Evening star., 1900-10-12

round shot waE poured into the town and
fort that many Of the defenders guns-all
of q comparatively feeble range-were over
whelmed and destroyed.
made q sortfe, captured the most advanced
battery, were driven back by reinforce
ments, charged and captured 1t again, ana
once more were rep1lsed
The next day, as IL in one last desperate
effort, all the ~Aurviving fort guns opened
fire with great precision, but did little exc
cution. Their range was too small. and
the British baHeries too well masked.
In reply, the besiegers' guns opened the
final bombardment from q distance OF
scarcely 200 yards. The salvos were mag
nifcent and the execution terrible. Fires
broke out throughout the town and drove
the garrison within the shelter Of the fort.
At this stage the remarkable character OF
the siege became manifest. Notwithstand-
ing the splendid artillery practice of the
besiegers. no actual impression could be
made upon the massive mud walls.
Whatever damage was done by day was
repaired by night. The garrison worked
like moles, and now in absolute silence
save only when an assault was attempted.
They began to gather courage from the
Intellectual bombardment. Their leaders
went among them and exhorted them to
fresh efforts Their high priest came down
end reminded them Of an ancient prophecy:
Bharatpur had been built by the gods them
selves. who. admiring their handiwork, had
decreed that the fortress could not be cap
tured unless an alligator came across the
sea to besiege it,
This was practically endowing the fort
ress with perpetual invulnerability. The
alligator was a fresh-water creature-they
mad many such beasts kept in pampered
state in their sacred tanks-and they fed
these beasts with choice morsels that they
denied to their starving brethren, lest they
angered the favorite of the gods.
Thus they lay secure in their prophecy
The besiegers themselves. recognizing the
futlity of bombardment alone, took to
mining. The garrison laughed scornfully
and dug counter mines.
Then came the most astonishing thing
that has ever happened even in India. the
land of marvels. The garrison of the town
that had repulsed Lake, that had so far
withstood his successor in spite of every
disadvantage, were now seized with sud-
den panic-a panic that freezes up human
courage and makes strong men impotent
as babes.
For the first time they learned the name
of the besieging general. Had 1t been Ma
poleon, or Marlborough, or Wellington,
they would have laughed with scorn in the
consciousness of safety under a divine
promise But at the name Of Cumbermere,
q third-rate medIocFity utterly Unknown in
the annals Of war they trembled In fear.
"Combeu1ar'' in the language meant IAN
alligator" and he had come across the
sea to besiege them"
The rest was Inevitable. The mines were
sprung on the night Of January 1S, 1925,
and the grand assault delivered on the fol-
lowing morning. The garrison, indeed.
fought with the courage Of despair but in
the knowledge of certain defeat Behold!
the ancient prophecy Of many centuries was
at last fulfilled; the scepter had passed to
alien hands.
The Jat Grenadiers. the flower of the be-
leaguered army, threw themselves bodily
into the breach and perished to man.
Thus was Bharatpur taken.