At the Point of the Bayonet: A Tale of the Mahratta War

by G.A. Henty

Excerpt:
Confederacy was broken, is one of the most stirring pages of the campaigns which, begun by Clive, ended in the firm estab lishment of our great empire in the Indian Peninsula. When the struggle began, the Mahrattas were masters of no small portion of India, their territory comprising the whole country between Bombay and Delhi, and stretching down from Rajputana to Allahabad, while in the south they were lords of the district of Cuttack, thereby separating Madras from Calcutta. The jealousies of the great Mahratta leaders Bolkar and Scindia, who were constantly at war with each other, or with the Peishwa at Poona, greatly facilitated our operations, and enabled us, although at the cost of much blood, to free a large portion of India from a race that was a scourge - faithless, intriguing and crafty, cruel, and reckless of life. The Mahrattas, conquering race as they were, yet failed in the one virtue of courage. They could sweep the land with hordes of wild horsemen, could harry peaceful districts and tyrannize over the towns they conquered, but they were unable to make an effective stand against British bayonets and British sabres. They were a race of free.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

410 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1901

About the author

George Alfred Henty, better known as G.A. Henty, began his storytelling career with his own children. After dinner, he would spend and hour or two in telling them a story that would continue the next day. Some stories took weeks! A friend was present one day and watched the spell-bound reaction of his children suggesting Henty write down his stories so others could enjoy them. He did. Henty wrote approximately 144 books in addition to stories for magazines and was known as "The Prince of Story-Tellers" and "The Boy's Own Historian." One of Mr. Henty's secretaries reported that he would quickly pace back and forth in his study dictating stories as fast as the secretary could record them.

Henty's stories revolve around fictional boy heroes during fascinating periods of history. His heroes are diligent, intelligent, and dedicated to their country and cause in the face, at times, of great peril... Henty's heroes fight wars, sail the seas, discover land, conquer evil empires, prospect for gold, and a host of other exciting adventures. Along the way, they meet famous personages... In short, Henty's heroes live through tumultuous historic eras meeting leaders of that time. Understanding the culture of the time period becomes second nature as well as comparing/contrasting the society of various cultures.

Reviews

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

My second book by this prolific 19th century author. The title is one of his favorite phrases used to describe battles, with territories and defensive positions 'carried' or taken at the point of the bayonet in his stories. This one takes place in the early days of British imperialism in India - late 18th century when the subcontinent was still divided into many independent warring fiefdoms ruled by despotic local warlords and thus paving the way for the systematic spread of British influence through the divide and conquer strategy.

But for the setting, the story is formulaic. I can say this after reading only one other book of Henty's, so identical were his tales. There was the patriotic English lad protagonist gifted in both intellect and brawn, able to blend in with the locals, with his faithful native sidekick and retainer. The escape from hostiles against insurmountable odds by the undefended backdoor, undercover espionage work dressed as a native merchant/soldier. Facing the inevitable wild beast while wandering the badlands. Amassing a small personal fortune through courageous action and service to country. And finally the well earned retirement in luxury and comfort back home after years of distinguished campaigning in a foreign land. All this time facing the inferior native peoples chafing under their tyrannical rulers and so grateful for the wise rule of the unassailable British, superior in physical stature and fighting technique, with their bottomless reserves for fighting to the end. Quite a list, but indeed so!

One aspect of this book that spurred me to it was the side adventure to Malaya and involvement in the local warring factions in Johore in order to secure the future settlement of the then unknown and inconsequential island of Singapore. The future conflict with the Dutch, who then held sway over the East Indies from the stronghold of Batavia, Java was only hinted at but proved illuminating to me nonetheless. Albeit this part of the book was really extraneous to the main plot and could have been excluded entirely without affecting it.

To those interested, most of the author's books are available at Project Gutenberg for free. Doubt I would be attempting another one anytime soon though, they are a bit of a slog to get through at several hundred pages each.

[Katja Labonté · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars & 3/10 hearts. This is probably my least-liked is Henty’s books. The hero is not really a dashing, appealing fellow until halfway into the book, at least. (Admit it—a dashing hero does make a book more enjoyable. ;) ) It’s also a little slow and hard to get in to, although I do like the last half of the story. There is also such a quantity of lying and trickery that it’s pretty annoying and even a little depressive. So, yeah. Not a book I am excited to reread. I do like certain parts though!

A Favourite Quote: “‘...it is by their love for exercise and sport that they so harden their frames that, in battle, our bravest peoples cannot stand against them. [...] Exercise to them is a pleasure; and we ... have often wondered at the way in which they willingly endure fatigues, when they might pass their time sitting quietly in their verandahs. But I came to understand that it was to this love of theirs, for outdoor exercise, that they owed their strength and the firmness of their courage.”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “‘...I fear that there is nothing of importance that you can tell me; now that Nana Furnuwees is homeless, and Bajee Rao is no longer Peishwa.’
“‘Nana is not done with, yet, sir.’
“‘Why, he is a fugitive, with a handful of troops under him.’
“‘But he has his brains, sir, which are worth more than an army and, believe me, if all goes well, it will not be long before he is back in Poona, as minister to the Peishwa.’
“‘Minister to Chimnajee?’
“‘No, sir, minister to Bajee Rao.’
“‘I would that it were so ... but since one is a fugitive and the other a prisoner, I see no chance, whatever, of such a transformation.’”

[Sotiris Makrygiannis · Rating 3 out of 5]

The usual story, the other side writes about book about a war and baptises the other side as thugs, corrupt, etc . Interesting but not that interesting

[Richard Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book! Had a unique style to it! A really different story line for GA Henty. Especcially since he grew up non English. Also what I liked about this GA was that it focused less on battles and more on the actual storyline. Would highly recommend.

[Wild Man Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book of its day that is obvious to all that reads it, how better these poor beings will be under the rule of the superior British race. I will state he showed a great respect to Indian that you would a dinosaur from another age but is simply dusty old bones

[Bob Fabre]

Got half way through. Pretty bad.