The Sabre's Edge

right judgement in things, civil or military.

GENERAL ORDER

Fort William 28 July 1825’ The Right Hon. The Governor-General has learned with great sorrow the demise of Major- General Sir David Ochterlony, resident in Malwa and Rajpootana. This melancholy event took place on the morning of the 1’th inst. at Meerut, whither he had proceeded for the benefit of change of air. On the eminent military services of Major-General Sir David Ochterlony, it would be superfluous to dilate; they have been acknowledged in terms of the highest praise by successive Governments; they justly earned a special and substantial reward from the Hon. East India Company; they have been recognised with expressions of admiration and applause by the British Parliament; and they have been honoured with signal marks of the approbation of his Sovereign . . .

. . . The confidence which the government reposed in an individual gifted with such rare endowments, was evinced by the high and responsible situations which he successively filled, and the duties which he discharged with eminent ability and advantage to the Public Interests. As an especial testimony of the high respect in which the character and services of Major-General Sir D. Ochterlony are held, and as a public demonstration of sorrow for his demise, the Governor-General in Council is pleased to direct that minute guns to the number of sixty-eight, corresponding with his age, be fired this evening at sunset, from the ramparts of Fort William.

PART THREE

THE PRIDE OF HINDOOSTAN

CHAPTER TWELVE

MINUTE GUNS

Calcutta, October 1825

His Excellency General the Right Hon. Stapleton Lord Combermere, GCB, GCH &c, Commander-in-Chief of all the Forces in India, as he was styled, received Hervey warmly but without the same careless ease of their previous acquaintances. They had first met eleven years ago in the field at Toulouse, as Hervey lay painfully under the ministration of a surgeon. The commander of Wellington's cavalry had been all praise and warm regards then for Hervey in that culminating battle of the campaign, in his despatches writing that 'by his bold and independent action he averted what might at the very least have been an embarrassment for the mounted arm'. They had met on three occasions since then, the last being that most diverting evening at Apsley House before Hervey had come out to India, when he had met Lady Katherine Greville.

'I fancy you might care for some coffee, Hervey? It's a damnably cold morning.'

The invitation was to help himself from a pot on a table covered with maps and sketches, at which stood Colonel Macleod, who was to be brigadier of artillery, and Colonel Anburey, who was to be the same of engineers. Hervey acknowledged them both with a brisk bow of the head before pouring some of the strong black liquid into a big cup and adding a good measure of sugar.

'You set us nicely in apposition, Captain Hervey,' said Colonel Anburey, nodding with a grim, if perhaps wry, sort of smile at Colonel Macleod.

Hervey knew exactly what he meant. 'I fear the sappers will have little chance of doing their work without the support of the guns, Colonel, for the approaches to the walls are coverless. And yet the walls are so solid and thick that the guns shall have to come in close, and that can only be done by sapping from outside the range of the fort. Indeed, I wonder that it will not be better to mine one or two of the bastions, for a breach will otherwise be devilish hard.'

Colonel Anburey shook his head. 'I read your opinion, Hervey, but it is out of the question if the country lies as you have drawn it.'

'Too far to tunnel,' explained Lord Combermere.

Hervey looked puzzled.

Colonel Anburey supplied the detail. 'The greatest distance a gallery may be driven is two hundred yards. Beyond that there is insufficient air for a man to breathe, and indeed for the explosive to operate efficiently.'

Hervey was confident he had surveyed the defences accurately. 'That is indeed a pity. Colonel. It will be an affair of heavy pounding therefore.^’

And it need not have been, he said to himself later. Six months ago Ochterlony might well have carried the day at a stroke, with that never-failing ally surprise had the Governor-General allowed him to try - even with half the number of men with which Lord Lake had failed. At least he might by now be keeper of the gates in those great walls, thereby shutting out every freebooting Jhaut and brigand who at this very moment was flocking to Durjan Sal^’s banner.

But the Governor-General had dithered, fatally. Eyre Somervile had told Hervey of how he had gone to Lord Amherst's office the morning Ochterlony^’s despatch had arrived from Dehli. Amherst had looked alarmed: there was ill news enough already from the east without more from the west.

'You read my earlier minute on the situation in Bhurtpore, Excellency?^’ Somervile had asked, careful to observe the punctilio of address for once.

Lord Amherst had looked uncertain.

'Three months ago the Rajah of Bhurtpore died, and his infant son succeeded him under the guardianship of his uncle.^’

Lord Amherst's face had shown a flicker of recall.

'However, for reasons that should not detain us, the late rajah's nephew, Durjan Sal, has laid claim to the succession.'

'Why do you say they should not detain us, Mr Somervile?' Lord Amherst had demanded, his brow furrowed anxiously. 'We are, by your tone, very evidently to be detained by one claim or the other.'

'Durjan Sal disputes the legitimacy of the rightful heir, Balwant Sing. But by all the evidence hitherto before us this is a most villainous claim.'

'Before us? I have not heard anything of it!'

'No, my lord. Matters in this regard have fallen entirely to the resident in Dehli.'

'Ochterlony? Good God: what has he been about?'

Although Somervile shared the general opinion of Sir David Ochterlony - that his best days were long past - he had sufficient regard for his judgement in the rights of things, if not in their consequences. 'Sir David recognized the rightful claim of Balwant Sing twelve months ago by vesting him in a khelat—'

'What in heaven's name was he doing? Such a thing is not done without presumptions of obligation. What is Bhurtpore to us? I consider it very rash.'

Somervile had sighed to himself. 'The fact is, my lord, that Sir David has bestowed the Company's recognition on Balwant Sing and—'

'Well, he had better renounce it. We have trouble enough in Ava. Campbell's still stuck in the mud at Rangoon, and his ships gathering weed.' The Governor-General had waved his hand as if the matter was done