260 Memoirs of John Shipp. [Manrcu, 
years which had elapsed since the siege of Bhurtpore, that, instead of about 
one shell in five minutes from a single battery, it was by no means extraordi- 
nary to see twenty in one minute, from the numerous batteries which were 
brought to bear upon this place. It was, at times, truly awful to see ten of 
these soaring in the air together, seemingly riding on the midnight breeze, 
and disturbing the slumbering clouds on their pillows of rest ; all transporting 
to a destined spot the implements of havoc. and desolation contained within 
their iron sides. The moon hid herself, in seeming pensiveness, behind a 
dense black cloud, as though reluctant to look on such a scene; and the 
feathered tribe, that were wont, in those warm nights of summer, to melodize 
the breeze, retired far into the distant woods, there to tune their notes of sor- 
row- Mortal language cannot array such a scene in its garb of blackest woe. 
Some carcasses were also thrown. hese, when in the air, are not unlike a 
fiery man soaring above. ‘They are sent to burn houses, or blow up maga- 
zines. Far and wide they stretch forth their claws of death; and well might 
the poor natives call them devils of the night, or fiends of the clouds. To 
complete this dreadful scene, the roaring Congreves ran along the bastion’s 
top, breaking legs and arms with their shaking tails. Nothing could be 
more grand to the eye, or more affecting to the sympathizing heart, than this 
horrid spectacle. Still, the superstitious foe were stimulated by some hoary 
priest with hopes of victory, thus imbruing their hands in the blood of their 
children, their parents, and their friends. Our shells found their way to their 
cells, tearing babes from their mothers’ bosoms, and dealing death and 
destruction around. Oh! what must be the anguish of a fond mother, to see 
nothing but the head of her fondling hanging to her bosom.” 
As one of the most active officers of the army, Shipp was appointed 
baggage-master in the Pindaree war. The oflice is peculiar to Indian 
warfare, and a view of the duties is worth reading :— 
j 
: 
; 
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a 
* He is a stafl-officer, and, when not employed in his particular department, 
is attached to the suite of the commander of the division, as much as the 
commissary-general; quarter-master-general, or any other staff-officer of the 
division. On the line of march, le is held entirely responsible that neither 
men nor baggage precede the column of march, and that they are on their 
proper flank, which is regulated by the general orders of the day. If the 
reader recollect what I before stated, that he may safely calculate ten fol- 
lowers in a Bengal army to every fighting man, and when he is informed that, 
according to calculations made in our camp, including the several native con-~ 
tingencies we*had with us, our followers were not less in numberthan eighty 
thousand men, women, and children, some thirty thousand of whom followed 
the army for what they could pick up, by fair means or otherwise, my situation 
cannot be supposed to have been asinecure. It was truly one of great labour _ 
and activity. I had twenty men belonging to a corps of local horse. These — 
men were provided with long whips, and placed at my disposal. To attempt — 
to talk the numberless camp-followers into obedience was quite out of the 
question ; and, therefore, these whips were for the purpose of lashing them 
into something like discipline. To the great number of human beings I have 
spoken of must he added fifty elephants, six hundred camels, five thousand 
bullocks, five thousand horses, one thousand ponies, two hundred goats, two - 
hundred sheep, fifty ruts, one hundred palanquins, one hundred dogs, and one 
hundred hackeries or carts ; presenting the following total :— 
Pighting Men si .ctr..tesccriests Beet Rene oak ae cca res see eens 8,000 
Camp-followers ..........066 sah aeaehcaee cect one es parece 80,000 
Elephants .......... BSD a se eadenene tenet temem er Peeecetds : 50 
MdmClS weacis acs sidesmotedaccecuustcccewunsecens Sceoor Ct: shee) 600) 
Bullocks, horses, and tattoos ..........006 Pooprcte ech coud 11,000 
Goats, sheep, and dogs ..........se000 Lesgserdecenekes aes 500 
Palanquins, hackeries, and ruts .......seeeseeeevers sieeadesl FOU) 
Total 100,400 
