But at last the goodbyes were all
said, and, as the anchor was weighed, Dick returned on shore in a surf
boat, and next day joined his regiment.
Surajah had wanted to accompany him to Madras, and to enlist in any
regiment to which he might be appointed; and the assurance that it
might be a long time before he became a native officer, as these were
always chosen from the ranks, except in the case of raising new
regiments, had little influence with him. The Rajah, however, had
finally persuaded him to stay, by the argument that his father, who
was now getting on in years, would sorely miss him; that the captain
of the troop would also be retiring shortly; and that he should, as a
reward for his faithful services to his nephew, appoint him to the
command as soon as it was vacant. Ibrahim entered the Rajah's service,
preferring that to soldiering.
Chapter 21: Home.
It was early in December, 1792, that Dick Holland joined his regiment,
which was stationed at Madras. There were but five other officers, and
Dick found, to his satisfaction, that the junior of them had had four
years' service. Consequently, he did not step over any one's head,
owing to his commission being dated nearly three years previously.
Pages:
532
533
534
535
536
537
538
539
540
541
542
543
544
545
546
547
548
549
550
551
552
553
554
555
556