The next year passed peacefully, and was an unusually quiet time in India. That Tippoo intended to renew the war, as soon as he was able, was well known to the government, and one of its chief objects of solicitude4 was the endeavour to counteract5 the secret negotiations6 that were constantly going on between him, the Nizam, and the Mahrattis.
Tippoo was known to have sent confidential7 messengers to all the great princes of India--even to the ruler of Afghanistan--inviting them to join the confederacy of the Mahrattis, the Nizam, and himself, to drive the English out of India altogether. Still greater cause for uneasiness was the alliance that Tippoo had endeavoured to make with the French, who, as he had learned, had gained great successes in Europe; and, believing from their account that their country was much stronger than England, he had sent envoys8 to the Mauritius, to propose an offensive and defensive9 alliance against England. The envoys had been politely received, and some of them had proceeded to France, where Tippoo's proposal had been accepted. They committed France, indeed, to nothing, as she was already at war with England; but the French were extremely glad to embrace the proposal of Tippoo, as they overrated his power, and believed that he would prove a formidable opponent to the English, and would necessitate10 the employment of additional troops and ships there, and so weaken England's power at home. To confirm the alliance, some sixty or seventy Frenchmen, mostly adventurers, were sent from the Mauritius as civil and military officers.
Tippoo's council had been strongly opposed to this step on his part. They had pointed11 out to him that their alliance, with a power at war with the English, would render war between the English and him inevitable12; and that France was not in a position to aid them in any way. The only benefit, indeed, that he could gain, was the possibility that the fourteen thousand French troops, in the service of the Nizam, might revolt and come over to him; but even this was doubtful, as these were not troops belonging to the French government, but an independent body, raised and officered by adventurers, who might not be willing to imperil their own position, and interests, by embarking13 on a hazardous14 war at the orders of a far-distant government.
These events happened soon after Dick's return, but nothing was generally known of what was passing, although reports of Tippoo's proceedings16 had reached the government of India. The party of Frenchmen arrived at Seringapatam and were, at first, well received by Tippoo. But they had soon disgusted him by their assumption of dictatorial17 powers; while they, on their part, were disappointed at not receiving the emoluments18 and salaries they had expected. Most of them very speedily left his service. Some of the military men were employed at Bangalore, and other towns, in drilling the troops, and a few remained at Seringapatam, neglected by Tippoo, whose eyes were now open to the character of these adventurers. But this in no way shook his belief that he would obtain great aid from France, as he had received letters from official personages there, encouraging him to combine with other native powers, to drive the English out of India, and promising19 large aid in troops and ships.
When the Earl of Mornington--afterwards the Marquis of Wellesley--arrived at Calcutta as Governor General of India, in May 1798, the situation had become so critical that, although war had not been absolutely declared on either side, Tippoo's open alliance with the French rendered it certain that hostilities20 must commence ere long; and Lord Mornington lost no time in proceeding15 to make preparations for war. As Lord Cornwallis had done, he found the greatest difficulty in inducing the supine government of Madras to take any steps. They protested that, were they to make any show of activity, Tippoo would descend21 the ghauts, and at once ravage22 the whole country; and they declared that they had no force whatever that could withstand him. They continued in their cowardly inactivity until the governor general was forced to override23 their authority altogether, and take the matter into his own hands.
The first step was to curb24 the Nizam's power, for everything pointed to the probability that he intended to join Mysore, being inclined so to do by Tippoo's promises, and by the influence of the officers of the strong body of French troops in his service. Negotiations were therefore opened by Lord Mornington, who offered to guarantee the Nizam's dominions25 if he would join the English against Tippoo, and promised that after the war he should obtain a large share of the territory taken from Mysore.
The Nizam's position was a difficult one. On one side of him lay the dominions of his warlike and powerful neighbour, Tippoo. On the other he was exposed to the incursions of the Mahrattis, whose rising power was a constant threat to his safety. He had, moreover, to cope with a serious rebellion by his son, Ali Jah.
He was willing enough to obtain the guarantee of the English against aggressions by the Mahrattis, but he hesitated in complying with the preliminary demand that he should dispense27 with the French. The fighting powers of this body rendered them valuable auxiliaries28, but he secretly feared them, and resented their pretensions29; which pointed to the fact that, ere long, instead of being his servants, they might become his masters. When, therefore, the British government offered him a subsidiary force of six battalions30, and to guarantee him against any further aggression26 by the Mahrattis, he accepted the proposal; but in a half-hearted way, that showed he could not be relied upon for any efficient assistance in disarming31 his French auxiliaries.
No time was lost, by the government, in marching the promised force to Hyderabad. The French, 14,000 strong, refused to disband, and were joined by the Nizam's household force, which was in the French interest. The Nizam, terrified at the prospect32 of a contest, the success of which was doubtful, abandoned the capital and took refuge in a fortress33, there to await the issue of events; but positively34 refused to issue orders to the French to disband. Two of the English battalions, which were on the other side of the river to that on which the French were encamped, opened a destructive fire upon them, and with red-hot shot set fire to their magazines and storehouses, while the other four battalions moved into position to make a direct attack.
The Nizam now saw that he had no alternative but to declare openly for the French, or to dismiss them. He preferred the latter alternative. Peron, who commanded the French, saw that unless he surrendered, the position of his force was desperate. Accordingly, on receipt of the order, he and his officers expressed their readiness to accept their dismissal. Their men were, however, in a state of mutiny, and the officers were compelled to make their escape from the camp under cover of night. The next morning the camp was surrounded by the English and the troops of the Nizam, and the French then surrendered without a shot being fired.
While the Nizam was thus rendered powerless, negotiations had been going on with the Mahrattis; but owing to the quarrels and jealousies35 of their chiefs, nothing could be done with them. It was, however, apparent that, for the same reason, Tippoo would equally fail in his attempt to obtain their alliance against us, and that therefore it was with Mysore alone that we should have to deal.
In the meantime, though preparing for war, Lord Mornington was most anxious to avoid it. When Tippoo wrote to complain that some villages of his had been occupied by people from Coorg, the governor general ordered their immediate36 restoration to him. In November he sent the Sultan a friendly letter, pointing out that he could look for no efficient aid from France, and that any auxiliaries who might possibly join him would only introduce the principles of anarchy37, and the hatred38 of all religion, that animated39 the whole French nation; that his alliance with them was really equivalent to a declaration of war against England; and, as he was unwilling40 to believe that Tippoo was actuated by unfriendly feelings, or desired to break the engagements of the treaty entered into with him, he offered to send an officer to Mysore to discuss any points upon which variance41 might have arisen, and to arrange a scheme that would be satisfactory to them both.
To this letter no answer was received for five weeks, by which time Lord Mornington had arrived at Madras. He then received a letter containing a tissue of the most palpable lies concerning Tippoo's dealings with the French. Two or three more letters passed, but as Tippoo's answers were all vague and evasive, the governor general issued a manifesto42, on the 22nd of February, 1799, recapitulating43 all the grievances44 against Mysore, and declaring that, though the allies were prepared to repel45 any attack, they were equally anxious to effect an arrangement with him.
But Tippoo still believed that a large French army would speedily arrive. He had received letters from Buonaparte in person, written from Egypt, and saying that he had arrived on the borders of the Red Sea, "with an innumerable and invincible46 army, full of the desire to deliver you from the iron yoke47 of England." Tippoo well knew, also, that although the governor general spoke48 for himself and his allies, the Nizam was powerless to render any assistance to the English, and that the Mahrattis were far more likely to join him than they were to assist his foes49.
The manifesto of Lord Mornington was speedily followed by action, for at the end of January an army of nearly 37,000 men had been assembled at Vellore. Of these some 20,000 were the Madras force. With them were the Nizam's army, nominally50 commanded by Meer Alum, but really by Colonel Wellesley--afterwards Duke of Wellington--who had with him his own regiment, the 33rd; 6,500 men under Colonel Dalrymple; 3,621 infantry52, for the most part French troops who had re-enlisted under us; and 6000 regular and irregular horse.
Dick, who had now attained53 the rank of captain, had been introduced by one of Lord Cornwallis's old staff officers to General Harris, who, as general of the Madras army, was in command of the whole. On hearing of the services Dick had rendered in the last war, and that his perfect acquaintance with the language, and with the ground over which the army would pass, would enable him to be equally efficient on the present occasion, General Harris at once detached him from service with the regiment, and appointed him to a post on his own staff.
Had it not been that Dick had seen, for the last two years, that hostilities must ere long be commenced with Tippoo; he would, before this, have left the army and returned home. He was heartily54 tired of the long inaction. When the regiment was stationed at Madras, life was very pleasant; but a considerable portion of his time was spent at out stations, where the duties were very light, and there was nothing to break the monotony of camp life. He received letters regularly from his mother, who gave him full details of their home life.
The first that he received merely announced their safe arrival in England. The second was longer and more interesting. They had had no difficulty in discovering the address of Annie's father, and on writing to him, he had immediately come up to town. He had lost his wife, on his voyage home from India, and was overjoyed at the discovery of his daughter, and at her return to England.
"He is," Dick's mother wrote, "very much broken in health. Annie behaved very nicely. Poor child, it was only natural that, after what you did for her, and our being all that time with her, the thought of leaving us for her parent, of whom she had no recollection, was a great grief. However, I talked it over with her, many times, and pointed out to her that her first duty was to the father who had been so many years deprived of her, and that, although there was no reason why she should not manifest affection for us, she must not allow him to think, for a moment, that she was not as pleased to see him as he was to welcome her. She behaved beautifully when her father arrived, and when he had been in the house five minutes, and spoke of the death of his wife, his bitter regret that she had not lived to see Annie restored to them, the loneliness of his life and how it would be brightened now that she was again with him, his words so touched her that she threw herself into his arms, and sobbed55 out that she would do all she could to make his life happy. He had, of course, received the letter we had written to him from Tripataly, and quite pained me by the gratitude56 he showed for what he called my kindness to his daughter.
"He said that, by this post, he should write to endeavour to express some of his feelings to you. Annie went away with him the next day, to a place he has bought near Plymouth. He has promised to let us have her for a month, every year, and we have promised to go down for the same time, every summer, to stay with her. He asks numberless questions about you, which neither I nor Annie are ever tired of answering. Even with a mother's natural partiality, I must own that her descriptions are almost too flattering, and he must think that you are one of the most admirable of men.
"Next as to the jewels. Your father took them to be valued by several diamond merchants, and accepted the highest offer, which was 16,000 pounds, of which he has already invested twelve, in your name, in shares in six ships. Four of these are Indiamen. The other two are privateers. He said that he did not think you would object to a quarter of the money being put into a speculative57 venture, and that they were both good craft, well armed and well commanded, with strong crews; and would, if successful, earn as much in a year as a merchantman would in ten."
Since then the letters had been of a uniform character. The shares in the Indiamen were giving a good and steady return. The privateers had been very fortunate, and had captured some rich prizes. Annie had been up, or they had been down at Plymouth. The letters during the last three years had reported her as having grown into a young woman, and, as his mother declared, a very pretty one. After that the allusions58 to her were less frequent, but it was mentioned that she was as fond of them as ever, and that she was still unmarried.
"She always asks when you are coming home, Dick," Mrs. Holland said, in the last letter he had received before accompanying General Harris to Vellore. "I told her, of course, that your last letter said that war was certain with Tippoo; that you hoped, this time, to see Seringapatam taken and the tyrant's power broken; and that after it was over you would come home on leave and, perhaps, would not go out again."
During the six years that he had been in the army, Dick had very frequently been at Tripataly, as there was little difficulty in getting leave for a fortnight. His cousins had now grown up into young men, Surajah commanded the troop, and his stays there were always extremely pleasant. The troop now numbered two hundred, for with quiet times the population of the territory had largely increased, and the Rajah's income grown in proportion. The troop was now dressed in uniform, and in arms and discipline resembled the irregular cavalry59 in the Company's service, and when Dick arrived at Vellore he found his uncle and cousins there with their cavalry.
"I thought, Dick, of only sending the boys," the Rajah said, "but when the time came for them to start, I felt that I must go myself. We have suffered enough at the hands of Mysore, and I do hope to see Tippoo's capital taken, and his power of mischief60 put an end to, for good and all."
"I am glad, indeed, that you are coming, Uncle. You may be sure that, whenever I can get away from my duties with the general, I shall spend most of my time in your camp, though I must occasionally drop in on my own regiment."
The Rajah had already been down to Madras a month before, and with his sons had been introduced to General Harris, by the latter's chief of the staff, as having been always, like his father before him, a faithful ally of the English, and as having accompanied Lord Cornwallis on the occasion of the last campaign in Mysore. The general had thanked him, heartily, for his offer to place his two hundred cavalry at the disposal of the government, and had expressed a hope that he, as well as his sons, would accompany it in the field.
On the 11th of February, 1799, the army moved from Vellore, but instead of ascending61 by the pass of Amboor, as had been expected, it moved southwest, ascended62 the pass of Paliode, and on the 9th of March was established, without opposition63, in Tippoo's territory, at a distance of eighty miles east of his capital. They then marched north, until they reached a village ten miles south of Bangalore. This route, although circuitous65, was chosen, as the roads were better, the country more level, and cultivation66 much more general, affording far greater facilities for the collection of forage68 for the baggage animals.
Hitherto, nothing had been seen of the Mysorean army. It had been confidently expected that Tippoo would fight at least one great battle, to oppose their advance against his capital, but so far no signs had been seen of an enemy, and even the Mysore horse, which had played so conspicuous69 a part in the last campaign, in no way interfered70 with the advance of the army, or even with the foraging71 parties.
A despatch72 that reached them, by a circuitous route, explained why Tippoo had suffered them to advance so far unmolested. While the Madras army had advanced from the southeast, a Bombay force, 6,500 strong, was ascending the Western Ghauts. As the advance brigade, consisting of three native battalions, under Colonel Montresor, reached Sedaseer; Tippoo, with 12,000 of his best troops, fell upon it suddenly. His force had moved through the jungle, and attacked the brigade in front and rear.
Although thus surprised, by an enemy nearly six times their superior in force, the Sepoys behaved with a calmness and bravery that could not have been surpassed by veteran troops. Maintaining a steady front, they repulsed73 every attack, until a brigade, encamped eight miles in their rear, came up to their assistance; and Tippoo was then forced to retreat, having suffered a loss of 1,500 men, including many of his best officers.
This proof of the inferiority of his troops, even when enormously outnumbering the English, and fighting with all the advantages of surprise, profoundly impressed Tippoo, and from this time he appeared to regard the struggle as hopeless, and displayed no signs whatever of the dash and energy that had distinguished75 him, when leading one of the divisions of his father's army. He marched with his troops straight to Seringapatam, and then moved out with his whole force, to give battle to the main body of the invaders76. The antagonists77 came within sight of each other at the village of Malavilly, thirty miles east of the capital. For some time an artillery78 fire on both sides was kept up. Gradually the infantry became engaged, and the Mysoreans showed both courage and steadiness, until a column of two thousand men moved forward to attack the 33rd Regiment.
The British troops reserved their fire, until the column was within fifty yards of them. Then they poured in a withering79 volley, and charged. The column fell back in disorder80. General Floyd at once charged them, with five regiments81 of cavalry, sabred great numbers of them, and drove the remainder back in headlong rout64. The whole British line then advanced, cheering loudly. The first line of Tippoo's army fell back upon its second, and the whole then marched away, at a speed that soon left the British infantry far behind them.
Instead of continuing his march straight upon the capital, General Harris, learning from spies that Tippoo had wasted the whole country along that line, moved southwest; collecting, as he went, great quantities of cattle, sheep, and goats, and an abundance of grain and forage; crossed the Cauvery at a ford67 at Sosilay; and, on the 5th of April, took up his position at a distance of two miles from the western face of the fort of Seringapatam.
This movement completely disconcerted Tippoo. He had imagined that the attack would, as on the previous occasion, take place on the northern side of the river, and had covered the approaches there with a series of additional fortifications, while on the other side he had done but little. So despondent82 was he, that he called together his principal officers, and said to them:
"We have arrived at our last stage. What is your determination?"
His advisers83 took no brighter view of the prospect than he did himself. They had unanimously opposed the war, had warned Tippoo against trusting to the French, and had been adverse84 to measures that could but result in a fresh trial of strength with the English. The Sultan, however, while not attempting to combat their opinion, had gone on his own way, and his officers now saw their worst fears justified85. They replied to his question:
"Our determination is to die with you."
On the day after arriving before Seringapatam, the British attacked the villages and rocky eminences86 held by the enemy on the south side of the river, and drove them back under the shelter of their guns. General Floyd was sent, with the cavalry, to meet the Bombay force and escort it to Seringapatam. This was accomplished87, and although the whole of the Mysore cavalry, and a strong force of infantry hovered88 round the column, they did not venture to engage it, and on the 14th the whole arrived at the camp before Seringapatam.
The Bombay force, which was commanded by General Stuart, crossed to the north bank of the river, and took up a position, there, which enabled them to take in flank the outlying works and trenches89, with which Tippoo had hoped to prevent any attack upon the western angle of the fort, where the river was so shallow that it could be easily forded.
Tippoo now endeavoured to negotiate, and asked for a conference. General Harris returned an answer, enclosing the draft of a preliminary treaty, with which he had been supplied before starting. It demanded one half of Tippoo's territories, a payment of two millions sterling90, and the delivery of four of his sons as hostages. Tippoo returned no reply, and on the 22nd the garrison made a vigorous sortie, and were only repulsed after several hours' fighting.
For the next five days, the batteries of the besiegers kept up a heavy fire, silenced every gun in the outlying works, and compelled their defenders91 to retire across the river into the fort. Tippoo now sank into such a state of despondency that he would listen to none of the proposals of his officers for strengthening the position, and would not even agree to the construction of a retrenchment92, which would cut off the western angle of the fort, against which it was evident that the attack would be directed.
He knew that, if captured, there was little chance of his being permitted to continue to reign93; and had, indeed, made that prospect more hopeless, by massacring all the English prisoners who had, by his order, been brought in from the hill forts throughout the country on his return to Seringapatam, after the repulse74 he had suffered in his attack on the Bombay force.
On the 2nd of May, the batteries opened on the wall of the fort, near its northwest angle; and so heavy was their fire that, by the evening of the 3rd, a breach94 of sixty yards long was effected. General Harris determined95 to assault on the following day. General Baird, who had, for four years, been a prisoner in Seringapatam, volunteered to lead the assault; and before daybreak 4,376 men took their places in the advance trenches, where they lay down.
It was determined that the assault should not be made until one o'clock, at which time Tippoo's troops, anticipating no attack, would be taking their food, and resting during the heat of the day. The troops who were to make the assault were divided into two columns which, after mounting the breach, were to turn right and left, fighting their way along the ramparts until they met at the other end. A powerful reserve, under Colonel Wellesley, was to support them after they had entered.
When the signal was given, the troops leapt from the trenches and, covered by the fire of the artillery, which at the same moment opened on the ramparts, dashed across the river, scaled the breach, and, in six minutes from the firing of the signal gun, planted the British flag on its crest96.
Then the heads of the two columns at once started to fight their way along the ramparts. At first the resistance was slight. Surprised and panic stricken, the defenders of the strong works at this point offered but a feeble resistance. Some fled along the walls. Some ran down into the fort. Many threw themselves over the wall into the rocky bed of the river. The right column, in less than an hour, had won its way along the rampart to the eastern face of the fort; but the left column met with a desperate resistance, for as each point was carried, the enemy, constantly reinforced, made a fresh stand. Most of the officers who led the column were shot down, and so heavy was the fire that, several times, the advance was brought to a standstill.
It was not until the right column, making their way along the wall to the assistance of their comrades, took them in the rear, that the Mysoreans entirely97 lost heart. Taken between two fires, they speedily became a disorganised mass. Many hundreds were shot down, either in the fort or as, pouring out through the river gate, they endeavoured to cross the ford and escape to the north.
As soon as the whole rampart was captured, General Baird sent an officer with a flag of truce98 to the Palace, to offer protection to Tippoo and all its inmates99, on condition of immediate surrender. Two of Tippoo's younger sons assured the officer that the Sultan was not in the Palace. The assurance was disbelieved, and, the princes being sent to the camp under a strong escort, the Palace was searched. The officer in command, on being strictly100 questioned, declared that Tippoo, who had in person commanded the defence made against the left column, had been wounded, and that he had heard he was lying in a gateway101 on the north side of the fort.
A search was immediately made, and the information proved correct. Tippoo was found lying there, not only wounded, but dead. He had indeed received several wounds, and was endeavouring to escape in his palanquin, when this had been upset by the rush of fugitives102 striving to make their way through the gate.
The gateway was, indeed, almost choked up with the bodies of those who had been either suffocated103 in the crush, or killed by their pursuers. On his palanquin being overturned, Tippoo had evidently risen to his feet, and had at the same moment been shot through the head by an English soldier, ignorant of his rank. In the evening he was buried with much state, by the side of his father, in the mausoleum of Lal Bang, at the eastern extremity104 of the island.
It was with great difficulty that, when the British soldiers became aware of the massacre105 of their countrymen, a few days before, they were restrained from taking vengeance106 upon his sons and the inmates of the Palace. In the assault, 8000 of the defenders were killed; while the loss of the British, during the siege and in the assault, amounted to 825 Europeans and 639 native troops. An enormous quantity of cannon107, arms, and ammunition108 was captured, and the value of the treasure and jewels amounted to considerably109 over a million pounds, besides the doubtless large amount of jewels that had, in the first confusion, fallen into the hands of the soldiers.
As Dick, after the fighting had ceased, went, by order of the General, to examine the prisoners and ascertain110 their rank, his eye fell upon an old officer, whose arm hung useless by his side, broken by a musket111 ball. He went up to him, and held out his hand.
"Mirzah Mahomed Buckshy!" he exclaimed. "I am glad to meet you again, although sorry to see that you are wounded."
The officer looked at him, in surprise.
"You have spoken my name," he said, "but I do not know that we have ever met before."
"We have met twice. The first time I was, with a friend, dressed as one of Tippoo's officers, and came to examine the state of Savandroog. The second time we were dressed as merchants, and I succeeded in effecting the liberation of my father. Both times I received much kindness at your hands. But far more grateful am I to you for your goodness to my father, whose life you preserved.
"I see you still carry the pistols I left for you, and doubtless you also received the letter I placed with them."
"Thanks be to Allah," the old colonel said, "that we have thus met again! Truly I rejoiced, when my first anger that I had been fooled passed away, that your father had escaped, and that without my being able to blame myself for carelessness. Your letter to me completed my satisfaction, for I felt that Heaven had rightly rewarded the efforts of a son who had done so much, and risked his life for a father.
"Is he alive? Is he here? I should be glad to see him again; and indeed, I missed him sorely. I have been here for two years, having been appointed to a command among the troops here."
"My father is well, and is in England. He will, I know, be glad indeed to hear that I have met you, for he will ever retain a grateful remembrance of your kindness. Now I must finish my work here, and will then go to the general, and beg him to give me an order for your release."
An hour later Dick returned with the order, and carried Mahomed Buckshy off to the Rajah's camp. Here his arm was set by one of the surgeons, and he was so well cared for by the Rajah, Dick, and Surajah, that a fortnight later he was convalescent, and was able to join his wife in the town.
"I am thankful," he said, on leaving, "that my life as a soldier is over, and that I shall never more have to fight against the English. Tippoo was my master, but it is he who, by his cruelty and ambition, has brought ruin upon Mysore. I have saved enough to live in comfort for the rest of my life, and to its end I shall rejoice that I have again met the son of my friend Jack112."
The capture of Seringapatam was followed, at once, by the entire submission113 of the whole country. A descendant of the old Rajah of Mysore was placed upon the throne. His rule was, however, but a nominal51 one. A very large amount of territory was annexed114. The island of Seringapatam was permanently115 occupied as a British possession. The new rajah was bound to receive, and pay, a large military force for the defence of his territories; not to admit any European foreigners into his dominions; to allow the Company to garrison any fort in Mysore that might seem advisable to them; and to pay, at all times, attention to such advice as might be given him as to the administration of his affairs. He was, in fact, to be but a puppet, the British becoming the absolute rulers of Mysore.
The family of Tippoo, and the ladies of the harem, were removed to Vellore, where they were to receive a palace suitable to their former rank and expectations, and allowances amounting to 160,000 pounds a year.
Thus Mysore, one of the most ancient and powerful of the kingdoms of India, fell into the hands of the English, owing to the ambition, bigotry116, and besotted cruelty of the son of a usurper117.
Dick's part in all these operations had been a busy, although not a very dangerous one. The only share he had taken in the active fighting had been in the battle at Malavilly, where, having been sent with a message to Colonel Floyd, just before he led the cavalry to the assault of the column that had attacked the 33rd, he took his place by the side of the Rajah and his cousins, whose troop formed part of Floyd's command, and joined in the charge on the enemy. He had, however, rendered great services in the quartermasters' department, was very highly spoken of in the despatches of General Harris, and his name appeared, as promoted to the rank of major, in the list of honours promulgated118 by Lord Mornington, at the termination of the campaign.
His regiment was among those selected for the occupation of Mysore, and, a month after the capture of the city, he obtained leave to return to England. He stayed for a week at Tripataly, and then took an affectionate farewell of his uncle, the ranee, his cousins, and Surajah, and sailed from Madras a fortnight later. The ship in which he was a passenger was accompanied by two other Indiamen; and when, a fortnight out they encountered a French frigate119; which, however, they beat off, and arrived in England without further adventure.
As soon as he landed, Dick drove to the house where his father and mother had taken up their residence, on their arrival in England; but he found to his surprise that, eight months before, they had moved to another, in the village of Hackney. He proceeded there, and found it to be a considerably larger one than that they had left, and standing120 in its own grounds, which were of some extent. He had written to them after the fall of Seringapatam, and told them that he should probably sail for England about six weeks later.
As the vehicle drove to the door, his father and mother ran out. His father grasped his hand, and his mother threw her aims round his neck, with tears of joy.
As soon as the first greeting was over, Dick saw a young lady, in deep mourning, standing on the steps. He looked at her for a moment in surprise, and then exclaimed:
"It is Annie Mansfield!"
Annie held out her hand, and laughed.
"We are both changed almost beyond recognition, Dick."
"You sha'n't have to ask me again, Annie," he said, giving her a hearty kiss. "My first impulse was to do it, but I did not know whether your sentiments on the subject had changed."
"I am not given to change," she said.
"Am I, Mrs. Holland?"
"I don't think you are, my dear. I think there is a little spice of obstinacy123 in your composition.
"But come in, Dick. Don't let us stand talking here at the door, when we have so much to say to each other."
He went into the sitting room with his father and mother, where Annie presently left them to themselves.
"Why, Father, the privateers must have done well, indeed!" Dick said, looking round the handsome room.
"I have nothing to grumble124 at, on that score, Dick, though they have not been so lucky the last two years. But it is not their profits that induced us to move here. You saw Annie was in mourning. Her father died, nearly a year ago, and at her earnest request, as he said in his will, appointed us her guardians125 until she came of age, which will be in a few months now. As he had no near relations, he left the whole of his property to her; and having been in India in the days when, under Warren Hastings, there were good pickings to be obtained, it amounted to a handsome fortune. She said that she should come and live with us, at any rate until she became of age; and as that house of ours, though a comfortable place, was hardly the sort of house for an heiress, she herself proposed that we should take a larger house between us.
"And so, here we are. We shall stay here through the winter, and then we are going down to her place at Plymouth for the summer. What we shall do, afterwards, is not settled. That must depend upon a variety of things."
"She has grown much prettier than I ever thought she would do," Dick said. "Of course, I knew she would have grown into a woman, but somehow I never realised it, until I saw her, and I believe I have always thought of her as being still the girl I carried off from Seringapatam."
In a few minutes Annie joined them, and the talk then turned upon India, and many questions were asked as to their friends at Tripataly.
"I suppose by this time, Annie--at least, I hope I may still call you Annie?"
"If you call me anything else, I shall not answer," she said indignantly.
"Well, I was going to say, I suppose you have got a good deal beyond words of two letters, now?"
"I regard the question as an impertinent one. I have even mastered geography; the meaning of which word you may remember, you explained to me; and I have a partial knowledge of history."
The next day Dick met an old friend, Ben Birket. Dick had kept his promise, and had written to him as soon as he returned to Tripataly with his father, and a few weeks after Captain Holland's return, his old shipmate came to see him and his wife. Ben had for some time thought of retiring, and he now left the sea, and settled down in a little cottage near. Captain Holland insisted upon settling a small pension upon him, and he was always a welcome guest at the house. His delight at Dick's return was extreme.
"I never thought you would do it, Master Dick, never for a moment, and when on coming home I got your letter, and found that the Captain and your mother were in England, it just knocked me foolish for a bit."
Three weeks later, Dick told Annie that he loved her. He spoke without any circumlocution126, merely taking her hand one evening, when they happened to be alone together, and telling her so in plain words.
"I know nothing of women, Annie," he said, "or their ways. I have been bothering myself how to set about it, but though I don't know how to put it, I do know that I love you dearly. All these years I have been thinking about you--not like this, you know, but as the dear, plucky127 little girl of the old days."
"The little girl of old days, Dick," she said quietly, "is in no way changed. I think you know what I thought of you, then. I have never for a moment wavered. I gave you all the love of my heart, and you have had it ever since.
"Why, you silly boy," she said, with a laugh, a few minutes later, "I had begun to think that, just as I had to ask you for a kiss in the old times, and again when you met me, I should have to take this matter in hand. Why, I never thought of anything else. Directly I got old enough to look upon myself as a woman, and young men began to come to the house, I said to my dear father:
"'It is of no use their coming here, Father. My mind has been made up for years, and I shall never change.'
"He knew at once what I meant.
"'I don't blame you, my dear,' he said. 'Of course, you are young at present, but he has won you fairly; and if he is at all like what you make him out to be, I could not leave you in better hands. He will be home in another three or four years, and I shall have the comfort of having you with me, until then. But you must not make too sure of it. He may fall in love out there. You know that there is plenty of society at Madras.'
"I laughed at the idea.
"'All the pretty ones either come out to be married, or get engaged on the voyage, or before they have been there a fortnight. I have no fear, Father, of his falling in love out there, though I don't say he might not when he gets home, for of course he thinks of me only as a little girl.'
"'Well, my dear,' he said, 'we will get him, and his father and mother, to come down as soon as he gets home. As you have made up your mind about it, it is only right that you should have the first chance.'
"It was not to be as he planned, Dick, but you see I have had the first chance, and it is well it was so, for no one can say how matters would have turned out, if I had not been on the spot. Do you know, Dick, I felt that when you rescued me from slavery, you became somehow straightway my lord and master. As you carried me that night before you, I said to myself I should always be your little slave; and you see, it has come quite true."
"I don't know about that, Annie. We are in England now, and there are no slaves. You will be the mistress now, and I your devoted128 servant."
"It will be as I say, Dick," she said tenderly. "I feel that, to the end of my life, I shall remain your willing slave."
There was nothing to prevent an early marriage. It was settled that Captain and Mrs. Holland should retain the house, which indeed they could well afford to do, and that Dick and Annie should reside there whenever they were in town, but that, as a rule, they would live at the estate her father had purchased, near Plymouth. Their means were ample, for during the eight years he was in the Service, Dick's 12,000 pounds had, as his father had predicted, doubled itself; and Annie's fortune was at least as large as his own.
Dick had good reason to bless, to the end of his life, his mother's plan; that had resulted in the double satisfaction of restoring his father to her, and in winning for himself the woman whom he ever regarded as the dearest and best wife in the world.
The End
The End
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1
regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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garrison
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| n.卫戍部队；驻地，卫戍区；vt.派(兵)驻防 | |
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solicitude
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| n.焦虑 | |
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counteract
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| vt.对…起反作用，对抗，抵消 | |
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negotiations
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| 协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过 | |
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confidential
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| adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的 | |
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envoys
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| 使节( envoy的名词复数 )； 公使； 谈判代表； 使节身份 | |
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defensive
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| adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的 | |
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necessitate
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| v.使成为必要，需要 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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embarking
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| 乘船( embark的现在分词 )； 装载； 从事 | |
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hazardous
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| adj.(有)危险的，冒险的；碰运气的 | |
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proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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dictatorial
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| adj. 独裁的，专断的 | |
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emoluments
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| n.报酬，薪水( emolument的名词复数 ) | |
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promising
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| adj.有希望的，有前途的 | |
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hostilities
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| n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事 | |
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descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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ravage
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| vt.使...荒废，破坏...；n.破坏，掠夺，荒废 | |
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override
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| vt.不顾，不理睬，否决；压倒，优先于 | |
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curb
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| n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制 | |
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dominions
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| 统治权( dominion的名词复数 )； 领土； 疆土； 版图 | |
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aggression
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| n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害 | |
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dispense
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| vt.分配，分发；配(药)，发(药)；实施 | |
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auxiliaries
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| n.助动词 ( auxiliary的名词复数 )；辅助工，辅助人员 | |
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pretensions
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| 自称( pretension的名词复数 )； 自命不凡； 要求； 权力 | |
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battalions
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| n.（陆军的）一营（大约有一千兵士）( battalion的名词复数 )；协同作战的部队；军队；（组织在一起工作的）队伍 | |
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disarming
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| adj.消除敌意的，使人消气的v.裁军( disarm的现在分词 )；使息怒 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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fortress
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| n.堡垒，防御工事 | |
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positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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jealousies
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| n.妒忌( jealousy的名词复数 )；妒羡 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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anarchy
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| n.无政府状态；社会秩序混乱，无秩序 | |
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hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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variance
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| n.矛盾，不同 | |
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manifesto
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| n.宣言，声明 | |
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recapitulating
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| v.总结，扼要重述( recapitulate的现在分词 ) | |
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44
grievances
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| n.委屈( grievance的名词复数 )；苦衷；不满；牢骚 | |
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45
repel
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| v.击退，抵制，拒绝，排斥 | |
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invincible
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| adj.不可征服的，难以制服的 | |
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yoke
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| n.轭；支配；v.给...上轭，连接，使成配偶 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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foes
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| 敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
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nominally
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| 在名义上，表面地； 应名儿 | |
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nominal
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| adj.名义上的；(金额、租金)微不足道的 | |
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52
infantry
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| n.[总称]步兵(部队) | |
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53
attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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54
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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55
sobbed
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| 哭泣，啜泣( sob的过去式和过去分词 )； 哭诉，呜咽地说 | |
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56
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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speculative
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| adj.思索性的，暝想性的，推理的 | |
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58
allusions
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| 暗指，间接提到( allusion的名词复数 ) | |
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cavalry
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| n.骑兵；轻装甲部队 | |
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60
mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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ascending
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| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
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ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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opposition
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| n.反对，敌对 | |
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64
rout
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| n.溃退，溃败；v.击溃，打垮 | |
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circuitous
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| adj.迂回的路的，迂曲的，绕行的 | |
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cultivation
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| n.耕作，培养，栽培（法），养成 | |
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67
Ford
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| n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过 | |
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forage
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| n.(牛马的)饲料，粮草；v.搜寻，翻寻 | |
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conspicuous
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| adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的 | |
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interfered
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| v.干预( interfere的过去式和过去分词 )；调停；妨碍；干涉 | |
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71
foraging
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| v.搜寻（食物），尤指动物觅（食）( forage的现在分词 )；（尤指用手）搜寻（东西） | |
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72
despatch
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| n./v.(dispatch)派遣；发送；n.急件；新闻报道 | |
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73
repulsed
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| v.击退( repulse的过去式和过去分词 )；驳斥；拒绝 | |
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repulse
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| n.击退，拒绝；vt.逐退，击退，拒绝 | |
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75
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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76
invaders
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| 入侵者，侵略者，侵入物( invader的名词复数 ) | |
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antagonists
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| 对立[对抗] 者，对手，敌手( antagonist的名词复数 )； 对抗肌； 对抗药 | |
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78
artillery
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| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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79
withering
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| 使人畏缩的，使人害羞的，使人难堪的 | |
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disorder
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| n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调 | |
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81
regiments
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| （军队的）团( regiment的名词复数 )； 大量的人或物 | |
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82
despondent
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| adj.失望的，沮丧的，泄气的 | |
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83
advisers
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| 顾问，劝告者( adviser的名词复数 )； （指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授 | |
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84
adverse
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| adj.不利的；有害的；敌对的，不友好的 | |
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justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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eminences
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| 卓越( eminence的名词复数 )； 著名； 高地； 山丘 | |
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87
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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88
hovered
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| 鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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89
trenches
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| 深沟，地沟( trench的名词复数 )； 战壕 | |
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sterling
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| adj.英币的(纯粹的，货真价实的)；n.英国货币(英镑) | |
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91
defenders
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| n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者 | |
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retrenchment
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| n.节省，删除 | |
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reign
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| n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势 | |
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breach
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| n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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truce
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| n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束 | |
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inmates
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| n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 ) | |
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strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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gateway
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| n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法 | |
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102
fugitives
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| n.亡命者，逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 ) | |
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103
suffocated
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| （使某人）窒息而死( suffocate的过去式和过去分词 )； （将某人）闷死； 让人感觉闷热； 憋气 | |
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104
extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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massacre
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| n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀 | |
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vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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107
cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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109
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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musket
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| n.滑膛枪 | |
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112
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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113
submission
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| n.服从，投降；温顺，谦虚；提出 | |
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114
annexed
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| [法] 附加的，附属的 | |
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permanently
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| adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地 | |
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bigotry
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| n.偏见，偏执，持偏见的行为[态度]等 | |
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usurper
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| n. 篡夺者, 僭取者 | |
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118
promulgated
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| v.宣扬（某事物）( promulgate的过去式和过去分词 )；传播；公布；颁布（法令、新法律等） | |
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119
frigate
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| n.护航舰，大型驱逐舰 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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demurely
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| adv.装成端庄地，认真地 | |
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123
obstinacy
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| n.顽固；（病痛等）难治 | |
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124
grumble
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| vi.抱怨；咕哝；n.抱怨，牢骚；咕哝，隆隆声 | |
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125
guardians
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| 监护人( guardian的名词复数 )； 保护者，维护者 | |
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126
circumlocution
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| n. 绕圈子的话，迂回累赘的陈述 | |
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plucky
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| adj.勇敢的 | |
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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