The Generals

Sanderson glanced sidelong at his subordinate. Arthur slapped his hand down on the desk. ‘Don’t look at him! Answer me!’

Sanderson’s eyes steadied on the wall behind Arthur’s head and he shuffled to attention.‘I decided on the evidence presented to me that Dodd was guilty of a serious misdemeanour that might bring disrepute to the reputation of the Company, sir.’

‘A serious misdemeanour,’Arthur repeated coldly.‘Is that what a brutal, cold-blooded murder is?’

‘Murder, sir?’ Sanderson shook his head. ‘He simply beat a fellow for failing to provide a service. Hardly an uncommon event, given the laziness and dishonesty of the natives we have to deal with. Of course, it was unfortunate that the man died. An accident was what it was, sir. Nothing more.’

‘An accident is what happens when you barge into someone, or drop a plate on their foot. What an accident is not is a systematic and cold-blooded beating with a mallet. Do you deny that is what happened, Dodd?’

‘It wasn’t like that, sir,’ Dodd said evenly. ‘It was, as my colonel says, a mishap. The man had wronged me. I had been drinking. He refused to repay me and there was an argument. I lost my temper. I reached for the nearest thing to hand. It happened to be a mallet. After that, things were something of a blur. I had no idea the man was badly injured when I left his shop.’ Dodd shrugged. ‘That’s all there is to it, sir. Naturally I regret that the man died.’

‘Naturally,’ Arthur repeated with heavy irony. ‘Murder is murder, Lieutenant Dodd.’

‘But he was only a native, sir,’ Dodd protested.

‘What of it? He was a man, and you were responsible for his death by your own admission. And you will face the consequences.’

‘Sir?’ Colonel Sanderson interrupted. ‘You go too far! This is not the first incident of its kind.With good reason.These natives need to be ruled with a firm hand. Once in a while it is a useful thing to set an example.’

Arthur stared at him with open contempt before he continued. ‘That is precisely the kind of example that can only win us the eternal emnity of the people of this continent. That is the kind of example set by the very tyrants with whom we are at war. That is why we have to set a better example. One that will win the respect and loyalty of these people. There are too few Europeans in India to rule by coercion. So we must rule by consent. And that means setting the right example. You, Lieutenant Dodd, will be made an example of.’ Arthur leaned back in his chair and gestured to Fitzroy to take dictation as he concluded in a formal tone. ‘It is the decision of the military governor to overrule the disciplinary process of Colonel Sanderson with respect to the case of Lieutenant Dodd. With immediate effect, Lieutenant Dodd is dishonourably dismissed from the service of the Honourable East India Company. Subsequent to his dismissal, proceedings will commence to try William Dodd for murder in a civil court. By order of the Governor.’

As he finished Arthur turned back to the two Company officers whose faces expressed anger and disbelief. Sanderson recovered first.

‘This is an outrage, sir!’

‘I’m aware of that,’ Arthur replied coolly. ‘Which was why I had to act.’

‘Sir, I pray you, do not dissemble.You know what I mean. It is not justice to weigh the life of a native against the life of a Company officer, not to mention a British subject. I shall of course be forced to appeal to a higher authority.’

‘As military governor, I am the highest authority. My decision stands, and you two gentlemen are dismissed.’

Arthur ensured that a proclamation about his decision was posted in every quarter of Seringapatam to serve notice to all Europeans and the people of Mysore that no man was above the law. Dodd was duly stripped of his rank and forced to undergo a ceremonial drumming out of his battalion. A large crowd had gathered outside the Dowlut Baugh to witness the event, and as he emerged from the gates Dodd was pelted with rotten fruit and ordure before he could escape into the city. Then, a week before his civil trial was due to begin, Arthur received news that he had fled the city. Sanderson claimed not to know anything about his flight, but Arthur knew that Dodd’s options were limited. Since he was denied access to any British settlement, he would end up having to sell his services to one of the rulers of the Mahratta states, for ever exiled from his countrymen.

And good riddance, Arthur concluded, although he would have preferred that the man had stood trial and been convicted. Still, the lesson had been delivered and none of the British soldiers and officers under his command could be in any doubt about the consequences of their mistreatment of the local people from now on.

Throughout the summer Dhoondiah Waugh continued to attract brigands and the remnants of Tipoo’s army to his side, and the number of raids on the outlying towns and trade routes of Mysore continued to increase. When Arthur sent columns after the raiders, they arrived in the area long after Dhoondiah Waugh’s men had left. It became clear to Arthur that a more systematic approach was needed to remove the threat and he began to make his preparations for fresh campaigns. A breeding programme was set up to provide a stock of the white bullocks that had proved so useful in carrying supplies and hauling guns during the campaign against Tipoo.

The officer Arthur selected to track down and destroy Dhoondiah Waugh was Colonel Stevenson, a Company officer of long experience who proved adept at responding quickly to the enemy’s raids. However, as soon as the enemy became aware of the columns closing in on him, Dhoondiah Waugh simply crossed the border into Mahratta territory where Stevenson was not permitted to follow.

‘It’s no good, sir,’ Stevenson complained after returning from his latest attempt to catch the rebel leader. ‘He can outmarch my men, and the moment he crosses the border he’s away scot-free. You have to give me permission to pursue him into Mahratta territory.’

‘I have written to the Governor General to explain the situation,’ Arthur replied. ‘I am waiting for his reply. Meanwhile, I have decided to take the field against him. The situation in Seringapatam is stable enough to bear my absence for a while. It’s time we put every available man and gun into the effort against Dhoondiah Waugh, if that’s what it takes to destroy him.’

‘Yes, sir.’ Stevenson nodded in satisfaction. ‘I had hoped for your involvement.’

‘Oh?’

‘Well, sir, I doubt that there are more than a handful of officers in India who fully appreciate the difficulties of campaigning here. You’re one of them. If anyone can put an end to Dhoondiah Waugh, it is you, sir.’

Arthur felt the pride swell in his breast, and indulged the sensation for a moment - after all, it was his due after the success of the campaign against Tipoo. Then he fought down the emotion and hardened his expression. It would not do to let others see him respond to praise, let alone flattery. That would surely lead to his undoing. He needed honesty and objectivity from his subordinates. Anything else was superfluous. He cleared his throat and addressed Stevenson. ‘Yes, well, I shall do my best. But before we can be sure of defeating him, we need permission to pursue him across the border. Until then, the initiative is his, and there is nothing we can do to stop his raids on Mysore.’

Chapter 57

‘At last,’ Arthur muttered as he finished reading the dispatch from Richard. He laid it down and looked up at the small team of officials he had gathered in his office to discuss the coming campaign. In addition to Fitzroy, there was Stevenson, Close and Purneah. ‘The Governor General has concluded a treaty with Goklah, the Mahratta warlord whose territory borders Mysore. It seems that Dhoondiah Waugh has been carelessly indiscriminate about whose lands he preys on. Now he has another enemy, and we shall crush him between our forces and those of Goklah.The Governor General’s final instruction is that when we take Dhoondiah Waugh he is to be hanged from the nearest tree.’