Recollections of Thirty-nine Years in the Army: Gwalior and the Battle of Maharajpore, 1843; the Gold Coast of Africa, 1847-48; the Indian Mutiny, 1857-58; the expedition to China, 1860-61; the Siege of Paris, 1870-71; etc.Gordon, Charles Alexander, Sir
History
Recollections of Thirty-nine Years in the Army: Gwalior and the Battle of Maharajpore, 1843; the Gold Coast of Africa, 1847-48; the Indian Mutiny, 1857-58; the expedition to China, 1860-61; the Siege of Paris, 1870-71; etc.
Gordon, Charles Alexander, Sir
Gordon, Charles Alexander, Sir, 1821-1899; India -- History -- British occupation, 1765-1947 -- Biography; Paris (France) -- History -- Siege, 1870-1871 -- Personal narratives
Two incidents now occurred, each characteristic in its way. A soldier
having clandestinely obtained bazaar spirit, was thereby rendered drunk
and desperate; boasting of his courageous deeds, he was challenged
to “take a header” into the Ganges. He did so, and appeared no more.
The other was the infliction of one hundred lashes on the back of a
hardened old offender, simply as punishment, for none of those who knew
the man expected that it would have any deterrent effect in the future.
Entering the Bhauguruttee branch of the Ganges, our fleet was soon
at Berhampore,[59] whence I had started up the river little more than
two years previous. Again, but now as one of a body of officers, I
partook of hospitality shown to the whole regiment by General Raper.
A breakfast given at the palace of the Nawab;[60] excursions by land
and river, presentation to His Highness, permission to visit different
parts of his palace, including jewel-room and its contents, were so
many items connected with ovation given to us as representatives of a
distinguished regiment. All this was wound up by dinner at the house of
the General, followed by a “Reception,” during which I had the pleasure
of again meeting some “old” friends.
Among the guests at that Reception was “the Khasjeewalla of Gwalior,”
implicated, as we have seen, in the disturbances that led to the
recent campaign in that State. For a time he was interned at Agra,
but latterly had been “at large,” under surveillance of our host; his
demeanour towards those by whom the victory at Punniar was gained, by
no means agreeable; but under the circumstances anything else could
hardly have been looked for.
Resuming our journey, we soon arrived at and glided past the village of
Plassee,[61] but the actual field so named had long since been swept
away by the river by which we were being carried along. At Kulnah,[62]
indications of flow and reflux of the tide were evident. There we met
the fleet of boats, similar to our own, by which the 10th Regiment was
being conveyed inland. Mutual salutations passed between us, but little
at the time thought I of close association subsequently in store for me
in relation to it. A short distance more, and we passed the village of
Balaghurree, its inhabitants, those and their descendants, who, having
been left by their relatives to die by the side of the river, were
rescued through the good offices of missionaries.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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