Page:Lord Amherst and the British Advance Eastwards to Burma.djvu/91

 Sepoys and Europeans use the same route? The answer was that a tumultuous levy of natives who can live on almost nothing, who can plunder or carry tho little food they need, who can dispense with shelter, who know the country thoroughly and are accustomed to the climate, and whose individual lives are in the esteem of their commander valueless, could do what a costly disciplined column under European guidance would perish in attempting.

There was a special reason for the call made upon Sir Thomas Munro's good offices. The Bengal army was recruited in the main from the higher castes, and viewed with religious repugnance the notion of crossing the 'Black Water.' As it would have been out of the question to reach Rangoon save by sea transport, recourse was had to the less scrupulous material presented by the Madras army. Happily Sir Thomas Munro was as popular as he was capable: and the response to the appeal from Calcutta was immediate and enthusiastic. Colonel M'Creagh led the Bengal division, Colonel Macbean was at the head of the more important force supplied by Madras. Sir Archibald Campbell was in supreme command. Altogether the army of the Irawadi comprised over 11,000 men. Of these one half were Europeans, one of the regiments being the Madras European regiment. The voyage was a repetition of the Spanish Armada on a small scale. There were royal sloops of war and Company's cruisers to convoy the transports and—a portent which it was hoped would impress