The Siege of Krishnapur - J. G. Farrell [39]
On his way to the Residency he had cast a contemptuous eye on the Collector’s fortifications. “Raise extra police with Mohammedan recruits, if you like. They’re more reliable than Hindus or native Christians, but don’t start a panic.”
The Collector flushed, stung by the General’s scornful reference to “mud walls”; after a moment’s hesitation he asked: “How many English troops have you at Captainganj apart from officers of native regiments?”
For a moment it looked as if the General might refuse to reply. “Odds’n’ends left from two or three companies on their way to Umballa...perhaps forty or fifty men.”
“General,” said the Collector in a soothing tone, “I should like to know if you’d have any objection to the women and children being brought in?”
“My dear Hopkins, either we rely on a display of confidence that the natives will behave properly, or we all fortify ourselves. We can hardly do both.” The General paused, exasperated. Normally, this discussion would have stimulated him to a fearful rage, but while walking up and down the library he had relinquished the cricket bat, which had become tiresome to carry, and at some stage his hand had closed over a book. This book caused him some distress because he was unable to remember whether it was in his hand to remind him of something or not. He had taken a surreptitious look at the title, which was Missionary Heroes and told him nothing.
“Provided the civilians at Krishnapur don’t start showin’ fear I can guarantee that m’men will remain loyal. I am in complete control of the situation,” he declared, though with less certainty than before.
“All the same, General, we can’t simply ignore the fires at Captainganj. To do so would be the height of folly.”
“We will bring the culprit to book!” exclaimed the General suddenly, with such a burst of confidence that for a moment even the Collector looked encouraged.
A week of indecision passed. News came of a massacre at Delhi but still the Collector hesitated to give the order for women and children to be brought into the Residency; he could see that there was some truth in what the General had said about showing fear; on the other hand, he continued surreptitiously to collect powder and provisions to store in the Residency in spite of the General’s disapproval. What he most needed were cannons and muskets or, even better, rifles...but he could not ask Captainganj to supply them without risking a fatal breach with the old General.
Meanwhile, those in the cantonment who followed the General and had been advocating a “display of confidence” continued to recommend it...what had gone wrong at Meerut, they declared, was undoubtedly that the Europeans had begun to “croak”, had tried to make concessions. The Collector’s defensive measures, besides being ridiculous and inadequate, could very well generate the very danger they were supposed to guard against! At the same time, another question was being asked in the cantonment by the opposite and more timorous faction: namely, what was the point in feigning a confidence that no one felt and that in the eyes of the natives must appear quite baseless?
But it is probable that the majority of people in the cantonment could not make up their minds as to the best course to follow. While the “confident” party recommended calm and indifference, and the “nervous” party were all for bolting to the Residency, the majority voted now for one course, now for the other, and sometimes even for both at once...a