With Clive in India; Or, The Beginnings of an EmpireHenty, G. A. (George Alfred)
History
With Clive in India; Or, The Beginnings of an Empire
Henty, G. A. (George Alfred)
India -- History -- British occupation, 1765-1947 -- Fiction
The rajah was delighted at this most formidable accession to the
defensive power of his fortress, which was now in a position to defy
any attack which could be made against it. A store of provisions and
ammunition was collected there, and the command given to one of
Charlie's Sepoy lieutenants, with a hundred trained artillerymen, and
two hundred infantry. Numbers of cattle had been driven into the town
and castle, and stores of provisions collected.
It was but two days after the battery was complete that the news
arrived that the rajah's brother, with Murari Reo, had entered the
rajah's dominions, and was marching up the valley to the assault. The
rajah had, in the first place, wished to defend a strong gorge through
which the enemy would have to pass; this having hitherto been
considered the defensible point of his capital, against an invasion.
Charlie pointed out, however, that although no doubt a successful
defence might be made here, it would only be a repulse, which would
leave the enemy but little weakened for further operations. He argued
that it was better to allow them to advance to the point where the
valley opened out into a plain, some two miles wide. He had no doubt
whatever that the rajah's troops would be able to inflict a crushing
defeat upon the invaders, who would be so disheartened, thereby, that
they would be little likely to renew the attack.
Two bodies of troops, each three hundred strong, were sent down to the
gorge, with orders to remain in hiding among the heights, to allow the
invading army to pass unmolested, and then to inflict the greatest
possible loss upon them, as they returned. These were under the
command of another of Charlie's lieutenants, who received orders from
him to erect breastworks of rock on the slopes above the entrance to
the gorge, after the enemy had passed on; and to line these with a
portion of his men, who should pour a heavy fire into the enemy as
they came down the valley; while the rest were to line the heights
above the gorge, and to roll down rocks upon those who passed through
the fire of their comrades.
The uniforms were served out to the soldiers, and Charlie surveyed,
with pride, the five battalions of trained troops which, with twelve
guns, marched down into the valley and took up their post beyond it,
at a point which he had carefully chosen, where the guns of the castle
would be able to play upon an advancing body of troops. A body of
trained artillerymen were told off for this service, and the
last-raised levies were posted in the castle and on the walls of the
town.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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