Note 8 — Chapter I

His real name was Walter Reinhart, but he was called Sombre from the darkness of his countenance, and this was easily changed into Sumroo. Franklyn says:—“Major Polier, at Delhi, to Colonel Ironside, at Belgaum, in May, 1776, writes—‘His name is Balthazar ——; the rest I have forgot. Sombre is ‘son nomme de guerre.’ He is a deserter of ours; he enlisted at Calcutta before the taking of the place, I think, in one of the Swiss companies, commanded by a young officer, I suppose Vussarot or Ziegler, and deserted shortly after. This anecdote is not generally known, and might serve, should he ever fall into our hands, for a valid plea to hang him, which could not well be done otherwise without straining a point, as he certainly only executed the commands of his infamous master, and his life might have been endangered by non-compliance.’”