officers turned at the sound of their footsteps. Baird rose up, cigar in hand, and waved towards the table.
‘Wellesley! Come and join us!’
Arthur ignored the invitation with a shake of his head. ‘Sorry, sir. I have orders to carry out.’ He reached inside his jacket for the folded letter and handed it to Baird. ‘From General Harris, sir.’
Baird tore open the wafer seal and unfolded the sheet of paper. Holding it in one hand as he lifted the cigar to his mouth with the other, his eyes scanned the document. Then he glanced up.
‘What’s the meaning of this? I’m brigadier of the day, and as commander of the assault I should be left in charge of the city.’
‘I didn’t get the impression that anyone is in charge when we made our way through the streets just now, sir.’
‘The lads are just having some fun.’ Baird waved. ‘They’ve earned it. Rules of war are clear enough. If a town or city does not yield before the breach is practical, then it’s fair game for the besiegers.’
‘These people had no part in Tipoo’s war against us. They’re little more than bystanders.To subject them to the full horrors of an unrestrained army is immoral, General. The looting has to stop.’
‘Does it?’ Baird smiled. ‘On whose authority?’
‘Mine. General Harris has appointed me acting Governor of Mysore with immediate effect. As it says in the letter.’
Baird glanced at the sheet of paper again, until his eyes found the phrase. ‘Immediate effect . . . So it does.’
For a moment Baird stared at Arthur, with a glowering expression. His officers looked on in uncomfortable silence, ignoring their food. Then Baird leaned forward and stubbed his cigar out on his plate. ‘Damn you, Wellesley! You’ve been up to your bloody tricks again.’
‘Tricks, sir?’ Arthur responded icily.
‘You know damn well what I’m talking about! Milking your family connections for all they’re worth.’
‘I can assure you, sir, that I had no part in making this decision.’ Arthur felt his pulse racing as he responded to the attack on his honour. ‘If you are suggesting that I have not acted as a gentleman should in this matter, then you would leave me little choice but to ask for satisfaction.’
Baird rose to his feet, towering over Arthur, and jabbed a thick finger at him. ‘You impudent fool, I could swat you away like a fly. But we all know what harm that would do to my career with your brother running the show. So there’ll be no duel.’
‘As you please, sir,’ Arthur replied. ‘Now, with these men as witnesses, I hereby relieve you of command of the forces in Seringapatam.’
Baird glared at him, then flicked Harris’s letter aside and turned to his officers. ‘Come, gentlemen, it seems we are not wanted here.’
Arthur felt his anger and frustration boiling up inside him. So far he had managed to contain it, but now, at Baird’s petulant behaviour, his reserve snapped.
‘Oh, finish your damned breakfast!’ He turned about and strode away, followed by a bemused Fitzroy. Outside in the hall he stopped and whacked his palm against his thigh. ‘As long as there are men like that exercising any kind of power in India, we cannot hope to win her people over.’
‘I rather thought we were here to defend the Company’s interests,’ said Fitzroy. ‘Not to court popularity amongst the natives.’
‘You cannot have one without the other.’ Arthur turned to look his friend directly in the eyes. ‘Besides, there are bigger issues at stake. These lands may yet become the greatest prize that any empire has ever won.’
The first challenge to face Arthur was to bring order to the ravaged streets of Seringapatam. As soon as he had assumed authority over the city he joined Major Shee and the 33rd Foot. Summoning the officers he swiftly briefed them on his intentions.
‘It is vital that the people here can resume a normal life as soon as possible.That can only happen if they believe that we will not tolerate any further indiscipline.’ Arthur paused to make sure that his next words would be clearly understood. ‘To that end you will each be assigned a section of the city by Captain Fitzroy. You will enter your areas and detain any soldiers you encounter. They are to be escorted outside the city walls at once. Those caught in the act of looting will be flogged on the spot, before being thrown outside. Any man caught in the act of murder or rape will be taken to the nearest city gate and hanged. I want no one to be in any doubt about the consequences of indiscipline. Any questions?’
Major Shee nodded.‘Does that apply to our lads as well as the natives?’
‘It applies to all soldiers, without regard to race or regiment. That includes the men of the 33rd.’
One of the younger officers nervously raised his hand.
‘Yes?’
‘Begging your pardon, sir. But won’t hanging white soldiers damage morale?’
‘Perhaps. But if we don’t do it, then far more damage will be done to the reputation of our army and the Company.You have your orders and you will carry them out. Understand?’
The officer nodded.
‘Then, go to it, gentlemen. I want order restored on the streets by no later than the end of the day. Dismissed!’
By dusk, the fires had been put out, a curfew had been established on the streets and the city was firmly under the control of the acting Governor. The last remnants of Baird’s assault force had been turned out of the city, some bearing the red stripes of a recent flogging, and four red-coated bodies hung from a gibbet over the Mysore gate. The next day, Arthur turned his attention to another pressing issue: the disposal of the corpses that littered the streets and walls of Seringapatam. They had already been exposed to the heat of the Indian sun for nearly two days and the stench of putrefaction filled the still air. Hundreds of the prisoners were ordered to dig mass graves on the eastern end of the island and for five days carts and wagons loaded with bodies trundled out of the city and deposited their grisly burdens into the pits. Over nine thousand of the enemy had been killed in the assault, dwarfing the British losses of little more than three hundred dead.
Tipoo was spared the indignity of a mass grave and granted full honours of war the day that Arthur took control of the city. He organised the burial rites in person.Tipoo’s sons, his surviving ministers and officers from his army were permitted to attend and followed the gun carriage bearing his body to the pyre in a corner of the grounds of the Dowlut Baugh as dark clouds thickened overhead. An honour guard of men from the 33rd lifted the body on to the carefully built layers of wood, decorated with flowers and ornately patterned shrouds. Then, as the first flames licked up around the body, the guns on the city wall boomed out one by one in a solemn salute to the fallen ruler. As his followers wept, rain began to fall, accompanied by jabs of forked lightning that stabbed down from the heavens in blinding daggers of dazzling light.
More than one man had fallen, Arthur reflected as he watched the smoke swirling up into the sky, where it was quickly lost against the heavy black clouds hanging overhead. Tipoo would be the last of his line to rule Mysore. His sons were to be sent into exile in Vellore and the throne of Mysore was to be restored to its original line of Hindu rajas, the sole survivor being a five-year-old boy. Since Krishna Wodeyar was too young to rule in his own right, a regent needed to be found. Another problem that vexed Arthur, since the man in question must have the respect of the native population, as well as the trust of the British.
Two weeks after the fall of the city Henry arrived with a small entourage of officials. He had been sent to report on the situation as soon as Richard had received news from General Harris that Seringapatam had fallen. As he dismounted Henry cast an appreciative eye over the Dowlut Baugh.
‘You seem to have found yourself decent enough lodgings,’ he mused as he shook hands with his brother.
‘Oh, this?’ Arthur smiled. ‘I’m sure it will do for now. Until I can find something better. But do come inside and take some refreshment.’
‘Yes, I will, but first I have something for you.’ Henry reached into his saddlebag and pulled out a small package. ‘Some letters from Kitty. I swear that woman will have created a national paper shortage by the time you return to Ireland.’
