"It would be better to do that than to venture down into the courtyard, at present, Abdool. The sight of our uniforms might give offence, as it would not be understood that we have the rajah's permission to move about the palace. We must wait till the man comes in with the tray. It is possible that he may understand enough Mahratti to make out what we want, and will show us the way up.
"It would never do for us to try to ascend2 alone. We might accidentally open the door of the rajah's zenana, and then I doubt if even his desire to hold me as a hostage would suffice to save our lives."
The attendant understood enough of Mahratti to make out their request, and offered at once to accompany them. They ascended3 numerous staircases until, at last, they reached the flat roof of the palace; above which rose three round towers, surmounted4 by domes5. The highest of these had a gallery running round it, a few feet below the dome6.
The attendant led the way to this and, on reaching the gallery, they found that it commanded a very wide view over the flat country. The town itself covered a considerable space, the walls being eight miles in circumference7. At the eastern end the fort, a square and solid edifice8, was built on ground somewhat higher than the town. It had bastions and flanking towers and, as had been learned from prisoners taken at Deeg, it had a moat much wider and deeper than that which ran round the town walls. It was built within these, one side of the square looking across the country, while the other three were inside. Although the houses were for the most part scattered9, the town had a picturesque10 appearance, from the number of trees growing within it.
Towards the northeast the fort of Deeg could be clearly seen and, to the southwest, the mosques11 and fort of Agra were faintly visible in the clear air. At a distance of a mile and a half from the city was the British camp, with its white tents; and an irregular black mass marked the low shelters of the camp followers12 and the enormous concourse of draught13 animals.
It certainly seemed a hazardous14 enterprise for so small a number of troops to attack such a large and populous15 town, strongly fortified16, and held by a brave people. Harry remarked on this to Abdool, but the latter said, confidently:
"They cannot stand against the English, sahib. General Lake has always been victorious17."
"He has so, Abdool, and that is one of the reasons why I do not feel so certain of his success as I did. He has never yet undertaken a siege, and his impetuosity and confidence in his troops may lead him to make an attack with insufficient18 numbers, and before it is really practicable. I do not think that this town is to be taken by storm, and I doubt whether Lord Lake will be content to wait for regular siege operations, before he tries an assault.
"Look over there, towards Agra. If I am not mistaken, there is a large body of cavalry19 out there. They are certainly not our men, they are too much mixed up for that. Possibly the rajah may have obtained the aid of a band of Pindarees, or of some other irregular troops; at any rate, it will give trouble to the convoy20 we left yesterday."
He looked at the camp again.
"There is a stir in the valley, and it looks as if they had heard of that force out there, and are about to start to attack it."
Three regiments22 of cavalry set out. As they were getting ready, two horsemen could be seen to ride off, at a gallop23, from a group of trees half a mile from the camp. As soon as they approached the mass of horsemen in the distance, they turned and rode off at full speed.
"They have evidently no idea of fighting, today, whoever they are. We may as well go down again, Abdool. This is a grand lookout24; and we shall, at any rate, get a general idea of the direction in which the attack will be made."
Two days later they were able, from their lookout, to see that bodies of men came and went between the camp and a group of trees, halfway25 between it and the town.
"I expect that they are establishing a battery among those trees," Harry said, "and it will not be long before the affair begins."
The next morning, six eighteen-pounders opened fire from the wood and, in the afternoon, another battery of eight mortars26 began throwing shells into the town. The guns on the walls answered, and a brisk fire was kept up, for the next ten days. During this time several breaches28 had been effected in the wall, near the southeast angle, but the defenders29 had fixed30 strong wooden stockades31 in the debris32 every night, so that no attack could be made. In order to prevent this being done with the last-made breach27, it was determined33 to assault at once.
The two prisoners had not had the lookout gallery to themselves. Some of the rajah's officers were constantly there, and any movement of troops was at once reported by them. The rajah himself had, twice or thrice, come up for a short time to watch the operations; and had, on each occasion, talked for some minutes with Harry.
"Your people will be mad, if they try to attack us through that small hole in the wall," he said, on the afternoon of the 14th. "Were they to level a quarter of a mile of the wall, they might have some chance, though I doubt whether they would ever get a footing at the top; but with all my soldiers ready to defend that small opening, and with thirty or forty guns to fire at your people as they advance, it is as ridiculous as if ten men should attempt to take this palace. What do you think?"
"I cannot say, Rajah. From here I am unable to see what is taking place at the walls, nor how wide is the breach you speak of, nor how deep the ditch beyond; therefore I can give no opinion."
"The English are brave fighters," the rajah said. "They have taken places in a few hours that seemed impregnable, but they cannot perform impossibilities. Our walls are defended by forty thousand men and--although in the open field I do not say that you might not defeat us, seeing how your troops are disciplined, while with us each man fights for himself--when it is a question of holding a wall or defending a breach, I can trust my soldiers. We are twice as numerous. We have heavier guns, and more of them, than you have and, as I told you, the English will never get into Bhurtpoor."
At seven o'clock in the evening, a deep and almost continuous roar of guns broke out.
"The assault has begun!" Harry exclaimed. "We shall not see much, but we may get some idea as to how things are going from the lookout."
It was too dark for the movements of troops to be seen, but the quick flashes of the guns on either side, and a play of flickering35 fire along the top of the wall showed that the storming party was approaching. The attack was made in three parties: one advanced against a battery which the defenders had established outside the walls, at a spot where its fire would take in flank any force advancing against the point towards which the fire of the English guns had been directed; another was to attempt a gateway36 near the breach; while the central column, consisting of five hundred Europeans and a battalion37 of Sepoys, was to attack the breach itself.
For a time the roar of firing was incessant38. The alarm had been given as soon as the British columns advanced from the wood. Notwithstanding this, the right column advanced straight against the battery, captured it, and spiked39 the guns. The left column, as it approached the gate, came upon a deep cut filled with water and, having no means of crossing this, they moved to the support of the force attacking the breach. This had been greatly delayed. The ground to be crossed was swampy40, with many pools and, in the darkness, numbers lost their way, and the force arrived at the point of attack in great confusion.
A small party of twenty-three men only--of the 22nd Regiment21, under Lieutenant41 Manser--who formed the forlorn hope, crossed the ditch, breast high in water, and mounted the breach. In the confusion that reigned42 among the troops, some of the officers had lost their way, and there was no one to assume the command or to give orders; and Lieutenant Manser, finding that he was unsupported, and could not with a handful of men attempt to attack either of the bastions, from which a terrible fire was being maintained, made the men sit down and shelter themselves as well as they could, in the debris of the breach; while he himself recrossed the ditch to summon up the support. In this he failed. All order was lost, and the men who formed the forlorn hope were at last called back, and the whole force retired43, suffering heavily from the terrible fire to which they were exposed. Eighty-five were killed and three hundred and seventy-one wounded.
A more deplorable and ill-managed assault was never made by British troops. As Harry had thought possible, Lord Lake had treated the capture of Bhurtpoor as if it had been but a little hill fort. He had made no attempt to carry out regular siege operations but, trusting to the valour of his troops, had sent them across a considerable distance of plain swept by the enemy's fire, to assault a breach defended by some of the bravest tribesmen of India; and had not even issued commands which would have ensured order and cohesion44 in the attack.
The lesson that had been taught was not sufficiently45 taken to heart. Some more batteries were placed in position and, on the 16th, opened a heavy fire against the wall on the left of the former breach, which had been repaired during the two nights following its successful defence. So heavy was the fire from the new batteries that another breach was made in the course of a few hours. The Jats stockaded it during the night, but the timbers were soon knocked to fragments and, for five days, a continuous cannonade was maintained and a large breach formed.
It was necessary to find out how wide the ditch was, and three native cavalry and three British troopers, all dressed as natives, suddenly dashed out of the camp. At a short distance behind them a number of Sepoys ran out, as if in pursuit, discharging their muskets46 as they did so. Just as the six horsemen arrived at the ditch, two of the troopers' chargers were made to fall. The native havildar shouted to the soldiers on the wall to save them from the accursed feringhees, and show them the nearest entrance to the city. The soldiers pointed47 to a gate near the breach and, as soon as the men had again mounted, the havildar rode with them along the ditch, and made the necessary observations.
Then they put spurs to their horses, and rode off--the Jats, on seeing that they had been deceived, opening upon them with musketry. Their excitement and fury, however, disturbed their aim, and the six horsemen rode into camp unhurt, and reported that the ditch was not very wide, and that it did not seem to be very deep.
Portable bridges were at once constructed. These were to be carried by picked men, who were instructed in the best method of pushing them over the ditch. To prevent the recurrence48 of the confusion that had been, before, caused by the assault in the dark, it was determined that it should be made in daylight and, on the following afternoon, the storming party moved forward. It consisted of four hundred and twenty men from the European regiments, supported by the rest of those troops, and three battalions49 of native infantry50. Colonel Macrae was in command. The whole of the batteries opened fire, to cover the movement and keep down that of the besieged51.
On arriving at the ditch, it was found that the portable bridges could not be thrown across as, during the night, the garrison52 had dammed up the moat below the breach and turned a quantity of water into it, thus doubling both its width and depth. A few gallant53 fellows jumped in, swam across, and climbed the breach; but there were few capable of performing this feat34, encumbered54 by their muskets and ammunition55; and Colonel Macrae, seeing the impossibility of succeeding, called them back, and retired under a tremendous fire from the bastions and walls.
This assault was even more disastrous56 than the last, for the loss in killed and wounded amounted to nearly six hundred. Harry was deeply disappointed at these reverses, which the rajah himself, with great glee, reported to him with full details.
There had been other fighting: two British convoys57 on their way from Agra had been attacked by the horsemen of Ameer Khan, Holkar, and the rajah. The first might have been successful, for the twelve hundred bullocks were escorted by only fourteen hundred men; and these, although they might have defended themselves successfully, were unable to keep the convoy together. The animals, excited by the firing, were rushing off in all directions when, fortunately, a body of our cavalry which had been sent out to meet the convoy arrived, and drove off the enemy with a loss of six hundred men.
The next morning a general movement could be seen in the British camp. The rajah, who was immediately informed of it, came up to the lookout.
"The English general has given it up as hopeless," he said. "They are about to march away."
"It looks like it, Rajah," Harry admitted, "but I should hardly fancy that Lord Lake will take such a step. He has tried to take the town by a sudden assault, and I think that he will not retreat until he has attempted to do so by a regular siege operation."
An hour later the whole of the tents had been pulled down and, presently, both the troops and the huge body of followers and cattle were in motion.
"They are not going to Agra," the rajah said, after watching them for some time; "they must be going to march to the north."
Two hours later, the great procession had arrived at the north of the town. There they halted, and their long lines of tents began to rise.
"They are going to try another point," the rajah exclaimed. "Truly they are brave men, but they will be repulsed59, as they were before."
"I fancy they will begin in another way, Rajah, and will make regular approaches, so that they will not have to pass across the open ground swept by your guns."
This indeed turned out to be the case. The trenches60 were at once opened and, ere long, two batteries were established at a distance of four hundred yards from the wall. Two days later another, still nearer, opened fire and, by the 20th of February, the trenches had been pressed forward to the edge of the ditch; and a mine sunk, with the intention of blowing up the counterscarp, and so partially62 filling the ditch. The troops intended for the assault took their places in the trenches at an early hour, so as to be ready to attack as soon as the repairs made by the garrison in the breach during the night could be destroyed by the batteries.
The Jats, however, had been rendered so confident by their previous successes that, during the night, they made a sally, crept into the advanced trench61--from which the workmen had been withdrawn--and started to demolish64 the mine and carry off the tools. As the storming party moved down through the trenches the Jats--who had made the first sally--joined by a considerable number from the town, rushed forward and attacked them; and inflicted65 considerable loss before they were repulsed. A portion of them, however, still held the advanced trench; and when the 75th and 76th, who were at the head of the column, were ordered to dislodge them, they hesitated.
The repulse58 of the former attacks had had its effect, and the troops, believing that the enemy would have filled the mine with powder, and would explode it as they advanced, refused to move. The remaining men of the flank companies of the 22nd stepped forward but, as they were too few to attack so considerable a number of the enemy, the 12th and 15th Sepoy Regiments were called to the front, and these advanced gallantly66.
The enemy were driven from the trench at the point of the bayonet. The ditch, however, had again been flooded, and was found to be impassable; but there was a bastion to the right that had been damaged by the breaching67 guns, and the troops at once made for this. A few men of the 12th managed to climb up, and planted the flag of their regiment on it but, as only one could mount at a time, and the Jats were swarming68 down upon them, they were recalled; and the force again drew off, having lost, in killed and wounded, nearly nine hundred men. Notwithstanding the terrible losses that had been suffered, General Lake persevered69 in his intention to carry the place at the point of the bayonet; and on the following day the batteries opened their fire on the bastion that had been nearly carried by the 12th Native Infantry.
The position had become serious. The cavalry had, a fortnight or three weeks before, defeated those of the rajah and his allies with heavy loss, and brought in a convoy; and Ameer Khan, who had only joined the Rajah of Bhurtpoor in the hope of plunder70, had deserted71 his ally and ridden off, with his following and a large body of Pindarees, with the intention of devastating72 and plundering73 the district of Rohilcund. Three regiments of British cavalry, under General Smith; and as many of native horse, with artillery74, followed on his track and, after a pursuit of three weeks, at last came up with him, annihilated75 his infantry and captured his guns. His cavalry, however, for the most part escaped, as the horses of the pursuers were completely worn out.
They returned to the British camp, after more than a month's absence, from a chase extending over seven hundred miles.
Their absence had greatly increased the difficulties in the British camp. Without their protection, the danger to which convoys were exposed was great. Provisions were running short in camp, the ammunition was almost exhausted76, and numbers of the guns were rendered unserviceable. These circumstances afforded the only excuse that can be made for a fresh attack upon Bhurtpoor.
It was even more disastrous than those which had preceded it. The 75th and 76th Regiments, deeply ashamed of their conduct on the preceding occasion, volunteered to a man; and they, with the other European regiments and five regiments of Sepoys, under the command of Colonel Monson, moved out to the attack at three in the afternoon. Nothing could exceed the courage which they displayed, and their conduct rivalled that of the storming party at the siege of Badajos; but they were fighting against impossibilities. The bastion could not be climbed. Some of the soldiers drove their bayonets into the wall, one above another, and attempted to climb up by these steps; but were knocked down by logs of wood, large shot, and other missiles. Others attempted to get in by the shot holes that had been made, here and there; but as only one man could enter at a time, they were killed before a footing could be obtained. All this time a terrible fire was maintained by the enemy against our men, showers of grape and musketry swept their lines, pots filled with gunpowder77 and other combustibles exploded among them, bales of cotton dipped in oil fell flaming in their midst.
For two hours the hopeless conflict was maintained. Then the order was given to retire, and the men fell back; having lost, in killed and wounded, nine hundred and eighty-seven of their comrades. Thus the four assaults had cost the army three thousand two hundred and three of its best soldiers. The force was still further weakened by a large number of deaths from dysentery and fever, the result of the miasma78 rising from the marshes79.
The camp was now shifted to drier ground, to the northeast of the town, the movement being harassed80 by the enemy's horse. The rajah, who had been jubilant over his success, looked grave when the new encampment was fixed.
"They have not done with me, yet," he said to Harry. "Why do they not go, now they see that they cannot take the place?"
"Because were they to do so, Rajah, half India would be in arms against them in a fortnight. Never before, since we set foot in India, have such defeats been inflicted upon us; and Lord Lake cannot march away and so own himself entirely81 beaten. Never before has an English general out here so blundered.
"Still, although unable to take Bhurtpoor, General Lake knows well enough that he can easily repulse all attacks on his camp. He knows, too, that the greatest efforts will be made to send up reinforcements. Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta will all send every available man and, ere long, his losses will be much more than counterbalanced by the forces that will join him. We have, during our history, suffered several disasters; but never one that has not been redeemed82 and revenged."
"Holkar was here, this morning," the rajah said, after a long silence. "He came to congratulate me on our victory. After he had done so, he asked that you and your troopers should be handed over to him. I need scarcely say that I refused. You were captured by my men and, though I am in alliance with Holkar, I do not owe him any fealty83. It is I who have aided him, while he has given but little assistance to me; and would, I am sure, ride away and leave me to my fate, if he knew where to go to. But his country, his capital, and his forts are all in the hands of the English; and he stays near here because it is, at present, the safest place for him."
On the 23rd of March, the British cavalry returned. For a month no attempt had been made to renew the siege, but the camp still remained as a threat against Bhurtpoor, and the time had not been lost. Convoys, escorted by strong parties of infantry, had come out from Agra. Supplies of all kinds, battering84 guns and ammunition, arrived almost daily. The armourers worked at the old guns, and made them again fit for service; and everything showed that, when the attack was renewed, it would be much more formidable than before.
The cavalry were given a few days' rest after their arrival but, before daybreak on the 29th, they moved out in hopes of surprising Holkar. He had, however, scouts85 well posted far out; and he effected his retreat with the loss, only, of some of his baggage animals. He retired some miles to the southwest, and again pitched his camp.
On the 2nd of April the cavalry, with the horse artillery, again moved out at midnight and, this time, came upon the enemy undiscovered; and before they had time to mount their horses, the cavalry charged them in front and on both flanks, while the artillery swept the camp with grape. Great numbers were slain86, both in Holkar's camp and in the pursuit, which was continued for eight miles. The whole of the camp equipage, the greater portion of the guns, and the bazaars87 were captured and, during the next day or two, large bodies of Holkar's troops, considering his case hopeless, deserted him. When in his flight he crossed the Jumna, he had but eight thousand horse, five thousand infantry, and thirty guns; the remains88 of the great army with which he had crossed the river, confident of victory, the year before.
On the following day Lord Lake, who had received considerable reinforcements, again moved his camp to the southeast of the city, and prepared to resume active operations against it. The rajah had, for some time, been in a despondent89 state and, the next morning, he came alone to Harry's room.
"I want to have a talk with you," he said; and Abdool, seeing that the conversation was to be a private one, at once left the room.
"My friend," he said, "I have, for some time, felt that my cause was becoming hopeless. I have never supposed that, after failing four times, and each with heavy loss, your people would continue the siege. But I see now that I was wrong. We might repulse another attack, and another; but of what use would it be? Your people would only become stronger, after each defeat.
"I see now that I have acted as one bereft90 of sense. I had no quarrel with the Company. They added to my territory, they had promised to defend me against all attacks but, when I heard that Holkar was approaching with so vast an army, I thought that surely he would recapture Delhi, and drive you out of Agra, and perhaps down to Calcutta; or that, after taking Agra, he would turn against me. And so, foolish man that I was, I joined him.
"And now I would fain make peace, and I pray you to go to your general, and ask what terms he will grant. They may be hard, but I am in no position to stand out. Ameer Khan has been chased and routed, Holkar is little better than a fugitive92, and owns only his horse and saddle. There is no one to whom I can look for aid. I put myself in the English general's hands."
"I will willingly go, Rajah. No doubt it has been supposed, for weeks, that I and my escort have perished. And when the general hears of the kind treatment that we have received--a treatment so different from that we should have met with, had we fallen into the hands of Holkar--it will, I feel certain, have an effect on the terms that he will lay down."
Harry had, each day, paid a visit to the troopers, who were confined in a large airy room opening into the courtyard. They had been well fed, and had been permitted to go out into the open air, for several hours a day, and to mingle93 freely with the Jat soldiers. Half an hour after his interview with the rajah Harry went down there. To his surprise, he found Abdool and the troopers all mounted, as well as a party of the rajah's own guard.
Before leaving, the rajah had returned his sword to him. As he rode through the streets, followed by his own troopers and with the rajah's guard riding ahead, the people looked on with curiosity, but evinced no animosity against him. Successful as had been the defence, the fact that the British had received great convoys and reinforcements had caused a feeling of apprehension94 as to the final result. Food, too, was becoming very scarce for, although small quantities were brought in by the side opposite to that occupied by the camp, this was altogether insufficient for the needs of a large population, swollen95 by the fighting men of the whole country.
Even these supplies had ceased, since the return of the British cavalry and the rout91 of Holkar, and the fighting men were losing heart. Their losses had been small, in comparison with those of the besiegers; but the defeat of Holkar impressed all with the fear that the British must, in the end, triumph. They had already done more than any who had tried to stem the tide of the British power. They had repulsed them four times, and their defence would be the subject of admiration96 for all the native peoples of India. Therefore, when it was known that the captured English officer was leaving the town, with his troopers, the idea that the end was near caused general satisfaction.
Harry left the town by the gate nearest to the British encampment. The rajah's guard still accompanied him, but halted halfway between the walls and the camp; and there dismounted, the officer in command telling Harry that his orders were to wait until his return. Numbers of the soldiers had gathered at the edge of the camp, on seeing the party riding towards it; and when the guard fell back, and Harry with his troop approached, and it was seen that it was a British officer with an escort of native cavalry, a loud cheer broke out.
Most of the soldiers knew Harry by sight, and all had heard of his being missing with his escort and, as the time had passed without any news of him arriving, it was supposed that all had been killed by the horsemen of Ameer Khan or Holkar. Many of the men of the 5th Native Cavalry were in the crowd, and these shouted welcomes to their comrades; while several English officers ran up and shook Harry by the hand.
"I have been a prisoner in Bhurtpoor," he said, in answer to the questions. "I have been extremely well treated, but I cannot tell you more now. I am here on a mission to the general."
Curious to ascertain97 the cause of the cheering, General Lake appeared at the entrance of his tent, just as Harry rode up.
"Why, Major Lindsay," he exclaimed, "where did you spring from? We had all given you up as dead, long ago!"
"I have been in Bhurtpoor, sir, and am now here in the character of the rajah's ambassador."
"That is good news. But come in and tell me, first, about yourself."
Harry briefly98 related how they had lost their way in a morass99, and had been attacked in the morning; and that, finding it impossible to make a way out, he had surrendered. He spoke100 in the warmest terms of the rajah's treatment of him and his followers.
"We were treated as guests, rather than prisoners, sir; and lived in a handsome room, got excellent food, and had the run of the palace. Scarce a day passed on which I did not have a talk with the rajah, himself."
"It is an exceptional case, indeed," the general said. "Had you fallen into Holkar's hands, or into those of Ameer Khan, very different treatment would have awaited you. And now, what has the rajah to say for himself?"
"His plea is, sir, that he believed Holkar's army would assuredly sweep us away; and that, in that case, he would have been attacked by him for having formed an alliance with us."
"His position was certainly an awkward one," the general said. "And now, what does he propose?"
"He does not propose anything, sir. He places himself in your hands. He admits his faults; and is, as he may well be, heartily101 sorry for them. He believes that he might still defend his town for some time but, his allies having been thrashed, he sees that, in the end, he must be overpowered. He asks that you will formulate102 your demands."
"Your news is very welcome, Major Lindsay; for indeed, I am as anxious to be off as the rajah can be to see me go. Scindia is giving trouble again, and has written a letter couched in such arrogant103 terms that it is virtually a declaration of war. I could not leave here until the town was captured; for it would have seemed to all India that we had been defeated, and would have been a terrible blow to our prestige. Therefore, at all costs, I must have taken the place. It will, however, be another fortnight before we shall be ready to recommence the siege.
"I do not wish to be hard on the rajah, and I know that the authorities at Calcutta view the case in the light that he has put it, and are willing to believe that his turning against us was not an act of deliberate treachery, but a fear of Holkar.
"His treatment of you and your escort is, in itself, much in his favour. Of course in this, as in similar cases, we could deprive him of his dominions104, and send him a prisoner to a fortress105; but the Governor General is most anxious that this business should be concluded. It has already cost us more men than we lost in the overthrow106 of Tippoo's power. He has given me authority to negotiate a peace, if the rajah offers to surrender. He has named the terms, approximately; and the rajah's treatment of you will certainly induce me to minimize the demands, as far as possible, especially as it is most important that the force shall be available elsewhere.
"Of course, the grant of territory made to him will be rescinded107. In the second place, we must, until all the terms of the treaty are fulfilled, retain the fortress of Deeg, which we shall garrison strongly. The rajah must pay twenty lakhs of rupees towards our expenses. We shall not demand this at once, but three lakhs must immediately be paid. One of his sons must be given up to us, as a hostage for the fulfilment of the treaty. The rajah must also bind108 himself not to enter into any communication with any princes, or chiefs, at war with us.
"I think that you will allow that those are not hard conditions."
"Certainly not, sir; and I have no doubt that the rajah will agree to them, without hesitation109."
"I will have a draft of the treaty drawn63 up, in half an hour," General Lake said. "Of course, you will carry it back to the rajah?"
"Certainly, sir. Fifty men of his bodyguard110 are waiting for me, halfway between the camp and the town."
Harry left the tent, and found the officers of the staff and many others waiting to welcome him back.
"They will all want to hear what you have to tell, Major," the head of the staff said. "You had best go into the mess tent, and hold a durbar."
The tent was soon filled with the officers, with the exception of the chief of the staff, who had been sent for by the general.
"In the first place, Lindsay," one of the officers said, "we take it that you have come on a mission from the rajah. Does he mean to surrender?"
The announcement was received with a loud cheer. There was not one present but believed that the next assault would be successful, but the cost of the previous attacks had been so great that it was believed the city would not be taken, unless with great slaughter112. The unhealthiness of the country had told upon their spirits, even more than the repulses113; and the news that they would soon be able to march away created the deepest satisfaction.
"And now, for your own adventures, Lindsay."
"My adventures began and ended in a swamp. It was four o'clock before the convoy left Agra, and I then rode on fast till it was night, when I was still five or six miles from the camp. It was pitch dark, and we lost our way and, presently, found ourselves in a deep swamp, and could discover no way of getting out of it."
Then he told them of the attack; how they had been obliged to surrender and had been guided out of the morass.
"When we reached the rajah's palace, all our troubles were ended. A handsome chamber114 was placed at my disposal, and the havildar of my escort was allowed to be with me. I was treated rather as an honoured guest than as a prisoner. I lived on the fat of the land, and was permitted to wander about the palace, and spent most of my time in the gallery round the highest tower, where I could see all that was going on. The rajah himself was most kind to me, and enquired115 daily if my wants were supplied to my satisfaction. He would often come up to the gallery and chat with me, sometimes for an hour. The troopers, also, were all well treated."
"You have received a great deal of misplaced commiseration," one of the officers said. "We have all thought of you as having been tortured to death, either by Holkar or Ameer Khan; and now we find you have been better housed and better fed than we have.
"And you are going back again, I suppose, with the chief's answer?"
"Yes; I must not tell you the conditions, but I think I can say it is certain that the rajah will not hesitate a moment in accepting them."
"Well, he deserves to be let off leniently116, if only for his treatment of you and your men. It is a contrast, indeed, to what has generally happened to officers who have fallen into the hands of any of these native princes."
There was a general talk until an aide-de-camp came in, and asked Harry to accompany him to the general's tent.
"There is the draft of the treaty," the latter said. "I hope that there will be no delay in returning a prompt answer. I want either yes or no. These Indian princes are adepts117 in the art of prolonging a negotiation118. If you see that he has any disposition119 to do so, say at once that I have told you that the terms I offer are final, and must be accepted or rejected."
"Very well, sir. I hope to return with the answer tomorrow, early."
And, followed by his escort, Harry rode for the city. The rajah's guard mounted, as soon as they saw him coming, and escorted him to the palace. The street leading to it was now thronged120 with people, and it was evident to Harry that, among the great majority, there was a feeling of hope that he was the bearer of acceptable terms; for among the poorer class the pressure of want was already severe.
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1
harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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2
ascend
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| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
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3
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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4
surmounted
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| 战胜( surmount的过去式和过去分词 )； 克服（困难）； 居于…之上； 在…顶上 | |
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5
domes
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| n.圆屋顶( dome的名词复数 )；像圆屋顶一样的东西；圆顶体育场 | |
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6
dome
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| n.圆屋顶，拱顶 | |
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7
circumference
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| n.圆周，周长，圆周线 | |
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8
edifice
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| n.宏伟的建筑物(如宫殿，教室) | |
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9
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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11
mosques
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| 清真寺； 伊斯兰教寺院，清真寺； 清真寺，伊斯兰教寺院( mosque的名词复数 ) | |
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12
followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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13
draught
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| n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计 | |
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14
hazardous
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| adj.(有)危险的，冒险的；碰运气的 | |
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15
populous
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| adj.人口稠密的，人口众多的 | |
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16
fortified
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| adj. 加强的 | |
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victorious
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| adj.胜利的，得胜的 | |
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18
insufficient
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| adj.(for，of)不足的，不够的 | |
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19
cavalry
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| n.骑兵；轻装甲部队 | |
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20
convoy
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| vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队 | |
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21
regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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22
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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23
gallop
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| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
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24
lookout
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| n.注意，前途，瞭望台 | |
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25
halfway
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| adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途 | |
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26
mortars
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| n.迫击炮( mortar的名词复数 )；砂浆；房产；研钵 | |
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27
breach
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| n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破 | |
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28
breaches
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| 破坏( breach的名词复数 )； 破裂； 缺口； 违背 | |
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29
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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30
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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31
stockades
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| n.（防御用的）栅栏，围桩( stockade的名词复数 ) | |
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32
debris
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| n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片 | |
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33
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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34
feat
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| n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的 | |
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35
flickering
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| adj.闪烁的，摇曳的，一闪一闪的 | |
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36
gateway
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| n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法 | |
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37
battalion
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| n.营；部队；大队(的人) | |
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38
incessant
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| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
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39
spiked
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| adj.有穗的；成锥形的；有尖顶的 | |
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40
swampy
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| adj.沼泽的，湿地的 | |
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41
lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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42
reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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43
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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44
cohesion
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| n.团结，凝结力 | |
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45
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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46
muskets
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| n.火枪，（尤指）滑膛枪( musket的名词复数 ) | |
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47
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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48
recurrence
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| n.复发，反复，重现 | |
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49
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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50
infantry
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| n.[总称]步兵(部队) | |
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51
besieged
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| 包围，围困，围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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52
garrison
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| n.卫戍部队；驻地，卫戍区；vt.派(兵)驻防 | |
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53
gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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54
encumbered
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| v.妨碍，阻碍，拖累( encumber的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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55
ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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56
disastrous
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| adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的 | |
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57
convoys
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| n.（有护航的）船队( convoy的名词复数 )；车队；护航（队）；护送队 | |
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58
repulse
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| n.击退，拒绝；vt.逐退，击退，拒绝 | |
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59
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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60
trenches
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| 深沟，地沟( trench的名词复数 )； 战壕 | |
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61
trench
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| n./v.(挖)沟，(挖)战壕 | |
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62
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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63
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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64
demolish
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| v.拆毁(建筑物等)，推翻(计划、制度等) | |
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65
inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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66
gallantly
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| adv. 漂亮地，勇敢地，献殷勤地 | |
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67
breaching
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| 攻破( breach的过去式 )； 破坏，违反 | |
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68
swarming
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| 密集( swarm的现在分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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69
persevered
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| v.坚忍，坚持( persevere的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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70
plunder
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| vt.劫掠财物，掠夺；n.劫掠物，赃物；劫掠 | |
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71
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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72
devastating
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| adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的 | |
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73
plundering
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| 掠夺，抢劫( plunder的现在分词 ) | |
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74
artillery
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| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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75
annihilated
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| v.（彻底）消灭( annihilate的过去式和过去分词 )；使无效；废止；彻底击溃 | |
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76
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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77
gunpowder
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| n.火药 | |
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78
miasma
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| n.毒气；不良气氛 | |
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79
marshes
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| n.沼泽，湿地( marsh的名词复数 ) | |
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80
harassed
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| adj. 疲倦的，厌烦的 动词harass的过去式和过去分词 | |
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81
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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82
redeemed
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| adj. 可赎回的，可救赎的 动词redeem的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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83
fealty
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| n.忠贞，忠节 | |
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84
battering
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| n.用坏，损坏v.连续猛击( batter的现在分词 ) | |
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85
scouts
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| 侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员 | |
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86
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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87
bazaars
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| （东方国家的）市场( bazaar的名词复数 )； 义卖； 义卖市场； （出售花哨商品等的）小商品市场 | |
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88
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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89
despondent
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| adj.失望的，沮丧的，泄气的 | |
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90
bereft
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| adj.被剥夺的 | |
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91
rout
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| n.溃退，溃败；v.击溃，打垮 | |
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92
fugitive
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| adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者 | |
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93
mingle
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| vt.使混合，使相混；vi.混合起来；相交往 | |
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94
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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95
swollen
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| adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀 | |
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96
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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97
ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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98
briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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99
morass
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| n.沼泽，困境 | |
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100
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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101
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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102
formulate
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| v.用公式表示；规划；设计；系统地阐述 | |
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103
arrogant
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| adj.傲慢的，自大的 | |
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104
dominions
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| 统治权( dominion的名词复数 )； 领土； 疆土； 版图 | |
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105
fortress
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| n.堡垒，防御工事 | |
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106
overthrow
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| v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆 | |
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107
rescinded
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| v.废除，取消( rescind的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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108
bind
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| vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬 | |
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109
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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110
bodyguard
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| n.护卫，保镖 | |
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111
onerous
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| adj.繁重的 | |
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112
slaughter
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| n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀 | |
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113
repulses
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| v.击退( repulse的第三人称单数 )；驳斥；拒绝 | |
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114
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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115
enquired
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| 打听( enquire的过去式和过去分词 )； 询问； 问问题； 查问 | |
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116
leniently
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| 温和地，仁慈地 | |
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117
adepts
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| n.专家，能手( adept的名词复数 ) | |
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118
negotiation
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| n.谈判，协商 | |
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119
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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120
thronged
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| v.成群，挤满( throng的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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