Bugles at Dawn

Arrested as a young ensign after the eve of Waterloo, and interviewed by Wellington himself, John Bold flees to India where, in the 6th Bengal Infantry, he is confronted by a country where peace is an unnatural state as Mahratta chieftains plunder each other's territory. Riding high as commander of an irregular unit, John Bold is awarded a lieutenant's commission by Lord Hastings, Governor General. He christens his half-squadron native cavalry formation 'Bold's Horse' and spearheads the British break-up of Mahratta power while, despite all the protocol of British India, remaining his own man.