Chapter III.

And now what an opportunity we have to describe Indian life, manners, and customs. Ah, ah, gentle reader, don't you wince? But on reflection we wont; no, no, we wont, for the simple reason that every one in the present day knows all about India, or at any rate they think they do, which is the same thing. They know—who better?—that gentlemen in India are always being carried about in palanquins, and cooled by punkahs, that their favourite dish is pillaus or currie, and their favourite drinks beer and brandy-pawnee. That a tiger or two can page 27occasionally be bagged before breakfast, and that as to pig-sticking, it is the

"Morning thought, the evening dream,"

of by far the greater portion of the English male inhabitants.

And how do the ladies pass their time? Oh, that of course is equally well known: lounging during the morning in the most luxurious of arm-chairs, of course under the punkah; receiving crowds of visitors, retiring after tiffin to enjoy the balmiest of slumbers, proceeding in the evening to the band-stand to listen to strains of the most melodious music, and perhaps to tones of the human voice even more melodious to the ear, and concluding the day by driving after the shades of night have fallen to some brilliant ball. Such is life in India, is it not, gentle reader? Ah, well, there may be exceptions; but let us at page 28least always try to look on the bright side of things, which was what Malcolm Butler endeavoured to do when he arrived at Kurrachee, after a short passage from Bombay.

Kurrachee is one of the dreariest-looking places on the face of the earth, situated on a perfect plain of sand, about two or three miles from the sea; and yet how true the saying of Milton is, that "in the lowest depth there is a lower depth." (We hope we quote correctly, but we have not the book by us.) Kurrachee is a sort of sanitarium to the upper parts of the province of Scinde, because at Kurrachee you have all the advantages of the healthful sea breeze, whereas in the upper country you are parched for seven months by continual hot winds.

From Kurrachee Malcolm Butler proceeded to the Gizzeree Bunder, some three or four miles from that place, and from page 29thence by steamer, through what are called the Channels, to the celebrated river Indus.

There is an indescribable feeling in finding yourself in some place you have read of in childhood and youth but have never hoped to see. There is an indescribable feeling in standing on Table Rock at Niagara, and gazing on that mighty river flowing on as if for ever, breaking into foam at your feet, but rolling over in clear green unbroken water at its deep centre; and so near, so very near your feet as you stand upon the rock, scarcely a foot beneath you, one step and you would be in eternity. And a little voice within you says—this is Niagara, this is the place I have so often read and thought of And so it is, at any rate with some, when first they find themselves upon this other mighty river, this classic Indus, which pours its vast waters past so many lands, and bears page 30as it were so many memories on its bosom from the days of Alexander to our own.

Bat-bat, bat-bat, bat-bat went the paddles of the steamer; hot glared the sun on the broad river and its sandy banks; monotonous was the cry of the leadsman in the chains, "Do barm aik fo-ot" (two fathom and one foot), or "Dom-ba-dom" (the nearest approach he can attain to "no bottom"); and so they go on day after day until Kotree, near Hyderabad, is reached, then Sukkur, then Moultan; but we will not weary the reader by following Malcolm Butler to all these places, but will merely say that he eventually reached his regiment at Delhi a few days after that place had been captured by the British arms.

Malcolm Butler had taken care to provide himself with letters of introduction from influential personages to the officer commanding his regiment, and as that officer at page 31once perceived that by advancing the interests of the bearer of these letters he might probably advance his own, he determined to do so; and it so happened that he had almost immediately the opportunity of carrying out his views, for having a short time previously obtained the rank of full colonel, he was, within a month of the fall of Delhi, given command of one of the columns ordered to pursue the mutineers, with the temporary rank of brigadier-general. This force consisted of the regiment of British infantry to which Malcolm Butler belonged, a regiment of Seik infantry, some artillery, a squadron of European cavalry, and two squadrons of Jan-fishan Horse,—that is to say, irregular native cavalry.

It is perhaps necessary to explain the word Jan-fishan. The word "Jan" means "life," and "fishan" "scattering." The two words together, "Jun-fishan," mean page 32"scatterers of life," that is to say that the persons to whom they apply are so brave as to be ready to scatter or lose their lives in the pursuit of their duty.

There is another word in the "Ordoo" or "Camp language," commonly called Hindostanee, namely, "Jan-baz," which has much the same meaning as Janfishan. "Jan," as before mentioned, meaning "life" and "baz" "playing," or together playing with life, or being ready to sacrifice life for those who employ the persons so named.

Now it happened that the squadrons of Janfishan Horse which we have mentioned had just lost their commander in consequence of his having been promoted to a higher appointment, and consequently it was very easy for the new brigadier to get Malcolm Butler installed in the vacant post.

It was several days before the force page 33gained any intelligence of the body of mutineers they were in pursuit of; but on the evening of the fifth day they heard from some villagers that the enemy was not far in front of them; and on the morning of the seventh day after leaving Delhi they came up with him strongly posted behind a deep nullah, or dry watercourse, with his right resting on a wood, and his left on a small river.

The dispositions for attacking this position were soon made. The dragoons were placed on the right, where the banks of the nullah were shelving and not so abrupt as in the centre. One wing of the European regiment in line came next to them, then the regiment of Seik infantry, also in line.

The remaining wing of the European regiment was kept in reserve, and the page 34artillery so placed as to cover the advance of the line.

Malcolm Butler's Janfishan Horse were directed to circle round the wood on our left, and consequently on the enemy's right, with a view of taking them in flank when driven back by our advance, charging them if a favourable opportunity should occur, or at any rate following them and cutting off any stragglers from the main body.

In pursuance of these orders, the Janfishan Horse turned off to their left, and began to proceed round the wood, which was of considerable extent, and after a time completely hid them from the rest of the little army.

Malcolm Butler had been ordered to advance cautiously with a few troopers as skirmishers in front, and only at a footpace, in order to give time for the infantry page 35to attack and defeat the enemy before he appeared upon the scene; his advance therefore was most slow, and, as he went, he had time to reflect on the advice of an old officer and friend of his father, the colonel, who had constantly repeated to him these words, "Malcolm, my boy, if you should ever be on service, mind you try to get mentioned in despatches, and then your interest can be made of more use to you."

"Now," thought Malcolm, "now is the time, if I can only cut up a few runaways, I am sure the brigadier will mention my name as favourably as he can in his despatch describing the action."

Whilst reflecting in this way, he heard first the boom of the artillery, and then the rattle of musketry, and knew that the battle had commenced in earnest. It was shortly alter this that, to his intense dismay, page 36he saw the troopers whom he had thrown out in front come flying back as fast as their horses could carry them, and immediately behind them appeared a considerable body of mutineer cavalry, belonging to one of the late regular cavalry regiments, advancing towards him.

Now the "Life Scatterers" might have charged a retreating enemy with great determination, but to attack well-mounted regular cavalry was what they were not at all prepared for; so as the enemy came on in a manner that looked like business, they, after a pause of indecision, instead of scattering their lives, scattered themselves all over the plain in the most admired confusion, racing away in the true spirit of "devil take the hindmost." Their antagonists, however, being afraid of being drawn too far, stopped the pursuit after a short time, and retired, leaving the Janfishans page 37to huddle together some distance from the place where the rencontre had taken place.

Malcolm Butler being deserted by his followers, considered "discretion the better part of valour," and ran away with the rest; but he could not help reflecting that this was hardly the way to be "mentioned in despatches."

When therefore he saw the pursuit slacken, and the enemy eventually pull up, he did his best to collect the dispirited Janfishan Horse, and got a native officer who understood English to interpret to them that, from the sound of the firing, it was evident that the British had gained the day, and were advancing.

This speech had such an effect upon its auditors that in a very short time the squadrons were again formed, and advancing at a rapid pace to recover the ground they had lost. It so happened page 38that fortune favoured them, and just at the moment they cleared the wood, which had hitherto hid their operations from the view of the rest of the army, they saw on their right the whole line advancing in beautiful order, and the European dragoons in its front charging the flying enemy.

Malcolm Butler was perfectly aware that the natives under his command would never confess that they had done any but the most valorous deeds, and he therefore merely reported "that the difficulties in his way had prevented his coming up sooner." Still he had but faint hopes of being mentioned in the despatch describing the action. In this, however, he was mistaken; and as our readers will probably say to themselves what could possibly be said about him, we must quote the exact words which appeared in that document for their information.

"The Janfishan Horse under Ensign Malcolm Butler were not engaged; but by their imposing appearance on the left of the line they materially contributed to the success of the action."

Some days after the battle, the field force again came up with the retreating enemy; but on this occasion the mutineers only stood for a few minutes, and then fled in the greatest disorder, followed by the European cavalry and the Janfishan Horse, who cut up a number of the runaways, and Ensign Butler again found himself mentioned in despatches.

This was the last action in which Malcolm Butler was engaged, but it was a fortunate one for him, as a stray shot killed one of the senior officers of his regiment, which (he being senior ensign at the time) caused his promotion to the rank of lieutenant without purchase; page 40and we have nothing further to record of him until rather more than two years after the events we have detailed, when he effected an exchange into a regiment about to return to England.