Through the Sikh War: A Tale of the Conquest of the Punjaub

by G. A. Henty

At the end of the week Colonel Groves left the camp and took a boat to go down the Indus. The short stay among his countrymen, from whom he had been for many years separated, had done him good, and dispelled the melancholy thoughts with which he had ridden down from the fortress, which had been for some twelve years his home. He had met with great hospitality during his stay in camp, for all were interested in the talk and adventures of one who had been among the best known of Runjeet Singh's officers, and his hearty and genial manner had won for him the liking of all who met him.

Ten days later Percy, who was getting somewhat tired of idleness, received a message saying that he was to appear before the commissioners on the following day. Sir Henry, as president, addressed him when he appeared.

"Mr. Groves, I am happy to say that my brother and Mr. Mansell thoroughly agree with me that at the present moment experience rather than age must guide us in the distribution of our appointments. Although you have been but a short time in the Company's service, you have a wide experience in the country, and your knowledge of its languages is invaluable at the present juncture. We feel that you are naturally specially acquainted with the wants and necessities of that portion of the country in which you have lived for upwards of two years, and have therefore determined to appoint you to the charge of the strip of country lying north of Dhangah and running along by the side of the Jhelum. It will be about twenty miles wide, and will extend to the end of the narrow projection of country running up into Cashmere. The line will run to the east of Rawal-Pindee, and will include all the hill country, and will touch Torbeylah on the eastern branch of the Indus. It will therefore be about a hundred and twenty miles long, and will of course include your uncle's former district. Your appointment will be that of a deputy-commissioner. It will be a sub-district, either of the district of Rawal-Pindee or of Peshawar; that is not settled yet, but at any rate you will communicate direct with me. It is an important appointment for so young a civil servant, but I am sure that you will justify our choice. I congratulate you, Mr. Groves, upon having worthily earned an appointment such as this. You will start within two days for your post, and we think that it will be advantageous for you to make Djarma your head-quarters; there are, of course, several much more important places in the district; but in the first place it is, I believe, strongly fortified, it is distant about midway between the northern and southern points, and it possesses the advantage that in case of need you might collect a force from among the men who served under your uncle, and who are personally known to you. Lieutenant Purchas will accompany you; he is commissioned to raise a police force of a hundred mounted men; he will be stationed at Djarma, and will, of course, be subject to your orders, and responsible for the maintenance of order in the district. We have also decided upon raising a frontier force, and shall, as a beginning, raise two troops of cavalry and six companies of infantry. Major Mellish, who will have the command, will follow you to Djarma in a few days, and I shall be obliged if you will assist him in raising half that number in your neighbourhood. No doubt the force will be considerably increased later; at present it is but an experiment, and while it is desirable that the corps should start with a number of trained men, we have decided that it would be better to have an admixture of recruits from Pathan tribes on the other side of the Indus, both because they will know the country there, and because it is undesirable that the whole force should be composed of men acquainted with each other."

Percy expressed his thanks to the commissioners for the honour they had done him in the appointment, and especially for having selected him to the post he should have preferred to all others. "I can answer, sir," he said, "that should any emergency ever occur, I could in the course of a couple of days raise a thousand men for any service required."

Ten years later Percy was able to fulfil the promise. He had three years before been removed to a more important appointment, that of the district between the Jhelum and Chenab rivers, when the news of the outbreak of the mutiny sent a thrill through India, and it was evident that it would extend over the whole of the Bengal army. He received a message from Mr. Montgomery, commissioner at Lahore—Sir John Lawrence, who had succeeded his brother as chief-commissioner of the Punjaub, being at the time at Rawal-Pindee—saying, "Come to me at once." Ten minutes later he was on horseback, and, accompanied by his two faithful servants, rode to Lahore, and on his arrival was at once received by the commissioner.

"Mr. Groves," he said, "I fear there is no doubt that the sepoys throughout the Punjaub will go with the rest. We have a few days' respite, but I fear that it is certain they will rise. They must be disarmed if possible, crushed if necessary. I think that the Sikhs as a whole will be true to us. They have experienced ten years of good government, and I believe they appreciate it. If they are faithful, we may not only hold this province, but help the north-west; if they are against us, India is lost for a time. My intention is, as soon as the sepoys have been dealt with, to raise regiments among the Sikhs, and march them south. What do you think?"

"It will depend a great deal on their chiefs, sir; if they are faithful, I believe the people in general will at any rate not take part against us."

"I have received assurances of fidelity from the Rajah of Putiala and many others; some have offered to place their troops at our disposal, others not only troops but money."

"Then I have no doubt of the population sir; they have always looked to their chiefs, and if they are staunch the people will follow their lead."

"Why I have specially sent for you is this, Mr. Groves. You know your old district thoroughly, and have personal influence there; would you undertake to raise a force at once, whom you could trust to fight against the sepoys? There are the garrisons at Peshawur, Nowshera, Rawal-Pindee, and other places."