started on
foot to join Sufder; who would forward it, by four troopers, to
Poona.

The next morning he returned and, after purchasing provisions from
the countrymen, and lighting a fire for cooking them, he assisted
Harry at his stall. The latter was standing up, exhibiting a
garment to a soldier, who was haggling with him over the price,
when a party of officers rode by. At their head was one whose dress
showed him to be a person of importance; and whom Harry at once
recognized as Balloba, having often noticed him during the
negotiations at Poona. As his eye fell upon Harry he checked his
horse for a moment, and beckoned to him to come to him.

"Come here, weynsh," he said, using the term generally applied to
the commercial caste.

[Illustration: Harry went up to him, and salaamed.]

Harry went up to him, and salaamed.

"How comes it," the minister asked, "that so fine a young fellow as
you are is content to be peddling goods through the country, when
so well fitted by nature for better things? You should be a
soldier, and a good one. For so young a man, I have never seen a
greater promise of strength.

"It seems to me that your face is not unknown to me. Where do you
come from?"

"From Jooneer, your excellency, where my people are cultivators
but, having no liking for that life, I learned the trade of a
shopkeeper, and obtained permission to travel to your camp, and to
try my fortune in disposing of some of my master's goods."

As Jooneer was but some sixty miles from Toka, the explanation was
natural enough and, as the former town lay near to the main road
from Scindia's dominions in Candeish, it afforded an explanation of
Balloba's partial recognition of his face.

"And as a merchant, you can read and write, I suppose?" the latter
went on.

"Yes, your highness, sufficiently well for my business."

"Well, think it over. You can scarcely find your present life more
suitable to your taste than that of a cultivator, and the army is
the proper place for a young fellow with spirit, and with strength
and muscles such as you have. If you like to enlist in my own
bodyguard, and your conduct be good, I will see that you have such
promotion as you deserve."

"Your excellency is kind, indeed," Harry said, humbly. "Before I
accept your kind offer, will you permit me to return to Jooneer to
account for my sales to my employer, and to obtain permission of my
father to accept your offer; which would indeed be greatly more to
my taste than the selling of goods."

"It is well," Balloba said, and then broke off:

"Ah! I know now why I remember your face. 'Tis the lightness of
your eyes, which are of a colour rarely seen; but somehow or other,
it appears to me that it was not at Jooneer, but at Poona, that I
noticed your face."

"I was at Poona, with my master, when your highness was there,"
Harry said.

"That accounts for it."

The minister touched his horse's flanks with his heel and rode on,
with a thoughtful look on his face. Harry at once joined Wasil.

"Quick, Wasil! There is no time to be lost. Throw the saddle on to
the pony, and make your way out of the camp, at once. Pitch all the
other things into the tent, and close it. If you leave them here,
it will seem strange. Balloba has seen me at Poona, and it is
likely enough that, as he thinks it over, he will remember that it
was in a dress altogether different from this. Go at once to
Sufder. If you get there before me, tell him to mount at once, and
ride fast to meet me."

Two minutes later, everything was prepared; and Wasil, mounting the
pony, rode off, while Harry moved away among the tents. In a quiet
spot, behind one of these, he threw off his upper garments and
stood in the ordinary undress of a Hindoo peasant, having nothing
on but a scanty loincloth. He had scarcely accomplished this when
he heard the trampling of horses; and saw, past the tent, four
troopers ride up to the spot he had just left.

"Where is the trader who keeps this tent?" one of them shouted. "He
is a spy, and we have orders to arrest him."

Harry waited to hear no more, but walked in the opposite direction;
taking care to maintain a leisurely stride, and to avoid all
appearance of haste. Then, going down to the road by the side of
which the bazaar was encamped, he mingled with the crowd there.
Presently, one of the troopers dashed up.

"Has anyone seen a man in the dress of a trader?" and he roughly
described the attire of which Harry had rid himself.

There was a general chorus of denial, from those standing round,
and the trooper again galloped on.

Harry continued his walk at a leisurely pace, stopping occasionally
to look at articles exposed for sale, until he reached the end of
the bazaar. Then he made across the country. Trumpets were blowing
now in the camp, and he had no doubt that Balloba had ordered a
thorough search to be made for him. He did not quicken his pace,
however, until well out of sight; but then he broke into a swinging
trot, for he guessed that, when he was not found in the camp,
parties of cavalry would start to scour the country. He had gone
some four miles when, looking behind him, he saw about twenty
horsemen, far back along the road.

The country here was flat and open, with fields irrigated by canals
running from the Moola, and affording no opportunity for
concealment. Hitherto he had been running well within his powers;
but he now quickened his pace, and ran at full speed. He calculated
that Wasil would have at least half an hour's start of him; and
that, as he would urge the pony to the top of his speed, he would
by this time have joined Sufder; and he was sure that the latter
would not lose an instant before starting to meet him. He had
hesitated, for a moment, whether he should break into a quiet walk
and allow the troopers to overtake him, relying upon the alteration
of his costume; but he reflected that Balloba might have foreseen
that he would change his disguise, and have ordered the arrest of a
young man with curiously light eyes.

Harry had always attempted to conceal this feature, as far as
possible, by staining his eyelashes a deep black; but when he
looked up, the colour of his eyes could hardly fail to strike
anyone specially noticing them.

His constant exercise as a boy had given him great swiftness of
foot, and the year passed as a shikaree had added to his endurance
and speed and, divested of clothing as he was, he felt sure that
the horsemen, who were more than a mile in his rear when he first
caught sight of them, would not overtake him for some time. He was
running, as he knew, for life; for he was certain that, if caught,
Balloba would have him at once put to death as a spy. Although
hardy and of great endurance, the Mahratta horses, which were small
in size, were not accustomed to being put to the top of their speed
except for a short charge; and the five miles that they had
galloped already must have, to some extent, fatigued them.

After running at the top of his speed for about a mile, he looked
back. The party was still a long distance in his rear. Again he
pressed forward, but his exertions were telling upon him and,
before he had gone another half mile, the Mahrattas had approached
within little more than half that distance.

Far ahead he thought he could perceive a body of horsemen, but
these were nearly two miles away, and he would be overtaken before
they could reach him; therefore he turned suddenly off, and took to
one of the little banks dividing one irrigated field from another.
As soon as the horsemen reached the spot where he had left the
road, they too turned off; but Harry, who was now husbanding his
strength, saw a sudden confusion among them.

The little bank of earth on which he was running was but a foot
wide, and was softened by the water which soaked in from both
sides. It could bear his weight, well enough; but not that of a
mounted man. Only one or two had attempted to follow it, the others
had plunged into the field. Here their horses at once sank up to
the knees. Some endeavoured to force the animals on, others to
regain the road they had quitted. The two horsemen on the bank were
making better progress, but their horses' hoofs sank deeply in the
soft earth; and their pace, in spite of the exertions of the
riders, was but a slow one.

Harry turned when he came to the end of the field, and followed
another bank at right angles, and was therefore now running in the
right direction. He was more than keeping his lead from the
foremost of his pursuers Some of the others galloped along the
road, parallel to him, but ahead.

The horsemen he had first seen were now within a mile. On they
came, at the top of their speed; and the troopers on the road
halted, not knowing whether this body were friends or foes, while
those on the bank reined in their horses, and rode back to join
their comrades. Harry continued to run till he came to another bank
leading to the road and, following this, he arrived there just as
Sufder galloped up with his party, one of the troopers leading his
horse. They gave a shout of welcome, as he came up.

"I thought it must be you," Sufder said, "from the way you ran,
rather than from your attire. Shall we charge those fellows?"

"I think not," Harry said. "In the first place Scindia has not, as
yet, declared war against Nana and Bajee; in the second, there may
be more men coming on behind; therefore it will be best to leave
them alone though, if they attack us, we shall, of course, defend
ourselves."

"I think that is their intention, Puntojee. See, they have gathered
together! I suppose they daren't go back, and say that you have
escaped."

"Give me either your sword or spear."

The latter was part of the regular equipment of the Mahratta
horsemen. Sufder handed him his sword and, as the pursuers advanced
towards them at a canter which speedily became a gallop, he took
his place by the side of Sufder and, the latter giving the word,
the band dashed forward to meet their opponents.

The combat was a short one. Sufder's followers were all picked men,
and were better mounted than Scindia's troopers. These made special
efforts to get at Harry, but the latter's skill with the sword
enabled him to free himself from his most pressing opponents.
Sufder laid about him stoutly and, his men seconding him well, half
their opponents were speedily struck to the ground; and the rest,
turning their horses, fled at full speed. Sufder's men would have
followed, but he shouted to them to draw rein.

"Enough has been done, and well done," he said. "If Scindia means
war, nothing will be said about this fight; but if he does not,
complaints will doubtless be laid against us, and it is better that
we should be able to say that we fought only in self defence; and
that, when the attack ceased, we allowed them to ride off
unmolested, though we might easily enough have slain the whole of
them."

On arriving at the grove where the troop had halted, Harry at once
resumed his own clothes; for although in his early days he had been
accustomed to be slightly clad, he felt ill at ease riding almost
naked. Here, too, he found Wasil, who had ridden with such speed
that his pony was too much exhausted for him to ride back with the
rest. He received his master with the greatest joy, for he had
feared he would be captured before leaving the camp.

They continued their journey to Jooneer, where they halted for the
night. Sufder went to his house, and Harry rode out to the farm.



Chapter 4: A British Resident.


As Harry drew rein at the farm Soyera ran out, followed by her
brother and Anundee, with cries of joy at his unexpected return. It
was nearly fifteen months since she had last seen him; though he
had, when opportunity offered, sent messages to her assuring her
that he was well, and hoped ere long to be able to come over to see
her.

"I should scarce have known you," she said, "in those fine clothes
of yours. You sent word that you were an officer in the Peishwa's
service; but I hardly thought that you could be so much changed.
You have grown a great deal, and are now much taller than Ramdass's
sons."

The worthy farmer and Anundee were also delighted to see him.

"How long are you going to stay?" the former asked.

"Only till tomorrow, at daybreak. I have to ride forward, with all
haste, to Poona; for I have been on a mission for Nana Furnuwees."

"Surely it is not so important that you cannot stay a few hours,
Puntojee?"

"It is of importance. You may have known that Nana has placed Bajee
Rao on the musnud, and he has installed himself as his minister;
thereby defeating the plans of Balloba and Scindia, who will
probably come along here with their whole force, in a day or two."

Late that evening, when the others had retired to bed, Soyera and
Harry had a long talk together.

"Have you thought, Harry," she asked, after speaking for some time
about his doings and position at court, "of joining your people
again? There is peace between the Peishwa's court and the English.
There is a British Resident at Poona and, as you have now gained a
certain rank there, you could go to him with a much better face
than if you had come direct from here, as a peasant. Then it would
probably have been supposed that you were an impostor. That you
were English, of course could be seen by your skin; but it might
have been thought that I had adopted some English child, and was
now trying to pass it off as the son of an officer."

"I think, mother, that I had best continue, for some time, as I am.
You see I have, at present, nothing in common with the English
except their blood. Were another war to break out between the
Mahrattas and Bombay, I would at once declare myself to the
Resident here, and go down to Bombay but, even then, my position
would be a doubtful one and, unless I were to enlist in their army,
I do not see how I should maintain myself.

"Moreover, you must remember that I have now a deep interest in
matters here. Nana Furnuwees has treated me with much kindness, and
placed his confidence in me. He has many enemies, as I have told
you. Scindia is about to advance against Poona, and it is probable
that he may succeed in driving Nana into exile, or imprisoning him
for life; and establishing Balloba, or some other person devoted to
his interest, as minister, in which case Scindia would be
absolutely supreme. Nothing would persuade me to desert Nana; who
has, for many years, alone withstood the ambition of Scindia's
party. I do not say, for a moment, that my aid would be of the
slightest use to him but, at any rate, he shall see that I am not
ungrateful for his kindness; and will be faithful to him in his
misfortunes, as he has been kind to me, when in power."

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