Jack Windrush Collection

Chapter 22

Pegu was not as Jack remembered it. British and sepoy infantry patrolled between the huts where laughing Peguese had entertained him and his men with their impromptu pwe. Garrison troops and commissariat stores filled the upper storey of the three-storey pagoda and cannon poked black snouts from behind hastily built walls.

Jack stood back and studied the defences. Years of neglect had reduced parts of the pagoda to disrepair with silvery, reedy grass growing through the crumbling brickwork nearly everywhere he looked. It was not an impressive barrier behind which the garrison rested.

"We"re in a bad position here,." Major Hill spoke to his officers as they stood on the walls. "We are cut off from the main British army and outnumbered by a considerable Burmese force. We must make our stance at the pagoda."

"This place is even larger than I remembered," Jack said.

"The upper platform has four sides, each of about two hundred and twenty yards." Hill was a man who liked figures. "We use the brick wall for defence where we can, but the west wall, as you see, is virtually non-existent. God knows what will happen if the Burmese make a determined rush there. The northeast is nearly as bad."

They toured the town, taking notes. The garrison had partially repaired the low buildings around the pagoda and occupied them as barracks. European and Native infantry exchanged banter and repartee as if they were not in a besieged town deep in enemy territory.

"Are these the officer"s quarters?" Jack pointed to more substantial houses that stood slightly detached from the troop"s huts.

"Yes, indeed. These buildings were the ponghee- priests"- houses but the priests have all gone elsewhere. They"re not perfect, but better than being outside with the mosquitoes."Hill killed his smile and pointed to a hut that stood slightly apart from the others. "That one is the magazine. God knows it"s not full enough to withstand a long siege, but it"s all we have."

"What"s on top?" Jack indicated the highest level of the pagoda to which over thirty flights of steps ascended.

"Nothing." Hay said quietly. "Except for the temple."

"There are other temples." Jack indicated a group of small pagodas near the east face. "These will give the enemy cover. Can we not raze them to the ground?"

Hay gave a distinct shiver. "Good God, no! That would be interfering with the religious susceptibilities of the people, and one cannot do such a thing."

"Yes, sir. Even when it means our men are in more danger?" Jack thought of the hardships his men had already endured. It seemed unfair to put them through more.

Hay"s eyes widened. "Our men joined the army by choice, Windrush. Nobody forced them to take the Queen"s Shilling. They knew it meant danger."

Jack nodded; arguing his point with a senior, and a more experienced officer would do him no good at all. "Yes, sir."

"That is much worse,." Hay pointed to the jungle-covered hills that overlooked Pegu to the north and east. "The Burmese will be up there now, watching every move we make. We cannot prepare for a counter-attack or a sally without them seeing us. They have the advantage of surprise and numbers; we have nothing." He stopped, possibly because he realised he was mouthing defeatist talk. "Except a brave garrison, of course."

Jack looked around the pagoda and the surrounding town. There seemed very few scarlet jackets to patrol a settlement the size of Pegu. "How many men do we have, sir?"

"Including both native and European troops, we have 435 bayonets to defend a perimeter that requires at least three times that number."

"We brought you a few more," Jack reminded cautiously.

"You brought us a handful of starving skeletons who will be lucky to stand straight, let alone withstand a siege by a Burmese army." Hill caught himself again and raised his voice to include the small group of officers that had gathered around him.

"We will base our defence on the pagoda," he announced. "We cannot defend the entire town with the men we have." Suddenly Hill straightened up and became very decisive. "I want the upper platform of the pagoda barricaded and three of the entrances blocked. That will leave only one for us to defend." He swept his hand over the approaches to the town. "All that tall grass affords cover to the enemy so they can creep up and murder our sentries and the innocent Peguese. I want it cut down. Our Peguese all carry dhas and are expert at that sort of work."

"Yes, sir." A young lieutenant began to move away.

"Stay!" Hill ordered. "I have not finished yet. We captured three cannon when we stormed the town; I want one mounted at each blocked gateway, so they control the entrance, and I want our company gunners there permanently." He looked around. "I want a captain to command each face of the pagoda. If your neighbour needs assistance, I expect you to support him."

The officers nodded. Jack listened, taking in each new idea as Hill continued with his defensive strategy.

"I want patrols out to see what the Burmese are doing. I am aware that they are watching us; I want them to see that we"re active and hope to bring the fight to them. We will not sit here tamely and allow the enemy to take the initiative. We need to find out all about these people, so we know how to defeat them."

"Sir," Jack said, "may I say something here?"

"Please do, ensign. We are a small body of officers and every opinion is valued."

Jack blinked. After the stifling command of Marshall, Hill"s openness was refreshing. "Thank you, sir; the Burmese soldiers who attacked last night were regulars from the Tatmadaw."

Tatmadaw"The what?" One of the captains asked. "Speak English, damn it, man!"

"The Tatmadaw," Hill said, "is the Burmese regular army. Are you sure, ensign?"

Tatmadaw"Yes, sir. They were not local levies." Jack hesitated. "They fought as a disciplined force." For a moment, Jack wondered how much he should say; he had no desire to appear as a know-it-all in front of these professional fighting men. "Local levies fight under their chiefs, in a mob. They are brave enough but hardly eager, while these men had order and training. I believe they were the Invincibles and the Invulnerables regiments."

Hill hid any surprise he may have felt. "I thought they might have been. They attacked like professionals and not merely dacoits." His eyes narrowed slightly. "How do you know that, ensign? You seem rather young to have such knowledge of our enemy."

"The native woman who was with us is from Pegu," Jack said. "She was our translator on Serangipatam."

Serangipatam"Can we trust her?"

Jack fought his resentment at what was a natural question. "Implicitly sir. Her people have no love at all for the Burmese."

"Good – she may be useful as a go-between with the Peguese." Hill frowned. "All right, you all know what to do. We must hold out here until relief arrives."

The 113th looked a little better after a night"s sleep and some British rations. Still ragged, still skeleton-thin, they were gaunt, hollow-eyed and wore uniforms little better than rags, but stood at attention when ordered and their weapons were clean, oiled and well maintained. They were soldiers.

"I thought we were going to be safe here." Coleman gave the inevitable grouse.

"You"re a soldier, Coleman; you took the Queen"s shilling. Now b****y earn it." Wells gave the equally inevitable reply.

"We are stationed on the north wall of the pagoda," Jack told them, "we"ll join the Fusiliers there." He touched the Buddha in his pocket. "We"ve improved our position a great deal; we are no longer prisoners, and we are no longer alone. There are hundreds of Company troops fighting alongside us now."

"And thousands of b****y Burmese just waiting to spit us on their knives," Thorpe said sullenly. "Look at them out there!"

Thorpe was correct. The open maidan to the north of Pegu was busy with men. There were parties of soldiers moving purposefully from one side to the other, and an occasional squadron of cavalry.

"Cassey horsemen," Captain Stephenson handed his binoculars to Jack, "I"ve heard they are efficient in their own terrain."

Jack studied the cavalrymen. "We met them briefly," he said, "but had no real opportunity to see what they were like." The cavalry moved in small groups, well-disciplined on their stocky ponies. "They look a handy crew." Wearing red tops, blue trousers and a neat turban, they handled their long spears with the casual familiarity of long experience.

"Sir!" Thorpe pointed to the edge of the forest. "Big b****y elephants, sir! With men riding them."

Before Jack could focus in that direction, Stephenson had snatched back the binoculars. "You"re right private; those look like their chiefs on the elephants, so no doubt they are planning something nasty for us." He put one foot on top of the parapet wall and peered down. "I wish I knew who these fellows were."

"Our translator might know, sir," Jack volunteered. "I could send for her if you wish."

Stephenson kept his attention on the Burmese officers. "Do that," he said briefly.

When Myat arrived, Stephenson handed her the binoculars. "Ensign Windrush tells me you know the Burmese commanders; see if you can identify any of the men on the elephants."

"I know two of them," Myat confirmed after a few moments. "The one on the right with the faded red coat is Bo Ailgaliutlo. He is the dacoit chief who attacked General Godwin in Rangoon."

Jack felt a shiver run through him.

That makes sense. Bo Ailgaliutlo must have left his stronghold to join in this attack on Pegu. That"s why we escaped so easily.

That makes sense. Bo Ailgaliutlo must have left his stronghold to join in this attack on Pegu. That"s why we escaped so easily.Stephenson frowned. "I know that name. I"ve heard that he is a renegade, an ex-British soldier who joined the Burmese. Is that correct?"

Jack nodded. "I believe it is, sir. He is also the one who murdered Commander Marshall and many of our men."

Stephenson focussed the binoculars on Bo Ailgaliutlo. "Too far for our cannon to reach; I would like to get rid of that one. And the others?"

Myat pointed to a shorter, more elaborately dressed man who rode a larger elephant. "The one in the centre is Muong-Kyouk-Loung, one of their most senior commanders. He"s no dacoit chief, but a regular soldier."

"Muong-Kyouk-Loung – his name is known," Stephenson murmured. "According to our intelligence, he is an officer of general rank with some 11,000 men under his command. If he"s here, then they are taking the siege of Pegu very seriously indeed." He lowered his binoculars and looked at Myat. "Your people are redoubtable warriors," he said.

"The Burmese are not my people." Although Myat spoke softly, there was steel in her voice. "I am Peguese. These are invaders from Ava in the north."

Stephenson nodded in apology. "Do you know who that third officer is?"

"That is Muong Gyee," Myat said at once. "He is Muong- Loung"s brother in law."

"Ah." Stephenson nodded again. "I know of him, as well." "He didn"t flinch at the puff of smoke and sharp report of a jingal from the forest edge. "They"ve noticed us here. Best tell the major."

Major Hill looked worried when he arrived at the wall. "Bo Ailgaliutlo himself? That is bad news. He would not come merely for a raid." He pursed his lips. "The King of Ava has lost two of his prized possessions, the Shwedagon Pagoda in Rangoon and this one," he jerked his thumb at the pagoda, "what they call the Shoemadoo Praw. It must hurt his pride to be bearded at his own back door." He grunted. "All right. I want Brown"s picket withdrawn from the riverbank and taken inside the defences; it is too vulnerable there with the Burmese in such force. And bring Lieutenant Mason to me. I will send him to Rangoon with notice of our situation." He glanced at Windrush. "How are your men, ensign?"

"Well enough, sir."

"Good. I have forty sick already and rising. If things go on as they are, we"ll have more men in hospital than on the defences." He scanned the perimeter with his binoculars. "Hostile Burmese surround us, I see."

The next day the local people began to filter into Pegu for protection. At first, they came in singly and then in family groups. Soon the whole population of villages arrived with men driving the huge Burmese bullock carts with the family sitting on top. Hill watched them for a day and ordered a stockade built just outside the pagoda. "There"s too many for us to accommodate and defend; let them do what they are best at."

"Even old granny"s coming, all looking for British bayonets to protect them from the Lord of the Golden Foot," O"Neill said.

"That"s why we are here," Jack told him. "This is what the British Army does; we protect the weak from the bully-boys." He watched the Peguese arrive in squealing carts and with hope in their eyes.

"Sir!" A young Fusilier lieutenant panted up the stairs and saluted Stephenson. "The Burmese are chasing a a couple of British soldiers out there!" There was the sound of scattered shots, the brassy clamour of gongs and distant voices shouting.

Jack stared across the maidan. Is there no peace? The men wore the scarlet tunics of British soldiers. "Madras Native Infantry," Stephenson said at once. "They"re in a bad way. Bring them in Windrush, would you?"

Is there no peace?The sepoys staggered as they ran, with the leading man waving his hands as soon as he saw Jack"s 113th. There were a score of Burmese bounding in pursuit, dhas raised, and as Jack watched, a unit of the Cassey Horse trotted from the jungle fringe. The rearmost sepoy looked over his shoulder, shouted something and ran faster.

"Give the cavalry a volley," Jack ordered. He suddenly felt very exposed out here on the maidan. The cavalry increased their speed to a canter.

"Form a line, boys," Jack kept his voice calm, "aim at the horsemen." Five muskets levelled. O"Neill thumbed back the hammer of his musket with a calloused thumb. He was chewing tobacco with a steady rhythm. "Fire," Jack ordered, and the men fired as one.

My 113th are veterans now

My 113thare veterans nowThe jets of white smoke gushed out. One of the horsemen fell.

"Reload," Jack ordered.

The remaining Cassey Horse came on undaunted; lances held low. The sepoys were running in something like panic, blundering through the grass, looking over their shoulders.

"March forward," Jack said.

It was madness for a handful of infantry to oppose a larger number of cavalry in open country, but after the last few weeks, he trusted these men and the sepoys needed help. He would be failing in his duty if he left them to be cut down by the Cassey Horse.

The sepoys staggered to them, dishevelled, barefooted – one with blood seeping from a cut on his scalp.

"These lads look done in, sir." O"Neill ejected a mouthful of tobacco juice.

"They do," Jack agreed. "Take another dozen steps and give the cavalry a second volley. That should allow the sepoys time to escape."

With both forces closing on each other Jack could now make out details of the Cassey Horse; with the high supports behind their saddles and the long spike on the butt of their spears they looked too formidable to allow near.

"Right lads, kneel and give them another volley."

The Cassey horsemen were uncomfortably close. Have I waited too long? Have I miscalculated?

Have I waited too long? Have I miscalculated?"Fire!" Jack tried to sound calm.

The muskets became more effective as the range shortened. Two horsemen fell, one to rise immediately and kick his horse as if blaming it for being shot. The body of the other man disappeared among the long grass. The remaining horsemen pulled up short and hesitated.

"Give them another, sir?" Wells was already reloading. He seemed eager to continue the fight.

Drive it home or get these men out safe? The time taken in firing might tip the balance between safety and disaster.

Drive it home or get these men out safe? The time taken in firing might tip the balance between safety and disaster.Jack calculated the distance between the cavalry and his men and decided not to risk it. "No. Reload and withdraw. If we fire now and they charge, they could reach us before we reload."

"Yes, sir." Wells accepted his order without hesitation.

Jack glanced over his shoulder. The sepoys were already fifty yards to the rear.

"Withdraw slowly," he ordered, "keep facing the enemy and if they approach too closely, present, but don"t fire unless I give the word."

The Cassey Horse followed at a distance, never closing the gap but never falling back until Jack"s men were within comfortable range of the garrison of Pegu. "Right boys, in we go."

"Nicely done," Stephenson said briefly. "Now let"s hear how these two scallywags came to be wandering through the Burmese forest." He gave a bleak grin. "First, it was you and half the Company navy and now a brace of sepoys. I don"t know what we"ll have next – the brigade of Guards perhaps, or Dalhousie himself and his entourage."

That was perfect; my boys acted like veterans – they"re as good as any infantry in the army.

That was perfect; my boys acted like veterans – they"re as good as any infantry in the army.Once the sepoys had been fed and greeted by the officers of their own regiment, they gave their story. It seems they were from a party of twenty- two native infantry, led by a Jemadar. They had been coming by river from Rangoon to Pegu, but the Burmese had ambushed the boat and captured it after a fierce battle. The sepoys had lost one man killed and two wounded, but these two had escaped and run to Pegu for help.

Jemadar"My lads would give a good account of themselves," a captain of the Native Infantry said.

"They have a good name," Stephenson agreed at once.

"What about the rest of the men on board?" Major Hill asked, and one of the regimental officers translated the question.

The sepoys looked away as they replied.

"Either dead or prisoners," the officer said.

Major Hill nodded. "Well, we can"t have more of our men held by the Burmese. We all know the treatment Windrush, and his men had, and the death of Commander Marshall shall forever be a stain on the Burmese Army."

"That was Bo Ailgaliutlo," Jack reminded, "a dacoit chief and probably a British renegade. I don"t think the Burmese Army has committed any atrocities against us during this campaign."

"Obviously, you have more information than we have, Ensign,." Major Hill"s voice was acidic.

I should have kept my mouth shut.

I should have kept my mouth shut."I want a patrol sent out to try and locate our people,." Hill glanced at Jack. "That means you, Windrush. I know you have had a bad time and are pretty knocked up, but you know the country better than anybody else. I want you to take out a picket, try to locate where these poor fellows are being held and report back so I can organise a rescue expedition."

"Yes, sir," Jack said. "Shall I try and rescue them?"

"Use your best judgement, Windrush. You have a reputation for impetuosity, which I hope your recent experiences have tempered. Do not attempt anything unless you are sure of success." He raised a sympathetic eye. "Are you game?"

"Of course, sir." Jack saluted. Thank God; that will erase any memory of my previous comment.

Thank God; that will erase any memory of my previous comment.Hill nodded to the topmost level of the pagoda. "Go up there, liaise with the captains and get the lay of the land. If you can"t locate these sepoy fellows, then find out how many of the Burmese are regulars and how many just dacoits that will scamper when things get serious. You may take as many men as you think fit; your own, the Fusiliers or the Native Infantry."

"Yes, sir." There is no decision to make. I will take my 113th.

Jack checked his equipment. He had a Burmese dha, a borrowed pocket compass, water bottle and revolver, and a roughly drawn map of the area showing where the Burmese had ambushed the sepoys and in which to insert anything he discovered. He peered out into the darkness – he had two hours before the rising moon painted a silver sheen over the surrounding countryside. Two hours of true dark to get past the Burmese sentries around the small pagodas, across the maidan and scout the belt of the bamboo jungle. After that, the trees should hide him.

"Ready, Windrush?" Hill asked.

"Yes, sir." Jack had chosen a small party of only two other ranks, plus Myat and Ranveer. If he ran into trouble, even fifty men would not be enough against Muong- Kyouk-Loung"s thousands, while they would undoubtedly make more noise. He had swithered about Myat, but in the end, he had asked if she would come.

"I don"t like putting women in danger," he told her, "but your translation skills are invaluable to us, and you know the country far better than anybody else." He hesitated for a moment. "I won"t force you to come if you don"t want to."

She looked at him, unflinching, unemotional and patted Wells" arm. "I will go with Edmund."

Wells frowned. "Don"t call me that," he whispered.

Myat had smiled and squeezed his arm. "It is your name," she said.

Wells opened his mouth, but whether to protest at this blatant proclamation of a name he apparently disliked or to try and persuade Jack to leave Myat behind, Jack never knew for he closed it again without saying a word.

Ranveer had proved himself as a loyal man. Jack trusted him.

"Last check, men." Jack kept his voice quiet as he fought his nerves. He hated these last few moments before things happened.

It"s not fear or not all fear. It"s a mixture of apprehension and nerves. I am more afraid of doing things wrong than I am of being killed. It would be worse to be severely injured and left a blind cripple, or hideously malformed. A slight wound would be all right; a scar to let others see that I"ve been in action might help my promotion prospects.

"Are you all right, sir?"

Wells words brought Jack back to the present. "I was working out our route."

The Fusilier sentries stepped aside to let them through, then closed ranks again, wordless but with expressions that suggested they were glad to be staying behind. Only the dark remained, and the long grass, the bamboo jungle and the enemy. There were no gongs sounding, no commands ringing from the unseen Burmese ranks. Instead, there was the soft, sinister rustle of the grass, the sudden roar of a distant tiger, the call of a deer and the constant underlying whine of insects.

"No heroics, boys," Jack reminded. "We"re here to scout the Burmese positions and look for these sepoys, nothing else. We will be back before dawn." He glanced over them. Despite the frowns of senior officers, he had ordered that they take off their scarlet jackets and wear clothes of darker colours to merge with the jungle.

"British soldiers wear scarlet," Captain Stephenson had disapproved.

"I want to keep my men alive," Jack replied, "and they have more chance of surviving if the Burmese don"t see them."

Stephenson nodded reluctant understanding. "I see; well, good luck, Windrush." He had held out his hand.

Now they were once more outside Pegu but this time in the darkness and without the knowledge of friendly eyes watching over them and a hundred British muskets waiting to keep back any possible Burmese enemy. Now they were alone with the dark, the Tatmadaw and the dacoits of Bo Ailgaliutlo.

Jack had a last glance at his men; he was in command of an operation where there was no superior officer to ask for advice, there was no Commander Marshall, not even a Lieutenant Bertram – just himself and whatever physical and mental resources he could amass.

The leather neck stocks were long gone and not regretted. The men carried percussion Brown Bess muskets with bayonets and forty rounds of ammunition, a water bottle and a pound of bread for emergencies. Ranveer also had his tulwar, while Myat had refused any offers of carrying a weapon.

tulwar"I am a Buddhist," she told them. "I don"t kill."

"The enemy is Buddhist, too," Jack reminded her. "At least carry a dha, just in case."

"No," Myat shook her head firmly. "I am a Buddhist."

Jack sighed, patted his golden Buddhas and stepped into the dark.

The Burmese sentries among the small pagodas were lying on their backs, smoking and talking as Jack led his party past them. He ignored Ranveer"s hopeful touch on his tulwar and moved on, tense until they merged with the dark of the maidan. A soft wind swayed the grass around them, hiding their movements as they padded toward the jungle edge. Sometimes, the Burmese had cavalry patrolling the maidan but not that night. Jack"s picket threaded through the tall grass without incident, and the jungle greeted them like an old foe, clammy, dense and echoing with unknown noise.

tulwar"This is the elephants" track." Myat took over without any fuss.

"Follow it," Jack said, "but be careful, there may be sentries."

Myat"s expression did not alter. "Yes, ensign," she said.

Jack moved slowly, testing each step for hidden traps, stopping at every possibility of Burmese activity. Twice they stopped at a stealthy sound, to see a large animal pass in the dark.

"Deer," Myat mouthed the first time, and "tiger" the second. Neither animal looked at them.

They moved on, with their nerves taut and throats dry as they probed deeper into the bamboo forest. Once they heard the drift of conversation and Jack led them in a wide detour around a Burmese outpost, and once the tang of tobacco alerted them to a passing Burmese patrol.

They heard the noise as they reached the encampment, the low murmuring of a thousand men, the muttering of conversation and the sound of somebody singing. Next was the flickering of torches reflecting through the trees and a sudden burst of cheering.

Jack motioned them to halt.

"Noisy buggers." Wells spoke with the disdain of a professional soldier. "We could march past with drums and flutes, and they wouldn"t notice."

"We won"t try that today," Jack said. Let"s have a look at them as we"re here."He glanced at the others. "You stay here; Wells and I will go alone. If anything happens to us, O"Neill, you are in charge; take the rest back safely and report this camp to Major Hill."

Without waiting for a reply, Jack moved forward. As before, the sentries smoked or talked together, with their muskets leaning against the trees, paying little attention to guarding the camp.

"Sir?" O"Neill touched the hilt of his bayonet.

Jack shook his head.

The Burmese looked quite settled in their clearing, with a collection of makeshift huts and a score of torches flaring in the night. There was a boxing match taking place with the contestants punching and kicking to the delight of the spectators, while another group of men were sitting in a large circle, smoking and laughing.

"They certainly don"t look like a defeated army," Wells said. There was no need to whisper with the constant roar of noise.

"No, more like an inexperienced r****e," Jack said. "How many are here, do you think?" He tried to count them, but in the flickering torchlight and with so many moving bodies, he resorted to guesswork. "About five hundred?"

"Maybe more; maybe a thousand sir," Wells said.

"You could be correct," Jack agreed. He withdrew again, leaving the Burmese to their pleasures and the sentries to their sloth.

Myat favoured Wells with a brief nod, and then they were moving again, soft-footed as any dacoit as they eased along the elephant track.

"We best be careful here, Ensign Windrush,." Myat stopped them again. "There is a valley ahead, a gulley."

"Perfect place for an ambush," Wells murmured, "shall I have a look, sir?"

Jack nodded. "Go carefully, sergeant; I don"t want to answer to your wife if we lose you."

The path dipped into a deep gorge with thick undergrowth on both sides and the trees above merging. The dark was dense, nearly tangible, frustrating even Myat"s night vision. Jack loosened the revolver from its holster and crouched at the side of the path. He ignored the insects that feasted on the sweat that trickled down his face.

"All clear," Wells reported.

The moon rose as they reached the river, ghostly white above the wispy fronds of the tall palms and reflecting from the slow slither of the water. A bird glided past, hunting some of the myriad insects whose hum enlivened the night.

Jack consulted his map. "The sepoys were attacked about a hundred yards downriver from here."

Wells put a hand on Myat"s shoulder. "May I take the lead here, sir?"

Jack nodded. He would have preferred the position of most danger but knew that Wells possessed vastly more experience.

The sergeant eased past with hardly a sound. They moved on, slow and quiet, keeping even their breathing subdued as they followed the bank of the river.

"Ahead!" Wells said softly and motioned them to stop. "Over there."

There was nothing much left of the man. His arms and legs had been chopped off, and his head was missing. Only his torso remained, with the darker colour of skin an indication that he had once been Indian, rather than Burmese or Peguese.

"One of our sepoys, I wager," Wells said quietly. "What a place to end your life."

Ranveer stepped over the body and touched the hilt of his sword, saying nothing.

"Rest easy, soldier." O"Neill touched the body as he passed.

They crept with their hands restless on the triggers of their muskets and the sweat cold as it trickled down their spines. Jack fought his nausea.

"Sahib." Ranveer placed a hard hand on his arm and gestured ahead. There was the sound of Burmese words, a brief high-pitched laugh and a low muttering moan that Jack could not place.

Wells raised his eyebrows in an unspoken query. Jack nodded, and Wells vanished into the night, his feet making no noise on the soft river bank. Myat looked after him and then composed her face, folded her arms in front of her body and lapsed into total silence.

"It"s our lads right enough." Wells had returned so quietly that Jack hadn"t heard him. "The Burmese have them in the river or tied to trees." He crouched at Jack"s side with his mouth close to his ear. "I counted a dozen guards, but there might be more."

"Show me," Jack said.

The sepoys were held fifty yards further down the river, with some tied back to back and up to their necks in the river with the Burmese watching them with muskets, occasionally taunting them with insults or throwing sticks or tree branches at them. The Burmese had fastened other sepoys to trees. Jack saw their wide eyes in the dark as their captors passed them with the occasional punch or slap. Somebody laughed.

I have a choice: leave these lads here to the mercy of the Burmese and inform Major Hill or attempt to rescue them here and now. If I tell the major, he will undoubtedly send a column to save the sepoys, but some may be dead by then. If I try and free them and fail, the Burmese may kill them out of hand and my people as well. I have discretion – the decision is mine alone.

I have a choice: leave these lads here to the mercy of the Burmese and inform Major Hill or attempt to rescue them here and now. If I tell the major, he will undoubtedly send a column to save the sepoys, but some may be dead by then. If I try and free them and fail, the Burmese may kill them out of hand and my people as well. I have discretion – the decision is mine alone."What do we do sir?"

As Wells asked the question, one of the Burmese drew his dha and sliced at the nearest sepoy. The man writhed and tried to pull back, but tied to the tree, he could not escape as the Burmese thrust the knife into his arm and slowly pulled downward. The sepoy"s scream echoed through the jungle.

"We rescue these lads before they are all chopped to pieces," Jack decided. "Go and get the others." He took hold of Wells" sleeve, "not Myat though. Best she keeps clear of this."

We are four men against twelve Burmese, with hundreds more of the enemy within calling distance. It was foolhardy, but Jack knew he could not leave these sepoys for the Burmese to t*****e to death.

We are four men against twelve Burmese, with hundreds more of the enemy within calling distance.There are twelve Burmese sentries, but only four are looking at the prisoners. Jack checked the odds. Three are lying smoking, two are dozing, two talking together, and one has vanished.

There are twelve Burmese sentries, but only four are looking at the prisoners.Three are lying smoking, two are dozing, two talking together, and one has vanished."Sir," Wells" whisper sounded through the silver-gloom of the jungle. "Orders, sir?"

Jack touched his Buddhas for luck. The feel of their golden solidity was reassuring. "I want these sentries disposed of quietly," he said. Disposed of, what an ugly euphemism – I"m talking about stealthy murder here.

Disposed of, what an ugly euphemism – I"m talking about stealthy murder here."Sir?" Wells prompted. "Which ones shall I take?" The sound of his unsheathing his bayonet was as sinister as anything Jack had ever heard.

"You and O"Neill take the three that are sleeping and the two smoking. Try to make as little noise as possible."

Wells grin lacked mirth. He nudged O"Neill and vanished without a sound.

The tortured sepoy screamed again.

"That leaves the rest for us, Ranveer," Jack said quietly. "Are you game?" It was the same question as Hill had asked him.

"Yes, sahib," Ranveer said. He drew his tulwar and kissed the blade in a gesture Jack found melodramatic but strangely reassuring.

tulwarThe two Burmese talking together were too surprised to put up any resistance. Ranveer sliced the head off his man while Jack killed his victim with a bayonet thrust into the side of his neck.

Isn"t it frightening how easy it is to kill a man? One minute he was alive and the next he was dead.

Isn"t it frightening how easy it is to kill a man? One minute he was alive and the next he was dead.That left five, of whom three were watching the fourth slicing at the screaming sepoy prisoner.

Ranveer did not hide in the shadows. He calmly walked forward and thrust his tulwar into the throat of the first of the watchers, and then gave a backhanded hack at the second. The man looked in astonishment at his intestines as they spilt onto the ground. He screamed once before Ranveer sliced his tulwar onto the back of his neck.

Jack was not as efficient. His man turned as Jack was in the act of thrusting the bayonet, so the point missed and raked across the man"s face instead. When the Burmese squealed and put both hands on his face, Jack followed up by an evil kick to the man"s groin that doubled him up and crashed his ammunition boots onto the man"s head until he lay quiet.

The last Burmese swivelled as he was in the act of cutting the sepoy"s throat. He shouted for help a second before O"Neill rammed a bayonet deep into his chest.

"And that"s done for you, you murdering bastard!"

"Free these men," Jack cursed his clumsiness, "and get away as fast as we can." He sliced through the bonds of the nearest sepoys. The tortured man collapsed on to the ground. "He"s dead. There"s nothing we can do for him."

Jack realised he was shaking with reaction. I have just ordered the death of eleven men. He touched the Buddhas again, drawing strength from their presence.

I have just ordered the death of eleven menThe remaining seventeen sepoys all talked volubly as Jack"s men sliced the ropes that held them, all thanking their rescuers.

"Keep quiet," Jack hissed, "else the Burmese will hear us!" He cursed that he had no gift for languages as Wells and O"Neill barked at them in a mixture of English, Gaelic and, Jack guessed, half a dozen Indian languages.

"You try, Ranveer," Jack invited.

Within a minute, the sepoys lapsed into silence.

"Ensign Windrush." Myat appeared from a stand of bamboo. "Burmese soldiers are coming toward us."

"Thank you Myat," Jack said. "You – sepoys – grab a musket and some ammunition. Hurry now!" Jack mimed the actions and pushed the men as Ranveer barked at them.

"Sir," Wells peered into the jungle. "I can hear them now."

The gongs were beating in the distance, and Jack imagined the long columns of lithe Burmese soldiers threading along half-seen paths.

"Back the way we came," Jack ordered. "Wells, you and Myat lead, I"ll take the rear guard. Ranveer and O"Neill, help the sepoys along. Some are pretty weak after their ordeal." He glanced at the line of sepoys, some were pushing the others in their haste to get clear of the Burmese, and others were staggering with comrades helping them. One naik – the sepoy equivalent of a corporal – stood apart; he held his captured musket and slammed to attention in front of Jack.

"Reporting for duty, sahib!"

"Very good, naik." Jack returned the salute. "Just you help your comrades along." He forced a smile. "I see you speak English?"

"Some, sahib!" The naik"s smile gleamed through the dark.

"Well done, naik. Now watch for the Burmese and let"s get away from here."

They withdrew faster than they had come; less concerned about making a noise and more with putting distance between themselves and the Burmese. After only a few moments, they heard shouts and cries from behind them.

"They"ve found out that the sepoys are released," Wells guessed.

"And their men are all dead," Jack added.

"Oh, they"ll be after us now." O"Neill turned to face behind him. There was an uncanny ring to his laughter. "On you come, boys!"

"Keep moving," Jack pushed him onward. He took two steps and gasped as the wound in his thigh opened.

"Sahib?" The naik hesitated until Jack pushed him on.

"Look after your men, damn it; they need you."

He could feel the blood seeping down inside his trousers, weakening him with every step. The harsh English public-school training had taught him to ignore pain and hardship. He strode on, biting off his curses. The gulley was straight ahead.

He heard nothing; it was an instinct that made him turn, and something drew his gaze to a pattern among the undergrowth. There was something not right, something not natural. He realised he was looking directly at the tattooed Burmese boy he had seen before. And then he was gone.

Bo Ailgaliutlo"s dacoits are close.

Bo Ailgaliutlo"s dacoits are close.Although he was alert, the burst of musketry still took him by surprise. He heard the zip of a ball passing close by and saw the muzzle flares through the foliage ahead.

"Ambush!" Wells fired as he shouted.

For a second Jack hesitated. Sit still or break out?

Sit still or break out?If we sit still, the numbers against us will only increase. "Fix bayonets and charge through!" he yelled. "Go right for the throat." He pushed the nearest sepoy forward. "Go on, man, move!"

If we sit still, the numbers against us will only increaseThe naik gave a loud yell and charged forward as O"Neill gave his high-pitched, unnerving laugh and led the attack. Wells hesitated, reached behind him and grabbed Myat. "Come on!" Jack kept in the rear, encouraging the weaker of the sepoys with hard pushes as he fired his revolver into the undergrowth on either side of the gulley. He slipped, jarred his injured leg and swore.

Moonlight vanished as the deeper dark of the gulley closed in, broken only by the muzzle flares of muskets on both sides. "Keep moving!" Jack knew their experiences had disorientated the sepoys, but if he allowed them to falter, they would be killed at best and captured for further ill-treatment at worst. He felt cruel pushing them on, but the alternative was far worse.

"Keep going! Don"t stop!" He saw a nightmare of trees and undergrowth, of flaring muskets and teeth glaring in Burmese faces, of waving dhas and jabbing bayonets, of a sepoy sliding down as a Burmese man thrust at him with his dha, of the naik clubbing at a Burmese soldier with the butt of his musket. He fired his revolver, saw a man"s face dissolve in a porridge of brains, blood and bone, fired again as another Burmese soldier aimed a long musket, saw the man fall and moved on.

"Keep running, push through them!" Grabbing a sepoy by the collar, he hauled him upright and landed a kick in the seat of his trousers. "Get going!"

"Sir!" Wells was ahead, grappling with a Burmese soldier. "Sir!" The Burman jumped in the air and kicked out, sending Wells sprawling on his back. Jack pushed forward to help, but Wells pointed frantically behind him "Myat, sir!"

Myat was on the ground, struggling to get up as a Burman stabbed at her with his dha. Jack levelled his revolver, hesitated and lowered it again. Even at that range, he was not sure he could hit the Burman in the dark without putting Myat in danger.

"Myat!" Jack knew he was no more responsible for Myat than for any of his men, but all his instincts and training told him to look after a woman. A pair of sepoys rushed past; the naik yelled as he threw himself on a Burman and Wells turned despairing eyes on him as his opponent kicked the musket from his hands.

"Sir, please!"

Myat tried to roll away. The Burmese soldier took hold of her hair and dragged her bodily into the undergrowth. He was grinning, holding his dha in his left hand, enjoying his moment of triumph.

Jack lunged forward, swearing as fluently as any private soldier as a second Burman rushed at him. He fired without thought, and the second Burman vanished. Myat was screaming, kicking her legs as the man hauled her away. Her hair had come unfastened from its customary tight cylinder, and her thighs showed through long rents in her longyi.

"Sir!" Wells sounded frantic.

Jack staggered as a root caught his ankle, recovered and thrust forward his pistol. The Burman was too intent on capturing his prey to look up. Jack saw the panic in Myat"s eyes and heard her incoherent scream.

The Burman laughed and pulled at Myat"s hair. Only when Jack pressed the muzzle of the pistol against his chest did his expression alter, and then Jack squeezed the trigger. He didn"t hear the report as the bullet crashed into the Burman"s body. The force of the shot pushed the man backwards. As Myat screamed beside him, Jack fired, again and again, sending two more bullets into the suffering man on the ground before the hammer of his revolver clicked on an empty chamber.

"Sahib!" Ranveer put a hand on his sleeve. "Sahib, we must leave!"

Jack found he was gasping. Taking a deep breath as sanity returned, he nodded. "Myat…" She lay there, dazed, mouth open. Her longyi was in rags, high up her thighs and her hair a tangled mess around her face. She had never looked more attractive.

longyi"Myat!" Wells was bleeding from above his eye and his mouth. He lifted his wife in his left arm. "Come on!" He glanced at Jack. "Thank you, sir." For a second, their eyes met, and Jack saw genuine gratitude.

"Sahib." Ranveer wiped the blood from the blade of his tulwar.

Jack looked around. One of the sepoys lay bleeding on the ground along with half a dozen Burmese. "Keep going," he ordered.

Wells supported Myat for the first dozen steps, and then she pushed him away and said something sharply in Burmese.

O"Neill had halted the sepoys fifty yards past the gully. "Thank God you"re here, sir. I was getting worried, and these lads are a bit upset."

"No wonder after what they"ve been through," Jack tried to count the men; they were shadowy figures in the dark, milling around and some were talking. He raised his voice slightly. "Naik!"

The naik appeared, teeth white in a wide smile. "Reporting for duty, sahib."

"Keep these men quiet, can"t you?"

Ranveer repeated the order in Urdu, and the naik passed it on. The noise ended at once.

"I will lead from here," Jack decided. "Wells, look after Myat, she needs you. O"Neill, keep the men together and Naik, I want you to be rear guard." He heard Ranveer speak to the naik as he pushed his men to where he wanted them to be. "Right, move." He led the way, careless of the noise they made. He needed to put as much distance between his men and the Burmese as he could manage. Bo Ailgaliutlo was not a man to give up after a single reverse.

Rather than pass the Burmese encampment, Jack dived straight into the forest, hacking with his dha and hoped the noise he made scared away any poisonous snakes and insects.

"Keep together," he reminded. After every fifty steps, he stopped to check his compass and ensure his men were together.

"Sir," Wells pushed to the front, "begging your pardon sir, but may I ask something?"

Jack nodded. "Go ahead, sergeant."

"Are we heading back to Pegu, sir? Or have you another destination in mind?"

"Pegu," Jack said.

"Well sir, "Wells hesitated. "It"s in that direction." He pointed at right angles to their line of march.

Jack glanced at his compass and swore when he saw the needle spin madly. "This is broken; are you sure?"

"Sure that Myat says so, sir."

Jack grunted. "Is Myat fit?"

"Yes, I am, Ensign Windrush." For the first time, Jack noticed strands of silver in Myat"s hair. With her face bruised and her longyi ripped, she looked more determined than ever.

longyi"Lead on then, Myat."

In the night time jungle, one direction looked like another to Jack, so he followed Myat with blind faith. Within minutes she had found an animal track that allowed for better movement, and half an hour later, he sighed with relief as they emerged into the open maidan. The lights of the Pegu watch lanterns flickered in reassuring welcome.

"Get your men in order," Jack said to the naik. He looked at the quarter-mile of maidan. "Keep together; there might be cavalry patrols out here. If we are scattered, head for the lights and shout when you near Pegu." He glanced over his shoulder. "Lead on, Sergeant and don"t stop for anybody."

Except for Myat of course; you will stop for her. As would I, damn it!

Except for Myat of course; you will stop for her. As would I, damn it!The maidan presented different problems from the jungle. There was not the stifling confinement and the fear of ambush, but neither was there the knowledge that they could slide into the undergrowth and hide. Instead, there was a feeling of exposure to cavalry and the vulnerability of space if the enemy saw them.

Once all the others were away, Jack followed, taking the position of most danger. No officer should put a private soldier in a situation more dangerous than his own. It also meant he could hide his limp. Only a quarter of a mile of maidan to cross and they would be safe; it was a success for the 113th.

The hands had closed around his throat and mouth before he was aware there was somebody behind him, and Jack felt himself dragged back into the forest.