Excerpt: Confederacy was broken, is one of the most stirring pages of the campaigns which, begun by Clive, ended in the firm estab lishment of our great empire in the Indian Peninsula. When the struggle began, the Mahrattas were masters of no small portion of India, their territory comprising the whole country between Bombay and Delhi, and stretching down from Rajputana to Allahabad, while in the south they were lords of the district of Cuttack, thereby separating Madras from Calcutta. The jealousies of the great Mahratta leaders Bolkar and Scindia, who were constantly at war with each other, or with the Peishwa at Poona, greatly facilitated our operations, and enabled us, although at the cost of much blood, to free a large portion of India from a race that was a scourge - faithless, intriguing and crafty, cruel, and reckless of life. The Mahrattas, conquering race as they were, yet failed in the one virtue of courage. They could sweep the land with hordes of wild horsemen, could harry peaceful districts and tyrannize over the towns they conquered, but they were unable to make an effective stand against British bayonets and British sabres. They were a race of free.
Author
George Alfred Henty, better known as G.A. Henty, began his storytelling career with his own children. After dinner, he would spend and hour or two in telling them a story that would continue the next day. Some stories took weeks! A friend was present one day and watched the spell-bound reaction of his children suggesting Henty write down his stories so others could enjoy them. He did. Henty wrote approximately 144 books in addition to stories for magazines and was known as "The Prince of Story-Tellers" and "The Boy's Own Historian." One of Mr. Henty's secretaries reported that he would quickly pace back and forth in his study dictating stories as fast as the secretary could record them. Henty's stories revolve around fictional boy heroes during fascinating periods of history. His heroes are diligent, intelligent, and dedicated to their country and cause in the face, at times, of great peril... Henty's heroes fight wars, sail the seas, discover land, conquer evil empires, prospect for gold, and a host of other exciting adventures. Along the way, they meet famous personages... In short, Henty's heroes live through tumultuous historic eras meeting leaders of that time. Understanding the culture of the time period becomes second nature as well as comparing/contrasting the society of various cultures.
