Hervey nodded again, wondering what these remarks portended.
'Your observations on the Burman manner of fighting would appear most apt. It would seem they are advancing on us by degrees through the jungle, digging and throwing up their damned stockades with each day.'
Hervey frowned. 'That is exactly the manner in which I understand them to fight, General. But I must say that it is not by my observation as much as by study of what others have written before.'
The general waved a hand dismissively. 'Yes, yes, but it was you who wrote the memorandum. That is what I meant. And now you've been inside one of these damned bamboo forts of theirs, you'll have other notions of how to deal with them, no doubt.'
Hervey was about to say that he considered any attack without artillery to be iniquitous, when the general pronounced his intention to deal with the encroaching threat. 'I shall attack at once -tomorrow. I shall take them utterly by surprise.'
Hervey, certainly, was surprised. Indeed, he was as intrigued by the notion as he was by the general's purpose in summoning him.
'You think ill of my design, then, Captain Hervey?'
Hervey would once have been flattered by such an enquiry. Now he felt only anger for the reply he would have to make, for it hardly seemed a design at all – more a statement of hope. 'I should not advise it, sir.'
The general looked taken aback; whether by the sentiment or by its plain expression, Hervey could not tell. Nor, indeed, was he in the slightest degree concerned. The general frowned. 'How so?'
Again, Hervey would once have measured his words; now he paused but a moment. 'The jungle is the Burman's habitude. General. It is where they would choose to fight us. To fight them there we should have an approach through very trappy growth, and could scarce keep formation. Or, if we were in column, it would be the very devil to deploy, especially if there were skirmishers concealed. And in all this it would seem to me utterly impossible to achieve the slightest degree of surprise.'
General Campbell looked astonished. 'That is not the opinion of my brigadiers.'
'They must answer for themselves, General,' replied Hervey confidently. 'With respect, sir, you asked me for my opinion.'
The general made no reply for the moment. He might at other times have been angry, but now he was thoroughly baffled. He might be new-come to India, but he had fought here long ago, and in Mysore, and it was 'the India rule' that a prompt attack confounded the enemy. Was that not, indeed, the duke's own tactic at Assaye? It had certainly been their method at Seringapatam. 'Then what would be your course?'
Hervey imagined the answer was obvious. He managed nevertheless to hide his dismay. 'Let them expend their effort in coming to us. Fight them in the open, or at the forest's edge, not when they're behind their walls. We might borrow some of the navy's artillery, too.'
'I don't care for the notion of waiting,' replied Campbell, shaking his head very decidedly.
'I am not suggesting we sit idly, sir. There is much to be done by way of outposts and patrols, and harassing. The thing is this: the Burmans must come to us if they are to seek any decision. They have no alternative. In which case we can make their work devilish unpleasant.'
The general sighed, loud and rather peevishly, then lapsed into silence.
After what seemed an age, Hervey judged his attendance no longer required. He replaced his shako, saluted and left for his quarters without a word.
He was not long there when the same ADC announced that General Campbell would see him again. Hervey put down the pencil once more and returned to the headquarter office, unsure this time whether he would hear testimony for inclusion in his letter of denunciation, or another outburst of anger (Campbell was hardly likely to reproach him for not seeking formal permission to dismiss?).
In truth, he did not much care what was the reason. Indeed, there was almost an air of truculence about Captain Hervey as he opened the general's door.
'You make a lot of sense, Hervey,' said Campbell, briskly. 'A lot of sense. I have decided to attack the Burmans when they reach the forest edge. But I shall not sit idly until then. We must have very active outpost work – patrols and the like – day and night. Put the Burmans on edge, deny 'em sleep. And I've decided to lead an attack myself on one of these stockades. Tomorrow. Can't abide sitting here another minute!'
Hervey was cheered; also gratified by the general's confidences, if uncertain as to their cause. 'Shall you want me to accompany you, sir?'
Campbell looked rather surprised. 'If you would like to, yes. But don't trouble yourself if there are other duties to be about.'
Hervey took his leave, formally this time. He returned to his quarters and resumed his letter-writing mystified in no small degree by the affair.
At long length he finished the deposition, with its postscript on the general's new intentions, and signed it wearily. He laid down his pencil, then he picked it up again, adding after his signature, 'We must, however, allow that the general is a gallant man.' In the afternoon, there being no duties to detain him, Hervey went aboard Liffey to dine.
Peto's mood had changed; he was no longer merely exasperated. Flowerdew had to give him wide berth as he circled with the decanter, the commodore's gesticulations becoming more and more extravagant. 'Half my ships ply to Calcutta like packets, now, and the rest all but careened here. And the crews sicken: Marryat hasn't an officer or warrant officer fit for duty, and he's had ten men die already. I'm sending Larne to sea for better air. In a month I'll have no ships in fighting trim at this rate.' He waved the decanter away, and then waved it back again. 'Dammee, this is no longer just a business of the Company's sovereignty. The honour of the Service is at stake!'
Hervey sipped at his glass of hock, chilled very tolerably by its immersion for several days in the river. He could understand his friend's dismay, for this was His Majesty's navy's first trial since- cBut the two are in consonance, surely? Ava is the object, is it not?'
Peto subsided but frowned severely. 'Only up to a point, Hervey. The Company will have safeguarded its position by defeating the Burmans' design. All they have to do is stop his offensives in Arakan and force a treaty. You know full well it was the commander-in-chief's opinion that we should have stood solely on the defensive. Whereas the Royal Navy shot its way into Rangoon and cannot.now move but out the way it came!'
'Ay, but unless Bagyidaw is deposed there'll be no end of alarms,' countered Hervey, shaking his head and reflecting the commodore's frown. 'Someone shall have to go to Ava. Of that there's no doubt.'
Peto beckoned his steward to serve their dinner. 'And what if he should delay so long as to be then unable to clear the Irawadi? It would be my ships that are seen to turn.'
Hervey blanched. 'Are you suggesting we abandon it? How will that serve the honour of the navy?'
'I am suggesting no such thing. I am suggesting that the commander-in-chief will break off the campaign here when the attacks on the borders of the Company's territory have been repulsed. And we shall have to steal away from this place without a shot – like thieves in the night.'
Hervey looked doubtful. 'That is if the Governor-General is of the same mind as the commander-in-chief.'
Peto huffed. 'Amherst has the mind of a nincompoop, as we have ample evidence.' 'What would be your design?'
'To reduce the garrison here to what is required only to repulse an attack. What would that be? A brigade? No more, surely? And then to take off the remainder at once to force the Irawadi. Rangoon will draw in the Burmans from far and wide, and that we should take advantage of. But there's no profit in sitting here the while with so many, and all my ships tied up supporting them. And for that matter, every day our numbers dwindling.'
'I grant you we might force the Irawadi. But without the strength to garrison it, the lines of communication would be at the Burmans' mercy. This general, Maha Bundula – he would see it at once.'
Peto looked put out. T thought you might have allowed that I would see the same!' Hervey frowned. 'I don't comprehend, Peto.'
'All these transports and escorts now plying back and forth across the Bay of Bengal: all they're doing is feeding the garrison here. Cut the garrison by two-thirds and there'd be no need of external supply. I could land half my own stores. It would see them through any siege. And the ships released thereby could keep open the Irawadi.'
Hervey pondered the notion as Flowerdew laid a plate of fish on the table. 'Have you shared this opinion with the general?'
'I have sent him a memorandum, just before you came.'
Hervey wondered how it would be received. The fall of Ava was not essential to the general's reputation. All
