Nightrunners of Bengal
Encyclopedia
Nightrunners of Bengal is the title of the first novel by John Masters
. It was published in the United States
in January 1951 by the Viking Press, New York, and at first attracted severe criticism from some reviewers who objected to what they regarded as its imperialist viewpoint and graphic depiction of acts of savagery. However, it was made the American Literary Guild's Book of the Month on publication, and was widely sold.
rather resembled that of Masters's own ancestors.
. The central character, Captain Rodney Savage, is an officer in a Bengal Native Infantry regiment. Restless with garrison life, he is still devoted to his regiment and its sepoys (Indian soldiers).
In spite of his empathy with the sepoys Savage does not realise that fear and resentment are driving them to intrigue with local rulers and other conspirators against the rule of the British East India Company
.
The complacent life of the British community in Bengal is shattered when the Rebellion breaks out. Most of the British officers of the Bhowani garrison and their families (including Savage's own wife) are killed in the outbreak or subsequently murdered.
Savage escapes the massacre along with his infant son and an English woman, Caroline Langford. The small group of refugees are sheltered by sympathetic Indian villagers.
For some time Savage's sense of betrayal and loss drives him into insane hatred of all Indians and he kills an Indian officer who was his friend. Eventually the humanity and tolerance of the villagers, combined with his growing love for Caroline, enable him to recover and to reach the British forces gathering to suppress the rebellion and infected with their own hatred and desire for revenge.
In a final clash an emotionally torn Savage fights against his own former regiment. Ironically it is a charge by Indian cavalry, who have remained loyal to the British, which turns the tide of battle.
The "Nightrunners" in the title are messengers who distributed chapati
s, shortly before the outbreak of the rebellion. This mysterious historic incident remains
unexplained to this day.
is about Rodney's father, William, who suppresses the Thugee. William's butler, Sher Dil, also appears in Nightrunners of Bengal, now an old man, and working for Rodney. Piroo, an ex-Thug who worked as part of William's band in The Deceivers
, and revered William as a great leader, also appears in this book.
Rodney Savage appears as a middle-aged colonel in The Lotus and the Wind
and in Far, Far the Mountain Peak as an elderly retired general. He also makes a final appearance in The Ravi Lancers
as a very old but still vivid man in 1915, who meets his younger relative, one of that book's main two protagonists, and speaks with concern and criticism on the conduct of the First World War.
Robin Savage, Rodney's son, features in The Lotus and the Wind
, a novel about the Great Game.
Bhowani Junction
, set in 1946-47, seems clearly intended as a counterpoint to the present book, and the two are more closely related to each other than to the other books of the Savage series. The later book also takes place in the fictional Bhowani and its environs, and specific locations are seen again changed by the passage of the century (for example, the metalled road which plays a significant part in Nightrunners has been replaced by the railway which plays an important role in Junction). Moreover, one of the later book's protagonists is also called Rodney Savage (the great-grandson of the central character of Nightrunners) and in many ways seems the same character, and he also meets the descendants of Sumitra Devi in the same settings where his ancestor had met her.
John Masters
Lieutenant Colonel John Masters, DSO was an English officer in the British Indian Army and novelist. His works are noted for their treatment of the British Empire in India.-Life:...
. It was published in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in January 1951 by the Viking Press, New York, and at first attracted severe criticism from some reviewers who objected to what they regarded as its imperialist viewpoint and graphic depiction of acts of savagery. However, it was made the American Literary Guild's Book of the Month on publication, and was widely sold.
Plot introduction
It introduced the fictional Savage family, whose history of service in British IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
rather resembled that of Masters's own ancestors.
Plot summary
The novel is set at the time of the Indian Rebellion of 1857Indian Rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of sepoys of the British East India Company's army on 10 May 1857, in the town of Meerut, and soon escalated into other mutinies and civilian rebellions largely in the upper Gangetic plain and central India, with the major hostilities confined to...
. The central character, Captain Rodney Savage, is an officer in a Bengal Native Infantry regiment. Restless with garrison life, he is still devoted to his regiment and its sepoys (Indian soldiers).
In spite of his empathy with the sepoys Savage does not realise that fear and resentment are driving them to intrigue with local rulers and other conspirators against the rule of the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
.
The complacent life of the British community in Bengal is shattered when the Rebellion breaks out. Most of the British officers of the Bhowani garrison and their families (including Savage's own wife) are killed in the outbreak or subsequently murdered.
Savage escapes the massacre along with his infant son and an English woman, Caroline Langford. The small group of refugees are sheltered by sympathetic Indian villagers.
For some time Savage's sense of betrayal and loss drives him into insane hatred of all Indians and he kills an Indian officer who was his friend. Eventually the humanity and tolerance of the villagers, combined with his growing love for Caroline, enable him to recover and to reach the British forces gathering to suppress the rebellion and infected with their own hatred and desire for revenge.
In a final clash an emotionally torn Savage fights against his own former regiment. Ironically it is a charge by Indian cavalry, who have remained loyal to the British, which turns the tide of battle.
The "Nightrunners" in the title are messengers who distributed chapati
Chapati
Chapati or Chapatti or Chapathi is an unleavened flatbread from the Indian subcontinent. Versions of it are found in Turkmenistan and in East African countries Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania...
s, shortly before the outbreak of the rebellion. This mysterious historic incident remains
unexplained to this day.
Characters in "Nightrunners of Bengal"
- Rodney Savage – captain of infantry
- Caroline Langford – Savage's new love
- Sumitra Devi, Rani of Kishanpur – regent of a semi-independent state (loosely based on Rani LakshmibaiRani LakshmibaiLakshmi Bai, the Rani of Jhansi was the queen of the Maratha-ruled princely state of Jhansi, situated in the northern part of India...
) - "The Silver Guru"; revered ascetic holy man
- RisaldarRisaldarRisaldar , meaning "the commander of a risala " in Persian, is a mid-level rank in cavalry and armoured units of the Indian Army. Risaldars generally command squadrons....
Rikirao Purohit; veteran Indian officer leading the Cavalry charge
Relations with other books in the series
The DeceiversThe Deceivers
The Deceivers is a 1952 novel by John Masters on the Thuggee movement in India during British imperial rule. It was adapted in 1988 as the Merchant Ivory Productions film starring Shashi Kapoor, Pierce Brosnan, Bijaya Jena, Saeed Jaffrey and Dalip Tahil....
is about Rodney's father, William, who suppresses the Thugee. William's butler, Sher Dil, also appears in Nightrunners of Bengal, now an old man, and working for Rodney. Piroo, an ex-Thug who worked as part of William's band in The Deceivers
The Deceivers
The Deceivers is a 1952 novel by John Masters on the Thuggee movement in India during British imperial rule. It was adapted in 1988 as the Merchant Ivory Productions film starring Shashi Kapoor, Pierce Brosnan, Bijaya Jena, Saeed Jaffrey and Dalip Tahil....
, and revered William as a great leader, also appears in this book.
Rodney Savage appears as a middle-aged colonel in The Lotus and the Wind
The Lotus and the Wind
The Lotus and the Wind is a spy novel by John Masters. It continues his saga of the Savage family, who are part of the British Raj in India, and is set against the backdrop of the Great Game, the period of tension between Britain and Russia in Central Asia during the late nineteenth century.-Plot...
and in Far, Far the Mountain Peak as an elderly retired general. He also makes a final appearance in The Ravi Lancers
The Ravi Lancers
The Ravi Lancers is a novel by John Masters, part of his series of novels portraying the British Raj through the experiences of members of the Savage family....
as a very old but still vivid man in 1915, who meets his younger relative, one of that book's main two protagonists, and speaks with concern and criticism on the conduct of the First World War.
Robin Savage, Rodney's son, features in The Lotus and the Wind
The Lotus and the Wind
The Lotus and the Wind is a spy novel by John Masters. It continues his saga of the Savage family, who are part of the British Raj in India, and is set against the backdrop of the Great Game, the period of tension between Britain and Russia in Central Asia during the late nineteenth century.-Plot...
, a novel about the Great Game.
Bhowani Junction
Bhowani Junction
Bhowani Junction is a 1954 novel by John Masters, which was the basis of a successful 1956 film. It is set amidst the turbulence of the British withdrawal from India. It is notable for its portrayal of the Eurasian community, who were closely involved with the Indian railway system...
, set in 1946-47, seems clearly intended as a counterpoint to the present book, and the two are more closely related to each other than to the other books of the Savage series. The later book also takes place in the fictional Bhowani and its environs, and specific locations are seen again changed by the passage of the century (for example, the metalled road which plays a significant part in Nightrunners has been replaced by the railway which plays an important role in Junction). Moreover, one of the later book's protagonists is also called Rodney Savage (the great-grandson of the central character of Nightrunners) and in many ways seems the same character, and he also meets the descendants of Sumitra Devi in the same settings where his ancestor had met her.