Allan Mallinson - A Call to Arms

‘Take post, please.’

Cornet Vanneck reined away, and with a sheepish look, for the little line of dragoons appeared so calm compared with his own agitation.

Not many minutes more, and they saw their adversary for the first time. But only for a moment. ‘Fire!’ bellowed Hervey, startling his own horse.

The galloper guns thundered, enveloping them all in black smoke, thicker than the grapeshot’s, for the two-pound ball needed more powder to see it the distance. Hervey trotted forward a little way to see the effect. The Burmans had checked. Another volley might see them withdraw — if only he could have it now .

The sowars worked methodically: swab to damp the barrel and make safe, powder charge rammed home, ball tamped with the other end of the swab; then the struggle to realign the pieces, and the gunner re-laying, then the prick of priming powder and slow match.

Both guns fired as one again.

More smoke billowed over them. Once more Hervey trotted forward to see the effect. There were even more Burmans now, but so many dead or dying, and the confusion looked the greater. He drew his sabre and pointed. ‘ Charge! ’

Out of the smoke galloped thirty dragoons, swords lowered. The Burmans had no time to deploy. They knew it and they turned for the forest. But Hervey’s men were on them before they could clear the line of their own dead.

It was easy. No need to guard, protect or parry. First the point and then the cut, and simple — Cut One, nearside, Cut Two, offside. Every sabre was bloodied, many of them several times over.

Ragged shots from the forest edge checked their ardour, and Hervey rallied them to a flank, thankful he could see no horse riderless.

As soon as Hervey’s men cleared their line, the guns fired again. It would surely make the Burmans fall back, he thought.

But no. Out they poured again, still in an ill-ordered fashion, for the debouch was too narrow to permit otherwise. Hervey formed his men into line as best he could, then charged again from the flank. With only fifty yards a bigger horse might have done greater damage, but the little country-breds were into their stride quickly, and sheer momentum broke up the Burman ranks with scarcely need for the sabre this time.

But the pressure did not slacken. Out of the forest poured more and more of the enemy. No matter that they were ill-ordered, force of numbers must soon tell.

Hervey turned to rally the line. He saw Private Spreadbury’s horse tumble fifty yards off, Spreadbury himself thrown clean from the saddle and dropping his reins. A dozen Burmans rushed him. Jobie Wainwright saw, and spurred at them at once. In seconds he was among them, turning in the saddle for each cut, just as Collins had taught him, swinging his sabre for all he was worth — Cut One nearside to the rear, Two offside to the rear, Three offside to the front, Four nearside to the front. Each time he felled one of the pal’s attackers, and each time he recovered the sabre from side to side above his shako in the manner prescribed. Collins, reordering the line, watched in admiration. But bayonets jabbed at Jobie and his mare — too many of them, so that soon he could only protect and parry. Corporal McCarthy, galloping back to the rally, saw the fight and turned. Hervey looked over at Collins and gave him the nod.

McCarthy got there first, leapt from the saddle and ran at the Burmans, grasping his sabre by handle and blade as if it were a musket and bayonet. Collins was there a second or so later and made three cuts so fast that it scarce seemed possible. Those untouched began to run.

‘Paddy, you dumb, cursed Irish bastard! What the hell d’you think you’re doing?’ yelled Collins.

‘It’s just a bit easier to me still, serjeant,’ replied McCarthy equably, picking up his trooper’s reins and making for Private Spreadbury.

‘Christ alive, Paddy. Never again!’

‘No, Serjeant. Will ye help me up with Private Spreadbury please, Jobie?’

Meanwhile Hervey had rallied the rest of the troop, taking them back at the trot to where the sowars were calmly serving the guns, and forming line to the rear.

‘Ready, daffadar?’

‘ Ji, sahib! ’

How long they could keep this up he had no idea. If the Burmans came out each time the same way they ought to be good for another dozen goes. But they would surely not keep hurling themselves on guns and steel so willingly?

The field went silent now. It ought to have been welcome, the sign that they had done their work well, but not knowing what would follow was unsettling. Hervey considered dismounting and having them make ready with the carbines, but the range was too great to guarantee the effect. He looked back at the river. There was smoke and fire the length of it, but he could still see boats unburned. He looked at his little command. ‘Well done, E Troop!’ he called. ‘Smart work. We may yet have more of it!’

Not many minutes later, E Troop saw the work to be had. Out from the forest burst as one a dozen horsemen. The guns fired, the shot arched and plunged beautifully into the defile, but by the time it fell there was no target. Seconds later more horsemen began pouring out. The Burmans had the measure of the time to reload. The collective inrush of breath behind him left Hervey in no doubt of what chance the troop believed it had.

‘Jesus!’ muttered Collins to himself.

Hervey counted quickly — fifty of them. Had they stopped coming? The guns fired again. No more appeared. ‘Daffadar, grape, load!’

‘ Ji, sahib ,’ came the reply, as cool as ever.

The Burman horse took their time. They were so regular that Hervey reckoned it would take the same number, at least, to prevail over them.

‘Now remember ,’ began Collins, trotting forward, his voice as matter-of-fact as the daffadar’s. ‘ Guard ;’ he thrust his arm straight and front, sabre across his chest parallel with the ground. ‘ Left Protect ;’ he flexed his wrist upright and to his left, the sabre perpendicular. ‘ Right Protect ;’ he swung it back across his chest and out to his side. ‘ St George ;’ and up went the sabre to protect his head. ‘Those are the ones you’ll want. Then make your cuts!’

Hervey knew the guns were useless, for the Burmans would not ride at them. He could stay close and be safe, therefore — indeed, if he didn’t the Burmans would ride the guns down from a flank — but that would leave the field open for them to take the bridge. There was only one thing he could do. ‘Daffadar, guns to the bridge! Troop advance!’

E Troop marched forward a dozen paces to mask the guns, then halted. Hervey could only pray the Burmans were not as quick as an English cornet was expected to be.

It took the sowars less than a minute to hitch up the guns, but it seemed more. As they made to gallop back, Hervey knew he had at least saved them. A minute more and he could retire too.

But the Burman horse began to advance, at the trot. Hervey looked back at the galloper guns: it was still too close. ‘Troop will advance, walk-march!’

He did not want them to cover too much ground: every yard they advanced was another painful one to withdraw. He had to judge the speed of collision, though. A fair gallop was what they’d need.

‘Trot!’

Some of the horses broke into three-time instead. Collins’s curses took their riders’ minds off the enemy for the moment.

Hervey raised his sword above his head. ‘Gallop!’

Every sabre went up.

‘Arms straight, curse you!’ bellowed Collins. ‘Close up! Close up!’

‘ Charge! ’

The ragged line of sabres dropped to the guard. An instant later they crashed into the Burman horse, flesh on flesh, steel on steel, steel on flesh. Hervey parried an artless cut from a tulwar and sliced its sword arm with a Cut Two as he swept past. He looked behind as he reined about, and saw two dragoons unhorsed by the violence of the collision. He saw Mole brought to a halt and bend his elbow in the instinct to protect his face. The tulwar sliced his forearm, Mole dropped his sabre, then the tulwar sliced his neck. He fell sideways from the saddle, his face contorted with terror. Hervey, raging, made straight for his executioner and took him between the shoulder blades with the point. He cut left and right at Burmans who had not yet turned. He saw Collins duelling and McCarthy hacking artlessly but bloodily. He saw Seton Canning in a desperate fight with two Burmans at once, and then Lingard and Vanneck coming to his aid. He saw Armstrong. Then the Burmans were wheeling and trying to fight back the way they had come.