Chapter 4: First Impressions.
The next morning Dick was up early, eager to investigate the palace,of which he had seen little the night before. The house was large andhandsome, the Rajah having added to it gradually, every year. Onpassing the doors, the great hall was at once entered. Its roof, ofelaborately carved stones, was supported by two rows of pillars withsculptured capitals. The floor was made of inlaid marble, and at oneend was raised a foot above the general level. Here stood a stonechair, on which the Rajah sat when he adjudicated upon disputes amonghis people, heard petitions, and gave audiences; while a massive dooron the left-hand side gave entrance to the private apartments. Thesewere all small, in comparison with the entrance hall. The walls werelined with marble slabs, richly carved, and were dimly lighted bywindows, generally high up in the walls, which were of greatthickness. The marble floors were covered with thick rugs, and eachroom had its divan, with soft cushions and rich shawls and covers.
The room in which they had supped the night before was the onlyexception. This had been specially furnished and decorated, in Englishfashion. The windows here were low, and afforded a view over thegarden. Next to it were several apartments, all fitted with divans,but with low windows and a bright outlook. They could be darkened,during the heat of the day, by shutters. With the exception of thesewindows, the others throughout the house contained no glass, the lightentering through innumerable holes that formed a filigree work in thethin slabs of stone that filled the orifices.
The grounds round the palace were thickly planted with trees, whichconstituted a grove rather than a garden, according to Dick's Englishnotions. This was, indeed, the great object of the planter, andnumerous fountains added to the effect of the overhanging foliage.
Dick wandered about, delighted. Early as it was, men with water skinswere at work among the clumps of flowers and shrubs, that covered theground wherever there was a break among the trees. Here and there weresmall pavilions, whose roofs of sculptured stone were supported byshafts of marble. The foliage of shrubs and trees alike was new toDick, and the whole scene delighted him. Half an hour later, his twocousins joined him.
"We wondered what had become of you," Doast said, "and should not havefound you, if Rajbullub had not told us that he saw you come out here.
"Come in, now. Coffee is ready. We always have coffee the first thing,except in very hot weather, when we have fruit sherbet. After that weride or shoot till the sun gets hot, and then come in to the morningmeal, at ten."
On going in, Dick found that his mother and the ranee were both up,and they all sat down to what Dick considered a breakfast, consistingof coffee and a variety of fruit and bread. One or two dishes of meatwere also handed round, but were taken away untouched.
"Now come out to the stables, Dick," the Rajah said. "Anwar, theofficer who commanded the escort, will meet us there. He will be yourinstructor."
The stables were large. The horses were fastened to rings along eachside, and were not, as in England, separated from each other bystalls. A small stone trough, with running water, was fixed againsteach wall at a convenient height, and beneath this was a pile offodder before each horse.
"This is the one that I have chosen for you," the Rajah said, stoppingbefore a pretty creature, that possessed a considerable proportion ofArab blood, as was shown by its small head. "It is very gentle andwell trained, and is very fast. When you have got perfectly at easeupon it, you shall have something more difficult to sit, until you areable to ride any horse in the stable, bare backed. Murad is to be yourown property, as long as you are out here."
A syce led the horse out. It was bridled but unsaddled, and Anwar gavea few instructions to Dick, and then said:
"I will help you up, but in a short time you will learn to vault on tohis back, without any assistance. See! you gather your reins so, inyour left hand, place your right hand on its shoulder, and then springup."
"I can do that now," Dick laughed, and, placing his hand on thehorse's shoulder, he lightly vaulted into his seat.
"Well done, Dick," the Rajah said, while the two boys, who had beenlooking on with amused faces, clapped their hands.
"Now, Sahib," Anwar went on, "you must let your legs hang easily.Press with your knees, and let your body sway slightly with themovement of the horse. Balance yourself, rather than try to hold on."
"I understand," Dick said. "It is just as you do on board ship, whenshe is rolling a bit. Let go the reins."
For half an hour the horse proceeded, at a walk, along the road thatwound in and out through the park-like grounds.
"I begin to feel quite at home," Dick said, at the end of that time."I should like to go a bit faster now. It is no odds if I do tumbleoff."
"Shake your rein a little. The horse will understand it," Anwar said.
Dick did so, and Murad at once started at a gentle canter. Easy as itwas, Dick thought several times that he would be off. However, hegripped as tightly as he could with his knees, and as he becameaccustomed to the motion, and learned to give to it, acquired ease andconfidence. He was not, however, sorry when, at the end of anotherhalf hour, Anwar held up his hand as he approached him, and the horsestopped at the slightest touch of the rein.
As he slid off, his legs felt as if they did not belong to him, andhis back ached so that he could scarce straighten it. The Rajah andhis sons had returned to the palace, and the boys were there waitingfor him.
"You have done very well, cousin," Doast said, with grave approval."You will not be long before you can ride as well as we can. Now youhad better go up at once and have a bath, and put on fresh clothes."
Dick felt that the advice was good, as, bathed in perspiration, andstiff and sore in every limb, he slowly made his way to his room.
For the next month, he spent the greater part of his time onhorseback. For the first week he rode only in the grounds of thepalace; then he ventured beyond, accompanied by Anwar on horseback;then his two cousins joined the party; and, by the end of the month,he was perfectly at home on Murad's back.
So far, he had not begun to practise shooting.
"It would be of no use," the Rajah said, when he one day spoke of it."You want your nerves in good order for that, and it requires an oldhorseman to have his hand steady enough for shooting straight, after ahard ride. Your rides are not severe for a horseman, but they aretrying for you. Leave the shooting alone, lad. There is no hurry forit."
By this time, the Rajah had become convinced that it was useless totry and dissuade either his sister or Dick from attempting theenterprise for which they had come over. Possibly, the earnestconviction of the former that her husband was still alive influencedhim to some extent, and the strength and activity of Dick showed himthat he was able to play the part of a man. He said little, butwatched the boy closely, made him go through trials of strength withsome of his troopers, and saw him practise with blunted swords withothers. Dick did well in both trials, and the Rajah then requestedAnwar, who was celebrated for his skill with the tulwar, to give him,daily, half-an-hour's sword play, after his riding lesson. He himselfundertook to teach him to use the rifle and pistol.
Dick threw himself into his work with great ardour, and in a veryshort time could sit any horse in the stable, and came to use a rifleand pistol with an amount of accuracy that surprised his youngcousins.
"The boy is getting on wonderfully well," the Rajah said one day tohis sister. "His exercises have given him so much nerve, and so steadya hand, that he already shoots very fairly. I should expect him togrow up into a fine man, Margaret, were it not that I have the gravestfears as to this mad enterprise, which I cannot help telling you, bothfor your good and his, is, in my opinion, absolutely hopeless."
"I know, Mortiz," she said, "that you think it is folly, on my part,to cling to hope; and while I do not disguise from myself that therewould seem but small chance that my husband has survived, and that Ican give no reason for my faith in his still being alive, and myconfidence that he will be restored to me some d
ay, I have so firm aconviction that nothing will shake it. Why should I have such aconfidence, if it were not well founded? In my dreams, I always seehim alive, and I believe firmly that I dream of him so often, becausehe is thinking of me.
"When he was at sea, several times I felt disturbed and anxious,though without any reason for doing so; and each time, on his return,I found, when we compared dates, that his ship was battling with atempest at the time I was so troubled about him. I remember that, thefirst time this happened, he laughed at me; but when, upon two otheroccasions, it turned out so, he said:
"'There are things we do not understand, Margaret. You know that, inScotland, there are many who believe in second sight, as it is called;and that there are families there, and they say in Ireland, also,where a sort of warning is given of the death of a member of thefamily. We sailors are a superstitious people, and believe in thingsthat landsmen laugh at. It does not seem to me impossible that, whentwo people love each other dearly, as we do, one may feel when theother is in danger, or may be conscious of his death. It may be saidthat such things seldom happen; but that is no proof that they neverdo so, for some people may be more sensitive to such feelings orimpressions than others, and you may be one of them.
"'There is one thing, Margaret. The fact that you have somehow feltwhen I was in trouble should cheer you, when I am away, for if meredanger should so affect you, surely you will know should death befallme; and as long as you do not feel that, you may be sure that I shallreturn safe and sound to you.'
"Now, I believe that firmly. I was once troubled--so troubled, that,for two or three days, I was ill--and so convinced was I thatsomething had happened to Jack, and yet that he was not dead, thatwhen, nigh two years afterwards, Ben came home, and I learned that itwas on the day of the wreck of his ship that I had so suffered, I wasnot in the least surprised. Since then, I have more than once had thesame feelings, and have always been sure that, at the time, Jack wasin special danger; but I have never once felt that he was dead, neveronce thought so, and am as certain that he is still alive as if I sawhim sitting in the chair opposite to me, for I firmly believe that,did he die, I should see his spirit, or that, at any rate, I shouldknow for certain that he had gone.
"So whatever you say, though reason may be altogether on your side, itwill not shake my confidence, one bit. I know that Jack is alive, andI believe firmly, although of this I am not absolutely sure, that hewill, someday, be restored to me."
"You did not tell me this before, Margaret," the Rajah said, "and whatyou say goes for much, with me. Here in India there are many who, asis said, possess this power that you call second sight. Certainly,some of the Fakirs do. I have heard many tales of warnings they havegiven, and these have always come true. I will not try, in future, todamp your confidence; and will hope, with you, that your husband mayyet be restored to you."
One evening, Dick remarked:
"You said down at Madras, Uncle, that you would, someday, tell meabout the invasion by Hyder Ali. Will you tell me about it, now?"
The Rajah nodded. His sons took their seats at his feet, and Dickcurled himself up on the divan, by his side.
"You must know," the Rajah began, "that the war was really the resultof the intrigues of Sir Thomas Rumbold, the governor of Madras, andhis council. In the first place, they had seriously angered the Nizam.The latter had taken a French force into his service, which theEnglish had compelled Basult Jung to dismiss; and Madras sent anofficer to his court, with instructions to remonstrate with him for sodoing. At the same time, they gave him notice that they should nolonger pay to him the tribute they had agreed upon, for the territorycalled the Northern Circars. This would have led to war, but theBengal government promptly interfered, cancelled altogether thedemands made by the Madras government, and for the time patched up thequarrel. The Nizam professed to be satisfied, but he saw that troublemight arise when the English were more prepared to enforce theirdemands. He therefore entered into negotiations with Hyder Ali and theMahrattis for an alliance, whose object was the entire expulsion ofthe British from India.
"The Mahrattis from Poonah were to operate against Bombay; those inCentral India and the north were to make incursions into Bengal; theNizam was to invade the Northern Circars; and Hyder was to direct hisforce against Madras. Hyder at once began to collect military stores,and obtained large quantities from the French at Mahe, a town theystill retain, on the Malabar coast.
"The Madras government prepared to attack Mahe, when Hyder informedthem that the settlements of the Dutch, French, and English on theMalabar coast, being situated within his territory, were equallyentitled to his protection; and that, if Mahe were attacked, he shouldretaliate by an incursion into the province of Arcot. In spite of thisthreat, Mahe was captured. Hyder for a time remained quiet, but theMadras government gave him fresh cause for offence by sending a force,in August, 1779, to the assistance of Basult Jung at Adoni.
"To get there, this detachment had to pursue a route which led, fortwo hundred miles, through the most difficult passes, and through theterritories both of the Nizam and Hyder. The Council altogetherignored the expressed determination, of both these princes, to opposethe march, and did not even observe the civility of informing themthat they were going to send troops through their territory.
"I do not say, Dick, that this made any real difference, in the end.The alliance between the three native Powers being made, it wascertain that war would break out shortly. Still, had it not been fortheir folly, in giving Hyder and the Nizam a reasonable excuse forentering upon hostilities, it might have been deferred until theMadras government was better prepared to meet the storm.
"The Bengal government, fortunately, again stepped in and undid atleast a part of the evil. It took the entire management of affairs outof the hands of Rumbold's council; and its action was confirmed by theBoard of Directors, who censured all the proceedings, dismissed SirThomas Rumbold and his two chief associates from the Council, andsuspended other members.
"The prompt and conciliatory measures, taken by the Bengal government,appeased the resentment felt by the Nizam, and induced him to withdrawfrom the Confederacy. Hyder, however, was bent upon war, and theimbecile government here took no steps, whatever, to meet the storm.The commissariat was entirely neglected, they had no transport trainwhatever, and the most important posts were left without a garrison.
"It was towards the end of June that we received the news that Hyderhad left his capital at the head of an army of ninety thousand men, ofwhom twenty-eight thousand were cavalry. He attempted no disguise asto his object, and moved, confident in his power, to conquer theCarnatic and drive the English into the sea.
"My father had already made his preparations. Everything was inreadiness, and as soon as the news reached him, he started for Madras,under the guard of his escort, with my mother and myself, most of thetraders of the town, and the landowners, who had gathered here in fearand trembling.
"It was a painful scene, as you may imagine, and I shall never forgetthe terrified crowds in the streets, and the wailing of the women.Many families who then left reached Madras in safety, but of those whoremained in the town, all are dead, or prisoners beyond the hills.Hyder descended through the pass of Changama on the 20th of July, andhis horsemen spread out like a cloud over the country, burning,devastating, and slaughtering. Hyder moved with the main army slowly,occupying town after town, and placing garrisons in them.
"You must not suppose that he devastated the whole country. He was toowise for that. He anticipated reigning over it as its sovereign, andhad no wish to injure its prosperity. It was only over tracts where heconsidered that devastation would hamper the movements of an Englisharmy, that everything was laid waste.
"On the 21st of August he invested Arcot, and a week later, hearingthat the British army had moved out from Madras, he broke up the siegeand advanced to meet them. Sir Hector Munro, the British general, wasno doubt brave, but he committed a terrible blunder. Instead ofmarching to combine his force with
that of Colonel Baillie, who wascoming down from Guntoor, he marched in the opposite direction toConjeveram, sending word to Colonel Baillie to follow him. Baillie'sforce amounted to over two thousand eight hundred men, Munro's to fivethousand two hundred. Had they united, the force would have exceededeight thousand, and could have given battle to Hyder's immense armywith fair hope of success. The English have won, before now, withgreater odds against them.
"My father had marched out with his cavalry, one hundred and fiftystrong, with Munro. Of course, I was with him, and it was to him thatthe English general gave the despatch to carry to Colonel Baillie. Werode hard, for at any moment Hyder's cavalry might swoop down and barthe road; but we got through safely, and the next morning, the 24th,Baillie started.
"The encampment was within twenty-five miles of Madras, and with onelong forced march, we could have effected a junction with Munro. Theheat was tremendous, and Baillie halted that night on the bank of theRiver Cortelour. The bed was dry, and my father urged him to crossbefore halting. The colonel replied that the men were too exhausted tomove farther, and that, as he would the next day be able to joinMunro, it mattered not on which side of the river he encamped.
"That night the river rose, and for ten days we were unable to cross.On the 4th of September we got over; but by that time Tippoo, withfive thousand picked infantry, six thousand horse, six heavy guns, anda large body of irregulars, detached by Hyder to watch us, barred theway.
"Colonel Baillie, finding that there was no possibility of reachingConjeveram without fighting, took up a position at a village, and onthe 6th was attacked by Tippoo. The action lasted three hours, andalthough the enemy were four times more numerous than we were, theEnglish beat off the attacks. We were not engaged, for againstTippoo's large cavalry force our few horsemen could do nothing, andwere therefore forced to remain in the rear of the British line. Butthough Colonel Baillie had beaten off the attacks made on him, he feltthat he was not strong enough to fight his way to Conjeveram, whichwas but fourteen miles distant; and he therefore wrote to Sir HectorMunro, to come to his assistance.
"For three days Sir Hector did nothing, but on the evening of the 8thhe sent off a force, composed of the flank companies of the regimentswith him. These managed to make their way past the forces both ofHyder and Tippoo, and reached us without having to fire a shot.
"Their arrival brought our force up to over three thousand sevenhundred men. Had Munro made a feigned attack upon Hyder, and soprevented him from moving to reinforce Tippoo, we could have gotthrough without much difficulty. But he did nothing; and Hyder, seeingthe utter incapacity of the man opposed to him, moved off with hiswhole army and guns to join his son.
"Our force set out as soon as it was dark, on the evening of the 9th;but the moment we started, we were harassed by the enemy's irregulars.The march was continued for five or six miles, our position becomingmore and more serious, and at last Colonel Baillie took the fatalresolution of halting till morning, instead of taking advantage of thedarkness to press forward. At daybreak, fifty guns opened on us. Ourten field pieces returned the fire, until our ammunition wasexhausted. No orders were issued by the colonel, who had completelylost his head; so that our men were mowed down by hundreds, until atlast the enemy poured down and slaughtered them relentlessly.
"We did not see the end of the conflict. When the colonel gave theorders to halt, my father said to me:
"'This foolish officer will sacrifice all our lives. Does he thinkthat three thousand men can withstand one hundred thousand, with agreat number of guns? We will go while we can. We can do no goodhere.'
"We mounted our horses and rode off. In the darkness, we came suddenlyupon a body of Tippoo's horsemen, but dashed straight at them and cutour way through, but with the loss of half our force, and did not drawrein until we reached Madras.
"The roar of battle had been heard at Conjeveram, and the fury andindignation in the camp, at the desertion of Colonel Baillie'sdetachment, was so great that the general at last gave orders to marchto their assistance. When his force arrived within two miles of thescene of conflict, the cessation of fire showed that it was too late,and that Baillie's force was well-nigh annihilated. Munro retired toConjeveram, and at three o'clock the next morning retreated, with theloss of all his heavy guns and stores, to Madras.
"The campaign only lasted twenty-one days, and was marked by almostincredible stupidity and incapacity on the part of the two Englishcommanders. We remained at Madras. My father determined that he wouldtake no more share in the fighting until some English general,possessing the courage and ability that had always beforedistinguished them, took the command. In the meantime, Hydersurrounded and captured Arcot, after six weeks' delay, and then laidsiege to Amboor, Chingleput, and Wandiwash.
"In November Sir Eyre Coote arrived from England and took the command.Confidence was at once restored, for he was a fine old soldier, andhad been engaged in every struggle in India from the time of Clive;but with the whole country in the hands of Hyder, it was impossible toobtain draft animals or carts, and it was not until the middle ofJanuary that he was able to move. On the 19th he reached Chingleput,and on the 20th sent off a thousand men to obtain possession of thefort of Carangooly. It was a strong place, and the works had beenadded to by Hyder, who had placed there a garrison of seven hundredmen. The detachment would not have been sent against it, had not newsbeen obtained, on the way, that the garrison had fallen back toChingleput.
"Our troop of cavalry went with the detachment, as my father knew thecountry well. To the surprise of Captain Davis, who was in command, wefound the garrison on the walls.
"'What do you think, Rajah?' Captain Davis, who was riding by hisside, asked. 'My orders were that I was to take possession of theplace, but it was supposed that I should find it empty.'
"'I should say that you had better try, with or without orders,' myfather replied. 'The annihilation of Baillie's force, and themiserable retreat of Munro, have made a terribly bad impressionthrough the country, and a success is sorely needed to raise thespirits of our friends.'
"'We will do it,' Captain Davis said, and called up a few Englishengineers, and a company of white troops he had with him, and orderedthem to blow in the gate.
"My father volunteered to follow close behind them, with hisdismounted cavalry, and, when the word was given, forward we went. Itwas hot work, I can tell you. The enemy's guns swept the road, andtheir musketry kept up an incessant roar. Many fell, but we kept onuntil close to the gate, and then the white troops opened fire uponHyder's men on the walls, so as to cover the sappers, who were fixingthe powder bags.
"They soon ran back to us. There was a great explosion, and the gatesfell. With loud shouts we rushed forward into the fort; and closebehind us came the Sepoys, led by Captain Davis.
"It took some sharp fighting before we overcame the resistance of thegarrison, who fought desperately, knowing well enough that, after themassacre of Baillie's force, little quarter would be given them. TheBritish loss was considerable, and twenty of my father's littlecompany were among the killed. Great stores of provisions were foundhere, and proved most useful to the army.
"The news, of the capture of Carangooly, so alarmed the besiegers ofWandiwash that they at once raised the siege, and retreated; and, onthe following day, Sir Eyre Coote and his force arrived there. It wasa curious thing that, on the same day of the same month, Sir EyreCoote had, twenty-one years before, raised the siege of Wandiwash by avictory over the army that was covering the operation. Wandiwash hadbeen nobly defended by a young lieutenant named Flint, who had madehis way in through the enemy's lines, a few hours before thetreacherous native officer in command had arranged with Hyder tosurrender it, and, taking command, had repulsed every attack, and hadeven made a sortie.
"There was now a long pause. Having no commissariat train, Sir EyreCoote was forced to make for the seashore, and, though hotly followedby Hyder, reached Cuddalore. A French fleet off the coast, however,prevented provisions being sent to h
im, and, even after the French hadretired, the Madras government were so dilatory in forwarding suppliesthat the army was reduced to the verge of starvation.
"It was not until the middle of June that a movement was possible,owing to the want of carriage. The country inland had been swept bareby Hyder, and, on leaving Cuddalore, Sir Eyre Coote was obliged tofollow the seacoast. When he arrived at Porto Novo, the army wasdelighted to find a British fleet there, and scarcely less pleased tohear that Lord Macartney had arrived as governor of Madras.
"Hyder's army had taken up a strong position, between the camp andCuddalore, and Sir Eyre Coote determined to give him battle. Fourdays' rice was landed from the fleet, and with this scanty supply intheir knapsacks, the troops marched out to attack Hyder. We formedpart of the baggage guard and had, therefore, an excellent opportunityof seeing the fight. The march was by the sea. The infantry moved inorder of battle, in two lines. After going for some distance, we couldsee the enemy's position plainly. It was a very strong one. On itsright was high ground, on which were numerous batteries, which wouldtake us in flank as we advanced, and their line extended from theseheights to the sand hills by the shore.
"They had thrown up several batteries, and might, for aught we knew,have many guns hidden on the high ground on either flank. An hour wasspent in reconnoitring the enemy's position, during which they kept upan incessant cannonade, to which the English field guns attempted noreply. To me, and the officers of this troop, it seemed impossiblethat any force could advance to the attack of Hyder's position withoutbeing literally swept away by the crossfire that would be opened uponit; but when I expressed my fears, my father said:
"'No; you will see no repetition of that terrible affair withBaillie's column. The English have now got a commander who knows hisbusiness, and when that is the case, there is never any fear as towhat the result will be. I grant that the lookout seems desperate.Hyder has all the advantage of a very strong position, a very powerfulartillery, and has six or seven to one in point of numbers; but forall that, I firmly believe that, before night, you will see us inpossession of those hills, and Hyder's army in full flight.'
"Presently, we saw a movement. The two lines of infantry formed intocolumns, and instead of advancing towards Hyder's position, turneddown towards the sea, and marched along between it and the sand hills.We were at the same time set in motion, and kept along between theinfantry and the sea, so as to be under their protection, if Hyder'scavalry should sweep down. All his preparations had been made underthe supposition that we should advance by the main road to Cuddalore,and this movement entirely disconcerted his plans. The sand hillscompletely protected our advancing columns, and when they had reacheda point almost in line with Hyder's centre, the artillery dashed up tothe crest of the hills, and the first column passed through a break inthem, and moved forward against the enemy, the guns above clearing away for them.
"A short halt was made, until the artillery of the second line cameup, and also took their position on the hill. Then the first column,with its guns, moved forward again.
"Hyder had, in the meantime, moved back his line and batteries into aposition at right angles to that they had before occupied, and facingthe passage through the sand hills by which the English wereadvancing. As soon as the column issued from the valley, a tremendousfire was poured upon it, but it again formed into line of battle, and,covered by the fire of the artillery, moved forward.
"It was a grand sight. My father and I had left the baggage, whichremained by the sea, and had ridden up on to a sand hill, from whichwe had a view of the whole of the battleground. It was astonishing tosee the line of English infantry advancing, under that tremendousfire, against the rising ground occupied by the dense masses of theenemy.
"Presently there was a movement opposite, and a vast body of cavalrymoved down the slope. As they came the red English line suddenly brokeup, and, as if by magic, a number of small squares, surrounded byglistening bayonets, appeared where it had stood.
"Down rode Hyder's cavalry. Every gun on our side was turned uponthem. But though we could see the confusion in the ranks, caused bythe shot that swept them, they kept on. It seemed that the little redpatches must be altogether overwhelmed by the advancing wave. But asit came closer, flashes of fire spurted out from the faces of thesquares. We could see the horses recoil when close to the bayonets,and then the stream poured through the intervals between the squares.As they did so, crackling volleys broke out, while from the batterieson the sand hills an incessant fire was kept up upon them. Then,following the volleys, came the incessant rattle of musketry. Theconfusion among the cavalry grew greater and greater. Regiments weremixed up together, and their very numbers impeded their action. Manygallant fellows, detaching themselves from the mass, rode bravely atthe squares, and died on the bayonets; others huddled together,confused and helpless against the storm of bullets and shot; and atlast, as if with a sudden impulse, they rode off in all directions,and, sweeping round, regained their position in the rear of theirinfantry, while loud cheers broke from our side.
"The squares again fell into line, which, advancing steadily, droveHyder's infantry before it. As this was going on, a strong force ofinfantry and cavalry, with guns, was moved round by Hyder to fall onthe British rear. These, however, were met by the second line, whichhad hitherto remained in reserve, and after fierce fighting weredriven back along the sand hills. But, as they were retiring, the mainbody of Hyder's cavalry moved round to support the attack. Fortunatelya British schooner, which had sailed from Porto Novo when the troopsstarted, had anchored near the shore to give what protection she couldto the baggage, and now opened fire with her guns upon the cavalry, asthey rode along between the sand hills and the sea; and with sucheffect that they halted and wavered; and when two of the batteries onthe sand hills also opened fire upon them, they fell back in haste.
"This was Hyder's last effort. The British line continued to advance,until it had gained all the positions occupied by the enemy, and thesewere soon in headlong flight; Hyder himself, who had been almostforced by his attendants to leave the ground, being with them. It wasa wonderful victory. The English numbered but 8,476 men, of whom 306were killed or wounded. Hyder's force was about 65,000, and his losswas not less than 10,000.
"The victory had an immense effect in restoring the confidence of theEnglish troops, which had been greatly shaken by the misfortunescaused by the incapacity of Munro and Baillie. But it had no otherconsequences, for want of carriage, and a deficiency of provisions andequipment, prevented Sir Eyre Coote from taking the offensive, and hewas obliged to confine himself to capturing a few forts near thecoast.
"On the 27th of August the armies met again, Hyder having chosen thescene of his victory over Baillie's force to give battle, believingthe position to be a fortunate one for himself. Hyder had now beenjoined by Tippoo, who had not been present at the last battle, and hisforce numbered 80,000 men, while the English were 11,000 strong.
"I did not see the battle, as we were, at the time, occupied inescorting a convoy of provisions from Madras. The fight was muchbetter contested than the previous battle had been. Hyder was wellacquainted with the ground, and made skilful use of his opportunities,by fortifying all the points at which he could be attacked. The fightlasted eight hours. At last Sir Eyre Coote's first division turned theenemy's left flank, by the capture of the village of Pillalore; whilehis second turned their right, and Hyder was obliged to fall back. Butthis was done in good order, and the enemy claimed that it was a drawnbattle. This, however, was not the case, as the English, at night,encamped on the position occupied by Hyder in the morning.
"Still, the scandalous mismanagement at Madras continued to crippleus. But, learning from the commandant at Vellore that, unless he wererelieved, he would be driven to surrender for want of provisions, SirEyre Coote marched to his help. He met the enemy on the way. Hyder wastaken by surprise, and was moving off when the English arrived. Inorder to give his infantry time to march away, he hurled the whole
ofhis cavalry against the English. Again and again they charged down,with the greatest bravery, and although the batteries swept theirranks with grape, and the squares received them with deadly volleys,they persevered until Tippoo had carried off his infantry and guns;and then, having lost five thousand men, followed him. The Englishthen moved on towards Vellore. Hyder avoided another encounter, andVellore was relieved. Sir Eyre Coote handed over, to its commandant,almost the whole of the provisions carried by the army, and, havingthus supplied the garrison with sufficient food for six weeks, marchedback to Madras, his troops suffering greatly from famine on the way.
"Nothing took place during the winter, except that Sir Eyre Cooteagain advanced and revictualled Vellore. In March a French fleetarrived off the coast, landed a force of three thousand men to assistHyder, and informed him that a much larger division was on its way.Fortunately, this did not arrive, many of the ships being captured bythe English on their way out. In the course of the year there wereseveral fights, but none of any consequence, and things remained inthe same state until the end of the year, when, on the 7th ofDecember, Hyder died, and Tippoo was proclaimed his successor.
"Bussy arrived with fresh reinforcements from France in April, andtook the command of Hyder's French contingent, and in June there was abattle between him and a force commanded by General Stuart, thesuccessor to Sir Eyre Coote, who had been obliged to resign from illhealth, and who had died in the spring.
"The French position was a very strong one, and was protected bynumerous field works. The battle was the most sanguinary fought duringthe war, considering the numbers engaged. The English carried aportion of the works, and captured fourteen guns, and, as the Frenchretired during the night, were able to claim a victory. Their loss,however, was over a thousand, while that of the French was not morethan a third of that number.
"During that year there was little fighting down here. A Bombay force,however, under the command of General Matthews, captured Bednore; butTippoo hastened against him with a great force, besieged Bednore, andforced it to surrender, after a desperate defence. Tippoo violated theterms of capitulation, and made the defenders prisoners. Bangalore wasnext besieged by him, but resisted for nearly nine months, and onlysurrendered in January, 1784.
"Tippoo had, by this time, lost the services of his Frenchauxiliaries, as England and France had made peace at home.Negotiations between Tippoo and the English went on till March, when atreaty was signed. By its provisions, Tippoo should have handed backall his prisoners. He murdered large numbers of them, but 1000 Britishsoldiers, and 1600 Sepoys obtained their liberty. No one knows howmany were retained of the number, calculated at 200,000, of nativescarried off from the countries overrun by Hyder's troops. Only 2000were released.
"More British would doubtless have been freed, had it not been for thescandalous cowardice of the three men sent up, as Britishcommissioners, to Tippoo. They were treated with the greatest insultand contempt by him, and, in fear of their lives, were too glad toaccept the prisoners he chose to hand over, without troublingthemselves in the slightest about the rest, whom they basely desertedand left to their fate."