HE FELL AMONG THIEVES Like Tennyson's Charge of the Light Brigade, He fell Among Thieves is also a patriotic poem

and a favourite anthology piece. It is based on a historical incident. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND George W. Hayward (1840?-1870) is a little known 19th century British explorer. He was to become the only explorer funded by the Royal Geological Society during The Great Game. The era that Hayward operated in was one of the largest imperial expansions Asia ever experienced. In the south the British Empire, based out of India, was consolidating and expanding its positions to the north. In the north the Russian Empire was expanding its territory at a dramatic pace. Soon the Russians were expanding south into central Asia. The area between the two empires was shrinking fast and clandestine agents and explorers were sent to map this unknown area of the world full of lawless tribes, murderous despot rulers and some of the most formidable terrain on Earth. While travelling to Gilgit he had to gain access across a war zone between Hindu Kashmiris and Mir Walis Muslim Dardistan. He became friends with Mir Wali who convinced him it was impossible to proceed through the Hindu Kush until the summer thaw. In June 1870 Hayward again headed north now that the mountain passes were clear. He travelled through Kashmiri and reached Gilgit with no difficulty. In mid July he reached the town of Darkot in Dardistan. He was on the verge of reaching the Oxus River's origin and the Pamirs after that. On the morning of July 18th, 1870 Hayward stayed up all night after receiving word he might be attacked. Towards dawn he fell asleep and he was attacked. His hands were tied behind his back and he was walked into the woods where he was decapitated by a sword. When word of Haywards death reached India and England a few months later there was uproar to find his killers. Agents in India collected information to try and determine who killed him but his killer was never completely determined. One version states that his friend Mir Wali arranged for his death. The proof being that Hayward was killed in Mir Walis territory. Further, the day before his death Hayward and Mir Wali got into a heated argument and Hayward publicly called Mir Wali an insulting name. The other version is that the Maharaja of Kashmiri arranged Haywards death as revenge for the letter Hayward had printed about the atrocities Kashmiri committed. The theory says the Maharaja extracted revenge against Hayward and also benefited by framing his rival Mir Wali. Native agents of the British were sent in to retrieve Haywards body. It was found under a small pile of stones and was brought back to Gilgit and buried in the Christian cemetery there. His tombstone reads: To the memory of G. W. Hayward, Gold Medallist of the Royal Geographical Society of London, who was cruelly murdered at Darkot, July 18, 1870, on his journey to explore the Pamir steppe. This monument is erected to a gallant officer and accomplished traveller at the instance of the Royal Geographical Society. In the 1930s Colonel Reginald Schomberg, a British traveller, passed through Darkot and said local families still possessed Haywards pistol, telescope and saddle. A London auction sold six topographical watercolours by Hayward in the 1950s that turned up in the Bombay bazaar. Sir Henry Newbolt wrote the poem He Fell Among Thieves about Haywards death. SUMMARY The thieves surrounded the commander, demanding settlement. The British officer asked them, after slaughtering all the troops, what more did they want of this guest and sometime friend. They demanded his blood in exchange for the loss of their comrades. PC/TSRS-MOUL/ISC-ENG LIT/2008 Page 1 of 3

The hero mocked them if the death of one will settle the score of the five dead, he was ready. But he desired the settlement to wait for the dawn next day, as he wanted to see one more sunrise. The robbers agreed to this. The British officer threw down his empty revolver, and walked alone to the eastern edge of the trees. Then he sat down to reflect upon the life gone by and all night long had an untroubled recollection of the events of his life. He relived his childhood moments, when the April sun shone on his face. He saw the creepers trailing in at his window and heard his father's voice calling him down to come for a ride. He saw the little grey church across the park and the graves of the loved and honoured dead. All the details of the altar and the red and black brass engraving of the plaques, mounted on the stone walls, came to his mind. Then the school play ground all green and sunny was recalled. He was standing with other runners and could see the stand and the finishing tape at the winning end. He also heard his name being cheered as the favourite runner. A change of scene from school-life now presented itself before him. He was on a ship sailing to India. He remembered the motions of the ship, the talk of the passengers and the flag that the ship flew. The night gave way to dawn. The officer got up and walked with long steps to his camp which lay in ruins. There was no weakness in his steps. The morning air was cool and sweet and he was taking in long breaths. As he came down, the murderers rushed to him and surrounded him. Light was spreading on the Laspur hills now. The red snow peaks of the Afghan hills were dazzlingly white now. He turned around and saw the golden disc of the rising sun emerging out of the east. The peak of the hill cut the disc of the sun. He addressed the light and said: O life of Glory which lives in the earth and the sun, here I am. I have lived my life. I sing your praises, I worship you. One of the murderers swept a sword and Hayward fell dead. The marauders moved on and a deep silence fell over the hills. CRITICAL APPRECIATION He Fell Among Thieves is a famous anthology piece primarily because of its wide appeal. It appeals to patriotic feelings, it appeals in a special way to lovers of nature. Further, it has the fascination that all tales of heroism have. All these combine to make He Fell Among Thieves a very charming piece of poetry. The story is set at the Indo-Afghanistan border in the 1880's. Hayward was on friendly terms with the Dards and the attack was totally unexpected. The Dards, who felt irritated over his intervention in their intertribal warfare, mounted a surprise attack on his camp and took him unawares. Hayward fought bravely, killing five of the enemies. But he surrendered when all his men were killed and he himself ran out of ammunition. As the enemies prepared to execute him, he asked them to wait till daybreak. He said he was a great lover of light and that he wanted to die while the sun was shining. They granted him his last wish. Hayward went up to the eastern edge of the hill and he spent the nighthis last night brooding over his past. The focal point of the poem is Hayward's retrospection of the happy days of his boyhood and young manhood, which he spent in England. It is the dream sequence which brought back to life Hayward's memories of his life in England. He thought of the April mornings when as a child he used to ride out with his father. The next frame was a picture of the church he used to attend on Sundays. This was PC/TSRS-MOUL/ISC-ENG LIT/2008 Page 2 of 3

followed by scenes from his school and college life. The dream sequence concluded with the memory of the voyage that brought him to India. As the day broke, he climbed down to his camp which lay in ruins from the previous nights attack. He uttered a prayer in praise of light and in a short while was put to death by the tribesmen. The situation of a man visualising his past life while he stood at the threshold of death lends a special poignancy to the poem. The backdrop against which the story is set is especially interesting. The immediate backdrop is the Laspur hills and the Yassin river. Beyond them can be seen the snow-capped Afghan hills. Morning light is broadening on the Laspur hills when the Dards put him to the sword. The imagery of the dream sequence is drawn from Hayward's experiences at home in England. Glimpses of life at home, the town church, scenes from school and college life, glimpses of the voyage he made to Indiathe images we see here are charged with emotion, so far as the poem is concerned. CHARACTER AND PERSONALITY OF THE ARMY OFFICER Henry Newbolt's poem He Fell Among Thieves tells the story of the heroic death of George Hayward, an officer in the British army in India. Dard tribesmen, who were irked by Hayward's intervention in their inter-tribal conflicts, raided his camp one night in 1885, though they had been on friendly terms with him. Hayward's men perished in the raid. Hayward, who put up a brave fight and accounted for five of his enemies, surrendered finally when he ran out of ammunition. Hayward was executed the next day. Newbolt has turned this incident into the subject of his poem He Fell Among Thieves. Like Tennysons Charge of the Light Brigade Newbolt's poem is famous all over the English speaking world as one of the best poems on the theme of patriotism. Newbolt presents Hayward as an outstandingly courageous man. He is an illustration of the saying that the valiant tastes of death only once. When his camp is attacked at night, he faces the marauders boldly and accounts for five of them. He surrenders in the end when he runs out of ammunition but he does not cringe before them or beg for mercy. What will ye more of your guest? he asks. On hearing their reply Blood for our blood he bursts out into laughter. He asks them mockingly how with just one death they could equalize the score. He says that he has been a lover of light and expresses the desire to die when the sun is shining. His captors grant his request. The sequence of scenes that describes the broodings of Hayward throws light upon his character and personality. They cover the period from his childhood to his voyage to India. We learn from the first of these scenes that Hayward was a diligent student. The next stanza with its reference to the graves of the honoured dead, brings in the theme of patriotism. Another scene tells us that he was the school champion who actively participated in athletic events. This scene brings out Hayward's preference for an active, outdoor life. This interest is further elaborated in the next scene which describes Hayward's life at college. This scene indicates that he was a member of the college team. Hayward, though a military officer, possesses the sensibility of a poet. His love of light is symbolic of his basic nature. He worships the light that lives in the earth and the sun. Light is life for him. As he sees the rising sun emerging out of the east, he greets the light and announces to it that he is ready to die. With youthful energy and directness of approach, Newbolt passes the message of a heroic and fearless life. He Fell Among Thieves shows the hero being surrounded by murderous thieves, and yet laughing in their faces. He is proud to feel that the death of one, that is himself, is being considered fit and valuable enough to account for the death of five robbers. I am ready, he says bravely. Everyone has to die one day. But if the life you are leaving behind is well-lived and fulfilled, then the death is one of honour and peace. It has to be fearlessly accepted. So the message is one of fearlessness in the face of danger. To sum up, Hayward is an army officer who goes by a strict code of honour. He is motivated by feelings of patriotism. He lives and dies for his country. He is not the kind of man who dies several times before his death. Hayward dies only once; he is the very embodiment of valour. PC/TSRS-MOUL/ISC-ENG LIT/2008 Page 3 of 3