The Tiger of Mysore: A Story of the War with Tippoo Saib

In Short

G. A. Henty’s historical adventure follows Dick Holland, a young Englishman who travels to India alongside his mother to discover the fate of his father, a merchant captain lost years earlier. Joining forces with his Indian uncle, the Rajah of Tripataly, and a devoted companion named Surajah, Dick plunges into the Third and Fourth Anglo-Mysore Wars. Disguised as a native hunter, a palace officer, and a trader, he scours the realm of Tipu Sultan—the formidable "Tiger of Mysore." Combining historical military campaigns with a personal search, the novel endures as a vivid narrative of rescue, filial loyalty, and military history.

The Story

The narrative opens in England, where young Dick Holland and his mother refuse to accept that Captain Holland perished when his ship went missing in Eastern waters. Buoyed by Mrs. Holland’s quiet intuition that her husband remains alive, the pair sail for India. Upon their arrival, they reunite with Mrs. Holland's brother, an English officer who has become the Rajah of Tripataly. Dick quickly adapts to the country, learning local languages, horsemanship, and martial skills under the guidance of Surajah, a faithful Indian hunter who becomes his lifelong friend.

When the tyrannical Tipu Sultan, Ruler of Mysore, threatens the region, war breaks out between Mysore and the British East India Company. Seeing an opportunity to search for his father within Tipu’s secluded territory, Dick volunteers for scouting missions alongside British forces under Lord Cornwallis. Dick earns praise for his tactical instincts, surviving brush-warfare skirmishes and narrow escapes in the frontier borderlands.

As the war pushes toward Tipu’s capital, Dick and Surajah adopt disguises to venture deep into enemy territory. Posing first as tiger hunters, they gain access to small villages and frontier outposts. Later, through sheer chance and bravery—rescuing ladies of the harem when a runaway tiger breaks into a palace balcony—Dick and Surajah win the favor of Tipu Sultan himself. Unaware of their true identities, Tipu appoints them as palace officers and eventually commissions them as colonels to inspect his formidable hill forts (droogs).

This position allows Dick to investigate rumor after rumor of hidden English captives. Though they find that Tipu has ordered many prisoners executed, Dick refuses to abandon hope. During his undercover service in Seringapatam, he discovers Annie Mansfield, the young daughter of a British officer, who has been held in Tipu's harem since childhood. Dick hazards a daring nighttime rescue, carrying the young girl to safety through dense jungle back to his uncle's estate.

With the advent of the final war against Tipu Sultan, Dick makes his ultimate journey to the formidable hill fortress of Savandroog. Disguised as a merchant selling rich fabrics and jewels, he gains entry to the governor's quarters. There he finally discovers his long-lost father, worn by years of imprisonment. Utilizing ropes and a collapsible ladder, Dick, Surajah, and Captain Holland pull off a midnight escape down the sheer cliff faces of the fortress.

With his family restored, Dick witnesses the final fall of Seringapatam and the death of Tipu Sultan. Returning safely to England, Dick marries Annie Mansfield, settling near Plymouth with ample fortune and his family by his side.

How It Unfolds

A persistent hope Mrs. Holland and her son Dick set sail from England for India, convinced against all probability that Captain Holland did not perish at sea but remains a captive.

Arrival at Tripataly In India, they meet Mrs. Holland’s brother, an Englishman who has assumed the title and duties of the Rajah of Tripataly, where Dick begins learning native languages and outdoor survival.

Scout duty in the hills When war erupts with Mysore, Dick and his companion Surajah undertake dangerous scouting missions ahead of Lord Cornwallis’s advancing army, surviving skirmishes with Tipu Sultan’s cavalry in narrow mountain passes.

A leap into the balcony While living disguised in Tipu's capital, Dick and Surajah leap to the rescue when an enraged tiger breaks through a palace balcony, earning appointments as palace officers directly under the Sultan.

The rescue of Annie While serving in the capital, Dick locates Annie Mansfield, a white girl trapped in the royal harem, and carries her out of the city through the night to sanctuary.

Infiltration of Savandroog Disguised as traveling merchants, Dick and Surajah gain access to the impregnable rock fortress of Savandroog, where Dick finally locates his imprisoned father.

Nighttime descent Using smuggled ropes, ladders, and spears, the party slips over the fortress walls in pitch darkness, safely guiding Captain Holland out of Mysore territory.

Return to England After the final defeat of Tipu Sultan, the family returns home, where Dick marries Annie and establishes a quiet life in the English countryside.

The People

• Dick Holland: The central protagonist. Energetic, pragmatic, and resourceful, he is driven entirely by filial duty to find his missing father and protect his family. Through his travels, he transforms from an inexperienced English youth into a skilled linguist, scout, and officer.
• Mrs. Margaret Holland: Dick’s mother. A woman of quiet faith and deep conviction, her intuitive certainty that her lost husband is still alive propels the entire journey to India.
• Tipu Sultan: The "Tiger of Mysore." Historical ruler of Mysore, portrayed as a volatile, cruel, and ambitious monarch whose unpredictable favor and sudden brutality present a constant threat to Dick and all captives in his realm.
• Surajah: A skilled hunter and guide. He becomes Dick's steadfast companion, offering vital wilderness skills, tactical support, and unyielding loyalty through every infiltration and escape.
• Captain Holland: Dick’s father. A missing merchant officer whose years of solitary imprisonment in Tipu's hill forts have tested his endurance, yet who retains his quick wits when rescue arrives.
• Annie Mansfield: An English girl captured in childhood and raised as a slave in Tipu’s harem. Rescued by Dick, she recovers her heritage and eventually becomes his wife.

In Its Own Voice

"Patience was shown towards this monster until patience became a fault, and our inaction was naturally ascribed by him to fear." Context: Henty introduces the geopolitical tension between British forces and Tipu Sultan in his preface.

"'Steady, Surajah,' he said. 'I am going to stand on your head.'" Context: Dick prepares to leap onto the palace balcony to battle the escaped tiger threatening the harem.

"You will be the mistress now, and I your devoted servant." Context: Dick speaks affectionately to Annie after their safe return to England at the conclusion of the story.

What It's Really About

Beneath its sequence of escapes and military movements, the book is an examination of filial devotion and personal resourcefulness operating within a vast imperial conflict. It asks how far family loyalty can sustain a person through prolonged uncertainty and extreme physical danger. The story contrasts the formal, heavy machinery of British military operations with the lightweight, flexible ingenuity of two young men moving through enemy territory in disguise.

It also explores themes of cross-cultural adaptation. While written from an eighteenth-century British perspective, the narrative repeatedly highlights that Dick’s survival and success depend completely on his willingness to master local customs, languages, and wilderness skills, as well as his deep bond of mutual trust with his Indian companion, Surajah.

Why Read It Today

This novel offers an energetic window into late eighteenth-century British popular literature and the historical conflicts of South India. Readers who enjoy classical adventure stories—replete with midnight escapes from impregnable fortresses, dangerous animal encounters, and high-stakes espionage—will find the plot remarkably fast-paced. Henty writes with a clear, direct narrative momentum that keeps the reader moving swiftly from one historical episode to the next.

Modern readers should approach the text aware of its period context. Written in 1895 about events in 1799, the book reflects the unapologetic imperial attitudes and colonial perspectives of Victorian Britain. Its portrayal of Tipu Sultan focuses heavily on contemporary British accounts of his harshness toward prisoners. However, for those interested in historical fiction that captures the geography, military tactics, and dramatic lore of the Mysore Wars, the book delivers a detailed and absorbing adventure.